Fast traveling in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is one of the most helpful tools for navigating the massive open world of Cyrodiil. Whether you’re trying to reach a quest location quickly or avoid long, repetitive treks through the wilderness, knowing how to fast travel efficiently can save you a ton of time. This guide explains how fast travel works in Elder Scrolls 4 Oblivion, when and why you might not be able to use it, and tips to make the most of it.
How Fast Travel Works in Oblivion
Fast travel is a built-in game mechanic that lets you instantly travel to previously discovered locations on the map. Unlike some other RPGs, you don’t need to find a specific travel service or NPC to use it—it’s all done directly from your in-game map.
To fast travel:
- Open your map (press M on PC or the appropriate button on console)
- Locate a previously discovered location—cities, shrines, forts, caves, and more
- Click or select the destination
- Confirm fast travel when prompted
- Your character will arrive after a time skip, with time passing based on distance
At the start of the game, major cities are already discovered, so you can fast travel to places like Imperial City, Bruma, Anvil, or Chorrol immediately.
Requirements to Fast Travel
There are a few key conditions that must be met in order to use fast travel:
- You must have discovered the location: You can only fast travel to places you’ve already visited at least once on foot.
- You must not be in combat: If enemies are nearby or you’re being attacked, fast travel will be disabled until you’re safe.
- You can’t be inside a building, dungeon, or interior space: You need to be outdoors in Tamriel’s overworld to activate fast travel.
If fast travel isn’t working, check to make sure:
- You’re outside in the open world
- You’re not being chased or in a combat situation
- The place you’re trying to go to is marked in white (discovered), not gray
Benefits of Fast Traveling in Oblivion
Using fast travel is not only convenient—it can enhance your gameplay in several ways:
- Skip long walks and repetitive routes between cities or dungeons
- Avoid unnecessary random encounters in the wilderness
- Speed up questlines by jumping directly to locations
- Bypass travel fatigue during encumbrance-heavy exploration
However, if you prefer immersion or roleplay, you can limit fast travel and walk everywhere for a more old-school experience.
How to Unlock More Fast Travel Points
To expand your fast travel options:
- Visit new locations: Walk to caves, forts, Ayleid ruins, and landmarks to discover them
- Explore each city’s surrounding area: Doing so adds nearby farms, inns, and shrines to your map
- Join guilds: New guild halls and quest areas become fast travel options once visited
Every new location you visit adds a new marker to your map for future quick access.
Fast Travel Tips
- After clearing a dungeon, fast travel back to a city to sell loot and return instantly
- Use fast travel to quickly change environments—for example, leaving a rainy city for sunny Skingrad
- If you’re overloaded with loot, drop excess items, fast travel, then return to pick them up
- Save before fast traveling if you’re unsure about enemy spawns at your destination
Can You Fast Travel with a Horse?
Yes! If you’ve purchased or been given a horse, you can fast travel while mounted. The horse will travel with you and appear at the destination. You don’t need to dismount to initiate travel.
Note: Shadowmere, the Dark Brotherhood horse, and other special horses will also follow you when you fast travel.
Final Thoughts
Fast travel in Elder Scrolls 4 Oblivion is simple, seamless, and a major time-saver. As long as you’ve discovered a location and aren’t in danger, you can jump around Cyrodiil freely. It’s one of the most convenient systems in the game and essential for questing, exploring, and loot runs. Whether you’re heading to the Arcane University or clearing your tenth Ayleid ruin, mastering fast travel helps you spend less time walking and more time adventuring.
Want more Oblivion tips? Check out our guides on How to Wait Time and How to Join the Mages Guild to keep your journey smooth, magical, and optimized!