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.

Sources

• Fallout: New Vegas on Steam
• Fallout: New Vegas: Independent Fallout Wiki (DLC, level cap, factions)
• xNVSE on GitHub (installation)
• Independent Fallout Wiki: Dead Money (release dates)
• Independent Fallout Wiki: Mysterious Magnum
• Viva New Vegas modding guide