It’s one of the most hated mechanics in Oblivion, but don’t worry, Bethesda has confirmed that they’ve improved it

The original release of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion marked a before and after in open-world RPGs, but it was not without its critics, which are more palpable. One of the most persistent was its leveling system, which was considered complex and unbalanced. Now, with Oblivion Remastered, the developers have listened to the fans and promise a complete overhaul of this crucial aspect, taking inspiration from the best of two worlds: classic Oblivion and the fluidity of Skyrim.

How does the original Oblivion leveling system works?

In Oblivion, players chose a class with seven major skills that directly affected the leveling of the character. The Minor Skills, on the other hand, only affected attributes. This allowed leveling up without necessarily improving combat skills, creating an artificial progression that was often disconnected from actual performance in the game.

The problem was exacerbated by the enemy scaling system, which also scaled with the player. This led to absurd confrontations, such as common bandits with crystal armor. In addition, quickly specializing in a single skill, such as Destruction for mages, could create unbalanced characters. It was even possible to complete the main story without leveling up many levels, a clear sign of the system’s structural flaws.

How the Leveling System will work on Oblivion Remastered?

During the stream, the Virtuos team mentioned: “It’s not just the visuals that we’ve modernized in the remaster, it’s the gameplay. It’s the UI and the UX. We’ve updated features and systems across the board. We’ve changed the approach to leveling, which I think will make a lot of people happy. It’s inspired by the leveling systems of both Oblivion and Skyrim, so it’s the best of both worlds.

Though specific details are still scarce after the recent release of the remaster, the developers have hinted that the leveling system has been thoroughly overhauled, using Skyrim’s mechanics as a base. This suggests that the new version may retain Oblivion’s general skill structure, but adopt enemy scaling more similar to its successor.

The Oblivion remaster is now available for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC for $50. It’s also included in Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.

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