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The rolling tumbleweed, the strum of an acoustic guitar, the hammer of my revolver—well, it appears I’ve stumbled into Fallout: New Vegas yet again. Something about the seemingly endless expanse of the Mojave Wasteland always draws me back. It’s apparently working on you too because here we are over a decade later and still playing the game. I never get tired of it, but you could always install the best vanilla-friendly Fallout: New Vegas mods around to keep things fresh.
5. YUP, NVSE, and UP NVSE Plus
Even if you have no intentions of modding New Vegas into something completely different from the original, you should at least have YUP, NVSE, and UP NVSE Plus installed. Both Yukichigai Unofficial Patch (YUP) and Unofficial Patch NVSE Plus (UP NVSE Plus) iron out a bunch of bugs. You want both considering UP NVSE Plus actually extends the number of bug fixes that YUP doesn’t cover.
Before you do though, you’ll want to first install the New Vegas Script Extender (NVSE). It’s not only required for many bug fixes, it also extends the capabilities of scripts, which is absolutely needed for most mods, especially if the mods add new content.
4. JSawyer Ultimate Edition
What better way to experience the Mojave Wasteland again than with the JSawyer Ultimate Edition mod? What makes this mod particularly special is that it was originally created by the director and lead designer for New Vegas, Josh Sawyer himself! This version, the Ultimate Edition, is a remake of Sawyer’s original mod to address bugs and inconsistencies.
The JUE mod alters the balance of the game by tweaking a long list of values, like reducing the level cap, less health, higher defenses, and less carry weight, just to name a few. Ultimately, New Vegas feels deadlier and more strategic. While you may feel squishier, so will your enemies. It’s a fair trade-off. If you’ve played through the game already, JUE will make it feel fresh and new!
3. Mojave Raiders
I don’t know about you, but I think the raiders are all a bunch of bums. Don’t get me wrong, the lore of the raiders is top-notch writing, and obviously the Great Khans are the best. The problem is after a while raiders stop feeling like a threat. And worse still, combat unfolds much in the same way, despite each faction looking aesthetically different.
With Mojave Raiders, the dregs of the Mojave Wasteland are much more distinct, especially when it comes to loot. Without the mod, it always seemed like raiders shopped at the same Super-Duper Mart. Additionally, you won’t be able to essentially farm lower-leveled raiders for good loot, partly because you’ll encounter them far more often.
2. Tale of Two Wastelands
You can argue all day long on whether or not New Vegas is better than Fallout 3. Have at it! But if you love both, then I can’t recommend Tale of Two Wastelands enough. It turns Fallout 3 into a mod for New Vegas, so you can experience both games in a single playthrough. Keep in mind you’ll need both games, though.
It doesn’t just smash the two together haphazardly, but instead blends features together into one unique experience. For example, many of New Vegas’ mechanics like iron sights, mods, ammo creation, even survival mode are ported into FO3. Cut content has been restored too, along with bug fixes and balance changes.
1. New Vegas Bounties
From the music to the setting, Fallout: New Vegas has quite the wild west feel to it, but something’s missing. Shouldn’t we be chasing after wanted criminals, degenerates, and deserters? If you want to feel like the fastest gun in the west, install the New Vegas Bounties mod.
It adds a whole host of outlaws to track down and kill or, alternatively, turn in alive for a better bounty. The fun of this mod is definitely the roleplaying aspect. Your targets will not go down easy, and it only gets harder over time. And the best part? It’s fully-voiced (and it’s pretty good, too).
