"Oblivion Remastered Reintroduces Paid Horse Armor DLC"

In 2006, Bethesda was basking in the glory of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion's success. To keep the fanbase engaged in the world of Cyrodiil, the company began rolling out small paid DLC packages. However, they inadvertently sparked a major controversy with their first DLC release in April: horse armor.

Even if you weren't a gamer back then, the term "horse armor" likely rings a bell. While downloadable content (DLC) wasn't new, Oblivion's Horse Armor Pack, priced at 200 Microsoft Points on the 360 Marketplace (roughly $2.50), stirred up quite a storm due to its perceived lack of utility.

Fast forward to 2025, and cosmetic upgrades like these are no longer a novelty. This shift allowed Bethesda to humorously reintroduce horse armor with the launch of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered. Alongside today's announcement and surprise release of the remaster, Bethesda unveiled 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, horse armor—two sets, to be exact.

Today, fans seem to take this in stride. The era when cosmetic DLC such as horse armor was a shock is long gone, and players are now accustomed to paying for aesthetic 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.

In fact, many find Bethesda's nod to the past controversy amusing.

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 not only brings back horse armor but also introduces mods. Just hours after its launch, a few community mods surfaced on the popular site Nexus Mods, though these primarily focus on minor customization options.

As we await more mods, you can delve into why some players consider this release more of a remake than a remaster and understand Bethesda's decision to label it "Remastered."

For a deep dive into what Oblivion Remastered offers, check out our comprehensive guide. It includes 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.

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