How to Get an Armored Horse SECONDS After Leaving the Sewers in Oblivion Remastered

Introduction

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, released on April 22, 2025, has brought Bethesda’s legendary RPG back to life with Unreal Engine 5 visuals, refined leveling, and all original DLCs, including the infamous Horse Armor Pack. As players emerge from the Imperial City sewers after the tutorial, Cyrodiil’s vast world can feel daunting on foot. Fortunately, a clever trick lets you secure a free armored horse—Snak gra-Bura’s Old Nag—mere seconds after stepping into the open world, thanks to the Horse Armor Pack quest. X user @TheRealBeho hyped this method, sharing, “How to get an Armored Horse for FREE in #OblivionRemastered from Chestnut Handy Stables.” This guide details how to claim this armored steed instantly, its benefits and limitations, and the broader context of horses in Oblivion Remastered, critically examining the mechanic’s design and community reactions.

The Horse Armor Pack: A Notorious Legacy

The Horse Armor Pack, first released in 2006 for $2.50, sparked controversy as one of gaming’s earliest microtransactions, mocked for its cosmetic focus and high price, per ScreenRant. In Oblivion Remastered, it’s included in the base game, offering Elven and Steel armor variants that double a horse’s health without adding damage resistance, per UESP. The quest begins automatically upon installing the game, granting a note that entitles you to one free set of horse armor from Snak gra-Bura at Chestnut Handy Stables, just outside the Imperial City. If you don’t own a horse, Snak provides a free Old Nag equipped with Steel armor, making this the fastest way to get a mount post-tutorial.

Horses in Oblivion are vital for rapid travel, climbing steep slopes, and outrunning enemies, as IGN notes. They can’t be fought from, requiring dismounting for combat, and are vulnerable to death (except Shadowmere), making armor’s health boost valuable. The Old Nag, while the slowest and weakest horse, becomes a sturdy starter with armor, ideal for early exploration.

Step-by-Step Guide to Get the Armored Horse

This method lets you claim the armored Old Nag seconds after exiting the sewers, requiring minimal effort and no gold. Here’s how:

Complete the Tutorial: Finish the Imperial City sewers tutorial, choosing your race, birthsign, and class. At the sewer exit, Baurus offers a final chance to edit your character. Create a save file here, as recommended by IGN, to lock in your choices and prepare for the open world.

Exit the Sewers: Step through the sewer gate into Cyrodiil, near the Imperial City’s waterfront. The Horse Armor Pack automatically adds a quest note to your inventory, stating that Snak gra-Bura at Chestnut Handy Stables offers a free set of horse armor.

Fast-Travel to Chestnut Handy Stables: Open your map and fast-travel to Chestnut Handy Stables, located just northwest of the Imperial City’s main gate, across Lake Rumare. This takes mere seconds, as the stables are a default map marker, per UESP. No horse or prior visit is needed.

Speak to Snak gra-Bura: Find Snak gra-Bura, an Orc, inside or near the stable house. If you don’t own a horse, tell her you need an armored horse. With 75+ disposition (use Speechcraft’s persuasion minigame or Charm spells), you can convince or threaten her to give you the Old Nag for free, equipped with Steel armor, as Gamepressure advises. Alternatively, select the free armor option, and she’ll outfit the Old Nag without persuasion.

Choose Your Armor: Pick between Steel or Elven armor (both double the horse’s health, differing only cosmetically). The Old Nag becomes your active mount, named “Armored Old Nag,” per UESP.

Ride Away: Mount your new armored horse and gallop off. It follows you during fast travel and stays where parked if dismounted, unlike stolen horses, per IGN.

Tips:

Save before speaking to Snak to avoid dialogue bugs, like the “horse too far away” error, fixed by Unofficial Oblivion DLC Patches on PC, per UESP.

If Snak’s disposition is low, boost Personality with potions (e.g., from tutorial barrels) or cast Charm, per GameRant.

Avoid stealing horses, as armor can’t be applied to them, and they don’t fast-travel with you, per elderscrolls.fandom.com.

The Old Nag: Strengths and Limitations

The Armored Old Nag is the weakest horse in Oblivion, with lower speed (25 vs. Black Horse’s 70) and base health (150 vs. 300 for Paint Horses), per UESP. However, its free Steel armor doubles its health to 300, making it surprisingly durable for a level 1 character. IGN highlights its utility for early exploration, letting you reach dungeons like Vilverin or Sideways Cave (near the sewer exit) quickly. It can climb steep inclines by zigzagging, as elderscrolls.fandom.com notes, and outruns most low-level enemies like wolves.

Strengths:

Immediate Access: Available seconds after the tutorial, no gold or quests required, per @TheRealBeho’s guide.

Durability: Armored health (300) withstands early bandit or imp attacks, unlike unarmored horses, per UESP.

Fast Travel: As an owned horse, it teleports with you, unlike stolen mounts, per IGN.

Cost-Free: Saves 500-5000 gold compared to buying horses (e.g., Black Horse at 5000 gold), per PowerPyx.

Limitations:

Slow Speed: Lags behind faster mounts like Shadowmere or Black Horses, limiting escape from high-level enemies, per elderscrolls.fandom.com.

No Combat: You must dismount to fight, and the Old Nag may die if targeted, unlike Shadowmere’s immortality, per IGN.

Weak Base Stats: Even armored, it’s outclassed by stable-bought horses (e.g., White Horse, 4000 gold), per PowerPyx.

Bugs: Armored horses may vanish if left unattended (unlike unarmored ones, which return to stables), per UESP. Save often to avoid losing it.

Community Sentiment and Ethical Debate

The armored horse trick has thrilled players. YouTube’s “Oblivion Remastered – Things to Do First” guide emphasizes its accessibility, with comments praising the “free tanky horse” for early quests. X user @TheRealBeho’s post, “How to get an Armored Horse for FREE,” garnered likes for its simplicity, reflecting excitement over bypassing gold costs. Reddit’s r/oblivion, via u/Conscious-Bus-6946, lauded it as a “smart starter move,” especially for new players.

However, debates persist. Some fans, like Reddit user u/SadisticFunk, argue it disrupts immersion, as grabbing a free armored horse feels like exploiting the DLC’s automatic quest trigger, per GameFAQs discussions. The Horse Armor Pack’s inclusion in the base game, while generous, rekindles old criticisms of its minimal impact, with GameSpot noting its “useless” reputation despite millions in sales. Critically, Bethesda’s choice to retain the original’s mechanics, including armor’s simple health boost, raises questions. Should the remaster have enhanced horse armor (e.g., damage resistance) to justify its legacy, as ScreenRant suggests? The community’s mixed reaction—nostalgic amusement versus calls for deeper mechanics—highlights Oblivion’s balance of charm and flaws, per Kotaku.

Alternatives and Context

For other early horse options:

Prior Maborel’s Paint Horse: Offered during the “Deliver the Amulet” main quest at Weynon Priory by asking Prior Maborel for help, per IGN. It’s free but unarmored, with 300 base health and moderate speed (33).

Steal a Horse: Sneak-mount a horse (e.g., near Fort Alessia’s wild horses) to avoid bounty, but stolen horses don’t fast-travel or accept armor, per elderscrolls.fandom.com.

Shadowmere: The fastest, immortal horse, gained after the Dark Brotherhood’s “The Purification” quest, but requires significant progression, per UESP.

The Old Nag suits beginners or stealth builds (e.g., Bosmer archers, per prior discussions) needing a durable mount for exploration, like reaching the Fin Gleam Helm west of Anvil. For melee or mage builds, its slow speed may frustrate, pushing players toward the Black Horse (5000 gold, Cheydinhal), per PowerPyx. The Horse Armor Pack’s inclusion in the $50 base game, unlike the $60 Deluxe Edition’s new armor sets (Armor of Order, Cataclysm), makes this trick a cost-free gem, per PC Gamer.

Strategic Tips

Protect Your Horse: Check for nearby enemies (e.g., imps) before entering dungeons, as armored horses stay put and risk attack, per UESP.

Upgrade Later: Save gold from early quests (e.g., Kvatch’s loot, per IGN) to buy a Black Horse for speed, then armor it for 500 gold.

Combine with Glitches: Pair with the infinite level-up glitch (sleep-and-quicksave, per prior discussion) to boost Speed and Athletics, outrunning even armored horses, per elderscrolls.fandom.com.

Avoid Water: Horses drown easily, so stick to fords near the Imperial City, per UESP.

Conclusion

Claiming the Armored Old Nag seconds after leaving the sewers in Oblivion Remastered is a game-changer, offering a free, durable mount to explore Cyrodiil’s vast wilderness. By fast-traveling to Chestnut Handy Stables and charming Snak gra-Bura, you secure a Steel-clad horse that outlasts early threats, saving gold and time. Its slow speed and vulnerability pale against its accessibility, lauded by X users like @TheRealBeho and Reddit fans for jumpstarting adventures. Yet, its simplicity and the Horse Armor Pack’s unchanged mechanics spark debate over whether Bethesda missed a chance to innovate, as Kotaku critiques. As you gallop past Vilverin or race to Kvatch, this armored steed proves Oblivion’s enduring appeal lies in its quirks—exploits and all. Will you ride the Old Nag to glory or seek Shadowmere’s speed? Cyrodiil awaits your choice.