10 Video Game DLCs Fans REJECTED
5. Horse Armour - The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Microtransactions might sometimes feel like an unavoidable part of the gaming landscape these days but back in the mid-00s they were a new concept.
At the time most downloadable content packets were meaty expansions so the Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion deciding to add some smaller morsels really upset the apple cart. The “horse armour” DLC, which allowed you to kit your steed in metal plating, dropped for around $2 in April 2006.
Whilst the armour does increase your horse’s maximum health, clearly this is more aimed at being showy rather than practicality. Which is weird because, unlike most games today with purchasable cosmetics, Oblivion is not online and there’s no one to show off to.
Oh I’m sure the NPCs in The Imperial City and the beggars who are desperate for new shoes are very impressed with your purchase.
Again, this is so commonplace now that most games players wouldn’t bat an eyelid but in 2006 it was so bizarre that the horse armour became a laughing stock and a meme. Underneath that there was a question about price versus value. Bethesda themselves even got in on the joke for April Fools in 2009 when they put all of Oblivion’s DLC on half-price… except the horse armour which doubled. Brilliant.