Oblivion mods

Oblivion is a good game, sure. But it can be so much better! Oblivion has one of the strongest modding communities for any game, and the /v/'s Recommended Games Wiki is here to help you benefit.

You may or may not wish to play through Oblivion without any mods first, but it's probably a good idea. If you can't stand the original Oblivion, like many people, go ahead and jump right into modding it.

A good companion resource can be found here: http://cs.elderscrolls.com/constwiki/index.php/Oblivion_Mods_FAQ

Modifying Oblivion 101

 * Vanilla means original, how the game would be if you had no mods.
 * Mods can conflict. If you have two mods that modify the same things, then you have a problem.
 * Because of this, the order in which mods are loaded is important. The mod that is loaded last has its modifications applied last, and therefore will be what you see during the game.
 * Don't install 50 mods at once. Play the game in between installing mods, so you know what caused the problem when something goes wrong.

Basic Instructions For Installing A Mod

 * 1) Read the instructions that come with the mod. Really.
 * 2) Put the .esp, .esm, or .bsa files into C:\Program Files\Bethesda Softworks\Oblivion\Data
 * 3) Open up the Oblivion Mod Manager.
 * 4) Put a checkmark next to the mod in the pane on the right.
 * 5) If you have BOSS, run it. Click BOSS.bat and it will order your mods correctly.
 * 6) If you ran BOSS, scan through the mod list it gave you. If there are any comments read them and obey.
 * 7) If you ran BOSS, if any conflicts were detected, go back into OBMM and disable the conflicting mods.
 * 8) Start the game.

Slightly More Complicated Instructions For Installing A Mod
Sometimes, you want to be able to uninstall a mod, or see if you'll have conflicts before installing it. This is where OBMM comes in handy
 * 1) Extract the mod to a folder and make sure that the files are all in the right places.
 * 2) Open up OBMM and click 'Create'.  Enter in the title of the mod, and other information if you want.
 * 3) Click 'Add Folder', and browse to the folder where the files that would go in the Oblivion\Data folder are.
 * 4) Click 'Create OMOD'.  The files will be added to an OMOD archive stored in your Oblivion folder.
 * 5) Double-click on the OMOD in the list to the right.  A green box means the OMOD is present but not installed, a blue box means it is installed, and a red box means there are potential conflicts.

Do this first

 * 1) Patch your game to the latest version.
 * 2) Get Shivering Isles. A lot of mods are dependent on Shivering Isles, so having it will make things simpler.
 * 3) Install the Oblivion Script Extender: . Get the beta version, v0018 beta 4. Put all the files right in your Oblivion directory, probably C:\Program Files\Bethesda Softworks\Oblivion. Make sure they are not inside a subfolder.
 * 4) Install the Oblivion Mod Manager:.
 * 5) Install the Unofficial Oblivion Patch:.
 * 6) If you have Shivering Isles, install the Unofficial Shivering Isles Patch:.
 * 7) If you have any official modifications or DLCs from Bethesda, install the Unofficial Official Mods Patch:.

Essentials

 * Better Oblivion Sorting Software:
 * In a perfect world, this would erase any need to worry about load order. Unfortunately, it does make the occasional mistake if you have a very long mod list.
 * Wrye Bash
 * Wrye Bash requires Python
 * If you're reading this you probably won't know what to do with Wrye Bash; that's alright. Just leave it in your Oblivion directory, it is practically guaranteed that you will need it eventually. I'd suggest using the Oblivion Mod Manager over Wrye Bash to organize your mods.
 * Streamline:
 * Quest Popup Remover:
 * Follow the instructions in the readme. Make sure the quest_added.xml file falls in C:\Program Files\Bethesda Softworks\Oblivion\data\menus\generic
 * Quest Reward Leveler:
 * Map Marker Overhaul:
 * This mod is in OMOD-ready format. Open up OBMM, click Create, click Add Archive, select the zipped file you downloaded. Click yes, yes, Create omod. Click on Map Marker Overhaul in the right pane, and select the settings you want, though the default settings should work best.
 * No Psychic Guards:

OBSE Plugins
Place these in C:\Program Files\Bethesda Softworks\Oblivion\Data\OBSE\Plugins and they will automatically take effect.
 * Windom Earle_s Oblivion Crash Prevention System:
 * Fast Exit:
 * Elys' Universal Silent Voice:
 * Elys' Uncapper:

UI Mod
You'll want one UI mod. DarNified UI is the most popular.
 * DarNified UI: http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=10763
 * DarkUId DarN: http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=11280
 * Phinix Immersive DarkUI: http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=7698
 * BTmod: http://btmod.beider.org/

You also might want this mod, which adds a minimap to the UI. It works with DarNified UI and DarkUI'd DarN: http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=26220

Overhauls
There are many different overhauls for Oblivion: OOO, MMM, Warcry, Francesco's, TIE, etc. But /v/ doesn't use just one. /v/ uses all of them.

FCOM
"FCOM: Convergence shatters previous barriers in the Oblivion mod community by letting you play four of the largest Oblivion "overhaul" mods at the same time -- Oscuro's Oblivion Overhaul, Martigen's Monster Mod, Oblivion WarCry, and Francesco's Leveled Creatures-Items. It also seeks to show how new item and/or creature expansion mods can be added directly to this environment, and thus includes optional support for Bob's Armory, Loth's Blunt Weapons for Npcs, Cobl, Tamrielic Ingredients, Knights of the Nine, Tamriel Travelers, and many other popular mods." 

Supposedly, FCOM is extremely hard to install successfully. However, it actually is pretty simple at this point. Installing FCOM is extremely well documented. A step by step guide is provided here. Where it says "Check in Wrye Bash", you will instead want to check it in the Oblivion Mod Manager; It makes no difference, and OBMM is simpler. You'll still need to use the Bashed Patch though. I suggest also using TIE In, which is listed in the plugins section of that guide, and any other plugins you want to use.

Graphics
An excellent reference for improving graphics is http://devnull.sweetdanger.net/obliviontextureoverhaul.html


 * Qarl's Texture Pack 3
 * This is a truly massive mod that replaces a great number of the in-game textures with higher quality textures, though at a performance hit. Those with less powerful graphics cards can try QTP3: Redimized for not-as-high-but-still-better-than-vanilla textures.
 * Bomret's Texture Pack: Shivering Isles
 * The same sort of texture update, done for the Shivering Isles expansion.
 * Bomret's Detailed Normal Maps for Vanilla
 * If your computer can only pull off vanilla Oblivion's textures, then this mod is best. It uses normal maps the same size as the originals, but more detailed.  The improvement isn't as drastic, but there should be no performance hit.

Beautification

 * Better Cities: http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=16513
 * Unique Landscapes: http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=19370
 * Natural Environments: http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=2536

Gameplay

 * Deadly Reflex: http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=8273
 * Better Music System: http://www.bethsoft.com/bgsforums/index.php?showtopic=1062801

Leveling

 * Oblivion XP seamlessly replaces the skill-use based leveling system of Vanilla Oblivion with a more typical experience based system. Experience is gained from most actions: http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=15619

Content

 * Vaults of Cyrodill: http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=9357
 * This mod adds hidden and locked vaults filled with treasure to each city, all very difficult to break into.
 * Elsweyr: http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=25023
 * This mod adds an entire new area of the world, Elsweyr, including three cities and new quests.

Quests
The definitive reference for Oblivion quest mods is dev_akm's TOQL: http://knol.google.com/k/toql-the-oblivion-quest-list