Table of Contents
Oblivion is the fourth installment in the Elder Scrolls series and it features a lot of improvements compared to its predecessor. Aside from that, as its modding community is active, Oblivion is still popular despite its age. One of the best mods for Oblivion is Oblivion Character Overhaul which revamps the heads of all game characters including the NPCs. However, it’s not uncommon for Oblivion mods to act up and reports about Oblivion Character Overhaul not working pop up from time to time.
A List Of Suspects
Textures
You have Oblivion Character Overhaul but in-game characters either stay the same or have black faces? In that case, you should give textures some thought. When you have missing textures, many mods won’t work correctly and Oblivion Character Overhaul is not an exception.
Blockhead
Another explanation for Oblivion Character Overhaul not working is “Blockhead” not installed/initializing. In case you don’t know, Blockhead is a must for Oblivion Character Overhaul. The absence of Blockhead would complicate the way that Oblivion Character Overhaul works.
Mods
Having too many mods that change the same things could result in problems. Hence, if you have tons of mods and some of them alter character appearance like Oblivion Character Overhaul, take them into account. Besides that, mods receive updates every now and then to fix bugs, refine features, etc. If your version of Oblivion Character Overhaul is too old, it could go haywire out of the blue.
Note: if you use a mod manager such as Nexus Mod Manager (NMM), keep it in mind while troubleshooting mod issues. On occasions, mod managers may mess up the operation of mods.
Oblivion Character Overhaul Not Working: Advice
Update
In the beginning, it’s wise to consider updating your version of Oblivion Character Overhaul. To do so, launch your web browser and search for the latest version. Next, proceed to download and install the mod like usual. For good measure, as you update mods, you should “overwrite” the old version. Feel free to replace the mod instead of “updating” it as well.
Check Out The Mods
The presence of multiple mods could lead to errors and Oblivion Character Overhaul mod not working is a prime example. Usually, it’s hard to determine which mod is causing the problem. Thus, you will have to uninstall all appearance-related mods then reinstall them one by one. The process is time-consuming but it is going to help you deduce the troublemaker.
In the future, you may want to install mods compatible with existing mods to avoid hassles.
Install “Seamless-OCOv2 Edition”
If you’re running the original OCOv2 game edition, update it to the “Seamless” edition. That update helps improve Oblivion mod installation. Additionally, there is the added perk of being able to escape many of the bugs in the original OCOv2.
Install Mod With Wyre Bash
One solution for Oblivion Character Overhaul not working is to delete installed mods and reinstall them using Wyre Bash. Similar to the NMM, Wyre Bash is a mod manager that players could use to manage mods. That being said, unlike NMM, Wyre Bash is less susceptible to issues in the course of operation.
Think About Blockhead
If you have Blockhead but still getting errors, revert to earlier versions of Blockhead. Keep reverting until you locate a particular version that works for you. Currently, it’s possible to install Blockhead for Oblivion via programs but you can to do it manually.
- Step 1: Download a suitable Blockhead version from https://www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/43752
- Step 2: Use a file unzipper like 7-zip or Winzip to extract the files in the zipped folder you downloaded.
- Step 3: Right-click on the Oblivion shortcut on your desktop and select Open File Location
- Step 4: Open the Data file in the Oblivion folder and then drag/copy the extracted file and paste it here. Then, run the mod again.
Uninstall And Reinstall Oblivion
If none of the above work, you have no choice but to uninstall and reinstall Oblivion while deleting associated data. You will lose all your game progress in the process so uninstallation and reinstallation should only be your last resort. Once you have reinstalled the game, you can proceed to use Wyre Bash to install mods to your liking. Of course, before downloading mods, you should verify their compatibility to minimize the odds of conflict.
Chris started playing PC games in the 1980s, started writing about them in the early 2000s, and (finally) started getting paid to write about them in the late 2000s.
Following a few years as a regular freelancer, PC Gamer hired him in 2014, probably so he’d stop emailing them asking for more work. Since 2019, he started providing game reviews & tips for Grateful Dead Game. Chris has a love-hate relationship with survival games and an unhealthy fascination with the inner lives of NPCs. He’s also a fan of offbeat simulation games, mods, and ignoring storylines in RPGs so he can make up his own.