There are a lot of changes in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, but at its core, the remake still feels like the original game – it just looks and plays a lot better. The Oblivion Remastered improvements overhaul much of the 2006 classic for modern audiences without losing what makes Oblivion special.
Oblivion Remastered: Where To Go First
Knowing what to do first in Oblivion Remastered will help players get their footing in Cyrodiil and figure out where to go first.
When comparing Oblivion Remastered and the original version of Oblivion, the most obvious updates are the visual improvements. But graphics are far from the only thing that has been touched up or updated – these seven updates are the biggest differences Oblivion Remastered players should know before jumping into (or returning to) the revamped world of Cyrodiil.
7 Vast Visual Improvements In Oblivion Remastered
Pushing Unreal Engine 5 To Its Limits
The most obvious changes players will notice first in Oblivion Remastered are the major visual updates. The original game looks quite dated nowadays, but the Oblivion Remaster does a great job of maintaining what makes Oblivion so special, as it remasters the original graphics with a gorgeous, modern coat of paint.
Oblivion Remastered takes full advantage of Unreal Engine 5 capabilities with modern lighting effects like ray tracing, new effects and models for every spell, item, and character in the game, and tons of other visual overhauls that bring Oblivion into the modern age.
It's a complete refresh from the ground up of the game's graphics, and for a remaster of a game from 2006, it looks phenomenal – no wonder Oblivion Remastered is more than 20 times the size of the original game.
6 Overhauled Combat In Oblivion Remastered
Archery & Melee Have Received Significant Updates
Among the many differences Oblivion Remastered players should know before jumping in is the overhauled combat mechanics. Bow combat and melee combat have received major overhauls that make these systems less rigid and more fun to engage with.
Oblivion Remastered: How To Join The Dark Brotherhood
To join the Dark Brotherhood, Oblivion Remastered players must complete a series of twisted Dark Brotherhood Initiation quests.
Additionally, enemies will now react differently when hit, and striking an enemy on the top or bottom of their model will elicit different reactions. Combat animations for enemy attacks and player attacks both have been remade, too. For example, daggers now have a four-hit combo that ends with a harder two-handed stab. In general, combat is much more engaging on a moment-to-moment basis thanks to these many Oblivion Remastered combat differences.
5 Updated Sneak & Stealth Mechanics
Oblivon Remastered Stealth Is More Informative & Responsive
One update that players who like to play Sneak builds in Oblivion will appreciate is the Stealth rework. In the original game, a small eye would either be open or closed based on whether you could be seen while sneaking.
In Oblivion Remastered, the Sneak system is more like Skyrim's stealth system. Now, when you Sneak, the eye will slowly open and close as you enter and leave enemy sight.
Sneaking is not binary anymore; thieves can tell whether they are getting too close to an enemy before it's too late.
It's a small change, but compared to the obtuse Sneak system in the original game, Oblivion Remastered's stealth system feels much more engaging and informs players more effectively as they plan their next move.
4 New Oblivion Remastered Leveling System
More Control Over How You Level Your Character
One of the biggest differences Oblivion Remastered deviates from the original game with is the overhauled leveling system. Oblivion Remastered takes a new approach to leveling. In the original game, you would get the ability to choose three Attributes and gain points based on how much you leveled their associated skills.
Oblivion Remastered: How To Level Up
The new Oblivion Remastered leveling system combines the best of Oblivion and Skyrim leveling mechanics.
In the Oblivion Remastered leveling system, you get 12 Virtue Points to allocate across Attributes when you level up. Players still level up their Skills to progress to the next level, but Minor Skills will now provide XP, while the original game required players to increase their Major Skills to level up.
3 A Modernized, Yet Familiar, UI
Oblivion Remastered Updates The UI In Subtle Ways
The original Oblivion UI was made to work for both console and PC players, but in the end, it ended up being clunky on both platforms – many PC players even resorted to using Oblivion UI mods like Darnified UI. The Oblivion Remastered UI updates bring major improvements to the original game's menus and significant updates to the inventory system and UI navigation.
Oblivion Remastered features menus that display more information, show more of the items in your inventory, and are generally easier to navigate than the original game. The UI updates don't lose the storybook aesthetic of the original Oblivion UI, they just make it easier to navigate and more user-friendly.
2 A Reworked Difficulty System
Five Difficulties To Choose Instead Of A Vague Slider
In the original version of Oblivion, there was a Difficulty slider that vaguely adjusted enemy Health and damage as you slid it to the right. Soon after starting the game, you will have the option to change the difficulty in Oblivion Remastered to one of five settings. Just open your game menu, tab over to the Gameplay options menu, and select which Difficulty suits you. By default, you will be on Adept difficulty.
Oblivion Remastered: Deluxe Edition Rewards & Price
The Oblivion Remastered Deluxe Edition rewards include in-game armor, weapons, and other digital goodies.
In Oblivion Remastered, there are five Difficulty options instead of a slider. The default is the middle Adept option – if you select either of the two lower options, enemies will deal less damage and have less health, while higher options increase enemy damage and health.
1 Additional Voices & Sound Effects
It Keeps Most Original Voices, But Adds Newly Recorded Lines & Sounds
The original version of Oblivion was released in 2006, when storage limits on game disks were much more limited than storage devices available now. As a result, developers could not have unique voice lines for every NPC, nor could they afford to have multiple voice actors for each race.
In Oblivion Remastered, the original voices that players have come to have a fondness for over the years remain in the game. But now, they are supplemented by a vast array of new lines, and new voice actors behind them. The new voices feel in keeping with the quirky dialogue of the original game, including both the newly written voice lines just for the remaster and the new readings of classic lines.
Just wander around the Imperial City after committing a crime for a little bit, and you'll hear plenty of Guards tell you to "pay with your blood" with these newly recorded voices.
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered
- Released
- April 22, 2025
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Sexual Themes, Violence
- Publisher(s)
- Bethesda
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 5
- Genre(s)
- Action, RPG, Open-World, Adventure
- Platform(s)
- Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PlayStation 5, PC
