If you came here wondering if you could dual-wield weapons or spells in The Elder Scrolls 4 Oblivion Remastered, I’m sorry to disappoint you so quickly—but you can’t. And trust me, I’ve tried.
The news should come as no surprise to those who played the original Oblivion. There was no dual-wield option there either, and like the original from over 20 years ago, spells are on a single button press that you can press at any time, even if you are wielding a sword or a bow at that time.
Technically, you could call that a form of dual-wielding, I suppose. The ability to have any one spell active at a single time when linked up with a sword and shield could even be a triple-wield, but it pales in comparison to what Skyrim offered and the breadth of different options at your disposal. And while I’m not surprised to see the lack of dual-wield here, I can’t help but still feel disappointed.
With no official modding support either, there won’t be a way to add the option into the game through mods or other efforts, which means we’re stuck using one weapon at a time. The best you have when it comes to dual-wielding is two things: holding a shield in your free hand to block with a weapon, or when you have a torch in your free hand to light your path in dark caves. But it fails to live up to the same levels as holding two daggers or magic and a sword all at the same time.
The decision was likely made to keep the remaster as close to the original as possible, both in a sense of scaling combat and also trying to balance the game that was made for a different time. Even without dual-wielding, it’s possible to destroy hordes of enemies with the right magic spell or weapon, and the original equipment system is still there for all to see.
Still, our dreams of being able to dual-wield maces or other weapons will need to wait for any future—and hopeful—modding support. For now, if we really feel like dual-wielding weapons, I suppose it’s time to take a trek back to Skyrim… for the 200th time.
Published: Apr 23, 2025 11:34 AM UTC