Oblivion Remastered Easter Egg Lets Players Romance Todd Howard

For many Elder Scrolls fans, Game Director Todd Howard is a meme akin to Skyrim’s stolen sweet rolls. Players love to poke fun at Howard’s penchant for re-releasing the fifth Elder Scrolls installment, especially in light of the Oblivion remaster. For all the teasing, most gamers appreciate what Howard has done with the Elder Scrolls games. So, finding out that Howard, or at least his voice, can be accessed via a specific character in Oblivion Remastered is welcome news. Thanks to this Easter Egg in the remaster, gamers can talk to, romance, or seriously tick off Todd Howard via a specific character in the game.

As first reported by PC Gamer, a character voiced by Todd Howard has returned with Oblivion Remastered. This character isn’t an NPC you’ll happen upon at random, but rather a test character from the original Oblivion. Though the character isn’t strolling around Cyrodiil, players can use console commands to encounter Alban Corinis, a man who is partially voiced by Howard.

You can hear Todd Howard’s voice when he’s not “acting” in the official reveal trailer above, as Howard looks back on Oblivion while thinking ahead to The Elder Scrolls 6. Then, get ready to see just how not remotely different it sounds in the Oblivion Remastered voice test files.

How to Summon Todd Howard’s Test Character in Oblivion Remastered

To summon the character, players can open the game console on PC by hitting ~ , then type in the code coc toddtest. Press enter, then you should find yourself in a test house with the NPC Alban Corinis. When you first talk to him, he’ll use a different voice actor’s test lines, but keep the conversation going and you’ll soon hear Todd Howard’s renditions. Alas, this is only available for those playing Oblivion Remastered on PC, as console commands aren’t available on PS5 or Xbox.

After the initial dialogue is finished, you’ll be able to interact via a series of reaction options and hear Todd Howard’s responses to your character’s choice. And you can use these options to make in-game Todd Howard fall in love with your Oblivion character… or insult them. To see it in action, you can check out this video from YouTuber @Uzis, who recorded their experience with the test NPC.

RELATED: 10 Best Mods Already Available for Oblivion’s Remaster

Much like the persuasion mini-game, but without the confusion, players can choose from conversation topics with various tones. You can inspire the following emotions in Alban to hear Howard’s reactions: Angry, Fear, Happy, Neutral, Sad, and Surprise.

As you engage with each option, you’ll slowly change the test character’s disposition towards you. That means that if you repeatedly choose the “happy” interaction, you can hear Todd Howard’s voice profess his love for you. This voice line is triggered by raising his deposition to 90, then using the “neutral” interaction. If you’d rather get in an argument than fall in love, that can also be arranged. Repeating the “angry” interaction will get a nice little insult from Todd Howard, instead.

Much like other beloved quirks and glitches from the original game, Todd Howard’s test character is a returning feature from Oblivion. Whether you’ve experienced it before or not, it’s well worth having a visit to this test house full of development oddities.

What’s your favorite returning glitch or easter egg in Oblivion Remastered? Let us know in the comments below!