When is the best time to start playing DLCs?

Mirak

First time out of the vault
Hi, I'm currently playing FNV ultimate edition and I have a question regarding story chronology.

What should be done quest and story-wise before starting the DLCs? I know in which order is recomended to play DLCs, but that's it. I didn't really want to google it as not to spoil the story for me.

Could you please give me some pointers and advice without spoilers? For example: Should I finish all the subquests before pursuing stories from DLCs? Or should I mix in the whole NCR/Ceasar's Legion business before DLCs?
I want the story and whole playing experience to be as coherrent as possible.

I just finished part of the main storyline in Boulder City.

Thanks fo your help.
 
You should do DM, HH, OWB before doing main quests (and start doing those DLCs before 30/at 25 lvl), only Lonesome Road is exception. You should do it before end sequence.
 
You can make "hit and run" trips into Lonesome Road at any time since it's the only DLC that lets you come and go freely. It can be a great way to pick up better weapons and armor fairly early in the game. Just make sure you have have a good rifle before you go in. If you get in over your head you can run back to the Mojave anytime to recover. Fair warning though, enemies in Lonesome Road will respawn after a few days.
 
If you love the game enough (and it's an amazing game, so you SHOULD) you'll be replaying is so many, many times that concerning yourself over "which should I do, first?" won't matter in the long run. Since FONV contractually follows the same broken model as FO3, there's a schism between events in DLCs and events in the main story, however Obsidian did take the time and had the foresight to include SOME level of callback to your decisions in the DLCs with characters and events in the Mojave. Your level of attention with certain NPCs will impact your available choices in "Dead Money". If you've met Caesar before starting "Honest Hearts", that can be addressed. What you do in "Lonesome Road" will directly impact the Mojave. "Old World Blues" is about the only one that doesn't have ANY direct ties to the Mojave in the same way the others do, although it does provide some insidious backstory, and the events you uncover are somewhat of a twist, so it's still not bad, or vacant of importance. Most importantly, every DLC ties in to each other, at least as far as story and plot are concerned. "Lonesome Road" doesn't ignore that events set in stone in "Honest Hearts" ever happened, it acknowledges this. As does "Dead Money" and "Old World Blues". They all tie in quite well with one another.

For balance purposes, I'd say engage the DLCs in the following order: HH, DM, OWB, LR, and the story importance will also benefit from tackling them in this sequence, as well. Consider LR the ultimate finale of the game, which technically should've BEEN the end of the game, but for various reasons (again, contractual obligation to follow that crappy FO3 model and time constraints) it isn't. HH provides some nifty backstory to many characters you otherwise wouldn't uncover if you stayed in the Mojave. DM is dark and creepy, and it won't hurt to tackle it as early as you finding the "entrance" to the DLC for the first time. OWB is at once goofy and dark with some stunning revelations, although it and LR share an irritating commonality that the enemies are STUPIDLY powerful, so hit those second to last, and last. You won't miss much if you leave them both for later, and although you won't miss much if you complete each DLC in ANY order you prefer, it might feel most natural in the order I suggested. They may lose their impact if you wait until you're Level 50 to begin them, likewise you'll miss out on a HEAPING load of many Perks and useful treats from the DLCs that you could put to great use in the Mojave if you don't visit them earlier. DM can be completed with ease if that's THE first thing you do when you leave Mitchell's house, and HH's main story won't pose much difficulty if you do the same (although ONE of the side quests will prove difficult unless you're decently leveled and geared up).

As soon as you feel like you'd be interested in seeing something new, feel free to start one of the DLCs. There are no time limits on any of the quests (which I think is a bad thing, but hey, that means no drawbacks to leaving quests unattended while you adventure beyond the Mojave) so "when" you ought to begin whichever DLC of your choice won't matter at all.
 
While LR was intended to be last I tend to do it first, or second after HH, simply because ED-E is my constant companion and I like having his upgrades for most of the game.

Sure, it makes some of the later references sounds silly and out of sequence but my love of ED-E is so strong, no sacrifice is too great for that little guy. ;)
 
I always limit myself to level thirty so the timing of the DLCs matters little to me.

Order should be the way SnapSlav said, as it makes more sense story wise.

HH: mention of the other courier (the guy you replaced) but nothing more.

DM: is the true start of the story for him. He is mentioned in the ending and other stuff.

OWB: as callbacks to DM so best to do that after DM as well. Also has more history to the other courier and more about your own.

LR: Provides a kind of backstory for the courier and ends the arc of the "original" Courier Six.
 
Hello there! Here's what I do..
Do some quests (stay from entering the strip to avoid the Lucky 38 trigger) so I can step up to lvl 30 to start Dead Money. Come back after and do some more quests and go to Zion (Honest Hearts). After coming back I usually do a Deathclaw run and a Giant Rad Scorpion run. Next to the Big MT (Old World Blues). After coming back I usually purge the Mojavi of quests, just before initiating Arcade's quest and end game quest, I go to the Divide to face Courier 6.. Return and finish the 2nd battle to save the dam..

Well if you do that in a logical way, go to Big MT first (best player housing, trader, repair, etc.. All in one place). I guess the most darkest DLC is Dead Money so doing it early (low lvl) would make it worth the while..

Good hunting!
 
You're already up past Boulder City, so it's a little late for the advice, but if you haven't already, it would behoove you to do a couple of things before tackling DLCs:

*If you haven't already, make sure you've talked to Johnson Nash in Primm about your package and the courier who was originally supposed to deliver it. It's a minor thing, but it helps set the stage for the entire arc.

*Recruit Veronica at the 188 Trading Post and exhaust all of her dialogue options about her past and her mentor (I can't recall whether you need to travel with her for a bit to get her to fully open up to you there, but if you've got the time to spare or you could stand to gain a few more levels before setting out on the DLC quests, it's well worth doing, as it really helps flesh out the background and motivation of a main character (arguably, two) in one of the DLCs. (Sorry to be so vague, but I'm trying to avoid any whiff of a spoiler).
 
My word of warning about the DLC's would be simple: they're tough - all of them filled with nasty enemies and LOTS of them. Whenever i go back to the Mojave after a DLC it seems like a cakewalk.
 
you should try HH first since you can get some non-combat skillbook ramdomly at caves.

If your picklocking and science skill is high enough, you can try DM.

after DM you should try OWB

after OWB you should try LL
 
Thanks for all the responses. I'm currently in NV, but I'm not chasing after main storyline yet.

SnapSlav said:
If you love the game enough (and it's an amazing game, so you SHOULD) you'll be replaying is so many, many times that concerning yourself over "which should I do, first?" won't matter in the long run. Since FONV contractually follows the same broken model as FO3.

Well, I'm a huge F1 and F2 fan and I've recently finished F2 with RP. I was extremely disappointed with F3, I couldn't even bring myself to actually finish the game (it was maybe 5 years ago). My friend urged me to try the NV and I resisted at first, but well... I was really sceptical when I started playing, but NV proving me wrong so far. Some of the original game mechanics still annoys me (computer hacking, lockpicking, chaotic pipboy, overall balance), but mods helped a great deal and in the end, these are really minor things. Elementary logic in a game universum, solid dialogues and more fleshed out characters, quests and storylines are present as opposed to F3 in which were completely missing.
So I can't really say that I love the game at this point, but I'm enjoying it very much.

Richwizard said:
You can make "hit and run" trips into Lonesome Road at any time since it's the only DLC that lets you come and go freely. It can be a great way to pick up better weapons and armor fairly early in the game.

And why would I do such thing? I want to enjoy the game, not become overpowered character and mess up the balance of the game. Especially when I'm playing it for the first time.

Yamu said:
You're already up past Boulder City, so it's a little late for the advice, but if you haven't already, it would behoove you to do a couple of things before tackling DLCs

I've done both things, thanks.
 
actually buying better weapon mod at gunrunner is better than armor at LL because fixing medium armor isn't that cheap and annoying. for me earn money-> buy huge amount of 9mm+mod for 9mm smg->explore!
since ammo have weight, I have to store spare ammo at some place but still, I can carry 3~400 bullets to kill weak DT enemy.
 
Mirak said:
And why would I do such thing? I want to enjoy the game, not become overpowered character and mess up the balance of the game. Especially when I'm playing it for the first time.

It was just a suggestion. It's your game to enjoy however you like. But, it you do pickup some gear early in Lonesome Road, you'll earn it. That's why I recommended a good rifle going in. It's far from a cakewalk. Even then, I wouldn't recommend trying to finish that DLC until you're higher level. As to your original question; what you have done in the Mojave doesn't affect much of what happens in the DLCs, except for Lonesome Road. Things you've done and factions you've allied with can impact dialog and options in that DLC. So, it's better to set your course and make your friends and enemies in the Mojave before going too deep into the Divide.

This is your first time playing FONV? It's a fun game with well made DLC's. Have a great time!
 
I generally play Honest Hearts first, at level 13-14, just after getting into New Vegas and finishing the business with Benny,mainly because it doesn't have a place in the other DLC's story arch, and is essentially filler, and because it's got some cool weapons and armor that are definitely worth getting.

Next I play Dead Money, at around 16-20 just after I do the first or maybe second Faction quest.

Then Old World Blues at 24-25, For me, this was after destroying the Brotherhood bunker in House's quest line, As I thought seeing the bunker and its tech would spike a small curiosity about Old World Tech in my Character.

Finally I play Lonesome Road at level 35+, because fuck me that DLC is impossible on Very Hard Hardcore with Project Nevada installed. I did that right before the final quest, a kind of "tying up loose ends" deal.
 
AlphaPromethean said:
Finally I play Lonesome Road at level 35+, because fuck me that DLC is impossible on Very Hard Hardcore with Project Nevada installed.

I totally agree. I play Very Hard/HC/Jsawyer/Project Nevada also and LR is tough as nails. The couriers Mile is somewhat ridiculous! However, luckily the courier has some OP weapons from other DLC's which make it possible (namely the LAER and exp. rounds with the AM rifle.)

Richwizard said:
But, it you do pickup some gear early in Lonesome Road, you'll earn it. That's why I recommended a good rifle going in. It's far from a cakewalk.

Not so sure about this - LR is not a cakewalk i agree, but one of the 'cheats' i've recently discovered is to pop into LR on my first visit to Primm (at level 3 or so) and scoop up a nice round of loot - Auto-inject superstims, ED-E upgrade etc etc without firing a shot! You can even wait for invincible ED-E to kill everything for you. Just from the Missle silo alone you get alot as LR is TOTALLY overloaded with loot generally. Then pop back into Mojave with loot you shouldn't really have until significantly higher level.

I do a similar thing in OWB which is borderline cheating where i make it my first proper DLC playthrough mostly to grab the LAER - the most OP weapon in the game in my experience. That gun can rinse anything from geckos to Deathclaws.... I have to make myself leave it in Novac otherwise the game AND other DLC's become too easy....
 
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