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Considering the game’s age, Fallout: New Vegas still sees massive overhauls and quest mods nearly every year. Some mods greatly improve the game’s performance while others add a barrage of new quests. While performance mods are fantastic, some of the most exciting mods are those that overhaul the feeling of New Vegas entirely. Here are some of the best Fallout: New Vegas mods that make it feel like a brand new game. This list is in no particular order.
Updated December 29, 2021 by Mark Sammut: Fallout: New Vegas debuted in 2010 and it is still alive and active all these years later. The RPG still averages roughly 4,000 players on Steam, a ridiculous achievement for any game. Obviously, Obsidian Entertainment deserves a lot of credit for FNV’s longevity, but the modding community is also a significant force behind the RPG’s lasting presence. The best Fallout: New Vegas mods come in many shapes and intentions; some improve the gameplay, others fix bugs, and a whole lot add fresh content.
21 NMCs Texture Pack for New Vegas
Mod created by NeilMc_NMC (Nexus Mods)
The textures of Fallout: New Vegas are anything but pretty to look at, so it goes without saying that a texture mod is a must to ensure that the game doesn’t look extremely dated.
The NMCs Texture Pack ends up upscaling and retouching most of the textures in New Vegas, allowing for the game to look absolutely beautiful — something that can prove to be a huge difference-maker in a title that is heavily showing its age.
20 Nevada Skies
Mod created by Yossarian and Anro24 (Nexus Mods)
The weather effects present in Fallout: New Vegas might be pretty decent in their own right, but there’s no denying the fact that there’s way more that can be added to the weather in order to make it easier on the eyes.
With the Nevada Skies mod, the weather of the Mojave Wasteland takes on a beautiful identity of its own, turning the exploration of this game into a treat pretty much every single time.
19 Fallout Character Overhaul
Mod created by Drumber (Nexus Mods)
The characters present in Fallout: New Vegas might be memorable for many reasons, but their looks are definitely not one of the reasons why. However, with the Fallout Character Overhaul mod, this will become a thing of the past.
This mod upscales the textures of all the characters and makes them all the more pleasing to look at, which is definitely a welcome change in every sense of the word.
18 Weapon Mods Expanded — WMX
Mod created by Antistar (Nexus Mods)
Modding one’s weaponry is bound to be an addictive task to accomplish — something that the creator of the WMX mod has definitely realized.
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This creator also added a mod like this for Fallout 3, and the fact that this ended up inspiring the people over at Obsidian Entertainment to integrate weapon mods in their game is quite an achievement indeed. With WMX for Fallout: New Vegas, this base modding system is expanded upon considerably for massively entertaining results.
17 Bleed
Mod created by Roy Batty - Puppettron - Qolore (Nexus Mods)
Similar to Fallout 3, New Vegas’ weapons are not that satisfying to use since they are not particularly impactful. Even on higher difficulty levels, the base game is still pretty easy, leading to combat scenarios lacking much in the way of tension or depth.
The Bleed mod improves things by changing how damage is inflicted, presenting a more realistic experience that packs quite a punch on Very Hard or Hardcore. Although this mod doesn’t change too much on the surface, it transforms the Fallout: New Vegas experience as it forces players to carefully consider how they approach each battle.
16 Wasteland Flora And Terrain Overhaul
Mod created by vurt and Marcurios (Nexus Mods)
Fallout: New Vegas is rich with character and environmental storytelling, but the wasteland is not exactly the most varied of terrains to explore. Eventually, all the trees start to look the same, causing the game to feel rather repetitive.
This mod rectifies this by adding a whole slew of new trees and plants, spreading more than a hundred variants across the wasteland. Even if it doesn’t change the gunplay or add new story beats, this download makes the simple act of traveling through the Vegas desert more engaging.
15 World Randomizer For NV
Mod created by Honest Signal (Nexus Mods)
Even though Fallout: New Vegas has been out more than a decade by this point, the modding scene still occasionally throws out a unique surprise. World Randomizer for NV is a brilliant idea for a mod: every door within New Vegas is randomized. This makes the whole adventure unpredictable and singular since nobody will have the same exact experience.
Now, the mod was only uploaded to Nexus on November 30, 2021, so there are still a number of bugs that need to be ironed out. Nevertheless, this mod is a great option for those looking to mess around a bit in Fallout: New Vegas.
14 EVE — Essential Visual Enhancements
Mod created by weijiesen and jonnyeah (Nexus Mods)
Using guns and other weapons in Fallout: New Vegas can prove to be quite a blast indeed — literally at times — but one has to admit that some of the effects attached to these guns can prove to be quite lacking indeed.
Thankfully, with the EVE mod, this worry becomes a thing of the past. All of a sudden, all the weapons of Fallout: New Vegas end up being viscerally satisfying in every way.
13 Roleplayers Alternative Start Fallout New Vegas
Mod created by Gribbleshnibit8, pintocat, and scaredwolf (Nexus Mods)
Most Fallout games have a lengthy introduction before players get into the thick of exploring the wasteland. These introductions are fun the first few playthroughs, but they get stale quickly.
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Fortunately, the “Roleplayers Alternative Start Fallout New Vegas” mod fixes this issue by letting players choose their character’s stats and starting gear right from the start. This allows players to roleplay characters that aren’t a Courier or, better yet, skip Goodsprings altogether and start the game where they please.
12 Weapons Of The New Millenia
Mod created by Millenia - Naky - many others (Nexus Mods)
Weapon mods are some of the most readily available for pretty much any type of RPG, and Fallout: New Vegas is no exception. Generally, a single weapon is not going to have too much of an impact on the overall experience, outside of making the campaign easier, harder, cooler, or sillier.
The Weapons of the New Millenia mod stands out due to the sheer volume of content included within it; the mod has more than 40 weapons created by Millenia. Designed to be user-friendly, the mod allows players to determine how they would like to interact or acquire the new weapons. They can be unlocked for free, dropped from enemies, or purchased from vendors.
11 Real-Time Settler
Mod created by arcoolka (Nexus Mods)
“Real-Time Settlers” by arcoolka is such a fantastic addition to Fallout: New Vegas that Bethesda ripped its systems and placed them into Fallout 4. And just like Fallout 4, it just works. Players get to place a foundation near any plot of land and begin creating a house for themselves.
Alternatively, they can give the house to an inhabitant who, stop if this sounds familiar, can help harvest food or water and help raise happiness for the town and recruit new inhabitants. The inhabitants can also build houses if the player asks them to, allowing entire towns to be constructed under the player’s control. The mechanics of Fallout 4’s settlement system are so close to “Real-Time Settlers” that many will mistake this mod as a copy of Fallout 4 even though it came out in 2010. Those that loved playing the Minutemen in Fallout 4 will adore this mod.
10 Asurah Reanimation Pack
Mod created by Asurah (Nexus Mods)
Back when Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas were released, both games were regarded as having dated animations by modern standards. Fallout 4 did a great deal to address this issue, but modders have done a fantastic job updating Fallout: New Vegas’s animations as well.
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One of the best Fallout: New Vegas mods to overhaul its gunplay is the “Asurah Reanimation Pack.” This mod overhauls nearly every weapon animation in the game ranging from firing animations to reloads. These animations are some of the best on the Nexus and make New Vegas feel much closer to a proper shooter than ever before. It even works with popular weapon mods on the Nexus with some compatibility patches.
9 Fast V.A.T.S. And Kill Camera
Mod created by JimmyCM123 (Nexus Mods)
A mod that speeds up V.A.T.S.’s zoom and kill camera might not seem like it would be a game-changer, but this download has a far more significant impact than is initially apparent. Fallout: New Vegas’s combat is clunky and, for the most part, is not considered one of the game’s brightest points.
This mod makes the gunplay a smoother experience, allowing combat scenarios to flow at a much more pleasing and natural pace than the base game.
8 New Vegas Bounties
Mod created by Someguy2000 (Nexus Mods)
Someguy’s series of quest mods are some of the best for Fallout: New Vegas. Out of all of Someguy’s quest mods, the “New Vegas Bounties” series is the best assortment of quests that fit right into New Vegas.
These mods are all about bounty hunting. Players get the choice of gunning down their targets for pay or bringing them in alive for better payment. Without spoiling it, these targets each add to an overarching narrative that is expertly done and stands alongside some of Obsidian’s best quests in the main game. Anyone that wants to turn New Vegas into more of a western RPG should definitely give “New Vegas Bounties” a try.
7 JSawyer’s Ultimate Edition
Mod created by PushTheWinButton (Nexus Mods)
Considering Fallout: New Vegas was developed in 18 months, it’s no surprise that some of the developers on the project felt the game was rough around the edges. That is why Joshua Sawyer, the project lead and lead designer on New Vegas, made his own balance mod titled “JSawyer.”
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Certain members of the community have altered and re-released the mod as the “JSawyer Ultimate Edition.” This mod acts as a balance overhaul to the game, changing nearly everything from item balance to core systems such as perk acquisition rates. It makes New Vegas a much more challenging game that rewards planning. It’s especially noticeable in Hardcore mode.
6 New Vegas Uncut
Mod Series Created By MoBurma (Nexus Mods)
Obsidian’s ambition with Fallout: New Vegas led to a lot of incomplete content cut out of the game at the last moment. The number of quests and general content that was removed before the game’s launch due to time is staggering. Thankfully, MoBurma has created a series called “New Vegas Uncut” that aims to restore some of Obsidian’s unused ideas.
Some features include implementing Victor into the main narrative, reintroducing the first time players interact with the Van Graffs to better establish their backstory, and evening revamping Freeside to be one continuous world space. The work that has gone into restoring this content is something to be commended and even better to experience. Just the “New Vegas Uncut Freeside Open” mod is enough to radically change the feeling of this major city.
5 A World Of Pain
Mod created by Dj Mystro (Nexus Mods)
While not altering the base gameplay all that much, this mod adds a whole lot more of Fallout: New Vegas for players to enjoy. A World of Pain introduces more than 150 new locations, along with plenty of unique quests, weapons, and items. The content is also on the difficult side, providing a more grueling experience than the vanilla game.
Fallout: New Vegas inspires people to fill the wasteland with their own stories, and this mod should keep things fresh once someone has mined everything the original RPG has to offer.
4 Project Nevada
Mod created by PN Team (Nexus Mods)
One of New Vegas’s first major overhaul mods is also one of its best. “Project Nevada” aims to enhance the game by overhauling core sandbox elements while adding new systems like cybernetics to further increase replayability.
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It might seem bloated by today’s standards, but “Project Nevada’s” modular installation package and Mod Configuration Menu make it easy to install for any playthrough.
3 Tale Of Two Wastelands
Mod created by TTW Team (TTW.com)
Some players argue whether Fallout 3 is better than New Vegas. Well, why not combine the best of both worlds? “Tale of Two Wastelands” is one of the most impressive mods available for New Vegas, combining Fallout 3 and New Vegas into one game.
Systems from New Vegas make their way into the third title such as ammo types and the Survival skill while New Vegas gets to benefit from Fallout 3’s selection of items and locations while able to start in Vault 101 or Doc Mitchell’s house. Players will need to own a legal copy of both games with all DLC to install this mod, but the payoff is nothing short of astounding.
2 Dust
Mod created by naugrim04 (Nexus Mods)
If players want a radically new experience that is a massive shift from New Vegas, nothing can beat “Dust.” “Dust” effectively turns New Vegas into a survival horror game where the player’s sole objective is to escape the Mojave.
Make no mistake, this mod is incredibly difficult and filled with new mechanics such as hallucinations. A persistent dust storm and some environmental changes help create a new tone for New Vegas that was not present in the base game.
