List of MODs for 2023

UI, world, environment, textures, utilities, immersive, OBSE, fixes, etc.

Screenshot

Game Version

https://store.steampowered.com/app/22330/The_Elder_Scrolls_IV_Oblivion_Game_of_the_Year_Edition/

Applications & Utilities

Mod Organizer 2[www.nexusmods.com]
MOD manager utility with built-in LOOT (Load Order Optimisation Tool).

OBSE[obse.silverlock.org]
Support for OBSE plugins and MODs which require OBSE.
- Download the current stable version and navigate to game's directory.
- Place files OBSE_1_2_416.dll, OBSE_editor_1_2.dll, OBSE_steam_loader.dll, Data (folder) into the game's directory.

4GB RAM Patcher[www.nexusmods.com]
Patches the game to support 4GB RAM.

ArchiveInvalidation Invalidated[www.nexusmods.com]
Fixes a common issue.

TES4Edit[www.nexusmods.com]
Manually clean specific MODs which LOOT recommends.

TES4LODGen[www.nexusmods.com]
Distant LOD generator. Don't run outside of Mod Organizer 2 (MO2)! Implement the tool into Mod Organizer 2 (MO2) to work with the mod manager. More info in the 'RAEVWD Optional (MO2)' section.

Installation of OBSE plugins & MODs

OBSE Plugins:
These must be manually placed in the game's folder directory.
Oblivion\Data\OBSE\Plugins\

Nexus MODs:
On the files tab of any Nexus MOD, you can click 'Mod Manager Download' to install the MOD using Mod Organizer 2 (MO2). If the MOD only has a manual download link, you have to first download the file, then use MO2 to manually install the MOD.

Mod Organizer 2:
Whenever it gives you the option to 'Merge' your MOD, select that! Say you may 'Merge' Qarls texture pack with upscaled textures MODs.

OBSE - Essential Plugins (manual)

Some of the following OBSE plugins help fix bugs and issues with both the game and the game's engine. Some of the others are foundational requirements for other important MODs.

• Blockhead[www.nexusmods.com]
  
• Blue's Engine Fixes[www.nexusmods.com]
  
• Console Paste Support[www.nexusmods.com]
  
• Console Numpad Support[www.nexusmods.com]
  
• Elys Universal Silent Voice (USV)[www.nexusmods.com]
  
• EngineBugFixes[www.nexusmods.com]
  
• FastExit[www.nexusmods.com]
  
• LootMenu[www.nexusmods.com]
  
• MenuQue[www.nexusmods.com]
  
• OBL Mod Limit Fix[www.nexusmods.com]
  
• Pluggy[www.nexusmods.com]
  
• Map Menu Doesn't Click While Dragging[www.nexusmods.com]
  
• SkyBSA[www.nexusmods.com]
  
• OSR (Oblivion Stutter Removal)[www.nexusmods.com]
  
• Console Ignores Player[www.nexusmods.com]

OBSE - Optional Plugins (manual)

The following section has optional OBSE plugins which maybe useful to some players, such as the 'Vampire Race Disabler' and 'No Lockpick Activate'.

• Crash Logger (COBB)[www.nexusmods.com] - can help with logging crash reports.
  
• ConScribe[www.nexusmods.com]
  
• Vampire Race Disabler[www.nexusmods.com]
  
• Faster Sleep Wait[www.nexusmods.com]
  
• MessageLogger[www.nexusmods.com]
  
• Enhanced Camera[www.nexusmods.com]
  
• Dialogue Click To Continue[www.nexusmods.com]
  
• Walk Blessed[www.nexusmods.com] - issues?
  
• No Lockpick Activate[www.nexusmods.com]

Unofficial Patches (MO2)

The 'Unofficial Patches' are truly essential for any TES IV: Oblivion player. The patches fix a ton of bugs and errors which Bethesda previously missed. These are highly essential for both modded and vanilla-friendly players.

• Unofficial Oblivion Patch[www.nexusmods.com]
  
• Unofficial Shivering Isles Patch[www.nexusmods.com]
  
• Unofficial Oblivion DLC Patches[www.nexusmods.com]

Core Textures - Method A (MO2)

The following MODs take the game's vanilla textures and upscale them to a higher quality. If any other additional texture MODs have missed specific assets, at least you'll have an upscaled version with these upscaled MODs.

Upscaled Textures:
Oblivion Upscaled Textures (OUT)[www.nexusmods.com]
Shivering Isles Upscaled Textures (SIUT)[www.nexusmods.com]
DLC Upscaled Textures (DLCUT)[www.nexusmods.com]

Qarls Texture Pack:
Choose between the redimized and not redimized versions. The redimized version is more performance friendly. I personally use the not redimized.
Redimized Version[www.nexusmods.com]
Not Redimized[www.nexusmods.com]

Qarls Compatibility Patch:
QTP3 UOP350 Compatibility Patch[www.nexusmods.com] - makes Qarls Texture Pack compatible with Unofficial Oblivion Patch.

Shivering Isles DLC:
Qarls MOD description recommends you also use Bomret's Texture Pack for Shivering Isles too.
Bomret's Texture Pack for Shivering Isles[www.nexusmods.com]

Core Textures - Method B (MO2)

The following MODs take the game's vanilla textures and upscale them to a higher quality. If any other additional texture MODs have missed specific assets, at least you'll have an upscaled version with these upscaled MODs.

Upscaled Textures BSA:
Oblivion Upscaled Textures BSA[www.nexusmods.com] - the authour has packed Kartoffels series into BSAs for improved performance and faster loading times. I assume this includes the Shivering Isles and DLCs too.

Qarls Texture Pack:
Choose between the redimized and not redimized versions. The redimized version is more performance friendly. I personally use the not redimized.
Redimized Version[www.nexusmods.com]
Not Redimized[www.nexusmods.com]

Qarls Compatibility Patch:
QTP3 UOP350 Compatibility Patch[www.nexusmods.com] - makes Qarls Texture Pack compatible with Unofficial Oblivion Patch.

Shivering Isles DLC
Qarls MOD description recommends you also use Bomret's Texture Pack for Shivering Isles too.
Bomret's Texture Pack for Shivering Isles[www.nexusmods.com]

World & Environment (MO2)

Under the sign of the dragon - Tamriel Heightmaps -[www.nexusmods.com] - no more heightmap procedural generation, improving performance.

Weather (Essential)
Weather - All Natural[www.nexusmods.com]
Weather - All Natural Real Lights - Candelabra pathgrid fix[www.nexusmods.com]

Vegetation & Water
Enhanced Water v20[www.nexusmods.com] - Optional: more realistic waters.
Improved Trees and Flora 2[www.nexusmods.com] - Optional: retexturing.
Enhanced Vegetation[www.nexusmods.com] - Optional: better vegetation textures.
Oblivion Grass Overhaul[www.nexusmods.com] - Optional: overhauls the grass.
Oblivion Trees Overhaul[www.nexusmods.com] - Optional: overhauls the trees.

Immersive Interiors (Optional)
The following MODs require 'Weather - All Natural'. They add the illusion of outdoor immersion to various interiors.
Immersive Interiors[www.nexusmods.com]
Immersive Interiors Landscape AddOn[www.nexusmods.com]
Immersive Interiors - Bravil and Leyawiin[www.nexusmods.com]
Immersive Interiors - Imperial City[www.nexusmods.com]

Kvatch Rebuilt (Optional)
Many pros and cons to this MOD. Still appreciate the authours fantastic work!
Kvatch Rebuilt[www.nexusmods.com] - Optional: questline to rebuild Kvatch.
No more burned ground[www.nexusmods.com] - Optional: enable before the invasion of Kvatch, disable during the invasion, enable again during rebuilding.

Unique Landscapes (Optional)
Certain areas of Tamriel have been handcrafted and designed by various modders.
Unique Landscapes Compilation (ALL)[www.nexusmods.com]
Unique Landscapes Comparability Patches[www.nexusmods.com]

Performance in-mind (Optional)
LowPoly Grass[www.nexusmods.com]

NPCs & Followers (MO2)

Oblivion Character Overhaul V2 (OCOv2)[www.nexusmods.com] - overhauls the NPCs.
Oblivion Character Overhaul V2 - DLC Faces[www.nexusmods.com] - Optional: DLC NPC overhaul.
Oblivion Character Overhaul - Advanced Edition[www.nexusmods.com] - Optional: cleans up previous MODs.
Companion Vilja[www.nexusmods.com] - Optional: fully-voiced follower.

Optional Additional (MO2)

Retexture:
A slightly better Mountain Lion face
Akatosh Retexture by themythofstrider
Alluring Wine Bottles with Real Glass
Arena Redone HD
Atmos4096
Better Blood
Better Blood skin decal fix
Better Lorgren Benirus
Better Rainbows
Better Window Reflections
Better minotaurs
Book Jackets KOTN
KOTN Book Jackets HD remake
Book Jackets Oblivion High Res BAIN
Book Jackets for Misc DLC
Cathedral HD
Farm fence retexture and UV maps
Glowing Stones
Glowing Fractured Soulgems
Gray Cowl of Nocturnal Reshaped
HD Cobwebs
HiRes Hay Bail Textures
Improved Signs
moonreplacer

User Interface (UI) (MO2)

LINK
LINK[www.nexusmods.com] - in-game MOD configuration menu, requiring the OBSE plugins of MenuQue and LootMenu.

Save Game Manager
Better Saves[www.nexusmods.com] - replaces vanilla save features.

DarNified UI
DarNified UI[www.nexusmods.com] - OMOD version works with Mod Organizer 2!
UHD Fonts for Darnified UI[www.nexusmods.com] - Optional: ultra high-resolution fonts
DarNified UI Additions[www.nexusmods.com] - Optional:

LootMenu
LootMenu[www.nexusmods.com] Optional: in-game realtime loot menu.
UHD font[www.nexusmods.com] - Optional: higher resolution font for 1440p screens.

In-game World Map
Dynamic Map[www.nexusmods.com] - world map displaying correct terrain for active MODs.
Dynamic Map Pack[www.nexusmods.com] - Optional: addons for Dynamic Map.
MiniMap - Reboot[www.nexusmods.com] - Optional: in-game minimap.
World Map For All Worldspaces[www.nexusmods.com] - Optional: adds a world map to all worldspaces.
House Map Markers v 14[www.nexusmods.com] - Optional: house map markers.
Wayshrine Map Markers - Redux[www.nexusmods.com] - Optional: wayshrine map markers.
Doomstone and Runestone Map Markers[www.nexusmods.com] - Optional: doomstone & runestone map markers.
Guild Map Markers[www.nexusmods.com] - Optional: guild map markers.
Marking the Landmarks[www.nexusmods.com] - Optional: map markers for unmarked locations.

Levelling MOD
Oblivion XP Update[www.nexusmods.com] - Optional: XP levelling system, requires MenuQue OBSE plugin.
World Maps for All Worldspaces[www.nexusmods.com] - Optional: adds a world map to every worldspace.

Additional improvements
Oblivion Splash Screen Overhaul (1440p splash screens)[www.nexusmods.com] - Optional: 1440p
Keychain[www.nexusmods.com] - Optional: inventory keychain.
Enhanced Hotkeys[www.nexusmods.com] Optional: enhances hotkey functionality.
Quest Log Manager[www.nexusmods.com] - Optional: quest journal functionality
Dynamic Stats[www.nexusmods.com] - Optional: displays stats tooltip for all items.
Pick Me[www.nexusmods.com] - Optional: lockpicking interface retexture.
Better Scroll Background[www.nexusmods.com] - Optional: scroll retexture background.
Evandars Better Book Paper[www.nexusmods.com] - Optional: retexture of book background.

Fixes & Improvements (MO2)

Recommended:
Dialogue Tweaks Fixes and Restorations[www.nexusmods.com]
Dialogue Idles[www.nexusmods.com]
Floating weapons fix[www.nexusmods.com]
Expanded Greetings[www.nexusmods.com]
Faster Horse Dismount[www.nexusmods.com]
All +5 Attribute Modifiers[www.nexusmods.com]
Creature Spawn Chance Fix[www.nexusmods.com]
Auto Update Leveled Items And Spells[www.nexusmods.com]
Faster Dungeon Doors[www.nexusmods.com]
Mercantile Experience Fix - Simplified[www.nexusmods.com]
Allies for Bruma fix[www.nexusmods.com]
Shambles Crash Fix[www.nexusmods.com]
Smoother Horse Animations[www.nexusmods.com]

Optional:
Animated Window Lighting System and Chimneys - AWLS[www.nexusmods.com]
Balanced NPC Level Cap - Logical Levels for All NPCs[www.nexusmods.com]
Consistent Beggar Voices[www.nexusmods.com]
Crime Has Witnesses - Responsibility Tweak[www.nexusmods.com]
Crime has witnesses[www.nexusmods.com]
Ducks and Swans for Cyrodiil[www.nexusmods.com]
Knights of the Nine - Improved Infamy System[www.nexusmods.com]
Move while Encumbered[www.nexusmods.com]
No combat groaning[www.nexusmods.com]
No More Wild Goose Chase - Re-Patched and UOP Fixes Applied[www.nexusmods.com]
No weapon decay[www.nexusmods.com]
Quest NPCs Run[www.nexusmods.com]
Unidirectional Attack[www.nexusmods.com]
Baurus Essential[www.nexusmods.com]
Essential Unicorn[www.nexusmods.com]
CM Partners Mod Basic[www.nexusmods.com]
No Player Combat Groaning[www.nexusmods.com]
Particled Ayleid Stones[www.nexusmods.com]
Radiant AI - NPCs Alive - Cyrodiil - Beta[www.nexusmods.com]
Louder Chapel Bells[www.nexusmods.com]

MODs I've released

Brand Companion Mod (BCM)[www.nexusmods.com] - Optional: a WIP incomplete follower MOD.
Weye Expanded - Optional: Vanilla-friendly expansion of Weye.

LOOT - Load Order Optimization (MO2)

Once you've made it this far, it is time to use the LOOT utility which is built within Mod Organizer 2 (MO2). Navigate to the [Plugins] tab and click the [Sort] button. Once LOOT has completed, read any displayed information. If there are any issues or suggestions, they'll be displayed.

It is important to remember that all of your MODs are enabled before using LOOT and before eventually launching the game.

RAEVWD Optional (MO2)

May increase loading times, but beautiful!

RAEVWD stands for 'Really Almost Everything Viewable'. This series of MODs is no longer available on Nexus MODs. This section is more suited for those with a powerful PC. Personally I never encounter any game crashes, but everyone's situation is different.

Important: If you are to use these, you MUST then use TES4LODGen with it. To use TES4LODGen, you MUST configure it to work with Mod Organizer 2 (MO2).

Really AEVWD 1.9.3[tesalliance.org]

• Really AEVWD.7z
  
• Really AEVWD - SI Edition.7z
  
• RAEVWD QTP3 Textures by Brumbek.7z
  
• RAEVWD SI Edition - Bomret Texture Pack.7z

Once you have downloaded the individual files, you must use Mod Organizer 2 (MO2) to manually install each one. I recommend in the order listed above. You can use the merge option to merge the files together.

Once you have used this, make sure you have TES4LODGen configured correctly with Mod Organizer 2 (MO2). If you don't, this can be achieved by doing the following:
- You'll see two big buttons of 'Run' and 'Shortcut'. To the left, you'll see a big button (it may say 'Oblivion'. Click the little drop down arrow on that big button.
- Now, click '<Edit...>'.
- Click + to add the utility.
- For 'title', you can put - 'TES4LODGen'.
- Under binary, navigate to where you have the 'TES4LODGen' file downloaded.
- Implemented!
- To run 'TES4LODGen', you must click the big box (where it may say 'Oblivion'), click 'TES4LODGen', then click the big 'Run' button.
- Once the console text says it is safe to close the program, you can safely close 'TES4LODGen'.

Not Included, Interesting (MO2)

Optimized VWD - if it still exists...
Really AEVWD
Roads Of Cyrodiil
Weapon Improvement Project
OCRAFT- Oblivion Crafting Framework
Oblivion Better Mining
Mythic Dawn Armor v2
High Detail Dynamic Map TWMP
1440P Ultrawide Loading Screens (Including Shivering Isles) - may increase loading times
Better Dungeons
Nude MODs - I don't know enough!
Mesh Improvement Project
Oblivion Realm HD

Better Cities:
I've looked at Better Cities. Personally, I dislike. If you like though, you can try out!

Open Cities:
I try to avoid as it *can* cause issues. I've had issues with Immersive Interiors MOD where vanilla NPCs have been in areas inaccessible to the player.

Village, Settlement, Town, Cities:
I've struggled to find any of these MODs which are of a vanilla-friendly look and feel.

New Worlds
I've encountered issues and bugs which I have been unable to solve. Some new lands/worlds do not have any complete questlines either.

Nehrim: At Fate's Edge

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1014940/Nehrim_At_Fates_Edge/

Videos & Media

Qarls Texture Pack

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qL1soAW8qJo

Kvatch Rebuilt

Immersive Interiors

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YV9orLNGpSA

Companion Vilja

[[BL] Bradley877]

If anyone has any mod suggestions, please recommend. 👍 Been looking into COBL and Ascension mods. If they work smoothly with the other mods, such as XP Update, I may add 'em to the list. 📃 I'm looking for ways to further improve the guide and enhance gameplay.

[[BL] Bradley877]

@Dwarf_Ninjas -- I hope it all works out for you, thanks for appreciating the guide. :)

[[BL] Bradley877]

@relax with my horns - sorry to hear this. I have no idea why MO2 may not be working for you. Sometimes uninstalling, removing directories, reinstalling, can help. You may have to make a forum post somewhere and post screenshots.

[[BL] Bradley877]

@chinski misiek you can install essential mods (unofficial patches, OBSE with some plugins, maybe upscaled textures). Maintain a 'retro feel' without having the additions

[lazyfatso]

thank u for putting such work for guide, bot for me then oblivion losess his charm as a retro game

[Winter]

No, i will install mods. It's my game. Speak for yourself, Gatekeeper

[relax with my horns]

Unfortunately, every mod I download to MO2 seems to give a warning that it won't work because it's not correct, or that the mod is not supported since it is an executable. I'm just doing Mod Manager Downloads on Nexus for the mods mentioned in the guide, but they don't work with MO2. Is this common? Haven't had this problem before with MO2 :/

[Choko]

Thanks for the guide!! :)

[Crusader]

lol DO NOT install mods for oblivion, the game is perfectly fine and the few bugs you rarely come across arent game breaking and likely can be fixed with a simple console command, if you want to install the essential bug fixes that is fine though, so long as you dont install any textures, npcs, quest etc.. just play the game vanilla and you will be able to fully enjoy oblivion for what it is.

[[BL] Bradley877]

@Dwarf Ninjas - I hope it works for you. This guide is intended for Mod Organizer 2 (MO2) and the unofficial patches are essential. You can aim towards getting the main MODs working smoothly first, then decide on optional later on.