The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered may be polished and packed with nostalgia, but one familiar little quirk managed to slip through untouched. That quirk is the infamous duplication glitch tied to chests and other containers, which was once one of the most defining oddities of the original release and has now returned in essentially the same form. Probably less of a bug and more of a feature now, players can exploit the same storage-based item duplication that filled their inventories to the brim two decades ago, trivializing Oblivion Remastered's intended economy and progression systems in the process.
What's interesting this time, however, is that there is seemingly a brand-new variation of the duplication glitch in The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered that wasn't present in the original version of the game. The fact that the original exploit was not fixed, and a new one has somehow emerged ultimately raises questions about how much attention is being given to The Elder Scrolls’ chests, since they are apparently allergic to being bug-free. Now, with The Elder Scrolls 6 currently in development, Bethesda might want to consider testing the game's chests and containers three and four times more than it has in the past – unless, of course, it wants these issues to persist for some reason.
Oblivion Remastered's Chests Show Why TES 6 Needs Smarter QA
Old Bugs Don't Always Stay Buried
The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion's duplication glitch was never really a secret to the attentive, and for many players it even became part of the game's folklore. By manipulating containers, stacking items, and perfecting the timing of it all, it was possible to create an infinite number of copies of almost anything, whether it be rare weapons, valuables worth a pretty penny, or even quest items. That same exploit is still somehow alive in Oblivion Remastered, leading to veterans and new discoverers alike publishing step-by-step instructions online for others to max out their inventories within hours of starting a new game.
The thing about The Elder Scroll 4: Oblivion, though, is that many of its bugs eventually became a part of its distinct identity, making it a tough call to either keep or remove them in the remaster. For the most part, Oblivion Remastered keeps the original’s quirks, and it's arguably better for it. Things like a voice actress' unedited line of dialogue or the game's chaotic AI and Havok physics have proven over time to be a considerable portion of Oblivion's charm, no matter how immersion-breaking they may be. As such, Oblivion Remastered choosing not to refine those areas (and even the duplication glitch) could be considered a good choice, from a certain point of view. But the point isn't whether those bugs should still be present in the remaster, but what Bethesda may need to double down on moving forward.
New Variants Could Signal Testing Blind Spots
Now, there's a second, brand-new duplication glitch in Oblivion Remastered that wasn't in the original, and while keeping the original duplication glitch in the game might have made sense from a nostalgic standpoint, the same can't necessarily be said for the new one. Something seems to be inherently wrong with The Elder Scrolls' chests that will require Bethesda to double-down on testing moving forward. And while some players might think The Elder Scrolls 6 could be better if it ends up with its own duplication glitch, it could ruin the game for other players who are trying to progress according to the game's rules.
If nothing else, The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered proves that even the smallest systems can result in some of the biggest problems. Whether it's intentional or accidental, chest behavior has a way of slipping through the cracks in The Elder Scrolls, and those cracks tend to get larger with each new release. The Elder Scrolls 6 will have enough to live up to without inheriting the same baggage from its predecessors, making extensive testing of its most unassuming mechanics a critical part of its success.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 82 /100 Critics Rec: 87%
- Released
- April 22, 2025
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Sexual Themes, Violence
- Publisher(s)
- Bethesda
WHERE TO PLAY
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 5
- Genre(s)
- Action, RPG, Open-World, Adventure
