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About this mod
Leveling mod for people who still want a mostly vanilla experience.
- Permissions and credits
INTRODUCTION
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This is an extremely simple mod aimed to fix the worst aspects of Oblivion's vanilla leveling system while still maintaining a mostly vanilla experience.
As such it is mostly aimed at people who are playing the game for the first time and don't want to be punished for playing naturally.
CHANGE LOG
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24. May 2015 - Added a new variant of the file that doesn't slow down leveling.
15. Jun 2011 - Original release.
INSTALLATION
-------------
Download the version you wish to use and put the .esp file into the Data subfolder of your Oblivion directory. I think by default that would be "C:/Program Files/Bethesda Softworks/Oblivion/Data", but it could be different.
Then just activate the plugin in the launcher.
You should be able to add the mod to an existing game, but only the changes to creature and item leveling will take full effect. If you picked a variant of the mod that slows down leveling that will only happen from the point at which you added the mod onward. So how much effect it has is going to depend on what level your character is when you add the mod. If your character is already level 40 your maximum level won't be much lower than in the unmodded game. But if you add the mod to a level 5 character's save game your maximum level would still be significantly reduced.
CHANGES
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The mod introduces a few simple changes:
1) Low level creatures continue to spawn at high levels. High level characters will encounter a mix of creatures of all levels.
2) Low level items continue to spawn at high levels. High level characters will find a mix of items of all levels.
3) Optional: number of major skill increases required to level up can be 15 or 20, depending on which file you use.
The purpose of the first two changes is to make the world more believable. While a high level character will still run into bandits sporting Elven and Glass armor there will also be plenty of bandits wearing Leather and Chainmail even at the highest levels. And low level creatures such as Imps, Scamps, and Ghosts will not mysteriously vanish from the high level character's world, but will continue to coexist with Ogres, Xivilai, and Gloom Wraiths.
The side effect of these changes is that finding high quality items is harder, but once you do get them, they are more valuable because you are less likely to run into the most powerful creatures.
The purpose of the third optional change is to prevent the player from being punished for developing non-combat major skills or multiple combat major skills. In the unmodded game characters who develop non-combat major skills too much will find that their enemies are growing stronger faster than they are. Likewise players who have been increasing both Blade and Blunt may discover that they are much weaker than if they had focused on only one of the two.
By increasing the number of major skill increases required to level up this mod essentially allows players to get a few extra increases in non-combat skills or additional combat skills each level without making their characters too weak. An additional benefit is that players who have been playing naturally will also find themselves getting better attribute multipliers than in the unmodded game simply because it now takes longer to level up.
The last effect of this change is that the character's natural maximum level is also lower than normal. In vanilla characters who increase all their major skills to 100 will be somewhere between level 45 and 53. With the 15 increase version of this mod this happens somewhere between levels 30 and 36 and with the 20 increase version it happens somewhere between level 23 and 27.
Note that Oblivion has been balanced for player characters up to level 25 and the Shivering Isles expansion for characters up to level 30. There are no significant benefits for reaching levels higher than that.
-------------
This is an extremely simple mod aimed to fix the worst aspects of Oblivion's vanilla leveling system while still maintaining a mostly vanilla experience.
As such it is mostly aimed at people who are playing the game for the first time and don't want to be punished for playing naturally.
CHANGE LOG
-------------
24. May 2015 - Added a new variant of the file that doesn't slow down leveling.
15. Jun 2011 - Original release.
INSTALLATION
-------------
Download the version you wish to use and put the .esp file into the Data subfolder of your Oblivion directory. I think by default that would be "C:/Program Files/Bethesda Softworks/Oblivion/Data", but it could be different.
Then just activate the plugin in the launcher.
You should be able to add the mod to an existing game, but only the changes to creature and item leveling will take full effect. If you picked a variant of the mod that slows down leveling that will only happen from the point at which you added the mod onward. So how much effect it has is going to depend on what level your character is when you add the mod. If your character is already level 40 your maximum level won't be much lower than in the unmodded game. But if you add the mod to a level 5 character's save game your maximum level would still be significantly reduced.
CHANGES
-------------
The mod introduces a few simple changes:
1) Low level creatures continue to spawn at high levels. High level characters will encounter a mix of creatures of all levels.
2) Low level items continue to spawn at high levels. High level characters will find a mix of items of all levels.
3) Optional: number of major skill increases required to level up can be 15 or 20, depending on which file you use.
The purpose of the first two changes is to make the world more believable. While a high level character will still run into bandits sporting Elven and Glass armor there will also be plenty of bandits wearing Leather and Chainmail even at the highest levels. And low level creatures such as Imps, Scamps, and Ghosts will not mysteriously vanish from the high level character's world, but will continue to coexist with Ogres, Xivilai, and Gloom Wraiths.
The side effect of these changes is that finding high quality items is harder, but once you do get them, they are more valuable because you are less likely to run into the most powerful creatures.
The purpose of the third optional change is to prevent the player from being punished for developing non-combat major skills or multiple combat major skills. In the unmodded game characters who develop non-combat major skills too much will find that their enemies are growing stronger faster than they are. Likewise players who have been increasing both Blade and Blunt may discover that they are much weaker than if they had focused on only one of the two.
By increasing the number of major skill increases required to level up this mod essentially allows players to get a few extra increases in non-combat skills or additional combat skills each level without making their characters too weak. An additional benefit is that players who have been playing naturally will also find themselves getting better attribute multipliers than in the unmodded game simply because it now takes longer to level up.
The last effect of this change is that the character's natural maximum level is also lower than normal. In vanilla characters who increase all their major skills to 100 will be somewhere between level 45 and 53. With the 15 increase version of this mod this happens somewhere between levels 30 and 36 and with the 20 increase version it happens somewhere between level 23 and 27.
Note that Oblivion has been balanced for player characters up to level 25 and the Shivering Isles expansion for characters up to level 30. There are no significant benefits for reaching levels higher than that.