To cast a spell in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, open the Magic menu (F3 on keyboard, D-Pad Left on an Xbox or PlayStation controller), select a spell to make it your active spell, then press the cast button: C on keyboard, RB on Xbox, R1 on PlayStation. The spell fires from your off hand whether or not a weapon is drawn, as long as you have the Magicka and the skill level it needs. This guide covers the controls on every platform, the HUD shortcut wheel, where spells come from, how skill tiers and armor affect casting, custom spells, and the spell-related fixes Bethesda has shipped since launch, verified against official patch notes.
The controls on PC, console and Switch 2
Bethesda’s official control listings give these defaults. On keyboard, Tab opens the journal (which the 2025 version of this guide wrongly called the magic menu), F3 jumps straight to the Magic tab, C casts, with Mouse 4 as an alternate, and R held down opens the HUD shortcuts. On Xbox, D-Pad Left opens Magic, RB casts and holding LB opens the shortcuts. On PlayStation, D-Pad Left opens Magic, R1 casts and holding L1 opens the shortcuts. The cast button is not the attack trigger: RT and R2 swing your weapon.
On Nintendo Switch 2, the August 2026 launch patch notes list the motion control set, and “Shake” is mapped to Cast a Spell when motion controls are on; the button layout otherwise matches the Xbox listing.
Equipping and hotkeying spells
Inside the Magic menu, spells are listed by school with their Magicka cost and the skill rank required. Selecting one makes it your active spell, shown in the lower right of the HUD next to your weapon.
For faster switching, hold the shortcuts button (R, LB or L1) to open the radial menu and assign spells, weapons or potions to its slots. On keyboard the eight slots also sit on the number keys 1 to 8, so you can tap a number mid-fight without opening the wheel. Bethesda’s own tips page warns that the game does not pause while the HUD shortcuts are open, so set the wheel up before a fight, not during one.
Where spells come from
You start with a handful of spells chosen by your class’s major skills, plus Flare, Heal Minor Wounds and the remaster’s new Clairvoyance spell, which draws a path to your current objective in the style of Skyrim. New spells come from:
- Mages Guild halls in every city, each specialising in one school. Joining is not required to buy, but membership opens spellmaking later; our Mages Guild guide covers the recommendation quests.
- Chapel priests, who sell mostly Restoration, plus a few Turn Undead spells.
- The Mystic Emporium in the Imperial City Market District.
- Spell tomes, from the original Spell Tomes download, which is included in the remaster. Reading one teaches its spell instantly, and some spells exist only as tomes.
The Switch 2 launch patch fixed a crash when buying every spell a mage vendor had in stock, so clearing out a merchant is safe on the current build.
Skill tiers, Magicka cost and armor
Each school has five ranks: Novice at skill 0 to 24, Apprentice at 25, Journeyman at 50, Expert at 75 and Master at 100. A spell’s rank is the minimum base skill you need to cast it, and Fortify Skill effects do not count toward that requirement. Cost scales with skill as well: per UESP’s breakdown of the game formula, a spell costs about 40% more than its listed base at skill 0 and roughly a fifth of it at skill 100, so expensive spells become affordable as the school levels.
Armor matters more than most new players expect. The Spell Effectiveness figure on the Magic screen multiplies the magnitude of everything you cast, and wearing any armor caps it at 95% even at Journeyman armor skill; only robes and clothing give 100%. Intelligence sets your Magicka pool and Willpower sets how fast it regenerates, which is why our guide to increasing Magicka pairs with this one. Bethesda’s tips page notes that Magicka regenerates and that spells with no target can be cast repeatedly, so casting a cheap spell into the air is the sanctioned way to train a school.
Custom spells and the patches that fixed them
Once you have completed every Mages Guild recommendation and can enter the Arcane University, the Altar of Spellmaking in the Praxographical Center lets you combine any effects you already know into one spell, set range, magnitude, duration and area, and name the result. The remaster added one change here that UESP documents: multiple Fortify Attribute or Fortify Skill effects can now be stacked in the same spell.
Spellmaking has also been the target of several official fixes. Update 1.2 in July 2025 fixed controller navigation problems in the spellmaking menu and a crash when effects were rapidly added and removed. The Switch 2 patches fixed a crash when quickly adding an effect at either altar, and a crash from repeatedly casting a custom Bound spell then using Wait. Those Switch 2 fixes are Switch 2-only as of this writing: Bethesda has not shipped a PC, PlayStation or Xbox patch since 1.2, although comments reported by PC Gamer in August 2026 say the studio intends to bring the Switch 2 optimisations to the other platforms. For enchanting rather than spellmaking, see our enchanting guide, and the rest of the cluster is on the Elder Scrolls hub.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cast button in Oblivion Remastered? C on keyboard (Mouse 4 as an alternate), RB on Xbox, R1 on PlayStation. On Switch 2 a shake casts when motion controls are enabled.
Why can I not cast a spell I bought? Either your base skill in that school is below the spell’s rank, or you do not have enough Magicka. Check the rank in the Magic menu and your skill on the Character screen.
Do I need to sheathe my weapon to cast? No. Spells cast from the off hand with a weapon drawn or sheathed.
Where do I make custom spells? At the Altar of Spellmaking in the Arcane University, after completing the Mages Guild recommendations. A fourth altar exists in Frostcrag Spire once you upgrade it.
Does armor weaken my spells? Yes. Any armor caps Spell Effectiveness at 95%, and lower armor skill pushes it further down. Robes give 100%.