It’s never been easier to play Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas, especially for those with an Xbox and Game Pass. Benefits like FPS Boost – which makes games that traditionally run at 30 frames-per-second run at a smoother 60fps – and native 4K are possible on Xbox Series X and S thanks to backwards compatibility enhancements, but it’s not quite so straightforward if you’re playing on PC.
If that’s the case, to get the best experience you’ll need to use mods – fan-made modifications that add a bunch of quality-of-life add-ons to make the Fallout experience the best it can be. What’s more, the best is Begin Again - A Tale of Two Wastelands, which is a curated collection of over 300 mods that bring two classic Fallout games – Fallout 3 and New Vegas – together in one seamless adventure.
Although that might sound daunting, especially if you’re new to PC gaming or haven’t used mods before, it’s actually a lot simpler in practice and we’ll walk you through the process one step at a time. And while the effects of mods are far-reaching and can be anything from small fixes to complete overhauls of a game, for the purposes of this article we’re going to focus on mods that fine tune and improve Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas, which are relatively old games that can sometimes struggle on today’s hardware.
It goes without saying but you’ll need a gaming PC, plus a copy of Fallout 3: Game of the Year Edition and a copy of Fallout: New Vegas Ultimate. Note, it has to be these versions of the two games because they include all of the DLC expansions – the versions on Game Pass do not have these, so won’t work.
You’ll also need a nexusmods.com account, which is free to create and is the place where you can find all the mods you need. Lastly, you’ll need to download Wabbajack, which is an automated mod-list installer that makes the process of installing mods – especially ones like Begin Again, which comprise lots of smaller mods – much easier. And that’s it - you’re ready to go.
Simply put, this tailored list of over 300 mods, maintained by SpringHeelJon on Nexus Mods, is the ultimate way to enjoy both Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas. It adds countless quality-of-life improvements, texture enhancements, deep in-game customization options, and balance changes, but most importantly merges both the D.C. and Mojave Wasteland into an interconnected experience, with the inclusion of a brand new quest that sees you restoring power to a train station deep within the ruined American capital. It is, in our opinion, the best way to experience Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas on PC and is the perfect introduction to the games if you’ve just finished watching the TV show.
The list of benefits it brings to the games is extensive, but here are some of the highlights:
Now you’re sold on adventuring into the Wasteland, here’s how you get everything to work.
Modding a game has never been simpler but it is worth noting that each mod list comes with its own, more specific install instructions, which you’ll always want to follow, so don’t skip that step! Thankfully, Wabbajack automatically opens these instructions in your browser whenever you begin an installation. Also, while Wabbajack can automate the entire download and install process, unless you’ve got a Nexus Premium account – which costs just over $5 a month – you will be asked to manually click download on each modification pop-up that occurs. But don’t worry, it’s only a single extra step and Wabbajack still fully handles the installation and setup for you.
Once installed and you’ve fully read over the mod list's own instructions, you’re ready to venture into the Wastelands! So whether you’re visiting for the first time after watching the Fallout TV show, or you’re just coming back round for another radiation-fueled ride of these classic RPG icons, rest assured you’re playing the very best versions of Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas.
Jesse Gomez is the UK Video Producer for IGN.