Simple Creature Level Cap

Simple Creature Level Cap

Requirements:

None

Description

This mod simply adds a maximum level cap for all creatures that scale indefinitely. The cap is set to the level that the creature would be when the player is level 25. This level was selected because loot scaling tops out around 20-25, so it makes sense that enemies don't continue to get harder if the reward for fighting them does not get any better.

A large number of creatures in Oblivion increase in level with the player indefinitely. This is a problem as the player usually reaches maximum combat effectiveness around level 25-30 when main combat-related skills and attributes are maximised. Consequently, enemies become harder without the player getting any stronger. This mod fixes that.

For NPCs, indefinite scaling is fixed by Balanced NPC Level Caps. This mod is just the equivalent for creatures.

Regarding Balanced Creature Stats:

You'll notice that this mod is not called "Balanced Creature Stats Remastered". This is a 'dumb' fix for the creature scaling problem and is nowhere near as comprehensive as Balanced Creature Stats for the original game. That mod also edited creature stats so that they were consistent within creature types, and completely unleveled and balanced all indefinitely scaling creatures. An example of vanilla inconsistency is that the game contains many different Trolls used in various quests or locations, many of which have slightly different stats even though they have no visual difference or unique names. These are likely the result of inconsistencies baked in during development (e.g. copying earlier version of creatures, or creating new creatures rather than copying existing ones) or miscalculations when trying to predict stat scaling for leveled versions of static creatures. Balanced Creature Stats made it so that all Trolls that had no distinction correctly shared the same stats at the same level. Doing this for all creatures was a laborious spreadsheet task that I honestly don't feel like re-doing right now. This mod is a stop-gap until I feel like it.

With this mod, you are essentially 'living with' the fact that creature stats in the game are a bit wonky and just enforcing an arbitrary hard cap before they get too tough.[/s