Fallout: New Vegas — Ultimate Edition (PC) — Complete Campaign Walkthrough

1. Build a flexible starting character

During Doc Mitchell’s character setup, distribute SPECIAL points for a balanced ranged build rather than maximizing one attribute at the expense of everything else. Agility supports weapon handling and action-point use, Endurance improves survivability and implants later in the game, Perception supports several ranged and dialogue checks, and Intelligence provides more skill points. Charisma is not a substitute for the Speech skill, so do not sacrifice several combat-relevant attributes merely to raise it.

Choose one primary ranged skill for the opening hours. Small Guns is the simplest default because the early game supplies varmint rifles, pistols, rifles and conventional ammunition. Energy Weapons is a valid alternative, but you may need to search more carefully for compatible weapons and ammunition. Put early skill points into your chosen weapon skill, Speech and Repair. These skills keep the Courier effective in combat, open noncombat solutions and reduce the problems caused by damaged equipment.

Traits are optional build modifiers rather than mandatory choices. Trigger Discipline favors deliberate aimed shots, while Fast Shot favors rapid attacks at the cost of accuracy. Select traits that match how you intend to fight, and avoid combining multiple traits whose penalties undermine the same playstyle.

• Choose Small Guns or Energy Weapons as the main early combat skill.
• Invest in Speech and Repair instead of placing every early point into damage.
• Create a manual save before leaving Doc Mitchell’s house.

2. Complete Doc Mitchell’s examination and establish a temporary base

Finish Ain’t That a Kick in the Head by speaking with Doc Mitchell, selecting SPECIAL attributes, completing the Rorschach examination and assigning skills. Doc Mitchell’s recommendations are only a starting point; change them so the final character includes the chosen ranged skill, Speech and Repair.

Before leaving, walk through Goodsprings and identify the Prospector Saloon, Goodsprings General Store, Doc Mitchell’s house, the gas station and the road south. These landmarks make it easy to return for healing or supplies. Keep quest-critical documents, weapons and ammunition on the Courier. You may use one clearly identified container for disposable or low-value loot while testing the area, but do not assume that every Goodsprings container is a permanent player stash. A later confirmed player home is safer for valuables.

• Complete the character setup and receive Doc Mitchell’s starting equipment.
• Make a manual save named Goodsprings Start or an equivalent recognizable name.
• Keep quest items and essential ammunition in the Courier’s inventory.

3. Follow Sunny Smiles through Back in the Saddle

Go to the Prospector Saloon and speak with Sunny Smiles to begin Back in the Saddle. Follow her outside and complete the bottle-shooting lesson using the provided varmint rifle or another maintained weapon. This section teaches aiming, firing and reloading; it is also a safe opportunity to test whether you prefer a rifle or a pistol.

Follow Sunny to the Goodsprings Source and help clear the geckos. Keep a little distance, use aimed shots against exposed targets and let Sunny and Cheyenne draw attention when possible. After that encounter, go to the third well and deal with the geckos attacking the settler. Protect the settler before stopping to loot. Return to Sunny when the area is secure.

The tutorial can be ended at an earlier stage, but completing the gecko sequence provides useful early practice, supplies and experience. Once the tutorial reaches its Trudy-related conclusion, the Goodsprings conflict becomes available.

• Complete the bottle-shooting lesson.
• Clear the geckos at Goodsprings Source.
• Protect the settler at the third well.
• Return to Sunny and finish the tutorial stage.

4. Start and prepare Ghost Town Gunfight

After the tutorial, visit the Prospector Saloon and speak with Trudy about the attackers. Her conversation points you toward Ringo, who is sheltering at the Goodsprings gas station west of the saloon. Speak with Ringo and agree to help him. This starts the Goodsprings defense route rather than the Powder Gangers’ alternative.

Return to the town and ask likely defenders for assistance. Easy Pete, Doc Mitchell, Trudy and Chet can contribute when their dialogue or skill requirements are met. The exact assistance available depends on your skills and conversations, so speak with each of them before committing to the battle. If you have suitable ammunition, healing and a maintained weapon, the town defense is manageable even without every possible helper.

Make a manual save before telling Ringo you are ready. This is the final convenient point to revise your preparation or try the alternate outcome.

• Speak with Trudy about the attackers.
• Find Ringo at the Goodsprings gas station and agree to help.
• Ask available Goodsprings residents for assistance.
• Save before beginning the final defense.

5. Defend Goodsprings and secure early supplies

When ready, return to Ringo and begin the defense. Position yourself where you can see the road and the approach to the saloon, use cover between shots and avoid firing toward Goodsprings residents. Focus on Powder Gangers who enter the settlement, then finish Joe Cobb and the remaining attackers. Do not chase enemies so far away that you lose track of the townspeople or leave a hostile attacker behind.

After the fight, speak with Ringo and the surviving townspeople to confirm the outcome. This is the recommended early result for a general campaign because it keeps Goodsprings available as a friendly settlement. The alternate quest, Run Goodsprings Run, supports the Powder Gangers and can turn the town’s residents and services against you, so keep a separate save if you want to explore that branch later.

Visit Chet at the Goodsprings General Store after the battle. He sells basic weapons, ammunition, armor and supplies, and his rotating inventory can include mods for selected early weapons such as the varmint rifle, 9mm pistol and .357 Magnum revolver. His stock is not a guarantee that a particular mod will be present immediately. Check again after the merchant inventory refreshes rather than building your character around one exact upgrade.

Before leaving, maintain one reliable ranged weapon, carry enough ammunition for several fights, and take stimpaks or other healing items. In Hardcore mode, also carry food and drinks because hunger and thirst are active mechanics. Sell duplicate low-condition weapons only after checking their ammunition and whether they are useful for repairs.

• Defeat Joe Cobb and the Powder Gangers without killing Goodsprings residents.
• Confirm the Goodsprings defense outcome with Ringo and the town.
• Check Chet’s inventory for useful ammunition, equipment or available basic weapon mods.
• Repair the main weapon and restock healing supplies before departure.

6. Leave Goodsprings by the southern road

When you are ready to continue the main journey, leave Goodsprings by following the road south toward Primm. This is the practical early route. Do not cut northeast through Quarry Junction or attempt to cross the surrounding Deathclaw territory as a shortcut. Quarry Junction is a dangerous area for a new Courier and is better saved for a later visit when you have stronger equipment, more ammunition and reliable healing.

Reach Primm and activate it as a travel destination. Inspect the town, locate its services and make a fresh manual save before accepting further faction-sensitive decisions. The southern road network then leads toward Mojave Outpost and Nipton; from there, the broader route continues through Novac, Boulder City and the Strip approach. Use settlements as stopping points rather than carrying every weapon and piece of scrap found along the highway.

If a fight goes badly, reload the manual save made before the Goodsprings defense or before leaving town. Do not rely solely on autosaves, particularly when experimenting with the alternate Powder Ganger outcome.

• Reach Primm using the southern road.
• Avoid Quarry Junction and the northern Deathclaw route.
• Activate Primm as a known travel destination.
• Keep a Goodsprings completion save and a separate departure save.
• Leave with a working weapon, ammunition, healing supplies and serviceable armor.

1. Finish Goodsprings and prepare for the southern route

Complete Back in the Saddle and decide how you want to resolve Ghost Town Gunfight before leaving. Speak with Doc Mitchell, Sunny Smiles, Trudy, Chet, and Easy Pete as useful; their dialogue can provide supplies, training, ammunition, or local context. The Goodsprings General Store is useful for basic ammunition and supplies, but do not strip yourself of healing items merely to carry low-value loot.

Activate Goodsprings as a fast-travel point and make a manual save before heading south. Follow the road toward Primm rather than cutting north through the hills. The northern shortcut can lead into cazador territory, and the direct central route eventually approaches Quarry Junction and Black Mountain, neither of which is required for the early story. Carry one reliable firearm, enough ammunition for several encounters, stimpaks, and a backup weapon before departing.

• Activate Goodsprings for fast travel.
• Make a manual save before beginning the trip to Primm.
• Keep healing items and ammunition ahead of low-value loot.
• Avoid the northern hills, Quarry Junction, and Black Mountain for now.

2. Reach Primm and repair ED-E if you want an early companion

Follow the main road south to Primm. Expect Powder Gangers and ordinary Mojave wildlife around the approach, so stop outside town and save if you are carrying valuable gear. Discover Primm before entering the Bison Steve Hotel or Vikki and Vance Casino. The residents are concentrated in the casino while escaped convicts occupy much of the town, so do not assume every building is safe.

Visit Johnson Nash in the Nash residence, which also serves as the Primm Mojave Express office. Ask about the Courier jobs and investigate ED-E on the table inside. You can repair ED-E with Repair 65, with Science 55 followed by Repair 35, or by supplying three pieces of scrap metal, two sensor modules, and one scrap electronics. Lone Wolf Radio is a nearby source of salvage if you need components. Repairing ED-E begins ED-E My Love and gives you a durable early companion.

For My Kind of Town, decide whether to rescue Deputy Beagle and whether to pursue a sheriff solution now or later. The sheriff decision changes Primm’s later security and available services, so make a separate save before committing if you want to preserve alternatives. Primm is a quest checkpoint, but it is not as complete a resupply hub as Novac or the Mojave Outpost.

• Discover Primm and the Nash residence.
• Speak with Johnson Nash about the stolen package and local situation.
• Repair ED-E using one of the verified methods if you want the companion.
• Save before finalizing Primm’s sheriff choice.

3. Use Mojave Outpost as the southern repair and quest checkpoint

Continue south along the highway to the Mojave Outpost. The two large Ranger statues mark the entrance. Discover the location, then visit the headquarters and barracks before continuing. Major Knight in the headquarters provides equipment repairs, including full repairs when you can afford them. Lacey in the barracks sells supplies and ammunition, and Ranger Ghost on the roof can start Keep Your Eyes on the Prize. Ranger Jackson also offers NCR-related work.

Mojave Outpost is valuable for repairing weapons and armor before the longer eastern journey. It is not a replacement for a full doctor: use Novac’s Dr. Ada Straus later for healing, radiation treatment, addiction treatment, and medical supplies. Speak with the outpost personnel without attacking them if you want to preserve early NCR quests and access to their services.

From the outpost, take the road east toward Nipton. Do not turn north toward Quarry Junction. Deathclaws around the quarry and its approaches are one of the game’s clearest early-level hazards, and defeating them is unnecessary for reaching Novac.

• Discover Mojave Outpost.
• Use Major Knight for repairs and Lacey for supplies.
• Speak with Ranger Ghost and Ranger Jackson if you want their early quests.
• Avoid the northern road toward Quarry Junction.

4. Pass through Nipton and continue north toward Novac

Enter Nipton from the Mojave Outpost road and investigate the town before continuing. Ranger Ghost’s request and the main quest lead you here, and the town introduces the Legion’s presence in the Mojave. Speak with surviving residents and Legion representatives before choosing violence. Treat Legion encounters as possible dialogue encounters unless you have already decided to abandon Legion-related options.

Nipton’s ruined general store and town buildings are landmarks, not a dependable shopping center. Use the location primarily to advance They Went That-a-Way, gather information, and unlock fast travel. After examining the town, follow the marked highway north toward Novac. The road can contain Vipers, Legion patrols, night stalkers, and other hostile encounters, so keep ED-E or another companion close and save before investigating side paths.

Do not make a long western detour merely to explore. The direct road through the settlements is safer and more efficient than wandering across unmarked terrain, especially before you have reliable armor and a weapon with plentiful ammunition.

• Discover Nipton and complete the immediate investigation.
• Preserve Legion dialogue if you want to keep future faction options open.
• Follow the road north toward Novac rather than detouring into dangerous terrain.

5. Establish Novac as the first dependable hub

Enter Novac and activate it as a fast-travel point. The Dino Bite gift shop inside Dinky the T-Rex is operated by Cliff Briscoe, who sells weapons, ammunition, chems, miscellaneous supplies, and weapon modifications. Dr. Ada Straus operates near the gas station behind the motel and provides medical services, including health restoration, radiation treatment, addiction treatment, and medical supplies. The gas station and nearby shanty also provide useful workbenches and reloading access.

Obtain the Dino Dee-lite motel room before using Novac as your permanent stash location. Jeannie May Crawford rents it for 100 caps; Accepted or higher Novac reputation can make it free, and Cliff Briscoe can provide the key after Jeannie May is dead under the relevant circumstances. The room is on the second floor of the motel compound. Store weapons, armor, crafting materials, and spare ammunition there rather than in random houses, mailboxes, or merchant-owned containers.

Speak with Manny Vargas in the dinosaur’s observation area to continue They Went That-a-Way. Novac also contains Boone’s recruitment quest, Come Fly With Me, and other optional content. You may postpone those quests, but Manny’s information is the main route toward Boulder City.

• Discover Novac and locate the motel, gas station, Dino Bite, and workstations.
• Obtain the motel room key before using it for permanent storage.
• Use Ada Straus for medical treatment and Cliff Briscoe for weapons and ammunition.
• Speak with Manny Vargas about the people who passed through town.

6. Travel north through the 188 Trading Post to Boulder City

Leave Novac by the northern road and follow the quest marker along Highway 95. The route passes the Ivanpah Dry Lake, where fire ants can be dangerous, so keep to the road and avoid unnecessary exploration. The 188 Trading Post lies at the Highway 93 and Highway 95 interchange. Discover it if you pass nearby; Michelle or Samuel Kerr can sell supplies, and the location provides a useful northern waypoint. Veronica may also be encountered there, depending on your route and timing.

Continue to Boulder City and speak with Lieutenant Monroe outside the ruins before entering. This starts Boulder City Showdown when you have followed They Went That-a-Way far enough. Monroe explains that Great Khans are holding NCR soldiers hostage. You can negotiate with Jessup, rescue the hostages and fight the Khans, or side with the Khans against the NCR. For the peaceful route, speak with Jessup and pass the Speech 45 check to arrange the hostages’ release, then return to Monroe. Other solutions affect NCR and Great Khan reputation differently.

After the Boulder City standoff, speak with Jessup or inspect the result of the confrontation as appropriate. The quest trail then identifies Benny’s connection to New Vegas and advances the main story toward Ring-a-Ding-Ding!. Save after completing the standoff because this is an early point where faction reputation and later dialogue can diverge.

• Discover the 188 Trading Post if it lies on your route.
• Follow the road around Ivanpah Dry Lake and watch for fire ants.
• Speak with Lieutenant Monroe before entering the Boulder City ruins.
• Resolve Boulder City Showdown and confirm that They Went That-a-Way advances.

7. Use northern staging points before attempting Strip access

From Boulder City, continue toward the New Vegas area using the road and quest markers. Freeside, Camp McCarran, the Gun Runners, and the 188 Trading Post are useful staging locations. Sell excess weapons, repair your primary firearm, and carry enough healing items before entering Freeside or approaching the Strip.

The Strip is not entered simply by walking through the gate. The Securitrons accept a credit check requiring 2,000 caps without taking the money. Other routes include a Science 80 option at the gate, a New Vegas passport, or NCR access that permits use of the Camp McCarran monorail. A passport can be obtained through Freeside-related options, including work involving Mick & Ralph’s or the King. Make a manual save before choosing a route, especially if you are preserving several faction possibilities.

Fast travel only works to locations you have discovered and is unavailable while enemies are nearby, while overburdened, or in other restricted conditions. Keep Novac as the southern base and use the 188, Boulder City, Freeside, and Camp McCarran as northern checkpoints. When you need to relocate supplies, move them from temporary containers into the Novac motel room or another confirmed player-owned location.

• Discover at least one northern staging point before Strip entry.
• Repair and restock before approaching Freeside or the Strip.
• Prepare 2,000 caps, Science 80, a passport, or an NCR monorail route if needed.
• Make a manual save before attempting Strip access.
• Move valuable items into the Novac motel room or another confirmed player-owned storage location.

1. Enter the Strip without making the Securitrons hostile

Approach the main Strip gate on Las Vegas Boulevard and speak to the Securitron greeter. Do not walk past the greeter or fire on the entrance robots. The standard credit check requires you to be carrying 2,000 caps, but the caps are only checked and are not removed. If you lack the money, an Intelligence or Science-based dialogue option can bypass the check when your Science skill is at least 80.

Other legitimate options are a New Vegas passport or the Camp McCarran monorail. Mick and Ralph can provide a forged passport through their service dialogue, with the required Speech check or payment depending on how you approach the conversation. A favor from The King can also lead to a passport. The monorail requires the appropriate NCR access conditions, such as sufficient NCR standing or a valid NCR disguise; do not assume that merely visiting Camp McCarran is enough.

If you have not yet completed your approach through Freeside, keep your weapons holstered and follow the greeter’s dialogue. Killing the gate Securitrons gives Strip infamy and makes the Strip’s security force hostile, which is unnecessary and can disrupt later visits. Save before the check so you can retry a different entry method without losing progress.

• Make a manual save before speaking with the Strip greeter.
• Carry 2,000 caps, use Science 80, obtain a passport, or meet the monorail’s NCR access requirements.
• Do not attack the entrance Securitrons.

2. Visit the Lucky 38 before dealing with Benny

After entering, Victor directs you toward the Lucky 38. Go there before starting a confrontation at The Tops. The casino floor and the route to the penthouse are safe for ordinary exploration. Use the elevator to reach Mr. House and speak with him about the Platinum Chip, Benny and the Securitron army.

Listening to House and accepting The House Always Wins, Part I does not by itself force a House ending. It establishes House as an active quest giver and gives you information about the Chip’s purpose. You can leave the Lucky 38 and investigate Benny, Yes Man, the NCR or the Legion before making a final allegiance decision. Do not destroy House’s life-support system or attack his Securitrons if you want to preserve his route.

The Lucky 38 also becomes a useful staging point. It provides a central location for later faction conversations and, after the relevant progression, can hold companions and supplies. Make a second manual save after speaking with House, preferably before entering The Tops.

• Speak with Mr. House in the Lucky 38 penthouse.
• Accept or hear the House briefing without treating it as a final allegiance choice.
• Save before beginning the Benny investigation.

3. Speak with Swank before confronting Benny directly

Enter The Tops and talk to Swank at the reception desk before going to Benny. Ask about Benny and present evidence that he arranged the ambush. The three especially useful pieces are the distinctive cigarette evidence near the Courier’s grave in Goodsprings, the information about the Khans found through Manny Vargas or his motel-room terminal in Novac, and the engraved lighter obtained from Jessup during Boulder City.

If you do not have all three items, Swank can also be persuaded through the available Speech dialogue checks. The exact checks depend on the conversation branch, so do not rely on a single fixed threshold from another version of the guide. The objective is to convince Swank that Benny is betraying the Chairmen and threatening Mr. House.

Once Swank is convinced, he can return the weapons taken at the casino entrance and arrange access to Benny’s room. This is the least disruptive route because it lets you investigate while avoiding a fight with the entire casino. If you enter without Swank’s support, you can still complete the quest, but a failed conversation or an attack may turn the Chairmen hostile. Save before presenting evidence or taking Swank’s proposed action.

• Talk to Swank before speaking with Benny.
• Use evidence from Goodsprings, Novac and Boulder City or pass the available Speech checks.
• Confirm that your weapons have been returned before entering a potentially hostile area.

4. Search Benny’s room and meet Yes Man

With Swank’s cooperation, search Benny’s suite before deciding how to handle him. The room contains the route to a reprogrammed Securitron named Yes Man. Speak with Yes Man to learn what Benny planned to do with the Platinum Chip and the Securitron army. This conversation exposes the independent path and starts the information chain that later becomes Wild Card: Ace in the Hole.

Finding Yes Man is useful even if you are considering House, NCR or Legion. It does not obligate you to follow the independent route, and you can leave the suite to report back to Swank. If you have not convinced Swank, Yes Man may still be reachable through other Benny outcomes, but reaching him without recovered weapons can leave you poorly prepared for a sudden fight. Save before entering the suite and again after speaking with Yes Man.

Do not assume that entering the suite automatically gives you the Platinum Chip. Depending on how the confrontation unfolds, Benny may still possess it, may flee with it, or may leave it on his body. Continue following the active objectives in Ring-a-Ding-Ding! and check the Pip-Boy after each major conversation.

• Search Benny’s suite if Swank grants access.
• Speak with Yes Man and record the Platinum Chip’s current location.
• Check the quest log after the conversation.

5. Resolve Benny’s fate using the route you want

Return to Swank after investigating the suite and choose how to proceed. You can have Benny brought to his room, confront him on the casino floor with Swank’s support, negotiate with him, use a dialogue-based route to reach the Presidential Suite, or attack him. The available choices depend on your previous conversations, evidence and character options.

If Benny dies, search his body for the Platinum Chip and his unique equipment. If he escapes or is taken to the Fort, Yes Man can explain the next part of Benny’s plan. Benny’s survival is not required for the major endings; the important progression is that Ring-a-Ding-Ding! advances and that you know where the Chip went.

Keep a manual save immediately before the final confrontation. Killing Benny is permanent in that save and can remove some later dialogue, although it does not automatically prevent House, NCR, Legion or Independent completion. Conversely, allowing Benny to escape can create another route to the Fort and Yes Man, but it does not mean you have joined the Legion or committed to an independent ending.

• Choose Benny’s outcome only after saving.
• Recover the Platinum Chip from Benny or confirm its destination.
• Verify that Ring-a-Ding-Ding! has advanced or completed.

6. Review the four campaign directions before committing

After Benny’s sequence, the major campaign branches become clear. Mr. House continues his plan from the Lucky 38. Yes Man offers the Wild Card independent route. NCR progression comes through its representatives and quest givers, including the ambassador and military contacts. Caesar’s Legion progression comes through Legion contacts and, depending on the route, instructions connected to the Fort and Caesar.

Speaking to a faction representative, accepting an introductory quest, or talking with Yes Man is normally reversible. The dangerous actions are the ones that destroy a faction’s infrastructure, kill irreplaceable quest givers, attack protected faction assets, or complete a mission that turns a faction permanently hostile. For that reason, do not rush into destroying House, attacking the Legion or NCR, or installing Yes Man’s control without a save that preserves the alternatives.

Keep three campaign saves: one before entering the Strip, one before Benny’s final confrontation, and one after Ring-a-Ding-Ding! has advanced with the Chip accounted for. Use the post-quest save for ordinary play, while keeping the earlier saves untouched for alternate endings.

• Confirm that House and Yes Man have been contacted if you want those options available.
• Identify the NCR and Legion contacts before choosing a final branch.
• Keep separate saves before Benny’s fate and after Ring-a-Ding-Ding! advances.
• Delay destructive faction actions until the desired ending is selected.

Read Fame, Infamy, and faction standing correctly

Open the Pip-Boy and use the Data section’s Reputation tab after completing a faction quest, being caught stealing, killing affiliated personnel, or resolving a major political objective. Fame and Infamy are separate values. Helping a group, completing its quests, or making a favorable decision generally adds Fame; hostile actions, theft, and killing members can add Infamy. The displayed reputation rank is calculated from both values, so additional Fame can improve how people react without deleting the negative history in the save.

The NCR and Caesar’s Legion have their own reputation entries, separate from the Strip, Freeside, Goodsprings, Primm, Novac, and other local groups. Smaller organizations such as the Followers of the Apocalypse, Brotherhood of Steel, Boomers, Great Khans, Powder Gangers, and White Glove Society also track their own standing. A good reputation with the Strip does not make the NCR friendly, and helping the Boomers does not automatically improve your Legion standing.

Mr. House and Yes Man do not use ordinary faction Fame/Infamy entries as the route indicator. House progression is shown by The House Always Wins quest series and its failure state. Yes Man progression is shown by the Wild Card quests. Check those quest stages rather than looking for a House or Yes Man reputation score.

• Review the Reputation tab after every major political action.
• Keep settlement reputation separate from NCR and Legion reputation.
• Use The House Always Wins and Wild Card quest stages to track those routes.

Meet the faction contacts without committing too early

The NCR route develops through Ambassador Dennis Crocker at the NCR Embassy on the Strip and Colonel Moore in the Hoover Dam offices. NCR assignments can send you to Camp McCarran, Camp Forlorn Hope, the Mojave Outpost, Helios One, the Great Khans, the Boomers, and other locations. Accepting an NCR task does not immediately force an NCR ending, but completing rival main-faction objectives can eventually trigger the NCR warning quest.

The Legion route begins through Vulpes Inculta, or Alerio if Vulpes is unavailable, after Ring-a-Ding-Ding!. After leaving the Tops, you can receive the Mark of Caesar and the Legion quest Render Unto Caesar. The mark provides the story-based opportunity to approach Legion territory after earlier hostility, but it is not permanent protection. New Legion Infamy, attacks on Legion personnel, or advancement of a rival route can still make the Legion hostile or fail its warning quest.

Mr. House gives assignments in the Lucky 38. Yes Man is first encountered in Benny’s suite at the Tops and later relocates as the Wild Card path advances. Speaking with Yes Man for information is not by itself the Independent point of no return. However, do not complete political takeover steps casually if you intend to preserve House, NCR, or Legion alternatives. Dismiss Boone before entering Cottonwood Cove or the Fort; his presence can provoke Legion combat and damage the route.

• Save before leaving the Tops after Ring-a-Ding-Ding!.
• Dismiss Boone before approaching Legion-controlled areas.
• Write down the active main-faction quest before accepting another political assignment.

Use the NCR pardon and Mark of Caesar properly

After the Benny-related main-quest progression, the NCR can offer a story-based pardon through Ambassador Crocker. If the messenger or quest objective sends you to the NCR Embassy, speak with Crocker and accept the available pardon or assistance. This is a one-time campaign event, not a repeatable reputation service. Check the Reputation tab after the conversation instead of assuming that merely visiting the embassy changed your standing.

The Legion’s comparable reset occurs when Vulpes or Alerio gives you the Mark of Caesar. It can remove the immediate barrier created by earlier Legion hostility and permit access to the Fort’s normal quest sequence. It does not prevent later Infamy. Do not attack Legion personnel after receiving it, and do not treat the mark as permission to complete hostile actions against the Legion while continuing its questline.

Outside these story resets, Fame and Infamy normally remain in the save. Completing helpful quests can offset negative values in the displayed rank, but ordinary quests do not erase the underlying Infamy. Faction armor can disguise you temporarily and may allow movement through restricted areas, but it is not a reliable way to restore a failed quest or revive a dead contact.

• Save before meeting Crocker and before accepting the Mark of Caesar.
• Confirm the changed standing in the Reputation tab.
• Reload if a required pardon or reset did not occur as expected.

Recognize the actual NCR and Legion warning quests

Don’t Tread on the Bear! is the NCR warning that your current actions are approaching the point where NCR cooperation can end. When it appears, stop and read its objective rather than treating it as an ordinary side quest. Continuing the rival political work that triggered the warning can fail it and close the normal NCR main quest route. The exact trigger can vary with your chosen faction path, so use the quest log and current objective as the authoritative check.

Beware the Wrath of Caesar! serves the same warning function for Caesar’s Legion. It can be triggered by advancing too far against the Legion, accumulating serious Legion Infamy, attacking Legion personnel, or progressing a rival major-faction route. Once the warning has failed, the Legion route is normally unavailable for that save. Receiving the Mark of Caesar does not permanently immunize you against this outcome.

These warnings are not the same as Wild Card: Change in Management. Completing Change in Management disables or removes Mr. House and permanently closes the House route, but it does not automatically end both NCR and Legion availability. After House is removed, NCR or Legion can still remain possible if the relevant warning quest has not failed, required contacts remain alive and accessible, reputation has not made them hostile, and later faction-specific objectives have not been completed against them.

The Independent route has a later practical commitment point. After completing the required Wild Card preparation, including Wild Card: Side Bets, Yes Man eventually offers Wild Card: Finishing Touches. Make a final alternate-route save before accepting the final-operation transition or proceeding through the end of Finishing Touches. Reporting the preparation complete and accepting the move toward No Gods, No Masters commits the campaign to the Yes Man finale in practical terms. Do not confuse earlier Wild Card tasks with that final-operation acceptance; you can often complete Change in Management and other Wild Card work while still preserving an NCR or Legion possibility, subject to their own warnings and requirements.

• Stop when Don’t Tread on the Bear! or Beware the Wrath of Caesar! appears.
• Treat Change in Management as the permanent House lockout, not an automatic NCR-and-Legion lockout.
• Keep a route save before Wild Card: Finishing Touches and the final-operation acceptance.

Avoid accidental Infamy and irreversible quest failures

Do not kill named NCR or Legion personnel merely because nearby soldiers are hostile. A named officer, messenger, quest giver, or faction contact may be required later. Confirm the target’s name and current quest objective before firing. If a bounty or patrol objective gives you a list of targets, eliminate only those targets unless you have already committed to the consequences of wider attacks.

Dismiss companions whose behavior conflicts with the faction you are visiting. Boone is especially dangerous around Legion-controlled locations. Other companions can object to political decisions, leave, or begin combat depending on your actions and personal quests. Enter sensitive faction headquarters alone unless you have a specific reason to bring a companion and have already made a save.

Keep separate manual saves before entering the Fort, reporting to Colonel Moore, reporting to Ambassador Crocker, killing or disabling Mr. House, completing Wild Card: Change in Management, resolving Wild Card: Side Bets, and accepting the final Yes Man operation. If a contact becomes hostile, a warning quest fails, or an essential NPC dies, reload the save before the triggering action. Reputation clothing is not a dependable recovery method, and normal campaign completion should not rely on console commands to repair quest stages.

• Dismiss companions before entering faction headquarters.
• Verify whether every target is named or quest-critical.
• Reload before attempting to repair a failed faction quest with disguise armor.

Choose a route and verify that it remains viable

For an NCR ending, preserve NCR cooperation, follow Crocker and Moore’s objectives, and avoid failing Don’t Tread on the Bear!. For a Legion ending, keep Render Unto Caesar progressing, complete Caesar’s requested work, and avoid failing Beware the Wrath of Caesar!. For House, do not kill or disable House and do not complete Change in Management. For Yes Man, complete the Wild Card objectives deliberately, then make the final-operation save before accepting the transition to No Gods, No Masters.

Complete neutral exploration, companion recruitment, local settlement quests, and optional rewards before the final political reports whenever possible. Then create a pre-commitment save. After each major political objective, check that the desired route’s quest is active, the corresponding contact is alive and willing to speak, and no warning quest has failed. A faction’s friendly reputation alone is not enough if its required quest giver has died or a route-specific objective has been completed against it.

The goal is not to make every faction Idolized. The goal is to preserve one functional ending route and avoid unnecessary Infamy. Once your chosen faction’s final preparation quest is active and its rival lockouts are acceptable, continue toward Hoover Dam. Keep one save before route commitment and another after the final preparation objective.

• Finish neutral content before the final political reports.
• Confirm the chosen route’s quest is active and not failed.
• Check that required faction contacts are alive and accessible.
• Keep a pre-commitment save and a later preparation save.

1. Preserve a branching save before final preparation

Make a manual save in the Lucky 38 presidential suite or another dependable player-controlled location before starting the final faction chain. Keep this file untouched. Use separate working saves for companion quests, DLC entry, major faction decisions, and the approach to Hoover Dam. This lets you test a route without losing access to an alternate ending.

Do not wait until the final quest prompt to decide whether you want NCR, Mr. House, Caesar’s Legion, or Yes Man. Check the quest log and faction situation first. If you still want to complete companion quests, recruit the Enclave Remnants, resolve the Brotherhood question, or finish DLC, do those tasks before accepting the final irreversible commitment.

• Keep one untouched pre-finale save.
• Create a separate save immediately before each DLC.
• Verify that the desired faction quest remains active before killing named NPCs or accepting a new faction assignment.

2. Build and test a practical weapon loadout

Choose one primary weapon family that matches your strongest combat skill, then add a backup with a different range or tactical role. A rifle paired with a pistol or shotgun is easier to supply than six unrelated weapons. If you use Energy Weapons, carry a ballistic backup because energy ammunition and weapon repairs use different crafting stations and materials.

Repair the primary and backup before leaving your staging area. Merchants can repair equipment for caps, while weapon repair kits can be crafted at a workbench when you meet the recipe requirements. Repair 50 is useful because it permits the weapon repair kit recipe and unlocks many ordinary ballistic ammunition recipes at the reloading bench, but it does not automatically provide every ammunition type. Ammunition recipes depend on the cartridge, components, and sometimes Hand Loader or discovered specifications.

Install weapon modifications before the final inspection. Mods are not interchangeable between weapons, and a weapon must be in usable condition before you rely on it. Fire several test magazines, confirm the ammunition type, and assign the weapon to a convenient hotkey. Keep ordinary duplicate weapons as repair donors; do not use a unique weapon as scrap unless you are certain the replacement is safe.

• Primary and backup weapons are repaired and tested.
• Both weapons use ammunition available from merchants, loot, or recipes you can actually make.
• At least one weapon is suitable for armored human enemies and one is suitable for lightly armored targets.
• Unique weapons are excluded from casual repair-donor use.

3. Gather caps, ammunition, and components efficiently

Use unfinished quests, normal enemy drops, and merchant trades instead of repeatedly farming one location. Sell high-value duplicate weapons and armor when established merchants have caps. Gun Runners’ Vendortron, the 188 Trading Post, the Crimson Caravan, Camp McCarran, and other major hubs can serve as resupply stops; access and inventory vary with your route, reputation, and the merchant’s stock.

Collect useful repair-kit components when they appear: duct tape, scrap electronics, scrap metal, wonderglue, and wrenches are more valuable for preparation than a large pile of low-value junk. A workbench handles weapon repair kits and several forms of energy-ammunition recycling or conversion. A reloading bench handles many ballistic ammunition recipes and cartridge breakdown. Do not disassemble ammunition you still need merely to produce a different caliber.

If you gamble for caps, set a stopping point. Keep enough money for medical supplies, repairs, and ammunition. In Hardcore mode, ammunition has weight, so carrying every caliber can make the final loadout worse rather than better. Sell or store surplus rounds that do not match your two selected weapons.

• Reserve caps for repairs, ammunition, and healing items.
• Keep only useful components and ammunition you can use.
• Visit a major merchant before entering the final sequence rather than relying on battlefield drops.

4. Preserve skill and route flexibility

Raise your main combat skill first, then maintain Speech and Repair if you still have faction dialogue or equipment preparation ahead. Speech can replace some fights or preserve negotiation options. Repair reduces dependence on merchants and supports repair-kit and ammunition preparation. Science, Medicine, Lockpick, Explosives, and Survival are worth raising when a remaining quest specifically uses them; do not lower your combat effectiveness merely to create a perfectly rounded character.

There is no universal Hoover Dam level requirement. Equipment condition, ammunition, healing, and knowledge of the selected route matter more than an arbitrary level target. Before committing, complete any skill-gated side objective you care about and save before changing faction reputation through a major quest.

Jury Rigging is a powerful late-game repair option if your build qualifies for it, because it broadens the equipment that can repair valuable weapons and armor. Raul Tejada can also provide a maintenance benefit through his companion progression. These are conveniences, not requirements; a focused weapon pair and merchant repairs are sufficient.

• Your main combat skill supports the weapons you will fire.
• Speech and Repair are high enough for your planned dialogue and preparation goals.
• Any skill-gated optional objective you want is complete before faction commitment.

5. Select companions and complete useful companion quests

The game supports one human companion and one non-human companion at the same time. ED-E provides ranged support and scouting utility, while Boone, Veronica, Arcade, Raul, Cass, Lily, Rex, and other companions offer different combat roles, dialogue, or personal quests. Their default weapons have effectively unlimited ammunition, but a replacement weapon requires appropriate ammunition. Give a companion a replacement weapon only after testing it, supplying ammunition, and confirming that you can recover the item later.

If you want Enclave Remnants support during the Hoover Dam battle, recruit Arcade Gannon, build enough trust for For Auld Lang Syne, and complete the Remnants recruitment before the final battle. The quest involves contacting the former Remnants around the Mojave and choosing whether they will support the NCR or Legion. Completing it makes Arcade permanently unavailable as a normal companion, so finish any Arcade dialogue or inventory work first.

Boone is a poor choice for an Independent finale if you intend to attack NCR soldiers on the Dam. During No Gods, No Masters, an active Boone may leave permanently after the Courier attacks NCR troops. Dismiss him before that route or use a nonviolent, stealth, disguise, or dialogue approach where appropriate. In Hardcore mode, recruited companions can die permanently, so save before dangerous transitions and major fights.

• Recover unique gear before dismissing any companion.
• Complete desired companion quests before the final faction sequence.
• Do not bring Boone into an Independent Dam assault if you intend to fight NCR troops.
• Equip replacement companion weapons with ammunition and check their condition.

6. Dismiss companions correctly before DLC and secure storage

Mojave companions cannot accompany the Courier into the major story DLC areas. Dead Money, Old World Blues, and Lonesome Road impose their own companion restrictions; Honest Hearts requires the Courier to leave Mojave companions behind before entering Zion. Dismiss permanent companions through the companion wheel or dialogue, recover their valuable equipment first, and confirm their destination. Temporary DLC companions are separate characters with their own recruitment and equipment rules.

Do not assume every DLC handles the Courier’s inventory the same way. Dead Money and Old World Blues use major equipment restrictions, while Honest Hearts and Lonesome Road allow the Courier to retain equipment subject to their own entry limits and rules. Make an entry save and carry only items appropriate to the add-on. After returning, re-equip Mojave companions rather than assuming their replacement weapons or ammunition remained available.

Store spare armor, duplicate weapons, excess ammunition, crafting components, and alternate-faction equipment in the Lucky 38 or another location you have consistently used as safe storage. Keep active quest items, healing supplies, repair kits, and the selected loadout with you. Before the Hoover Dam approach, make one final save after repairs, companion decisions, and storage. You should be able to identify every weapon’s ammunition, every companion’s role, and the exact save to reload if a faction outcome is not the one you intended.

• All Mojave companions are dismissed before DLC entry.
• Valuable companion equipment is recovered and stored.
• DLC entry and return saves exist.
• Final carry weight leaves room for battlefield pickups without abandoning essential supplies.
• A final pre-finale save preserves the prepared character.

Trigger Dead Money and prepare before entering the bunker

After you step outside into the Mojave Wasteland for the first time, open the Pip-Boy Radio tab and select Sierra Madre Broadcast. The signal adds Sierra Madre Grand Opening and places a map marker on the Abandoned Brotherhood of Steel bunker. The bunker is in the eastern Mojave, between Nelson and Camp Forlorn Hope. Follow the quest marker rather than searching around Hidden Valley; that is a different Brotherhood location.

Make a hard save outside the bunker. Dead Money is effectively a one-way sequence until its conclusion: your normal inventory is removed, your regular companions stay behind, and ordinary Mojave fast travel, vendors, and storage are unavailable. Finish any business that depends on carried quest items or a particular companion. Do not bring irreplaceable equipment expecting to use it inside. After entering, speak with Father Elijah and follow his instructions. The introduction ends with the Courier unconscious, fitted with an explosive collar, and transported to the Villa.

• Sierra Madre Grand Opening is active.
• A manual save exists outside the Abandoned Brotherhood of Steel bunker.
• Important Mojave quests and companion business have been postponed or completed.

Survive the Villa and learn the collar hazards

The Villa teaches the rules that govern the rest of the DLC. Move carefully through alleys, ruined buildings, rooftops, and courtyards. Bear traps, tripwires, Cloud pockets, Ghost People, and collar-triggering radios or speakers are often placed around the same routes, so sprinting away from one hazard can lead directly into another.

When the collar begins beeping, immediately look for a nearby radio or speaker. Destroy an exposed source with the weapon currently available, or move far enough away for the signal to stop. Some speakers are protected or positioned behind obstacles; in those cases, use a nearby terminal, change your route, or find the source from another angle. Do not keep looting while the warning accelerates. The collar can kill you before you reach safety.

Ghost People can recover after being knocked down. Target their limbs and confirm that the body is no longer capable of getting back up before searching it. Avoid unnecessary fights when a clear route exists. The Cloud is not ordinary radiation: remain in clear streets or interiors, use the marked safe routes, and treat any fog-filled passage as a timed hazard rather than a place to search casually.

• Stop and locate the source whenever the collar beeps.
• Search for traps before crossing doorways, stairs, and narrow alleys.
• Cripple or destroy Ghost People limbs before leaving their bodies unattended.

Recruit Dog/God, Christine, and Dean without closing off better outcomes

The three recruitment objectives can be completed in any order. The practical locations are Dog/God at the Villa police station, Christine Royce at the Villa Clinic, and Dean Domino in the Residential District. Follow the active marker through the Villa and use terminals to open routes or control local security. Save before each major recruitment conversation because the dialogue choices affect later scenes and cannot be repaired after the relevant quest has advanced.

Dog/God’s personality and later fate depend on how you speak to him and how you handle his assignments. Christine’s Clinic sequence introduces the malfunctioning Auto-Doc and hologram security. After she joins, she can provide information that helps with radio interference; some conversation options require Intelligence, Explosives, or Science. Dean’s recruitment also contains lasting dialogue flags. If you want the most cooperative outcome, avoid insulting or needlessly dominating him. A Speech option is not automatically safe with Dean, so save before using skill checks and choose dialogue that lets him retain his sense of control.

Holograms cannot be defeated by ordinary gunfire. Locate their blue emitters, use terminals where available, and cross their patrol routes only after identifying where the detection field reaches. The three companions are not simply combat recruits: their knowledge of the Villa’s systems is part of the intended solution.

• Dog/God, Christine Royce, and Dean Domino have been recruited.
• A separate save exists before each recruitment conversation.
• Hologram emitters and terminals are being used instead of wasted ammunition.

Complete the Villa assignments and trigger the Gala Event

Once the three prisoners are available, complete the assignments that place them at their required positions around the Villa. Follow the current quest marker for each objective rather than attempting to walk directly through the Cloud. Dog/God’s task involves the switching substation and Ghost People remains; Christine’s route uses the Clinic and radio-related equipment; Dean’s route leads through the Residential District and Salida del Sol. The exact order is flexible, but the required objectives must be completed before the Gala can begin.

When the game directs you to Salida del Sol North, reach the bell tower and activate the panel that triggers the Gala Event. The fireworks and announcement signal that the Sierra Madre Casino has opened. Return to the Villa fountain as instructed. Save there before entering the casino: the casino changes the immediate objectives, separates the group again, and begins a more tightly controlled sequence of holograms, speakers, force fields, and terminals.

Use vending machines whenever you find their codes, but treat codes and chips as optional support rather than reasons to cross a dangerous room. Healing items, ammunition, weapon-repair materials, and stealth aids are more important than ordinary junk.

• The three prisoner assignments are complete.
• The bell-tower panel has triggered the Gala Event.
• A manual save exists at or near the Villa fountain before casino entry.

Enter the casino and complete the linked companion objectives

Enter the Sierra Madre Casino from the Villa fountain after the Gala Event. The casino phase is not one single security puzzle: it is a chain of objectives involving casino access, hologram patrols, the Tampico, the Executive Suites, and the remaining prisoners. Read terminals, inspect walls and balconies, and identify emitters before crossing a large room. When a hologram cannot be shot, find its emitter or the terminal controlling its patrol. When the collar beeps, backtrack or move around the obstruction instead of forcing the route.

Follow the active quests through the casino’s companion objectives. Curtain Call at the Tampico deals with Dean’s assigned area, Last Luxuries concerns Christine and the Executive Suites, and Put the Beast Down resolves the Dog/God situation. Their earlier recruitment flags affect whether these sections can end peacefully. If one of the prisoners dies or becomes hostile, reload the save made before the relevant recruitment or assignment rather than assuming the problem can be repaired later.

After the casino objectives are complete, the game directs you toward the Vault. Search and craft before starting the final sequence if the area allows it, then save immediately before using the Vault access controls. This is the last reliable point for retrying the Elijah encounter without replaying the entire casino section.

• The Tampico, suites, and Dog/God objectives have been completed as directed.
• Major hologram patrols have been bypassed or disabled.
• A Vault-area save exists before starting Heist of the Centuries.

Complete Heist of the Centuries and choose Elijah’s outcome

Enter the Vault and follow the terminal objectives. The Vault contains the Sierra Madre treasure, along with supplies, casino chips, and 37 gold bars. The story does not require you to remove every gold bar. If you want only a reliable completion, take useful supplies and proceed with the objective. Each gold bar weighs 35 pounds, so carrying the full set is a special challenge rather than the expected route.

When Father Elijah arrives, you can confront and kill him or attempt the stealth outcome. For the stealth route, trigger the Vault sequence, remain concealed, and use the large generators and surrounding structures as cover while Elijah approaches. The goal is to let him enter the Vault and then reach the exit before he can see you and reactivate the defenses. Save immediately before trying this; small movement or visibility mistakes can activate the force fields and force a reload.

If you are carrying gold, plan the escape before opening the Vault. A common legitimate method is to collect the bars, place or drop them near the exit, lure Elijah into the Vault, then circle around the generator cover and close the Vault door behind him. This is difficult while overencumbered. Leaving some or all of the gold behind is completely valid and does not prevent the DLC from completing. Do not treat an all-gold escape as a required completion check.

• Father Elijah has been killed or trapped in the Vault.
• The collar has been removed during the final escape sequence.
• You reached the elevator and completed the exit rather than stopping after collecting treasure.

Return to the Mojave and preserve the finished DLC state

After the final Sierra Madre scene, the Courier returns to the Abandoned Brotherhood of Steel bunker. Wait for the completion dialogue and ending material before replacing your pre-DLC save. Confirm that the Dead Money quest chain has reached its final state, then make a new manual save named for the completed DLC.

Unload gold and other heavy rewards at a safe location. Sierra Madre chips remain useful after the story: the vending machine in the Abandoned Brotherhood bunker can exchange unlocked rewards and supplies, and chips can still matter even though the Sierra Madre itself is no longer freely accessible. Keep the bunker as a post-DLC staging point if you want to use those rewards later.

If a quest marker stops updating, a companion disappears unexpectedly, a terminal becomes inaccessible, or the collar sequence appears stuck, reload the most recent save from before that room or conversation. Dead Money has several irreversible dialogue and companion-fate flags. A quicksave made after a bad recruitment choice will not restore the earlier outcome; use the separate conversation and Vault saves instead.

• The Courier has returned to the Mojave.
• The collar is gone and the final Dead Money dialogue has played.
• The post-DLC rewards and a separate completion save are preserved.

1. Start Happy Trails and prepare the expedition

After entering the Mojave Wasteland, the Happy Trails Caravan radio signal and Happy Trails Expedition quest appear in the Pip-Boy. Follow the map marker to the Northern Passage and speak with Jed Masterson. The exact route to the cave is not important once the quest marker is active; use the marker rather than relying on a directional description of the Mojave map.

Before agreeing to leave, dismiss every active companion. Jed normally requires the Courier to carry no more than 75 pounds. The limit can be raised to 100 pounds through qualifying perks, Survival or Speech-related options, or dialogue involving the caravan members. Treat 75 pounds as the reliable baseline. Carry one primary weapon, a backup for a different range, ammunition, healing supplies, and light or medium armor. Store heavy spare weapons, excess armor, ammunition you will not use, and crafting clutter in a safe Mojave container before departure.

Make a manual save before beginning the expedition. The trip to Zion is a one-way transition for the opening sequence, and your normal companions do not accompany you. Equipment is not removed from your inventory, but the weight gate prevents an overloaded departure.

• Happy Trails Expedition is active.
• All active Mojave companions are dismissed.
• Carry weight is 75 pounds or less, or the higher limit has been explicitly unlocked.
• A manual save exists before speaking to Jed Masterson.

2. Survive the arrival ambush and meet Joshua Graham

After the transition to Zion, the Happy Trails caravan is attacked by White Legs. The deaths of the caravan members are scripted, so do not waste time trying to save them. Defeat or avoid the attackers, then move toward the marked route. Follows-Chalk appears during this opening section and can be accepted as an optional companion. Be careful when the White Leg attacker is above or beyond the bridge: firing blindly can hit Follows-Chalk and turn the Dead Horses, Sorrows, Joshua Graham, and Daniel hostile.

Follow Follows-Chalk toward the Dead Horses camp and continue to Angel Cave, where you meet Joshua Graham. Follows-Chalk is useful for navigation and can reveal nearby locations when reaching elevated points in Zion. If you dismiss him, the main story can still continue, but you lose his companion support and commentary. Zion has steep terrain, narrow ledges, hostile wildlife, and enemies positioned above the trail. Use switchbacks, bridges, ladders, and visible paths instead of jumping down cliffs. Save after reaching the Dead Horses camp and again after speaking with Joshua.

• The White Legs at the arrival encounter are dealt with or bypassed.
• Follows-Chalk has not been accidentally shot.
• Joshua Graham has been contacted at Angel Cave.
• A safe save exists after reaching the Dead Horses camp.

3. Complete the supply quests and Deliverer of Sorrows

Joshua gives three supply assignments: Roadside Attraction, Gone Fishin’, and Tourist Trap. They can be completed in any convenient order. Roadside Attraction sends you to the crashed scout bus to recover and repair a compass. Gone Fishin’ sends you to the Zion Fishing Lodge for walkie-talkies; the cabinet key can be found inside the lodge if you do not open the lock directly. Tourist Trap sends you to the Zion Ranger Station for medical supplies and scout lunch boxes. Follow the objective markers and search the named locations rather than wandering into unrelated caves.

Return the recovered supplies to the appropriate quest giver and then complete Deliverer of Sorrows. This advances the central plan for moving the Sorrows and opens the next group of objectives. Waking Cloud can become a temporary companion during this portion. Her personal quest, A Family Affair, is optional, but you must recruit her before the relevant dialogue becomes available. Do not promise Daniel that you will keep the truth from her if you intend to complete that quest, because doing so closes its later resolution.

• Roadside Attraction is complete.
• Gone Fishin’ is complete.
• Tourist Trap is complete.
• Deliverer of Sorrows is complete.
• Waking Cloud’s optional quest has been started before dismissing her, if you want to complete it.

4. Finish the four preparation objectives

After Deliverer of Sorrows, complete the remaining objectives that lead to Gathering Storms. River Monsters concerns the yao guai threat near the river. The Advance Scouts sends you to deal with a White Legs camp; killing the raiders is direct, while stealing the war totems is a quieter alternative when your Sneak skill and route allow it. The Grand Staircase requires the map in the Survivalist cache inside Morning Glory Cave. The map does not appear until the quest is active, so return to the cave if you explored it earlier.

The Treacherous Road takes you through a trapped and defended route. Watch for bear traps, mines, and White Legs positioned around bridges and elevated paths. You do not need to complete optional exploration before these objectives, but do not proceed to the final decision until all required quest markers are resolved. If Daniel or Joshua does not offer the next task, review the Pip-Boy for an unfinished one among River Monsters, The Advance Scouts, The Grand Staircase, and The Treacherous Road, then return to the named quest giver.

• River Monsters is complete.
• The Advance Scouts is complete.
• The Grand Staircase map has been delivered.
• The Treacherous Road is complete.
• Gathering Storms is available or active.

5. Save before choosing evacuation or counterattack

Return to Daniel in the Narrows to complete Gathering Storms. The dialogue choice is permanent for the current playthrough: siding with Daniel starts Flight from Zion, while siding with Joshua Graham starts Crush the White Legs. Make a new manual save before selecting either option. The unchosen route and its associated achievement become unavailable after the choice.

The Daniel route begins Flight from Zion. Joshua Graham becomes a temporary companion, and three optional quests appear: Prisoners of War, Retake the Bridge, and Sanctity of the Dead. These objectives improve the Zion ending if completed before leaving. Prisoners of War takes you to Ranger Substation Osprey to free captives. Retake the Bridge sends you to East Fork Bridge, where White Legs and bear traps block the evacuation path. Sanctity of the Dead requires recovering separated Sorrows at the burial mounds. Complete all three before advancing the final evacuation objective if you want the strongest evacuation outcome.

• A separate save was made before choosing a plan.
• The chosen route is recorded in the Pip-Boy.
• On Flight from Zion, Prisoners of War, Retake the Bridge, and Sanctity of the Dead are complete if you want their ending variations.
• Named friendly characters remain alive and non-hostile.

6. Follow Joshua’s counterattack route when selected

Choosing Joshua’s plan starts Crush the White Legs. Joshua accompanies you while you move through White Legs territory toward their leader, Salt-Upon-Wounds. Follow the quest marker through the canyon instead of crossing unmarked cliffs. Use cover before entering camps, eliminate ranged attackers first, and search the area only after the immediate group is defeated. Joshua is powerful but can be overwhelmed if several groups are activated at once.

At the final confrontation, Salt-Upon-Wounds can be killed or dealt with through available dialogue choices. Make a save before entering the final area if you want to compare the resolution. Do not attack Joshua, Daniel, Waking Cloud, Follows-Chalk, White Bird, or other friendly tribal characters. Killing or seriously antagonizing a required friendly NPC can fail the normal quest chain and replace it with Chaos in Zion, forcing you to recover from an earlier save.

• Crush the White Legs is active and its objectives are followed.
• Joshua is allowed to engage enemies instead of being left behind while multiple groups are triggered.
• A save exists before the Salt-Upon-Wounds confrontation.
• The final dialogue is completed without attacking friendly quest characters.

7. Complete Departing Paradise and return to the Mojave

After Flight from Zion or Crush the White Legs resolves, continue into Departing Paradise. Open the footlocker near the Southern Passage before leaving. Its contents depend on the DLC route and related character outcomes, so inspect it before selling or storing anything. Optional exploration should be finished before entering the exit transition because the main Zion quest chain is ending.

Leave through the Southern Passage. The Courier returns to the Mojave, and Honest Hearts does not lock the Courier into an NCR, Legion, House, or Yes Man route. The Zion outcome is reflected in the DLC epilogue and in the fate of its tribes and principal characters. Optional rewards such as the Survivalist’s Rifle and Randall Clark’s journal material are found during Zion exploration rather than being required for the main completion check.

• Flight from Zion or Crush the White Legs is complete.
• Departing Paradise is complete.
• The Southern Passage footlocker has been checked.
• The Courier has returned to the Mojave.
• The Honest Hearts ending slides or epilogue have played.

1. Prepare in the Mojave and enter Big MT

Make a manual save before going to the Mojave Drive-In. Old World Blues temporarily separates you from your normal equipment and companions, so finish any immediate Mojave business that depends on a specific follower, weapon or carried quest item. The DLC supplies weapons, ammunition and healing items, but the opening areas are easier if your character can use more than one damage type and has a reliable way to handle poison.

Tune your Pip-Boy radio to the Mysterious Broadcast and follow the quest Midnight Science-Fiction Feature. Travel to the Mojave Drive-In after 11 p.m. and before 3 a.m., then activate the marked satellite. The satellite, not the movie screen, begins the transition to Big MT. Once the opening sequence starts, continue through the initial dialogue and loading sequence until you arrive at the Sink balcony.

• Create a manual save before entering the drive-in.
• Dismiss companions and finish urgent Mojave errands.
• Activate the satellite at the Mojave Drive-In between 11 p.m. and 3 a.m.
• Enter Big MT expecting to fight without your normal equipment.

2. Establish the Sink and recover basic equipment

The Sink is your main base in Big MT. From the balcony, enter the house and inspect its rooms, containers and appliances. Use the available storage instead of carrying every weapon, armor piece and crafting component you find. The Sink is also the location to which the Transportalponder! later returns you from the Mojave.

Continue the opening quest Welcome to the Big Empty by visiting the Think Tank and speaking with its scientists. The Courier’s brain, heart and spine are removed during the story. The brain is part of the required main progression; the heart and spine can be restored later through the Sink Auto-Doc if its required support has been unlocked. Do not treat those optional organ procedures as prerequisites for finishing the DLC.

The Think Tank gives you the Sonic Emitter and directs you toward research facilities around Big MT. Before leaving the Sink, equip whatever useful armor and weapons you have recovered, check your healing and poison supplies, and make another save. The DLC’s map is open enough for detours, but several facilities contain scripted tests and dangerous enclosed fights.

• Visit the Think Tank and complete the opening conversations.
• Confirm that the Sink is available as a map location and storage base.
• Keep a separate save after receiving the Sonic Emitter.
• Do not mistake the optional heart and spine procedures for required story objectives.

3. Complete the three research facilities

The mandatory research branches are X-2: Strange Transmissions!, X-8: High School Horror!, and X-13: Attack of the Infiltrator!. The game can present these facilities in a flexible order, but all three must be completed before the final Old World Blues quest can proceed. Return to the Think Tank when the objectives direct you back there.

At X-2, follow the marked route through the antenna facility, use the terminals and equipment needed to locate the transmission source, and collect the technology required for the Think Tank’s investigation. Search nearby rooms before leaving because X-2 also contains useful technology and Sonic Emitter-related progress.

At X-8, advance through the simulated school tests by following the objective markers and checking terminals and marked rooms. Expect robots and close-range attacks in confined spaces. The facility also contains optional research progress connected to the cyberdog and other experiments, so do not rush out immediately after the first objective update.

At X-13, complete the stealth-suit and infiltration tests. Move slowly through the test area, use cover when the suit’s stealth effect is unavailable, and save before repeating a test. The stealth suit’s improvements are optional, but the facility’s main research objective is required.

• Complete X-2: Strange Transmissions!.
• Complete X-8: High School Horror!.
• Complete X-13: Attack of the Infiltrator!.
• Return to the Think Tank after all three objectives are complete.
• Search each facility for optional modules, tapes and unique equipment before departing.

4. Explore safely and activate Sink upgrades

Once the three required facilities are complete, use the Sink as a staging point for optional exploration. The Think Tank’s scientists offer personal research tasks, and the surrounding facilities contain personality modules, appliance upgrades, unique weapons and additional experiments. These rewards are not required for the Old World Blues ending, but they make the Sink substantially more useful for the remainder of the campaign.

Reactivate appliances when you find their modules or personality chips. The Central Intelligence Unit, Auto-Doc, Biological Research Station and other Sink systems provide different services, so read each appliance’s dialogue and inspect its available functions after returning from a facility. Store extra ammunition and weapons in the Sink rather than carrying them through every laboratory.

Useful optional rewards include the stealth suit, cyberdog-related weapons, LAER and proton weapons, but availability and upgrades can depend on which research tasks you complete. Keep a save before major Think Tank conversations if you want to preserve alternate dialogue outcomes. Do not activate a terminal, remove a unique item or begin a scripted test without first checking the surrounding room for the objective-related item it may control.

• Return to the Sink between major facility runs.
• Reactivate appliances when their modules or personality chips are found.
• Store excess loot and ammunition at the Sink.
• Complete optional Think Tank research before the final confrontation if you want the peaceful resolution to be easier.
• Save before major dialogue and terminal interactions.

5. Handle Big MT’s main enemy types

Lobotomites commonly use firearms or melee weapons. Keep doorways, rocks and laboratory structures between you and groups, then focus on one target at a time. If several enemies close in, retreat through a doorway instead of allowing yourself to be surrounded.

Nightstalkers are fast and can poison you, while cazadores combine speed with highly dangerous poison damage. Carry antivenom or another reliable poison treatment and use it promptly. Fight them from elevated ground, behind narrow entrances or from a position where they cannot circle you. Do not chase a wounded cazador into open terrain if another enemy is nearby.

Robot scorpions are resistant to casual attacks and can keep pressure on you with ranged fire. Use cover, high-damage ammunition and narrow terrain. The Sonic Emitter and other Big MT weapons are useful, but do not assume one weapon works equally well against every robot. Save before entering a large arena or starting a scripted encounter, especially if the previous autosave is several rooms away.

• Carry poison treatment whenever you leave the Sink.
• Use cover against ranged lobotomites and robot scorpions.
• Fight cazadores and nightstalkers from terrain that limits their movement.
• Save before major combat arenas and scripted tests.

6. Unlock the Forbidden Zone and defeat or disable X-42

After X-2, X-8 and X-13 are complete, return to Doctor Klein in the Think Tank. The scientists discuss the technology they recovered and unlock the route to the Forbidden Zone. Follow the quest marker north of the Think Tank and enter the Forbidden Zone dome.

The X-42 giant robo-scorpion is the major combat obstacle. You can fight it directly, but the chamber contains terminals that provide safer alternatives. One terminal activates target Protectrons to draw its fire. Another can activate the backup generator, and a further terminal can turn automated turrets against the scorpion. A terminal in the balcony area can permanently disable X-42 if you can access it or obtain the password. If you use the terminal route, keep moving between cover and the control areas while the machines work; X-42’s laser attack can inflict heavy damage and radiation.

Once X-42 is defeated or disabled, continue upward through the Forbidden Zone and enter Doctor Mobius’s dome. Make a manual save before speaking with him if you want to preserve the different brain and Think Tank outcomes.

• Return to Doctor Klein after completing all three research facilities.
• Enter the Forbidden Zone.
• Defeat or permanently disable X-42.
• Search the control rooms and terminals before leaving the scorpion chamber.
• Save before the Doctor Mobius conversation.

7. Recover the brain and resolve the Think Tank

Speak with Doctor Mobius in the upper dome, then interact with the brain in its tank. The brain conversation determines whether it agrees to return with you or remain separate, and it affects the final resolution and available perks. Afterward, continue through the Forbidden Zone objectives and recover the Courier’s brain.

Return to the Think Tank. If you want the nonviolent resolution, complete the personal research quests for the Think Tank scientists before this point whenever possible. Those completed quests can cause the scientists to speak in your defense. If you lack enough supporting dialogue, use the available skill checks or choose the direct combat route. Make a manual save before entering the final conversation because the outcome is not something to repair after the scene has finished without reloading.

If negotiations fail or you choose violence, fight the Think Tank members and their robots inside the dome. Use the room’s structures as cover, separate targets where possible and heal before committing to another exchange. When the confrontation is resolved, leave the Think Tank to complete the DLC. If you unlocked the Sink Auto-Doc support, return to the Sink afterward to investigate the optional heart and spine restoration procedures.

• Speak with Doctor Mobius and the Courier’s brain.
• Recover the Courier’s brain from the Forbidden Zone.
• Create a manual save before the final Think Tank conversation.
• Resolve the Think Tank peacefully through supporting quests or dialogue checks, or defeat them in combat.
• Visit the Auto-Doc afterward only if you want the optional heart and spine procedures.

8. Return to the Mojave and verify completion

After the final Think Tank resolution, leave the dome and receive the Big Mountain Transportalponder!. It appears in the weapon inventory and functions as the travel link between Big MT and the Mojave. From the Mojave, it can take you to the Sink balcony; when leaving Big MT, it normally returns you to the Mojave Drive-In. Follow the item’s usage conditions and dismiss companions if the game prevents travel while one is accompanying you.

Once back in the Mojave, visit the Sink and confirm that stored equipment and activated appliances remain available. Old World Blues does not select a main-game faction or cancel the Mr. House, NCR, Caesar’s Legion or Yes Man route. Continue the campaign from your pre-DLC faction plan, keeping the completion save in a separate slot in case you want to revisit Big MT for optional items.

• Receive the Big Mountain Transportalponder!.
• Use it to return from Big MT to the Mojave Drive-In.
• Verify that the Sink and stored equipment remain accessible.
• Confirm that your chosen main-game faction quests are still available.
• Keep a post-DLC completion save.

Prepare in the Mojave and start The Reunion

After stepping into the Mojave for the first time, check the Pip-Boy radio and quest list for the signal and The Reunion. Follow the marker to Canyon Wreckage, west of Primm and near the road leading toward the California Sunset Drive-in. Enter the bus passage through the wreckage to begin Lonesome Road. The Ultimate Edition includes this add-on without requiring a separate regional version or remake-specific content.

Make a hard save before entering the passage. A practical preparation point is level 25 or higher, although equipment and player skill matter more than the number alone. Repair your primary weapon and armor, carry a second weapon for a different range or damage type, and bring ammunition for armored Marked Men and heavily protected robots. Pack healing items and explosives, but leave enough carry capacity for DLC weapons and armor. Mojave companions do not enter the Divide with you, so do not rely on Boone, Arcade, Veronica or another normal companion for combat support.

The Divide can be left through Canyon Wreckage and revisited before the primary questline is complete. Use that option if you need to restock, repair, change equipment or make a separate save. Do not mistake the lack of normal fast travel inside the Divide for a permanent lockout from the Mojave.

• Confirm that The Reunion is active.
• Create a hard save before entering Canyon Wreckage.
• Repair weapons and armor and stock ammunition, healing items and explosives.
• Dismiss Mojave companions before entering; they cannot accompany the Courier inside.

Cross Hopeville and use ED-E and the commissary terminals

Follow the marked route through the ruined Hopeville streets, barracks and missile facilities. The route is largely linear, but search side rooms before crossing major doors or entering new sections. Ammunition, healing supplies, terminals, weapon upgrades and ED-E circuit boards are placed away from the direct path. Some transitions make backtracking inconvenient, so search the current area before advancing.

The Divide’s duplicate ED-E assists with doors, dialogue and equipment support. When ED-E encounters a commissary terminal, interact with the terminal and allow him to unlock it. Commissaries function as vendors and repair stations, and they are valuable checkpoints for replacing ammunition, selling excess loot and restoring equipment. ED-E’s circuit-board upgrades are optional but useful: they can improve weapon maintenance, ammunition production, defensive protection, energy-weapon damage and V.A.T.S. accuracy as the upgrades are found.

Marked Men often attack from elevated positions or from opposite sides of open streets. Move between cover rather than crossing exposed roads after a fight begins. Search rooftops and wrecked buildings for shooters before looting bodies. Save after clearing a major group and before entering a new missile or maintenance area.

• Search Hopeville side rooms before passing one-way-looking transitions.
• Use ED-E to unlock each commissary terminal.
• Repair and restock at commissaries instead of carrying every spare weapon.
• Save after clearing major Marked Men encounters.

Survive the High Road, Tunnelers and Deathclaws

Continue through the High Road and the connected ruined facilities. Mines, explosive hazards and hostile shooters are common around wreckage, collapsed roads and narrow approaches. Use crouch mode to improve detection, inspect the ground around vehicles and rubble, and avoid sprinting through an unfamiliar area. If a trap triggers, retreat through the route you just cleared rather than pushing forward blindly.

Tunnelers are fast close-range attackers. Fight them from a doorway, corner or elevated position where several cannot surround you at once. Concentrate fire on one target, back away while reloading and use explosives when a group enters a narrow passage. Deathclaws require greater distance and discipline. Use terrain to interrupt their approach, target their legs when practical, and avoid allowing one to reach you in open ground. If your weapon cannot deal with them efficiently, retreat to a defensible position and use mines or explosives to control the approach.

The Divide includes automatic defenses and missile-area hazards later in the route. Do not rush toward a terminal simply because it is marked as the objective. Clear nearby turrets, robots and elevated shooters first, then operate the terminal from cover when possible. Save before entering each major combat arena and after reaching a new safe room, commissary or auto-doc.

• Inspect rubble and vehicle approaches for mines.
• Fight Tunnelers from chokepoints or elevated positions.
• Use distance, cripple effects and obstacles against Deathclaws.
• Clear turrets and robots before operating exposed terminals.

Reach Ulysses’ Temple and choose ED-E’s fate

Advance through Ashton and the missile facilities until the route leads to Ulysses’ Temple. Before entering the central launch area, search the maintenance section and locate the inactive duplicate ED-E in its pod. Make a separate hard save before using the nearby terminal because this decision affects the final quest.

Release ED-E from the pod if you want him to accompany you, unlock the commissary functions and preserve the ability to stop the missile launches later. The duplicate grants Enhanced Sensors while active. If you leave ED-E in the pod and proceed into the main chamber, you receive the Lonesome Road perk instead. That perk provides a bonus while traveling without companions, but ED-E will not be available to perform the missile-abort procedure. Leaving him behind is therefore an intentional trade-off, not a hidden route to obtain both benefits in the same run.

If you want maximum flexibility, rescue ED-E. If you specifically want the solitary-travel perk and already accept that at least one launch option will be unavailable, leave him in the pod. Do not confuse this duplicate with the Mojave version of ED-E from Primm; they are separate quest entities for this DLC.

• Save before opening the ED-E pod.
• Rescue ED-E to retain the missile-abort option.
• Leave ED-E in the pod only if you deliberately want the Lonesome Road perk instead.
• Verify that the correct ED-E is following you before entering the launch chamber.

Confront Ulysses and survive the temple assault

Enter the central chamber and speak with Ulysses. The available dialogue depends on the Courier’s skills, faction reputation and information gathered during the DLC. ED-E’s recordings, Ulysses’ logs and exploration of the Divide provide additional context and can open more conversation choices. If you want the broadest dialogue options, listen to ED-E’s recordings and collect logs before beginning the final conversation.

Ulysses can be fought or, under the appropriate dialogue conditions, persuaded to abandon his immediate vendetta. The outcome changes the immediate combat and some reward details, but the DLC continues to the missile-control sequence either way. If Ulysses is killed, collect his equipment if desired. If he survives, he may remain available in the Divide after the DLC depending on the outcome.

After the confrontation, marked forces attack the temple. Use the room’s cover and controlled approaches rather than chasing enemies into open areas. Allow the attackers to enter your firing lanes, reload behind cover and reserve strong ammunition for armored targets. When the assault is complete, save before approaching the final control console.

• Listen to ED-E’s recordings when they become available.
• Search the Divide for Ulysses’ logs if you want additional dialogue options.
• Choose whether to fight or persuade Ulysses.
• Save after the temple assault and before the missile decision.

Resolve the missiles and return to the Mojave

At the missile-control area, review the available choices before activating the console. With ED-E rescued, you can abort the launches entirely or target NCR territory, Legion territory or both. If ED-E was left in the pod, the abort option is unavailable and the remaining launch choices determine the DLC outcome.

Targeting the NCR creates the Long 15 post-DLC area; targeting Caesar’s Legion creates Dry Wells; targeting both opens both consequences. These locations contain hostile survivors, radiation and unique loot, and the choice produces corresponding Lonesome Road ending slides and faction consequences. The missile choice does not select the winner of Hoover Dam and does not replace the Mr. House, NCR, Caesar’s Legion or Yes Man ending routes.

After the launch sequence, follow the exit route back toward Canyon Wreckage. Make a permanent post-DLC save in the Mojave before continuing faction quests, entering Hoover Dam or making another major commitment. If you want to examine alternate missile outcomes, reload the save made before the console rather than relying on an autosave created after the sequence.

• Confirm whether you want to abort, target NCR territory, target Legion territory or target both.
• Verify the Lonesome Road quest has completed.
• Return to the Mojave through the exit route.
• Create a post-DLC save before resuming the main campaign.
• Record whether Long 15, Dry Wells or both became available.

1. Finish Novac and REPCONN before moving into harder side content

At Novac, speak with Manny Vargas in the dinosaur or No-bark Noonan to begin Come Fly With Me. Travel west to the REPCONN Test Site and follow the quest markers through the main building. Clear the upper floors, speak with Jason Bright, then enter the basement and deal with the Nightkin problem. Harland’s missing-ghoul request and Davison’s search for an invoice are optional, but they can be completed during the same basement visit. Make a manual save before resolving either character’s situation if you want to preserve alternate outcomes.

Chris Haversam needs two components before the rockets can launch. Obtain the thrust-control modules from Old Lady Gibson at Gibson Scrap Yard by buying, bargaining, stealing or taking them by force. Obtain the isotope-239 igniting agent either from the radioactive area around Clark Field or from the rocket souvenirs in the Dino Bite gift shop at Novac. Return to Chris, finish the launch preparations and activate the control panel. The navigation setting changes the rocket outcome and Karma result, so save before selecting it. Completing the quest grants substantial experience and Novac fame.

• Complete the main REPCONN basement objective.
• Obtain both the thrust-control modules and isotope-239 igniting agent.
• Save before activating the rocket launch control.

2. Complete HELIOS One before late-game Dam activity

Approach HELIOS One and speak with Lieutenant Haggerty at the entrance. You can gain entry through NCR reputation or the available Speech, Science or disguise options. Inside, speak with Fantastic and Ignacio Rivas. Obtain the reflector-terminal passwords, then go outside and activate the marked reflector controls. Mines, dogs, turrets and security robots make the mirror field and plant interior dangerous, so check the ground before sprinting between terminals and bring a weapon that can handle robots.

Return to the mainframe and choose the power destination. Sending power to the full region is the route that can produce Followers fame and the Big Book of Science from Ignacio, provided you have established trust with him and speak with him after activating the reflector control panel. Sending power to McCarran and the Strip favors NCR fame. Activating ARCHIMEDES II creates a different outcome and can produce NCR infamy. Keep a save before the mainframe choice.

Finish That Lucky Old Sun before travelling to Hoover Dam for the late-game sequence. If the Dam state changes first, Fantastic may no longer be available at HELIOS One and the quest can become impossible to complete normally.

• Speak with Ignacio before making the final power decision.
• Choose the power destination only after making a manual save.
• Return to Ignacio or Fantastic and confirm that That Lucky Old Sun is completed.

3. Handle Vault 22 in the correct order for companion and research rewards

Start There Stands the Grass by speaking with Dr. Thomas Hildern in the OSI office at Camp McCarran. Before turning in, destroying or otherwise finalizing the research, consider beginning Veronica’s I Could Make You Care. The Vault 22 farming-research option for Veronica depends on the data remaining available; completing There Stands the Grass first can remove that route or produce quest-state problems. If Veronica’s companion quest matters to this run, make a save before entering the vault and preserve the data until her objective has been started.

Enter Vault 22 from the overgrown exterior and work downward through the numbered levels. The upper floors are easier to navigate, while the lower levels contain spore carriers, spore plants and the research terminal. If an elevator is unusable, continue through the level connections and use the local map to avoid repeated loops. Find the cave-door keycard in the crew quarters or use the relevant terminal, then reach the lower research area and download the data.

Dr. Keely’s rescue is optional but worthwhile. Accept the request from Angela Williams at McCarran before relying on Keely appearing in the vault. After finding Keely, clear the spore infestation by reaching the gas vents and igniting them, then escape the blast area quickly. Decide whether to preserve or destroy the research only after checking Veronica’s objective. Returning the data to Hildern produces the research reward; rescuing Keely produces a separate reward through Angela Williams.

• Start I Could Make You Care with Veronica before finalizing Vault 22 research if you want that option.
• Download the research before deciding whether to preserve or destroy it.
• Accept the Keely rescue objective from Angela Williams before searching for Keely.

4. Clear Vault 34 for its armory, then make the reactor decision deliberately

Begin Hard Luck Blues by speaking with Morgan Blake at the NCR Sharecropper Farms, south of Freeside, or discover the relevant objective while exploring Vault 34. Bring Rad-X, RadAway, healing items and sufficient ammunition. The vault contains flooded passages, feral ghouls, security turrets and confusing loops. Use the local map, activate pumps when needed and search terminals for the distress information before committing to the reactor controls.

To reach the armory, progress through the clinic and security areas, open the route from the Overseer’s office and obtain the necessary information from the Overseer’s quarters. The armory contains the unique All-American on an overturned table. The Pulse Gun is in a Very Hard-locked container, although the key can alternatively be obtained from Pearl’s barracks at Nellis Air Force Base. These armory rewards are separate from the final Hard Luck Blues choice, so collect them before leaving if your Lockpick skill or the key allows it.

At the reactor terminal, choose between sealing the external ventilation and rerouting control of the vault. Sealing the ventilation stops the radiation affecting the NCR Sharecropper Farms but leaves the trapped dwellers behind. Rerouting control frees the surviving dwellers but leaves the farms exposed. Make a save immediately before this decision because it permanently changes the local outcome. Do not describe the armory and reactor choice as one combined reward path.

• Bring radiation medicine before entering Vault 34.
• Collect All-American and, if possible, the Pulse Gun before the final reactor terminal.
• Save before choosing between the Sharecropper Farms and the trapped dwellers.

5. Use the Thorn for a late-game resource run

Enter the Thorn through Westside and speak with Red Lucy. Accept Bleed Me Dry and complete the egg hunts in the order presented by the quest: giant mantis, radscorpion, fire gecko, night stalker, cazador and deathclaw eggs. Return to Red Lucy after each collection to receive the next objective, its intermediate reward and updated directions. The quest does not require you to carry every egg type at once.

The early hunts are manageable with a reliable rifle, shotgun or energy weapon, but the cazador and deathclaw objectives are substantially more dangerous. The deathclaw eggs are associated with Dead Wind Cavern, where a mother deathclaw and young guard the nest. Use long sightlines, mines, terrain and retreat routes rather than entering the cavern blindly. Save before each dangerous nest, and carry antivenom or other poison countermeasures for cazadores.

After delivering the final deathclaw eggs, return to Red Lucy for the final caps, experience and Dinner Bell, the unique hunting shotgun. Bleed Me Dry is optional for every ending route, but its rewards make it a strong pre-finale objective for a character who can survive the later hunts.

• Complete all six egg categories and return to Red Lucy between assignments.
• Save before the cazador and deathclaw locations.
• Collect Dinner Bell and the final cap reward before leaving the Thorn.

6. Recommended order, hidden loot and permanent-change warnings

For a balanced campaign, use this sequence: Come Fly With Me, That Lucky Old Sun, There Stands the Grass, the Vault 22 companion-related objectives, Hard Luck Blues and finally Bleed Me Dry. Between those quests, visit the Followers, Crimson Caravan, Jacobstown and companion locations when their objectives naturally appear. This prevents you from rushing into Vault 34 or Dead Wind Cavern before you have enough ammunition, healing supplies and a weapon suited to heavily armored or high-health enemies.

Keep one manual save before the HELIOS One mainframe choice, one before downloading or destroying Vault 22 research, one before activating Vault 22’s gas purge, and one before the Vault 34 reactor decision. Save again before entering Dead Wind Cavern. Sell common weapons and armor before the final act, repair the main weapons you intend to carry and store unique rewards rather than selling them by mistake.

Check the Pip-Boy after each quest. Confirm that the intended reputation reward appeared, the research or power objective is marked complete, and every unique weapon is in your inventory or a secure container. These sidequests are preparation, not mandatory ending requirements; do not sacrifice a desired faction route merely to complete an optional reward chain.

• Finish optional quests that directly support your skills, reputation or equipment plan.
• Review the Pip-Boy for unresolved research, power and reactor objectives.
• Keep pre-decision saves and verify all unique rewards before the Hoover Dam push.

Recruit the early companions without closing off future quests

ED-E is the easiest early recruit. In Primm, enter the Mojave Express office, also called the Nash residence, and examine the damaged eyebot on the counter. Repair it with Repair 65, or Repair 35 combined with Science 55, or provide three Scrap Metal, two Sensor Modules and one Scrap Electronics. Once repaired, speak to ED-E and recruit it. ED-E provides Enhanced Sensors while active, helping reveal distant or cloaked enemies. Do not assume ED-E’s personal quest has started immediately; the quest ED-E My Love advances through audio-log triggers connected to Brotherhood, Followers, HELIOS One, Old World Blues-related science and other Mojave conversations.

Boone is stationed in the mouth of Dinky the T-Rex in Novac between approximately 9 p.m. and 9 a.m. Speak with him, begin One for My Baby, question Novac residents and obtain evidence that identifies Jeannie May Crawford as the person who sold Carla Boone to the Legion. The bill of sale is in the safe behind the Dino Dee-lite motel desk; No-bark Noonan can also point you toward the evidence. Wear Boone’s beret, bring Jeannie May to the dinosaur at night and activate the quest action. After Boone confirms the result, ask him to travel with you. A bad accusation or insufficient evidence can end the opportunity, so save before presenting the culprit.

Cass waits at the bar in the Mojave Outpost barracks. To recruit her, begin Heartache by the Number through the caravan work connected to Alice McLafferty and You Can Depend on Me. Help Cass transfer or sell Cassidy Caravans, then work through the road-clearance and caravan-investigation objectives. You will investigate the destroyed caravans, examine Crimson Caravan’s involvement and inspect the Silver Rush for evidence of the Van Graffs’ role. Return the evidence to Jackson as directed, then speak with Cass about travelling together. Keep a save before the final evidence and Van Graff decisions because the quest can turn violent and can affect Cass’s availability.

• ED-E recruited in Primm and its equipment checked.
• Boone recruited only after correctly identifying Jeannie May Crawford.
• Cass’s caravan sale and Heartache by the Number objectives completed before final faction commitments.
• A manual save exists before each companion recruitment decision.

Recruit the remaining humanoid companions and Rex

Veronica Santangelo stands at the 188 Trading Post beneath the highway overpass. Speak with her and accept her offer to travel. She is a Brotherhood member, so destroying the Brotherhood before recruitment can remove the opportunity. Her initial perk is Scribe Assistant, which gives access to a workbench through her companion dialogue. Her personal quest is I Could Make You Care. Bring her to qualifying events and locations, then speak with her after she comments. Three qualifying conversations are normally enough to begin the quest. Reliable areas include Camp McCarran’s terminal, Vault 3, the region around Nelson or Cottonwood Cove, the Silver Rush, the Old Mormon Fort, the REPCONN test site, Nellis’ Boomer museum and selected Brotherhood interactions. The quest eventually requires choosing technology and deciding whether Veronica remains with the Brotherhood or leaves.

Lily Bowen becomes available at Jacobstown. Speak with Doctor Henry in the lodge to begin Guess Who I Saw Today, then talk with Lily and accept her as a travelling companion. Her personal quest is the unmarked Lily and Leo, not Guess Who I Saw Today. While Lily is active, ask about Leo, witness or hear her medicine-related dialogue and allow her to experience a psychotic break before discussing what happened. After the required conversations have occurred, remain near her and let the timed recording event play. You then choose whether she takes the full dose, continues half-doses or stops the medication. The choice changes her combat behavior and psychotic-break threshold.

Raul Tejada is held in the prison building at Black Mountain. Reach the prison area, deal with the nightkin situation and free Raul by opening the cell through the terminal, lockpicking or the available password route. Complete Crazy, Crazy, Crazy, then find Raul at his shack if he did not immediately join you. His personal quest Old School Ghoul advances when Raul is active while you speak with Ranger Andy in Novac, Corporal Sterling at Camp McCarran or Camp Forlorn Hope, and Loyal at Nellis. After all three conversations, speak with Raul and choose whether he returns to gunslinging or focuses on maintenance. Save before the final choice because the resulting perk differs.

Rex belongs to The King in Freeside. Complete G.I. Blues far enough to receive Nothin’ But a Hound Dog, then take Rex to Doctor Henry at Jacobstown. Obtain a replacement brain from Old Lady Gibson’s dog Rey, Violetta near the Fiend camp or Lupa at the Legion’s Fort arena. Rey’s brain improves Rex’s damage, Violetta’s improves movement speed and Lupa’s improves damage threshold. Return to Doctor Henry and complete the transplant. The donor decision is optional to the main campaign but permanent for that playthrough.

• Veronica recruited before destroying the Brotherhood.
• Lily and Leo completed separately from Guess Who I Saw Today.
• Raul’s three history conversations completed while he is active.
• Rex’s brain donor chosen only after a comparison save.

Advance companion quests through deliberate triggers

New Vegas does not show companion affinity points. Keep the companion physically recruited or active when a trigger requires it, use the Companion Wheel’s Talk To option after a quest or significant conversation, and do not dismiss the companion immediately after a trigger comment. If a companion starts speaking, let the full dialogue finish before opening another conversation or fast-travelling.

Boone’s I Forgot to Remember to Forget requires prior knowledge of the Bitter Springs Massacre and five history points earned while Boone is recruited. Taking him to Legion-related events, rescuing or confronting NCR and Legion personnel in the relevant quests, and allowing his comments to finish can add points. Once his dialogue reveals enough of his past, return to Bitter Springs when he requests it. Do not dismiss him during the Bitter Springs sequence or tell him to abandon the mission once the Legion raid begins.

Arcade’s For Auld Lang Syne uses hidden history points. Intelligence dialogue, Followers work and locations connected to the Enclave can advance it. Useful triggers include conversations with Doctor Hildern, Fantastic, Doctor Henry and other people tied to Arcade’s past. Once Arcade asks for help, locate the five Enclave remnants, gather their password words and reach the Remnants bunker. If you intend to keep Arcade, avoid beginning a Legion route that forces him to leave. Completing the quest can make his departure permanent until the Hoover Dam battle, depending on the decision.

ED-E My Love requires ED-E to hear two separate audio logs. The first can be triggered by selected Brotherhood, Followers, HELIOS One or science-related conversations. After the first log, allow the required in-game time to pass before pursuing the second. The second log has additional Brotherhood, Followers and HELIOS One triggers. If an expected log does not play, keep ED-E active, revisit a confirmed trigger and use a manual save before speaking to the relevant NPC. ED-E’s Lonesome Road upgrades are separate from the Mojave quest.

Do not treat every companion comment as a quest trigger. Veronica needs qualifying conversations, Raul needs his three older contacts, Lily needs her specific medicine, Leo and psychotic-break conditions, and Boone needs the Bitter Springs knowledge flag plus history points. This distinction prevents a common failure where the Courier travels extensively with a companion but never satisfies the required event.

• Talk to active companions after major story quests and faction events.
• Do not dismiss Boone, Raul, Lily or ED-E before their required conversation finishes.
• Keep separate saves before Arcade’s Enclave decision and Veronica’s Brotherhood decision.
• Allow ED-E’s audio logs to complete before changing companions.

Use the Companion Wheel and protect equipment

On PC, approach an active companion and press the interact key, E by default, to open the Companion Wheel. The Ultimate Edition manual lists commands for aggressive or passive behavior, using a Stimpak from the Courier’s inventory, waiting or following, talking, backing up, changing follow distance, opening inventory and switching between ranged and melee attacks. Controls can be changed in the game’s settings, so verify the current binding if E does not open the wheel.

Use Open Inventory to exchange weapons, armor, ammunition, healing items and quest-relevant equipment. Companions can carry equipment, but they are not a replacement for your own ammunition or medical supplies. Give Boone a dependable rifle, keep Veronica in close-range combat, let Lily or Rex draw attention at melee distance, and use Arcade, Cass, Raul or ED-E for ranged support. Use passive mode before approaching neutral NPCs or entering a crowded settlement so a companion does not start a needless fight.

Companion weapons can break and may be dropped, so recover valuable unique weapons before dismissing a companion. Dismiss through companion dialogue, then check the map or return to the listed home location: ED-E and Rex return to their associated recruitment hubs, while humanoid companions return to their established homes or the Lucky 38 if assigned there. If a companion appears missing, check the Lucky 38 presidential suite and the original recruitment location before assuming the save is broken.

In ordinary difficulty modes, active companions generally become unconscious rather than dying during normal combat. Hardcore changes this rule and allows active companions to die permanently. Companions do not need food, water or sleep in Hardcore, but their health still requires protection. Keep them behind cover, use the Companion Wheel’s healing command, avoid explosive weapons in tight spaces and make a manual save before combat, loading screens and scripted faction events.

• Confirm the PC interact and Companion Wheel bindings before relying on them.
• Recover unique gear before dismissal.
• Use passive mode near friendly NPCs and faction checkpoints.
• Make a manual save before every Hardcore combat sequence.

Select companions for DLC and ending preparation

Companions are optional for every official main-game ending. For an NCR route, Boone is thematically useful but can object to actions that harm NCR personnel. For Legion play, Raul is comparatively tolerant, while Boone, Cass, Arcade and Veronica can object or leave under hostile faction decisions. For an Independent route, Arcade, Veronica, Raul and ED-E provide useful dialogue or technical support, but any companion’s personal quest can alter their availability. Mr. House does not require a particular companion.

Dismiss ordinary Mojave companions before entering Dead Money, Honest Hearts or Old World Blues unless the game gives you an explicit temporary follower arrangement. The DLCs control their own companion systems and may remove outside followers. Lonesome Road is different because ED-E is integrated into the DLC; dismiss your normal humanoid companion before entering, but do not assume ED-E’s Mojave quest progress is the same as its Divide role.

Before the Hoover Dam finale, complete desired companion quests, recover their equipment and make a dedicated save. Arcade may leave after For Auld Lang Syne, Veronica’s quest contains an irreversible Brotherhood choice, Boone’s quest can fail if he is dismissed during its raid, and faction hostility can prevent recruitment or cause a companion to depart. If an ending-specific companion reaction is important to your roleplay, finish the personal quest before entering the final battle rather than trying to complete it during the finale.

For a completion-focused run, cycle through companions from their safe homes rather than carrying one companion for the entire campaign. Recruit all eight at least once, complete the personal quests that matter to your chosen ending, then dismiss the final companion and rehire the exact pair you want for the Dam. Companions are never required for the ending itself, so a failed recruitment or dead Hardcore companion does not prevent campaign completion unless that companion was needed for a particular optional quest.

• Save before every DLC entrance and before the Hoover Dam point of no return.
• Finish desired companion quests before faction hostility becomes widespread.
• Dismiss ordinary companions before DLC transitions unless the game explicitly allows them.
• Create a final save with the intended companion pair and recovered equipment.

1. Enable Hardcore correctly and create recovery saves

When Doc Mitchell gives you the opening Hardcore prompt, choose the setting only after confirming that you want the survival rules for this character. Hardcore is separate from Normal, Hard or Very Hard difficulty. You can toggle it later through the Options menu, but turning it off during the run prevents the Hardcore achievement. The achievement condition is to keep it enabled from the first prompt through the main game's endgame sequence; it is not necessary to complete every DLC for that achievement.

Make a manual save after character creation and another before leaving Doc Mitchell's house. Keep a rotating set of saves before long journeys, DLC entrances, major faction commitments and difficult fights. Autosaves are useful if a trap or ambush kills you, but they should not be your only recovery plan. If a companion dies or a meter reaches a fatal value during travel, reload an earlier approach save instead of overwriting it with the failed state.

• Keep Hardcore enabled from the opening prompt through the main ending if pursuing its achievement.
• Use manual saves before DLC entrances, long sleeps, difficult fights and major decisions.
• Keep at least one untouched save from before each major expedition.

2. Read the three meters before travelling

The Pip-Boy status display shows H2O, FOOD and SLP. The meters rise with game time, including time spent waiting, sleeping and fast travelling. At 200, 400, 600 and 800 points, the penalties become progressively worse. H2O primarily damages Endurance and later affects Perception, Intelligence and Agility; FOOD reduces Strength and later affects Perception and Charisma; SLP reduces Agility and later affects Intelligence and Endurance. At 1000, the relevant condition is fatal.

Do not wait for the first severe warning before acting. H2O rises fastest, so hydration deserves the most frequent attention. Before leaving a town, drink from a safe source or use water items, eat a suitable food item, and sleep if SLP is already rising. Check the meters again before entering an interior, beginning a long wait, or fast travelling across the Mojave. Fast travel is allowed in Hardcore, but the elapsed time can turn a safe departure into a lethal arrival.

• Check H2O, FOOD and SLP before every long trip.
• Treat H2O as the priority meter because it rises fastest.
• Never fast travel with a meter already near a dangerous threshold.

3. Establish supply hubs and carry compact reserves

Use Goodsprings, Primm, Novac, Freeside, the Lucky 38 and other friendly settlements as staging points. Restock water and food, repair your primary weapons, sell excess ammunition and identify the nearest doctor before leaving. Keep a compact emergency reserve rather than carrying every edible item and ammunition type you find. Ammunition has weight in Hardcore, and excessive loot can prevent fast travel by pushing you over your carry limit.

Carry separate categories of supplies. Water items reduce H2O, food items reduce FOOD, Stimpaks provide delayed healing, RadAway removes radiation over time, and doctor's bags or other limb-treatment options handle crippled limbs. Water from fountains or other sources can help, but contaminated sources may add radiation. When a campfire or electric hot plate is available, cook raw meat before relying on it. Raw meat can carry negative effects; cooking removes those raw-meat penalties, while the Survival skill improves food and drink effects and unlocks recipes. Remember that Survival can also magnify some negative effects, so do not assume every high-Survival consumable is automatically efficient.

• Carry water, food, healing items, RadAway and limb-treatment supplies separately.
• Keep ammunition for your main weapons and one backup weapon rather than every calibre.
• Cook raw meat at a campfire or electric hot plate when possible.
• Sell or store duplicates before reaching the encumbrance limit.

4. Treat injuries and radiation before the next fight

Stimpaks do not provide instant healing in Hardcore. Use one behind cover, then continue defensively while its healing effect works. Multiple delayed effects can be useful, but standing in the open while waiting for recovery is dangerous. Food and crafted recipes can also provide healing, especially with a strong Survival skill, but they should supplement cover and positioning rather than replace them.

RadAway also works over time. Use it before radiation becomes an emergency, especially before entering irradiated ruins, caves or contaminated DLC locations. Rad-X reduces incoming radiation but does not remove radiation already accumulated. Crippled limbs require separate planning: Stimpaks cannot repair them in Hardcore. Use a doctor, doctor's bag, Hydra, healing poultice, weapon binding ritual, Auto-Doc or a qualifying owned-bed sleep condition. Because not every mattress repairs limbs, locate a doctor before entering a high-damage area and save before traps, deathclaws, cazadores or large interior battles.

• Use Stimpaks and RadAway behind cover and allow time for their effects.
• Carry doctor's bags or another reliable crippled-limb treatment.
• Locate a doctor before entering a dangerous remote area.
• Use Rad-X for prevention and RadAway for accumulated radiation.

5. Keep companions alive through positioning and saves

Hardcore removes the normal protection that prevents recruited companions from dying. Equip companions with weapons they can use reliably and armor appropriate to the fight, but positioning matters more than expensive gear. Keep ranged companions at useful distance, prevent melee companions from charging through mines or automatic fire, and avoid letting them run ahead into an unscouted room. Check their health after every encounter instead of assuming they recovered safely.

Save before fights involving deathclaws, cazadores, heavily armed patrols, explosives or large groups. If a companion is taking concentrated damage, retreat behind cover or change their combat distance before their health reaches a fatal point. Dismiss a companion before a hazardous scripted section when the companion is not required and their presence creates unnecessary risk. Companions do not require the Courier's food, water or sleep routine, but they do consume carry capacity and ammunition if you supply them.

• Save before high-damage encounters while companions are present.
• Check companion health after every major fight.
• Use distance and cover to keep companions from charging into traps or concentrated fire.
• Dismiss companions before optional hazards when their help is not needed.

6. Prepare separately for the four story DLCs

Before Dead Money, stabilize H2O, FOOD and SLP in the Mojave and make a manual save immediately before entering. The add-on restricts normal equipment and supplies, so do not expect your usual inventory or loadout to remain available. On entry, the Hardcore meters are reset, but the Sierra Madre still imposes its own resource and survival pressures; treat the reset as a starting point, not permission to ignore food, water or sleep once the DLC begins.

Honest Hearts has more open movement than Dead Money, but Zion can separate you from ordinary vendors and doctors. Enter with healing supplies, ammunition and a pre-DLC save. Old World Blues contains long stretches away from normal Mojave services, so begin with stable meters, repaired weapons and enough healing and radiation treatment for the route you intend to take. Lonesome Road should be treated as a late-game expedition: repair multiple weapons, carry ammunition for more than one range, bring limb-healing supplies and save before entering the Divide.

Use one untouched save before each DLC, another after major objectives and a third before irreversible decisions. A DLC completion does not end the base campaign, so return to the Mojave, restock and check your meters before resuming faction quests or travelling toward Hoover Dam.

• Create and preserve a save immediately before every DLC entrance.
• Enter each add-on without severe H2O, FOOD or SLP penalties.
• Repair weapons and carry limb treatment before Lonesome Road.
• After returning from a DLC, restock before continuing the main campaign.

1. Start The House Always Wins I and deliver the Platinum Chip

After Ring-a-Ding-Ding! leads you to the Lucky 38, take the elevator to the Presidential Suite and speak with Mr. House. Accept his offer and begin The House Always Wins I. If Benny still has the Platinum Chip, follow the active objective to recover it from the Tops before returning to House. If Benny escaped, the quest can instead direct you through the Legion route to retrieve it; do not begin another faction’s endgame branch if you intend to remain with House.

Make a manual save before handing the Chip to House. Give it to him through the conversation, then speak with him again when prompted. The Chip is used to activate the Securitron upgrade system, so do not sell, drop, or store it before the quest accepts it. Avoid attacking House, Victor, the Lucky 38 Securitrons, or the Tops while this sequence is active.

• The House Always Wins I is active or completed.
• The Platinum Chip has been delivered to Mr. House.
• The next objective sends you to the Fort and its underground bunker.

2. Upgrade the Securitrons beneath the Fort

Travel to the Fort using the access provided by the main quest. At the Legion camp, follow the marker to the underground Securitron bunker. The Fort may become hostile depending on your Legion reputation and previous actions, so bring healing supplies, ammunition, and armor that can handle Legion melee attackers. Enter the bunker, reach the operations console, and insert the Platinum Chip when the terminal requests it.

Watch the upgrade sequence, then leave the bunker and return to the Lucky 38. Report to House to complete The House Always Wins II. This upgrade is a required House objective; it is not the same as the later Securitron control steps in the Hoover Dam finale.

• The Platinum Chip has been inserted into the bunker console.
• The Securitron army upgrade sequence has played.
• Mr. House has advanced the quest to The House Always Wins III.

3. Complete The House Always Wins III at Nellis Air Force Base

House next sends you to Nellis Air Force Base to recruit or neutralize the Boomers. The practical route is to approach from the south and speak with George near the road. His artillery-run wager is optional, but his directions are useful: move between artillery barrages and use the ruined buildings near the approach as cover. Do not sprint directly across open ground while the barrage is active.

Once inside Nellis, speak with Pearl and complete the Boomer relationship objectives needed to gain their support. The usual route is to help the residents around the base, including the tasks connected to their medical, mechanical, and community problems, then report back to Pearl. House accepts the Boomers’ support or their removal; gaining their support is the safer and more useful outcome for the finale. Return to the Lucky 38 after the objective updates.

• You have entered Nellis Air Force Base without being killed by artillery.
• The Boomers’ objective is resolved in favor of House or marked as neutralized.
• The House Always Wins IV is active after reporting to House.

4. Resolve the Omertas at Gomorrah

Enter Gomorrah and agree to disarm at the entrance. Speak with the receptionist to begin the investigation, then work through How Little We Know. Ask Omerta members about Cachino, locate evidence of his activities, and decide how to stop the planned attack on the Strip. Make a manual save before choosing the leadership outcome.

For a clean House route, stop the Omertas’ conspiracy or otherwise ensure the threat is neutralized, then return to House and complete the required dialogue about their plans. Do not finish How Little We Know by siding with Big Sal and Nero against Cachino if you want House to accept the result normally. That outcome can cause The House Always Wins IV to fail and may make House hostile; a 50 Speech check can sometimes explain the infiltration, but reloading the earlier save is safer.

If you previously resolved How Little We Know, House can recognize the completed result when you start his objective. If Gomorrah becomes hostile, leaving the casino and reporting to House may advance the chain but can forfeit the quest reward. Do not continue until the Pip-Boy shows that The House Always Wins V has started.

• The Omerta plot has been stopped or the Omertas have been neutralized.
• You have reported the outcome to Mr. House.
• House has not become hostile and The House Always Wins V is active.

5. Destroy the Brotherhood bunker in Hidden Valley

House requires the Mojave Brotherhood of Steel to be destroyed. Travel to Hidden Valley and enter the Brotherhood bunker through the surface entrance marked by a tree stump. Gain access to the inhabited levels, then reach the command area. The final PC release does not provide a peaceful Brotherhood solution that satisfies House’s quest, so a truce or successful Still in the Dark outcome cannot replace this step.

The cleanest non-combat method requires the three keycards carried by the Brotherhood elder, head paladin, and head scribe, followed by the self-destruct terminal. Pickpocketing is possible, but stealing a card can be difficult when other members are nearby. A Science skill of 100 can bypass the keycard collection at the activation terminal. If you cannot use either method, the remaining option is to kill Brotherhood members and obtain the needed access.

Before arming the sequence, dismiss every companion and leave them outside the bunker. The explosion can kill companions who remain inside, and the bunker’s destruction is irreversible. Make a separate save before activating the self-destruct. Once the sequence begins, leave immediately; if the exit is locked, use the bunker key, a successful lockpick attempt, or another available route rather than waiting inside.

• The Hidden Valley Brotherhood bunker has been destroyed.
• No companion was left inside during the explosion.
• The House Always Wins V is complete and House remains available in the Lucky 38.

6. Protect President Kimball during The House Always Wins VI

House’s next objective concerns President Aaron Kimball’s visit to Hoover Dam. The actual field operation is handled through You'll Know It When It Happens. Travel to Hoover Dam, report to the NCR security personnel, and investigate the marked hazards around the ceremony area. Watch for the Legion assassination attempts and deal with each threat as the quest directs rather than abandoning the event after stopping only one suspect.

The quest can involve a disguised attacker, a suspicious aircraft, and other threats around the Dam. Follow the current objective marker and inspect the indicated equipment or personnel. If Kimball dies, reload the save from before the ceremony instead of continuing; the House chain may advance in a damaged state, but the safe way to preserve the intended route is to keep the president alive and complete the security quest properly.

Return to House after the ceremony. He will advance the chain to The House Always Wins VII. This stage is not the same as the NCR’s Arizona Killer objective: you are protecting Kimball, not carrying out an assassination.

• President Kimball survived the Hoover Dam visit.
• You'll Know It When It Happens is complete or resolved in House’s favor.
• The House Always Wins VII is active.

7. Install House’s override at El Dorado Substation

Travel to the El Dorado Substation, located northwest of the El Dorado Dry Lake and southwest of Vault 11. NCR troopers guard the entrance. Entering in their view normally makes them hostile, so make a manual save before approaching and choose whether to fight through them, use a Stealth Boy, or use NCR faction armor to reduce the chance of immediate detection. The quest requires you to enter the building and use the terminal; avoiding the substation does not complete the objective.

Inside, reach the terminal on the far wall and install House’s override module. This action gives NCR infamy and is a permanent reputation change, so complete NCR sidequests and buy any NCR-restricted services you still want before carrying it out. Exit the station and return to the Lucky 38 to report to House. Do not confuse this with Yes Man’s Wild Card: Finishing Touches; the location and action are shared, but the active quest determines the faction route.

• The override module has been installed at the El Dorado Substation.
• You have left the substation and reported to Mr. House.
• The House Always Wins VIII is active.

8. Make the final save, then begin All or Nothing

The House Always Wins VIII is a preparation stage. When you are ready, speak with House in the Lucky 38 and accept the message to begin All or Nothing. Before doing so, make a permanent manual save in a clearly named slot and finish any DLC, companion quests, crafting, exploration, or neutral sidequests you want to keep. Fallout: New Vegas ends after the Hoover Dam operation; there is no normal post-ending free-roam state in the unmodified game.

Bring a reliable weapon for armored NCR troops and Legion fighters, enough ammunition and healing items for the Dam and Legate’s camp, and a companion only if you are comfortable with the final sequence. Follow the quest markers through Hoover Dam, complete House’s required control and combat objectives, and proceed to the Legate’s camp. The precise dialogue and combat options vary with your skills and earlier decisions, but do not switch to Yes Man or attack House during this stage.

After the final confrontation, allow the ending slides to play. The campaign is complete when the House-aligned Hoover Dam ending appears. Keep the pre-finale save if you want to attempt the NCR, Legion, or Independent ending later.

• All or Nothing has begun under Mr. House’s faction banner.
• The Hoover Dam battle and Legate’s camp objectives are complete.
• The House-aligned ending slides have played.

1. Start the NCR chain with Ambassador Crocker

After reaching the Strip and completing the current Benny-related main-story objectives, visit the NCR Embassy in the southern Strip and speak with Ambassador Dennis Crocker. He gives Things That Go Boom, sending you to Nellis Air Force Base, and later offers Kings’ Gambit after the Boomers assignment is resolved. Make a manual save before accepting these quests if you want to preserve alternate faction routes.

For Things That Go Boom, travel to Nellis through the marked approach and complete the Boomers’ local requests. The NCR outcome is strongest when you earn Pearl and Loyal’s cooperation rather than attacking the base or killing named Boomers. The quest is completed by reporting back to Crocker after the Boomers’ support has been secured. Their assistance is later represented during the Hoover Dam battle, so do not treat Nellis as an optional detour if you want maximum NCR support.

Kings’ Gambit sends you to Freeside to address the conflict between the NCR and the Kings. Follow the objectives through the Kings’ School of Impersonation and the NCR representatives, then choose a solution that prevents an unnecessary firefight between the two groups. Return to Crocker after the local objective is resolved. Killing NCR personnel or forcing the Kings into open war can reduce NCR standing and changes the later reputation and ending results.

• Meet Dennis Crocker at the NCR Embassy.
• Complete Things That Go Boom without attacking Nellis.
• Complete Kings’ Gambit and report back to Crocker.
• Keep a branch save before major faction commitments.

2. Meet Colonel Moore and handle the Great Khans

After Crocker’s assignments, go to Hoover Dam and enter the NCR offices to meet Colonel Cassandra Moore. She starts For the Republic, Part 2 and first sends you to Red Rock Canyon to deal with the Great Khans. Speak with the Khans before taking irreversible action so the quest objectives update correctly.

The most diplomatic outcomes are tied to Oh My Papa. You can persuade Papa Khan that the tribe should leave the Mojave, or kill Papa Khan and persuade Regis to support an NCR alliance. The NCR quest also permits destroying the Great Khans. A peaceful departure or alliance preserves more characters and content, while killing the leadership or wiping out the tribe cannot be undone without reloading.

Do not assume that resolving Oh My Papa earlier will always update Moore’s objective cleanly. The safest order is to speak with Moore first, receive the Great Khans objective, then complete the selected outcome and return to her. If Moore’s objective does not advance, reload a save from before turning in the Khans-related result rather than continuing deeper into the faction chain.

• Receive the Great Khans objective from Colonel Moore.
• Complete Oh My Papa or destroy the Great Khans.
• Return to Moore and confirm the Khans objective is marked complete.
• Create a new save before proceeding to the Omertas.

3. Investigate the Omertas without triggering the known progression problem

Moore next directs you to investigate the Omertas at Gomorrah. Before entering Gomorrah or speaking to its receptionist, speak with Liza O’Malley at the NCR Embassy or use the relevant entry on her terminal. This establishes the NCR lead correctly. Entering Gomorrah first and progressing How Little We Know without receiving that lead can prevent Moore’s later dialogue from appearing in the original game.

Follow How Little We Know through Cachino and the Omerta leadership. Your goal is to stop the attack plan or obtain enough information to report that it has been stopped. You can expose the conspiracy through Cachino’s route, or use the more direct option of killing Big Sal and Nero. If the Omertas’ plan has already been aided or completed for another faction, Moore may require a lie about their intentions before she accepts the result; keep a save before choosing that dialogue.

After the Omerta objective updates, return to Moore. Do not leave the quest half-finished while advancing unrelated faction missions, because the Omerta stage is one of the points where the NCR and Legion quest arcs can begin closing each other out.

• Speak with Liza O’Malley or inspect her terminal before entering Gomorrah.
• Complete How Little We Know or stop the Omerta leadership directly.
• Return to Moore and verify the Omerta objective has advanced.

4. Remove Mr. House and settle the Brotherhood question

Moore then requires Mr. House to be removed as a threat to the NCR. Make a separate branch save before entering the Lucky 38. Follow the quest objective to obtain access to the penthouse security area. The required Lucky 38 VIP keycard can be obtained from H&H Tools Factory or Chief Hanlon’s desk at Camp Golf; a sufficiently high Science skill or the Platinum Chip can also provide access. Reach the terminal beneath the Lucky 38 and disable House’s system, then return to Moore and report that he is no longer a threat.

The final regional assignment concerns the Mojave Brotherhood of Steel in Hidden Valley. Moore supports destroying the chapter, but an NCR-Brotherhood truce is available if you completed Still in the Dark while Nolan McNamara remains Elder. Speak with McNamara when Moore sends you to deal with the Brotherhood, accept the truce if offered, then return to Moore and report it. The truce preserves the Brotherhood and gives NCR support during the battle, although it costs some NCR reputation. If you helped Head Paladin Hardin replace McNamara, the truce is unavailable and you must destroy the chapter or accept that the Brotherhood will not support the NCR.

Complete the Omertas, House and Brotherhood objectives before treating For the Republic, Part 2 as finished. Keep a save before reporting the final Brotherhood result, because this begins the presidential-security stage.

• Disable Mr. House and confirm the task with Moore.
• Complete Still in the Dark with McNamara still Elder if you want the truce.
• Choose either the Brotherhood truce or destruction.
• Report the final Brotherhood result to Moore.

5. Protect President Kimball during You’ll Know It When It Happens

Ranger Grant begins You’ll Know It When It Happens at Hoover Dam. Speak with him on the observation deck, inspect the marked locations and use the visitor-center terminal if available to learn about the sniper positions. Make a manual save before the presidential event begins.

The security event has several assassination threats. A disguised Legion sniper appears in a tower near the visitor center. A disguised Legion engineer tampers with the President’s vertibird and can later attack with a knife. The vertibird bomb must be disarmed when the quest allows it; killing or searching the engineer does not automatically remove the bomb. If you detect the bomb, disarm it or use the displayed skill option, then report the threat through Ranger Grant or the nearby radio as instructed.

The most reliable approach is to save before Kimball arrives, inspect the vertibird area, disarm the bomb, then watch the tower and the crowd during the speech. Do not shoot ordinary NCR personnel or the initial ranger occupying the tower. If you report an attempt and the event ends early, wait for Kimball to leave safely and then report to Grant. If Kimball dies or the quest fails, reload the pre-event save rather than trying to repair the NCR route through later faction dialogue.

After the President is safe, return to Moore. Completing this quest and reporting to her unlocks the final NCR operation, Eureka!.

• Speak with Ranger Grant and inspect the visitor center.
• Disarm the vertibird bomb.
• Stop the disguised sniper and engineer without killing Kimball.
• Report success to Grant and then to Moore.

6. Prepare for Eureka! before accepting the final operation

When For the Republic, Part 2 and You’ll Know It When It Happens are complete, Moore directs you to General Lee Oliver. Speaking with Oliver at his compound starts Eureka!, the NCR endgame. The game gives you a chance to wait before committing; use that pause to complete companion quests, DLC, side content and equipment preparation.

Repair your primary weapon and carry ammunition for armored Legion soldiers as well as lightly armored melee troops. A scoped rifle, energy weapon or other accurate mid-range option is useful on the Dam’s exterior, while a close-range weapon helps inside the power plants and visitor center. Carry healing items, explosives if you use them, and enough repair supplies for a sustained fight. Companions are optional; dismiss them if you want complete control over scripted encounters, but allies recruited through earlier quests can appear during the battle regardless of whether you bring a companion from the Mojave.

Create one save before speaking to Oliver and another after the battle loads. Once Eureka! begins, you cannot return to ordinary Mojave exploration after the ending. Starting the quest also closes the opportunity to complete normal campaign content.

• Finish desired sidequests, companion quests and DLC before Eureka!.
• Repair weapons and stock ammunition, healing items and explosives.
• Create a pre-Eureka! branch save.
• Speak with General Oliver only when ready to end the campaign.

7. Fight through Hoover Dam and complete the NCR ending

Eureka! begins at General Oliver’s compound while the Legion attacks Hoover Dam. Follow the objective to Power Plant 04 and proceed through the dam’s power plants toward the eastern side. Mike Lawson offers an optional turbine objective. You can skip it and continue toward the Legate, or restore the turbine system and operate the manual release to flush Legion forces from the intake route. The turbine objective is useful but is not required to finish the NCR ending.

Move from Power Plant 04 through Power Plant 03, 02 and 01, using cover and allowing NCR troops to draw enemy fire. Continue to the visitor center, cross the dam and follow the marked route to the Legate’s camp. Allied factions can materially change the fight: recruited Boomers may conduct a bombing run, a Brotherhood truce can send paladins, Great Khan choices can determine whether they attack the Legion, and other completed alliance quests can add support. These allies are rewards for earlier preparation, not prerequisites for the ending.

At the Legate’s camp, deal with Legate Lanius through combat or the available high-level Speech or Barter resolution. After the confrontation, return to General Oliver in his compound and complete the final dialogue. Eureka! then marks complete and the NCR ending slides play. The final slides reflect your treatment of the Boomers, Kings, Great Khans, Brotherhood, Omertas and other Mojave groups, so do not expect every NCR victory to produce the same epilogue.

• Complete the Eureka! objectives at Hoover Dam.
• Reach the Legate’s camp and defeat or persuade Legate Lanius.
• Return to General Oliver.
• Watch the NCR ending slides and preserve the completed-ending save.

1. Enter the Legion route through Cottonwood Cove

After dealing with Benny and receiving the Mark of Caesar, Vulpes Inculta or another Legion representative directs you to Cottonwood Cove. The cove is on the southeastern edge of the Mojave, south of the road between Nelson and Searchlight. Travel there with Boone dismissed. Boone recognizes the site as a Legion slave camp and can attack the residents, overriding the protection normally provided by the Mark of Caesar. Dismiss Arcade as well if you do not intend to use his special Caesar outcome later.

Speak with Cursor Lucullus at the cove and take the barge to Caesar’s Fort. Make a manual save before boarding. At the Fort, speak with Caesar in his tent and accept Render Unto Caesar. Do not attack Caesar, Lucius, Vulpes, or the Fort’s guards. If the Legion has become hostile before this visit, reload an earlier save; the Mark of Caesar is not a reliable cure for hostility caused by earlier massacres or faction infamy.

• Dismiss Boone before entering Cottonwood Cove.
• Save before taking the barge.
• Accept Render Unto Caesar and avoid attacking Legion personnel.

2. Neutralize Mr. House and handle the Legion’s supporting factions

The first major Render Unto Caesar assignment sends you beneath the weather station at the Fort. Enter the bunker, use the Platinum Chip at the marked terminal, and complete the Securitron destruction sequence. Return to Caesar and then travel to the Lucky 38. In Mr. House’s penthouse, use the terminal beneath the staircase to reach his hidden control room. Neutralize Mr. House by killing him, sterilizing his chamber, or severing his system connection, then report back to Caesar. This permanently ends Mr. House’s route, so keep a separate save if you may want another ending.

The next assignments concern the Boomers and the White Glove Society. Caesar wants the Boomers at Nellis Air Force Base recruited or rendered harmless. The reliable diplomatic solution is to complete Volare! for Pearl by helping the Boomers around Nellis and restoring their bomber. Return to Caesar after Pearl agrees to support the Legion. If you instead kill the Boomer leadership, report that they have been neutralized; this removes their potential support and changes the finale’s conditions.

Caesar then asks you to present his offer to the White Glove Society at the Ultra-Luxe. Speak with Marjorie and Mortimer as the quest directs. The Society may refuse, and that does not automatically end the Legion route; report the result and continue. Do not kill either quest giver before the assignment is complete.

• Destroy the Securitron bunker under the Fort’s weather station.
• Neutralize Mr. House at the Lucky 38 and report back.
• Complete Volare! or neutralize the Boomer leadership.
• Speak with the White Glove Society and report its decision.

3. Complete the Brotherhood and Great Khan objectives

Render Unto Caesar requires the Mojave Brotherhood of Steel to be destroyed. Go to Hidden Valley and begin Still in the Dark if you have not already done so. Gain access to the bunker, reach Elder McNamara or the active leader, and follow the quest instructions until you can identify the bunker’s self-destruct procedure. During Render Unto Caesar, Caesar will accept only the Brotherhood’s destruction, not an alliance with the NCR or an independent survival arrangement. Activate the bunker’s self-destruct sequence and escape before the timer expires. Save before entering the bunker because the interior is easy to navigate incorrectly while hostile.

The Great Khan stage can be resolved in more than one way. If you have completed Oh My Papa, you can persuade Papa Khan to withdraw the tribe from Caesar’s alliance. Alternatively, the Khans can support the Legion if their quest state allows it. Follow the dialogue objective shown in your quest log rather than attacking the entire encampment. Report the result at the Fort. These supporting-faction choices influence the forces and ending slides at Hoover Dam, but they are not all required for the Legion route to remain playable.

• Destroy the Mojave Brotherhood bunker when Render Unto Caesar requires it.
• Resolve the Great Khans through Oh My Papa or the available Legion-aligned outcome.
• Return to Caesar after each assignment updates.

4. Treat Caesar during Et Tumor, Brute?

After the Brotherhood stage, Caesar suffers a severe headache and reveals that he has a brain tumor. Et Tumor, Brute? requires you to repair or replace the Auto-Doc’s missing component. If you passed the earlier diagnostic dialogue, the quest can offer a surgery route using surgical tools and a doctor’s bag with the required Medicine or Speech checks. Otherwise, travel to the clinic area in Vault 34 and retrieve the Diagnostic Scanning Module from the broken Auto-Doc in the clinic. Return to the Fort and install the module in Caesar’s Mark III Auto-Doc.

Activate surgery to save Caesar if you want the cleanest Legion progression. With Arcade Gannon as an active companion, a special dialogue option lets Caesar enslave him as a personal doctor; this completes the medical objective but removes Arcade as a normal companion and changes his outcome. Do not choose autopsy unless you deliberately want Caesar dead. If Caesar dies, Lucius confronts you. A sufficient Legion reputation or the available Medicine or Speech response may let you continue, but failure makes the Legion hostile and can terminate the route. Save before activating the Auto-Doc and reload if the result is not intentional.

• Obtain the Diagnostic Scanning Module or prepare the valid surgery alternative.
• Save before activating the Auto-Doc.
• Confirm that Et Tumor, Brute? completes and the Legion remains non-hostile.

5. Perform Arizona Killer without losing the Legion route

After the Caesar medical stage, the Legion assigns Arizona Killer. The quest sends you to meet Cato Hostilius at his camp northwest of Ranger Station Delta and south of the road to Ranger Station Alpha. Speak with Cato, then wait for the operation to begin. Stay disguised or otherwise avoid alerting NCR personnel before President Aaron Kimball arrives. If the NCR detects an attack too early, Kimball may be evacuated before the assassination can occur.

The main assassination options are placing an explosive on Bear Force One, shooting Kimball from the tower behind the stage, or attacking him directly during the speech. A distant rifle shot is usually the easiest to control, but any method can work if Kimball dies before leaving the Hoover Dam area. Avoid explosives or attacks that destroy or launch the president’s body if you intend to recover items from him. Once the quest confirms Kimball’s death, leave the Dam and return to Caesar. If Kimball escapes or NCR security becomes hostile before the event, reload the save made before meeting Cato rather than relying on later reputation recovery.

• Save before meeting Cato Hostilius.
• Keep NCR security unaware until Kimball arrives.
• Confirm Arizona Killer records Kimball’s death before leaving.
• Report to Caesar or Lucius.

6. Begin Veni, Vidi, Vici and take Hoover Dam

Once Arizona Killer is reported, the Legion orders you to meet Legate Lanius at his field camp on the eastern end of Hoover Dam. Before speaking with Lanius, repair your main weapon, carry healing supplies, and bring ammunition for both armored targets and ordinary soldiers. The final route moves from the eastern Dam toward the western side, reversing the direction used by the NCR, House, and independent endings. Legion melee troops rush aggressively, while NCR defenders use rifles, automatic weapons, explosives, and fixed defensive positions. Use cover, retreat through doorways when melee units close in, and target explosive users first.

Speak with Lanius when ready to begin the final assault. Follow the objectives across the Dam and through the NCR-controlled facilities. The Legion’s final battle can be completed by fighting through the defenders. At the final negotiation, you may use the available Speech options to persuade the NCR commander to withdraw; the higher check requires exceptional Speech. Otherwise, continue through the combat route and return to Lanius after the decisive confrontation.

There is no post-ending free exploration in the unmodded game. Keep a manual save before speaking with Lanius and another immediately before the final Dam sequence if you want to preserve the completed Legion state or attempt a different ending from an earlier branch.

• Repair weapons and stock ammunition before meeting Lanius.
• Save before beginning Veni, Vidi, Vici.
• Reach the western side of Hoover Dam and complete the Legion objectives.
• Return to Lanius and watch the ending slides.

1. Meet Yes Man at the Tops and make a branch save

During Ring-a-Ding-Ding!, enter the Tops and speak with Swank before confronting Benny if you want the safest route through the casino. Present evidence of Benny’s betrayal or pass the available dialogue checks. Swank can return your confiscated weapons, give you Benny’s suite key, and keep the Chairmen from becoming automatically hostile if you later attack Benny inside the casino.

Take the elevator to the thirteenth floor and enter Benny’s suite. Search the bedroom for the concealed route into Benny’s workshop, then speak with the Securitron named Yes Man. This starts Wild Card: Ace in the Hole. Yes Man explains Benny’s plan to seize control of Mr. House’s network and offers the Courier the same opportunity. The quest requires dealing with Benny and obtaining the Platinum Chip, but the exact method is flexible: kill him, arrange his escape, or use another available dialogue route.

Keep a manual save before deciding Benny’s fate. If Benny escapes to Caesar’s Legion, you can recover the Chip later at Fortification Hill. If you handle the encounter at the Tops, return to Yes Man after obtaining the Chip so the next Wild Card quests become available.

• Complete Wild Card: Ace in the Hole.
• Speak with Yes Man in Benny’s suite or at his available Tops location.
• Obtain the Platinum Chip.
• Keep a save before committing to Benny’s outcome.

2. Remove Mr. House and transfer the network to Yes Man

Start Wild Card: Change in Management by speaking with Yes Man after Ace in the Hole. The objective is to kill or disable Mr. House. If House still has the Platinum Chip, enter the Lucky 38, use the elevator to reach the restricted area, and enter his control room. Access the chamber’s terminal and shut down his life-support system, or kill him directly. The terminal method avoids a conventional fight but still permanently removes House from power.

If you already worked for House and used the Chip to upgrade his Securitrons, you can still switch to Yes Man. Return to House’s chamber, disable him, and then report to Yes Man. House’s removal is the irreversible faction commitment in this portion of the route, so preserve a separate save if you may want a House ending later.

After House is removed, Yes Man becomes available through the Lucky 38 network. This unlocks Wild Card: You and What Army?, Wild Card: Side Bets, and eventually Wild Card: Finishing Touches. Speaking to Yes Man early does not immediately begin the Hoover Dam battle, but it does make the independent route active.

• Complete Wild Card: Change in Management.
• Kill or disable Mr. House.
• Speak with Yes Man after House is removed.
• Keep a separate save if you want to preserve a House-route option.

3. Upgrade and activate the Securitron army

Take Wild Card: You and What Army? from Yes Man and travel to Fortification Hill. Enter the Legion camp and find the bunker beneath the hill. If the Legion is still friendly, Caesar’s invitation provides a safer approach. If the Legion is hostile, fight or sneak through the camp and reach the bunker entrance; Legion hostility does not by itself make the independent ending impossible.

Follow the bunker route to the vault control area. Use the Platinum Chip with the bunker’s control system and choose to upgrade and activate the Securitrons. This gives Yes Man access to the upgraded robot army for the Hoover Dam operation. The alternative is to destroy the bunker’s systems, which removes that support and makes the finale more difficult.

Return to Yes Man after the bunker sequence and confirm the result. You and What Army? is an important preparation quest, but it is not the only condition for the independent ending. If you skip it or destroy the bunker, Yes Man’s route can still continue through its later objectives, although some final-battle support will be unavailable.

• Reach the bunker beneath Fortification Hill.
• Use the Platinum Chip in the bunker control system.
• Choose to upgrade and activate the Securitrons.
• Report the result to Yes Man.

4. Resolve Wild Card: Side Bets deliberately

Wild Card: Side Bets asks you to make decisions about five major minor factions: the Boomers at Nellis Air Force Base, the Brotherhood of Steel at Hidden Valley, the Great Khans at Red Rock Canyon, the Omertas at Gomorrah, and the White Glove Society at the Ultra-Luxe. Visit each faction’s area, complete its associated quest if you want its aid or a favorable outcome, and then report the decision to Yes Man.

The Boomers are the clearest practical ally. Complete Volare! and earn their support if you want their bomber to appear during the Hoover Dam battle. For the Great Khans, use Oh My Papa and its supporting objectives to determine whether they leave the Mojave, oppose Caesar, or remain aligned with the Legion. Their outcome changes the ending slides.

For the Brotherhood, Omertas, and White Glove Society, you can solve their internal problems, arrange a faction outcome, or tell Yes Man to ignore them after visiting the relevant area. Ignoring a group does not block the independent ending, but it forfeits possible support and leaves its ending-slide consequences to the game’s existing state. Do not treat the Kings as one of the Side Bets objectives; their Freeside questline is separate.

• Visit all five Side Bets faction areas if you want every option available.
• Complete Volare! for Boomer air support.
• Resolve the Great Khans’ future before the finale.
• Choose deliberate outcomes for the Brotherhood, Omertas, and White Glove Society.

5. Reach the independent point of no return

Continue Yes Man’s objectives until Wild Card: Finishing Touches is completed. Side Bets and Change in Management are the major route milestones; You and What Army? is recommended because the upgraded Securitrons materially improve the finale. Finishing Touches leads into No Gods, No Masters and is the point at which the game prepares to send you to Hoover Dam.

Before speaking to Yes Man to begin the final operation, finish any side quests, companion quests, faction resolutions, or DLC content you want included in your ending state. Repair your primary weapon, carry a backup weapon, stock ammunition and healing items, and make a hard save outside the Lucky 38. Do not rely only on autosaves.

Companions can create avoidable problems during the battle. Boone may leave if he witnesses attacks on NCR troops, so dismiss him before deliberately fighting NCR personnel if you want to keep him. You can also complete the finale without a companion; this is the safest choice when preserving companion outcomes matters more than extra combat power.

• Complete Wild Card: Finishing Touches.
• Finish desired Side Bets, companion quests, and optional preparations.
• Repair weapons and stock ammunition and healing items.
• Make a final pre-battle save before agreeing to go to Hoover Dam.

6. Complete No Gods, No Masters at Hoover Dam

Speak with Yes Man in the Lucky 38 and agree to begin the Hoover Dam operation only after making the pre-finale save. The battle starts at the Hoover Dam visitor area. Cross the dam while dealing with the Legion assault and enter the dam offices through the marked route. At the control-room entrance, the NCR heavy troopers can be fought, bypassed, or persuaded to leave with a Speech check of 75.

Inside the control room, install the override chip in the large terminal. Yes Man then gives you the independent route’s power choice: reroute the dam’s power to activate the Securiton army under Fortification Hill, or shut down the dam’s output. Activating the army is normally the stronger choice if the bunker was upgraded. If you destroyed the Securiton bunker, that activation option is unavailable.

Continue through the dam offices to the eastern power plant and activate the required plant control. Then leave through the eastern side and travel to the Legate’s camp. Deal with Legate Lanius by fighting him or using the available dialogue checks to convince him to withdraw. Afterward, General Lee Oliver appears with NCR forces. Fight through his troops or use the available Speech or Barter dialogue to make him stand down. On the independent route, if Oliver agrees to withdraw, Yes Man can throw him from the dam in the route-specific follow-up scene.

After both the Legion and NCR command encounters are resolved, speak with Yes Man. He confirms that the Securitrons are securing New Vegas and begins reprogramming himself to place the Courier in control. The ending slideshow then records the independent New Vegas result and the consequences of your Side Bets, companion decisions, and other faction outcomes.

• Begin No Gods, No Masters from Yes Man at the Lucky 38.
• Install the override chip in the Hoover Dam control room.
• Activate the eastern power plant after choosing the dam-power option.
• Deal with Legate Lanius.
• Resolve General Oliver’s command encounter.
• Speak with Yes Man after both factions are dealt with.
• Watch the ending slideshow.

1. Finish preparation before accepting the endgame warning

Create a manual save in a clearly named slot before speaking to the NPC who offers the final advance. Do not overwrite it during the battle. This is the save that lets you return to the Mojave, complete missed DLC or side content, and choose another faction route.

For the stated Ultimate Edition campaign goal, complete Dead Money, Honest Hearts, Old World Blues, and Lonesome Road before this point. They are not required to unlock the Hoover Dam battle, but the base game ends after the battle and does not provide post-game free exploration. Also finish companion quests and faction work whose ending slides you want to influence.

Repair your main weapon and armor, carry healing items and ammunition for a backup weapon, and remove unnecessary loot. On Hardcore difficulty, heal crippled limbs and stock food, water, and medicines before starting. Companions can help, but faction behavior matters: for example, attacking NCR troops during an Independent operation can cause Boone to leave. Make a final companion decision before entering the battle.

• The four story DLC quests are complete if they are required for this campaign goal.
• A named pre-finale manual save is protected from overwriting.
• Your active quest title matches the ending you intend to complete.
• Weapons, armor, ammunition, healing items, and Hardcore supplies are ready.

2. Confirm which final quest you are actually running

The NCR route uses Eureka!, the Legion route uses Veni, Vidi, Vici, the Mr. House route uses All or Nothing, and the Independent route uses No Gods, No Masters. These are separate final quests, not interchangeable objectives that can be selected after the battle begins.

If you want the NCR ending, the route normally reaches Eureka! after For the Republic, Part 2 and You'll Know It When It Happens, followed by a briefing from General Oliver. If you want the Legion ending, complete the Legion's preceding objectives and report to Legate Lanius. House players must have advanced The House Always Wins through its final preparation. Independent players must have advanced Wild Card, removed House, and placed Yes Man in position to take control.

When the game asks whether you are ready to proceed, choose to continue only after checking the quest title and your backup save. Declining the warning lets you keep preparing; it is not necessary to enter Hoover Dam immediately.

• NCR: Eureka! is active.
• Legion: Veni, Vidi, Vici is active.
• House: All or Nothing is active.
• Independent: No Gods, No Masters is active.

3. Run the NCR ending: Eureka!

After General Oliver briefs you, the game places you inside Hoover Dam's Power Plant 04. Your required objective is to reach the Legate's camp across the Dam. Mike Lawson offers an optional task to flush Legion troops through the turbines. If you accept it, go from Power Plant 04 to Power Plant 03, use the marked terminal on the second floor, pass the Science requirement if needed, and operate the manual release valve outside. This task is helpful but not required for completion.

For the main route, move through Power Plants 02 and 01, use the elevator to reach the visitor center, then cross the Dam toward the eastern gate. At the checkpoint, an NCR Ranger commander offers several support choices, including distant sniper support, following you, a Speech-based frontal attack, or falling back. Choose according to your build; none is required to keep Eureka! moving.

Enter the Legate's camp and follow the path to Lanius. You can fight through the Legion force or pass the available 100 Speech or 100 Barter outcome to make Lanius retreat. After Lanius is dealt with, return toward the camp entrance. General Oliver appears with NCR Rangers, and the quest completes when the final confrontation is resolved.

• General Oliver's briefing is complete.
• The optional turbine task is either completed or deliberately skipped.
• The Legate's camp is reached and Lanius is defeated or retreats.
• General Oliver's final scene occurs and Eureka! completes.

4. Run the Legion ending: Veni, Vidi, Vici

Report to Legate Lanius at his camp to begin the Legion assault. The route leads into Hoover Dam Power Plant 04 and then through the Dam toward General Oliver's compound. Follow the active marker rather than attempting to explore the Dam as a normal open area; the operation is scripted around the Legion advance.

The quest offers optional objectives such as dealing with NCR snipers or releasing Legion troops trapped in an intake tower. These can provide tactical help but are not necessary for the final quest. Continue through the marked power-plant and Dam sections until you reach Oliver's compound.

General Oliver is protected by NCR troops and heavy troopers. Kill him and the defenders, or use the available dialogue outcome to make him withdraw when your skills and prior choices permit it. Once Oliver is neutralized, follow the updated objective back toward Lanius. Veni, Vidi, Vici completes when the final Legion instructions and ending transition occur.

• Lanius has issued the attack orders.
• Hoover Dam's marked Legion objectives are complete.
• General Oliver is defeated or withdraws.
• Veni, Vidi, Vici completes before the ending slides begin.

5. Run the Mr. House ending: All or Nothing

When All or Nothing begins, enter the Hoover Dam offices and reach the control room. Two NCR heavy troopers guard the entrance. You can fight them, sneak past them, or use the available Speech option to get them to leave. Avoid attacking NCR soldiers if you are trying to preserve a companion or avoid unnecessary faction hostility, but do not leave the control room until the override objective updates.

Install the override chip at the large control terminal. House then directs you to Hoover Dam Power Plant 01. Reach the marked East Power Plant switch and activate it; this powers the upgraded Securitron force. After the objective updates, leave through the route indicated by the quest and cross the Dam to the Legate's camp.

Deal with Lanius by combat or the available Speech or Barter resolution. General Oliver then confronts you near the camp entrance. Resolve that encounter, continue to the marked Securitron, and speak with Mr. House through the final interaction. All or Nothing completes and the ending slides begin. Do not expect to return to the Lucky 38 for further free play afterward.

• The Hoover Dam override is installed.
• The East Power Plant is activated.
• Lanius is defeated or retreats.
• Oliver's confrontation is resolved.
• The final Mr. House interaction completes All or Nothing.

6. Run the Independent ending: No Gods, No Masters

Enter the Hoover Dam offices and install Yes Man's override at the marked control terminal. As with All or Nothing, the NCR heavy troopers can be fought, bypassed, or handled through the available Speech option. Wait for the quest to update before leaving the control room.

Proceed to Hoover Dam Power Plant 01 and activate the East Power Plant. This is the step that brings Yes Man's upgraded Securitron army into the finale. The quest may also offer a choice involving the Dam's systems; follow the current objective and select the Independent plan you intend to use rather than wandering away before the stage updates.

Cross to the Legate's camp and deal with Lanius. Combat is straightforward but dangerous because Lanius and his guards favor powerful close-range attacks. A high Speech or Barter route can end the confrontation without a full battle. Afterward, General Oliver and NCR Rangers appear. Resolve that confrontation, then speak with Yes Man at the marked final location. No Gods, No Masters completes and the ending slides begin.

• Yes Man's Hoover Dam override is installed.
• The East Power Plant is activated.
• Lanius is defeated or retreats.
• Oliver's final confrontation is resolved.
• The final Yes Man interaction completes No Gods, No Masters.

7. Recover from a failed script and verify completion

Make manual saves before accepting the endgame warning and, when possible, before entering major final-area transitions. If a commander does not appear, a door remains locked, a terminal does not update, or the quest marker remains on a defeated target, reload the most recent manual save before that transition. If the problem repeats, reload the protected pre-finale save and restart the operation without rushing dialogue or leaving the marked area early.

Avoid fast travel once the battle has placed you in the Dam or the Legate's camp. Platform-specific quest bugs have historically caused gates, loading transitions, or objective updates to fail, and leaving the final area can make recovery harder. On PC, keep several rotating manual saves rather than relying on quicksave alone. Console commands may repair some quest states, but they can also damage later stages, so use them only after preserving the original save.

The campaign completion check is the ending slideshow after the correct final quest completes: Eureka!, Veni, Vidi, Vici, All or Nothing, or No Gods, No Masters. Fallout: New Vegas does not return you to the Mojave after the slideshow, so there is no reliable post-ending free-roam save to preserve. Keep the pre-finale save as your archive, and use it to replay another ending or complete content that was missed.

• The selected final quest is marked complete.
• The commander encounters and final faction interaction have resolved.
• The ending slideshow has played through.
• The protected pre-finale save remains available.
• The four story DLCs are recorded as complete in the campaign if required by the guide goal.

Confirm the official main-game ending

Before entering the final sequence, make a manual save in a separate slot. Use a name that identifies both the faction and your preparation status, such as FINAL PRE-DAM — NCR — ALL DLC COMPLETE. This is the save to preserve for alternate endings, later exploration and mod testing.

Complete the final quest for the route you selected: All or Nothing for Mr. House, Eureka! for the NCR, Veni, Vidi, Vici for Caesar’s Legion, or No Gods, No Masters for the independent Yes Man route. Follow the active objectives through Hoover Dam and complete the final confrontation. The game then moves into the ending narration and slides rather than returning you to a playable Mojave.

Let the main ending sequence finish. Confirm that the opening slides identify the expected victor and describe the expected control of Hoover Dam, New Vegas and the surrounding region. Record the route in a separate text note if you plan to compare several endings from the same pre-Dam archive.

• The selected final quest is completed.
• The ending slideshow identifies the intended Hoover Dam victor.
• The preserved pre-Dam save remains untouched in a separate slot.

Use the ending slides as a campaign audit

Watch the complete slideshow before judging the run. The narration evaluates many separate outcomes, including towns, faction operations, the Brotherhood of Steel, the Boomers, the Great Khans, the Enclave remnants, the Kings and companion-related decisions. A favorable main ending can therefore contain unfavorable regional or companion slides.

Compare each result with your quest notes. An unexpected slide usually means that a prerequisite was not completed, an NPC died, a faction was left in an unresolved state, or a later choice superseded an earlier one. The slides describe the state produced by that save; they do not provide a way to repair an unfinished quest after the finale.

Do not count a generic victory slide as proof of full campaign completion. If an optional objective matters to your personal checklist, confirm it from the pre-Dam save before beginning another faction branch.

• The winning faction and major regional outcomes are recorded.
• Unexpected town, faction and companion slides are noted.
• Optional quest success is checked separately from the main victory.

Verify the four major story DLC conclusions

Load the preserved pre-Dam save and open the Pip-Boy quest log. Check the concluding entry for each story add-on rather than checking only its radio signal or starting quest. Ultimate Edition provides Dead Money, Honest Hearts, Old World Blues and Lonesome Road, but installing the content does not mark any of it complete.

For Dead Money, verify Heist of the Centuries and the return from the Sierra Madre. The final vault sequence and escape must be completed; merely reaching the casino or recovering the team members is not enough.

For Honest Hearts, verify the final departure through Departing Paradise. Its prerequisite storyline includes Flight from Zion, but the campaign audit should confirm that the evacuation and return to the Mojave occurred.

For Old World Blues, verify the main quest Old World Blues after resolving the Think Tank conflict and recovering or deciding the fate of the Courier’s brain. Optional Sink upgrades and research quests should be listed separately if you are tracking them.

For Lonesome Road, verify The End, which triggers the add-on’s conclusion. The Apocalypse is the preceding main quest at Ulysses’ Temple and should also be recorded when checking the full Divide sequence. If you launched or redirected missiles, note that decision because it affects faction reputation, available locations and the Lonesome Road outcome.

• Heist of the Centuries and the Dead Money return are complete.
• Departing Paradise and the Honest Hearts return are complete.
• Old World Blues is complete, with optional Think Tank and Sink outcomes recorded if desired.
• The End and the preceding Lonesome Road finale are complete.

Audit permanent companions and companion quests

Make a list of the permanent base-game companions you recruited: Arcade Gannon, Craig Boone, ED-E, Lily Bowen, Rose of Sharon Cassidy, Raul Tejada, Rex and Veronica Santangelo. Record each companion as alive, dead, dismissed, permanently lost, or unavailable. Recruitment alone does not prove that the companion’s personal quest or upgrade was completed.

Check the quest log for the relevant personal objectives. Examples include One for My Baby for Boone, Heartache by the Number for Cass, I Could Make You Care for Veronica, For Auld Lang Syne for Arcade, ED-E My Love for ED-E, Old School Ghoul for Raul, Guess Who I Saw Today for Lily and Nothin’ But a Hound Dog for Rex. Some companion outcomes depend on dialogue, travel triggers, faction choices or the final decision made during the quest.

Review companion rewards and perks, but do not treat a perk as a universal completion test: several companion quests have multiple outcomes, and some rewards are conditional. If a companion is missing or an objective was left incomplete, return to the pre-Dam save. The completed ending cannot normally be reopened for repairs.

• Every recruited permanent companion has a recorded status.
• Each intended personal quest is marked complete or deliberately left unresolved.
• Companion perks, upgrades and rewards match the chosen outcome.

Check unique items and optional completion goals

From the pre-Dam save, inspect the player inventory, companion inventories and your established storage locations. Confirm that the unique weapons, armor, implants, faction rewards and DLC equipment you intended to keep are present. Also check the Sink, the Abandoned Brotherhood bunker and other DLC-linked storage if those areas were used.

Keep quest-critical items until their related objective is finished. Ordinary duplicate weapons, armor and ammunition can be sold after checking that they are not being retained for repairs, crafting or a planned companion loadout. Do not claim that the save contains every unique reward: faction allegiance, NPC survival and mutually exclusive quest outcomes make a complete single-save collection impractical.

Create a short written record of missing or mutually exclusive items. This is more useful than a vague claim of 100 percent completion and lets you plan a second faction run from the archived pre-Dam save.

• Desired unique weapons and armor are accounted for.
• DLC rewards have been moved to Mojave storage when possible.
• Faction-exclusive, choice-exclusive and lost rewards are documented.

Archive the PC save correctly

Keep the in-game pre-Dam save and make an external copy of the corresponding files. For the standard Windows PC version, Fallout: New Vegas saves are normally in %USERPROFILE%\Documents\My Games\FalloutNV\Saves. Copy the relevant .fos files to a separate folder or backup drive. If the game was installed through a different launcher, check that launcher’s save-folder variant before assuming the standard path.

Use a descriptive archive name outside the game, such as FNV_NCR_AllDLC_PreDam_CompanionsChecked. Include a text file listing the ending route, DLC status, companion status, major faction choices, missile decision and any desired missing rewards.

Keep at least two separate in-game saves: one immediately before the irreversible final sequence and one earlier save before the last major faction commitment if available. Do not overwrite the archive with console-command experiments, mod testing or an alternate ending. Restore the backed-up files only after closing the game and keeping the experimental saves separate.

• A clearly named pre-Dam manual save exists.
• The relevant PC save files have been copied outside the normal save folder.
• The archive notes its faction, DLC, companion and inventory status.
• Experimental and alternate-route saves are kept separate.

Make the final completion decision

Count the campaign as complete when one official main-game ending has played, the ending slides have been reviewed, all four story DLC conclusions are confirmed from the pre-Dam save, and the desired companion and unique-item objectives are recorded. Achievement progress should be checked separately through the PC platform’s achievement list; a completed quest or ending slide does not guarantee every achievement.

For another ending, load the archived pre-Dam save and branch from there. Do not expect to continue exploring after the main ending in the unmodded game. The pre-Dam archive is the practical final world-state record, while the slideshow is the permanent narrative result of the route you selected.

• One official ending is confirmed by the completed slideshow.
• All four story DLC conclusions are verified from the quest log.
• Companion outcomes and desired rewards are documented.
• The pre-Dam archive is preserved independently of alternate runs and mods.