Vampirism ( Oblivion ) Vampirism is a syndrome acquired once Porphyric Hemophilia has infected the body for three day s and the victim has slept a minimum of one hour . One infected with vampirism is called a vampire . Sunlight damages their pale complexion and a sensitivity to fire is acquired . Beneficially , vampires acquire a resistance to frost magic , the ability to see living beings in complete darkness , enhanced speed , swordplay abilities , resilience to normal weapons , and boosts to magic al skills such as Destruction , Illusion , and Mysticism . Attribute and skill bonuses and deficiencies , in addition to uniquely acquired spells and abilities , increase with the severity of infection . Vampirism comes in four tiers . The first being the closest to mortal ity , the fourth being fully vampiric . The first tier occurs just after sleeping , once the Porphyric Hemophilia disease has taken root . Afterwards , the degree of infection increases the longer a vampire goes without receiving sustenance from human blood . To feed , approach a sleeping person . A cursor depicting an ajar mouth with fangs appears . Press the activation button and commence feeding . Porphyric Hemophilia . The disease , Porphyric Hemophilia , causes the vampiric condition after being infected for 72 hours . After this point , a bed must be slept in for the disease to take root and cause vampirism . If the infected is due for a level up , the addition of vampire skills takes precedence , meaning another sleeping session must be performed to advance in level afterwards . Once vampirism has been successfully acquired , a message will display , indicating that the infected dreamt of feeding as a vampire . A list of abilities and modifiers are immediately applied . Porphyric Hemophilia can be cured at any altar , with a Cure Disease potion or through the Restoration spell . Vampirism can only be cured in the base game through the quest Vampire Cure , and it cannot be acquired again without the uses of console commands or the quest Darkness Eternal . With the Vile Lair plug - in , the Font of Renewal can be used to cure vampirism as well . The moment the Imperial City Sewers are exited , after the completion of " Tutorial " , Porphyric Hemophilia ( or vampirism ) can be contracted . Methods of contraction . When the disease is successfully contracted , a message will display in the upper left - hand corner of the screen . The active - effects list in the Character Menu will display the disease , which has a five - point Drain Fatigue penalty . Being the subject of a vampire ' s physical attack causes the infection to take root . This includes attacks made by blades , blunt weapons , unarmed blows , and arrows . Unlike , which requires being the victim of the Vampiric Drain spell cast by vampires , getting attacked with a spell by a vampire in does not cause the Hero to contract Porphyric Hemophilia . Vampires inhabit caves across Cyrodiil . The Barren Cave , along the Blue Road , west of Cheydinhal , always contains vampires , regardless of Character Level . During the Dark Brotherhood quest , " Darkness Eternal " , Vicente Valtieri offers the " dark gift " as a reward for completing each contract up to that point . Accepting the offer infects the target with Porphyric Hemophilia , after which , the standard procedure for advancing the infection must be performed . However , Vincente is killed by the Hero of Kvatch during the quest The Purification , so if one wishes to become a vampire , the dark gift should be accepted as soon as possible . This is also the only way to become a vampire if the Hero has already been cured once . Alternatively , sleeping outdoors , beyond civilization , can cause the disease to be contracted . Bedrolls such as those found at bandit camps like Fisherman ' s Rock are ideal places for contracting the disease this way . This only occurs if at least one hour is slept during the night . Stages of infection . As the severity of vampirism increases , the vampire ' s weakness and strengths enhance . Some effects are constant across the infection , while others are dynamic . The vampirism increases one stage each 24 hours gone without feeding , upon the next sleep or wait . Feeding . To feed , approach a sleeping NPC and interact with them . The choice to feed then appears . Feeding reverts the vampire back to the first stage of vampirism . Feeding on a guard sleeping in a barrack nets a 40 bounty and immediately wakes them up . Sneaking decreases the chances of being caught while feeding . If the vampire is witnessed feeding on a victim , the witness sounds the guard . Curing vampirism . Aside from the Vampire Cure , initiated by Raminus Polus of the Arcane University , the only method for curing vampirism that does not involve the use of console commands is the Font of Renewal . Added through the DLC , The Vile Lair , this magic fountain cures vampirism instantly upon activation . The Font is located in Deepscorn Hollow . Once vampirism has been cured , the only way the Hero can contract it again without console commands is with the Dark Brotherhood Quest " Darkness Eternal " .