The arrival of The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered brings back plenty of memorable RPG options, including a large array of classes. Although some of Oblivion's mechanics have been updated, the classic RPG’s premade classes remain untouched from the original 2006 release. These differ from Skyrim's approach, which didn't use classes in the traditional sense, but they still offer a lot of flexibility when creating a new character.

In both the original and Oblivion Remastered, classes are made up of a combination of attributes and skills, which the character will be considered proficient in. These help shape what build the character will use, with a system that is far less forgiving than Skyrim's, meaning that knowing what skills and attributes to focus on becomes more important. There are 21 premade classes, divided into three specializations, as well as the option to create a custom class.

21 Healer - By Far The Worst

Specialization - Magic

While healers are an iconic RPG role, the Healer class for Oblivion is terrible. With only Destruction for damage and no weapons or armor proficiencies, the Healer is a pain to level without in-depth knowledge of Oblivion's systems. Although Illusion and Alteration are great for utility, they don't make up for the Healer's lack of Conjuration, which would have better fed into the other major skills.

20 Pilgrim - An Odd Mix Of Skills

Specialization - Stealth

The Pilgrim suffers from being a strange combination of skills and attributes that do not necessarily flow well together. This hinders leveling this class efficiently and, with no ranged options, limits their combat style. And in combat, their Blunt skill is lacking, as they have no major Strength attribute to draw from. Overall, the Pilgrim can be fun for roleplay, but definitely not on a first playthrough.

19 Thief - No Melee Major Skill

Specialization - Stealth

The Thief sounds like a great stealth-based class, and for the most part, it is. With a focus on Sneak, Acrobatics, and Agility, the Thief covers most of the skills you’d expect, with the exception of Illusion.

However, with no Blade to offer a melee skill option, the Thief falls a little flat. There are better stealth classes that do what the Thief attempts, and are much easier to level as well.

18 Rogue - Lacks A Ranged Option

Specialization - Stealth

Another stealth class that falls short is the Rogue, which offers none of the fun of its Dungeons & Dragons counterpart. While the Rogue does have Illusion, Blade, and Light Armor as major skills, it lacks a ranged combat option. Adding either some ranged magic or Marksman would have made all the difference, meaning that just as with the Thief, there are other classes that are better options.

17 Battlemage - Lackluster Magic & Melee combo

Specialization - Magic

Battlemage is a class that sounds really cool, offering a combination of magic and melee for combat. However, in practice, the Spellsword does this much better.

With the Battlemage's Intelligence as a favored attribute, it makes leveling Alteration and Destruction much harder, as they rely on Willpower. The Battlemage also lacks any major skills that would aid in leveling Endurance, such as Block, which would make sense for a partial melee class.

16 Monk - Difficult To Level Well

Specialization - Stealth

Just like its D&D counterpart, the Monk in Oblivion is primarily an unarmed combat class. However, as Hand to Hand has the lowest damage output in the game, it makes the rest of the class fall a little flat. The Monk isn't necessarily a bad class, with plenty of other great major skills. It's just hard to level without significant planning beforehand. When done properly, the Monk is very powerful, but it isn't a choice to make casually

15 Scout - Falls Short

Specialization - Combat

Another class that can be difficult to level up effectively is the Scout. Just as with the Monk, the Scout is not a terrible class, but it does fall short in one key area that prevents it from really shining.

Custom classes can be created by choosing a specialization, two favored attributes, and seven major skills to focus on.

Here, it is the lack of a ranged option in the major skills, which means there are other classes that are better options. Another issue is the inclusion of Endurance as a favored attribute alongside the Light Armor skill, which gives no way to level it up other than Block.

14 Acrobat - Uneven Leveling Can Ruin A Build

Specialization - Stealth

The Acrobat has plenty of skills that can be leveled quickly and easily, such as Sneak, Security, Acrobatics, and Marksman. However, with a favored attribute set as Endurance and no way to level it effectively other than Block, the Acrobat can quickly demonstrate just how unforgiving Oblivion's leveling and enemy scaling system can be.

Add to that the Acrobat's Blade skill requiring Strength, and you have a class that is best left in favor of others. For a class built so heavily around agility, the result just doesn't come together.

13 Barbarian - Quick & Strong Melee Option

Specialization - Combat

The Barbarian in Oblivion functions in much the same way as it does in any other RPG or TTRPG. Damage output is the focus, at the cost of armor; however, as Barbarian's don't get any damage bonuses, there is little reason to choose them over a class that can wear heavy armor if you want to play as a melee character. Meanwhile, with no boost to the Endurance attribute, Barbarians won't see the same benefits as other classes, such as Warriors or Spellswords.

12 Warrior - The Best Choice For New Players

Specialization - Combat

Speaking of the Warrior, it is a great class for brand-new players looking to the Fighters Guild. While not the strongest combat class by any means, its broad range of major skills and sensible attributes makes it easy to learn and level. The downside to this is that the Warrior isn’t the most exciting and creative to play, and it lacks the Marksman skill for a good ranged option.