The first place every modding journey starts is with installing the game.
If you already have done a completely fresh installation of Fallout New Vegas in the correct folder,
you may skip this step. Please double-check everything is correct though.
Installation Parameters:
Fallout New Vegas and all modding tools must be installed outside all default Windows folders (Program Files, Program Files (x86), and Documents for example)
Fallout New Vegas and Mod Organizer 2 must be installed on the same drive, preferably on an SSD for shorter loading screens and less stutter while loading assets
Fallout New Vegas itself is just about 10 gigabytes, and the total size of the entire guide is x gigabytes
Core Module - 1.9 gigabytes
Graphics Module
Low: 2.5 gigabytes
Medium: 7 gigabytes
High: 9.5 gigabytes
Gameplay Module - .8 gigabytes
Content Module - x gigabytes
Common Terminology:
Root folder: Steam/steamapps/common/Fallout New Vegas or GOG Galaxy/Games/Fallout New Vegas Data folder: Steam/steamapps/common/Fallout New Vegas/Data or GOG Galaxy/Games/Fallout New Vegas/Data
MO2: Mod Organizer 2 (will be installed shortly)
xEdit FNVEdit (will be installed shortly)
Installing Fallout New Vegas:
For Steam:
Launch Steam and select Steam -> Settings
Go to the Downloads tab and select Steam Library Folders
From the pop-up, select Add Library Folder
Add a folder in a location of your choice outside of the default Windows folders (Preferrably on an SSD)
Exit out of the menu and go to Library
Select Fallout New Vegas and click Install
From the pop-up, select Choose location for install:
Select the folder you just created and install it
For GOG:
Launch GOG and select Library
Select Fallout New Vegas and click Install
Set the Install to to a location of your choice outside of the default Windows folders (Preferrably on an SSD) and install
For Steam (Moving to a separate drive):
If you have not created a separate Steam directory, do so in the same way as the first step
Launch Steam and select Library
Right-click on Fallout New Vegas and select Properties
Navigate to the Local Files tab and select Move Install Folder...
Select the folder you just created and click Move Folder
For Steam (Moving within the same drive):
There is no easy way to move your game folder within the same drive. Reference this video for the easiest method
For GOG:
GOG does not currently have a way to move an installed game, so you have to reinstall it to the correct folder
For Both:
Navigate to Documents/My Games/FalloutNV and delete everything except for the saves folder (if there is one)
Navigate to the Root folder
Delete everything in the root folder except for the Data folder
Open the Data folder and delete everything except for the following:
CaravanPack.esm
ClassicPack.esm
DeadMoney.esm
FalloutNV.esm
GunRunnersArsenal.esm
HonestHearts.esm
LonesomeRoad.esm
MercenaryPack.esm
OldWorldBlues.esm
TribalPack.esm
CaravanPack - Main.bsa
ClassicPack - Main.bsa
DeadMoney - Main.bsa
DeadMoney - Sounds.bsa
Fallout - Meshes.bsa
Fallout Misc.bsa
Fallout - Sound.bsa
Fallout - Textures.bsa
Fallout - Textures2.bsa
Fallout - Voices1.bsa
GunRunnersArsenal - Main.bsa
GunRunnersArsenal - Sounds.bsa
Honest Hearts - Main.bsa
Honest Hearts - Sounds.bsa
LonesomeRoad - Main.bsa
LonesomeRoad - Sounds.bsa
MercenaryPack - Main.bsa
OldWorldBlues - Main.bsa
OldWorldBlues - Sounds.bsa
TribalPack - Main.bsa
Update.bsa
For Steam:
Launch Steam and select Library
Right-click on Fallout New Vegas and select Properties
Navigate to the Local Files tab and select Verify Integrity of Game Files...
Wait for the verification to complete, and then exit that window and wait for the download to finish
For GOG:
Launch GOG and select Library
Select Fallout New Vegas and then select More -> Manage installation -> Verify / Repair...
From the pop-up, select Verify Game and wait for the process to complete
Disabling Overlays:
Any overlays need to be disabled for Fallout New Vegas to prevent memory leakage. Some common applications that have overlays are Steam, GOG, Discord, and MSI Afterburner.
Setting up your Fallout New Vegas Modding Folder:
Your modding folder will act as the main directory for all the tools you install, as well as any backups/screenshots/etc. you may want to keep. This folder will be referred to as the Modding folder from now on.
Create a new folder in a location of your choice outside of the default Windows folders on the same drive as your Fallout New Vegas installation, but outside of the Root folder
Name it whatever you want, e.g. Fallout NV Modding and create two sub-folders called Backups and Tools in it
Copy all of the files ending in .ESM from the Data folder and paste them into the Backups folder
Backups of the .ESMs should be made so you can recover them if you accidentally edit them in FNVEdit
Disabling Anti-Virus:
Any anti-virus you have, inluding Windows Defender, needs to have file exceptions made for your Root folder and Modding folder. I would also consider disabling it for the duration of the guide to be safe.
Generating Fresh .INI Files:
Run FalloutNVLauncher.exe from the root folder
Click OK to both the pop-ups that say Detecting Video Hardware
If there isn't any pop-ups, navigate to Documents/My Games/FalloutNV and delete all the files ending in .INI then retry
Select Options
Verify the game is detecting and using your GPU properly
Set Resolution to your preference (The launcher usually sets it to one lower than your max resolution)
Set Antiailiasing to 8 Samples (The launcher sets it to 4 even on ultra)
