You’re standing in a cemetery. Your head hurts because a guy in a checkered suit just shot you in it. Welcome to the Mojave. If you’re looking for a Fallout Las Vegas walkthrough, you’re probably realizing that this isn't like other RPGs where you just follow a golden trail to victory. It’s messy. Obsidian Entertainment built this thing to be a sprawling, reactive web of choices where "doing the right thing" usually ends with a whole town hating your guts.
Most players make the mistake of heading straight north from Goodsprings. Don't do that. Unless you enjoy being ripped apart by Cazadores or Deathclaws within ten minutes of waking up, you need to take the long way around. It’s the scenic route, sure, but it’s also how you actually survive the early game.
The Long Road to the Strip
Primm is your first real test. You'll find a town under siege by escaped convicts. Here’s the thing about this Fallout Las Vegas walkthrough—you have to start thinking about the long game immediately. Do you help the NCR? Do you find a new sheriff? My advice? Go find Primm Slim and reprogram him if your Science skill is high enough. It’s the easiest way to get the town back on its feet without getting tangled in bureaucracy.
Moving south to Mojave Outpost and then looping back up through Nipton is the standard path. Nipton is... rough. You’ll meet Vulpes Inculta there, a high-ranking member of Caesar’s Legion. This is a massive "vibe check" for the rest of your playthrough. You can attack him, but honestly? He’s way stronger than you right now. Just listen to his creepy speech about the lottery and move on. You’ll have plenty of time to kill him later if that’s your style.
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Novac is where the game really starts to open up. You meet Boone, the best companion for anyone who likes to snipe enemies from three miles away. To get him, you have to solve a kidnapping mystery. Just a heads-up: the culprit is the one person in town who seems the most "normal." Once you have Boone, the trek to Vegas becomes a lot less terrifying because he basically deletes anything that moves.
Dealing with the Three Families
Once you finally reach Freeside and get into the Strip—which requires 2,000 caps or a high Science skill to hack the Securitron—everything changes. The game stops being a survival horror and starts being a political thriller. You’ve got the Chairmen, the Omertas, and the White Glove Society.
The White Glove Society quest, "Beyond the Beef," is legendary for being one of the most bugged yet brilliant quests in gaming history. You’re trying to figure out if they’re still cannibals. Pro tip: if you want to stay on their good side, you’ll need a high Speech skill or a very specific set of clothes. It’s intricate. It’s gross. It’s peak Fallout.
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Choosing Your Boss
This is where your Fallout Las Vegas walkthrough hits a fork in the road. You basically have four choices for who wins the war at Hoover Dam.
- The NCR: They’re the "good guys" on paper, but they’re stretched thin and drowning in red tape. Helping them means doing a lot of grunt work for Colonel Moore.
- Mr. House: He’s a literal brain in a jar (well, a screen) who wants to turn Vegas into a high-tech autocracy. He’s cold, but he’s got a plan.
- Caesar’s Legion: They are brutal. If you like playing the villain or just think the NCR is too weak, this is your path. Expect a lot of "slaughter this person" quests.
- Yes Man: This is the "Independent Vegas" route. It’s my favorite. You basically tell everyone else to beat it and take over the city yourself with an army of robots.
Choosing Yes Man gives you the most freedom, but it also means you’re responsible for the chaos that follows. If you haven't upgraded the Securitrons at the Fort (using the Platinum Chip), your ending is going to be a lot more "anarchy" and a lot less "new empire."
Essential Skills and Gear
Don't ignore the "Survival" skill. People think it's useless, but if you're playing on Hardcore mode, it’s the difference between life and death. Even on normal, being able to craft better healing items at a campfire saves you a fortune in Stimpacks.
For weapons, the "All-American" found in Vault 34 is arguably the best all-around rifle in the game, though getting it is a nightmare of radiation and ghouls. If you prefer energy weapons, the YCS/186 (found in the north of the map) is a beast, but only if you don't have the Wild Wasteland perk. If you do have that perk, you get an Alien Blaster instead. Choices, choices.
Navigating the End Game
The Battle of Hoover Dam is the point of no return. Before you start it, finish every side quest you care about. The game doesn't let you play after the credits roll—unless you're on PC and use mods, but that’s a different story.
You need to recruit factions to your side before the big fight. The Boomers at Nellis Air Force Base are the big ones. If you help them, they’ll literally fly a B-29 bomber over the dam and rain hell on your enemies. It’s one of the most satisfying moments in the game. To get on their good side, you have to run through their "explosive greeting" (hug the left wall, seriously) and then perform a series of chores for them. It’s tedious, but having a bomber on your side is worth every second.
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The DLC Factor
If you have the Ultimate Edition, the DLCs (Dead Money, Honest Hearts, Old World Blues, and Lonesome Road) should be played in that order for the best narrative flow. Dead Money is basically a survival horror game that strips your gear. It’s polarizing. Some hate it; I think it’s a masterpiece of tension. Old World Blues is pure 1950s sci-fi comedy and gives you some of the best player housing in the game.
Actionable Next Steps
- Check your Reputation: Before committing to a faction, look at your Pip-Boy. If you’re "Shunned" by the NCR, you’re going to have a hard time finishing their questline without some serious fence-mending.
- Invest in Intelligence: Every point in INT gives you more skill points per level. If you’re starting a new game, 9 INT is almost mandatory for a "perfect" build.
- Save Often: This game crashes. A lot. Keep three or four rotating save files so you don't lose five hours of progress to a corrupted file or a game-breaking bug in a quest script.
- Find the Snowglobes: There are seven of them. Mr. House will pay you 2,000 caps each. That’s 14,000 easy caps just for exploring.
- Visit the New Vegas Medical Clinic: Located just outside Freeside, you can buy "Implants" here that permanently raise your SPECIAL stats. They’re expensive (4,000 caps each), but they’re the best way to spend your mid-game money.
The beauty of the Mojave is that there is no "correct" way to play. You can kill every single NPC in the game and still reach an ending. It might not be a good ending, but it’s yours. Just remember to keep your iron on your hip and your eyes on the horizon.