Oblivion Remastered Modding Guide – How to Install Mods

Can You Even Mod Oblivion Remastered?

The remaster runs on this weird hybrid setup of original Gamebryo engine logic underneath with Unreal Engine 5 handling the visuals. That means a lot of old Oblivion mods still work because the game’s core systems haven’t changed. You’re basically modding the 2006 game with prettier lighting. 

No official Creation Kit means you can’t just click “download with mod manager” and call it a day on every single mod. Some require manual installation. Some need script extenders. Some are finicky about load order. But if you’ve modded any Bethesda game before, this won’t feel that foreign. And if you haven’t? Don’t worry, I’ll walk you through it.

Oblivion Remastered Data Folder Location

Before you install anything, you need to know where your game files actually live. This changes depending on whether you’re running Steam or Game Pass.

For Steam users, your data folder is here:

C:\Program Files\Steam\steamapps\common\Oblivion Remastered\OblivionRemastered\Content\Dev\ObvData\Data\

For Game Pass, it’s:

C:\XboxGames\The Elder Scrolls IV - Oblivion Remastered\Content\OblivionRemastered\Content\Dev\ObvData\Data\

Inside that Data folder, you’ll find plugins.txt this little text file is basically the brain of your mod setup. Every ESP mod you install needs to be listed here, or the game won’t load it. Keep that location bookmarked because you’ll be coming back to it.

If you’re installing PAK mods (asset packages, usually textures or meshes), those go in a different spot:

\Content\Paks\~mods\

You might need to create that ~mods folder yourself. 

What Mod Manager Should You Use for Oblivion Remastered?

Three main options, and they all work. Pick based on how much control you want versus how lazy you’re feeling.

Vortex is the go-to for most people. It’s made by Nexus Mods, so it integrates directly with the site. One-click downloads, automatic load order sorting with LOOT built in, and it handles deployment for you. If you’ve never modded before, start here. I still use it for quick builds because I don’t feel like babysitting every single file.

Mod Organizer 2 (MO2) from official discord server is for people who want total control. It keeps mods in isolated folders instead of dumping everything into your game directory, which makes troubleshooting way easier when something breaks. Steeper learning curve though.

ORMM (jorkXL’s tool) is tailored specifically for Oblivion Remastered. It’s newer and rougher around the edges, but it’s got separate tabs for ESP, PAK, and UE4SS mods, which is kinda nice. Still in beta though, so expect bugs.

For this guide, I’m focusing on Vortex because it’s the easiest entry point and handles 90% of what you’ll need.

Step-by-Step: How To Install Oblivion Remastered Mods Using Vortex

Here’s how you get Vortex running without screwing anything up.

1. Download and install Vortex
Head to Nexus Mods and grab the installer. Run it, log into your Nexus account when prompted. The app will auto-detect Oblivion Remastered if it’s already installed. If it doesn’t, manually point it to your game folder.

2. Install the Oblivion Remastered extension
Vortex needs a plugin to handle the game properly. It should prompt you to install this automatically. If it doesn’t, go to Settings > Mods tab > Extensions and enable it manually.

3. Tweak your settings
Open Settings > Mods. Enable Hardlink Deployment (this makes file management cleaner). Disable “Install on Download” so you can review mods before activating them.

4. Download a mod
Go to Nexus, find a mod, click the Mod Manager Download button. Vortex will grab it and add it to your mod list. You’ll see it in the Mods tab, but it won’t be active yet.

5. Enable and deploy
Click the mod in Vortex, hit Enable, then click Deploy Mods at the top. This writes all the files into your game directory and updates plugins.txt automatically. You’re done.

6. Sort your load order
Vortex uses LOOT under the hood, so it’ll automatically arrange your mods in the right order. You can manually adjust if needed by dragging mods around in the Plugins tab.

7. Launch the game through Vortex
Don’t launch from Steam or your desktop shortcut. Use Vortex’s launch button. This ensures everything loads correctly, especially if you’ve got OBSE installed (which we’re getting to next).

That’s it. Really. Most mods install this smoothly.

How to Install OBSE (Oblivion Script Extender)

About 80% of the good mods need OBSE64, the script extender. It’s not optional if you want things like better UI mods, advanced gameplay tweaks, or anything that hooks into the game’s scripting. OBSE lets modders do stuff the base game can’t handle on its own.

Here’s how you install it:

1. Download OBSE64
Head to Nexus and download it manually (not through Vortex, it’s safer this way). You’ll get a ZIP file.

2. Extract the files
Open the ZIP with 7-Zip or WinRAR. Copy obse_1_2_416.dll, obse_editor_1_2.dll, obse_steam_loader.dll and the Data folder to your Oblivion directory

3. Copy them to your game folder
Paste those two files into:

\Oblivion Remastered\OblivionRemastered\Binaries\Win64\

That’s the same folder where the main game executable lives.

4. Launch the game through OBSE
Instead of launching Oblivion Remastered.exe, you now run obse64_loader.exe. This loads the script extender first, then starts the game. If you’re using Vortex, set it to launch through OBSE in the settings.

5. Verify it’s working
Once the game loads, open the console (tilde key, ~). Type GetOBSEVersion. If it spits out a version number, you’re good. If it says “unknown command,” something went wrong. Double-check your file paths.

Manually Installing Mods (When Vortex Isn’t Enough)

Some mods don’t play nice with mod managers. Maybe the author packaged it weird, maybe it’s a PAK file instead of an ESP, maybe you just prefer doing things by hand. Here’s how manual installation works.

For ESP mods:

1. Download and extract
Grab the mod file and unzip it. Look for any .esp or .esm files inside.

2. Copy to Data folder
Move those ESP/ESM files into:

\OblivionRemastered\Content\Dev\ObvData\Data\

3. Edit plugins.txt
Open plugins.txt in Notepad or Notepad++ (it’s in the same Data folder). Add the mod’s filename at the bottom, one per line. Include the .esp extension. Save and close.

Your plugins.txt should look something like this after adding mods:

For PAK mods (assets like textures or meshes):

1. Extract to the mods folder
PAK files go here:

\Content\Paks\~mods\

If that folder doesn’t exist, create it yourself.

2. Verify the filename
PAK files need to end with _P to load properly. Some authors forget this. If your file is named CoolTextures.pak, rename it to CoolTextures_P.pak.

3. Launch and test
PAK mods load automatically based on alphabetical order. If you need one to load before another, rename it so it comes first alphabetically.

That’s all there is to it. Manual installation gives you full control but also means you’re responsible for fixing it when something breaks.

Setting Up xEdit for Oblivion Remastered

xEdit (or TES4Edit, same thing) is a tool for detecting mod conflicts, cleaning dirty edits, and generally making sure your load order isn’t a disaster. You don’t need it for basic modding, but if you’re running more than 20-30 mods, you’ll want it.

Here’s the setup:

1. Download xEdit
Grab version 4.1.5N or higher from the xEdit Discord server. Nexus doesn’t host it anymore.

2. Extract and rename
You’ll need to drop the xEdit executable into your game’s directory specifically inside

SteamApps\common\Oblivion Remastered\OblivionRemastered\Content\Dev\ObvData 

That’s the same folder where all your ESP files live. This is critical: rename xEdit.exe to TES4REdit.exe. The program detects which game to load based on the filename. If you skip this step, it won’t recognize Oblivion Remastered.

3. Run it
Double-click TES4REdit.exe. It’ll scan your Data folder and show you every active ESP. Right-click any mod and select “Check for Errors” to find broken records. Apply filter for cleaning if it finds issues.

xEdit is mostly for advanced users, but even if you just use it to check for conflicts, it’ll save you headaches down the line.

Why Aren’t My Oblivion Remastered Mods Working?

So you installed everything, launched the game, and… nothing. The mod isn’t there. Or the game crashes. Or textures are missing. Here’s how to fix the most common problems.

Mods not loading at all:

Check plugins.txt. Open it in Notepad and make sure your mod is listed. If it’s not there, the game won’t load it. Also make sure the ESP file is actually in the Data folder. Sometimes downloads fail or you accidentally put it in the wrong spot.

On Windows 11, saving plugins.txt can be finicky. After editing, save it, then right-click the file and set it to Read-Only. This prevents Windows from overwriting it.

Game crashes on startup:

Usually a load order issue. Run LOOT (built into Vortex) to sort your plugins. If that doesn’t work, disable mods one by one until you find the culprit. Also verify your game files through Steam sometimes core files get corrupted.

If you’re running OBSE, make sure you’re launching through obse64_loader.exe, not the normal game executable. Some mods flat-out won’t work without OBSE active.

Textures missing or weird:

PAK mods need to be in \Content\Paks\~mods\, not the main Paks folder. Also check that the PAK filename ends with _P. If it doesn’t, rename it.

[NL] showing up in item names:

This is a known bug with some mods. Download the NL-Remover mod from Nexus, or use xEdit to manually clean the affected records.

Mods conflict with each other:

Open xEdit and load both mods. Right-click one and select “Check for Conflicts.” If records overlap, you’ll need to decide which mod takes priority. Either disable one or create a merged patch (advanced, look up Wrye Bash tutorials if you’re curious).

Performance tanks after installing mods:

Some texture mods are absurdly high-res and murder your VRAM. Check your GPU usage in Task Manager while playing. If it’s maxed out, disable or downscale texture packs. Also grab Ultimate Engine Tweaks from Nexus it helps smooth out frame drops.

Most issues boil down to file paths, load order, or missing dependencies. Double-check the basics before assuming the mod itself is broken.

Load Order Conflicts and How to Fix Them

Load order determines which mod “wins” when two mods edit the same thing. If Mod A changes the damage of iron swords and Mod B also changes iron sword damage, whichever loads last overwrites the other.

LOOT handles this automatically for most setups. Vortex runs LOOT in the background whenever you deploy mods. But sometimes you need manual adjustments.

General rules:

• Master files (.esm) always load first. These are the base game and DLCs. Don’t touch their order.
• Overhaul mods load late. Big gameplay changes like Oscuro’s Oblivion Overhaul should go near the end so they don’t get overwritten.
• Patches load last. If you have a compatibility patch for two mods, it needs to load after both of those mods.

If you’re getting conflicts:

1. Open xEdit
Load your entire mod list. xEdit will highlight conflicts in red or orange.

2. Identify the problem
Click on the conflicting record. You’ll see which mods are editing it and what changes they’re making.

3. Pick a winner
Decide which mod’s changes you want to keep. Move that mod lower in your load order (so it loads last). In Vortex, you can drag and drop plugins in the Plugins tab.

4. Create a patch (optional)
If you want both mods’ changes to apply, you need a merged patch. This is advanced territory look up tutorials for Wrye Bash if you’re feeling ambitious. I rarely bother unless I’m running a massive modlist.

For PAK mods, load order is alphabetical based on filename. If ModA_P.pak needs to load before ModB_P.pak, rename it so it comes first alphabetically (like 01_ModA_P.pak and 02_ModB_P.pak).

Most of the time, LOOT gets it right. Only mess with load order manually if something’s obviously broken.

Which Tools Do You Need To Mod Oblivion?

Here’s a quick breakdown of what each tool does and when you need it.

• OBSE64 – Required for most script-heavy mods. If a mod description mentions OBSE, you need this. Download from Nexus, copy DLL and EXE to Binaries\Win64, launch through obse64_loader.exe.
• UE4SS – For Unreal Engine scripting and custom assets. Only needed for advanced mods that hook into UE5. Steam-only. Most people won’t need this unless a mod specifically asks for it.
• xEdit (TES4REdit) – Conflict detection and cleaning dirty edits. Not mandatory for basic modding, but super useful once you’re running 30+ mods. Rename the executable to TES4REdit.exe before running.
• LOOT – Load order sorter. Built into Vortex already, so you don’t need to download it separately unless you’re using MO2 or manual installation.

Start with Vortex and OBSE64. Add the others as needed.

Hafe Fun Modding Oblivion!

Modding Oblivion Remastered isn’t not the nightmare some people make it out to be either. Vortex handles most of the heavy lifting, OBSE unlocks the good stuff, and manual installation covers the edge cases. Once you’ve got the basics down, building a load order is just trial and error enable mods, test, fix conflicts, repeat.

My advice? Start small. Install five or ten mods, make sure they work, then go wild. Don’t dump 100 mods in at once and wonder why the game won’t launch (I’ve done this, it sucks). Keep backups of your plugins.txt and save files. And when something inevitably breaks, check the Nexus mod page comments first someone probably already figured out the fix.

Other Questions About Modding Oblivion