I've only started getting into using mods for my game. Compared to some other people I've seen, my load order is fairly short.
When I'm on Nexus, I notice that lots of the mod uploaders list, "Wyre Bash", like make a bash list or whatever as a part of the installation process of their mod.

I always download the manual install and just copy the .esp into my data folder and manually merge the mod's resources in myself.
I haven't run into any problems so far, no CTDs or anything.

The only thing I see that bothers me a bit is that sometimes (after having installed the TGND worksafe body) some character's face skin colors do not match their bodies perfectly.

Would using Wrye Bash fix that? Or what good is it really? Is it only used for making mods?

I was thinking of getting more mods, like the Elsweyr mod and these other mods that extend the worldspaces for the whole of Tamriel. But I was wondering if Wrye Bash would improve performance or something, though I haven't had any problems so far without it.

I'm using

Oblivion.esmDLCShiveringIsles.espDLCHorseArmor.espDLCOrrery.espDLCFrostcrag.espDLCThievesDen.espDLCVileLair.espDLCMehrunesRazor.espDLCSpellTomes.espKnights.espUnofficial Oblivion Patch.espUnofficial Shivering Isles Patch.espDLCHorseArmor - Unofficial Patch.espDLCOrrery - Unofficial Patch.espDLCFrostcrag - Unofficial Patch.espDLCThievesDen - Unofficial Patch.espDLCVileLair - Unofficial Patch.espDLCMehrunesRazor - Unofficial Patch.espDLCSpellTomes - Unofficial Patch.espKnights - Unofficial Patch.espEyelashesVannilaRaces.esp1em_Vilja.espTNR ALL RACES FINAL.espTNR - ShiveringIsles.espTGND.espTGND_SI.espEnhanced Water v2.0 ND.espAliveWaters.espAliveWaters - Koi Addon.espAliveWaters - Slaughterfish Addon.espHarvest [Flora].espHarvest [Flora] - Shivering Isles.espHarvest [Flora] - DLCFrostcrag.espHarvest [Flora] - DLCVileLair.espSilent Player Voice.esp[GFX]_Initial_Glow-all.espGet Wet - just droplets.espP1DseeYouSleep.espP1DseeYouSleep - DLCVileLair.espJQ-Fighters_Guild_United.espBravilBridgeCottage.espRoxeyCottage.espAleswellHomeQuest.espFishermansCottage.espRogueLeather.esp

It is used to installing mods, managing mods, and creating a Bashed Patch. Without a Bashed Patch, many mods will not work together properly. Wyre Bash should always be used if you have more than 1 mod.

For multiple cosmetic mods it is a must to combine them to work together. As for everything else, read the manual to find the many features.

Sometimes that works okay. But there are downfalls to it as well:
1. Uninstalling can be a real mess.
2. Load order can be a problem without a program to adjust it.
3. Some mods require archive validation methods to work (Wrye Bash has this feature automatically.)
4. Some mods actually have extra requirements for compatibility with others, which Wrye Bash provides.


None? Wow, that can be a problem with just Oblivion running.


That is the result of The game mechanics; it isn't perfect at calculating the colouring (from the data from face creation.)


Sadly no, Wrye Bash won't fix that - Some texture replacer mods can help in some cases, but often it is something we just have to live with.

Wrye Bash is awesome, a very powerful tool. It's not about mod creation needs, but in the maximisation and optimisation of mod installation, compatibility and functionality, as well as offering a number of useful game tweaks itself, etc.


Basically; the more mods you have, the more invaluable it becomes.


That's not your load order is it?
If it is (and even if it isn't) I recommend you use http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1107788-boss-better-oblivion-sorting-software/ to reorder it for you.

Building a Bashed Patch with Wrye Bash will help to ensure (as much as possible) that the various features of each mod you run works to their fullest. I heartily recommend it. It is a bit of a learning curve to learn some of its features, but well worth it.

And there are some amazing mods out there that simply won't work without it.

the 3 things i recomend when using more than one mod are

OBMM (oblivion mod manager)- this makes installing mods very easy
Wyre Bash - as said it is used for the optimization of mod compatibility and yes it is a VERY useful tool
BOSS (better oblivion sorting software) equally as valuable as wyre bash this program helps determine what your load order should be a posts it. though very useful it is not perfect though and at times can give you an incorrect load order for a mod or two

A very important point to me always was, without Wrye Bash there is no way to have more than 1 single ESP at once control the racial settings for a certain race. Even if one such plugin only sets male features while the other only sets female, without Wrye Bash's bashed patch there's no gender seperation. And it gets not only a little bothersome when your female body mod's ESP reverts all changes done by your male one or vice versa. Just think of how much damage using multiple "cosmetic" mods can do without the bashed patch to make each of them affect certain groups of settings "seperately"! :wacko:

...and "races" obviously is only the start of it...

Well, here's a n00btastic question. If I use OBMM to install and activate mods and then use BOSS to make sure they are in the correct order, would I even need to use wrye? What advantage would it give me?

For starters Wrye has what is in many ways a superior mod installation feature. But some mods are (to date) best installed with OBMM scripts.
Wrye is still being worked on (OBMM not so much) and the Wrye team are making improvements all the time - as such its own script (or "wizard") feature is getting there as well.

You might (like many of us) think about using both for installation.

Secondly; Wrye Bash's most significant feature is its Bashed Patch. Which is invaluable for setting the very best in mod compatibility.
BOSS does a fine job ordering the files (those that it recognises, which is a lot but not all - so some reordering of your own may be necessary as well) but it also adds 'suggestions' for 'tags'. Which Wrye Bash (and only Wrye Bash) can then merge into the Bashed Patch, in order to make the mods work right - especially in a heavily modded game.

Short answer: Get Wrye Bash if only for the Bashed Patch.