Major expansion and overhaul mods for Fallout: New Vegas

Fallout: New Vegas came out in 2010, and people are still releasing mods the size of standalone games. There is DUST's hardcore survival, New California's fully voiced prequel, and The Frontier with tanks in Portland.

This selection covers major mods that transform and expand the game with new locations, quests, NPCs, more developed factions, and different ways to play.

DUST Survival Simulator

The Mojave twenty years after New Vegas: no longer merely post-apocalyptic, but actual hell. DUST removes all vanilla quests and NPCs. Your only task is to survive and get out of the Mojave. No factions, no allies. Just you, tunnelers, and cannibal gangs that will eat you at the first opportunity.

• Brutal hunger and thirst: a few hours without water can kill you.
• Increased damage for everyone, including you: one bullet can kill.
• New enemies: tunnelers have overrun the wasteland; geckos are gone.
• An insanity system: eat people, kill indiscriminately, and lose your mind.
• Lake Mead has dried up into a maze full of tunnelers.
• Changed weather: constant dust and radiation.

Installation (differs from the standard process):

1. Required DLC: Dead Money, Honest Hearts, Lonesome Road, Old World Blues (from version 1.65), and Gun Runners' Arsenal.
2. Load DUST after every other mod in your load order. This is critical.
3. Incompatible with weather, NPC, weapon, and armor mods: DUST overwrites their changes.

This mod is ridiculously difficult. You really will die dozens of times before learning to sneak, craft, and plan every move. Strategy matters more than leveling: charging in blindly will not get you far.

✅ How gameplay changes: DUST turns New Vegas into a hardcore survival simulator. Forget dialogue and choosing a faction: expect paranoia, scarce resources, and constant fear of death. If you want a true post-apocalypse without heroic exploits, this is your choice.

Fallout: New California

A fully voiced New Vegas prequel with its own world and 15–30 hours of gameplay. New California launches from the main menu as a separate campaign. You play a kid from Vault 18 in the San Bernardino Mountains in 2260. Events take place several years before Fallout 3 and New Vegas, so your actions affect the NCR's future.

• A new world two-thirds the size of the Mojave.
• 48 branching quests, although many are simply undocumented side quests.
• 14,877 voiced lines performed by 60 actors.
• 8 companions, depending on your choices.
• 13 endings with radically different story branches.
• Two radio stations with unique music.
• War between super mutants, raiders, the Enclave, and the NCR.

Installation:

1. Download the .exe installer from Nexus.
2. Run the installer: it will automatically locate the game folder.
3. Check the load order in your mod manager: FalloutNV.esm, (official DLC), FalloutNewCalifornia.esm, (DLC control plugins if you own all DLC).
4. Set textures to High or Ultra; otherwise, the game will crash.

The story has two chapters. The first takes place in Vault 18, where your decision during a Vault-Ball match determines your entire future. The second takes you into the wasteland and a war between the NCR, survivalist raiders, and Enclave remnants. Every faction wants to use you for its own purposes.

✅ How gameplay changes: You get a full RPG with meaningful choices and consequences. Dialogue depends on SPECIAL and perks, as in the original Fallout games. Multiple playthroughs can produce completely different stories. After finishing New California, you can continue into the Mojave as the Courier (from version 2.3.1).

Fallout: The Frontier

Snow-covered Portland, NCR tanks, the Legion, and over 60 quests. The most controversial mod in New Vegas history. The Frontier adds a huge new world in snowy Portland, Oregon. Three main factions, the NCR, Legion, and Crusaders of Steel, fight for control of the city. Its standout feature is controllable vehicles: tanks, vertibirds, and cars. All of it works through scripts, without external engines.

• A map the size of the Mojave (64×64 cells).
• Over 530 interiors.
• Three questlines, each lasting 15–35 hours.
• Over 150 new weapons.
• Drivable tanks and helicopters.
• Weather effects: snow, rain, and fog.

The NCR questline is a linear action campaign with in-game cutscenes. The Legion gets a dialogue-focused questline offering a broader perspective on the faction. The Crusaders mix both approaches.

The Frontier released in January 2021 and immediately drew heavy criticism for questionable content, which was subsequently removed. The team is actively working on rebalancing and reworking the lore.

✅ How gameplay changes: You get linear action focused on scripted sequences and vehicles. If you enjoyed Fallout 4's Call of Duty-style sections, you will like The Frontier. If you prefer classic RPGs, it may feel too straightforward. Tanks genuinely change combat, but vehicles are available only in the new world, not in the Mojave.

Long 15 — NCR Expansion

Visit the Long 15 before the Courier launches nuclear missiles at it. Long 15 opens up the Lonesome Road location and turns it into a full NCR region. Over 30 quests, more than 200 voiced characters, new towns, and three major questlines with different outcomes for the region.

• A fully explorable world.
• New towns: Baker, Casa Stanton, The Fort, and Far-Go Trading Company.
• Over 130 interiors with multiple exits.
• Over 50 new armor and clothing sets.
• 13 unique guns.
• A radio station with over 30 tracks and a voiced DJ.
• 4 player homes.
• Companion reactions to events.

You can reach the Long 15 through the Mojave Outpost: go through the rear gate where a new NCR guard stands. Talk to Major Knight first, then the guard.

The mod released in December 2025, but has already broken every Mod of the Month voting record. The team promises continued support and updates.

✅ How gameplay changes: The expansion feels like official Obsidian DLC. Vanilla-style design, no crazy mechanics or out-of-place lore. Just more NCR content with choices and consequences. Your decisions in the Long 15 affect what you will see in Lonesome Road.

Nova Arizona — A Legion Lands Expansion

Legion territory east of the Colorado River, focused on lore and atmosphere. Nova Arizona adds western Arizona, the lands under Caesar's control. Its goal is to bring Legion content closer to parity with the NCR and expand the game's themes. There is no main quest: everything is side content that might have existed in vanilla if Obsidian had had more time.

• Over 200 new interiors.
• Over 100 new marked locations.
• Over 500 new human NPCs.
• 36/~64 quests: 36 already in the game, the rest in development.
• Over 2,000 new dialogue lines.
• 15 unique guns.
• 22 new outfits.

The team spent months developing the lore, reconstructing the timeline and expanding faction cultures and histories, especially the Legion's. Includes many original concepts for Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Colorado, and Mexico.

✅ How gameplay changes: The Legion stops being a cardboard evil faction. You see how its economy, everyday life, and relations with locals work. Quests cater to different builds and faction choices. The mod expands the base game's content by 50% while preserving New Vegas's balance and narrative tone.

AWN — After War Nevada

A comprehensive overhaul with classic resistances, new enemies, and updated progression. AWN (After War Nevada) is a major gameplay rework inspired by the first Fallout games. One author, one large plugin, everything balanced around a single system. It changes weapons, armor, enemies, perks, progression: practically every aspect of the game.

• A resistance system like classic Fallout's: lasers, plasma, fire, and so on.
• Reworked enemies with new abilities.
• New units for every faction.
• Changed weapon skill requirements.
• Reworked perks and SPECIAL.
• New guns by Millenia.

The mod is incompatible with almost everything: Project Nevada, FOOK, and most gameplay mods. The author deliberately chose this approach to create one coherent system instead of many disconnected plugins. Either take AWN as it is or build your own setup from a hundred smaller mods.

✅ How gameplay changes: You get a comprehensive system with classic mechanics. Resistances make you consider which weapon to use against each enemy. Character progression takes longer: you do not become a god by level 10. The difficulty also demands tactics rather than simply more stimpaks.

Mojave Reloaded (Factions Reloaded Series)

Improves New Vegas's factions with new units, camps, and quest consequences. Mojave Reloaded adds variety to the base game without changing its essence. New NPCs for each faction, expanded outposts, and consequences for quests. The goal is to stop the Mojave feeling empty and its factions unfinished.

• Hundreds of new NPCs for every faction.
• Expanded camps: Cottonwood Cove, Legion Raid Camp, and Red Rock Canyon.
• New units: Legion (Hastati, Evocatus, Sagitarii, Venator), NCR (Marksman, Riot Trooper, Junior Trooper), Boomers (Security, Elder), and Brotherhood of Steel (Junior/Senior Paladin).
• Expanded weapon lists to diversify caravan and faction guards.
• Open interiors at Red Rock Canyon and Nellis AFB.
• Quest consequences.

The Battle version adds large faction battles at Ranger Stations Charlie, Echo, and Bravo, Nelson, and Camp Forlorn Hope. It may break some quests, but makes the world feel alive: factions actually fight instead of standing around. Mojave Reloaded is compatible with most texture, weather, and UI mods.

✅ How gameplay changes: The world stops being static. Outposts look like real military bases instead of three tents and two soldiers. Caravan guards have varied equipment instead of identical shotguns. Quests have visible consequences: help the NCR, and troops patrol Freeside.

Project True Vegas And Lone 6

A large-scale reworking of New Vegas's locations and integration of Fallout 3. The project has two parts: True Vegas (expanding New Vegas) and Lone 6 (reworking Fallout 3). Currently in pre-alpha, but already very ambitious: a full-sized Strip without scenery facades and expanded settlements.

• A full-sized, fully explorable Strip.
• An expanded Vegas Valley.
• Reworked Caesar's territory with a Colosseum.
• A full-sized garage at Camp McCarran.
• The 188 Trading Post rebuilt as a huge truck stop.

Lone 6 (planned):

• Fallout 3 as an expansion to New Vegas.
• A story rewritten around the Courier.
• An improved role-playing system.
• Reworked locations: Old Olney, Paradise Falls, Rivet City, and others.

Important: This is a concept showcase, not a finished mod ready for a playthrough. Many areas require TCL to reach. The author is currently looking for a team.

✅ How gameplay changes: Too early to say: the mod is in pre-alpha. Conceptually, Vegas becomes a real city rather than three casinos behind a wall. Locations approach a realistic scale. There is almost no content yet, though, only reworked worlds.

Mojave Reforged — Wabbajack Modlist

A vanilla-plus modlist installed through Wabbajack, focused on stability and visuals. Mojave Reforged is not an individual mod but a ready-made collection of hundreds of mods installed through Wabbajack. Its philosophy is to improve New Vegas wherever possible while preserving the original feel.

• Improved textures and LOD.
• Reworked lighting and weather, without ENB.
• New weapon animations.
• High-quality replacements for vanilla weapon models.
• Engine bug fixes.
• UI improvements.
• Performance optimization.

The modlist is in alpha: not everything is finished, and bugs are possible. The idea is simple, though: download Wabbajack, press a button, and get a stable New Vegas with hundreds of improvements. No wrestling with load order or compatibility patches.

Installation: Follow the Viva New Vegas guide, then launch Wabbajack with the Mojave Reforged profile.

✅ How gameplay changes: The game looks better, shooting feels smoother, and stability improves. Gameplay stays vanilla: no hardcore mechanics or balance overhaul. For those who want New Vegas, only prettier and without crashes.

Mod installation recommendations

Overhauls are not ordinary plugins. They have their own rules.

Basic preparation:

1. Start with a clean New Vegas installation: reinstall the game or make a separate copy.
2. Launch the vanilla game at least once so it can create its ini files.
3. Install 4GB Patcher: essential for all large mods.
4. Install xNVSE, JIP LN NVSE, and Johnny Guitar NVSE.
5. Use Mod Organizer 2 rather than NMM.

Saves: start a new game. Most overhauls break on existing saves. Exceptions include Mojave Reloaded and graphics packs.

Compatibility: read every mod's description. DUST, AWN, and The Frontier are mutually incompatible. Long 15 and Nova Arizona may work together with patches. Always check the Requirements section on Nexus.

Which FNV overhaul should you try first?

It depends on what you want from the game.

For hardcore survival without a story, choose DUST. For a new voiced story, New California. Lore-focused Legion content: Nova Arizona. More NCR territory: Long 15. A comprehensive gameplay rework: AWN.

Personally, I would start with Long 15 or Nova Arizona: they change the base game the least and provide fresh content without completely rebuilding the mechanics. Save DUST and AWN for when you are thoroughly tired of vanilla Fallout.

Overhauls are the most demanding part of a mod setup, but not the only one. A full Fallout: New Vegas collection also includes graphics, weapons, armor, companions, and everything else.

If I missed a mod or you know a worthwhile project I did not mention, write to me. I will test it and might add it to the list.