Hey, guys. This should have come much sooner, but it is here now. I hope that it will help some of our members and that it will show how Mods can improve this old game.
I´ll start with few mods that are neccesary for other mods to work.
Oblivion Mod Manager - Utility for managing plugins, also for unpacking BSA files. Also lets you set load order of your mods among other things. This is a must.
OBSE - Increases scripting capabilities of Oblivion. It is needed for most of the mods which adds new mechanics to game and other things. It is wise choice to have this all the time.
TES4LODGen - Generates visible distant landscapes. Some of the graphics enhanced mods require this one to work properly.
Oblivion Unofficial Patch - Fixes pretty much every bug and glitch in the game and some mods requires it. For those who want to exploit the game (Like having permanent Bound Weapons) it is not adviced to use this mod.
COBL - is: 1) a world enrichment mod that adds lots of little things that enriches your gameplay experience; 2) a shared library that acts as a resource for other mods; and 3) an integration tool that allows different mods to "talk" to each other.
Graphics
Qarls Texture Pack III - Makes most of the textures more sharper and cleaner.
Oblivion Character Overhaul v2 - Overhauls the character faces so much that they no longor look like potatoes!
Weapons Improvement Project - Replaces textures and meshes of weapons with new high res look.
Oblivion Grass Overhaul - This isn´t hard to guess. Replaces boring Oblivion grass with more versions of great looking grass.
Really Almost Everything Viewable When Distant
Improved Trees and Flora - Sharpens the textures of trees and bushes.
Natural Enviroments - This one is pretty large, because it overhauls the weather system, adds insects like butterflies and birds to the game, making it much more realistic.
Landscapes
Unique Landscapes - This is really huge mod. It changes great number of locations in wilderness, covering almost every possible ground in the game. With this compilation you will see the wilds of Oblivion in completely different light. Only few places will feel the same to you, but the rest...well, you won´t believe your own eyes.
Better Cities - Just as the Unique Landscapes overhauls the wilds, this mod improves every city in Cyrodiil. I remember I noticed some issues like missing ground and other things when you have for example Better Cities - Bravil and Unique Landscape - Bravil Barrowfields. You´ll probably find out on your own what is compatible or not. It is possible that Unique Landscapes could contain some Compatibility Patches for Better Cities.
Deserts of Anequina - expands the world by another province and that is Elsweyr. It is still WiP but Illiana made lot of work on this. Right now it contains 5 cities with Orcrest among them (city governed by Orcs!), few dozens of quests and almost whole province to explore with new creatures and other content.
Morroblivion - One of the most ambitious mods ever. Recreates the land of Morrowind with it´s quests, guilds and pretty much everything to be playable in Oblivion engine. You have to own both games to play this mod.
Guilds
Bane´s Guilds United - This actually doesn´t add anything new, it only "unites" already existing guilds. For example, the Fighters Guild now can be recognized because of their armor.
Blackwood Company - You ever wanted to have option to play as a more badass mercenary? You ever wanted to spit in the faces of Fighter´s Guild weaklings? Well, now you can. This mod will let you be part of the other side of the story. Lots of free choice and different paths. Want to be ruthless thug, mercenary with lust for gold or just a figther caught between hammer and anvil?
The Lost Spires - is a mod that adds Archeology Guild. That sounds boring, right? But I have to say, that this guild had one of the best questline I ever encountered. You pretty much start as muscle for hire, but in time you will be exploring ancient and exotic places trying to stop evil returning from...grave, I suppose.
Origin of the Mages Guild - You remember that talk how Archmage banned the necromancy, half of the guild left and that brought the guild to ruin? Well, that is everything. Just talk. You really can´t see that the University is really weakened. This mod aims to fix it. While you progress through the various quests you will be slowly brining the Guild back to it´s glory.
Dragon Captions - The Elder Council - Not exactly a guild but this mod allows you to participate in the working of the Empire. Adds ranking system that allows you to reach the title of Count, visit Bosmer city of Arenthia, watch Wild Hunt with your own eyes, and help Titus Mede usurp the Throne of the Empire.
The ranking system works in two ways. You can complete the main quest and that will help you to climb through the social ranks really fast, or you can do it by joining Legion and patroling the roads. Or you can be simple Tax Collector, riding from Inn to Inn. The choice is yours.
Quests
Kvatch Rebuild - This mod lets you rebuild the destroyed city of Kvatch back to it´s former glory. I always counted this mod as one of the most important ones. It really brings hope back into game, because it is so grim to see the burning ruins of Kvatch everytime you travel on Gold Road. And in the end, you have the option to become count or let the righful heir sit on the throne.
Tears of the Fiend - The best written story quest ever if you ask me. Simyaz was genious and every single mod of his is just brilliant. While this one forces a backstory to your character and it is not exactly lore friendly, trust me, it is worth it. Give you two companions with their own personalities and motives and it will purely depend on you if you can win their friendship and save their souls.
Ruined Tails Tale - Another mod from Simyaz, this one follows the story of renegade Shadowscale who calls himself Ruin. This is really brilliant mod for people who want friendship and companionship with their follower. The mod is not exactly a quest, well, not yours. It is Ruin´s quest and while he is your follower, you follow him on his journey. Your opinions can influence his own morale compass so pay attention to what he says. And what you tell him.
Heart of the Dead - My other favourite quest mod. This one brings back the riddles and puzzles of older RPGs, let´s you explore long forgotten lore and history, involves Aylieds and Heart of the Dead that is somehow connected to Heart of someone very well known in the Lore. And dead.
Reclaiming Sancre Tor - Latest quest mod I stumbled upon and it really took my breath. Blades from Morrowind reclaimed Sancre Tor and you are allowed to join their ranks and finally feel like a true member of the Blades. You must aid the Blades in serving the Empire as well as unraveling their own destiny.
Thievery in the Imperial City - Not all merchants in the Imperial City are through and through honest. Derrien Venoit runs the Discount Merchandise in the market district; not only has he no qualms about buying stolen goods, the thieves in the Imperial City know that Derrien even gives tips about where to find worthwhile loot. Really a must for every thief character.
JQ - Assassin Quest - If you ever want to roleplay a simple hitman or a Morag Tong in Oblivion, this mod is for you. No complicated story, just names, your dagger, their lives.
Gameplay
Realistic Leveling - As I am writing this now, I´m still getting in touch with this mod. So far I have noticed it takes away the micronagement of raising Attributes by yourself. Your Attributes increase with your Skills, which means that by increasing Marksman Skill be certain amount gives you Strength and Agility. Very easy and let you focus on the game without worrying if you can increase your Attributes by 5 or 1.
Realistic Ragdolls and Force - This mod aims at changing the ragdoll physics considerably and the force which acts upon characters/creatures as a result of a strike of any kind. Ragdolls will not only fall at a greater velocity, but they will also fall in a more realistic/random manner instead of the generic "slumping" pattern.
Arrow Velocity - This mod does one simple thing. It increases speed of arrows. In vanilla, the arrows are so slow, that with 200 Speed you can outrun your own arrow and this mod makes it right. With increased quality of arrows, the faster they will be. But not just for you. Even your enemies will shoot arrows fast as lighting at you.
Thieves Arsenal - Recreates some of the cool thing from Thief games like Rope Arrows, Gas Arrows and adds the Blackjackthat can "knock out" enemies. Mod for true thieves who don´t want to kill needlesly everybody. Slightly overhauls the stealth system and is meant to be combined with some other Stealth overhauls, but I usually like to keep my game as close to vanilla as possible. Also, it adds Basso the Boxman who will sell you all the good stuff and give you challenging "heists".
Alternative Beginnings - It does just what it says. If you are tired of the old "You. I have seen you..." then this mod is for you. You can start as refugee from Kvatch, owner of Mansion in some city, member of some guild and other stuff. Worth it.
Harvest Flora - It makes right what Bethesda did wrong. Now everytime you try to harvest a plant, it will disappear whether you are succesful or not. Now you will see what plants you already harvested.
Weapons, Armor and Clothing
Real Swords - This compilation adds lots of new weapons to the game that are aimed to be swords of certain Races of Tamriel. It gives you the option to modify how powerful those weapons you want and who will have it. You can set that the strong weapons will be sold by new vendors and weaker will be distributed amond NPCs of Cyrodiil. So if you download RealSwords Bosmer you will notice that lots of Bosmer NPCs will wield new weapons made for them. Also, if you equip weapon that is meant for the race you play, you will get certain bonuses.
Immersive Weapons - Distributes lots of new weapons among the NPCs in the game and adds more versions of weapons than RealSwords which is pretty much focused only on...swords.
Scarves - The Divine Elegance in Imperial City now solds these scarver that are suited for any weather and any adventurer. And they really make you elegant.
Thief Armor - My personal favourite thief armor. It is just retextured DB armor, but it really looks like something a thief would wear when he infiltrates some mansion.
Rogue Battlemage Armor - My favourite heavy armor, fits pretty much every character that wants to go heavy, look badass and elegant at the same time.
Adonnays Ranger Coats - Good looking coats for every character that is going to spend time in the wilds.
These mods are carefully picked from my list. I don´t think that listing every mod I use is what interests you, so I picked these I found most important for me. If you have some mods you would like to see in this thread, just comment bellow. I hope, this will prove useful to you guys and if you ever try some of these, give me an echo how satisfied are you with them.
Hey, guys. This should have come much sooner, but it is here now. I hope that it will help some of our members and that it will show how Mods can improve this old game.
I´ll start with few mods that are neccesary for other mods to work.
Oblivion Mod Manager - Utility for managing plugins, also for unpacking BSA files. Also lets you set load order of your mods among other things. This is a must.
OBSE - Increases scripting capabilities of Oblivion. It is needed for most of the mods which adds new mechanics to game and other things. It is wise choice to have this all the time.
TES4LODGen - Generates visible distant landscapes. Some of the graphics enhanced mods require this one to work properly.
Oblivion Unofficial Patch - Fixes pretty much every bug and glitch in the game and some mods requires it. For those who want to exploit the game (Like having permanent Bound Weapons) it is not adviced to use this mod.
COBL - is: 1) a world enrichment mod that adds lots of little things that enriches your gameplay experience; 2) a shared library that acts as a resource for other mods; and 3) an integration tool that allows different mods to "talk" to each other.
Graphics
Qarls Texture Pack III - Makes most of the textures more sharper and cleaner.
Oblivion Character Overhaul v2 - Overhauls the character faces so much that they no longor look like potatoes!
Weapons Improvement Project - Replaces textures and meshes of weapons with new high res look.
Oblivion Grass Overhaul - This isn´t hard to guess. Replaces boring Oblivion grass with more versions of great looking grass.
Really Almost Everything Viewable When Distant
Improved Trees and Flora - Sharpens the textures of trees and bushes.
Natural Enviroments - This one is pretty large, because it overhauls the weather system, adds insects like butterflies and birds to the game, making it much more realistic.
Landscapes
Unique Landscapes - This is really huge mod. It changes great number of locations in wilderness, covering almost every possible ground in the game. With this compilation you will see the wilds of Oblivion in completely different light. Only few places will feel the same to you, but the rest...well, you won´t believe your own eyes.
Better Cities - Just as the Unique Landscapes overhauls the wilds, this mod improves every city in Cyrodiil. I remember I noticed some issues like missing ground and other things when you have for example Better Cities - Bravil and Unique Landscape - Bravil Barrowfields. You´ll probably find out on your own what is compatible or not. It is possible that Unique Landscapes could contain some Compatibility Patches for Better Cities.
Deserts of Anequina - expands the world by another province and that is Elsweyr. It is still WiP but Illiana made lot of work on this. Right now it contains 5 cities with Orcrest among them (city governed by Orcs!), few dozens of quests and almost whole province to explore with new creatures and other content.
Morroblivion - One of the most ambitious mods ever. Recreates the land of Morrowind with it´s quests, guilds and pretty much everything to be playable in Oblivion engine. You have to own both games to play this mod.
Guilds
Bane´s Guilds United - This actually doesn´t add anything new, it only "unites" already existing guilds. For example, the Fighters Guild now can be recognized because of their armor.
Blackwood Company - You ever wanted to have option to play as a more badass mercenary? You ever wanted to spit in the faces of Fighter´s Guild weaklings? Well, now you can. This mod will let you be part of the other side of the story. Lots of free choice and different paths. Want to be ruthless thug, mercenary with lust for gold or just a figther caught between hammer and anvil?
The Lost Spires - is a mod that adds Archeology Guild. That sounds boring, right? But I have to say, that this guild had one of the best questline I ever encountered. You pretty much start as muscle for hire, but in time you will be exploring ancient and exotic places trying to stop evil returning from...grave, I suppose.
Origin of the Mages Guild - You remember that talk how Archmage banned the necromancy, half of the guild left and that brought the guild to ruin? Well, that is everything. Just talk. You really can´t see that the University is really weakened. This mod aims to fix it. While you progress through the various quests you will be slowly brining the Guild back to it´s glory.
Dragon Captions - The Elder Council - Not exactly a guild but this mod allows you to participate in the working of the Empire. Adds ranking system that allows you to reach the title of Count, visit Bosmer city of Arenthia, watch Wild Hunt with your own eyes, and help Titus Mede usurp the Throne of the Empire.
The ranking system works in two ways. You can complete the main quest and that will help you to climb through the social ranks really fast, or you can do it by joining Legion and patroling the roads. Or you can be simple Tax Collector, riding from Inn to Inn. The choice is yours.
Quests
Kvatch Rebuild - This mod lets you rebuild the destroyed city of Kvatch back to it´s former glory. I always counted this mod as one of the most important ones. It really brings hope back into game, because it is so grim to see the burning ruins of Kvatch everytime you travel on Gold Road. And in the end, you have the option to become count or let the righful heir sit on the throne.
Tears of the Fiend - The best written story quest ever if you ask me. Simyaz was genious and every single mod of his is just brilliant. While this one forces a backstory to your character and it is not exactly lore friendly, trust me, it is worth it. Give you two companions with their own personalities and motives and it will purely depend on you if you can win their friendship and save their souls.
Ruined Tails Tale - Another mod from Simyaz, this one follows the story of renegade Shadowscale who calls himself Ruin. This is really brilliant mod for people who want friendship and companionship with their follower. The mod is not exactly a quest, well, not yours. It is Ruin´s quest and while he is your follower, you follow him on his journey. Your opinions can influence his own morale compass so pay attention to what he says. And what you tell him.
Heart of the Dead - My other favourite quest mod. This one brings back the riddles and puzzles of older RPGs, let´s you explore long forgotten lore and history, involves Aylieds and Heart of the Dead that is somehow connected to Heart of someone very well known in the Lore. And dead.
Reclaiming Sancre Tor - Latest quest mod I stumbled upon and it really took my breath. Blades from Morrowind reclaimed Sancre Tor and you are allowed to join their ranks and finally feel like a true member of the Blades. You must aid the Blades in serving the Empire as well as unraveling their own destiny.
Thievery in the Imperial City - Not all merchants in the Imperial City are through and through honest. Derrien Venoit runs the Discount Merchandise in the market district; not only has he no qualms about buying stolen goods, the thieves in the Imperial City know that Derrien even gives tips about where to find worthwhile loot. Really a must for every thief character.
JQ - Assassin Quest - If you ever want to roleplay a simple hitman or a Morag Tong in Oblivion, this mod is for you. No complicated story, just names, your dagger, their lives.
Gameplay
Realistic Leveling - As I am writing this now, I´m still getting in touch with this mod. So far I have noticed it takes away the micronagement of raising Attributes by yourself. Your Attributes increase with your Skills, which means that by increasing Marksman Skill be certain amount gives you Strength and Agility. Very easy and let you focus on the game without worrying if you can increase your Attributes by 5 or 1.
Realistic Ragdolls and Force - This mod aims at changing the ragdoll physics considerably and the force which acts upon characters/creatures as a result of a strike of any kind. Ragdolls will not only fall at a greater velocity, but they will also fall in a more realistic/random manner instead of the generic "slumping" pattern.
Arrow Velocity - This mod does one simple thing. It increases speed of arrows. In vanilla, the arrows are so slow, that with 200 Speed you can outrun your own arrow and this mod makes it right. With increased quality of arrows, the faster they will be. But not just for you. Even your enemies will shoot arrows fast as lighting at you.
Thieves Arsenal - Recreates some of the cool thing from Thief games like Rope Arrows, Gas Arrows and adds the Blackjackthat can "knock out" enemies. Mod for true thieves who don´t want to kill needlesly everybody. Slightly overhauls the stealth system and is meant to be combined with some other Stealth overhauls, but I usually like to keep my game as close to vanilla as possible. Also, it adds Basso the Boxman who will sell you all the good stuff and give you challenging "heists".
Alternative Beginnings - It does just what it says. If you are tired of the old "You. I have seen you..." then this mod is for you. You can start as refugee from Kvatch, owner of Mansion in some city, member of some guild and other stuff. Worth it.
Harvest Flora - It makes right what Bethesda did wrong. Now everytime you try to harvest a plant, it will disappear whether you are succesful or not. Now you will see what plants you already harvested.
Weapons, Armor and Clothing
Real Swords - This compilation adds lots of new weapons to the game that are aimed to be swords of certain Races of Tamriel. It gives you the option to modify how powerful those weapons you want and who will have it. You can set that the strong weapons will be sold by new vendors and weaker will be distributed amond NPCs of Cyrodiil. So if you download RealSwords Bosmer you will notice that lots of Bosmer NPCs will wield new weapons made for them. Also, if you equip weapon that is meant for the race you play, you will get certain bonuses.
Immersive Weapons - Distributes lots of new weapons among the NPCs in the game and adds more versions of weapons than RealSwords which is pretty much focused only on...swords.
Scarves - The Divine Elegance in Imperial City now solds these scarver that are suited for any weather and any adventurer. And they really make you elegant.
Thief Armor - My personal favourite thief armor. It is just retextured DB armor, but it really looks like something a thief would wear when he infiltrates some mansion.
Rogue Battlemage Armor - My favourite heavy armor, fits pretty much every character that wants to go heavy, look badass and elegant at the same time.
Adonnays Ranger Coats - Good looking coats for every character that is going to spend time in the wilds.
These mods are carefully picked from my list. I don´t think that listing every mod I use is what interests you, so I picked these I found most important for me. If you have some mods you would like to see in this thread, just comment bellow. I hope, this will prove useful to you guys and if you ever try some of these, give me an echo how satisfied are you with them.
