yogsloth: Right, but this thread is telling me the base game is ugly and full of bugs.

yogsloth: Right, but this thread is telling me the base game is ugly and full of bugs.

yogsloth: Right, but this thread is telling me the base game is ugly and full of bugs.

yogsloth: Well... which one of the three? And what does this even mean? Is this software? How do you do it? Why are there three choices, and how should I know which one to take or how to use it?

yogsloth: Right, but this thread is telling me the base game is ugly and full of bugs.

Painted_Doll: Hmm . Too much hassle to get a proper version of the game . I think i will choose the Gothic / Risen series instead . They don't require dozens of mods to work properly .

yogsloth: ... I'd love to play Oblivion. Just bought it.

But, the list of things to do is overwhelming, and there's no guidance on how to do it or in what order. ...

yogsloth: Right, but this thread is telling me the base game is ugly and full of bugs.

RoguePancake: Trying to get the OBSE to work but the game crashes after starting it up, any suggestions?

MuParadigm: Oblivion GOTY works fine without mods, which is how I played it the first time. I assume Fallout 3 & NV both work fine without modding too.

Modding gives players more options to suit their playing styles or modernize the graphics, but they aren't mandatory, just fun.

Don't let other people's enthusiasm for modding put you off from trying or enjoying the vanilla game.

vsr: Also, after 200 hours of gameplay in Oblivion (save slots inform you about hours spent), you'll need to fix animations (doors do not work - you can't enter/exit rooms, and torch's fire animation won't work) with a tool called "Oblivion Animation Fixer" (a program, which corrects given savegame file, which has over 200 hours of gameplay).

Pherim: Apparently, this problem (among others) was recently fixed by the EngineBugFixes plugin. But I haven't used it myself, yet, so I can't give any recommendation about it.

GOG.com: Transform, expand, and customize these modern classics.

Few games would dream to match the ridiculous variety and accessibility of mods that these three games can provide. The sheer volume of what's available online is staggering and can be rather overwhelming for someone who's not willing to spend days figuring out what to use and how.

Luckily, our very own tinkerer extraordinaire has prepared this comprehensive guide on how to get started and which projects to focus on, depending on your needs and your will to experiment.
The floor is yours, Thiev.

Finally, we've made it! <span class="bold">Fallout 3</span>, <span class="bold">New Vegas</span>, and <span class="bold">TES IV: Oblivion</span> are here on GOG.com and you can't wait to start messing with them. Everything you'll need can be found in the enormous catalog that the fine folk over at Nexus Mods have put together. Fun fact: that place was originally called The Elder Scrolls Nexus, and it mostly hosted Morrowind and Oblivion projects.

However, before you even look at a single mod out there, be sure that you are familiar with modding tools and the process overall. There are excellent guides to be found and we strongly suggest that you go through them at least once (<span class="bold">Fallout 3 example</span>, <span class="bold">Oblivion example</span>, <span class="bold">Wrye Bash guide</span>). Now that you know what NMM, FOMM, FOMOD, OMOD and BAIN stand for, you are ready to proceed into the fun part!

Let’s start with the ESSENTIALS.
For all three games, make sure to grab a corresponding Script Extender - <span class="bold">OBSE</span>, <span class="bold">FOSE</span> or <span class="bold">NVSE</span>. These little pieces of hard coding and magic are absolutely essential for some more advanced plugins out there. For a little bit more stability, be sure to read about and grab ENBoost CTD / Memory patch (<span class="bold">TES4</span>, <span class="bold">FO3</span>, <span class="bold">FNV</span>) as well as Stutter Remover plugins (<span class="bold">TES4</span>, <span class="bold">FO3</span>, <span class="bold">FNV</span>).

Next come the Unofficial Patches.
Over the years, the games' dedicated community has done an excellent job of ironing out the bugs and significantly improving the overall experience. Here's the whole set for Oblivion (<span class="bold">#1</span>, <span class="bold">#2</span>, <span class="bold">#3</span>), the <span class="bold">UPDATED Unofficial Fallout 3 Patch</span> and the <span class="bold">Yukichigai Unofficial Patch</span> for New Vegas.

With those pesky bugs out of the way, perhaps it's now time to tweak the original interface a bit if you find the original one inconvenient. <span class="bold">DarNified UI</span> and Vanilla UI Plus (<span class="bold">FO3</span> / <span class="bold">FNV</span>) are excellent candidates for this, so be sure to check them out first. If you're planning on fiddling with the interface of both Fallout games or having more mods with custom menu functions, start with UIO - User Interface Organizer (<span class="bold">FO3</span> / <span class="bold">FNV</span>) and go from there.

Now time for some visual upgrades.
Oblivion is the oldest of the three, so best to start there. What you need is a graphics extender that overcomes the limitations of the time, adds some snazzy shaders, and tops it off with a healthy serving of visual effects. Don't need to take our word for it, just go to the <span class="bold">Oblivion Reloaded</span> page and check out the screens. Then grab the mod. Preferably together with <span class="bold">Really AEVWD</span> to make gazing at objects far away in the horizon less awkward.

Want some more eye-candy? There are texture packs for everything out here (like rocks, yes rocks). It’s always a matter of taste, but we suggest you check out <span class="bold">Qarl's Texture Pack III Redimized</span> for Oblivion, <span class="bold">NMCs Texture Pack for FO3</span> or <span class="bold">POCO BUENO Texture Pack</span> for New Vegas.

If you want to take things a little further in the visual makeover department, you can. For example, before you can get lost in the world of Oblivion, you might want to make its rich environments even richer. That’s where <span class="bold">Unique Landscapes Compilation</span>, <span class="bold">Better Cities</span> and <span class="bold">Weather - All Natural</span> come in.

Are you more into the Capital Wasteland of Fallout 3? Check out <span class="bold">DCInteriors Project</span>, <span class="bold">Fallout Street Lights</span> (and it’s <span class="bold">Wasteland counterpart</span>) or <span class="bold">Fellout</span>, instead. And while you're at it, grab <span class="bold">GNR Enhanced</span> - you'll be thankful for all these extra radio tracks during the countless hours of exploration ahead of you.

Perhaps you are in the mood for a trip under the scorching sun of the Mojave Desert. Then grab <span class="bold">New Vegas Restoration</span>, <span class="bold">NVInteriors Project </span> or <span class="bold">New Vegas Uncut - Freeside Open</span>.
Not everyone knows this, but all the quest names in Fallout New Vegas are based on old songs. Rumor has it that there is a mod floating about called Secret Stash, and it adds all those missing songs and more to the New Vegas Radio. Unfortunately, it is no longer available for official download, but anyone resourceful enough to survive the Wasteland will surely be able to dig something up.

Last but not least, an honorary mention should be made of <span class="bold">Tale of the Two Wastelands</span>, despite it still being in its alpha stage. It's a huge undertaking, aiming to bring both Fallout games into a single playable universe. Keep in mind, this mod is not compatible with the GOG version of the game yet, but it will be very soon.

Of course, this is hardly a complete list of all the quality mods that are floating out there. A good way to discover what's on offer is to head over to Nexus Mods and check the TOP lists for all three games: <span class="bold">Oblivion</span>, <span class="bold">Fallout 3</span> and <span class="bold">New Vegas</span>. Texture mods, lightning mods, weather mods, silly mods - with a bit of searching you will come across things you never knew you wanted added to your game and quite a few things you'll wish you could unsee.

Happy Modding!

masayersuk: You guys missed out morrowind which is a damn shame as it is definitely better with mods.