The game looked considerably better than Fallout 3, especially with the new game engine (at the time). But these days, New Vegas definitely looks dated. Character models are on the simple side, texture quality is far from being the best, and locations are not as detailed as they could be. Thankfully, we have the power of mods on our side. Mods that can take a 10 year old game and transform those graphics into a masterpiece. I know that the Wasteland is not supposed to look pretty, but I can’t help but love these mods. Maybe it’s a consequence of the nuclear apocalypse? Who can say.
10. PipBoy 3000 HD Retexture
Check Out This Mod The PipBoy is your best friend in any Fallout game. So I’m pretty sure that each and every New Vegas player will take advantage of this mod to make it look better than ever. PipBoy 3000 HD is a simple texture mod that makes the PipBoy 3000 look great, with some amazing looking new textures that feel extremely lore-friendly and improve usability a lot. No more squinting just to read the on-screen text. What a revolution!
9. Improved LOD Noise Texture
Check Out This Mod The level of detail we get with distant textures is not usually a concern. And not even really all that important. But if you’re playing at very high resolutions, these issues become too obvious. So let’s fix that! The Improved LOD Noise Texture mod improves the noise texture for far away objects, making them look much better, no matter the resolution or the depth of field you’re using. Better yet, this mod uses minimal video memory, so you can take advantage of it even if your GPU isn’t particularly up to date.
8. Enhanced Blood Textures
Check Out This Mod With all the killing you have to do to survive the brutal world of New Vegas, it’s baffling that blood effects look so basic. It’s disappointing, even. If you’re a bloodthirsty demon like me, you definitely must download the Enhanced Blood Textures mod. It’s a very simple mod that increases the resolution of the vanilla blood textures and introduces some brand new ones as well. The attention to detail is scary, including the adjustments to wounds which now change depending on the weapon used. Good times.
7. Wasteland Flora and Terrain Overhaul
Check Out This Mod I know that the Wasteland is not supposed to look pretty. But the New Vegas vanilla graphics do leave something to be desired. And the more the years pass, the worse things look. Prevent the Wasteland graphics from deteriorating any further with the Flora and Terrain Overhaul, a mod that introduces more than 100 new desert trees and plants, improved ground textures, and even 3D models that can be seen from afar. This comes at a cost, however. So make sure your PC is prepared for all this visual goodness!
6. Essential Visual Enhancements
Check Out This Mod Special effects in New Vegas are becoming even more special with the Essential Visual Enhancements mod. This mod introduces a lot of visual tweaks that make New Vegas way more pleasing to the eye than in its vanilla state. Specifically we get new critical kill animation scenes, HD blood, fire and explosion effects, new textures, new energy projectiles, and much more. Absolutely an essential mod for all New Vegas players out there.
5. Wasteland Clothing HiRes Retexture
Check Out This Mod Dressing properly is far from the number one priority in a post-apocalyptic world. But this doesn’t mean that outfits should be ignored. No, we can make them look even better. This Wasteland Clothing HiRes Retexture is a texture pack that gives us new high-resolution textures for 110 outfits: 56 male and 54 female outfits. They’re not the entirety of the New Vegas outfits, to be completely honest. But you will not hear me complaining on this one!
4. New Vegas Redesigned 3
Check Out This Mod Now that Bethesda and Obsidian are both part of the Microsoft Game Studios, some hope for a Fallout: New Vegas remake has been renewed. But if you’re not one that just wants to sit down and wait for others do the dirty work, you can download the New Vegas Redesigned 3 mod right away, and show that you wait for no man! This is the third iteration of the amazing mod that fixes many of the issues of the game’s characters, improving upon realism, lore, and design. The results, needless to say, are amazing. If you’re re-playing New Vegas without this mod, you’re doing it all wrong.
3. Interior Lighting Overhaul
Check Out This Mod Lighting in New Vegas leaves something to be desired, as it did in Fallout 3. This is not surprising at all, considering the two games are powered by the same engine and share quite a bit of features. The Interior Lighting Overhaul is an amazing lighting mod that completely restyles the lighting of all interior locations in the game (go figure, right?) It tweaks all the base templates, adding lighting where needed to improve the atmosphere, and allowing players to activate light switches inside houses and other structures. Now it really feels like we’re in a haunted post-apocalyptic world.
2. FNV Realistic Wasteland Lighting
Check Out This Mod So now that interior lighting has been taken care of, it’s time to take care of the overworld lighting. FNV Realistic Wasteland Lighting is a mod that has been developed with the utmost care, and it shows. This introduces a complete weather and lighting overhaul designed by referencing desert photos and extensive demo testing, to make everything look as realistic as possible. Did the team manage to achieve this? The answer is a resounding yes.
1. NMC Texture Pack
Check Out This Mod A new coat of paint goes a long way to restore a classic and make it relevant once again. Ah, the magic of texture packs. The NMC Texture pack gives us new detailed textures for pretty much every object found in New Vegas. Stuff like roads, trees, landscapes, buildings, and more. All of these changes make the game look incredible at very high resolutions. The DLC content is supported, but not retextured. So don’t cringe at how bad the additional locations look: turn it into a chance to appreciate the NMC Texture Pack even more.
