Open the extracted folder, select all the files, then drag them into your base Fallout New Vegas game folder (located within.Steamsteamappscommon if installed through Steam) Video instructions on how to install. Temporary notice: If your anti-virus software deletes nvseloader.exe or nvsesteamloader.dll you may need to temporarily. This list assumes you’re using the Ultimate edition of Fallout: New Vegas (all DLC). And you’ve installed it somewhere other than Program Files, on an SSD if you have one. Download and install your mod organiser, this guide will be for Vortex, as it’s the simplest to get up and running with. Other mod organisers are available.

A minimal modlist for a modern, vanilla-esque experience. For first-time players and nostalgia-bait. Nostalgiabaters?

The goal here is to retain as much of the vanilla experience as possible, while making improvements that bring it up to the expectations of 2020. Check out the video if you haven't

I worked on this list over my first 2 (and a bit) playthroughs, with only maybe ½ of that time spent with the final list here, so I can’t guarantee a bug-free experience. That being said, it’s probably the lightest modlist you’ll find, and I personally didn't run into problems.

This isn't one of these complete massive overhaul guides that they have now, just a wee little list of my slight remaster. I’ll try explain everything enough to get you up and running but if you’re looking for a proper guide, some great guides/lists that helped me are:

Before you start

This list assumes you’re using the Ultimate edition of Fallout: New Vegas (all DLC). And you’ve installed it somewhere other than Program Files, on an SSD if you have one.
Download and install your mod organiser, this guide will be for Vortex, as it’s the simplest to get up and running with. imo. Other mod organisers are available.
Specific installation instructions will be displayed as a tooltip, otherwise install through Vortex (But do read the mod pages for proper instructions, I am but a simple moron).

Boot up the launcher, go to settings and turn off Antialiasing and Anisotropic Filtering, V-sync, and (in the advanced tab) water displacement. Load the game, make a test character, go outside (in the game), make a test save.

New Vegas Script Extender (NVSE)
Adds scripting functionality for mods
FNV BSA Decompressor
Decompresses some game archives to reduce load times, stutter, and fix missing audio
If you just want the audio fixes without messing with your game archives grab Ogg Vorbis Libraries instead.
JIP LN NVSE Plugin
More scripting functionality for mods + some tweaks and fixes
JohnnyGuitar NVSE
More scripting functionality for mods

Beyond this point you should only be launching the game through Vortex (Using New Vegas Script Extender)

FNV 4GB Patcher
Lets you use 4GB of RAM
NVTF - New Vegas Tick Fix
Fixes stutter/FPS on newer systems. A better, less buggier version of NVSR
OneTweak for FNV
Adds borderless windowed mode
NVAC - New Vegas Anti Crash
Stops crashes

Yukichigai Unofficial Patch - YUP
Massive bugfix compilation
Unofficial Patch NVSE
Additional fixes that require NVSE
lStewieAl's Tweaks
Massive collection of optional engine level tweaks, everything comes OFF by default so be sure to change the .ini file.
Tweaking lStewieAl's tweaks
Install as normal, run the game, walk around and then customise the generated .ini file (Data/NVSE/plugins/nvse_stewie_tweaks.ini). Or download a preset, I have one that attempts to be faithful to vanilla (in the downloads), while Axonis’s one comes with every setting annotated.

The Mod Configuration Menu
Adds menu support for mods that have settings menus
UIO - User Interface Organizer
Lets mods add/change UI elements

Uncut Wasteland
Restores visual clutter that was cut to improve DLC performance on consoles.
Lucky 38 World LOD Fix
Before, looking out the window of the lucky 38, you would see mountains cut in half, a wee fix for that
Asterra's Many Fixes
Text/mesh/texture fixes and more
Weapon Mesh Improvement Mod
Improves weapon meshes, won't conflict with anything here, but does conflict with a lot

If you don’t see it and you have JIP LN NVSE installed correctly how to check (see #8), just a create new blank file called FalloutCustom.ini, or get mine from the downloads

Slysoft virtual clone. If you don’t want to make any .ini changes I have included a one size fits all version in the downloads

JIP LN NVSE lets us customise the game settings in a very clean and easy way, using a new file called FalloutCustom.ini (DocumentsMy GamesFalloutNVFalloutCustom.ini) I don't see it

Open it in notepad and paste the following code:

Disable the horrific mouse acceleration

[Controls] fForegroundMouseAccelBase=0 fForegroundMouseAccelTop=0 fForegroundMouseBase=0 fForegroundMouseMult=0

Performance improvements

[General] bPreemptivelyUnloadCells=1 bUseThreadedAI=1 INumHWThreads=Set to number of threads in your CPU

[BackgroundLoad] bSelectivePurgeUnusedOnFastTravel=1

[Display] iPresentInterval=0

[Audio] iAudioCacheSize=4096 iMaxSizeForCachedSound=1024

And, if you’re feeling overconfident about how well the game is going to run, you can overcrank your LOD settings, as described here

The vanilla dialogue UI is iconic, and all the UI overhauls I tried messed with that, while not really offering enough improvement to convince me. There’s no SKYUI for Fallout: New Vegas. Though if you want to try some out, fortunately it’s a type of mod which you can tell what it does from screenshots.

FOV Slider
Easily change your FOV (note: this can be done through the console or your FalloutCustom.ini)
Pause Menu HD
Just changes the pause overlay texture, pretty nice.
JIP Improved Recipe Menu
The vanilla recipe menu almost unusably awful

ENB’s, if done right, can be a massive improvement over the vanilla game. If done wrong, they can be distracting and performance intensive

Regular ENB
My preset, which aims to just update the look, without doing anything crazy. Others, of course, are available See Screenshots

Transparency fixes

My hair fixes
Changes hair mesh flags so that ambient occlusion doesn't shade areas which should be transparent. Use FiftyTifty's fix for a far more drastic solution, or both (load mine last)
And (anecdontally) go to Data/Shaders, and replace shaderpackage013.sdp with a copy of shaderpackage017.sdp (make a backup first!)

Tweaking your enblocal.ini

Not strictly necessary, but I think an obvious stumbling block that people have with ENB’s is that they haven’t got the settings right for their system

In your Fallout: New Vegas folder, open your enblocal.ini, and make the following changes

[MEMORY]
ReservedMemorySizeMb=Lower for older systems, higher for newer. (128, 256, 384, 512, 640, 768, 896, 1024). The official recommendation is to start at the lowest and incrementally increase until you stop noticing stutter.
VideoMemorySizeMb=Use VRamSizeDX9.exe, to get a 'video memory available' number. For Win 10 subtract 350, for Win 7 subtract 170, for Win 8 use the number it gives you.
AutodetectVideoMemorySize=false

There are some HD overhaul packs available, but I’ve been (broadly) unimpressed with how different they are in art style.

EXE - Effect teXtures Enhanced
Better resolution versions of all the effects textures

If you absolutely MUST have HD textures, here’s the best of the vanilla look. Be warned though, on the poor old Gamebryo engine, they can cause a bit of a performance hit for not a lot of difference.

Charge's FNV HD Texture Packs
Upscaled versions of most of the vanilla textures, varying quality but all vanilla
Vanilla Loading Screens HD
AI-upscale of the loading screens
High Res Vanilla Posters and Graffiti
AI-upscale but for the posters and graffiti
PM's HD Ranger Outfits
Faithful re-creation of the vanilla ranger outfits
PM's HD Legion Overhaul
Incredible re-creation of the vanilla legion armors/environment
PM's Med-Textures - HD Chems and Venoms
Beautiful re-creation of the vanilla chems
PM's HD Ammo Boxes

Before you start

Tweaking lStewieAl's tweaks

Disable the horrific mouse acceleration

Performance improvements

Transparency fixes

Tweaking your enblocal.ini

Fallout New Vegas Nvse Nexus