Top Picks for Enhancing Oblivion Remastered Gameplay
Playing Bethesda's Oblivion like a pro? You'll need these badass mods
(prima facie, it's all about those mods)
If you think you're truly playing a Bethesda RPG without a slew of mods, you might as well be playing dress-up. With the recent launch of Oblivion Remastered, modders haven't wasted a moment whipping up new mods or updating mods from the original game to work with this fancy reboot.
But let's face it, we're still in the early days of the Oblivion Remastered modding scene. Plus, this time around, they've got you tangled up with not one but TWO game engines - Gamebryo AND Unreal Engine 5. So, it might take a while for the modding scene to really get its groove on.
For now, here are some mods to get your fix of performance boosts, visual improvements, and a dash of better gameplay. Oh, and we'll be updating this list as new mods (and old favorites) make their entrance onto the scene.
Utilities
Oblivion Script Extender
This one might not be essential just yet, but listen up: it was critical for the original Oblivion, and much like its Skyrim counterpart, it's gonna be indispensable for most mods real soon. There are already a good number of mods out there that are dependent on it, and that number is only gonna grow as modders get more... ambitious with their custom creations.
Ultimate Engine Tweaks
Here's the deal: visual upgrades usually translate to a performance downgrade, and some players are reporting that their PCs are struggling to keep up with Oblivion Remastered's pristine looks. If you're noticing stuttering, low frame rates, or simply want to remove eye-catching flourishes like film grain or chromatic aberration, this mod's the one for you.
Visual mods
Better HUD
Bethesda sure knows how to design HUD and UI elements for players who like to keep their eyes on the rearview mirror. So, if you're not huddled around an old CRT screen, you're gonna be needing this mod that gives you the option for smaller compasses, even ones with no text elements for that minimalist aesthetic.
No Hud No Effects
Wanna snap some sweet screenshots without a bunch of UI clutter in the way? Want to turn off effects like object outlines, fog, or compass markers? There were a few quick console commands in the original game that'd handle that, but they don't work in the remaster. Enter this mod, which sets up quick toggles to hide or show all sorts of HUD furniture and visual effects.
Gameplay mods
Unleveled Item Rewards
Bethesda decided to change up the leveling system for the remaster, but stuck with the leveled rewards system. That means you might end up with a crapshoot of a cool weapon. No thanks to that, this mod shuts off the leveled rewards system, so you're guaranteed to get the best version of every quest reward item you earn. Now, that's already an improvement over the system in the vanilla game.
Difficulty Slider Fixed
Something's a bit off with Oblivion Remastered's difficulty levels, as players discovered when they switched from "Adept" (too easy) to "Expert" (pure evil) to "Master" (pure evil, but harder). This mod evens things out with more sane damage scaling, making for a good challenge without breaking your back.
Auto Local Map
Want to use a local map? You're gonna need a scrolling arm (or wrist) of steel, since it's a painfully slow process to zoom in from the world map to see dungeons and interior maps. This mod opens the local map by default every time you're inside—what a nice touch!
First Person Horse
First-person riding looked sweet in the Oblivion Remastered trailer, but guess what? No option to actually do it in the game. If you're not down with being yanked out of first-person perspective every time you're on horseback, you might find this alpha (meaning still in development) mod helpful, even though it does have some clipping issues.
Faster Sleep and Wait
Missed your chance to do some sneaky-sneaky business because the shop closed or night fell? Your window closed too? The villain you want to iced is tucked behind a Very Hard lock in their home? Well, you can wait (by pressing 'T'), but one hour takes a second to pass, and ya know... that's still a wait. This mod speeds that up to 250ms per hour, provided your hardware can handle it.
Written by Christopher LivingstonChris started playing PC games in the 1980s, started writing about them in the early 2000s, and (finally) started getting paid to write about them in the late 2000s. Following a few years as a regular freelancer, PC Gamer hired him in 2014, probably so he'd quit emailing them demanding more work. Chris has a love-hate relationship with survival games and an unhealthy fascination with the inner lives of NPCs. He's also a fan of offbeat simulation games, mods, and doing his own thing with the storylines in RPGs.
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Enrichment Data:
Here's our picks for the top mods for Oblivion Remastered across performance, visuals, and gameplay, based on recent player recommendations and testing:
Performance Improvements
- Ultimate Engine Tweaks (386k+ downloads): Optimizes resource usage, fixes stuttering, reduces latency, and removes pesky visual glitches (e.g., film grain, chromatic aberration).
- Oblivion Script Extender (OBSE): Ensures compatibility and unlocks scripting capabilities for deeper gameplay tweaks.
- SL PCL Fix and LowSpec Gaming Mod: Reduces CPU/GPU strain, especially on handhelds like the Steam Deck, leading to smoother FPS (up to 50%) in crowded areas.
- Oblivion Optimizer: Enhances shader handling, asset streaming, and CPU/GPU resource management for better performance.
Visual Enhancements
- No Hud No Effects: Removes distracting visual clutter like spell effects, HUD elements, and object outlines.
- Lossless Visual Tweaks: Often bundled with Ultimate Engine Tweaks to preserve original art quality while fixing post-processing issues.
Gameplay Tweaks
- Better HUD: Customizable UI scaling and layout options for modern displays.
- Unleveled: Overhauls enemy and item scaling for a more balanced progression system.
- Universal Achievement Unblocker: Ensures achievements remain enabled when using mods/cheats.
Installation Tips
- Mod Load Order: Prioritize performance mods over visual/gameplay mods.
- INI Tweaks: Back up original configuration files before applying performance overrides.
- Testing: Use tools like Steam Deck's performance overlay or PC benchmarking to compare FPS gains.
For walkthroughs, YouTube creators like NightGoblin demonstrate how to triple FPS with combined mod setups.
- Playing Bethesda's Oblivion Remastered without the essential Oblivion Script Extender might leave you struggling with compatibility issues for most mods as the number of mods dependent on it grows.
- The Ultimate Engine Tweaks mod can optimize resource usage, fix stuttering, reduce latency, and remove unwanted visual glitches for a smoother gaming experience.
- If you're striving for better performance in crowded areas or on handheld devices like the Steam Deck, mods like SL PCL Fix and LowSpec Gaming Mod can significantly reduce CPU/GPU strain for improved FPS.
- For a more balanced progression system, consider using the Unleveled mod, which overhauls enemy and item scaling in Oblivion Remastered.
- The Better HUD mod offers customizable UI scaling and layout options to make the game more accessible on modern displays.
- In the modding scene for Oblivion Remastered, we're currently in the early days with two game engines (Gamebryo AND Unreal Engine 5) to contend with, so it might take a while for the modding scene to reach its full potential.
- Technology continues to evolve, and gadgets like the Steam Deck could play a significant role in pushing the boundaries of modding and performance optimization for games like Oblivion Remastered.
