You remember the "efficient leveling" nightmare? Spending hours jumping against a wall in the Skingrad stables just to ensure you got that +5 to Strength? Yeah, me too. Honestly, it was the worst part of an otherwise legendary game. But since Bethesda shadow-dropped the official remaster back in April 2025, everything feels a bit... different. If you’ve just picked it up on Game Pass or PS5, you’ve probably noticed the oblivion remastered classes skills system has been tweaked enough to make your old 2006 strategies feel like ancient history.
It isn't a total remake like Skyblivion is trying to be. This is still the Gamebryo engine at heart, just wrapped in a beautiful Unreal Engine 5 render pipeline. But the quality-of-life changes to how you actually build your character are huge. They basically took the jank out and left the soul.
Why Your Old Class Pick Might Suck Now
Back in the day, everyone just made a custom class. Why wouldn't you? The default ones like the Acrobat or the Bard were mostly garbage because they included skills that were too easy to accidentally level up, forcing you into a level-up before you were ready.
In the remaster, that "leveling trap" is mostly gone. You still have 7 Major Skills, but the way you get your attribute bonuses has been modernized. You don't have to meticulously track how many times you swung a blunt mace vs. a blade to get your +5. You can now freely assign points on a level-up without the "min-max" anxiety that used to define the series.
The New Role of Attributes
Attributes still exist—Strength, Intelligence, Willpower, the whole gang. But there's a new "Origin" property in character creation. Instead of gender-locking certain stats, you pick an origin that defines your starting baseline. It’s a way more flexible way to build a character.
Also, a massive change that most people miss in the tutorial: Short swords and daggers now scale with Agility. Seriously. In the original, all blades used Strength. Now, if you’re playing a Thief or an Assassin, you don't need to pump Strength just to do damage with a little dirk. This makes the "Stealth" specialization actually viable for combat, not just for hiding.
📖 Related: Why the Pokemon Red Blue ROM is still the weirdest game you can play
Skills That Actually Matter in 2026
The remaster didn't add new skills, but it completely reworked the "Mastery Perks." In the old game, you’d reach Journeyman or Expert and get a tiny bonus. Now, those milestones feel like actual game-changers.
Take Athletics for example. Since the remaster added a dedicated sprint button (thank God), Athletics has been overhauled.
- Novice: You regenerate fatigue at a measly 25% while running.
- Apprentice: Your fatigue regens normally.
- Journeyman: Sprinting consumes 30% less fatigue.
- Expert: 60% less fatigue.
- Master: Sprinting is basically free. You can zip across Cyrodiil like a skooma-addict.
Then there's Acrobatics. It’s not just about jumping high anymore. The Apprentice perk now gives you a dodge roll that is actually responsive. In the original, dodging was this clunky, useless animation. Now, it’s a legitimate way to play a glass-cannon character. You can dodge in any direction, and it’s fast. Like, Dark Souls fast? Not quite, but way better than it was.
The Magic Rework
If you’re going the Mage route, you need to know about the Lord Sign. They completely gutted the old version. No more "Blood of the North" power or that nasty fire weakness. Instead, you get a flat 15% armor rating and 15% magic resist. It's boring, but it makes the Lord sign actually usable for a Battlemage build.
Also, a weird but welcome change: Fatigue no longer affects your melee damage. In the original game, if your fatigue was low, you hit like a wet noodle. Now, fatigue is mostly for sprinting and power attacks. This means you aren't punished just for being tired after a long run into a dungeon.
Comparing the Top Tier Classes
Honestly, the "Warrior" is still the easiest way to play, but it’s kind of a snooze. If you want to actually enjoy the new mechanics, look at these:
The Spellsword
This is probably the strongest class in the remaster. Since you can't cast spells while blocking anymore, you have to be much more tactical. But because the leveling is more forgiving, you can actually build a hybrid that doesn't feel weak in both departments. You get Destruction and Restoration, which are essential for staying alive in the new "Expert" difficulty preset.
👉 See also: Why Escape From Tarkov Missions Are Basically A Love-Hate Relationship For Every Player
The Nightblade
Because of the Agility scaling for daggers, the Nightblade is finally the "stealth-mage" it was always supposed to be. You use Illusion to disappear and then a dagger to get those huge sneak attack multipliers—which, by the way, are much easier to land now that the stealth eye indicator actually shows your detection status (like in Skyrim).
The Monk
People were worried about this one. Since there's still no "Unarmed" perk tree like in some mods, the Monk relies on Hand-to-Hand and Alteration. The good news? Hand-to-Hand now has a much faster attack speed than it did in 2006. If you pump your Speed attribute, you can literally stunlock enemies by punching them into oblivion before they can even draw a sword.
A Note on Skyblivion
Don't confuse the oblivion remastered classes skills with what the Skyblivion team is doing. That’s a fan project running in the Skyrim engine. They are using a perk tree system similar to Skyrim. The official remaster stays true to the "Mastery" system—you just get the perks automatically as you level the skill.
I’ve seen a lot of people complaining on Reddit that the remaster "looks desaturated" compared to the Skyblivion trailers. While that’s true—the remaster keeps that slightly hazy, bloom-heavy look of the original—the gameplay in the remaster feels more "Oblivion." It’s a 1:1 layout. Every rock and tree is where you remember it, just 2600% heavier in file size (the game is 125 GB now).
How to Not Ruin Your Build
If you’re starting a new save today, here is the "expert" advice that will save you ten hours of frustration:
- Don't ignore Armorer. They swapped the perks. In the original, you needed to be a Journeyman to repair magic items. In the remaster, you get that at Apprentice. This means you can keep your enchanted gear functional much earlier in the game.
- Pick a "Movement" Major Skill. Either Athletics or Acrobatics. Since they're tied to the new sprinting and dodging mechanics, you’ll be using them constantly. It’s the fastest way to level up your character without even trying.
- Use the Map Filters. The new UI lets you filter locations by type. If you’re playing a Thief, filter for shops and houses. If you’re a Warrior, look for forts. It sounds small, but it makes navigating Cyrodiil way less of a headache.
- Alchemy is still broken. You can still make ridiculous potions that sell for a fortune. Even though they fixed the "Scroll Dupe" glitch (RIP to my infinite watermelons), Alchemy remains the best way to get rich and powerful.
The remaster isn't perfect. The NPCs still have those weird potato faces (just with higher-res skin textures now), and the "Radiant AI" is still prone to having conversations with walls. But the changes to classes and skills make it feel like a modern RPG rather than a relic.
If you're jumping back in, just remember that the old rules about "efficient leveling" don't apply. Just play the game. Pick a class that sounds fun, use your skills, and the game will actually reward you for it this time.
Check your journal often for the new "Add-on Quests." They don't just pop up as soon as you exit the sewers anymore. You actually have to overhear rumors in bars or find specific NPCs to trigger things like the Knights of the Nine or Shivering Isles. It makes the world feel much more organic.
📖 Related: How to Actually Play a DnD 5e Voodoo Build Without Ruining the Vibe
To get the most out of your new build, head straight to the Imperial City Arena once you've got your first five levels. It's the best place to test your new mastery perks in a controlled environment before you start closing gates.