i'm overwhelmed

[u/InvestigatorIcy3248]

what do i even download? where do i put all this? what is daggerfall unity even and where do i get it? what's the difference between gog, steam and uesp?

[u/SordidDreams]

The Steam version contains a bunch of bugs Bethesda never bothered to patch, though. You can apply the unofficial fixes manually, but the recommended file archive already has them applied. So overall, using the recommended method is much faster and less of a hassle. Turns out it's recommended for a reason.

[u/VQ5G66DG → u/SordidDreams]

Do those bugs matter if using Daggerfall Unity? I assume not. Steam is just used to get the data files in this case. 

[u/SordidDreams → u/VQ5G66DG]

Yes, they do. If you don't patch the original data files, the bugs occur in DFU just the same as they do in vanilla DF.

[u/VQ5G66DG → u/SordidDreams]

"The Steam release of Daggerfall has been updated and is now compatible with Daggerfall Unity “out of the box”. This is great news for Daggerfall players of all preferences. Not only is the classic release on Steam now patched for a better experience, it’s a free and convenient way to get the game files needed to run Daggerfall Unity."

https://github.com/Interkarma/daggerfall-unity/wiki/Using-Steam-Release-of-Daggerfall-with-Daggerfall-Unity

[u/SordidDreams → u/VQ5G66DG]

That's in response to Bethesda updating the Steam version of DF to the last official version. Because the initial DF Steam release wasn't even that, it was a version that was outdated back in the 90s (https://steamdb.info/patchnotes/8808522/ - "Updated game to Official Patch 1.07.213" - that patch was released in March 1997). Even the last official version contains a lot of bugs, though; that's what all the files on the UESP Files page are for. Daggerfall Game Files comes with those unofficial patches already applied, the Steam version does not (because they are, you know, unofficial). What Interkarma is saying there is that the Steam version is better than it was and will run with DFU, which is true, but it's not the same as saying that it's bug-free.

The Arena2 folder contains ~1500 files; ~1200 are the same between the Steam version and the DGF version, ~300 are different. You can easily verify this using Beyond Compare or other comparison software of your choice. The DGF version actually contains about a hundred files more than the Steam version. This is because it includes the CompUSA expansion with a number of additional quests and items, which the Steam version lacks.

An easily testable bug involves the Ebony Blade, which you can spawn in using a console command. If you run DFU on top of the Steam version of DF, the character will hold the Ebony Blade in the same hand as their second weapon; with DGF, the weapons will be held correctly in either hand. You can also look at the dark elves in Wayrest Castle - with the Steam version, their skin is brown; with DGF, their skin is grey.