Comprehensive overhaul

Reformed Oblivion removes level scaling for a more consistent and grounded Cyrodiil to role-play in. Character stats and abilities have more significance, and different playstyles are more viable and effective. Various changes were made to provide ideal results, where everything works well together as a complete package.


No level scaling

Enemies of varying difficulty with loot of corresponding quality exist in the world, regardless of player character's level. Player character may have a humble beginning, dealing with bandits, goblins, and the lesser undead. After gaining enough experience, or with clever use of spells, potions, scrolls or staves, the hero can face tougher foes with better loot, like necromancers and mythical creatures. It's best to leave Ayleid ruins, Oblivion gates, Marauders, Conjurers, and Vampire lairs for later.


Oblivion's existing mechanics, and different elements of gameplay are changed to provide more depth and possibilities.

Combat is a little less about hacking and slashing. Weapons are deadlier in skilled hands, but also slightly slower, allowing for more maneuvering in combat for agile characters. Characters who use heavier weapons might have to be a bit more mindful about their actions to conserve stamina, although fatigue can be increased by leveling up, potions, enchantments and spells. Stamina regeneration now increases with Endurance.

Magic has more options. Fireballs still work well, and support spells are more useful and viable. Certain effects are available earlier, so even lower level characters have plenty of different ways of approaching a situation. With faster magicka regeneration, magic in combat is more about pacing, and there's less waiting for magicka to recharge. Absorb effects were moved from Restoration to Mysticism, and Restoration got Turn Undead effects.

Enemy behavior has been altered for more variance and less jankyness. They may use a wider amount of spells, or have different abilities. Mages tend to keep a shorter distance, to increase their chances of hitting their target. The slide backwards from getting hit in melee is reduced, because it caused enemies to often miss their next strike. Wraith's movement speed was bugged without a weapon in hand, so now they have one. Dispel works on NPCs, but not on creatures for some reason, so their powers were nerfed. Liches can only summon once, for example. Mages deal less damage with spells on touch, so dealing with them head-on is more manageable, while ranged battle remains more dangerous and engaging.

Potions, scrolls and staves should prove useful when dealing with difficult situations. It is worth it to prepare well, and spend some coin at stores, which now have improved inventories. Different potions have different durations, and 3 of them can be active at the same time, so a small layer of depth there, too.

Character attributes and skills

Attributes and skills have more importance. Strength and Agility boost damage slightly more, Luck affects everything more, Personality affects disposition more. Willpower has a more pronounced effect on magicka regeneration. Low speed is more detrimental, but increasing it with various means has a more noticeable effect. Raising NPC disposition via speechcraft requires some skill in it. Merchants have less gold, so Mercantile's perks for extra gold is recommended for characters who want to get rich. Enemies have higher sneak skills, and it takes more skill to sneak up on them.

Since their effect was increased, attribute and skills bonuses from birthsigns and enchantments are reduced to balance things out. Attribute gains upon leveling up is capped at +2. Health is two times character's endurance, and does not increase on leveling up unless endurance is raised. Athletics is governed by Endurance, so all characters can have health bonuses. As a result of these changes, and the removal of level scaling, there is little need for powergaming.

The Ritual Birthsign now provides a heal spell, and the Tower Open spell can be used multiple times a day as well. Default classes have minor changes, to fit better with all the changes. Crusader needed Block as a major skill, while Nightblade now has Illusion and Mysticism. Changes to classes apply to NPCs belonging to them, and should bring some variety to encounters with them.


Hand-placed loot

Now that enemies don't scale to player's level, and locations don't appear on the UI compass to possibly diminish the feeling of discovery, it makes sense to add hand-placed loot to dungeons, to further incentivize and reward exploration.


No quest markers, the world, and miscellaneous changes

There are no quest markers, and NPCs and the journal provide the required information instead. The compass doesn't show locations before the player has found them. These changes should help immerse the player in the world they're in, and to make questing and exploring feel more rewarding and exciting.

Certain dungeons have been edited to change their residents to higher level ones, mostly in Ayleid ruins. Some quest locations have been altered to provide a better flow of difficulty. For example, Kvatch as an exception has only lesser daedra to deal with, so that the early part of the main quest can be completed at a low level. Some dungeons lacked a boss creature and boss chest, so they were added.

With level scaling gone, the world should feel a bit more believable and grounded. Rare equipment doesn't show up on commoners or bandits. Certain item values are toned down to fit better with the rest of the world, so Shoes of Waterwalking aren't as valuable as ebony boots. Pawnbrokers don't have hundreds of gold for buying loot from adventurers, unless invested in.

NPCs also have more natural faces, while staying reasonably close to the original unique features and style.


Compatibility

This mod is great for those who want to reinstall Oblivion, download an overhaul and play. I recommend checking out other options for those concerned about compatibility with other mods. There are overhauls with great customizability, compatibility and features, that are definitely worth checking out.


That's it, thank you

This was a fun project that took a lot of effort. I learned a lot, and learned to appreciate Bethesda even more for the great, complex, and fascinating games they've created. Same goes for modders and all the things they've made possible. Many thanks to the creators and contributors of TESEdit, the Oblivion Construction Set Wiki page, and the Unofficial Oblivion Patch, and to the users who provided feedback on my previous mods.