Never understood this attitude. Having mods is like having unlimited free DLCs. Console players LIKE DLC, so what exactly is the difference?
DLC good, mods bad? - it makes no sense.
Well, DLCs bring consistency, mods bring PC users a way to maximise their experience on their already highly customizable rigs. Oblivion and Oblivion moded are two completely different games telling the same story.
Mods are amazing, and what people get to do with them, from
Team Fortress in 96 to
Oscuro's Oblivion Overhaul (to name just a couple of great examples) is just incredible.
But the thing is, especially in highly modable games like TES, is that there can be such a thing as to many mods for certain players. A lot of them can be game breaking, lore-ignoring, cheating, simply silly and on and on... That doesn't stop from those mods to be popular, what better to do with your imagination in a sandbox than actually create this awesome starship from your favourite show because you can?
DLCs on the other hand are technically mods (they load up just like regular mods in TES) but they are built by a dedicated team that works full time on them and are meant to be 100% part of the official lore and canon. Some can be doubtful (like the
horse armour), others just perks to enrich your class (class lairs) and some are just plain awesome like
Knights of the Nine (which although cool, the armour set was maybe a bit to practical) or a true example of what Bethesda still has up its sleeves:
Shivering Isles.
And lets not forget what they where called before Bethesda made DLCs popular around the gaming world with their horse armour pack (wheren't they like the first to offer actual "DLC"), as
ExpansionPacks have been around for years, adding a lot to popular games while waiting for the next sequel.
Morrowind's Bloodmoon which added the oh so popular werewolves back in TES.
The advantage, and problem with DLCs is that they usually cost. This can be a good thing since they help fund future projects and hopefully great games, but if the DLC svcks, then you waste money for something you might not even touch in-game.... And the way companies implement DLCs is also interesting. I feel like Bethesda went from a slow start with minor DLCs in Oblivion, but actually have come with some great content that has actually been praised by reviewers with the two Fallout games, and therefore I can't wait to see what they might do with Skyrim in the future. As long as they don't start with some crummy schemes like Activision's map packs and other stuff like that which just feels way to overpriced!
but do get back on topic (so nobody can accuse me of ninjaing this topic

) I believe that they want you to live with your choices throughout the game, either while questing or levelling. So it is a good thing they don't allow you. They never did in the other games either. I just don't understand why they can't put in barbers in freaking Tamriel! Is it so much of an arcane art? Even the wasteland had them!