I've been playing Fallout New Vegas for almost a year now (more like six months), I knew about it ages ago but made the mistake of not embracing its awesomeness until this past spring. Now I am happily addicted, seriously New Vegas is one of my favorite games ever right up there Earthbound, A Link to the Past/Ocarina of Time (tied), Final Fantasy VIII, Final Fantasy Tactics, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and Zork: The Great Underground Empire.
After having played Fallout 3 and Fallout 4, I can easily say that New Vegas is without a doubt (in my opinion) the best in the series and my obvious favorite. But like Skyrim, New Vegas can be taken to the next level of awesomeness with mods and on today's article I will share with you all my "must-have" mods for Fallout: New Vegas.
Essential User-Interface "UI" mods:
Darnified UI, how can I describe it - it makes the menus, HUD and dialog boxes less scrunched up and more visually appealing. The new interface changes the cross-hairs to make them more intuitive and less intrusive, definitely a must-have over the default.
Fallout 4-like HUD; this mod changes the HUD (the compass below and the radar) to be more like one seen in Fallout 4, there is a patch for those who use Darnified Ui.
MCM: The Mod Configuration Menu, this one is an optional yet very interactive tool. It should be in your load order because a few mods like the Bag of Holding, Director's Chair, Project Ultimatum, and Immersive HUD rely on it in order to function properly.
Bag of Holding; this mod is amazing! Forget ever having to rely on sketchy storage containers or companions to carry your burden, now you can take all of your stuff with you, anywhere, everywhere, at all times and the best part is that it is useable via the Mod Configuration Menu meaning that it takes up zero inventory space.
Essential Utility Mods:
4GB Fallout New Vegas; This application utility allows the game to allot more memory in order to enhance gameplay and prevent crashes, and if you intend to play a heavily modded game then you should definitely download and install 4GBNV asap!
NVSE (New Vegas Script Extender); this nifty little tool like OBSE and FOSE before it helps improve the game in a variety of ways by extending the use of the game's mechanics allowing for much more versatility. It's good to download and install this as just about every other mod on the New Vegas nexus requires it in order for them to work properly.
Lutana; I must admit that I am not entirely sure what this plugin does outside of the realm of a few script tweaks and commands, either way a lot of mods require it.
JIP NVSE Plugin; this is an NVSE plugin that adds 350+ new functions for scripts and the GECK, also many mods require it.
UIO - User Interface Organizer; this one is another NVSE plugin and it does exactly what it says on the can and most mods in fact require it to work properly.
Bugfixing, Patch and Game Stabilization mods:
YUP (Yukichigai Unofficial Patch); this patch fixes pretty much every bug, quirk and glitch in the game and its DLCs and is pretty much an essential in anyone's load order.
NVAC (New Vegas Anti-Crash); this plugin for NVSE helps prevent the game from random crashing and freezing during load screens and saves.
Enhancement Mods:
Fallout 4 Style Nuka-Cola and Sunset Sarsaparilla Machine replacers; these machines (seen above) are absolutely stunning visual enhancements to their original incarnations, and have earned a permanent place in my load order replacing all of the original dull vanilla machines.
EVE; this mod is a must-have for better laser, plasma, and explosive visuals. It boosts the game from great to awesome just by installing it.
NMCs Texture Pack; this mod replaces pretty much every texture in the game with new ones making the game environment look more detailed and appealing.
Performance of the Gods; basically a nuisance remover, this mod removes all sorts of in-game rubbish such as underwater rocks, invisible walls, litter, dust, dust whirlwinds, and particles in order to improve gameplay and stability this is especially recommended for lower-end PCs.
Clarity; this mod removes the orange tint filter and makes the skies of Nevada more um, clear.
Wasteland Flora Overhaul; this mod adds more to the Mojave in terms of flora and the like because why should it look barren just because its a desert? It also comes in two flavors; Fertile and Dead.
Enhanced Blood Textures; makes bloodstains, gore, and splatter look more realistic and life-like.
Alternative Blood Spout; this mod changes the way characters and monsters bleed and also splashes the player screen with blood, making things bloodier and better.
Improved Sound FX; this mod improves the audio of most weapons (energy and laser, pistils & rocket launchers) and also enhances the sound effects of dismemberment and decapitations,
FO3 Experience Gain Sound; basically what this does is it replaces the rumbling sound with the "kaching" cash register sound effect similar to the one in Fallout 3.
Interior Lighting Overhaul; this mod completely revamps the indoor lighting as well as the strength and reach of the Pip Boy light. This is an essential mod in my opinion as it has made dungeon delving, and exploring ruins of New Vegas to be much more exciting, it also has patches for the New Vegas Interiors Project and Willow.
Electro City; This mod adds city engineers to various parts of the Mojave who have improved the lighting issues plaguing the area. Essentially this mod makes the bulbs of the casino lights function like normal flashing lights, and makes them brighter, as well as adds streetlights and lights to the various highways. This is a pretty essential mod for anyone playing with a "darker nights" mod in their load order.
Enemy AI - Tactics - NPC Healing; this mod is great! Basically it makes mobs of enemies more unified and dangerous without making the game too difficult. It makes enemies react better and depending on the odds, can even make them run away.
Bond's Prospector Saloon; Basically this completely redesigns the saloon in Goodsprings from being dull and boring to something with a bit more flair and appeal.
Hall of Face; this mod is definitely an essential in my book, it alters the faces of everyone in the game to look more realistic and life-like without taking away from their original "vanilla-ness", so this would be the mod to go to if you didn't want to use New Vegas Redesigned or Fallout Character Overhaul.
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| Mojave Sandy Desert (Left) and the Mojave Nights (Right) |
Mojave Nights; This mod makes the mojave night sky look more realistic and alters the moon and stars for an overall more immersive player experience.
Mojave Sandy Desert; This mod is a must-have for me, it replaces the grainy 18-bit looking sand with real "dune sea" like sands and integrates itself perfectly within the Mojave wasteland, works perfectly with Vurt's Wasteland Flora Overhaul.
Blue Waters for New Vegas; this mod makes the water in game look bluer and prettier to look at whenever you're around a large body of water like at lake Los Vegas or Hoover Dam.
Hi Res Eyes; This mod changes all of the textures in the game into more appealing and life-like eyes.
Greaser-Styled Greasers; this is an inconsequential but useful mod. Basically what it does is change the "greasers" (who are in fact just regular chem-fiends/wastelanders) in the North Vegas Sewers into looking like actual greasers similar to the Kings.
Alsatian NCR Guard Dogs; this changes the mangy mutts guarding Helios One and other NCR-bases into German shepherds, a canine more befit to serve the military.
House Mods:
Abandoned Brotherhood of Steel Outpost; This is a player home nestled high in the Charleston mountains near Jacobstown. It features an underground bunker/cellar with weapons and armor storage, a ranger-communications tower with a useable cot and a garage with storage, two beds, a working radio, and refrigerator. It's a fairly new mod (uploaded and updated in July 2015), however it's quite impressive and makes for a nifty little home and command center for any Brotherhood of Steel or NCR aligned characters.
Luxury Hideout; adds a grate in Goodsprings across from the Prospector Saloon that leads to a fabulous player-owned vault home. The home comes with a terminal that will unburden your load for you, as well as plenty of safe storage containers for your weapons, armor, and misc items. The vault comes with a player-owned bed that upon resting grants the "well rested bonus", and you can choose whether you want to listen to a jujebox or a radio and customize whether you want it light or dark via interactive light switches.
NV Novac Apartment; this little player home mod is outstanding it completely transforms the simple player apartment in Novac from a dull motel room into a penthouse fit for old world stars like Dean Domino and Vera Keyes. If you are however running NV Novac Apartment together with "Niner", be sure to temporarily disable the apartment mod until your "business" in Novac is over.
My Atomic Wrangler Suite; basically all this mod does is change the simple player room at the Atomic Wrangler into a more livable "bachelor pad". It has a modest amount of downloads and only boasts 100 endorsements, however it makes having to slum it out in Freeside until you can get onto the Strip more bearable.
Follower Mods:
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| Butch is back! |
Butch Deloria is Back; basically what it says on the tin. The modder more or less just ported Butch from Fallout 3 into New Vegas but he is a fully functioning companion with a working companion wheel to boot and can still style your hair like in Fallout 3, the only drawback to this great mod is that Butch cannot be told to go to the Lucky 38 like every other companion.
Niner; What can I say about Niner by Mishaxi, he's an awesome chem-addled, gun-toting errand boy from California. He comes packed with his own unique clothing and a quest that will take you into New Vegas, it is a short quest but as I said it goes hand-in-hand with the journey to New Vegas so experiences may vary. Might I add that since I found out about this companion mod, I have never not used it.
Willow; Willow is another interesting companion mod. She is an NCR-aligned companion, and in fact can be found camping out in her own tent not far from the Mojave Outpost. Like Niner, she is fully voiced and has her own quests however in addition she also uses her own sort of karma or "disposition" system like the ones used in KOTOR and Dragon Age Origins. She sort of reminds me of the Anna NPCs mod from Skyrim, in that she sings, tells jokes, and is fully custom voiced - it is interesting to note that she can be recruited at the same time you and Niner head for the "deal" at the outpost, unfortunately the two have zero interactions with each other.
Niner and Willow are both FCO - compatible with patches made by Drumber, so if you're using the Fallout Character Overhaul mod be sure to include those patches in your load order.
Fire Gecko Companion; Let me just say that I f***ing LOVE this little guy, he's a badass fire gecko with a unique design and willow follow you automatically starting from the Goodsprings Source (where you go Gecko hunting with Sunny Smiles). I've been using this little dude ever since I got New Vegas for PC and have never not used him, I would totally recommend downloading if only to have a unique animal follower who isn't a dog.
Armor Mods:
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| Courier 'Nick' wearing the Reflex Armor |
Coyote Reflex Armor; this set of power armor is top of the line in badassness, and is also a port of its Fallout 3 counterpart. It can be found by a bombed-out car in Freeside, but requires the power armor perk in order to wear it. After getting the prerequisite perk and donning the armor, you will have never looked more badass when slaying chem fiends and deathclaws in the Mojave.
Road Fighter Armor; this armor is a must have for me, since discovering it I have always used it in a playthrough and have never removed it from my load order. Its location is perilous, off the road up from Sloan and near the Quarry, but it is a very neat looking set like a cross between the Kings and Great Khans.
Midwestern Brotherhood of Steel Power Armor; this armor was taken from Fallout Tactics, it is the armor of the Midwestern chapter of Brotherhood of Steel members wear. Once added to the game it can immediately be seen on several paladins of the Hidden Valley sect, as well as on a few random BoS Paladin corpses throughout the game.
Wasteland Looter Armor; it's a port of the same armor from Fallout 3. It's a very simple but appealing looking armor, and can be found as early as the start of the game making adventuring or...looting more interesting.
Casino Heist Pack; this adds several snazzy looking suits perfect for an "Oceans 11" styled casino break-in.
Weapon Mods:
Classic Fallout Weapons - New Vegas; This weapon mod is at the top of this list for good reason as it integrates many missing and classic weapons from past Fallout games into New Vegas, so if you've played Fallouts 1 and 2 you can look forward to finding some of your favorite oldschool weapon-tech throughout the Mojave wasteland.
Lightsabers; Just what it says on the can - this mod adds lightsabers to the Mojave wasteland and they can be found in a locked safe in No-Bark's shack in Novac.
Lightsaber sound FX; and to go with the Lightsaber mod this little fix makes it so that the lightsabers in the game actually sound like the lightsabers from KOTOR and the Star Wars films.
AE-86 Seiryuu Beam Katana; this mod adds a futuristic electrical "cyber katana" to the gas station in Goodsprings. Its quite powerful and can reduce enemies to piles of ash, it goes well with the Coyote Reflex Armor mentioned above.
Quest Mods:
Area 51- Project Roswell; When I first purchased New Vegas it had not dawned on me that it took place in the same region as the Roswell sightings and Area 51, however to my dismay there was no associated in-game quests with Area 51 or classified Military/Alien secrets. This mod corrects that mistake by adding in a quest pop-up at the start of the game that directs you to the military tunnel to Area 51 to begin the quest.
For the Enclave; for the Enclave is an interesting mod that starts off as soon as the Courier reaches level 10, and is approached by an Enclave patrol in a vertibird. The quest deals with two warring factions of the Enclave; the Pro-genocidal variant from Fallout 3 and a new group who disavowed the ideologies of President John Henry Eden.
The Brotherhood House Alliance; Think of this as the "Paarthurnax Dilemma" for New Vegas, this mod makes it so that you can "persuade" Mr. House to spare the Brotherhood of Steel provided you have come to a peaceful conclusion during the Hidden Valley quests.
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