Oblivion Mod:Complete Installation Guide for Oblivion
< Mod / Oblivion: Oblivion Mod: Intro / Installation GuidesBefore proceeding with this guide, it would be helpful to have read or be familiar with the material covered in System Requirements, Intro to Mods and Hardware Analysis pages. Also note that the example mods this guide covers are not exhaustive. If you are wondering what types of mod configurations users have run successfully, check out the RLO Database.
Warning! Users of Windows 7 and Windows Vista, whenever you have to run executable (EXE) installers for mods and mod management-related utilities right-click and flag installer to Run as Administrator. Likewise, 64-bit users have to be aware of the fact that some 32-bit installer do not execute properly on 64-bit platforms.
IntroductionEdit
This is a complete guide for installing modified Oblivion, from reverting to a clean setup to the finishing touches of organizing a nice load order. There are too many mods for this guide to cover everything; however, the installation of a starter kit of about 20 or so mods will be covered in detail. The purpose of this guide is not only to be a step-by-step walk through for setting up the mods specifically mentioned, but also to have you understand how mods function (together) in general. Therefore, the goal is that over the course of this guide you will be able to comfortably download, configure and install many different types of mods.
Lastly, although the modded configuration proposed in this guide has been tested for compatibility and stability, as you choose and add other mods remember to add them slowly and to test the game as you add them.
This guide has three parts:
- Part 1 walks through making a fresh install of Oblivion and, for those who already have a modified setup, reverting modified Oblivion to the vanilla state. The last step in this part is to download the 20 or so hand-picked mods.
- Part 2 covers installation of the "starter kit" (mods downloaded at the end of Part 1) for your primary mod installation tool. (Manual users should follow the BAIN path, for now.)
- Part 3 moves beyond the initial installation onto the routine management tasks preceding running the game: load ordering, rebuilding a bashed patch, and performing the first test run. After realizing these last few steps, you can feel comfortable trying to mod the game into whatever you wish, be it only a few tweaks in the "right" direction or a total conversion of the game.