Oblivion Remastered Reintroduces Paid Horse Armor DLC

In 2006, Bethesda was basking in the glow of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion's success. To keep fans engaged with the world of Cyrodiil, the developer began releasing small, paid DLC packages. However, they inadvertently stirred up controversy with their first release that April: horse armor. Even if you weren't into gaming back then, you might have heard of the horse armor controversy. While DLC was not new, Oblivion's Horse Armor Pack, priced at 200 Microsoft Points (around $2.50), caused a stir because the armor offered no practical benefits.

Fast forward to 2025, and cosmetic upgrades like horse armor are now a common feature in games. This shift has allowed Bethesda to playfully reintroduce horse armor with the release of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered. Alongside today's announcement and surprise launch, we discovered that the game will be available in both a base and a deluxe edition. For an additional $10, the deluxe edition offers new quests for unique armors, additional weapon options, a digital artbook, a soundtrack app, and, of course, two sets of horse armor.

Today's fans seem to take this in stride. Almost two decades have passed since cosmetic DLC was a novelty, and players are now accustomed to paying for such enhancements. As noted by Circana analyst Mat Piscatella on BlueSky, U.S. video game consumers spent over $10.4 billion on digital add-ons for PC and console games in 2024. "Horse Armor walked so Battle Passes could run," he remarked, highlighting the evolution of in-game purchases.

Many find Bethesda's nod to the original controversy amusing, seeing it as the company's way of poking fun at its past.

PAID HORSE ARMOR DLC. OBLIVION IS TRULY BACK. pic.twitter.com/1DJFIPzHB0

— Many A True Nerd (@ManyATrueNerd) April 22, 2025

Honestly I have to respect it. New players won't know this, but releasing the horse armor as paid DLC again is a subtle reference to when they singlehandedly ruined the industry by selling it the first time around. I kneel, Todd. https://t.co/BGwBwL3VYX

— UGS | Ajay (@AJ34_SSB) April 22, 2025

£10 for Horse Armor in #OblivionRemastered ??? There's no way that's gonna catch on pic.twitter.com/E1jqpPZFYr

— Olive_Meister (@Olive_Meisterr) April 22, 2025

Oblivion Remastered is not just about horse armor; it already has mods. Just hours after its launch, a few community mods surfaced on the popular site Nexus Mods, though they mostly offer minor customization options.

As we await more mods, you can explore why some players think today’s release is more of a remake than a remaster and Bethesda's reasoning behind labeling it as "Remastered."

We've compiled a comprehensive guide to everything in Oblivion Remastered, including an expansive Interactive Map, complete Walkthroughs for the Main Questline and all Guild Quests, tips on How to Build the Perfect Character, Things to Do First, and much more.