I've got the Legendary Edition on Steam [edit: bought retail from store shelf if that makes a difference]. Does this patch work and is considered 'solid' - or is it even necessary? I really didn't check too much into all the details and bugfixes but it looks like it touches a lot of things. Not crazy about moving marksmanship out of 'thief' skills, but if that's one negative vs. a thousand positives it's a small price to pay (and there are mods to deal with that).

As long as I'm asking can this be toggled like a mod or is it a one and done patch? And is it allowed in DiD competitions?

It isn't necessary, but recommended. I've personally never used it, because I've never experienced major bugs, and I personally am proud of the game Beth created. Feels like I'm turning my back on them if I download it.

This should be in the mods forum.

Considering how many people have endorsed it, both on the Nexus and on here, I'm gonna go ahead an say it's probably solid. I'm not sure whether or not it directly overwrites core game files, though I would think it uses redirection methods (or whatever) instead - allowing you to turn it on/off. Worst case scenario, you'll have to reinstall the game; not that big of a deal to be honest.

I would be more concerned about mod conflicts personally. Some mods just don't interact well with one another, if memory serves. Like I said though: Not an expert.

Good luck. Hope someone with more conclusive information comes along.

Woah... So disagree there. I came across plenty. I'm not a big fan of mods for most games, but those "Unofficial Patches" contain a lot of fixes for what shouldn't have been broken in the first place.

Yes, Bethesda made a great game. But the amount of bugs (even more than usual) means I felt like they turned their backs on us. The only thing I feel that when downloading bug fixes is annoyance. That I need to do extra work to fix what I already paid for.

Blood on The Ice.

Ugh. Even the name of that quest makes me feel bitter.

Yes, the unofficial patch is a mod and yes it is typically allowed in DiD competitions. It makes a few changes that go beyond mere bug fixing, but it also fixes several thousand annoying bugs, so for me it is well worth it. And like you said, you can overwrite any changes it makes that you don't like by using another mod that overwrites the changes and loads after the unofficial patch.

I also endorse the Unofficial Patches and I consider them to be very "solid." They are more solid than some of Bethesda's attempts to patch their own games, which have occasionally introduced brand-new problems to the point where they have often seemed to break as many things as they fixed.

You've never played Daggerfall, have you?

Thanks for all the feedback (not just Lady Selene). There's a point in software development where in order to find the rest of the bugs you have to release the thing into the wild. That's in the best case scenario using best practices. I can't see myself ever feeling bad about loading a bugfix, but not all patches are created equal. I'm gonna go ahead and install it - as was said, worst case I just reinstall the game - Most of it came off the disc anyway so there's no big deal there. I don't like getting too attached to my first playthroughs in sandbox games anyway since so much of it is learning the systems and the mechanics that roleplay tends to take a back seat (sometimes even hanging out in the trunk).

The other Elder Scrolls game I'm currently playing (Morrowind's been put on hold for a while). I must have installed some sort of patch over that at some point, since my attributes can go above 100, and I seldom drop to 'the void' (though it still happens). Wish I knew what it was though. That's when I get uneasy about reinstalls - when I have something that works but I can't remember exactly what I did. Baldur's Gate Trilogy megamod is another one I'll never touch once I get set up - just too many moving parts to get working together to screw with after the fact.

I would consider the unofficial patches mandatory. Sure, the game is completely playable without them but the sheer amount of just boggles the mind and using the patches can save you from a lot of headaches. A lot of people don't even realize some things are bugs even if those bugs slap them in the face.

And that's just the tip of the iceberg

I have all the unofficial patches and of all the mod's I toggle on and off, those are not among them. I play DiD and those are definetly allowed. Plus the fact that a great many mods rely on those, seriously... many mods won't work correctly without them...

Tbh, if you come across a mod which is *incompatible* with the USKP (cannot be used together/conflicts, as opposed to possibly undoing some changes that you don't mind losing) I would be somewhat wary of using it anyway, even if you don't use the USKPs.

I've never had problems with bugs. Only minor glitches, just my personal experiences. If that makes you upset that's fine, like I said I've never had a bad play-through due to bugs.

Not even a bug there, guess I'm just lucky.

Beyond lucky because that quest can break in bazillion different ways.