The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered’s Spectral Horse Discovery Sparks Community-Wide Ghost Hunt to Find Out What Caused ‘Spookmane’ to Come Into Existence

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered is packed with spooky stuff — skeletons, spirits, and even zombies — but no-one can remember seeing this ‘ghost horse’ in either the original 2006 game or this 2025 remaster.

Our story begins with a reddit post by TaricIsNotASupport, who flagged what looks like a spectral horse just… waiting to be found.

“So I was crafting stupid spells in Frostcrag Spire, as it’s possibly my favourite way to have fun in this game, however this time when I left the Cosy Chaos Spire that has divided this community so very much I noticed something suuuuuuper strange in the distance,” TaricIsNotASupport began.

“I did as any of us of the right mind would do and B-lined it over there like a maniac. To my amazement was this spectral horse with no name.

“I have played thousands of hours of the original Oblivion — and have already sunken over a hundred hours into the Remaster — yet this is the first I have ever seen this horse.

“I don’t know if it’s something new that’s been added, or if I’ve just missed out on it before and never knew.”

TaricIsNotASupport then called on the community to help them work out what had happened here, which sparked something of a ghost hunt online, with players searching through the Unofficial Elder Scrolls Pages website for any word of a spectral mount in the original Oblivion. So far, nothing.

Could it be a mod? TaricIsNotASupport followed up their post to say they are playing on PlayStation 5, where mods are unavailable. TaricIsNotASupport also posted a clip of their character riding the horse. Despite its non-corporeal form, it appears this horse is very much present and correct, and works how any other horse would in Oblivion. “He fast travels and even gets stabled!” TaricIsNotASupport said. “By all accounts it’s now my steed!”

Some are suggesting this ghost horse is the result of a glitch, perhaps caused by a spell gone horribly wrong. Bethesda games are known for their bugs (in fact one is making the camera break the longer you play the game), and maybe this ghost horse is another to add to the list.

“Very weird, the wiki says there’s only 2 unique horses, Shadowmere and unicorns,” ClaymoreBeatz commented. “And there’s no horse mods that I can see that do this so I highly doubt your [sic] lying about not being on PC, this is probably some sort of glitch that the new Remastered has or glitched magical effect. Armored horses names change to Armored horse I think so maybe it’s an Armored horse that got hit by a spell and now its name and spell effect is glitched.”

Others are wondering whether the developers at Bethesda and Virtuos might have added this ghost horse to the game as a spooky secret for players to discover in Oblivion Remastered. This seems less likely, although it is a fun thought because if it’s true, then what other secrets might be hidden within the ramaster?

There are plenty of players who want to work out how to replicate the steed so they can have a ghost horse for themselves. Again, there doesn’t appear to be any particular process TaricIsNotASupport used to spawn it, at least none so far discovered.

In lieu of an in-game name, TaricIsNotASupport has called their Oblivion ghost horse ‘Spookmane,’ which I think is a wonderful effort. TaricIsNotASupport has pledged to continue their adventure with Spookmane by their side. Perhaps this is a one-off, perhaps it’s a secret, perhaps it’s a bug. Either way, Spookmane has captured the attention — and maybe even a few hearts — of the Oblivion community and its fans.

“This creature might be my favourite new friend I’ve made,” TaricIsNotASupport said. “Spookmane, you’re glorious and I love you.”

Oblivion Remastered, developed by remake specialist Virtuos using Unreal Engine 5, has a long list of visual and feature improvements. It runs at 4K resolution and 60 frames per second, as you’d expect, but other changes are more meaningful. Everything from the leveling systems to character creation, and combat animations to in-game menus have been improved. Meanwhile, there’s lots of new dialogue, a proper third-person view, and new lip sync technology. The changes are going down well with fans, some of whom believe Oblivion Remastered would be more accurately described as a remake. Bethesda, however, has explained why it went down the remaster route.

Now the game is out in the wild, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered players are warning newcomers to do Kvatch before the level scaling makes it an absolute nightmare. We’ve also got a report on a player who managed to escape the confines of Cyrodiil to explore Valenwood, Skyrim, and even Hammerfell, the rumored setting of The Elder Scrolls VI.

And be sure to check out our comprehensive guide to everything you’ll find in Oblivion Remastered, including an expansive Interactive Map, complete Walkthroughs for the Main Questline and every Guild Quest, How to Build the Perfect Character, Things to Do First, every PC Cheat Code, and much more.

Image credit: TaricIsNotASupport / reddit.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.