I'm trying to sort through the Oblivion mods out there but there's so much variety. The only mod I've settled on so far is OOO. So I'm asking: what are your top ten favorite Oblivions mods? If it should matter, I'm planning on playing as a mage/thief. Game on!

Fcom (Not fair to mention in a top ten list, but I am doing it)
Better cities (Really amazing the level of detail)
Streamline (I have lost track how many 'corrupt' saves I have recovered from because of this. By recover I mean going back one extra autosave before the incident)
Thieves arsenal (a must for a thief)
Viconia (companion mod)
Lame (magic overhaul mod)

Potion retextures
Clutter retextures
Attractive NPCs
Lineage elves
Stylish animations
Infinite encumbrance
Bouncing moving briasts
Ren's hair
Seductive female walk
Infinite rings

Add those mods to a vanilla installation and you have the best possible version of Oblivion.

Potable Pastiche http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=4828 - Weird name but it involves retextures with potions and wine and other things
MMM - Monster overhaul. Adds a ton of them and diversifies them a lot more
Weather - All Natural - better weather system...even indoors, the weather can still be heard (thunder storms are especially nice)
Animated Windows Lighting System and Chimneys - lights in houses come on at night and chimneys have smoke
Fearsome Magicka - you just need to look this up, period
LAME - magic overhaul, but nothing too drastic IMO.
Map Marker Overhaul - self explanatory
A Takes All - so you can instantly loot all things in a container
Darnified UI - because the default one looks horrible on PCs
Natural Environments - how the environments in the game should have looked

That about does it. I might have added QTP3 in there if my PC could handle it...but no.


Those are the only ones I can think of right off the top of my head I can't play the game w/o. I mean, I COULD, but I'd much rather not. The rest of the mods I have installed are just extras I guess.

1. FCOM
2. RBP
3. LAME
4. SLOF ROBE TRADER
5. ARMAMENTARIUM
6. ARTIFACTS
7. NGCD/PROGRESS
8. MAO
9. ENCHANCED WEATHER
10. SEE YOU SLEEP

And more...

1. http://planetelderscrolls.gamespy.com/View.php?view=OblivionMods.Detail&id=3953 by Oscuro, dev_akm, MadCat221. Not just a 'creature-adding' mod, not just a 'difficulty' mod, not just a 'gameplay-tweaking' mod, Oscuro's Oblivion Overhaul is actually one of the finest finest roleplaying mods around. http://planetelderscrolls.gamespy.com/View.php?view=OblivionMods.Detail&id=1757 by Martigen, Corepc Dev_Akm Shadowborn is the perfect complement to Oscuro, adding much-needed spontaneity to Oscuro's static world. Crank Martigen's mod all the way up and Oblivion will feel as wonderfully unpredictable as an MMO. These mods are so inseparable to me I count them as one.

2. http://planetelderscrolls.gamespy.com/View.php?view=OblivionMods.Detail&id=2764 by, of course, DarN.
This essential mod goes a long way toward making Oblivion's consolized interface useable. Configurable from within the game via a menu.

3. http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=14065 by tej?n, or http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=13879 bu ABO.
Two excellent character-levelling mods that do away with stat management, excel spreadsheets, visits to Wiki pages, etc, to research "builds". With these mods a player can just play and let a mod handle leveling seamlessly and invisibly in the background. I tend to prefer RL but I am using nGCD in my current game and am very impressed.

4. http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=14304 by tej?n.
This mod allows the player to control the speed of advancement of each skill. Easily configurable via an .ini.

5. http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=11237 by tej?n. (My games would be unplayable without tej?n.)
Willpower again has an affect on the player's vulnerability to magic, as in previous ES games.

6. http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=7484 by Deathless Aphrodite.
Makes the player lose fatigue when running. When the player's fatigue hits 0 he starts to walk. Also allows the player to sprint for a brief time.

7. http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=25078 by TheNiceOne.
Using this mod merchants' gold goes up and down with each trade. Also does away with the haggle slider (what a relief!) Allows the player to specify how much gold they recive from looting containers, enemies, as quest rewards, etc. All configurable via .ini.

8. http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=16513 by Bananasplit, Wolfslady, Reckless, SilentResident, Nernie, Vorians and last but not least, Ismelda.
The way the cities of Tamriel should have looked. Spend hours wandering around like a tourist, awestruck at how different (and gorgeous) everything looks. Comes in modular form - you can choose to redo all of Cyrodiil's cities or just one. It's your choice. When I'm not using Better Cities I'm using Arthmoor's http://www.gamesas.com/bgsforums/index.php?showtopic=1019807, which tranfers the vanilla cities into the Cyrodiil worldspace. Wonderful for those of us who love to ride horses through town.

9. http://www.gamesas.com/bgsforums/index.php?showtopic=984109 by XMarksTheSpot, Brumbek & Ismelda is another mod I can't play without anymore. It adds windows that turn off and on in synch with day/night cycles and also, optionally, smoke from chimneys. Comes with a nice variety of window color tints too.

10. http://www.gamesas.com/bgsforums/index.php?showtopic=1073491 by onra. If you like to explore, this is the mod series for you. Replaces the 'placeholder' landscape of Valenwood and Elseweyre (and, soon, Summerset Isles) with fully-realized land, ready to be modded.

Copied and pasted from my guide:


Must-have Side Programs

• http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=10533
  
• http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=2097
  
• http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=22368

:thumbsup: For System Stability:

• http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=10400 (note: Everyone should be using the streampurge/streamsave features of this program, to prevent all sorts of CTD's and memory issues with saved games)
  
• http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=5296
  
• http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=23208 (note: check out the http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1074487-relzoblivion-stutter-remover/page__st__120__p__15838654__fromsearch__1&#entry15838654 for further tweaks - a particularly effective mod for me)
  
• http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1078392-oblivion-and-memory-usage forum thread
  
• http://www.ntcore.com/4gb_patch.php
  
• http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=22410

:thumbsup: For Graphics/Textures

• http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=11167
  
• http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=13632
  
• http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=18498
  
• http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=23783
  
• http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=18305
  
• http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=19628
  
• http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=5643
  
• http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=4109

Overhauls: (note: recommend clean Oblivion reinstall and careful planning before using these)

• http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=14442
  
• http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=15256
  
• http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1083199-martigens-monster-mod-ooo/page__p__15781615__fromsearch__1&#entry15781615

Gameplay: (purely personal preference)

• http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=14304
  
• http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=25078 or http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=4432

I can't tell if you're serious or not but lol anyway.

And pretty much any of the big overhauls (OOO, TIE etc.) are all you need to make the game great. The more the merrier thought.

http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=29688 The best sailing mod I've tried.

1:http://www.moddb.com/mods/integration-the-stranded-light
2:http://www.tesnexus.com/modules/members/index.php?id=125368( http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=17781 http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=3027 http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=11598)
3:http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=21989
4: http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=25844
5: http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=25835
6: http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=18442

Uhhh..... hmm, my niche is "interesting characters", and sadly both Oblivion and its' mods are mostly lacking in that regard. 4, 5, and 6 are there just because I really liked the gameplay aspect they added.

Albertine, that NTCore 4GB patch looks useful. What sort of computers will it work for? I have a 32 bit vista pc with 2GB RAM. Should I be using it? Are there any drawbacks? Thanks.

No. It's no use for 32 bit systems. It's strictly for x64 platforms.

Quests:

Gates to Aesgaard 1 and 2 - Clive Barker esque horror-adventure with a great story and a fantastically built setting
Bartholm - Mod that adds a town with many quests, plus a separate island with a longer mercenary-esque quest. Is very well done overall and was recently updates
Ruined Tail's Tale - Story driven and decision based companion quest with a great story
Tears of the Fiend - Epic multi ending story driven companion quest, truly impressive and fun to play
Viking Village - Adds a Nordic Village and many new quests and places to explore
Blood and Mud: Dirt Deluxe Anglais - Reforms Bravil to what it should've been, a dirty, eerie backwater settlement full of thugs, liars, thieves and murderers. Adds 3 very well made main quests and well as a few side quests
Elsweyr: Deserts of Anequia - Not so much a quest mod as a worldmass mod, this adds the Northern part of Elsweyr to the game. Extremely well made

Top 10? There are many more worth your while to check out:

The Tools
--------------
Wrye Bash
BOSS
TES4Edit
TES4LODGen
OBSE

Can't Live Without
--------------------------
UOP
FCOM w/latest UFCOM patch
LAME
Streamline & OSR
Enhanced Economy
DarNified UI
Map Marker Overhaul
Super Hotkeys
DS Portable Sorters
DS Storage Sacks
Keychain (OBSE version)
Gather Ye Rosebuds
Alchemy Advanced
Realistic Leveling

Highly Recommended
--------------------------------
Better Cities
Armamentarium/Artifacts
Unique Landscapes
EVE armor replacer
COBL + Item Interchange
AWLS
Kragenir's Death Quest
Hoarfrost Castle
Persuasion Overhaul
Lightweight Potions
SM Combat Hide
SM Bounty
ELYS Uncapper
Legendary Abilities
Grandmaster of Alchemy
Willful Resistance
RAEVWD
Pluggy

Nice Addons
-------------------
Cute Elves
Skillbookssave
SM Plugin Refurbish
Darker nights and dungeons
Phinix waterfix
Atmospheric Oblivion
Lost Spires
Adense Epic Dungeon

Thanks to everyone! I'm getting closer, much closer, to a mod list I can install and then load Oblvion and enjoy.

1. FCOM - 4 sweet overhaul mods put together. OOO+MMM+Frans+OblivionWarCry
2. DarNified UI - possibly the best fix out there! gets rid of that ugly default UI
3. Elsweyr the Deserts of Anequina - Nothin better then new landsm to explore!
4. Unofficial Oblivion Patch - Over 1000 bugs not fixed by the official patches now fixed by this baby!
5. Unnecasarry Violence - title says it all, pile of new animations and attacks, dual wielding, throwing, kicking and all!
6. Deadly Reflex 5 - Adds sweet new attacks and the possibility of decapitation!
7. TDA Armory - sweetest armor mod ever
8. CM Partners - many new partners to join you in adventuring
9. Cyrodiil + Elsweyr Elven Map - a beautiful map replacement
10. SM Plugin Refurbished - fixes the official plugins to not start off instantly and gives requirements to start them

Don't forget oblivion mod manager, boss and wyre bash. Those tools come in very handy, and will prevent lots of hair pulling and cursing.

I cant believe I forgot to mention Malevolent and tears of the fiend. Really well done quest mods. Quick advice though, don't begin Malevolent until you have beaten the main quest, else you will get a screen shaking bug. However, that being said, its one of the best quest mods I have seen.

MMM - The ultimate mod for trigger happy people like me.
Lost Sword of the Ayleids.
The Lost Spires
OOO
Oblivion XP
Road Signs - because..williesea made my traveling life easier XD(yes I read the signs along the roads so I don't get lost)
Supreme Magicka
The Blackwood Company - Choices and Consequences
Servant of the Dawn; This mod is freaking epic...

Whatever you feel your game is missing..

All Unofficial Patches and Unofficial Mod Patches has well..These should be in everyone load order, if not then you need to get them to fix the flaw that oblivion has.

But my list,

Overhaul - Frans , OOO, TIE, WarCry, FCOM

Creatures - MMM or Waalx Animals and Creatures

Weapons and Armor - Armamentarium and Artifacts

Races - Cobl Races or big brother Race Balancing Project

Body Replacers - Roberts Male and Female , EVE HGEC,

Misc Npcs - Tamriel Travellers, Crowded Roads Revisited, Crowded Cities

Cobl can't be overlooked for the features that it adds, Plate, Misc Items in various places, luggage, Item Interchange. etc..

1. OOO
2. Race Balancing Project
3. LAME (Magic Overhaul)
4. Darn's UI
5. Stoker Wolff
6. Viconia

These are my mains that I will not play without ... like ever. I don't have the greatest system so this works for me nicely. If I had a better one, I would toss in Qarl's texture packs and one of the lighted window ones that cycle day/night.

7. Wrye Bash
8. BOSS

Two utilities I will not run without.

9. HGEC Body Mod but mostly because of better body textures not cause I need "C" cups . However, I am strongly thinking of moving over to TGND body. Roberts Male body replacer.

10. Various armor/clothing mods active or inactive depending on what character I am playing.

10a. Various housing mods depending on what character I'm playing. I tend to love anything from WhoGuru as her hard work is really pleasing to the eye and is easy on my aging system.

I endorse this move.


:P

Wow, so much great stuff! I wonder if I'll ever get to play...

A word of caution. You've got the keys to the candy store, it's all there for the taking and it's all free! Naturally you want to eat yourself stupid and get to grips with all the awesomeness.

I suggest you exercise some restraint. Don't try and install a huge mod list straight off.I think you will run into problems this way no matter how diligent you are at reading readmes, following instructions and understanding concepts like the Bashed Patch. Many of the big popular mods are very complex indeed, and extensive play is required to fully appreciate what they do. If you build a load order over, say, a week, to include, for example, FCOM, Better Cities, Cobl, LAME, Race Balancing Project, All Natural, Unique Landscapes, Deadly Reflex, Quarls Texture Pack and so on you won't really understand which mod, or interaction of mods is affecting any particular bit of your world, so any problems will be difficult to trace.

You've identified OOO as a must have mod. It is indeed a truly great mod, and in its full version has a profound influence on huge amounts of the game. I suggest starting with that (plus the unofficial patches) and play for 10, 20 maybe 40 hours to get the feel of what it does, and what more you want. Only then start adding more, again a bit at a time. Most mods can be added quite happily into an existing game.

Modded Oblivion has 1,000s of hours of play value, no need to try and have it all immediately, build your mod list over months and enjoy the experience of gradually remoulding the world to your needs.

...and I think I've had about 10 of those hours. In total.

One day...

OOO and MMM meshes or it's not an option. I plan to switch when those are done. Thanks for your work in any case.