So, amidst all the debate about whether or not microtransactions are ruining the Oblivion experience, the real question of "are the mods actually worth having?" tends to get brushed by the wayside. So far, there are only a handful of mods for the 360 version of Oblivion, so you could easily buy them all and still have plenty of Marketplace points leftover for your Arcade game of choice, but eventually there will be a veritable buffet of choices, and I thought it would be helpful to know which ones are actually worth the cash and which aren't.

The Wizard's Tower is definitely one for the "worth it" column. The tower itself was the haven of a previous Arch Mage, a place for him to reflect and study Magicka. If you're playing Oblivion as a magic-user, then the Tower is definitely worth the $2 asking price, as it provides its own spellmaking and enchanting altars, as well as an alchemy table that gives you a temporary +15 buff to your alchemy stat when you use it. There's even a garden in the tower that offers up just about every growing alchemy ingredient in the game, including those only found on the other side of those pesky Oblivion gates. The tower is useful for non-magic users too, however, because it acts the same way that a home would (in other words, gives you a safe place to sleep and a secure spot to store your gear) but doesn't cost you a single Septim. It also provides warps to every Mage Guild in the game, which makes it a very convenient hub for travel.

There's no quest involved with the Tower--you simply automatically receive the deed and the map marker--but it's a valuable resource, especially if you're just starting in the game.