The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered has been in players’ hands for almost a week, and they’ve already got a long list of changes they’d love to see included.
Since Bethesda Game Studios and Virtuos shadow-dropped their heavily rumored Oblivion remaster last Tuesday, fans have spent dozens of hours revisiting Cyrodiil to see how it compares to the 2006 original. While the vast majority of its vibrant hills and demonic Oblivion Gates are the same but with a fresh coat of paint, some major gameplay elements have been tweaked to make the overall experience more appealing to newcomers. So, with features like a sprint mechanic added, fans have one question on their minds: what else could be added?
Bethesda heard players’ cries for Oblivion Remastered updates and took to its official Discord to see what the community wants to see included. It’s unclear how many suggestions – if any at all – will worm their way into the Elder Scrolls remaster, but it’s clear that Bethesda is at least taking the feedback into consideration. Still, there are a few suggestions that have climbed their way to the top of the list of requests.
Less Awkward Sprinting
Oblivion Remastered’s most noticeable new feature allows players to sprint, making the trek across the Planes of Oblivion speedier than ever… and also a bit awkward. It’s hard to deny that sprint, as it currently exists in Oblivion Remastered, is quite wonky, as the player character hunches forward and swings their arms as they make a mad dash toward whatever adventures lie ahead.
The Elder Scrolls series is known for its jank, but this is one animation that many believe could use some slight adjustments. While some hope the spring animation is altered to look more natural altogether, others are at least hoping for a setting that allows players to go with a natural sprint or stick with the current sprint if they so choose.
More Customization Options
Social media is flooded with ridiculous Oblivion Remastered custom character designs, but many think its character creation system could be better. One popular request involves additional hair options as players look to personalize their chosen character. Another has to do with the request for more body customization tools, including height and weight. While these additions could give fans more freedom to express themselves, many are just hoping for the ability to change their appearance later in the game.
Difficulty Balance
Difficulty is an especially hot topic for Oblivion Remastered players now one week removed from launch. Specifically, hundreds of fans are looking for a tweak to the challenge offered in the Adept and Expert modes, with the former deemed to be too easy by many, while the latter has been labeled too hard. A difficulty slider or additional difficulty options may be what Oblivion Remastered needs not only to give players the choice to finely tune their challenge level but maybe even recreate the difficulty of the original experience.
“We need difficulty sliders, please!” one Discord user said. “Adept is way too easy and mindless, but expert is too grindy. Honestly can’t play before a patch arrives.”
Mod Support
Bethesda has spent the last decade making its pro-mod stance abundantly clear, so many were shocked to see that Oblivion Remastered did not support mods upon its release. There’s been no word as to why such a key feature was left out this time around, leaving many to hope Bethesda and Virtuos will eventually change course.
While unofficial mod support can already be found for PC players who know where to look, console Elder Scrolls fans have been left without the freedom to customize every aspect of the game. Official mod support means not only a streamlined modding experience on PC but potentially even console, too.
Spell Organization
As players continuously pour hundreds of hours into Oblivion Remastered, they’ve found their menu experience to be overencumbered by an insurmountable list of spells. Regardless of their utility, you’ll be hard pressed to find a player who uses every last magic ability that can be found in Cyrodiil.
These are long lists of spells that players are sifting through to find their desired incantation, making the option to sort and hide them easily one of the more popular suggestions.
“There should be a way to remove spells from your spell book,” another Discord user added. “Once you start making custom spells and level up, your spell list becomes unmanageable.
Map clearing/Soul Gems
Exploration is one of the key features of an Elder Scrolls game, so players are hoping Bethesda will eventually release an update that makes reading its map a bit easier. Players are looking for a UI update that clarifies whether or not a location has been cleared so that no one wastes their time going to a dungeon that they forgot they cleaned out 30 hours ago.
Another prominent issue featured in suggestion threads involves Soul Gems. Like maps, it’s a bit hard to make out a Soul Gem’s type without going through a few steps. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim allowed players to make out a Soul Gem’s contents by simply reading its name, so the hope is that a similar addition is added to Oblivion Remastered.
Performance Fixes
This one’s a no-brainer. While most players have found their Oblivion Remastered experience to be relatively smooth, every platform has its fair share of complaints when it comes to framerate issues, bugs, and visual hiccups.
These problems were exacerbated when a recent backend update triggered a wave of graphics glitches that removed access to some settings while tanking framerates on PC. Bethesda said it’s working on a fix, so don’t be surprised if future updates also bring tweaks to smooth out the experience.
Elder Scrolls fans are drooling at the thought of updates to Oblivion Remastered, but at least on PC, they don’t have to rely on Bethesda to see some of their most desired changes implemented. There are, of course, already hundreds of mods available for those looking to tweak this beloved refresh to their liking. Some highly requested items have already gotten fan-made mods, too, including an upright sprint animation and more customization options.
We’ve got plenty more on Oblivion Remastered, including a report on a player who managed to escape the confines of Cyrodiil to explore Valenwood, Skyrim, and even Hammerfell, the rumored setting of The Elder Scrolls VI.
We’ve also got a comprehensive guide to everything you’ll find in Oblivion Remastered, including an expansive Interactive Map, complete Walkthroughs for the Main Questline and every Guild Quest, How to Build the Perfect Character, Things to Do First, every PC Cheat Code, and much more.
Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He’s best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).
