Things to Do First in Fallout New Vegas - Fallout: New Vegas Guide - IGN (2024)

Whether you've decided to start playing the Fallout franchise with New Vegas, or you're a series veteran who has never explored this part of the post apocalyptic wasteland, New Vegas has a lot of mechanics and features that set it apart from other games like Fallout 3 and 4. So here’s all of your best tips and tricks for starting Fallout New Vegas.

Loot EVERYTHING in Doc Mitchell’s House

As the game begins, the Courier will wake up in Doc Mitchell’s house after being treated for their gunshot wound. This is one of the rare instances where you can be in a house that someone else owns and loot everything that’s not nailed down. He has a ton of Stimpacks, health items, and other junk that you can hold on to or sell to make some decent bottle caps before you leave Goodsprings.

As you begin to explore the Mojave, remember that the Doc is your earliest best bet for healing back up quickly if you run low on stimpacks or food. If you suffer too much limb damage, or get irradiated to the point where it's effecting your stats, head back to Doc Mitchell and he'll fix you right up!

Choose Skills and Perks Wisely

Before robbing Doc Mitchell blind, you’ll have spent some time creating your character and distributing some skill points. If you aren’t incredibly happy with what you originally chose, you’ll get one last shot at rearranging your skill points before leaving the tutorial area, Goodsprings.

Slotting your skills into survival key aspects will help at the beginning of your adventure. The repair skill is going to be huge as it saves you from relying on vendors to fix your items. Of course you also can’t go wrong with improved Lock Picking that way you don’t miss out on that extra loot, and putting points to improve your speech will help you get cheaper prices at vendors and may even allow you to talk your way out of a dangerous situation.

Every other level, you'll also get a point to invest in one of several Perks, which more Perks unlocking the higher level you become. There are many to choose from, and some will give you instant benefits while others only activate in very specific ways. Try to find a balance in investing in Perks that not only benefit your playstyle - like Rapid Reload - but also ones that can be invested in early to pay-off down the line - like Educated or Strong Back.

Curate your SPECIAL Scores

SPECIAL stands for Strength, Perception, Endurance, Charisma, Intelligence, Agility, and Luck. Your preferred playstyle will heavily influence how you build your character. For example, if you really like sweet-talking your way out of things... and then bonking enemies to death when that fails, a high-charisma, high-strength build is a good bet.

Just be aware that however you build your stats, 5 Strength is the average requirement for weapons. Endurance will give you more HP and a higher survival stat and will be handy for specific augmentations later on.

The good news is that you'll be able to invest in a certain Perk that can raise of your attributes, allowing you to keep building your core stats up if you find yourself faltering in one area!

Find a Place to Store Your Excess Loot

Player Housing isn't really as much of a thing in New Vegas as it is in later games, but that doesn't mean you can't find ways around this to store your items in certain places.

Usually, most places you visit will gradually replenish items over time, which means you can't leave items lying around for too long or they'll be replaced. However, there are a few exceptions to this rule you can use to your advantage:

• Victor's Shack - the strange cowboy robot has his own home in Goodsprings, but he doesn't ever really use it, so you can use the various containers inside to store items and they won't ever disappear!

• Dino Dee-lite Motel - Once you reach the town of Novac, you can purchase a room to rent in the Dino Dee-lite Motel (which you can use indefinitely for the rest of the game) for 100 Caps. Not only is the room well-stocked, but its many storage containers can be used to stash all sorts of excess items that will remain there until you take them out again.

Go South

Unlike Fallout 3 or 4 that generally let you explore outward in multiple directions, New Vegas tends to funnel you in a certain direction for a good duration until its confident you can start exploring out on your own. Often times you'll find certain directions are much more approachable than others until you reach the titular New Vegas near the northern central area of the map.

From the starting town of Goodsprings, we highly recommend you follow the main quest and go South to the next town, Primm. This will be the easier route to learn New Vegas and also explore and earn XP. You can start the questline around the Vicky and Vance Casino to rescue the deputy and then elect a new sheriff. You can travel south all the way to the Ranger Station with the giant statue in the southwest corner of the map, and then start heading east through Nipton, and then northeast to Novac. Along the way, you'll be able to find lots of points of interest that are generally the same level, so long as you don't go too far in any one direction.

New Vegas also has few invisible walls to prevent you from climbing over steep mountain ridges to beeline toward the center of the map, so often times if you find massive ridges, you're meant to travel between them - not over them.

But Avoid the North

Going North early on can get you some quick good leveled loot early on but it also extremely dangerous!

There's a reason the main quest takes you to the south, even though you can likely see New Vegas from where you were shot at the start of the game. Goodsprings has several warning signs if you try to take the north road out of town, or head northeast past the cemetery, and they aren't just for show.

If you try to head due north, you'll be ambushed by hordes of flying mutant wasps known as Cazadors who will rip you to shreds this early in the game. They fly much faster than you can run, and the venom from their stings mean even one hit will likely be lethal

Alternatively, if you try to bypass the north road by cutting to the northeast you'll hit Quarry Junction, which has been taken over by a nest full of Deathclaws! These things are way overpowered for you in early levels. Going South and exploring the questline as instructed is the best way to go.

Factions - Avoid Picking Sides Early

Beyond the quest to find the people who tried to kill you, you'll also become embroiled in several faction wars over the supremacy of New Vegas - which largely comes down to the New California Republic (NCR), and the huge army of slavers and costumed bandits known as Caesar's Legion.

You’ll stumble across the NCR very quickly after leaving the tutorial area upon reaching the Mojave Ranger Station with the giant statues. Do not make the mistake of becoming their enemy since it’ll be extremely difficult to evade their wrath with how many outposts they control.

Similarly, you'll get a grisly introduction to the Legion when you reach Nipton, but it's advised you simply relay the events that transpire rather than seeking justice this early. Instead, aim to be as neutral as possible with each faction starting out so you can properly explore and level up before deciding who to side with.

Certain smaller factions have less sway, like the Powder Gangers you'll run into outside Goodsprings and Primm, and unless you're running a distinctly evil playthrough, they'll be fair game to take down to get the general populace rooting for you.

Use Stealth

Stealth will be a huge boon to you in fights or in situations where you don’t want to aggro anything and just go on your way. Stealth damage usually gives you a pretty good bonus so you’re encouraged to try and sneak quite a bit if that’s your style.

Stealth will come in handy when you’re in the first few areas and get a bit overwhelmed by the amount of enemies in a building. Sneak around to get stealth kills and take on enemies one by one instead of alerting them all to gang up on you.

Explore

Explore everything! A lot of buildings can be looted and you can find some interesting nooks and crannies in the Mojave Desert. Discovering new areas also give you XP and you’ll be able to fast travel from point to point. This will then in turn make selling your junk much easier and faster since you can just fast travel to a town with a vendor.

Always be on the lookout for locked safes or terminals you can interact with to gain more loot, or make a note of their locations so you can come back with the right tools or skill books later.

As for important places to find early, we recommend:

• Primm - Between the Vicki and Vance Casino having vendors and the larger Bison Steve Hotel crawling with Powder Gangers, there's plenty to loot and a place to sell!
• Mojave Outpost - Your first real interaction with the NCR is also another good stop to sell and pick up quests, and eventually recruit a companion.

• The Prospector's Den - located in the hills southwest of Primm, a cave where traders used to congregate has been taken over by Raiders. Clear them out, and after a few days traders will return to sell their wares here!

• New California Republic Correctional Facility - A major site for a questline to find Primm a new Sheriff, and also the faction base of the Powder Gangers, this place has a lot whether you decide to ally yourself with them or not. If you do become their ally, you can trade with some of their members, and if you go out seeking justice, you can recruit a prisoner to help Primm, and find a ton of loot in the well-fortified prison.
• Nipton - A sobering look at what Cesar's Legion is capable of, the town will become mostly abandoned after you reach it. Fortunately for you, this means it's a great place to find a lot of loot in the remaining homes and its larger Town Hall.

Eat Food and Drinks Before a Fight

Food and Drinks in New Vegas can sometimes be more important than in others Fallout games - especially if you have the Survival Skills to cook them yourself! Many cooked foods and drinks have status effects that can help you in fights. Make sure to pop your refreshment of choice before a fight so you can be best buffed and prepared. The effects usually don’t last too long but it should be enough to help you out in whatever skirmish you may be in.

If you plan to increase your Survival Skills, be sure to know where the nearest campfire is to cook at, like the one Sunny Smiles can teach you at Goodsprings Source. Make a habit of knowing what your current Survival Skill allows you to cook, and keep related raw ingredients on hand.