In 2006, Bethesda was basking in the success of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. To keep players engaged in Cyrodiil, the studio began releasing small paid DLC packs. Little did they know that one April release would spark a gaming controversy: horse armor.
Even if you weren't gaming back then, you've probably heard about the horse armor uproar. While DLC existed before then, Oblivion’s Horse Armor Pack—priced at 200 Microsoft Points (roughly $2.50 at the time)—stirred strong reactions because the armor offered almost no practical benefit.
Now, in 2025, cosmetic upgrades like this are standard, which lets Bethesda humorously revisit the idea in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered—charging players once more for horse armor. Alongside today’s surprise remaster launch, we learned that it will come in both base and deluxe editions. For $10 extra, deluxe buyers receive new armor quests, bonus weapon options, a digital artbook, a soundtrack app… and yes, horse armor—two sets, to be exact.
For the most part, fans are taking the news in stride. We're nearly two decades past the shock of cosmetic DLC like horse armor, and players today are used to paying for visual customizations. As Circana analyst Mat Piscatella noted on BlueSky, U.S. 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."
In fact, many find it amusing that Bethesda now seems comfortable poking fun at what was once a major controversy.
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 doesn't just bring back horse armor—it's already attracting mods. Several community mods appeared on Nexus Mods mere hours after launch, though most are small customization tweaks.
While we wait for more mods to arrive, you can explore why some players consider this release more of a remake than a remaster and why Bethesda chose the "Remastered" label.
We’ve prepared a complete guide covering everything in Oblivion Remastered, including a detailed Interactive Map, full Walkthroughs for the main story and all guild quests, how to create the ideal character, important early-game activities, and much more.
