The ability to mod games like Fallout 3 and Skyrim is one of the biggest advantages toward longevity when compared to other, less modifiable RPGs. Fallout: New Vegas -- Bethesda’s most recent post-apocalyptic RPG -- is not an exception to this. With a multitude of mods available on NexusMods, it’s certainly not difficult to find oneself with 60+ mods adding anything from high-resolution textures to overhauls for major factions to new weapons. Today, we’re going to be showing how to completely overhaul Fallout: New Vegas into a harsh, unforgiving, immersive wasteland by using a compilation of graphics mods, content / quest mods, mechanics overhaul, and more. Welcome to 'Fallout: New Vegas - 2014.'
Luckily, Fallout: New Vegas is fairly easy to mod, but due to the large number of mods, this article will be split into six different sections: required mods, graphics, quests/content & mechanics, other mods, how to install Fallout: New Vegas mods, and tips/conclusion.
Note: This mod overhaul requires all the DLC for Fallout: NV along with the most recent update from Bethesda.
Fallout: New Vegas is a great game; arguably the best of the franchise. The issue is the game is unfinished in both a literal and figurative sense. It was a rush job that Obsidian did their best with but wasn't given enough time to realize their vision fully. Unlike a lot of Bethesda games, mods feel less like an extra and more like a necessity to keep the game fresh after a single run through, since everything in New Vegas is nearly inextricably hooked into the main quest. Almost every quest that first appears to be optional is still related to the main conflict in some way, with few exceptions. Some are even mandatory; you can just choose to do them out of order.
However, from that flawed yet amazing shell, a lot of modders have created mods that push the game closer to its more definitive version. Many fix bugs and common crashes or add extra content or even things that were intended to be added but were never finished. In any case, from the simple quality of life improvements to necessary bug fixes, and fun gameplay tweaks, here are the top New Vegas mods.
Fallout New Vegas Script Extender
If you want more, bigger, and more complex mods, you need the New Vegas Script Extender (NVSE). It's only technically a mod, since it's more like an extra bit of software modders use for most complex New Vegas mods, but deserves a spot for how ubiquitous it is and how much it improves the modding scene.
FNV 4 GB Patcher
Sadly, a necessary mod rather than a fun one. New Vegas is an excellent game, but clearly rushed and unstable. The 4 GB Patcher allows it to use more memory, increasing stability and reducing script lag and crashes from memory overload, a problem New Vegas shares with Skyrim where save bloat increases over time (exponentially so with mods) until eventually a given save file is too large for the game to process.
New Vegas Anti Crash (NVAC)
Another necessary one, this mod (NVAC) does what it says on the tin. The game will crash less. Mind, it only reduces a specific kind of crash (though it is a common one), but combined with the 4 GB Patcher and NVSE you're in pretty good shape.
NMC's Texture Pack
Now that the game is more stable, why not upgrade its looks? Let's be honest, New Vegas is an old game and wasn't particularly a looker at the time of its release anyway. Given the limited time Obsidian had to work with, it's understandable they focused more on gameplay than visuals, but modders have no such time constraints. While I never dive deep into heavily modded visuals for Bethesda games (I don't even use ENBs), I do appreciate a little upgrade after all these years, and NMC's Texture Pack hits the perfect middle ground between being easy to install and having wide-reaching changes to the game's visuals. Taking the game to vanilla Skyrim levels is quite the achievement, and looks plenty good enough for me. Plus if you want more, it plays well with most other graphic overhaul mods, as long as they don't replace the same textures of course.
Fallout Character Overhaul (FCO)
What NMC's Texture Pack does to most textures, FCO does to the people of the Mojave. Given you spend a good 40% of this game zoomed in on these people's faces, it's a pretty good idea to make sure you like what you're looking at. Similar to NMCTP, this boosts New Vegas to roughly vanilla Skyrim levels in terms of what each NPC (and your own character) looks like, which is perfectly tolerable for me.
EVE-Essential Visual Enhancements
One last boost to the visuals and we're good to go. This one (EVE) is primarily about weapon effects. Not weapon textures themselves, but bullet impacts, explosion textures, lasers, ash and goo piles on kill, and even character reactions to being shot. Given the lion's share of the other 60% of this game besides talking to people is shooting them, this will be sure to make your experience more enjoyable if you like seeing people get killed in flashy ways, like seeing brief skeletal outlines of people that get ashed by your laser criticals!
Project Nevada
All right, we're into the fun stuff now. Project Nevada is the overhaul for New Vegas. It expands on existing mechanics (the cybernetic implants available from the Clinic, for example), adds a boatload of new ones (like using explosives to unlock doors and chests), and also functions as a rebalance to the game, making combat more challenging and inventory space more precious.
The best part about it? It's fully customizable. Every feature can be changed, activated, or deactivated at will from its mod page. I don't like the reduced carrying capacity, so I crank it up, so I never have to worry about it again. You can make your movement speed faster, change how much health you get from Endurance and leveling, and everything else the mod touches.
It's the one mod I recommend everyone install because there's something there for every kind of player. For a while, it was the only New Vegas mod I ever installed since it did so much of what I look for in other modded Bethesda games already.
The Someguy Series
This is a master mod for all of the quests and companion mods made by someguy2000. Which mods you install after are up to you, but all are great. His quests and companions are fully voice acted and are quite interesting plot-wise after the first (New Vegas Bounties I is pretty bare bones) and just keep getting better both in voice acting quality, complexity, and plot as time goes on. It's very fun to play from the start and see how the mods evolve as he gets better at creating the quests.
New Vegas Uncut
Like the Someguy series, New Vegas Uncut is not one mod, but a collection. The entire purpose of this mod series is to complete and add content that was meant to be added to New Vegas, but was never released, usually due to lack of time on Obsidian's part. From weapons to entire quests, this nine mod series adds a lot to the game that's all lore friendly and could even be considered canon content. The only one I don't recommend is Freeside Open. While a very cool mod that interconnects all of Freeside's parts so there aren't so many loading screens to go through (similar to the Open Cities mods for the Elder Scrolls games) it is notoriously incompatible with a lot of other mods. Basically any mod that adds new quests, areas, some items, or NPCs to Freeside (which is a lot) breaks with Freeside Open in the mix. This includes one quest deep into New Vegas Bounties I (mentioned above) and makes the quest impossible to complete without going into the mod's files, sifting through the quest stages, and using the console to move the quest ahead.
Other than that, though, they're all worth a look.
Beyond Boulder Dome
Wait wait wait, before you let the silly name throw you off, hear me out. Beyond Boulder Dome is an excellent, DLC sized (about the size and quest length of the official Honest Hearts DLC) quest and locations mod based on the Boulder Dome location from Fallout: Van Buren (a sadly never realized third Fallout game from Black Isles Studios before they went under, that has extensive notes on what a lot of Fallout's world looks like and was the partial basis for New Vegas itself) that has an interesting and disturbing atmosphere. Definitely worth at least one playthrough.
Weapon Mods Expanded (WMX)
This WMX mod adds more weapon customizations for existing weapons, and even adds a few new ones. This is another mod I consider almost official content. The mod author (Antistar) is actually the reason why weapon mods are in New Vegas at all! He made a mod adding weapon mod kits to Fallout 3, and Obsidian liked the idea so much they implemented them as a base part of New Vegas. That makes this sort of a third generation mod; a modification of a core system based on an original mod. Which is pretty cool to me.
Moreover, it greatly expands the limited weapon mods of New Vegas (there were only three per weapon before if that since some weapons were left out entirely) and adds a lot of new variety and options to weaponry. Only three mods can be added to any one weapon still, so rather than adding the only three mods to a weapon and calling it fully kitted and never touching it again, there are actual trade-offs to modifying a weapon, since adding one mod means precluding another. It's not a deep change, but it adds enough, and in such a way that I sometimes forget it's not part of the base game, in much the same way I feel about Project Nevada.
Yukichigai Unofficial Patch
New Vegas is a buggy game. No fan will deny that. But thankfully, there are patches. A lot of them, in fact, making New Vegas pretty unique among Bethesda's games with active modding scenes. Oblivion and Skyrim, for example, have one big Unofficial Patch team that made it their mission to patch as many bugs as possible. New Vegas, perhaps fittingly, was more like the wild west, a bunch of dedicated individuals stomping out problems as they came across them.
YUP is but one of many extensive New Vegas patches, but it is my preferred for one big reason: it's easily compatible with the last mod on this list. If you don't use the below, then any of the other patches will do you pretty much just as well.
A Tale Of Two Wastelands
Recreating a previous game in the series in the newest game's engine iteration is kind of the holy grail of Bethesda game modding. The Elder Scrolls series has had many failed, abandoned, or stalled projects from Morrowblivion to Skyblivion and Skywind, and several others that have produced little results over the years. Even the New Vegas recreation in Fallout 4's engine has borne little fruit since it was initially revealed.
A Tale of Two Wastelands is the exception. To be fair, they had it a little easier: Fallout 3 and New Vegas use almost identical engines and assets, and they got permission early from Bethesda to work on the project. That isn't to undersell their accomplishment though; successfully linking two games (Fallout 3 and New Vegas in this case) into one enormous, seamless game is no small task.
Still updated, this is the way to play the previous generation Fallout games in my opinion. Starting in Vault 101 and making your way to the Mojave is quite satisfying, especially with its compatibility with certain other mods (Project Nevada being the big standout). You can always go in reverse as well, though that gets a bit weird, narratively speaking.
It is an excellent, ambitious mod and improves on both games by applying New Vegas' new mechanics and more interesting perks to Fallout 3's gameplay, and let you enjoy an improved version of 3 while carrying over many of the fun weapons and other items from 3 to its sequel.
And that's the list! Happy modding!
Fallout: New Vegas is the fourth installment of the Fallout series of action role-playing video games by Bethesda. The following cheat codes are available for Fallout: New Vegas on the PC. To use the codes, press the 'Tilde Key ( ~ )' during gameplay and type in one of the following cheat codes.
Depending on your version of the game, you may need to add the '-console' command line parameter to launch the game before the cheat console will load. Click on this link for information on adding command line parameters.
Cheat Codes
Add # Special Points Cheat code: addspecialpoints #
Advance One Level Cheat code: advlevel
Show All Map Markers Cheat code: tmm 1
Increase # of Bottle Caps Cheat code: player.additem 000000F (number of caps)
Change Sex Cheat code: SexChange
God Mode Cheat code: tgm
Kill Selected NPC or Enemy Cheat code: kill
No Clipping Cheat code: tcl
Quits Game Fast Cheat code: QQQ
Resurrect Selected Dead NPC or Enemy Cheat code: resurrect
Set Skill Level [Max # is 100] Cheat code: player.setav #
Set Current Weapon to 100% Cheat code: player.setweaponhealthperc 100
Unlock Any Selected Physical Lock and Terminals Cheat code: unlock
Steam Achievements
You can unlock the following achievements in the Steam version of Fallout. Achievements are medals or rewards given for accomplishing a specific task or tasks.
Ain't That a Kick in the Head How to unlock: Complete Ain't That a Kick in the Head.
All or Nothing How to unlock: Complete All or Nothing.
Arizona Killer How to unlock: Complete Arizona killer.
Artful Pocketer How to unlock: Pick 50 pockets.
Blast Mastery How to unlock: Cause 10,000 damage with energy weapons.
Caravan Master How to unlock: Win 30 games of caravan.
Come Fly With Me How to unlock: Complete come fly with me.
Crafty How to unlock: Craft 20 items.
Desert Survivalist How to unlock: Heal 10,000 points of damage with food.
Double Down How to unlock: Play 10 hands of blackjack.
Eureka! How to unlock: Complete eureka!
For the Republic How to unlock: Complete For the Republic.
G.I. Blues How to unlock: Complete GI blues.
Globe Trotter How to unlock: Discover all snow globes.
Hack the Mojave How to unlock: Hack 25 terminals.
Fallout New Vegas Top 10 Mods
Hardcore How to unlock: Play the game from start to finish in hardcore mode.
Jury Rigger How to unlock: Repair 30 items.
Know When to Fold Them How to unlock: Win 3 games of caravan.
Lead Dealer How to unlock: Cause 10,000 damage with guns.
Little Wheel How to unlock: Play 10 spins of roulette.
Love the Bomb How to unlock: Cause 10,000 damage with explosives.
Master of the Mojave How to unlock: Discover 125 locations. Ablebits crack.
Mod Master How to unlock: Install 20 weapon mods.
New Kid How to unlock: Reached 10th level.
New Vegas Samurai How to unlock: Cause 10,000 damage with melee weapons.
No Gods, No Masters How to unlock: Complete no gods, no masters.
No Tumbler Fumbler How to unlock: Pick 25 locks.
Ol' Buddy Ol' Pal How to unlock: Recruit any companion.
Old-Tyme Brawler How to unlock: Cause 10,000 damage with unarmed weapons.
One Armed Bandit How to unlock: Play 10 spins of slots.
Outstanding Orator How to unlock: Make 50 speech challenges.
Render Unto Caesar How to unlock: Complete render unto Caesar.
Return to Sender How to unlock: Complete return to sender.
Ring-a-Ding-Ding How to unlock: Complete ring-a-ding-ding.
Stim-ply Amazing How to unlock: Heal 10,000 points of damage with Stimpaks.
Talent Pool How to unlock: Complete talent pool.
That Lucky Old Sun How to unlock: Complete that lucky old sun.
The Boss How to unlock: Reach 30th level.
The Courier Who Broke the Bank How to unlock: Get banned from all the Strip's casinos.
The House Always Wins How to unlock: Complete the house always wins.
The Legend of the Star How to unlock: Complete The Legend of the Star.
The Whole Gang's Here How to unlock: Recruit all companions.
They Went That-a-Way How to unlock: Complete they went that-a-way.
Up and Comer How to unlock: Reach 20th level.
Veni, Vidi, Vici How to unlock: Complete veni, vidi, vici.
Volare! How to unlock: Complete Volare!
Walker of the Mojave How to unlock: Discover 50 locations.
Best Fallout New Vegas Mods 2018
Wild Card How to unlock: Complete wild card.
You Run Barter Town How to unlock: Sell 10,000 caps worth of goods.
You'll Know It When It Happens How to unlock: Complete you'll know it when it happens.
More Fallout Cheats and Codes
If you need more information, check out Fallout 3 cheats for the PC and Fallout 3 Add Perk Codes and Quest Codes.