All DLC Start Locations & Level Requirements

Though there is plenty to love about the base version of Fallout New Vegas, DLC for the game turns it from a great post-apocalyptic RPG into a legendary one. New perks, new skills, new items, and tons of other new content is added to the ultimate edition of the game automatically upon starting a new save. But to actually experience these DLCs, you’ll have to find their start locations.

There are a total of four story DLCs for New Vegas: Honest Hearts, Old World Blues, Dead Money, and Lonesome Road. Each has a different recommended starting level and a different location where the Courier can begin each new story, typically set in completely unique locations from the Mojave.

Updated December 6, 2024 by Erik Petrovich: In Fallout: New Vegas, DLC levels vary from about level 10 to level 25, but you can start any New Vegas DLC without necessarily meeting the minimum suggested level. And there’s good reason to – every Fallout: New Vegas DLC includes a number of unique weapons and equipment that can’t be found in the base game, weapons that can significantly empower a low-level player if they meet the requirements. This list of all Fallout: New Vegas DLC and level requirements has been updated to include a brief listing of unique New Vegas DLC weapons and equipment that each expansion houses. If you do decide to head into a DLC before the recommended level, though, be careful not to get stuck in a situation you can’t escape without loading an extremely old save.

1 Honest Hearts

Recommended Level: 10

Joshua Graham disappeared.

And in his place came legends of the Burned Man walking the wastes.

Probably just a tribal ghost story.

But New Canaan’s been silent for a long time.

The Honest Hearts DLC takes the Courier from the Mojave Wasteland to Zion National Park in neighboring Utah. This DLC takes off quickly as the player is ambushed and is forced to make their way back to the Wasteland.

Honest Hearts offers some of the most interesting expansions to the base game’s lore, and it’s got all the wackiness of the original setting. From drug-induced rituals to a burned man who used to be Caesar’s second-in command, Honest Hearts is a great DLC that players can start relatively early.

How To Start Honest Hearts

To start the Honest Hearts DLC for Fallout New Vegas, head northeast from the Westside West Entrance and onto the road that spans from each side of New Vegas’ north side. The Honest Hearts start location is in the Northern Passage, a cave that can be found in the hills about halfway down this road.

Alternatively, select the quest “Happy Trails Expedition” on your Pip-Boy to track the Honest Hearts start location. This quest should automatically be added to your quest log upon creating a new character. Though we recommend getting to Level 10 as the minimum level for Honest Hearts, you can start the DLC earlier than that if you want a change of pace from the normal starter experience.

Honest Hearts Unique DLC Weapons & Equipment

• A Shining Light In Darkness: The.pistol wielded by Joshua
• Compliance Regulator: A laser pistol that can paralyze enemies when it Crits
• Salt-Upon-Wounds’ Power Fist: A power fist that also deals Poison damage
• She’s Embrace: A gauntlet that lets you slash at enemies with clawed, unarmed attacks

2 Old World Blues

Recommended Level: 15

For years, the minds and computers of Big Mountain were a blaze of trajectories, weapon schematics, and nuclear theories.

The problems began to outpace the solutions, first geometrically, then exponentially. As the war escalated, so did the questions.

Old World Blues whisks the Courier away to a unique location called the Big Empty, to a place called Big Mountain, that is disconnected from the rest of the wasteland. After being essentially abducted by a being called the Think Tank – the combination of the worlds’ greatest scientific minds in one messed-up robot – the Courier’s brain is removed.

The rest of the DLC sees the player try to get back their own brain and all the wacky science-adjacent activities that adventure could conjure up. Robot scorpions, a Mutant grandma, and the ability to convince your own brain to return back to your skull make this one of the best New Vegas DLC to experience.

How To Start Old World Blues

To start the Old World Blues DLC for Fallout New Vegas, you must find the abandoned Mojave Drive-In theater, just southeast of Nelson. The Old World Blues start location is the projector, which can only be interacted with at night, when a reel of an eye plays on the screen. Open it up and watch as the Courier is taken away to this bizarre sciency setting.

Alternatively, select the quest “Midnight Science Fiction Feature” on your Pip-Boy to track the Old World Blues start location. This quest should automatically be added to your quest log upon creating a new character. Though we recommend getting to Level 15 as the minimum level for Old World Blues, you can start the DLC at earlier levels.

Old World Blues Unique DLC Weapons & Equipment

• FIDO: A minigun that relies on a dog’s brain in a red tube attached to the front of the gun
• Elijah’s Jury-Rigged Tesla Cannon: An extremely powerful energy cannon that was created before the war
• Christine’s CoS Silencer Rifle: A silenced sniper rifle with extremely high damage
• X-2 Antenna: A detached radar antenna that can be wielded as a two-handed weapon

3 Dead Money

Recommended Level: 20

The opening was supposed to symbolize a road to a brighter future, not just for the world, but for all who came to its doors.

A chance for anyone to begin again.

Except – the Sierra Madre never opened.

The Dead Money DLC brings players to an extravagant resort that was once meant to be the ultimate in opulence – the Sierra Madre Casino. Before its grand opening, the bombs went off, and it stayed closed for good. Now, there’s a rumor going around that there’s a great treasure beneath the Sierra Madre, which draws the Courier to seek it.

Though this DLC is considered by some to be the weakest of the four DLCs in New Vegas, Dead Money still offers unique characters, interesting stories, and great new items and perks to the game. Though you’ll have to get relatively far in the game to meet its level prerequisites, it’s worth the detour.

How To Start Dead Money

To start the Dead Money DLC for Fallout New Vegas, start from Nelson in the far east of the main Mojave Wasteland map and head northeast on the road. The Dead Money start location is the Abandoned Brotherhood of Steel Bunker, just a few minutes’ walk northeast from Nelson.

Alternatively, select the quest “Sierra Madre Grand Opening” on your Pip-Boy to track the Dead Money start location. This quest should automatically be added to your quest log upon creating a new character.

Though we recommend getting to Level 20 as the minimum level for Dead Money, you can start this DLC earlier than that if you want a challenge. The difficulty of enemies in this and Lonesome Road spikes a bit compared to the base game and other DLCs, so it’s good to level up as much as you can and get good gear before heading to this area.

Dead Money Unique DLC Weapons & Equipment

• Holorifle: An energy sniper rifle that looks like a grenade launcher, instantly hitting targets with no bullet drop or travel time
• Bear Trap Fist: A bear trap attached to a rope that you can wield as a fist weapon
• Cosmic Knife: An ultra-sharp knife that deals extra damage to limbs

4 Lonesome Road

Recommended Level: 25

It’s said that war – war never changes.

But men do, through the roads they walk.

And this road has reached its end.

While Dead Money is a bit more of a divisive addon for New Vegas, the general consensus is that Lonesome Road is the best. The Lonesome Road DLC story sees the conclusion of the Courier’s own story, one that began before they were shot in the head by Benny in the opening cutscene.

Long story short, the Courier delivered something that changed the course of history for one man in particular: Ulysses.

In this DLC, players are sent to The Divide, an area characterized by its harsh environment (tornadoes, earthquakes, destructive storms, etc). The Lonesome Road to meeting Ulysses is filled with strife and hardship – and lots and lots of nuclear warheads – but it’s one well worth walking before you finish the game and head to the Hoover Dam for the final ending.

How To Start Lonesome Road

To start the Lonesome Road DLC for Fallout New Vegas, start from Primm and head west, over the road and into the hills. The Lonesome Road start location is the Canyon Wreckage location, and just like all other locations, it will pop up with a warning when you try to enter the DLC zone for the first time.

Alternatively, select the quest “The Reunion” on your Pip-Boy to track the Lonesome Road start location. This quest should automatically be added to your quest log upon creating a new character. We strongly recommend getting to at least level 20, but preferably higher (around level 25) before trying to take on Lonesome Road. This is the most difficult DLC, and the final DLC, so be sure you are good and prepared (and consider trying out other DLCs first) before jumping in.

Lonesome Road Unique DLC Weapons & Equipment

• Satchel Charge: An explosive mine that can be placed and detonated at the wielder’s discretion
• Shoulder-Mounted Machine Gun: An extremely heavy, extremely powerful minigun that requires high strength and Guns skill to wield
• Old Glory: A flagpole with a golden eagle on it that can be wielded as a melee weapon
• Fist of The North Rawr: The severed hand of a deathclaw that can be wielded as an unarmed melee weapon that requires 100 Unarmed to wield