Minimum mod list for a brand new player

[TheOtherDivine]

Dear sirs, I expect to shortly begin my first ever run of Oblivion (terribly late, I know) and could use a couple of mods.

 

The catch is: I want my first gameplay to be close to vanilla, so I'm not looking for the most obvious overhaul mods.

 

In short, what I want is:

-The obligatory technical fixes

-Mods that re-add cut content

-Graphical updates that don't change everything completely

 

Thanks, and feel free to comment on my foolish decisions!

[WastelandAssassin]

try taking a look at https://www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/49280

I haven't personally tried it, because the base gameplay of Oblivion is stale for me (but I have been playing it since it was released, so it is understandable)

the majority of this guide does list some of the better graphical tools to enhance the game

 

I would however consider stopping before the ENB and Game Renderer Enhancements section

Oblivion Reloaded could cause some issues, and ENBs could be heavy on your computer (Oblivion is just terribly optimized, like most Bethesda games, so the strength of your PC doesn't necessarily count here)

read through the comments and decide for yourself if you want to include that part

 

I would also recommend that you get a basic grip of the gameplay of Oblivion, because you may find it not to your liking due to the systems in play, like the way leveling and stats work

if you don't think you'll enjoy that style, maybe consider adding a few mods to enhance those parts, so you'll really enjoy your time with the game (and if you do decide, the guide I linked above has a link to a different guide with some suggestions at the bottom, and also more graphical mods in general, so you could also consider that one, though it will be longer and more difficult to install)

[LFact]

-The obligatory technical fixes

 

Check Unofficial Oblivion Patch, Unofficial Shivering Isles Patch, Unofficial DLC Patches(only if you have DLCs)

Also there's OBSE plugin called 'EngineBugFixes', which fixes engine-level bugs.

[TheOtherDivine]

Thanks guys! This is pretty much what I had in mind!