So, the Oblivion Remaster finally dropped, and everyone is losing their minds over the graphics. Yeah, Cyrodiil looks incredible in Unreal Engine 5. The lighting is moody, the grass doesn't look like green cardboard anymore, and the faces? Honestly, they actually look like humans now instead of irradiated potatoes.
But once the initial "wow" factor fades, you're left with the same old question that haunted us back in 2006: Did they actually fix the Oblivion remaster level scaling, or is every bandit in the woods still wearing a full suit of Daedric armor?
The short answer is... it’s complicated. Bethesda and Virtuos didn't just copy-paste the old broken math. They tried to hybridize it with Skyrim’s logic, but the results are polarizing. If you go in expecting a total removal of level scaling, you’re going to be frustrated. But if you hated the "efficient leveling" nightmare of the original, there’s actually some really good news here.
The Scaling Problem: Why Everyone Hated the Original
To understand the remaster, you have to remember how bad the original Elder Scrolls IV was at math. It was basically a game that punished you for playing it.
In the 2006 version, the world leveled up exactly when you did. If you spent ten levels picking flowers and talking to people, your Alchemy and Speech would go up, and you’d level up. But since you didn't level your Blade or Destruction skills, the world’s enemies—who grew in power based on your total level—would suddenly be way too strong. You’d step out of a shop and get mauled by a wolf that had more health than a dragon. It was absurd.
Basically, if you didn't track your skill gains on a spreadsheet to ensure you got +5 to your attributes every level, you were "gimping" your character. The world got exponentially harder while you got linearly better. It was a race you couldn't win.
What’s Different in Oblivion Remaster Level Scaling?
The 2025 remaster (released just recently in April) tries to split the difference. It’s not a 1:1 port of the old system. Here is the meat of what actually changed in the Oblivion remaster level scaling mechanics:
1. The Attribute "Virtue" System
They killed the +1/+5 attribute bonuses based on which skills you used. Thank the Nine. Now, when you level up, you get 12 Virtues to spend. You can put up to 5 points into any attribute you want. It doesn't matter if you spent the whole level jumping or swinging a mace; you can still put those points into Strength or Intelligence. This removes the need for "efficient leveling." You can just play the game.
2. The Skyrim Influence
The enemy scaling is now "bracketed" more like Skyrim. In the original, a bandit would scale with you forever. In the remaster, certain enemies have level caps. You’ll still see tougher enemy types appear as you level up (like Ogres replacing Wolves), but they don't have that infinite health pool that made high-level combat feel like hitting a brick wall with a wet noodle.
3. The "Daedric Bandit" Issue
This is the one people are still arguing about on Steam and Reddit. While the stats are better balanced, the loot scaling is still very much a thing. By level 20, you’re still going to see random thugs wearing high-tier gear. It’s less frequent than it used to be, but it’s not gone. The remaster developers argued that they wanted to keep the "old experience," which is a polite way of saying they didn't want to redesign the entire loot table from scratch.
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Is it Actually "Fixed"?
Kinda.
If your definition of "fixed" is that you no longer need a calculator to play, then yes. It’s fixed. You can play a thief who dabbles in magic without worrying that you’ll be unable to kill a mudcrab by level 15. The addition of a five-preset difficulty system (Novice to Master, just like Skyrim) instead of that weird slider also makes it easier to find a sweet spot.
However, the "fistfight with a mirror" feeling hasn't entirely vanished. Designer Bruce Nesmith recently did an interview with Rock Paper Shotgun where he admitted the original scaling was a "mistake." He seemed surprised the remaster team kept as much of it as they did. The reality is that the world still revolves around your level. You won't find a "high-level zone" where you get crushed at level 1, and you won't really find many "low-level zones" where you feel like a literal god later on. Everything just... moves with you.
How to Handle Level Scaling in the Remaster
If you’re starting a new save, don't play it like it's 2006. You don't need to put your "most used" skills in your Minor Skills anymore. In fact, you should put the skills you actually use into your Major Skills because they give you more XP toward your next level.
- Don't over-level: You still gain "progress" from Minor Skills, but Major Skills move the bar faster. If you feel the game getting too tough, stop sleeping. You only level up when you rest.
- The Level 30 Cap: Most veterans agree that level 30 is the "sweet spot." This is when the highest-tier leveled loot (like Sigil Stones) reaches its maximum power. Going beyond level 30 usually just makes enemies tankier without giving you better gear in return.
- Use the new Combat Tools: The remaster added things like Shield Bashes and Bleed effects for blade weapons. These are actually more important than your raw level. If you aren't using the new mechanics, you're going to feel the scaling a lot more.
The Modding Scene is Already on it
If you absolutely hate the scaling, the modding community has already stepped in. Within weeks of the remaster's launch, mods like Ascension Remastered and Descension appeared on Nexus. These mods do what Bethesda wouldn't: they unlevel the world. They set static levels for dungeons and regions. If you want that "Gothic" or "Morrowind" feel where some places are just too dangerous for you, mods are still the only way to get it.
The Oblivion remaster level scaling is a massive improvement over the original simply because it removes the stress of character building. It’s a "modernized" version of a flawed system. It’s not perfect, and it still feels a bit weird to see a bandit in glass armor, but at least now you can actually kill him without needing a spreadsheet.
To get the most out of your run, focus on your Endurance early to max your health gains, spend your 12 Virtues wisely on every level-up, and don't be afraid to tweak the difficulty presets if a particular dungeon feels like a chore.
Next time you head into an Oblivion Gate, remember that the game is much more forgiving now. Just don't expect the world to stop growing just because you did.