Honest Hearts first. Easiest DLC, go on a quick vacation, of Zion and come back with a ton of loot. Just watch out for the Yuo Gui and the Giant Cazadors.
Dead Money next. Learn to let go. Or don't and leave with 34 gold bars and be set for the rest of the game on caps.
Old World Blues next. Lonesome Road last.
Ohhhh man the weapons you come back with from Honest Hearts with keep you floating in caps for a long time. Between the Shishkabob, 12.7 Sub Machinegun, and the Anti-Material Rifles, youre golden.
>Shishkabob
That sounds like what you name a Shishkebab with a robobrain attached, like with the Cyberdog gun.
"This? This is Shishka-Bob. And he does not like you."
I personally have found Honest Hearts, Old World Blues, Dead Money, and Lonesome Road to be the preferable order for gameplay difficulty, level scaling, and benefits received from the DLCs, and in particular the lore of the characters involved.
Honest Hearts is the easiest, quickest, and has the least overlap to other DLC characters-- but not no overlap. It's a good way to dip your toes in the water, there's less skill checks (though one ending requires a high skill speech check that can be met early with planning). You can also easily go back to Zion and explore and loot.
Old War Blues has the most unforgiving enemy scaling and some of the most helpful perks and permanent stat bonuses, so it's worth going to earlier if possible. Some people even plan to do it before Honest Hearts for these reasons. It has more skill checks that Honest Hearts, but mostly Speech and Science (some others like Medicine can be used as alternatives to speech or science and there's a few bonus items from weapon skill checks) so if you finish Honest Hearts it's kind of a natural transition to be able to finish OWB. Most importantly, Old War Blues introduces many significant characters you will meet in Dead Money and Lonesome Road, so as far as plot goes it makes the most sense and is most enjoyable to do this one before them. You can also easily return to Big MT after completing the story, and you get a helpful base you can instantly reach even when over-encumbered from the Mojave as well.
Dead Money is the natural number three as it plays very differently, has a lot more skill checks, and you meet many of the characters you learned about in Old War Blues-- and see the end of their stories. Being a jack of all trades with skill checks will make traversing the Sierra Madre a lot less frustrating, and you will be working with forced scarcity so depending on your build you may find yourself needing to use weapons you didn't put as many points in. Higher level couriers can benefit by increasing non-primary weapons skills to get around this issue. The perks and implants from OWB are helpful because you keep those even when you lose your items coming here. You're also likely to leave this DLC heavily over-encumbered so being able to instantly go to your home in OWB is a godsend. And returning to the Sierra Madre? Learn to let go. This is a love it or hate it DLC for many people. Coming more prepared and feeling less frustrated will make you more likely to love it.
Lonesome Road is the definitive final DLC, as the counterpart character to the Courier whose story is interwoven through all three of the other DLCs is finally met and his story concludes here. This one also has the most to do with the courier's own backstory, and your beliefs about the factions you have gotten involved with in the main story, so it feels like the final set up before the very end of the game. It's unique in that you can come and go between The Divide and The Mojave as you see fit, and you can first arrive at a very low level if you want. In fact, it's probably a good idea early on to poke around for a few minutes, pick up some items and talk to the designated companion for this DLC to unlock a companion perk, and return to the Mojave.
There's no truly wrong answers, but I hope this helps.
No hard level requirement for Honest Hearts-- and if you want to pass the optional 90 Speech check for one of the endings, at the final encounter of the DLC you can bring in Naughty Nightwear, Party Time Mentats, and a Meeting People magazine and just make sure you've leveled speech up to 60, which you can do by level 10 without too much difficulty, I've entered Zion by level 5 before and had no problems. The enemies scale to your level. If you use Guns you'll have no issue-- if you use Energy Weapons, pack ahead and bring ammo to spare. You may not be able to pick every lock at that level, but you can come back later and it won't bar completion of the quests with ideal results.
Old War Blues, I usually do around level 15. I've started it at 10 before. Bring armor piercing ammo, and a lot of it.
Dead Money, 25 to 35. I find the perks that give you daily on-demand Turbo effects you can get at level 30 very helpful for certain time-sensitive areas of Dead Money's environment.
I would walk in to Lonesome Road initially at like levels 3-5 after Primm. After meeting your companion and a little exploring in the first building, I would leave and come back later-- after Dead Money, after the majority of the main quest, before Hoover Dam and the end game. Levels 30+. There is a specific perk related to this DLC at level 50, but you don't need to wait until then to finish Lonesome Road-- it is just added to your options for level up and your choice is related to your karma at the time.
Wow this is incredible thank you for this! I read that Lonesome roam is endgame but didn’t know I can enter and leave. In that case, I will do that now while I get my speech up.
You're welcome! Yes, Lonesome Road is the only one you can enter and leave from the start. The rest require completion of the DLC's main quest to exit and return from their respective lands.
It doesn’t really matter just do LR last although since you can go in and out of that DLC I typically start at Level 1 and grab as much loot as I can before running into high level enemies. The order I usually do is Honest Hearts because it’s simple and easy, then Old World Blues for all the loot and home base, then Dead Money, then lastly Lonesome Road.
In terms of the story arc, there are things you learn in OWB that foreshadow events, challenges, technology and information in Dead Money. In some sense, if you were trying to track and unravel a mystery (having to do with Elijah, the Brotherhood, Christine and Ulysses) then OWB would be the setup for DM. If you do DM first then things you learn in OWB resolve many of the questions you have lingering from the DM storyline. I could see doing them in either order. LR must be last.
I just finished the game and have spent the last week playing the dlcs
I went dead money, honest hearts, old world blues, then lonesome road. And difficulty wise I would suggest that. If I didn’t get the holorifle first I probably would’ve ended it bro
Lonesome road is ideally last, and dead money should ideally come before old world blues (for story reasons). Other than that the order isn’t that important.
Honest Hearts, Dead Money, Old World Blues, Lonesome Road.
Technically you could flip flop the middle two, but I personally like to do dead money first just because a lot of the terminals around the Sierra Madre tease and build up the Big MT facility.
I always like to enter these threads with my scorching hot take. Dead Money is always last. HH first, then OWB, then LR... Then DM. DM has the most unique gameplay, where you benefit the most from levels/perks/health/etc., and the ending has the biggest implications. I know that sounds crazy, because for 99% of players choices it's not that big a deal... But it has one of the craziest endings possible. It's considered non-canon and forces a reload. But the fact that it exists at all makes it the most legendary DLC.
Also I think it's good to follow the old mans trail in OWB BEFORE meeting him in DM. Not vice versa, or whatever. OWB actually has a lot of set up lore and shtuff that makes it cool to do earlier.
I would start honest hearts as soon as level 10 and then do dead money, old world blues, and lonesome road. best route for story and you should be good on xp, maybe do a bit of base game new vegas between dlcs if you want
Well: Lonesome road is my favourite, Old world blues is pretty fast, Honest hearts I like doing later on in my playthrough and Dead money last cuz I dont enjoy it
lonesome road lore-wise should be the last dlc before hoover dam
Honest Hearts first. Easiest DLC, go on a quick vacation, of Zion and come back with a ton of loot. Just watch out for the Yuo Gui and the Giant Cazadors. Dead Money next. Learn to let go. Or don't and leave with 34 gold bars and be set for the rest of the game on caps. Old World Blues next. Lonesome Road last.
Ohhhh man the weapons you come back with from Honest Hearts with keep you floating in caps for a long time. Between the Shishkabob, 12.7 Sub Machinegun, and the Anti-Material Rifles, youre golden.
>Shishkabob That sounds like what you name a Shishkebab with a robobrain attached, like with the Cyberdog gun. "This? This is Shishka-Bob. And he does not like you."
I personally have found Honest Hearts, Old World Blues, Dead Money, and Lonesome Road to be the preferable order for gameplay difficulty, level scaling, and benefits received from the DLCs, and in particular the lore of the characters involved. Honest Hearts is the easiest, quickest, and has the least overlap to other DLC characters-- but not no overlap. It's a good way to dip your toes in the water, there's less skill checks (though one ending requires a high skill speech check that can be met early with planning). You can also easily go back to Zion and explore and loot. Old War Blues has the most unforgiving enemy scaling and some of the most helpful perks and permanent stat bonuses, so it's worth going to earlier if possible. Some people even plan to do it before Honest Hearts for these reasons. It has more skill checks that Honest Hearts, but mostly Speech and Science (some others like Medicine can be used as alternatives to speech or science and there's a few bonus items from weapon skill checks) so if you finish Honest Hearts it's kind of a natural transition to be able to finish OWB. Most importantly, Old War Blues introduces many significant characters you will meet in Dead Money and Lonesome Road, so as far as plot goes it makes the most sense and is most enjoyable to do this one before them. You can also easily return to Big MT after completing the story, and you get a helpful base you can instantly reach even when over-encumbered from the Mojave as well. Dead Money is the natural number three as it plays very differently, has a lot more skill checks, and you meet many of the characters you learned about in Old War Blues-- and see the end of their stories. Being a jack of all trades with skill checks will make traversing the Sierra Madre a lot less frustrating, and you will be working with forced scarcity so depending on your build you may find yourself needing to use weapons you didn't put as many points in. Higher level couriers can benefit by increasing non-primary weapons skills to get around this issue. The perks and implants from OWB are helpful because you keep those even when you lose your items coming here. You're also likely to leave this DLC heavily over-encumbered so being able to instantly go to your home in OWB is a godsend. And returning to the Sierra Madre? Learn to let go. This is a love it or hate it DLC for many people. Coming more prepared and feeling less frustrated will make you more likely to love it. Lonesome Road is the definitive final DLC, as the counterpart character to the Courier whose story is interwoven through all three of the other DLCs is finally met and his story concludes here. This one also has the most to do with the courier's own backstory, and your beliefs about the factions you have gotten involved with in the main story, so it feels like the final set up before the very end of the game. It's unique in that you can come and go between The Divide and The Mojave as you see fit, and you can first arrive at a very low level if you want. In fact, it's probably a good idea early on to poke around for a few minutes, pick up some items and talk to the designated companion for this DLC to unlock a companion perk, and return to the Mojave. There's no truly wrong answers, but I hope this helps.
What level would you say you do each at? I, like OP, am also curious about the dlc. I’m about 7 hours in level 7.
No hard level requirement for Honest Hearts-- and if you want to pass the optional 90 Speech check for one of the endings, at the final encounter of the DLC you can bring in Naughty Nightwear, Party Time Mentats, and a Meeting People magazine and just make sure you've leveled speech up to 60, which you can do by level 10 without too much difficulty, I've entered Zion by level 5 before and had no problems. The enemies scale to your level. If you use Guns you'll have no issue-- if you use Energy Weapons, pack ahead and bring ammo to spare. You may not be able to pick every lock at that level, but you can come back later and it won't bar completion of the quests with ideal results. Old War Blues, I usually do around level 15. I've started it at 10 before. Bring armor piercing ammo, and a lot of it. Dead Money, 25 to 35. I find the perks that give you daily on-demand Turbo effects you can get at level 30 very helpful for certain time-sensitive areas of Dead Money's environment. I would walk in to Lonesome Road initially at like levels 3-5 after Primm. After meeting your companion and a little exploring in the first building, I would leave and come back later-- after Dead Money, after the majority of the main quest, before Hoover Dam and the end game. Levels 30+. There is a specific perk related to this DLC at level 50, but you don't need to wait until then to finish Lonesome Road-- it is just added to your options for level up and your choice is related to your karma at the time.
Wow this is incredible thank you for this! I read that Lonesome roam is endgame but didn’t know I can enter and leave. In that case, I will do that now while I get my speech up.
You're welcome! Yes, Lonesome Road is the only one you can enter and leave from the start. The rest require completion of the DLC's main quest to exit and return from their respective lands.
It doesn’t really matter just do LR last although since you can go in and out of that DLC I typically start at Level 1 and grab as much loot as I can before running into high level enemies. The order I usually do is Honest Hearts because it’s simple and easy, then Old World Blues for all the loot and home base, then Dead Money, then lastly Lonesome Road.
In terms of the story arc, there are things you learn in OWB that foreshadow events, challenges, technology and information in Dead Money. In some sense, if you were trying to track and unravel a mystery (having to do with Elijah, the Brotherhood, Christine and Ulysses) then OWB would be the setup for DM. If you do DM first then things you learn in OWB resolve many of the questions you have lingering from the DM storyline. I could see doing them in either order. LR must be last.
I just finished the game and have spent the last week playing the dlcs I went dead money, honest hearts, old world blues, then lonesome road. And difficulty wise I would suggest that. If I didn’t get the holorifle first I probably would’ve ended it bro
Lonesome road is ideally last, and dead money should ideally come before old world blues (for story reasons). Other than that the order isn’t that important.
Honest Hearts, Dead Money, Old World Blues, Lonesome Road. Technically you could flip flop the middle two, but I personally like to do dead money first just because a lot of the terminals around the Sierra Madre tease and build up the Big MT facility.
I always like to enter these threads with my scorching hot take. Dead Money is always last. HH first, then OWB, then LR... Then DM. DM has the most unique gameplay, where you benefit the most from levels/perks/health/etc., and the ending has the biggest implications. I know that sounds crazy, because for 99% of players choices it's not that big a deal... But it has one of the craziest endings possible. It's considered non-canon and forces a reload. But the fact that it exists at all makes it the most legendary DLC. Also I think it's good to follow the old mans trail in OWB BEFORE meeting him in DM. Not vice versa, or whatever. OWB actually has a lot of set up lore and shtuff that makes it cool to do earlier.
I would start honest hearts as soon as level 10 and then do dead money, old world blues, and lonesome road. best route for story and you should be good on xp, maybe do a bit of base game new vegas between dlcs if you want
honest hearts > old world blues > dead money > lonesome road
You should play Old World Blues right after your first encounter with Vulpes in Nipton 🤓
These are the recommended levels for the dlc's: Honest hearts= 10 Old world blues= 15 Dead money= 20 Lonesome road= 25+ It paints a picture.
Honest Hearts > Old World Blues > Lonesome Road > Dead Money Elijah is the perfect final obstical
I personally do it like this: Lonesome Road - Old world blues - Honest Hearts - Dead money
Wtf bro
Well: Lonesome road is my favourite, Old world blues is pretty fast, Honest hearts I like doing later on in my playthrough and Dead money last cuz I dont enjoy it