Installation :





1 : Download the BladeSong Main Content file, Extract the contents of the .Rar file to a safe location on your computer. Open the BladeSongMainContent folder, and inside copy the folder named Data. Then Paste to your Oblivion folder (normally located in Program FilesBethesda SoftworksOblivion).

2 : Download either the BladeSongEsp V1_1 or the DarkerDungeonsVersionEsp V1_1, Extract the contents of the .Rar file to a safe location on your computer. Open the new folder created, and inside copy the folder named Data. Then Paste to your Oblivion folder (normally located in Program FilesBethesda SoftworksOblivion). If prompted to overwrite, check 'Yes". Be sure to copy the entire contents of the Data folder provided, the new DistantLod files must be installed along with the .esp.

3 : One of the new races used by BladeSong requires you to select a particular texture provided if you are running a body replacer which has a match in the selection.
If you are not running a body replacer mod, then there is nothing you need do here at all, and you can skip down to the next step (4 : Load Order and Mod Conflicts)
If you are using a body replacer, within the BladeSongMainContent folder select the folder named 'extra' and see if you can find a folder that matches the name of your body replacer. If you find a match, just copy the folder "Textures" from within the correct body replacer folder provided, and paste to you Oblivion Data folder. Done.
If you cannot find a match from the provided textures, then you do not have to do anything at all. (the default textures for the new race were installed when you copied the Data folder, so your all set) Proceed to the next step.

4 : Load Order

While running the main quest line in BladeSong, you should set the BladeSong.esp to the last load order position. The only currently known exception to this is MergedMaps.esp, which can be loaded after BladeSong.

BladeSong Must be in a load position *after* Fcom and Martigens Monster Mode during the main quest line.

Once you have completed the main quest line, if you desire to continue to have BladeSong active, you may set the BladeSong.esp to any load order position you like, even to the top of the load order list. It is advised that after the quest line is complete that BladeSong is loaded *before* Personality Idles mod.


5 : Mod Conflicts

There are a few mod's which **MUST** be turned off *only* during the main quest line. Once you have finished the main quest line for BladeSong, you can re-enable all of these if you desire to still have BladeSong active.

Here is the listing of mods which again, MUST be turned OFF during the main quest line :

Duke Patricks - Near Miss Magic And Arrows Alert The Target.esp

Duke Patricks - Actors Can Miss Now.esp



It has been reported that Reaper's Coldstone is suggested to be turned off as well.


6 : Make a clean save game in a safe area before activating BladeSong... BladeSong modifies a number of wilderness areas in the North East area of Cyrodiil. Basically anywhere south of the Imperial City would be safe. Just go in game, before you activate BladeSong, and travel to anywhere south of the Imperial City, and make a new save game. Exit Oblivion, and proceed to step 7.


7 : Activate the mod's.. In order to play BladeSong, you must have the following checked as active in Oblivions active mod listing : BladeSong.Esp and ScreenEffects.Esm.

8 : You are ready to start Oblivion and play BladeSong. Important - Once you are in game please find a location to sleep for 24 hours. This is to ensure all Ai will process correctly. This is purely for your sake, as the user, to have the most bug free experience possible while playing BladeSong.

9 : Important note before you play : Once you have slept for the 24 hours, if you have not yet completed the quest to remove the invisibility spell effect from the town of Aleswell, you will need to complete it before you can proceed into the main quest line. You *can* do this safely with BladeSong active, it will be fine.
Find Diram, if you can't locate him, search around the tavern where he is usually at almost all the time (he will be invisible, but a close look reveals a blurry pattern of his body if he is nearby). More then likely he will find you first though..

10 : Full installation of BladeSong V1.1 Complete.






1 : Download either the BladeSongEsp V1_1 or the DarkerDungeonsVersionEsp V1_1, Extract the contents of the .Rar file to a safe location on your computer. Open the new folder created, and inside copy the folder named Data. Then Paste to your Oblivion folder (normally located in Program FilesBethesda SoftworksOblivion). If prompted to overwrite, check 'Yes". Be sure to copy the entire contents of the Data folder provided, the new DistantLod files must be installed along with the .esp.

2 : When using save games from V1.0 , there are a few places and scenes where the old version saved games *cannot* have been made at, as they may cause significant visual anomalies and bugs. These areas include the following : Inside any of the new interiors added by BladeSong - most significantly Tess's shop, any time during the 'campfire' scene - after that scene is completely finished it is then safe to use an old saved game. Suggested not to use old saves made on the day of the battle.

3 : For those that are running the Shivering Isles expansion, *only* if you are using a save game from v1.0 that was made while Tess is a companion - you must type the following line in console mode once the save game is loaded : StartQuest AAZShivIsleFixskg Again, only do this if you are running Shivering Isles and made the V1.0 save game while Tess is a companion, if this console command is inputted at any point before Tess was a companion, it will cause harm rather than good.


4 : Installation Complete.





Uninstalling BladeSong :

1 : While BladeSong is still active, go in game and load your last saved game. Once in game, press the ~ (title) key. Then type : SetStage RestoreChangesDl 10 and then hit enter, then hit the ~ (title) key again. Now you must wait about 5 to 10 seconds for the confirmation message to come up that indicates changes to Oblivion due to BladeSong have been reversed. Once the message has come up, and you have exited the message box, you must make a new save game. This save game will be safe to continue to play from once BladeSong is completely removed now. Then exit the game and proceed to the next step of uninstalling BladeSong.

2 : Start Oblivion Launcher, click Data Files, uncheck BladeSong.esp.

3 : Navigate to your Oblivion Data folder (normally located in Program FilesBethesda SoftworksOblivion).

4 : Delete the following files and folders from the given locations :

BladeSong.esp located in OblivionData

BladeSong.bsa located in OblivionData

All files that contain the following text "aanorrianplains" located within OblivionDataDistantLOD

BladeSongMusic Folder located in OblivionDataMusic

BladeSongRaces Folder located in OblivionDataTexturesCharacters

5 : Uninstall Complete



Troubleshooting :


The quest line was not designed for companion usage during it, and one may experience potential bugs along the way with a companion.

There are two fairly lengthy fade out/fade in sequences, which will result in the screen fading to black for up to 15 seconds, please just be patient and wait for the loading process to complete. During these two fade out sequences, there is a very *minor* chance a random crash may occur. In both situations, a save game is created just before the the fade out starts, so in the event of a crash you can come back to where you left off and proceed forward from that point.

There is a particular instance involving a large scale battle. During this instance, a save game is created just before and also after the battle is finished. Save games that are made during the battle itself may prove to be unstable and cause crashes. A text prompt comes up in game before the battle starts which reveals this identical information.

Depending on the users system specs and/or video card, a small percentage of users may experience a random crash while fast traveling to Aleswell. As far as I can tell this not due to the mod itself, but due to the vast exterior area and it's impact on computer performance during the loading process. I have confirmed on my end that even with BladeSong de-activated rare random crashes do happen when fast traveling to exterior areas around and at Aleswell at times.
In the event of such an occurrence, a second try will likely work fine. If a constant crash issue persists, please be sure that BladeSong is set to the last load order position, beyond this, try waiting a few moments once in game again to allow everything to load properly before trying again. In the worst case scenario one may need to use an earlier save, or may even need to re-boot to reset the video cards memory. It is unknown at this time if Screen Effects may increase the chance of in game crashes.