Oblivion Remake Revives Paid Horse Armor DLC

In 2006, Bethesda was riding a wave of success with The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. To keep players invested in Cyrodiil, the developer began releasing small paid DLC packs. Little did they know the first pack, released that April—horse armor—would gallop straight into controversy.

Even if you weren't following gaming news at the time, you've probably heard about the horse armor controversy. While DLC existed before this, Oblivion's Horse Armor Pack ($2.50 for 200 Microsoft Points) caused an uproar because the armor was essentially a cosmetic item with no practical benefit.

Now, in 2025, cosmetic upgrades are commonplace, allowing Bethesda to have some fun with the launch of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered by once again offering horse armor as a paid extra. Today's surprise reveal and shadow-drop of the remaster confirmed two editions: a base version and a deluxe edition. For an additional $10, the deluxe edition includes new quests for unique armor, extra weapons, a digital artbook and soundtrack app... and yes, horse armor—two sets, to be exact.

For the most part, the community is taking this in stride. Nearly two decades after cosmetic DLC like horse armor was seen as shocking, players are accustomed to paying for purely aesthetic upgrades. As Circana analyst Mat Piscatella noted on BlueSky, U.S. consumers spent over $10.4 billion on digital game add-ons for PC and consoles in 2024. "Horse Armor paved the way for Battle Passes to thrive."

In fact, many find it amusing that Bethesda is now able to joke about what was once a huge scandal.

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 already has mods alongside its horse armor. Within hours of launch, several community mods appeared on Nexus Mods, although most are currently minor customization tweaks.

While we wait for more mods to arrive, learn why some players consider this release more of a remake than a remaster, and why Bethesda decided to stick with the "Remastered" label.

Our comprehensive guide covers everything in Oblivion Remastered, including a detailed Interactive Map, complete walkthroughs for the Main Quest and every Guild Quest, tips on building the perfect character, early-game priorities, and much more.