Oblivion Remastered Sneak Buff Secretly Nerfed—Heavy Boots Are Now a Stealth Disaster

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Summary

  • The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered has made a major change to the way Sneaking functions.
  • The remaster has become the third best-selling title of 2025, trailing behind Monster Hunter Wilds and Assassin’s Creed Shadows.
  • Reaching level 50 in Sneaking only allows the player to move “more quietly” in heavy armor now, when it previously negated the weight of one’s boots entirely.

As a dedicated Elder Scrolls fan, I was taken aback when I discovered that the sneaking mechanic in The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered had undergone a significant change, catching even die-hard fans of the original game off guard. On April 22, Bethesda stealthily released The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC, sparking whispers that it might make its way to Nintendo Switch 2 in the not-too-distant future.

In the past few days, news surfaced that The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered, a newly released game, has already climbed to third place among the top-selling games of 2025. It’s currently behind Monster Hunter Wilds and Assassin’s Creed Shadows, both of which were launched earlier in 2025.

On Reddit, user voruvi uncovered an update regarding stealth mechanics in The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered. Previously, reaching level 50 in sneaking meant that players could sneak effectively regardless of their boot weight. This was advantageous since it allowed characters in heavy armor to move stealthily without worrying about the weight of their boots. However, this feature has been significantly altered: now, reaching level 50 only improves a player’s ability to move more quietly. After observing and testing various situations, voruvi found that, as anticipated, wearing heavy armor attracts greater attention from guards.

Mastering Sneaking in Oblivion Remastered No Longer Negates the Weight of One’s Boots

As a dedicated gamer diving into The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered, I decided to test out a theory regarding the Sneaking mechanic. Some fellow gamers hinted that reaching level 100 in Heavy Armor might counterbalance the change to Sneaking. However, after putting on the heaviest armor and testing it out, I found that leveling up to 100 didn’t make much of a difference. In fact, opting for light armor or even going barefoot proved to be far more advantageous than donning heavy armor. It’s worth mentioning that the boots you wear seem to be the only factor influencing Sneaking, as wearing heavy armor without any boots is still an option.

As an avid fan, I initially heard that adding a Feather enchantment in The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered could potentially improve sneaking when wearing heavy boots. However, upon testing it out myself, I found that this theory was unsubstantiated; the Feather enchantment didn’t seem to affect one’s stealth abilities at all, despite influencing a character’s encumbrance level. At present, it appears that the most effective means of boosting sneaking skills is simply going barefoot when trying to move covertly. With an expansive world to explore and plenty of engaging content to experience, Bethesda’s beloved RPG has kept me and fellow fans enthralled throughout our gaming journey.

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2025-05-12 11:42