The Elder Scrolls’ fourth installment, Oblivion, is one of the absolute best games I have ever played. With its amazing questline, side quests, and unique (often odd) characters, you're in for a fun and magic-filled time. Despite these amazing qualities, Oblivion could be made into an even better gaming experience, “how?” you say. The answer is simple: mods, the holy grail of the gaming community and the provider for pretty much everything you could want in a game. Today, I will list the top 25 best mods for Oblivion, go forth, gamers, and discover the magic of these mods.
25. DarNified UI
Release date: May 5, 2007
A major problem with games in The Elder Scrolls series is that the UI often isn't the best across all platforms. Things that work for consoles with a controller and bigger screen (large font sizes, the mechanic for switching between character scenes, etc.) are often less than adequate for PCs with a smaller screen and a mouse. This mod is specifically made for PCs to make for a better gameplay experience
This mod improves gameplay by doing the following,
- Makes the HUD more user-friendly and informative
- Replaces the original, clunky font with a smaller, more legible one
- Makes switching between character screens and navigating your inventory easier
- Makes for smoother, less laggy cursor movement
24. Better Cities
Release date: Apr10, 2008
Despite being a great game, Oblivion is severely lacking in the artistic design department. I'm not talking about graphics here, those are pretty good considering that the game came out in 2006. I’m talking about things like diverse color palettes, different textures being utilized, just overall diversity within the cities. This compilation of mods fixes that.
I really like this mod because of the huge improvement it makes in the appearance of cities, it honestly just makes the game a thousand times better in my opinion. Also, since this is a compilation of mods, you have the ability to choose which cities you’’d like to change and which ones you like as they are.
This mod improves gameplay by doing the following,
- Adding more color to the cities, fixing the muddiness of the dull gray and brown color palette
- Adding more texture to buildings, creating an interesting look
- Adding more diversity in the color palette overall
23. Kvatch Rebuilt
Release date: Feb 18, 2008
This mod is one of my personal favorites because it adds an incredible amount of content to the game. You’d think that adding just one city into a game wouldn't make much difference, but, if you’re looking for more amazing quests and another city to explore, I highly recommend downloading this mod.
This mod improves gameplay by doing the following,
- Rebuilds Kvatch, giving you the opportunity to explore the once-ruined city
- Opening a questline where you can either become the new count(ess) of Kvatch, or find the rightful heir to the throne
- Opens a questline where you get to uncover the dark secrets of pre-Oblivion crisis Kvatch
- Allows you to get a new companion
- Adds new dungeons to the game
- Allows you to fight in the Kvatch arena
- Includes voice acting
22. Realistic Player Dialogue Overhaul
Release date: Jun 25, 2015
This mod is relatively new, seeing as Oblivion is almost 15 years old, but it's a great mod for players who want to get more in-character, be able to roleplay and get really in the zone. This mod gives you more realistic dialogue options to speak to NPCs with.
This mod improves gameplay by doing the following,
- Replacing dialogue options such as “Rumors” with realistic options that actually sound like they would be said in real-life conversations
- Makes around 250 changes to well over 400 NPCs, making their dialogue sound more realistic as well
21. Elseweyr the Deserts of Anequia
This mod is absolutely phenomenal. It adds the entirety of Elseweyr to Oblivion, giving you a lot more places to see and things to do. I would highly suggest this mod to anyone who is bored of venturing through the map of Cyrodiil, or someone who just wants some more things to do.
This mod improves gameplay by doing the following,
- Adds Elseweyr to Oblivion, providing a much larger map with more variety in plants, enemies, and creatures
- Adds new NPCs
- Adds new quests
- Adds new items
20. Immersive interiors
Release date: Aug 26, 2011
If you’re bored of the dull, almost identical building interiors in Oblivion, this mod will be a godsend for you. This mod takes the insides of the buildings in Oblivion and gives them the extra “umph” that a lot of people have longed for. There’s even a version of this mod that even makes the windows transparent and gives a lot of detail to everything you see outside! This version is shown in the video above.
This mod improves gameplay by doing the following,
- Makes the interiors of buildings more realistic
- Adds variety to the admittedly dull color palette used for buildings
- Makes gameplay more immersive
19. Capes and Cloaks
Release date: May 26, 2006
This mod is pretty cool in my opinion. I absolutely adore the look of capes, cloaks, any sort of long clothing article. This mod makes capes and cloaks available for purchase at the Divine Elegance clothing store located in the Imperial city.
This mod improves gameplay by doing the following,
- Adds some really cool capes and cloaks in a variety of 5 different styles
- Gives players the choice between 8 colors they can buy their cloak or cape in
- It’s just really cool
18. Rens Beauty Pack
Release date: May 22, 2006
One of the biggest complaints that people have had about Oblivion for a while now is how ugly the characters are. A lot of the time, the characters end up looking like someone drew a face on a potato and called it a day. Rens Beauty Pack changes that.
This mod improves gameplay by doing the following,
- Adds a whole new race with 4 variations
- Adds 19 female and 9 male hairstyles for all races
- Gives players the option to choose between 4 variations for each hairstyle
- Allows for the hair to be recolored in-game
18. Alternative Start (arrive by ship)
Release date: Jun 13, 2007
If you don't want to start out your playthrough in a prison, this mod is for you. The Alternative Start mod starts you off in a ship, allowing you to get a new experience out of this old game.
This mod improves gameplay by doing the following,
- Allows for players that don’t want to be a criminal to choose their background
- Allows for some good roleplay
- Is lore-friendly, so players don’t need to worry about the alternative start not making sense
17. Natural Environments
Release date: Apr 7, 2006
Natural Environments is a must-have mod for anyone who would like to have actual season in Oblivion. It enhances weather and adds new weather types.
This mod improves gameplay by doing the following,
- Adds a total of 40 new weather types
- Adds seasonal weather patterns
- Improves weather visuals
16. Midas Magic Spells of Aurum
Release date: Mar 6, 2007
Playing a mage in Oblivion can get boring pretty quickly due to the lack of variety in spells. Midas magic serves to enhance the visuals of spells and add more variety.
This mod improves the gameplay by doing the following,
- Adds over 300 spells
- Adds beam, spray, and projectile attacks
- Adds magic carpet
- You can turn bodies into gold, how cool is that?
15. Unique Landscapes
Release date: Aug 23, 2008
Oblivion’s landscapes are, let’s face it, pretty barren. Yeah, there’s trees and a few flowers, bushes, and weeds/grasses thrown in here and there, but for the most part, it’s just bare land with the exception of wooded areas. Unique Landscapes aims to fix that problem by adding variety to the land.
This mod improves gameplay by doing the following,
- Adds more flora and fauna
- Adds more color to landscapes
- Creates interesting textures in the landscapes
14. OBSE
Release date: Apr 10, 2011
OBSE is the mod that makes every other mod possible. This mod extends the scripting capabilities of Oblivion to enable all your other mods to work.
This mod improves gameplay by doing the following,
- Extends the scripting capability of Oblivion
- Enables other mods to work flawlessly
- OBSE is fairly easy to install
13. Unnecessary Violence
Release date: Jun 6, 2009
The name of this mod pretty much explains it all. I highly recommend this mod if you’’d like to see more gore and variety in the combat of Oblivion. Unnecessary Violence adds some cool animations and fighting abilities to your game, making for some pretty awesome combat.
This mod improves gameplay by doing the following,
- Adds 18 melee moves
- Gives players the ability to throw objects… and people
- Allows for melee with bows and staffs
- Gives players the option to change their grip on their weapon
- Adds exploding potions
- Allows for the player’s character to kick in combat
- Adds exploding soul gems that free the trapped soul upon explosion
12. Dynamic Map
Release date: Dec 7, 2010
This isn’t a major mod, but it’s definitely one that I believe a lot of people would appreciate. The Dynamic Map mod adds variety in color to the in-game map and displays accurate terrain.
This mod improves gameplay by doing the following,
- Adds different colors and textures for different types of terrain
- Allows players to zoom in and out of the world map
- Displays the correct terrain for any world-altering mod players have installed
11. Martigen’s Monster Mod
Release date: Jun 13, 2008
A common complaint I’ve heard many times within the Oblivion community is that all the monsters look pretty much exactly the same. Martigen’s Monster Mod combats this by randomizing the appearance and stats of monsters in the game.
This mod improves gameplay by doing the following,
- Adds completely new monsters to the game
- Randomizes monster stats
- Randomizes aggression/confidence levels of monsters
10. Deadly Reflex
Release date: Sep 10, 2011
Once again, we have another relatively gorey mod. Deadly Reflex is a mod that adds new combat moves and animations.
This mod improves gameplay by doing the following,
- Adds new stealth kill animations
- Adds new moves and abilities to combat
- Adds the ability to stun enemies
- Adds a very well-timed finishing move
9. RAEVWD
Release date: Sep 28, 2008
If you’re getting mods to improve the graphics in Oblivion, this one is a must-have. Everyone who has ever played Oblivion knows that the distant views are a little… underwhelming. RAEVWD makes things a little more interesting.
This mod improves gameplay by doing the following,
- Improves overall graphics quality
- Creates a more realistic, immersive environment
8. AliveWaters
Release date: Sep 13, 2006
AliveWaters is one of my favorite mods on this list. I absolutely adore the beauty of underwater ecosystems, which Oblivion doesn’t really have. This mod takes the normal, barren underwater environment and gives it so much life, this is a must-have if you’re interested in underwater ecosystems in videogames.
This mod improves gameplay by doing the following,
- Adds 10 new underwater creatures
- Adds scripted fish AI
- Adds some rusted weapons to be found in the bottoms of lakes
- Adds Koi to the Imperial City and Anvil ponds
- Adds 3 main shipwrecks (includes some pretty valuable loot)
- Adds 6 different retextured seaweed types
7. Alluring Potion Bottles v3
Release date: Aug 4, 2010
All the potion bottles in Oblivion look very similar, as everyone in the Oblivion community knows. It gets boring, looking at the exact same bottle time after time after time. Well, fear not, this mod will give potion bottles a more interesting appearance.
This mod improves gameplay by doing the followi,
- Adds 108 completely new potion bottles
- Gives potions the magical appearance they deserve
6. Keychain
Release date: Apr 23, 2006
Navigating your inventory in Oblivion is hard enough, let alone dealing with a bunch of loose keys. The Keychain mod is here to eliminate that problem and make your life just a little bit easier.
This mod improves gameplay by doing the following,
- Puts all keys on a keychain, hiding them while you’re in your inventory or searching a container
- Works with all keys from the vanilla game and any mods
5. Lights Of Oblivion - Road Lanterns
Release date: May 16, 2015
Being outside of the city at night while playing Oblivion is less than pleasant. There’s many enemy types that emerge at night, none of which you can really see until they’re right in front of you unless you have a torch… which lasts for all of 10 minutes. Lights Of Oblivion is here to combat that problem by placing street lamps.
This mod improves gameplay by doing the following,
- Adds light posts to all the main roads of Cyrodiil at a fixed interval
- Adds lanterns to settlements and inns
- Gives players 6 different light post options to choose from
4. Weapon Expansion Pack
Release date: Nov 6, 2010
I know that I personally have wanted more weapon variety in Oblivion for a while. For anyone out there that has that same want, the Weapon Expansion Pack mod is here for you.
This mod improves gameplay by doing the following,
- Adds over 625 new weapons
- Adds new dialogue for Dumog Gro Bonk
- Fixes over 100 mistakes that Bethesda made in the weapon designing process
3. Sound Sets
Release date: Aug 8, 2007
Are you bored of your character being completely mute? Bored of the NPC dialogue maybe? I know I am. The Sound Sets mod is here to fix that. With this mod, your character can finally get some dialogue.
This mod improves gameplay by doing the following,
- Adds diverse battle-cries during combat
- Gives your character the ability to comment on 30 different events throughout the game
- Creates a more immersive experience
2. Realistic Leveling
Release date: Nov 13, 2007
The leveling system in Oblivion isn't all that realistic if we’re being honest here. It kinda turns into an annoying game of making sure that every little thing is being done exactly right so you can level up your character the way you want to. Well, Realistic Leveling is here to improve the leveling system.
This mod improves gameplay by doing the following,
- Makes leveling and attribute advances more realistic
- Allows for better roleplay
- Creates a more immersive experience
1. Oblivion Mod Manager
Release date: Mar 31, 2006
If this is your first time using mods or you’re just not very tech savvy, you might have some trouble with correctly installing mods. That’s where Oblivion Mod Manager comes to the rescue.
This mod improves gameplay by doing the following,
- Makes the installation of mods easier
- Detects conflicts in mods
- Makes sure that all your mods are working smoothly
And there we have it! That’s our list of the top 25 Oblivion mods! I hope you enjoyed this article and found it helpful. Now, go off with your new knowledge and have an amazing time!
