Fallout: New Vegas: Complete Guide

This guide covers Fallout: New Vegas from Goodsprings to the Battle of Hoover Dam: character building, the faction and reputation system, the critical path, the DLCs, companions, Hardcore mode, and how to make the 2010 PC version run stably today.

Researched September 2026. The game's content is final (all DLC released 2010–2011). The modding stack below reflects current community practice. Live games change; check the linked sources if something differs.

Quick Start

Follow the road south. The game points you from Goodsprings to Primm, Nipton, Novac, and the long way around to Vegas. The direct northern route passes Quarry Junction (Deathclaws) and cazador nests, which kill low-level characters.
Intelligence is great, but every build works. Skill points per level are based on Intelligence. Most checks in the game are skill checks, not SPECIAL checks.
Speech and Barter open huge amounts of content. Dialogue checks can solve quests, recruit people, and skip fights.
Pick a primary combat skill. Guns, Energy Weapons, Melee, Unarmed, or Explosives. Spreading points thin is the classic trap.
Save often, in several slots. The engine is prone to crashes and quest bugs. Rotate at least three hard saves.
Reputation matters. Each faction and town tracks your fame and infamy separately. Killing or helping people changes who will trade with you, hire you, or shoot on sight.
Companions are powerful. Boone, Veronica, Arcade, Raul, Cass, Lily, ED-E, and Rex each give a perk and have personal quests.
Use VATS. It pauses combat, lets you target limbs, and makes low-skill characters much better at hitting.
Level cap is 30 without DLC, 50 with all four story DLCs.
Patch the game before you play on a modern PC. See the "Running It Today" section.

Character Creation

SPECIAL

Stat	What it does	Notes
Strength	Melee damage, carry weight, weapon strength requirements	Needed for heavy weapons and melee
Perception	Detection, Energy Weapons and Explosives skills	Useful for sniping and explosives
Endurance	HP, implants, Survival and Unarmed	Sets how many implants you can get
Charisma	Companion effectiveness, Speech and Barter	Weakest stat for most builds
Intelligence	Skill points per level, Science, Medicine, Repair	Strongest stat in the game
Agility	Action points, Guns, Sneak	Great for VATS-heavy builds
Luck	Critical chance, casino wins, all skills	Very strong: extra crits and casino winnings

Implants

The New Vegas Medical Clinic (Freeside) sells SPECIAL implants. You can get one per point of Endurance. They let you start low in a stat and fix it later.

Traits (pick up to two)

Trait	Effect
Wild Wasteland	Silly encounters and references. Replaces some serious encounters
Good Natured	Better non-combat skills, worse combat skills
Skilled	+5 to all skills, but less XP
Built to Destroy	Higher crit chance, faster weapon degradation
Fast Shot	Faster firing, less accuracy in VATS
Four Eyes	+1 Perception with glasses, -1 without
Trigger Discipline	More accurate, fires slower
Heavy Handed	Stronger melee and unarmed, weaker crits
Kamikaze	More AP, less damage resistance
Small Frame	+1 Agility, limbs cripple more easily

Tagged Skills

Pick three skills to tag. Common first-run tags: your combat skill, Speech or Barter, and Lockpick or Science (loot access).

Skills and Perks

Skills cap at 100. Skill books permanently add points. Skill magazines give short-term boosts for tough checks.
Perks come every other level. Useful picks for most builds:
- Intense Training (+1 SPECIAL)
- Educated (more skill points), taken early
- Comprehension (skill books and magazines give more)
- Toughness, Finesse (crits), Better Criticals
- Grim Reaper's Sprint (VATS kills restore AP), Jury Rigging (repair with similar items)
- Hand Loader, Shotgun Surgeon, Cowboy, Commando, Laser Commander, Rapid Reload, Sniper, Unstoppable Force, Slayer, Super Slam, Piercing Strike, as your build calls for them.

Build Examples

Build	SPECIAL focus	Skills	Notes
Gunslinger / Cowboy	Agility, Luck	Guns, Speech, Repair	Revolvers and lever-actions with Cowboy
Sniper	Perception, Agility, Luck	Guns, Sneak	Anti-Materiel Rifle and other hunting and sniper rifles
Energy Weapons	Perception, Intelligence	Energy Weapons, Science	Laser and plasma weapons scale with Science
Melee / Unarmed	Strength, Endurance, Agility	Melee or Unarmed, Survival	Learn special moves from trainers
Charismatic Talker	Intelligence, Charisma	Speech, Barter	Solve quests and win the final battles with dialogue and companions
Explosives	Perception, Intelligence	Explosives, Repair	Grenade launchers and mines

Factions and Reputation

Faction	Summary
NCR (New California Republic)	Democratic republic from the west. Bureaucratic and overstretched
Caesar's Legion	Slaver empire. Brutal, but brings a kind of order
Mr. House	Robot-run New Vegas Strip
Yes Man (Independent)	Take the Mojave for yourself
Brotherhood of Steel, Boomers, Great Khans, Followers of the Apocalypse, Powder Gangers, and more	Minor factions whose fate depends on your choices

Reputation is tracked separately for each faction and town, both fame and infamy. Some factions will send assassins or hit squads if they hate you. Wearing a faction's armor can disguise you.

Main Story Path

Goodsprings: wake up at Doc Mitchell's and learn the basics.
Primm, Nipton, Novac, Boulder City: follow Benny's trail.
New Vegas Strip: confront Benny at the Tops Casino.
Faction choice: work with the NCR, the Legion, Mr. House, or Yes Man.
Battle of Hoover Dam: the final battle. It's the point of no return, so finish side content first.

Endings

Ending	Summary
NCR	The Republic keeps the Mojave
Caesar's Legion	The Legion takes the Dam and Vegas
Mr. House	House keeps control of the Strip with robots
Yes Man / Independent	The Courier takes Vegas independently

The ending slides also cover each minor faction, town, and companion based on your choices.

DLC

DLC	Released	Summary
Dead Money	December 2010 (Xbox 360); February 2011 on PC	Trapped in the Sierra Madre casino with forced allies. Hard survival, weak weapons. Go around level 20+
Honest Hearts	May 2011	Zion National Park, tribes, and the Burned Man
Old World Blues	July 2011	Big MT with mad scientists, comedy, and great loot
Lonesome Road	September 2011	The Divide and Ulysses, the original Courier Six. Hardest DLC
Gun Runners' Arsenal	September 2011	More weapons, mods, and ammo
Courier's Stash	September 2011	Four pre-order packs of early gear

A common play order is Dead Money, Honest Hearts, Old World Blues, then Lonesome Road. It follows the story's buildup and the difficulty curve. Each DLC's Courier story connects to the others.

Companions

Companion	Location	Companion perk
Craig Boone	Novac	Spotter: hostiles are highlighted when you aim
Veronica	188 Trading Post	Scribe Assistant: extra crafting options at workbenches
Arcade Gannon	Old Mormon Fort (Freeside)	Better Healing: stronger out-of-combat health regeneration
Raul	Black Mountain	Regular Maintenance: your gear degrades more slowly
Rose of Sharon Cassidy	Mojave Outpost	Whiskey Rose: whiskey without the usual penalties, plus a DT boost
Lily	Jacobstown	Stealth Girl: stealth and Stealth Boy bonuses
ED-E	Primm	Enhanced Sensors: earlier enemy detection
Rex	Freeside	Search and Mark: highlights ammo, chems, and food nearby

Perk details are summarised. Check the wiki for exact values.

Hardcore Mode

Hunger, thirst, and sleep need tracking.
Ammo has weight.
Stimpaks and healing items heal over time, not instantly.
Crippled limbs need a doctor's bag or a doctor.
Companions can die permanently.
There's an achievement for finishing the game in Hardcore mode.

Running It Today (PC)

The PC version is stable with a few community fixes. The community-standard approach is the Viva New Vegas modding guide. Its core setup is:

Install outside Program Files if possible (for example, C:\Games\Steam).
Mod Organizer 2 to manage mods safely.
FNV 4GB Patcher: lets the game use more memory. The single biggest stability fix.
xNVSE (the updated New Vegas Script Extender): put the .dll and .exe files in the game folder (not Data). Launch with nvse_loader.exe, or with the normal .exe once the 4GB Patcher is applied.
Engine fixes and bug-fix plugins, such as JIP LN NVSE and the Yukichigai Unofficial Patch (YUP).
Frame rate: the engine has physics and timing problems at very high frame rates. Cap your FPS (commonly 60) unless your mods fix this.

Add big content mods only after the base game is stable.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Taking the northern route early. Deathclaws and cazadores kill new characters.
Spreading skill points thin.
Relying on one save slot.
Killing important NPCs before finishing their quests.
Starting the Battle of Hoover Dam before finishing side content. It ends the game.
Ignoring Intelligence. Fewer skill points hurts every build.
Skipping the 4GB Patcher and xNVSE on modern PCs.

Advanced Tips

Cheap Luck-based casino money: high Luck makes blackjack profitable until the casino bans you.
Hand Loader and reloading benches make ammo cheap.
Use companion commands (the companion wheel) to set their behavior: melee, ranged, passive, and so on.
Faction armor as a disguise gets you through enemy territory.
Skill magazines pass important checks without investing points.
Wild Wasteland unlocks unique encounters and weapons, like the Alien Blaster and the Holy Frag Grenade. (The Mysterious Magnum doesn't need it: take it from the Lonesome Drifter east of El Dorado Dry Lake, or pass a Barter check during Talent Pool.)

FAQ

Where should I go first? Follow the main quest south from Goodsprings to Primm, Nipton, and Novac. Don't go directly north.

What's the level cap? 30 in the base game, 50 with all four story DLCs.

Which ending is best? It's up to you. Yes Man (Independent) is the most flexible, and NCR and House are popular. Each ending changes the slides for factions and companions.

Which DLC first? Dead Money, Honest Hearts, Old World Blues, then Lonesome Road is the most common order.

Does it run on Windows 10/11? Yes, especially with the FNV 4GB Patcher and xNVSE. Follow the Viva New Vegas guide for a stable setup.

Is Hardcore mode worth it? For a second playthrough, yes. It makes survival mechanics matter.