The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered: Everything That's Changed

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion's long-awaited remaster has finally come out. It gives a beloved RPG a new look while keeping its core gameplay intact. TES IV: Oblivion Remastered, which was made by Bethesda and Virtuos together, is a dream come true for long-time fans. It's especially important for people who have been working hard on projects like Skyblivion, a fan-made overhaul mod that has been in the works for years.

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered stays pretty close to the original structure, which was to be expected. The layout, item placement, and gameplay loop are all the same, making it more of a traditional remaster than a full remake. But where it matters, it makes the experience a lot more modern. This version of Oblivion makes the 2006 classic feel a lot more modern. It has better lighting, higher-resolution assets, improved landscapes, and many other quality-of-life improvements.

The remaster adds a better third-person camera, new animations, a sprint button, and a completely new user interface. Players will also notice that the voice acting for some races has been re-recorded. For example, the Argonians used to share voice lines with other species.

The menus have been completely redesigned. The inventory and magic tabs are now as easy to use as Skyrim, with previews of items and better organization. Inspired by Skyblivion's way of thinking about how games should grow, skills now show progress toward mastery perks. The map has been expanded to fill the entire screen and now features toggles for quest markers and improved navigation across Cyrodiil's vast landscape.

The quest journal is now on its own tab, making it easier to keep track of your goals. The help menu is also complete enough to help new players who aren't familiar with Oblivion's complicated RPG systems. The way you level up has also changed in a way that looks like Fallout, making it easier for players to assign points to attributes.

It looks like Cyrodiil is more alive than ever. Interiors and many objects are still in their original places, but the landscapes have been greatly improved. Cliffs and mountains now use detailed 3D meshes, which makes places like Blackwood and the Jerall Mountains look much better. There is better lighting and more varied and dense foliage. There are also better environmental effects like dynamic shadows and auroras, especially near the Skyrim border.

From the Great Forest to the Gold Coast, each area retains its personality while enhancing the atmosphere beyond its original state. The forests are fuller, the swamps feel more real, and the water depth and visibility of islands along the coasts are now more like they are in real life.

Even with these changes, some oddities from the original still remain, such as interiors with strange architecture (for example, waterfront homes with windows facing backward). But for fans, these are part of what makes Oblivion fun, and the remaster does the right thing by leaving them in.

To sum it up, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered is a tribute to the first game. It updates what needs to be updated and improves what needs to be improved, but it doesn't change the nostalgic heart of the experience. There's never been a better time to visit or learn about Cyrodiil, whether you've been there before or this is your first time in Tamriel.