Now that I finally have this game with all the addons for my PC (thanks again to GOG!) I want to add all the mods of interest to me so I can finally play the ultimate edition of this game, but I have no experience with modding so need help. In the Oblivion release comments GOG points to Nexusmods, so that's where I'm looking.

Browsing the top 25 files, I see the following of interest:
an unofficial Oblivion patch to fix lots of bugs
unofficial patches for the dlc
character overhaul v2
better cities
immersive weapons
alternative start by ship
kvatch rebuilt
midas magic spells of aurum
improved UI
and a few for improving the game environments, textures, weather and so much more (I had no idea how much this game can be improved!)

Also, and very important: I need to play using a 360 controller, and since controller support isn't listed in the game details I'm assuming it'll be another mod.

Many of these files/patches seem to have similar features, and I don't know if only one can be used at a time or if they can all be used together. Attempting to figure out the installation order, compatibility and required extras of all these mods is beyond my capability right now, so I'm hoping someone who knows all this stuff can give me advise/suggestions and step-by-step instructions.

My system specs: i5 4670, 16gb ram, ssd, GTX 760 FTW, Win 8.1, 1080 monitor and only games from GOG (no steam).

Much as I love Oblivion, it's not the easiest game to start modding. That said, here's a starter list for someone new to modding Oblivion. These are the things you want/need to do before getting to the good stuff like better cities, body replacers, character overhauls, alternative starts, weapon & spell overhauls, etc.

Mod Managers
------------
First, you'll want a Mod Manager. I use Wrye Bash - it's a forbidding looking tool at first, but it allows you to do more, and gives you more control. Oblivion Mod Manager (OBMM) is friendlier and easier to use for newcomers.

I can't personally vouch for TESModManager or Mod Organizer, but TMM has its fans, and MOD Organizer is *very* highly endorsed. The latest version of Mod Organizer is housed on the Skyrim boards, but is said to be backward compatible with Oblivion.

Most Oblivion modders use one of the Mod Managers for main mod management, plus Wrye Bash for building a 'Bash Patch' and other functions.

Use BOSS (Better Oblivion Sorting Software) or LOOT (Load Order Optimisation Tool) for mod sorting. LOOT is more popular overall, and it's good for Skyrim and the Bethesda Fallouts, but I've read that BOSS may be better for Oblivion.

Wrye Bash
- www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/22368/?

Wrye Bash Pictorial Guide
- www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/35230/?

Oblivion Mod Manager
- www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/2097/?

TesModManager - OblivionModManager for Skyrim and Skyrim SE - Oblivion - Morrowind
- www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/5010/?

Mod Organizer
- www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/1334/?

BOSS
- www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/39215/?

LOOT
- loot.github.io/

Archive Invalidation
--------------------------
Seriously, don't ask*. Each of the mod managers have various ways of dealing with Archive Invalidation, but the easiest way is to just make this the first mod you install, and then forget it:

ArchiveInvalidation Invalidated by Quarn
- www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/10724/?

*If you must have an explantation, go here:
- cs.elderscrolls.com/index.php?title=Oblivion_Mods_FAQ#Archive_Invalidation
and/or here:
- devakm.blogspot.com/2006/05/archiveinvalidation-explained.html

Patches
-----------
Next, you'll want to install the unofficial patches:

Unofficial Oblivion Patch
- www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/5296/?

Unofficial Oblivion DLC Patches
- www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/9969/?

Unofficial Shivering Isles Patch
- www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/10739/?


COBL Common Oblivion Libraries
---------------------------------------------
A number of mods rely on other mods to provide resources and extra functions. One of the mods that other mods rely on is COBL.

- www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/21104/?

OBSE Oblivion Script Extender Plug-Ins
-----------------------------------------------------
A lot of mods also rely on functions provided by OBSE, and OBSE Plug-Ins. Here's where to get OBSE, and a short list of the plug-ins that are most frequently called upon by other mods.

Oblivion Script Extender - OBSE
- obse.silverlock.org
- or www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/37952/?

Pluggy
- www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/23979/?

MenuQue - OBSE Plugin
- www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/32200/?

OBSE -Elys- Universal Silent Voice
- www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/16622/?

Blockhead
- www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/43752/?

NifSE
- www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/21292/?

User Interface
--------------
The original menu system for Oblivion was clearly designed for consoles. To make it look better, try one of the Darnified User Interface mods:

DarNified UI
- www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/10763/?

or

DarkUId DarN
- www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/11280/?

More Darnified Add-Ons can be found at:
- www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/searchresults/?quicksrc_name=darn

Thanks for the info!

I had no idea when GOG's mod spotlight would be added, or what it would actually be, so now I'm fortunate enough to have help from two sources. Now that I know what specifically is needed, it's time for some reading, a little planning and we'll see how it goes from there.

Quick newbie question. Where do I put the mod files so that Wyre bash can find them? I downloaded the unofficial patch to test, and I cant seem to get it to pop up on wyre bash mod list.

Does GOG's version have any of the fixes, mods, incorporated into the game? I am new to modding as well, so I was wondering how long I would need to install all those you mentioned. A few hours?

After hours of reading and planning, I'm going to start working on downloading and installing all the mods I want, so I'll provide an update when I'm done. Wish me luck!

Wherever you want. Just make sure you edit bash.ini to tell Wrye Bash where to find them.

1. If you don't have a bash.ini, look for bash_default.ini in the Mopy directory.
2. Copy bash_default.ini to bash.ini in the same directory.
3. Open bash.ini in Notepad or your favorite text editor.
4. Look for the sOblivionMods section
5. Change or add the sOblivionMods line to:

sOblivionMods=D:\YourDownloadedOblivionMods

where D:\YourDownloadedOblivionMods is whichever drive and directory you downloaded your mods to.

For more information on Wrye Bash, read the html files in the Mopy\Docs directory, and/or download & check out the Wrye Bash Pictorial Guide - which can be found at:

- www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/35230/?

Gog's version should already have all the official bug fixes and DLC already incorporated. It doesn't have the mods, tools, and unofficial bug fixes I listed above in the 2nd comment. I honestly couldn't tell you. There's a learning curve, you'll have to do a bit of reading, and it depends on your browsing and downloading speed too. Plan for spending some time on troubleshooting also. A very, very rough guesstimate might be 6-12 hours split over two days. But I tend to spend a lot of time researching, reading, and making sure I understand everything first.

On the plus side, it goes faster once you know what you're doing and you're not a newbie to it anymore.

No need to apply the 4GB patch. Thiev stated that the game has already been patched for 4gb. Good luck!
Here's a thread of mine about mods worth checking out. Feel free to add the ones that you think are must-haves:
https://www.gog.com/forum/elder_scrolls_series/oblivion_mods_the_best_fixes_and_features

Thanks for the info - I've edited the 4GB Patch recommendation out of the comment.