OK, I decided to download Oblivion from Steam to give it a try. In your opinion should I play through my 1st time completely vanilla, or are there a few must have mods even for a first timer? (I've been playing Fallout 3 for over a year now and wanted to try something new for a bit.)

id play through vanilla first so you can id things you want different and DL mods for them.

I think you should play through Vanilla Oblivion the first time, but that does not mean you should not install the unofficial patches for the Vanilla game. Do not add any mods other than the Unofficial Oblivion Patch and the Unofficial Shivering Isles Patch. After you play through (which does not necessarily mean all the way through) you will have some good ideas of which mods you want to start adding.

Grab those two mods from the first to links here: http://sites.google.com/site/oblivionpoinfo/stabilization/unofficial-official-patches. Since you are basically playing Vanilla Oblivion patches, I will actually condone using the installer versions. When you start using mods, do not use those, but you will learn plenty about that later (and hopefully my installation guide will be done then too. ) If you do not have SI, ignore SI mod and link.

Is the steam version patched? Otherwise, you need to install the http://www.elderscrolls.com/downloads/updates_patches.htm for Oblivion before you do anything else. If you use SI, get the SI version; if not, get the Oblivion version. You do not need both, ever!

I'd say you should start without mods, but I would avoid most of the quests if possible so they're still fun once you start playing seriously (= with mods). Play till your character hits level 10, then you should know what you need. Will maybe take a few hours (in vanilla you level relatively fast), but even vanilla Oblivion can be a bit of fun if you haven't played the game before as long as you don't overdo it. But I would not recommend playing through the whole game without mods unless you're the type of person that doesn't mind playing the same quests over and over and unless you are immune against some of the worst gameplay decisions ever made by a game developer.

OK, thanks! it appears I am patched up to version 1.2.0416. I got the GOTY deluxe with all the dlc and what not. BTW, does anyone know where the hell Steam actually installs the game files/data folder etc?

Like is posted...Grab the UNoficial patches then......

Play Vanilla till Something Grates on your nerves to the Point you cant stand it any more...come here and find that someone has already fixed it...(the UI comes to mind first).....I will recommend Dark_DarnUI as this IS a PC game after all. Then return to the game.

Rinse & Repeat. at some point you will be like some of US....I am now @ 194 mods and Climbing!!

No Clue on the Location But i would Look for Steam then Look for different Game Folders there....
Edit:
On second thought...Steam is Installed Where YOU told it to install to.... I have Steam for Games Other then Oblivion. For me I install All Programs OUTSIDE the Program Folder Because Microsoft Dosen't think Programs Actually need to Write Data back & Forth...??

By default, Steam will install in Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Oblivion

If you want to follow the advice to install outside of Program Files, you need to actually uninstall Steam itself and reinstall to a new directory, like C:\Games\Steam

gothemasticator

thanks go!
I installed Steam to to my D drive D:\Program Files\Steam

Woohoo! I'm up and running! I realized VERY quickly, that just like Fallout 3, I needed a home to stash my stuff. So I downloaded the mountain shack, got it cleaned up, went all the way down the hill and I just started walking around the long road to Imperial City, lol. I already got chased out of some fort by a ghost that I couldn't inflict any damage to, but was pwning me, lol. So I hauled azz. I think I might see about getting a steed, lol.

I feel the same excitement I felt when I first stepped out of Vault 101! This is stunning! :celebration:

(Oh, I've figured out that I probably prefer an archer as I totally svck at melee. Any tips on an archer/stealth guy?)

You'll find a bundle of suggested builds http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/939912-oblivion-character-database/, some successful, some subjective.
No doubt as I did with early characters, you'll probably try a few different classes before deciding what really suits your gaming style.
Once you've settled on that you can look for mods that enhance it's features.

Vanilla. Makes you appreciate mods all the more IMO.

Uhhh... there are homes in vanilla Oblivion.

Well, looking back on things I wish I'd done on that virgin voyage...

As far as mods, you really can't go wrong putting the effort in to learn how to manage and install the amazing content people have created. All mods do is improve the game, should you choose the right ones and avoid mods that are old or without support.

From experience I can definitely recommend downloading and installing mods that improve the game's graphics, if your PC has enough memory and a card that can handle it. Mods like Qarl's Texture Pack and Enhanced Vegetation give the game a total makeover for the better, without affecting gameplay.

NOTE: If you do decide to download these, just make sure you get the right versions and get the programs you need to install and manage them, like OBMM and Wrye Bash (see Mods forums).

Big mods are great, too, and they all have threads in these very forums, where the designers help people with issues occasionally. Mart's Monster Mod and Oscuro's Oblivion Overhaul are just awesome, and they go together like cheese and potatoes.

Disclaimer: as a new player it may be quite a process to get these installed and working for you. They make the game much harder, which is the only consideration you should take. Maybe finish through vanilla, just getting a hang of the feel of things, and then come back and try out some of the excellent provisions of the modding community.


As for playing the first time through,

• I wish I had known about the http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Oblivion:Leveling
  
• I wish I had never fast traveled.
  
• I wish I had stopped working on quests now and then and just ran off in a random direction to see what I found.
  
• I wish I didn't level up so fast.

The more challenging Oblivion gets, as far as character progression and realism, the more rewarding its most basic functions become. Mods help alot with that. As you've had experience in Fallout 3, maybe you remember there came a point in F3 when you had every gun and the best armor, and you just got bored running around and absolutely destroying everything. You drained out the main quest and a bunch of side quests with the quickness. It was fun, but it didn't last very long.

With Bethesda's moddability and community, that changes. Instead, the game is redesigned so you have to be less ego-centric, and more strategic.

This is all just my own take on it, I could be off my rocker.

Oh, and as far as an archer/stealth character, I'd recommend complimenting Sneak and Marksman with Destruction and work on your Alchemy as a minor. You can poison arrows, and if they do get too close, rather than just running backward you actually can blast them with some spells to finish 'em off.

Yeah, I was sure there had to be, but I didn't know where they were, and I didn't really want to read too many spoilers to find where they were at. And I needed one immediately as I was over encubmered. This shack is working nicely and has an amazing view!

Thanks for all the suggestions folks!

I tried vanilla the first time. But I didn't make it very long after I did my first cave and couldn't hold everything. My first mod I ever tried was Bag of Holding. Then I started looking at mods and saw a little house mod I wanted to try in Weye where I could hold all my stuff that I wanted to keep (since I couldn't afford any houses yet.) Then it just went from there. You'll start seeing mods for your character type, for your playstyle, and to make Oblivion pop (texture and environmental mods). Then later you'll see that once you get the higest type of armor, that's basically all you can get the rest of the game, so you start loading armor mods and it just goes on from there.

I don't think I could play an entire game through vanilla style but most people do say to try it as far as you can until you find what you'd like to fix. Have fun!

Edit: Hint: try using silver items against ghosts and wraiths (if you can poison them all the better!)

Also you wanted some archery and sneak tips: a few vanilla tips: when there's a person sleeping in a house, you can build your sneak skill by sneaking up against the wall that they're sleeping on (if you know the layout of the house and can't get inside). For archery, the most fun thing to do is be in sneak and shoot an unsuspecting enemy at a distance. One shotting them is great but what is better is if they're a little more difficult where you can't get them in one shot. Poison your weapon. You'll shoot them once or twice and they'll kind of wither while making their way to you - not from your arrows but from the poison! lol it's so fun

One must try mod for rangers/archers is Shadow Ranger. There's a camp with archery vendors and trainers. You get a trainable pet companion that will fight for/with you, a nerdy-sounding but awesome shadow ranger ring, and some very cool talents that suit archers/rangers/sneaks well If you want you can PM me for other mods fit for rangers/archers and sneaks. I've got a nice list going on mods for them and have played both.

I played unmodded first and it was ok. All it really did was make me miss the previous TES games. Modded, it was one of my greatest gaming experiences. TES has an incredibly gifted and generous modding community. They take the game to an unrivaled level.

There are lots of mods you could get which don't affect any of the gameplay aspects, mostly make it look so much better. I will suggest you use an installer though so you can remove them later. I'd recomment BAIN which is included in Wrye Bash, but OBMM is adequate for now.

Check out http://devnull.sweetdanger.net/obliviontextureoverhaul.html
Also http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=19628
You may also like http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=16360 too. I certainly do

Summat to get yer started