This is a modlist and tutorial with installation order and instructions to make your game look better with great performance. It is is for new and less new Oblivion players, who want to start modding their game or complete their list with some nice mods.
Oblivion has hundreds of excellent mods, this is not the perfect modlist for the graphics, just my modlist with my own selection of mods. There are many other fantastic mods that I will not mention in this page. In the first part you can find the essential tools to mod Oblivion, then you'll find the main graphical mods that I use sorted by categories and installation order. At the end you'll find instructions to make Oblivion Reloaded and ENB work together nicely. After that I selected a few other good mods in case you want to change more than just the graphics, and also some INI tweaks that I made to my Oblivion.ini file.
A full video guide detailing the installation of this modlist is available if you're interested! Thank you outdated TV! Check out his article here
Last update: August 29 2022
Permissions: I do not give permission to upload this guide in any other websites. If you like it and use it in your Let's Play videos for instance, I'll appreciate that you give me credit and add a link to the description page.
Before starting: Read everything. Every single word in my guide is important. It is not difficult at all but if you don't take the time to read and apply everything something will go wrong. If you have a question do not hesitate to ask it on the forums tab, but please make sure you have read the description and the FAQ first, especially if you have a problem, because most of the time the solution is written here.
What you need to start modding Oblivion:
- I recommend the following hardware: - OS: Windows 7 or more - CPU: i5 2400 or more - RAM: 8GB. Should be fine with 6GB. The game will not use more than 3,6GB of RAM, but the more you have, the better it is (in case you have other programs running in the background). - GPU: 2GB of VRAM. There is no 4K textures in this guide. 2K is the maximum resolution. Some mods have 1K and 2k versions to choose. - 35GB of free HDD space
- A working Vanilla (without any mods) game. Preferably with ENGLISH language. Many mods are designed to work with the english version of the game. You may get some issues (like muted NPCs, but there are some ways to fix that though) if you are using a different language. You can watch this great video by GamerPoets about the installation and settings of Oblivion. Navigate to 2:02 in the video linked and follow the steps to see which version of the game you have. You should have version 1.2.0416 which is already patched.
- Delete the Oblivion.ini file located in \My Games\Oblivion and launch the game to rebuild a new one.
- Set the following options in the Launcher: Adapter: Select your Graphics Card model Resolution: Select the resolution you want to play with. Antialiasing: None (best performance) Mode: As you wish. I play with windowed mod, with Oblivion Reloaded (a mod we will install later), you can play fullscreen in windowed mode, and still Alt Tab if you want. Screen Effects: HDR (needed for ENB to work) Distant Rendering: Check "Distant Landscape" ,"Distance Building" and "Distant Trees" Video Quality Presets: "Ultra High"
Install these essential tools listed below:
Wrye Bash Several softwares exist to manage your mods. NMM is one of the most popular but currently doesn't work for all Oblivion mods. Wrye Bash is more complete and work with almost all mods. I highly recommend that you use this mod manager to install all the following mods. If you use another mod manager I will not be able to assist you. Download it here You can download and use the installer to guide you during the install, or install it manually. For the "manual" installation, go in the FILES section and download the "Wrye Bash Standalone executable" file. Extract it somewhere. You should have a "Mopy" folder. Just copy it in your "Oblivion" folder (where the "Data" folder is). In my case, this is here: \SteamLibrary\steamapps\common\Oblivion , because I am using the Steam version of the game. To launch Wrye Bash, go in that "Mopy" folder and double click on the Wrye Bash application. You can create a shortcut of the app to access it faster. Have a look here if you want a very good guide on how to use Wrye Bash. Have a look at the Basics and Installers Intro (look at the images or download the .pdf file).
Installing a mod with Wrye Bash: - Download it manually (never use the "download with manager option"), drag and drop the archive (no need to extract it) in the Installers tab or in the Bash Installers folder automaticaly created by Wrye Bash. - You should now see it in the Installers tab of WB. Right Click on it and choose Install. If the mod has an .esp file, you should see it the Mods tab now. Check it to activate it. Done. You can install all the graphical mods with it. Some OBSE plugins and other mods require a manual installation, I'll tell you when this is the case.
You can also watch this video made by ponurymazepa.
xOBSE OBSE will be needed for many mods to work. xOBSE fixes problems that OBSE had. You must install it manually. Go here and download the latest release. - If you have the Steam version like me, then Copy obse_1_2_416.dll, obse_editor_1_2.dll, obse_steam_loader.dll and obse_loader.exe to your Oblivion directory. On Steam, just start the game in the usual way, and OBSE will automaticaly be loaded. Please check that OBSE is working correctly. For that, make a new save and quit the game. Go to Documents\My Games\Oblivion\Saves and verify if you have and .obse file alongside to the .ess file. The OBSE's main page advises to enable the Steam community Overlay, however, some mods we will install later need the Overlay to be disabled. To turn it off, rightclick on "The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion in the librarie and click "Properties" and untick "Enable Steam Overlay". - If you own a GOG version of the game, copy obse_1_2_416.dll, obse_editor_1_2.dll and obse_loader.exe. To launch the game with this version, double-click on the file "obse_loader".
Optimizing your load order You can either use BOSS or LOOT to sort your load order, very useful when the list of your plugins is increasing. Use it frequently when you add mods which include .esp files to avoid potential incompatibility problems. These programs are very easy to use, just follow the installation instructions, make sure your game is detected, and let them work.
TES4Edit TES4Edit is very useful tool to clean your mods, check for conflicts, and many other things. It is not needed in this guide but you should install it too in case one day you need it.
Some good practices - You should install all your mods (except for some OBSE plugins and other exceptions that I will mention) with Wrye Bash, so if you encounter a problem somewhere (normally you should not :p), you can still uninstall a mod safely without breaking your game. WB keeps track to all the files installed with it.
- After installing each mods, check the .esp in the Mods tab if there is one. Place the .esp before your Bashed Patch. You can do that manually (select the .esp and "drag and drop" it lower or higher to change its load order) or by using BOSS (recommended). And then rebuild your bashed patch. You should rebuild it each time you are installing a new mod with an .esp file. For that, right-click on the Bashed Patch (it should be at the end of your load order in the Mods tab), select "Rebuild Patch..." and then "Build Patch" on the new window. The Bashed Patch will deactivate/uncheck some mods, they will have a . or + symbol next to them and a different color, do not reactivate them, they are merged in the Bached Patch. Important note: it is possible that BOSS doesn't recognize some .esp (mainly due to the fact they are very recent), in this case, don't worry, just draag the .esp above the Bashed Patch.
To summarize, each time you add a new mod, you have to: * Install it in the Installers tab * Check the .esp in the Mods tab * Run BOSS to sort your load order * Rebuild your Bashed patch (do not reactivate the .esp which have been deactivated by the Bashed Patch)(you don't need to do it after installing each mod, it would take a long time)
- Read every mods' description and Readme, watch screenshots provided by modders and users so you know what you are going to install.
- If you want to install all the mods listed here then it is recommended to start with a clean install of your game, without mods, and with a new game. For the best result you should install the mods in the same order as they are listed here. There will be some "conflicts" (textures overwriting other textures, for instance), but this is normal and Wrye Bash handles that very well.
- Do not install everything at one time but test regularly each mods you are adding. To quickly test in-game a mod after starting a new game, you can type in the console "coc weye" to teleport your character outside of the prison, in Weye. And type "tmm 1" to toggle on all map markers in your map so you can easily fast travel to all locations you want and verify if one mod is working correctly or if you like it or not.
- Removing/replacing textures and meshes is safe for your save game but if you uninstall mods with an .esp file it may harm your save file. That's why you should only start your playthrough when you are done installing/testing the mods you want to use.
- Some mods allow you to choose between a 1k and a 2k resolution. High-end computers can take the 2k resolution. Low-end computers should take the 1k version.
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Everything you need to make your game stable is included in this chapter. It contains my selection of stability mods and tweaks, tested on a heavily modded game.
Oblivion Stutter Remover If you want to install Oblivion Reloaded Combined (linked at the end of the guide); you do NOT need to install this mod anymore, skip to the next one. OSR is a must to make your game more stable. You can install it with Wrye Bash: download manually OSR 4-1-37 (be careful to take the RIGHT version, it's the last main file), then drag and drop the archive in the Installers tab of Wrye Bash. Right Click on it, and click on Install. WB should alert you that a .dll file will be added to your game, select yes/ok. OSR has a .ini file that is configurable (in \Oblivion\Data\OBSE\Plugins). Replace sr_Oblivion_Stutter_Remover with my preset available for download here (inside Bevilex .ini files) in the file section of this page.
I just tweaked some of the heap settings to make the game more stable when modded. The FPS is now capped at 55.
If at this point you crash on loading a save then change iHeapSize to 512 in the sr_Oblivion_Stutter_Remover.ini file and test. If you still crash then change bReplaceHeap to 0.
Engine Bug fixes Here. This is an OBSE plugin like OSR. It does what its name says. You can simply install it manually by pasting the files you extracted here: \Oblivion\Data\OBSE\Plugins (in the same location of OSR).
4GB RAM Patcher If you have the GOG version of the game, you don't need it, your game is already patched, skip that part. If you play on Steam, then download that file: 4GB Patch. Run the program on your Oblivion and OblivionLauncher applications located in your root folder. This mod is really important because it allows the game to use more RAM, reducing the probability to have a crash related to the limit in memory usage of 32bit applications.
Other useful OBSE plugins. A manual install is recommended. Download the latest version of these mods, extract and put them in your Plugins folder (\Oblivion\Data\OBSE\Plugins) : - Blockhead Required for the mod Oblivion Character Overhaul. - MenuQue Required for some other mods to work. - Elys Universal Silent Voice Useful when playing mods with no voice acting. - Diagonal Move Enables diagonal movement, inspired by the NV mod "diagonal movement". - SkyBSA An optimization of the .bsa loading behaviour. - OBL Mod Limit Fix Removes the limitation when you have too many .esp .esm and .bsa file in your Data folder. It makes the ghosting feature of Wrye Bash redundant.
Unofficial Patches Now let's install the unofficial patches. Download them manually here (never use the NMM download): Unofficial Oblivion Patch Unofficial Shivering Isles Patch (if you have SI expansion) Unofficial Oblivion DLC Patches (if you have the other DLCs) Drag and drop them to the "Installers" tab of Wrye Bash. You can see in the "Esp/m Filter tab" that these mods have .esp files. Check them all (they should be automaticaly checked by WB), unless you don't have some DLCs, in this case uncheck what you don't have. Install them and activate the .esp files in the Mods tab. These .esp files have to be loaded after the base DLCxxxx.esp files so that they can work correctly, and before the Bashed Patch. You can use BOSS to do that automaticaly.
Floating weapons fix (Enemies keep weapons in inventory) Enemies don't drop weapons to the ground when they die. This fixes the floating weapon bug, makes you save some precious time you would have used to search for a dropped weapon. Moreover, it reduces save game bloating as these lost weapons are stored into the save. Install with WB.
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Oblivion Upscaled Textures (OUT) This is a texture pack we will use as a base and overwrite with other retextures/replacers. Install with Wrye Bash the file 'kart_OUT_default' OR if you have a weak computer 'kart_OUT_default_2x' If your packages are sorted by "Install order", the lowest package overwrites those above in case they have conflicting files. The install order is important. You can see the conflicting files in the "Conflicts" tab in the right part of the Installers tab.
Improved trees and flora 2 Install only the two main files ("Improved Tree and Flora 2" and "ITF2Update").
My recommendations for grasses and trees. Most grass and tree mods currently available are not perfect My selection will give your game a look close to Vanilla, lightweigh, and without issues. Grass. Far Cry Grass Expanded
Autumn Carpet (Optional, see the images if you like it)
Trees. Enhanced Vegetation Makes trees bigger. Download and install Enhanced Vegetation - Plugins v1dot1. In Wrye Bash sub-packages tab, check the box 'timescale 30' and the plugin 'Enhanced Vegetation[125%]' and then install.
Alternatives for grasses and trees In case you want something different, here are more grass and tree mods. Skip this part if you decided to use Far Cry Grass Expanded and Enhanced Vegetation and go up the mod "Vilverin Flora".
Trees. Arboretum makes a few changes to the trees, keep the Vanilla style and retextures some leaves. The last one, LGFG makes A LOT of changes to the trees, grasses and landscape. It will overwrite grass modsl and some of the landscape textures. Check the images on the mod's page to see if you like the new look. Some textures are very "special" (see the Paradise image). Due to the heavy change of the trees and shrubs, trees may look out of place or clip with walls if you install a lot of mods on top of this list (like UL, Better Cities, villages). If you choose LGFG, it is recommended that you uninstall other grass mods, LGFG has its own grass. (choose one) Arboretum *OR* Tree Overhaul *OR* Lush and Gaudy Revisited Install "Lush and Gaudy Revisited". In Wrye Bash, check the sub-packages you want, and then install.
Vilverin Flora Replaces some specific grass models we find around Vilverin with something better.
Cypress knee You need to create an account to download this mod. Use Google traduction if like me you don't understand russian. Having difficulties to register? Check Ponurymazepa's video!
Harvestable flora. (Choose one) Harvest Flora The models stay identical to Vanilla but change appearance when you harvest them. *OR* Flora replacer (recommended) A superb replacer for most of the harvestable flora, but they won't change in appearance when you harvest them.
SI Flora: (Choose one) Enhanced Vegetation - Shivering Isles (recommended) Select the 125% plugin. *OR* Shivering Isles Floriana Gloria Download the file named "Lush and Gaudy Revisited - Shivering Isles". In Wrye Bash, check the sub-packages you want, and then install. *OR* (if you prefer something less colorfull) Shivering Isles Floriana Requiem Download and install the file named " Shivering Isles floriana Requiem In Moderation".
(Optional) Blackwood Jungle If you want a junglized Blackwood Forest, and if you do not use Lush and Gaudy Floriana Gloria.
Arena Redone HD Install Arena Redone HD BAIN_NMM Installer. Use the wizard feature of Wrye Bash to install it. Right click on the package and select "Wizard".
(choose one) VKVII Cathedrals *OR* Katkat's Cathedrals Cathedrals will differ compared to Vanilla, but the textures for interiors and exteriors are really good, see the images. Install these 2 files: "cathedral.7z", "AWLS.7z".
(choose one) Gecko's Ayleid Retextures Install the "No parallax version". You may encounter transparent walls with you use the other one. *OR* Katkat's Ayleid Replacer An awesome replacer with particule effects, quality is just amazing, but the style is a bit different compared to Vanilla. Download and install BaseMetal.7z, BaseMetalDecor4096.7z and the Unofficial Oblivion Patch Meshes.7z.
(choose one) Anvil retexture Do NOT install anvilstreetlamp. Before adding it to Wrye Bash, rename the archive to "Anvil retexture" ( WB may not recognize russian symbols). *OR* TD Unique Anvil The mod comes with an .esp file which makes some changes to the city. if you want just the retexture, uncheck the .esp before installing the mod.
(choose one) Improved Skingrad *OR* TD Unique Skingrad The mod comes with an .esp file which makes some changes to the city. if you want just the retexture, uncheck the .esp before installing the mod.
NAO - Natural and Atmospheric Oblivion Download and unpack the mod somewhere. Drag and drop "0 [CORE] Natural and Atmospheric Oblivion" into Wrye Bash Installers tab and install it. In the mods tab, check NAO.esp.
Downpour Download the main file and drop it in the Installers. Select one of the sub package: "00 Large" or "01 Small" and then install it.
Falling Leaves Download manually Falling Leaves v1_0 BAIN and install it with WB.
Smoke and Dust This mod is currently (october 2017) pulled out from Nexus. If that's still the case skip it and install the next one. If not, then follow instructions just below. Install the main file "smoke and dust" and the update "patch for missing texture" If you decide you will use an ENB, download and install this file which will make the fog less bright. Thank you Maczopikzo for the patch.
Animated Windows Lightning System Use the wizard of WB to pick the options you want. Important: change the install order of "Ships from Katkat74 AWLS". Move it BELOW Animated Windows Lightning System. For that, uninstall "Ships from Katkat74 AWLS, drap and drop it below AWLS, then reinstall it. Do the same with the files from Katkat's cathedral mod, install them below with this order: "cathedral.7z", "AWLS.7z".
(optional) Vanilla Gear Redux I put this mod as a option because it contains some armors which might be considered too sexy. Installing this mod may also make the "seams" fixed by Seamless OCOv2 to reappear. Install the file "Vanilla Gear Redux - Reasonable Flavor (final)" This mod requires to use a skeleton. You can install this one: Coronerras Maximum Compatibilty Skeletons Make sure to load Vanilla Gear Redux.esp after Knights.esp (Knights.esp is a master of this mod). If BOSS loads it before, then manually move it below. To reduce the neck seams, install this mod: Vanilla Gear Redux-Seamless OCOv2 Fix. Install the file : "VGR SR OCOv2-Reasonable".
(optional) Naihaan Kragnaidel's Replacers This links to a list of mods by Naihaan Kragnaidel. She has made amazing armor/clothes models. Choose and install the mods you want. Before installing, don't forget to check the right Sub-Packages, when needed. You don't need in the purpose of this guide 'Flower Crowns', 'Father Frost' and 'Elven Lord' because they don't replace anything in the game, but automaticaly adds new stuff.
(optional) Horses The best horse replacer I have been able to find. However please note it is not compatible with the Horse Armor DLC. So, it you decide to install it, deactivate this DLC and the corresponding unofficial patch, put these two plugins below the Bashed Patch, and rebuild the Bashed Patch.
(optional) Particled Ayleid Stones Not needed if you install Katkat's Ayleid Ruins replacer. It has its own particule effect Also, it may be a little too bright for your taste, give it a test before continuing the guide.
(optional) Northern UI FullHD Animated menus (only for Northern UI) In Wrye Bash, check the sub-packages you want to install, then install.
(optional) NorthernUI Hotkeys (OBSE) (only for Northern UI) A solution to use the Vanilla hotkey system with Northern UI and a controller. Just install the main file.
Darnified UI (reminder: do not install it if you decided to install Northern UI) Download DarN BAIN Wizard. Drag it into Wrye Bash's installers Tab. Right click on the package in the Installers Tab, click Wizard, and follow the prompts.
You need to edit your oblivion.ini to apply the new fonts. Paste these lines under [Fonts]:
Custom Spell Icons (only for Darnified UI) Note: the arrow added in the inventory doesn't work if you are using a higher resolution than 1080p.
(optional) Women Class Portraits A beautiful replacer for the class portraits in the character's menu.
Pick Me A beautiful upgrade for your lockpicking interface. Install the main file and 'Northern UI Pick me' if you are using Nothern UI
Loot Menu An amazing container loot menu inspired by Fallout 4. If you have installed the mod 'NorthernUI Hotkeys (OBSE)', open the file NUIHotkeys.ini located in the /ini folder and activate the option to make it compatible with Loot Menu.
Brightness: 50% Texture Size: Large Tree Fade: 100% Actor Fade: 76% Item Fade: 60% Object Fade: 60% Grass Distance: 100% View Distance: 100% Distant Land: On Distant Buildings: On Distant Trees: On Int. Shadows: 5 Ext. Shadows: 5 Self Shadows: Off Shadows on Grass: Off Tree Canopy Shadows: On Shadow Filtering: High Specular Dist: 50% HDR Lightning: On Bloom Lightning: Off Water Detail: High Water Reflections: On Water Ripples: Off Windows Reflections: On Blood Decals: High Anti-aliasing: Off
I play on a heavily modded game that's why all parameters are not set to the max.
Your Oblivion.ini file is located here: \%username%\Documents\My Games\Oblivion,
Remove reflections for statics, misc and actors. This can lead to a fps increase (up to +10fps) in some area (IC waterfront, Market District), but you get less detailed reflections. You still have trees and LOD reflections. I find these settings a good compromise between visuals and performance.
When you are done making changes to your Oblivion.ini file and in-game settings, I suggest you to put your Oblivion.ini file in "Read Only" mode, so no unwanted changes will be made to the file by the game or by another mod.
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That's it! My modlist for the graphics ends here! You have now a better looking Oblivion and more importantly, you should now be able to use Wrye Bash by yourself to install any other mods that you may want to add. Below you can find a short list of suggestions if you want to modify more than just the graphics, and some words about the compatibility of this modlist with other mods.
About the compatibility of this modlist. Most of the mods listed above are retextures and replacers, so they should be compatible with many mods. However you must know: - If you install a new texture/replacer on top, some of the mods of this list may be overwriten, check the conflicts tab of Wrye Bash to see exactly which files will be overwriten. - Do not install another weather mod because you already installed all Natural (seems logical), unless you know exactly what you are doing. - Same for cosmetic and race mods. (Cobl Races and RBP will not work correctly with OCO, adding new races should be fine though). - Uniques landscapes, Better cities, the HESU mod compilation, settlements and new villages are compatible, but I do not recommend using Lush and Gaudy Floriana Gloria with them, some trees may be out of place or clip with the walls (especially with Better Cities). Better to choose Tree Overhaul or Arboretum. If you are using Better Cities, I also recommend not installing Oblivion Grass Overhaul, for the same reason. - Quest mods are compatible. - Gameplay mods and overhauls like MOO, OOO, MMM, WAC, FCOM are compatible too.
Suggestions:
-Overhaul- Maskar's Oblivion Overhaul Enhance many aspects of the game. Easy to install with Wrye Bash and highly customizable. Updated regularly. I use MOO to control the ambient light in dungeons. The setting I use is: set MOO.ini_dungeon_light to 2 This setting makes the caves and dungeons really DARK (and so torches more useful). Use a different value if you don't like that.
-Leveling mod- Ultimate Leveling by Maskar Another excellent mod by Maskar which offers different ways to level up, highly customizable.
-Quest mods- The Living and the Dead This is russian mod which has been translated in english recently. It is also fully voiced, but the voices are in russian. The voices help to get the humor and emotions of the different characters and are very well done. The lack of voices in quest mods always bothered me a little, having a mod with good voice acting even if it is in a langage I don't understand feels much more enjoyable and complete to me. The mod is huge and will provide a great challenge for experienced characters and will make you use not only your sword but also your brain. The story is amazing and lore-friendly, you will meet a huge variety of monsters, characters, equipments, easter eggs, new worlds and factions to join. Expect 40 to 60 hours to finish it. It will alter many places in Cyrodiil, so it won't be compatible with mods such as Better Cities or some of the Unique Landscapes. It is however compatible with overhauls like MOO. It is compatible with OCOv2 but some new characters have weird-looking faces with it. I played the mod without OCOv2. You can install it with Wrye Bash, WB will give you some warnings due to some files being named in russian but since they are not used by the game, you can just ignore them. Due to the size of the expansion, there is a bug when reloading a save in-game causes the game to crash if you are in a different cell. This seems to be a known issue with huge mods like this. I solved that problem by cleaning the .esp.
I am picky when I have to add mods to my load order, but I decided to keep this one. This is the best quest mod I played.
If you play it with MOO change these settings in Maskar's Oblivion Overhaul.ini to avoid some issues: set MOO.ini_add_veins to 0 set MOO.ini_add_vampire to 0 set MOO.ini_levelscaling_npc_overridden to 0 set MOO.ini_ability_heal to 0
-Landscape Overhaul- Unique Landscapes Compilation ** These mods may decrease your framerate in certain area and make your game more susceptible to crash due to the increase of memory usage when combined with ENB. I advise not to install all of them, just a few. ** Some of them are not compatible with the Living and the Dead.
-Sound Overhaul- GOSH - Gecko's Oblivion Sound Overhaul If you use a weather mod like All Natural, install only GOSH.esp. Do not install GOSH Region Ambiance.esp
Thank you for reading. I hope it will help ;) Don't forget to endorse the mods you downloaded ^^
SPECIAL THANKS Bethesda and all modders that made this amazing game even more amazing. ponurymazepa for his feedback, support and his video series. monkeyangie for the header and the titles for the different sections Wellden for his support and sharing his knowledge on the Forum. All people who gave help to users, suggestions and feedback.
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