Tes4Mod:Complete Installation Guide for Oblivion/Part 2

Now that you have Oblivion freshly installed and configured, it is time to add some mods.  First, however, you need to decided how you are going to go about managing them. The possibilities are endless, but this guide simplifies those options down to three: manual installation, OMOD installation and BAIN installation. The choice that you need to make now is which method you want to use as your primary means of installation.

A Brief Recap

Briefly, to recap the strengths of the two biggest management tools, OBMM and Wrye Bash, the former's strengths are its scripted mod installation (a feature that BAIN is also acquiring) and its BSA editing tool, the latter's strengths are its prioritized mod installtion tool, BAIN, and its load order, save management, plugin alteration and, last but not least, the Bashed Patch, a special plugin by which multiple mods are allowed to modify the same record, eliminating numerous mod conflicts. The hardest part of manual mod management is the cleanup, the uninstallation process. There are tools to help with that, but none of them are as near to ideal as uninstallation is with OBMM and BAIN. The choice for mod installation are between OBMMs' mod installation components and BAIN and no tool at all.

Recommendation for Newer Mod Users

Newer users, unless you are willing to spend a few extra hours on the extra setup for BAIN (and even more hours learning about how to package mods if you decide to use mods that are not available BAIN-Ready) OBMM is the simpler of the two main mod installation tools to use. However, those who decide to pursue the BAIN route, the benefits of pursuing and understanding BAIN definitely pay off, and pay off relatively quickly as you use more mods. Once you start using overhauls and overlapping aesthetic enhancements, OBMM's insufficient conflict detection can be a bit of a handicap.  The better you know your mods, the less which tool matters. In the event trying out BAIN does not work well, come back to this point, and head down the OBMM path.

Utility Configuration Recommendation for Newer Users

Use OBMM for all mod installation. If a mod is only available as an executable, that is the only case in which the user should make exceptions to this rule. All mods, including those installed through EXEs, can be packed in OMODs, but the work varies. Regardless, installing all mods with the same utility simplifies installation greatly.
Use BOSS to do the major load order sorting, but it does not recognize all plugins. See LO template Load Ordering for an which can be referenced for guidance to move BOSS "unknown" plugins.
Use Wrye Bash for fine tuning your load order, managing your saves, any other features it has (except its mod installer BAIN, whose job is taken care of with BOSS, for now, and BALO, which is not nearly as helpful as BOSS plus the occasional tweaks.)

Recommendation for Manual Installation users

''Manual installation users, most ReadMes include detailed instructions for manual installation. Therefore, your method of installation does not require special packaging instructions; however, if ever you install a BAIN-Ready mod, you will find that the installation instructions for BAIN and manual users are almost identical, excepting the substitution of a few words. If you follow along the BAIN route, if you do not end up switching to BAIN entirely, you may at least take away some good organization tips.

BAIN vs. OBMM

 

 

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See Also
BAIN Tutorials
OBMM
Preparing for Mods