Hello, I have skyrim, and desided to step back and play Oblivion first. I havent been in the TES world other then some of Skyrim which got me hooked. and learned about mods, but never played any other TES, so figured I play Oblivion first, and with it on sell for 12.49 on steam for all DCL and expan I figured great time to do it.

So with that being said, what mods should I look at getting, the kind of have to have ones. I will probley play a mage class, that is if they arent so underpower which seems to be a common theme in days RPG worlds. But not a 100% sure yet. And any other suggestion or info with out giving to much away. Some pointers and heads up would be great.

Thank you for your time and info.

I played Oblivion completely mod-less, and I don't regret it. I know I missed much, but this also allowed me to know the official, original version.

With Skyrim I started playing modless too, but after 100-150 hours I started installing mods. I guess that if you do it carefully, you can get good things. The bad things come when you add too much crap, and risk on creating a game that is maybe too different to the original design (free houses here and there, completely different skill system, etc.).

I own the boxed Oblivion version, but I downloaded it again from Steam on Christmas, when it was on special offer. Yesterday I downloaded Morrowind, which I also have boxed, but for 9$ I could have it on Steam so... I decided to take it. This is another game you should try if you like TES universe. It's very different both from Oblivion and Skyrim. I started playing it long ago but only lasted some hours, because I was with some other games and it requires fulltime dedication.

So, I can't recommend any mods for Oblivion because I don't know any, but I would recommend if you start playing it stock, and after some time, once you know the world, game mechanics, etc... then start trying mods here and there...

Have fun.

Hi and welcome to Cyrodiil,the only suggestions I can offer is spend some time walking about,don't worry about the "main quest" at first,it can wait til you are more familiar with the game if you choose.Don't use the "fast travel" option as there is much to be discovered on the roads or walking through the country-side and enjoy your discoveries!If you are going for a full on mage character then by all means join the Mage's Guild right away and once you gain entrance to the Arcane University you will be able to create your own spells and enchant items for your inventory.
Have fun !

I'd suggest just playing the game first, get to know whats from the vanilla.
My cousin installed a ton of mods without playing vanilla and couldn't tell if it was modded or not.

Don′t read the wiki and don′t come to the forums. I don′t say this to be a jerk but I think you will get the most out of it knowing as little as possible. I know that works for me

Welcome to Cyrodiil!

Welcome to Cyrodiil. Like others here, I recommend playing Oblivion without mods for a bit. That way, you'll be able to appreciate mods more when you do install them. As for what mods to get, that depends entirely on what you want out of them. If you want weapons and armor, few things can compare to Armanentarium by Trollf. If you want a magic mod, there is little that can compare to Midas Magic by Xilver (aka Xilverbullet).

I too recommend you have a look at the vanilla game before any heavy modding but to each his own. My favorite mod doesn't do all that much. It is a portable campsite. Angel is an Alchemist by trade and spends a lot of time in the field gathering ingredients. She is also a pure Mage by class and has never worn armor or carried a shield of any kind. Frankly, this is a difficult way to play for a first time character. It takes some fairly serious knowledge of the game. You'll need to ask if you want me to say more.

The only strong recommendation I would make is 'save often' and have fun. In time, with increased knowledge, you'll be able to do just about anything you set your mind to.

I too recommend starting out vanilla. Become comfortable with how the game functions. Then, as your avatar goes about his daily routine, you'll eventually discover aspects of game-play that seem lacking or unpolished. That's when to consider adding mods. For me it was Cyrodiil's night sky, which I found overly bright. That bugged me almost from the get-go. My first mods were therefore geared toward improving nighttime adventures....a night-sky darkener, DropLit Torches OBSE, Animated Window Lighting System. Another early addon was FastExit2 since after several months of play the game shut down rather slowly. But again, don't rush it. And when you do take the plunge don't go overboard too soon.

-Decrepit-

These are all you need to get started:

http://planetelderscrolls.gamespy.com/View.php?view=OblivionMods.Detail&id=1417
http://planetelderscrolls.gamespy.com/View.php?view=OblivionMods.Detail&id=2754
http://planetelderscrolls.gamespy.com/View.php?view=OblivionMods.Detail&id=2384

I started with OB like you. I suggest playing Morrowind after you get OB finished. I loved MW a lot more than oblivion, considering I thought OB was this shizzle when I first played it.

Oscuro's Oblivion Overhaul or Francesco's level mod are must have's to fix Oblivions leveling system imo

Unofficial patches, stability fixes and a better UI are all I'd recommend at the start.

Some players have a problem with the leveling system and some don't. If you don't like the system you can change it with a mod or fiddle with the major skills so that your character stops leveling up at some point because of unused majors.

I let my characters level normally without any worry that it will make the game too hard or too easy (I've seen claims for both possibilities.) along the way, they practiced a few skills (just as we do) and bought a little training (just as we do.) I have had characters go to level 50 and still be awesome to play. Of course, along the way they saw and immersed in all of the levels in between. They just never stopped at one. I guess they wanted to know what was around the bend at the next level.

I have never felt a need for one of those leveling mods either. I do the partial minors as majors, and use a mod that gives either a +4 or +5 bonus on level up, depending on your skill uses. I never worry about my leveling, and just play the game and have fun.

Those. Don't run mods, for a while. Play for a bit, and get a sense of what you like and don't like. Then if you find yourself thinking, for example, "I really wish I had some companions along for battles," ask here for them, and we'll point you to some of the best, etc.

You will find the wiki's and the forum essential after a time, but the reccomendation is to plunge in first. I played for over a year before I started using the resources. That's bad on me, I'm sure. Some quests I just couldn't do until I found an essential element.
There's a rule about playing until it's no longer fun, and deeply frustrating before looking up answers. Don't go as far into the negative as I did. I hated the darn game at many moments.

OH- I'm glad you're giving Oblivion a chance. You will hopefully learn what all the fuss is about.