Best mods for overhaul?

[SabbyNeko]

I'm very practical when it comes to modding. I'm also new to Oblivion. I've modded New Vegas and Skyrim pretty extensively though.

 

So my question is, what is some recommendations for essential mods? Nothing silly or unnecessary or game breaking, just fixing and/or enhancing elements of the game. Better combat, ragdoll, effects, roleplaying elements, new monsters and areas and weapons and areas and such. It doesn't have to be completely lore friendly, but no 12 foot buster swords or staffs that turn people into sweetrolls please.

[Lanceor]

My standard response:

 

Everyone has their individual preferences so it's hard to recommend particular mods without knowing what you like.

 

I'd start with the Unofficial Patches as they fix a lot of bugs and annoyances that Bethesda had missed.

• The Unofficial Oblivion Patch
• The Unofficial Oblivion Patch Supplemental
• The Unofficial Official Mods Patch
• The Unofficial Shivering Isles Patch

You'll need to have some way of sorting your load order:

• Better Oblivion Sorting Software - BOSS will auto-order most of the mods based on the collective experience of experienced mod users.

And to manually adjust the load order (pick one or more)...

• Nexus Mod Manager is the newest and allows automatic installation straight from Nexus. While this feature is handy, it is less reliable than manual installation.
• Oblivion mod manager is not as powerful as Wrye Bash (below), but is easier to use. It supports OMODs, a packaging method used by some mod authors.
• Wrye Bash is probably the most powerful load order manager and seems to be recommended by the most mod Authors.

Keep in mind that almost all complex mods require The Oblivion Script Extender (OBSE) to function properly so make sure you have that installed if you download any mods that require it.

 

After that, browse around and pick whatever mods appeal to you. I'd suggest trying one or two simple mods first before attempting to install the mega-overhaul mods like OOO, UV or MMM (those acronyms will become familiar to you soon :wink:) Most mods have installation instructions that you should follow. You can check the Nexus Top 100 for the most popular mods, and filter it by category if you're after a particular type of mod.

 

If you haven't played through Oblivion though, many would suggest not adding new content until you've played Oblivion for a while and have an idea what would improve your gameplay the most.

 

Personal opinion: The only part of Oblivion that I think is "unplayably broken" is the default leveling system which forces you to play in odd ways if you don't want to mess up your attributes permanently. So IMHO, a mod that alters the levelling system is something that I would recommend right from the beginning.

• All +5 Attribute Modifier or Attribute Plus X lets you use the default system without worrying about how many attribute points you'll get on level-up.
• Realistic Leveling and nGCD let you simply play the game and your attributes will increase automatically based on skills leveled.
• Oblivion XP gives a classic CRPG style leveling system: earn enough experience points to level up and spend your attributes as you see fit.

Have fun with the mods!