Oblivion Remastered Changes Sneaking Mechanics, Surprising Longtime Fans
A surprising tweak in The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered changes how Sneaking works, leaving heavy armor users rethinking their stealth strategies.
When Bethesda dropped The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered out of nowhere on April 22 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC, fans of the original were pumped. There’s even talk that it might sneak its way onto the rumored Nintendo Switch 2. But while people are diving back into Tamriel, some are noticing a few key differences—like one major change to how Sneaking works.
Despite being a recent release, Oblivion Remastered has already soared to the third spot on the 2025 best-sellers list, right behind Monster Hunter Wilds and Assassin’s Creed Shadows, both of which launched earlier this year. Clearly, nostalgia (and Bethesda’s surprise drop strategy) is working.
One Reddit user, voruvi, highlighted a big change in how Sneaking behaves in the remaster. In the original Oblivion, hitting level 50 in Sneaking gave players a great perk: the weight of their boots no longer mattered. That meant even if you were decked out in clunky heavy armor, your stealth game stayed solid. But in the remastered version? That perk’s gone. Now, at level 50, you just move “more quietly,” which doesn’t seem to mean much when your boots still clank around and alert every guard in earshot.
To see how bad the change really was, voruvi ran some stealth tests—sneaking up on guards barefoot, in light armor, and in heavy armor. The results were clear: heavy boots make a lot more noise, and going barefoot was the stealthiest route.
Some players wondered if reaching level 100 in Heavy Armor would balance things out. That perk supposedly lets you wear the heaviest armor without encumbrance issues. But according to voruvi’s testing, it didn’t help much. Light armor or no boots at all still came out on top for staying sneaky.
Others suggested enchanting gear with Feather might help, since it reduces weight. Sadly, that idea didn’t hold up either. While Feather affects encumbrance, it doesn’t seem to impact how sneaky your steps are.
So what’s the current stealth meta? Lose the boots. Seriously. If you want to stay undetected in Oblivion Remastered, your best bet is bare feet.
Even with the change, fans are clearly having a blast rediscovering Bethesda’s iconic RPG. Just maybe leave the iron boots at home if you’re trying to be sneaky.
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