If anyone's curious, you don't need any files from this page. these are just outdated patches, not the actual mod. The Lost Spires v14 is here. note that clicking the link automatically downloads the full mod (the page takes a bit to load don't worry). Again no worries, It's downloaded from the official site using wayback machine. someone was generous enough to share in the comment section below.
Problems I'm running into: 1) On the quest, Finding the Horn, I can't even get neat the gate without a CTD. Had to use stage to even complete that part of the quest; 2) On picking up a certain voiced diary, I get a CTD as soon as I click on the 'Take' Button. May have to use setstage again.
Don't know if it will "break" my game but revived certain NPC characters that are supposed to die. Can't say which ones without giving spoilers but these NPC's are living their lives, unaware that they are 'dead'. LMFAO!
The final dungeon is bugged even on v14 (final version) of this mod. Use TCL in console to immediately reach the water under the floor in the room before the boss when trying to escape, there's no other way to reach the pool and avoid the fire.
Other than that I enjoyed this mod and had no major problems with it. The storytelling and characters could have been better but Oblivion sets a low bar for it so it was a welcome change anyway. Many reviews here say the dungeons are boring or long, personally I love large dungeons even if they are a bit similar and wish more mods added them. The Ayleid dungeons seem more repetitive to me. Yes large dungeons are usually not realistic but in my opinion they are more fun. Play early TES and you'll see that the dungeons in this mod are still very small by comparison.
I don't know or remember if I posted this or not, but it's concerning an item known as the Warlock's Torch! I know regular vanilla Oblivion torches will go out after x number of minutes of continuous usage/staying lit! So how long does the Warlock Torch stay lit for before it burns out and can't be used anymore?
Thought I'd share my thoughts in order to get them organised. NOTE: I played this with Oscuros Oblivion Overhaul and a Level 9 character with maxed out strength and endurance. I didn't have much difficulty defeating enemies in this game.
So.... My experience with this mod was not the best. I remember seeing this mod multiple times and thinking about the sheer possibilities. After all, whatever top 10 list of Oblivion quest mods you'll find online, it'll be sure to include The Lost Spires. And while I can understand that this mod was a pretty huge deal when it released, it simply isn't the case anymore.
DUNGEONS New and attracting visuals are pretty much the only positive I can say about this mod. The negatives, on the other hand, are plenty (for me at least). For one, the dungeons. The first dungeon you'll enter, it'll be a pretty cool experience. They are very pretty and youll enjoy getting lost in them. That said, the magic vanishes after the first one. This mod features about 6-7 dungeons and they all look the exact goddamn same. And if that wasn't bad enough, they're huge. And there's sections with multiple paths that lead on for so long only for you to end up in a dead end. So then you'll have to go back and try different paths with the hope that you'll find the right one. The dungeons in this mod REALLY didn't need to be this long.
MONSTERS Let's talk about the monsters. Yes, this mod features new creatures for you to fight... Sort of. Most of them are reskinned versions of vanilla ones. And when I mean reskinned, I mean the exact same creatures but blue. I have to give credit where credit is due, however, for the few warlocks that you encounter at the end of a few dungeons. They are very cool looking and *SPOILER* the plane that you traverse to in order to fight them is just as pretty. *END OF SPOILER*
CHARACTERS AND STORY The Lost Spires features the Archeology Guild and it's members as it's main cast. I'm going to be honest, I thought Oblivion had forgettable characters (for the most part), but this mod proved to me that there's a new low. You'll have trouble remembering each character's name as your interactions with them are kept to a minimum. "Hi. I like to study history. Oh, by the way, I need you to go to this dungeon and clear it of monsters so we can study everything inside." Not that they ever leave their blasted guild hall, makes you think about their expertise as archaeologists. The only time they ever step foot outside is *SPOILER* during Teav's funeral *END OF SPOILER*. And you can tell the mod wants you to get to know the characters and maybe even get to like them because the very first quest involves you searching through that giant hall (that you've never been inside of before that point) in order to get to know them. So Teav basically gives you a list of people and tells you to search for each of them and listen to whatever bullsh$t they have to say which you'll forget the second you end your conversation with them. The ending has a twist involving one of the characters but it really isn't anything you haven't seen done 1000 times before.
CONCLUSION It's a nice mod if you love long, repetitive and maybe even arduous dungeons (depending on your character's power). You'll come out of this experience with a lot of very nice gear (some might even consider it OP, myself included, which is why I don't plan on including this mod in any of my future playthroughs) and lots of useless crap to put around your house. Like posters of sketches (which cost WAY TOO MUCH), dwarven schematics and metal bits that you'd find in any dwarven dungeon in skyrim or morrowind, some vases (?!) and a few cool items that have quite interesting features. Those latter items are the most interesting part of the mod, sadly. A few quest rewards.
So if you're looking for complex characters, incredible story telling and unique dungeon design..... THIS IS NOT IT. *NOT BY A LONG SHOT*
I appreciate the review. I used the mod years ago and I recall the amount of patches it takes is ridiculous. Having freed up some space recently in my crowded mod count, I thought about trying it again, but what you wrote reminds me that I was unimpressed the first time around. Now that the author's website is apparently down, looks like this will probably not get any further updates to content, so I'm placing on my list of dead mods with way too many patches that isn't worth returning to.
I'm kind of late to reply but I'm glad! I may have been a bit mean in my review, but back then I was really disappointed in this mod. I had high expectations for it.
Does anyone know where people are supposed to download the newest version of this since http://www.lostspires.com/ now shows a page that just says Account Suspended?
1118 comments
Also, there's a few optional fixes and improvements to the original mod from various authors on the nexus if you're interested. I personally use The Lost Spires - Enhanced Tomb, The Lost Spires - Tweaks and Enhancements, Lost Spires Archaeology Guild Robes fix, and finally The Lost Spires - Cleaned up Scribe Store Ruins with the optional warlock's robe replacer. There's also the optional Atmospheric Dark UI Loading Screens for Lost Spires if you use Atmospheric Dark UI Loading Screens. The creators also have their own loading screens Here. The Lost Spires - NPC AI Addon is something you might want to check out too. There is Bashable Quest Delayers also, if you don't want the quest to pop up immediately.
P.S.
The main page for The Lost Spires was Here if you wanna look around for some reason, maybe for nostalgia's sake? courtesy of wayback machine :P
1) On the quest, Finding the Horn, I can't even get neat the gate without a CTD. Had to use stage to even complete that part of the quest;
2) On picking up a certain voiced diary, I get a CTD as soon as I click on the 'Take' Button. May have to use setstage again.
Other than that I enjoyed this mod and had no major problems with it. The storytelling and characters could have been better but Oblivion sets a low bar for it so it was a welcome change anyway. Many reviews here say the dungeons are boring or long, personally I love large dungeons even if they are a bit similar and wish more mods added them. The Ayleid dungeons seem more repetitive to me. Yes large dungeons are usually not realistic but in my opinion they are more fun. Play early TES and you'll see that the dungeons in this mod are still very small by comparison.
Thought I'd share my thoughts in order to get them organised.
NOTE: I played this with Oscuros Oblivion Overhaul and a Level 9 character with maxed out strength and endurance. I didn't have much difficulty defeating enemies in this game.
So.... My experience with this mod was not the best. I remember seeing this mod multiple times and thinking about the sheer possibilities. After all, whatever top 10 list of Oblivion quest mods you'll find online, it'll be sure to include The Lost Spires. And while I can understand that this mod was a pretty huge deal when it released, it simply isn't the case anymore.
DUNGEONS
New and attracting visuals are pretty much the only positive I can say about this mod. The negatives, on the other hand, are plenty (for me at least). For one, the dungeons. The first dungeon you'll enter, it'll be a pretty cool experience. They are very pretty and youll enjoy getting lost in them. That said, the magic vanishes after the first one. This mod features about 6-7 dungeons and they all look the exact goddamn same. And if that wasn't bad enough, they're huge. And there's sections with multiple paths that lead on for so long only for you to end up in a dead end. So then you'll have to go back and try different paths with the hope that you'll find the right one. The dungeons in this mod REALLY didn't need to be this long.
MONSTERS
Let's talk about the monsters. Yes, this mod features new creatures for you to fight... Sort of. Most of them are reskinned versions of vanilla ones. And when I mean reskinned, I mean the exact same creatures but blue. I have to give credit where credit is due, however, for the few warlocks that you encounter at the end of a few dungeons. They are very cool looking and *SPOILER* the plane that you traverse to in order to fight them is just as pretty. *END OF SPOILER*
CHARACTERS AND STORY
The Lost Spires features the Archeology Guild and it's members as it's main cast. I'm going to be honest, I thought Oblivion had forgettable characters (for the most part), but this mod proved to me that there's a new low. You'll have trouble remembering each character's name as your interactions with them are kept to a minimum. "Hi. I like to study history. Oh, by the way, I need you to go to this dungeon and clear it of monsters so we can study everything inside." Not that they ever leave their blasted guild hall, makes you think about their expertise as archaeologists. The only time they ever step foot outside is *SPOILER* during Teav's funeral *END OF SPOILER*.
And you can tell the mod wants you to get to know the characters and maybe even get to like them because the very first quest involves you searching through that giant hall (that you've never been inside of before that point) in order to get to know them. So Teav basically gives you a list of people and tells you to search for each of them and listen to whatever bullsh$t they have to say which you'll forget the second you end your conversation with them.
The ending has a twist involving one of the characters but it really isn't anything you haven't seen done 1000 times before.
CONCLUSION
It's a nice mod if you love long, repetitive and maybe even arduous dungeons (depending on your character's power). You'll come out of this experience with a lot of very nice gear (some might even consider it OP, myself included, which is why I don't plan on including this mod in any of my future playthroughs) and lots of useless crap to put around your house. Like posters of sketches (which cost WAY TOO MUCH), dwarven schematics and metal bits that you'd find in any dwarven dungeon in skyrim or morrowind, some vases (?!) and a few cool items that have quite interesting features. Those latter items are the most interesting part of the mod, sadly. A few quest rewards.
So if you're looking for complex characters, incredible story telling and unique dungeon design..... THIS IS NOT IT. *NOT BY A LONG SHOT*
-Cya :)
Edit: Nevermind, you don't need any patches.