Guide for modding in 2023?

[MrSlippery]

Hello,

I just finished playing through Morrowind and I would like to play through Oblivion now.

I would like to mod it a little (mostly to fix bugs that came with the original game and to perhaps improve graphics, but nothing crazy), but I am having a hard time finding out where to start.

I went to Nexus, and the "unofficial Oblivion patch" seemed like a good start, but there were a lot of "Download this if you have this and download this if you have this. Don't download this if you have this..." and I don't know how to check if I have whatever "this" is or not, so I am afraid I am going to ruin something.

The videos on Nexus are from 2017 or 2018. I tried looking on YouTube, but I didn't find any 'Modding Oblivion for dummies" type videos.

Can anyone recommend anything?

Thanks

[Minari99]

Check Through the valleys guide for vanilla+ modlist. The Unofficial patches depends what version you have. Game of the year or Game of the year deluxe? If you have non-deluxe, install Oblivion patch and Shivering Isles patch. For deluxe, download things mentioned before and DLC patches.

[WhateverWorks]

A general run down, is you want to use the old oblivion mod manager for everything you can, not the nexus manager or vortex or whatever. Lots of oblivion mods need to be manually installed, which is as simple as copy and pasting usually. Oblivion is my favorite game, and I run with around 50-60 mods. If you aren't trying to change anything dramatic, I'd recommend using the Unofficial Patch and the Unofficial patches for the DLC, RTNM and QTP3 for graphics, Natural Environments Complete Package for a more interesting environment, and whatever combination of body/face mods you prefer.

[AC Denton]

Well the game hasn't updated in forever so older guides and videos still apply. Nothing has changed. You do the same thing now as you would do years ago.

You're just over thinking it. It's literally just reading what the guide says and following steps. Go through the process, one step at a time.

[MrSlippery]

Thanks guys.

I have the Game of the Year edition here on Steam. It doesn't say "deluxe" anywhere, so I assume it is not the deluxe version.

I found a guide on YouTube that is a little more involved than I would have liked, but the results look amazing.

If I totally bork this modding process, it is always possible to just uninstall and reinstall the game, right?

[WhateverWorks]

Yeah it's really not a big deal to just delete the entire game folder and start over. Some mods, mainly UI mods, also change your .ini file in your documents so sometimes you'll want to delete that too when starting over. Just read directions carefully and you'll be fine, Oblivion has a vast and very talented modding community enjoy.

[calico]

Hey there, I just wrote and released a little guide here on steam for a simple Oblivion modlist that may interest you, it can be used as a bit of a base as well if you want to add anything onto it Here it is if you are curious

[MrSlippery]

Originally posted by ZASLON:

Hey there, I just wrote and released a little guide here on steam for a simple Oblivion modlist that may interest you, it can be used as a bit of a base as well if you want to add anything onto it Here it is if you are curious

Thanks a lot. I downloaded MO 2 and was able to get it working. I download most of the mods you suggested and will look out for some others I might find interesting.

Do you have any suggestions for graphics overhauls?

Also, I initially had a hard time using your tutorial because I did not know how to download xOBSE from github. I am not familiar with that website, and I wasn't sure initially which file to download. I would suggest, perhaps for those, like me, who are not familiar with the website, giving an extra line or two in your instructions about locating the desired file. Of course, maybe it's just me.

[Korana Noth]

I recommend following a mod guide. For something more like vanilla+, try Through the Valleys[www.nexusmods.com].

The Comprehensive Modding Guide[www.nexusmods.com] is also pretty good.

xOBSE release is here[github.com]. Download the zip archive.

As others have said, if modding breaks your game, you can delete your Oblivion folder and redownload the game (verify local files). You will probably also want to find the oblivion.ini in your documents folder and delete it as well.

[lonetrav]

Originally posted by Korana Noth:

... you can delete your Oblivion folder...

A recipe for problems - have fun! I'd suggest uninstalling Oblivion completely (back up savegames first, but consider mod dependencies of savegames).

[Jimakus]

You can try Oblivion Nexus mods for mods. You will find things that not only "fix" the game in a way you want, but you 'll find other interesting stuff.
To mod, you 'll need the Construction Set. Unfortunately, I don't know of any guides, but if you want something specific, let me know.

[ghostmourn]

Originally posted by WhateverWorks:

A general run down, is you want to use the old oblivion mod manager for everything you can, not the nexus manager or vortex or whatever. Lots of oblivion mods need to be manually installed, which is as simple as copy and pasting usually. Oblivion is my favorite game, and I run with around 50-60 mods. If you aren't trying to change anything dramatic, I'd recommend using the Unofficial Patch and the Unofficial patches for the DLC, RTNM and QTP3 for graphics, Natural Environments Complete Package for a more interesting environment, and whatever combination of body/face mods you prefer.

Very helpful, thank you!