I'm late to this party, but if anyone's still playing Oblivion, to me, the mods that make it liveable are Better Cities and Unique Landscapes - they really flesh out the world. I also usually played with Oscuro's Oblivion Overhaul. (That said, I'm not sure all these mods are playing nice with each other these days due to updates in some but not others)
Beyond that, I liked the slow plotline of the Stranded: Integration mod (which might not be ideal for a first-time playthrough) and I found it worthwhile to play through Tales of the Fiend, even though it felt more like a standalone game.
I also preferred the guild quests or individual adventuring to the actual main quest.
In my view, TES games in general suffer from lack of character development, which is compensated by the expansive world. It would be nice to have both at once!
Beyond that, I liked the slow plotline of the Stranded: Integration mod (which might not be ideal for a first-time playthrough) and I found it worthwhile to play through Tales of the Fiend, even though it felt more like a standalone game.
I also preferred the guild quests or individual adventuring to the actual main quest.
In my view, TES games in general suffer from lack of character development, which is compensated by the expansive world. It would be nice to have both at once!