Escape From Prison ( Arena ) Escape From Prison is the first main quest of . It serves as the introduction , and ( indirect ) training level for the player to practice . The Imperial Dungeons are a complex mix of hallways , and can be an immensely difficult test of time and patience . Walkthrough . Character Creation . After picking their name , the Eternal Champion is given two choices : One , to answer ten questions regarding their moral , and ethical reactions and decisions to different situations and problems to automatically pick a class that would best suit the player . This automatic selection , according to the , " " . . . only reflects what you would probably survive longest as , based upon the way you answered the questions . " " , and should only be used as a guideline . The second option is simply selecting a class from a list of eighteen character classes , without any help . The chosen choice of class determines the starting weapon , a thief starting with a dagger while a knight starts with a broadsword . The Champion is sent to a map of Tamriel , where they must select a home province . The selected province provides a different bonus . The Champion is then sent to the Character Sheet , or the " stat - generation screen . " All stats for every Champion range from 1 to 100 , with 50 being the general average for a basic character . The Champion is given a randomized amount of bonus points , which they can apply to their traits to benefit them in their endeavors , along with a randomized amount of Gold in their starting collection , seemingly maximized at 200 . After everything has been distributed , the Champion must choose their appearance , which varies due to their selection of race , sex and class for their character . After which , the player enters " The Arena , " and is greeted by the ghost of the recently - murdered Ria Silmane . Dream Bridge . The quest first starts with Silmane appearing before the Eternal Champion , telling them of escape and events that recently have happened . Imperial Dungeons . After Ria ' s dream bridge , the Eternal Champion wakes up in their dark , mossy prison cell . The first thing that they should do is exit the cell , equip the weapon they started with and find more gold . This can be done by first walking outside of the cell , turning left , and looting the armor cache next to the cell ' s entrance , and equipping any better weapons and armor they find . " Roleplaying messages " might appear on the screen in and outside the cell , which are messages describing the Champion ' s current surroundings , and are harmless and normally have no effect . After this , the Champion has two choices : Regardless of their choice , three things should be noted . With this information taken into account , the Champion should now make their choice whether they want to escape quickly , or gain loot . If they choose to escape , a good way to reach the Shift Gate fast is to follow Ria ' s advice : go west , then south repeatedly from the prison cell they initially spawned in , where they will have to fight few goblins / rats on the way to the gate . If the Champion chooses to instead stay and explore , this proves beneficial as the goblins / rats and exploring can give the Champion lots of experience and gold . Worthwhile weapons and armor can also be found while exploring the dungeons . Loot in " Arena " can be recognized easily by a pile of gold , an opened or closed chest , or a suit of armor on the floor . Loot can range from a random amount of gold , to weapons or armor . It is still important for the Champion to rest from time to time to heal , and regain stamina after fights . If they are having a hard time finding a place to rest , a good place to do so is their own prison cell , and rest on the slab that the ruby key was on . This counts as an elevated surface , and no monsters will spawn . It is recommended that the Champion level up during their time in the dungeons . To continue the main quest after they escape , the player must reach level 2 or higher , and sleep to get another dream bridge from Silmane again . Shift Gate . Eventually , the Champion will come across Silmane ' s Shift Gate , a square portal - like wall that has a blue border around it with black in the middle . On the floppy disk version of " Arena " , a window will pop up asking the Champion a question as they approach : Originally for the floppy disk version of " Arena " , the Champion was supposed to get the answer from the manual that came with the box . However , on all current releases the costs of the certain item or spell are found in the games directory , in the " Docs " folder under the name " Passwords . txt . " If they answer the question incorrectly the first time , it will ask the same question except with a different spell or item , and if they fail the second time the game will close . After the Champion has correctly answered the question , or skipped it depending on their version , they will be teleported into a random city in the province which they selected . After this , the quest is officially complete , and the Champion can sleep in an inn , or where available to dream bridge from Ria , beginning the quest to find the eight pieces of the Staff of Chaos .