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* ChaosArchitecture: Invoked if not displayed. In ''Old World Blues,'' Dr. 0 says that they can't give you specific directions to the labs in Big MT because "they move around sometimes."
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This has been gone over before; the point of Project Purity was to purify an extremly large amount of water in an extremly short time, which is not something the Courier can do.
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* SeriesContinuityError: In Fallout 3, [[spoiler:Project Purity]] needed a piece of pre-war miracle technology to remove radiation from water. In Fallout:New Vegas, the Courier can perform the same trick with sufficient survival skill, two glass pitchers and some surgical tubing.
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* SeriesContinuityError: In Fallout 3, [[spoiler:Project Purity]] needed a piece of pre-war miracle technology to remove radiation from water. In Fallout:New Vegas, the Courier can perform the same trick with sufficient survival skill, two glass pitchers and some surgical tubing.
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Please don\'t pick sides in the main article. It\'s only Not Quite The Right Thing if you support the NCR.
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* NotQuiteTheRightThing: [[spoiler:Solving "Heartache By the Number" the [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge Cass way]] certainly seems viable, as the targets completely deserve it for their crimes...but then the epilogue reveals that you and Cass have effectively crippled both the NCR and the Wasteland's only major trade industry. OOPS!]]
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** Doc Mitchell's medical examination on the courier at the start does offer one piece of foreshadowing...if you have the motivation to see it. To some patients, the last Rorschach card he shows you looks a little bit like a large needle-like tower shining in the darkness...a lot like the Lucky 38 Hotel.
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* AwesomeYetPractical: Depending on your character build:
** the Plasma Caster uses a single microfusion cell to deal the same damage as a sniper rifle with special ammunition. Deathclaws become goo in seconds.
** The Light Machine Gun is powerful and easy to find ammo for.
** The Riot Shotgun does away with the awful reload and attack times of shotguns by being semi-automatic and drum-fed. Add slug ammo and Cass becomes a monster with it.
** The Ballistic Fist, [[ImpossiblyCoolWeapon a fist weapon with a]] SawedOffShotgun [[ImpossiblyCoolWeapon attached to it]]. It has incredible damage, so even a character with a low unarmed skill can annihilate enemies with it. Despite shooting shotgun shells, [[BottomlessMagazines it needs no ammo]], so it's even more useful in hardcore mode.
*** The Two-Step Goodbye from the ''Gun Runner's Arsenal'' ups this, although it's slightly weaker. Instead of the shotgun attachment, it has a launcher that fires a small explosive into who/whatever is punched. The listed effect is actually called "Critical Kill = Boom!".
** The Anti-Materiel Rifle, which, if you have the money for it, you can get around halfway through the game. You can put down a deathclaw (the Quarry Junction uber-version, no less) in a single sneak attack critical headshot.
*** And now with the ''Gun Runner's Arsenal'' DLC, you can get the GRA Anti-Materiel Rifle, and that has mods available for it. Carbon fiber parts to decrease the weight, a custom bolt to increase fire rate, and a suppressor to decrease the loud boom it makes. It's like the normal version but with 2x the awesome.
** Comparable to the Anti-Materiel Rifle is the Gauss Rifle. While it doesn't have as large a magazine as the Anti-Materiel Rifle (just one shot), it has a lower strength and skill threshold, and does slightly more damage. And still will blow a Deathclaw's head off in the manner that the AMR does.
** The Multiplas Rifle. Outmatched only by the Gauss Rifle and Anti-Materiel Rifle in sheer damage per shot, and has an even lower skill and strength threshold than the Gauss Rifle. The latest patch drastically reduces its ammo consumption rate.
** ''New Vegas'' did a lot to turn the AwesomeButImpractical energy weapons and big guns from the previous game into this. Energy weapons now have an equivalent of nearly every regular gun, from shotguns to machine guns to a sniper rifle, and multiple ways to compensate for the limited ammo, making an energy-weapons-only build perfectly viable. The Big Guns skill was incorporated into the other skills, meaning you don't have to spend more skill points just to make use of the occasional Minigun or Gatling Laser. It does, however, mean that the big explosive weapons are harder to use since the Explosives skill is somewhat useless.
** The Recharger Pistol. It regenerates its own ammo fairly quickly, has a 20-shot magazine, and even in extended fire situations, as long as you can duck and cover for a couple seconds, you've got several more shots, and packs a pretty decent punch against most of your ordinary enemies. You can mow through whole raider parties and not use a single round of ammo, without having to get in their face with melee weapons.
** The DLC Holorifle. It hits harder than almost any other energy weapon, is fairly good with ammo, has an excellent scope, and has several mods you can find. The only drawback is that if you miss the holotapes containing the mod codes and then complete the DLC, they're LostForever.
** The newest patch turned the [[GatlingGood Minigun]], and especially its unique version, into this. Before the patch, the Minigun was a powerful weapon, but it had the downside most automatic weapons had: not being able to breach armor, making it weak against many late game enemies without expensive armor piercing ammunition. However, the latest patch gave it a boost which makes it automatically ignore 10 DT, which is about as much or more as most enemy mooks like Recruit Legionaries, Prime Legionaries, Fiends, Vipers, Jackals, and enemies wearing low condition combat armor. This means a Minigun using normal ammunition will absolutely demolish light to medium armored foes, and with armor piercing rounds, it will chew through any enemy who's not wearing the first or second highest end power armor in the game.
** The Lever Action Shotgun. It counts as a lever action weapon and that means it's affected by the Cowboy perk as well as the shotgun perks. The Cowboy perk increases the damage of all lever action weapons by 25%, essentially making the Lever Action Shotgun a viable alternative to the much more expensive and rarer Riot Shotgun. Plus, you can go around pretending to be the Terminator.
** Old World Blues gives you ''Christine's COS silencer rifle''. Yes, the .308 ammo isn't all too common, but it's better than the default sniper rifle, and about as good as the Gobi Campaign Rifle. But the real kicker on it? ''It's'' '''''silenced'''''. You can now snipe without fear that the enemy will magically have the premonition to find you half a mile away.
*** Arguably, any scoped weapon with a silencer can become this. There's the Ratslayer for early game, and you can buy a Sniper Rifle silencer from the Gun Runners even without DLC, making clearing most enemy groups trivial if you have decent aim.
*** Also while Christine's COS is a treat when looking at the stats, it has one major drawback: longevity. Which just doesn't exist. It has a terrible wear per shot so you can either spend a fortune continually repairing it or the stats deteriorate quicker than you can say "Deathclaw".
** As of Old World Blues, virtually any shotgun. Able to ignore 10 points of DT? Check. Easy to come by, with higher level shotguns appearing at [[DiscOneNuke fixed spawn points accessible as early as level 2?]] Check. Able to knock over enemies and stun them while you empty buckshot into them? Double check. Throw in the Gun Runner's Arsenal ammo types, which adds rounds that ignore DT even more, Dragonsbreath rounds, and Pulse Slugs to deal with robots, and you have a collection of powerful, versatile, and easily located weapons. Their only downside is that slugs are a bit heavy in Hardcore mode.
** The ''Gun Runners' Arsenal'' DLC adds the 25mm APW. APW stands for "Anti-Personnel Weapon," but might as well stand for "All-Purpose Weapon." It uses plentiful, cheap ammunition, does good damage, has good range, and makes the formerly marginal Explosives skill into a viable primary attack skill. By the time it becomes obsolete, you'll have enough caps to pick up a Grenade Machinegun, which uses the same ammo. As for the "awesome" part, it is a still grenade launcher that can blow the assorted scum of the wastes into tiny little pieces.
** ''Arsenal'' also adds a number of AwesomeYetPractical weapons, including the Katana (high damage and attack speed), low-yield Mininukes (which make the formerly AwesomeButImpractical Fat Man launcher affordable and less likely to be suicidal), MFC cluster bombs (powerful explosives made from spare parts and very common Energy Weapons ammunition), the Greased Lightning Power Fist (the fastest Unarmed weapon in the game), and unique versions of bog-standard weapons that use plentiful ammo to better effect.
** The Satchel Charges from ''Lonesome Road'' also qualify. They have half the fuse time and at least double the damage of a standard frag mine and are made from VendorTrash and lead, which can be easily obtained by breaking down unused bullets. It's entirely possible to build them during the [[SurvivalHorror ''Dead Money'']] DLC, where they will be greatly appreciated.
** ''Lonesome Road'' also adds the Shoulder-Mounted Machine Gun. It uses 10mm ammo, which is almost entirely obsolete by the time the player can obtain a SMMG. Not only does it use ammo you're unlikely to still have a use for, it has a higher shot power and lower fire than most full-auto weapons, making it more economical ''and'' more effective against armored targets.
** Riot Gear, Advanced Riot Gear, and Elite Riot Gear from ''Lonesome Road''. Not only are they impossibly cool to look at, they all have significant stat boosts, have night vision goggles, and are faction neutral, so you can walk right up to Caesar looking like a cross between a Desert Ranger and a Helgahst and the rest of the Legion won't even bat and an eye. Topping it off is power armor levels of durability and damage threshold.
** The Jury Rigging perk. On paper, it seems like a fairly useful skill. You can repair weapons with other weapons of the same type. In practice, players who hoard weapons and armor now have the means to repair all their top-shelf gear with garden variety junk. Combine this with a good barter skill and all that top-shelf gear, most of which you will never use, sells for ''hundreds of thousands of caps''. You can buy every unique weapon in the ''Gun Runners' Arsenal'' DLC (which cost on average ''15,000 caps each'')
** the Plasma Caster uses a single microfusion cell to deal the same damage as a sniper rifle with special ammunition. Deathclaws become goo in seconds.
** The Light Machine Gun is powerful and easy to find ammo for.
** The Riot Shotgun does away with the awful reload and attack times of shotguns by being semi-automatic and drum-fed. Add slug ammo and Cass becomes a monster with it.
** The Ballistic Fist, [[ImpossiblyCoolWeapon a fist weapon with a]] SawedOffShotgun [[ImpossiblyCoolWeapon attached to it]]. It has incredible damage, so even a character with a low unarmed skill can annihilate enemies with it. Despite shooting shotgun shells, [[BottomlessMagazines it needs no ammo]], so it's even more useful in hardcore mode.
*** The Two-Step Goodbye from the ''Gun Runner's Arsenal'' ups this, although it's slightly weaker. Instead of the shotgun attachment, it has a launcher that fires a small explosive into who/whatever is punched. The listed effect is actually called "Critical Kill = Boom!".
** The Anti-Materiel Rifle, which, if you have the money for it, you can get around halfway through the game. You can put down a deathclaw (the Quarry Junction uber-version, no less) in a single sneak attack critical headshot.
*** And now with the ''Gun Runner's Arsenal'' DLC, you can get the GRA Anti-Materiel Rifle, and that has mods available for it. Carbon fiber parts to decrease the weight, a custom bolt to increase fire rate, and a suppressor to decrease the loud boom it makes. It's like the normal version but with 2x the awesome.
** Comparable to the Anti-Materiel Rifle is the Gauss Rifle. While it doesn't have as large a magazine as the Anti-Materiel Rifle (just one shot), it has a lower strength and skill threshold, and does slightly more damage. And still will blow a Deathclaw's head off in the manner that the AMR does.
** The Multiplas Rifle. Outmatched only by the Gauss Rifle and Anti-Materiel Rifle in sheer damage per shot, and has an even lower skill and strength threshold than the Gauss Rifle. The latest patch drastically reduces its ammo consumption rate.
** ''New Vegas'' did a lot to turn the AwesomeButImpractical energy weapons and big guns from the previous game into this. Energy weapons now have an equivalent of nearly every regular gun, from shotguns to machine guns to a sniper rifle, and multiple ways to compensate for the limited ammo, making an energy-weapons-only build perfectly viable. The Big Guns skill was incorporated into the other skills, meaning you don't have to spend more skill points just to make use of the occasional Minigun or Gatling Laser. It does, however, mean that the big explosive weapons are harder to use since the Explosives skill is somewhat useless.
** The Recharger Pistol. It regenerates its own ammo fairly quickly, has a 20-shot magazine, and even in extended fire situations, as long as you can duck and cover for a couple seconds, you've got several more shots, and packs a pretty decent punch against most of your ordinary enemies. You can mow through whole raider parties and not use a single round of ammo, without having to get in their face with melee weapons.
** The DLC Holorifle. It hits harder than almost any other energy weapon, is fairly good with ammo, has an excellent scope, and has several mods you can find. The only drawback is that if you miss the holotapes containing the mod codes and then complete the DLC, they're LostForever.
** The newest patch turned the [[GatlingGood Minigun]], and especially its unique version, into this. Before the patch, the Minigun was a powerful weapon, but it had the downside most automatic weapons had: not being able to breach armor, making it weak against many late game enemies without expensive armor piercing ammunition. However, the latest patch gave it a boost which makes it automatically ignore 10 DT, which is about as much or more as most enemy mooks like Recruit Legionaries, Prime Legionaries, Fiends, Vipers, Jackals, and enemies wearing low condition combat armor. This means a Minigun using normal ammunition will absolutely demolish light to medium armored foes, and with armor piercing rounds, it will chew through any enemy who's not wearing the first or second highest end power armor in the game.
** The Lever Action Shotgun. It counts as a lever action weapon and that means it's affected by the Cowboy perk as well as the shotgun perks. The Cowboy perk increases the damage of all lever action weapons by 25%, essentially making the Lever Action Shotgun a viable alternative to the much more expensive and rarer Riot Shotgun. Plus, you can go around pretending to be the Terminator.
** Old World Blues gives you ''Christine's COS silencer rifle''. Yes, the .308 ammo isn't all too common, but it's better than the default sniper rifle, and about as good as the Gobi Campaign Rifle. But the real kicker on it? ''It's'' '''''silenced'''''. You can now snipe without fear that the enemy will magically have the premonition to find you half a mile away.
*** Arguably, any scoped weapon with a silencer can become this. There's the Ratslayer for early game, and you can buy a Sniper Rifle silencer from the Gun Runners even without DLC, making clearing most enemy groups trivial if you have decent aim.
*** Also while Christine's COS is a treat when looking at the stats, it has one major drawback: longevity. Which just doesn't exist. It has a terrible wear per shot so you can either spend a fortune continually repairing it or the stats deteriorate quicker than you can say "Deathclaw".
** As of Old World Blues, virtually any shotgun. Able to ignore 10 points of DT? Check. Easy to come by, with higher level shotguns appearing at [[DiscOneNuke fixed spawn points accessible as early as level 2?]] Check. Able to knock over enemies and stun them while you empty buckshot into them? Double check. Throw in the Gun Runner's Arsenal ammo types, which adds rounds that ignore DT even more, Dragonsbreath rounds, and Pulse Slugs to deal with robots, and you have a collection of powerful, versatile, and easily located weapons. Their only downside is that slugs are a bit heavy in Hardcore mode.
** The ''Gun Runners' Arsenal'' DLC adds the 25mm APW. APW stands for "Anti-Personnel Weapon," but might as well stand for "All-Purpose Weapon." It uses plentiful, cheap ammunition, does good damage, has good range, and makes the formerly marginal Explosives skill into a viable primary attack skill. By the time it becomes obsolete, you'll have enough caps to pick up a Grenade Machinegun, which uses the same ammo. As for the "awesome" part, it is a still grenade launcher that can blow the assorted scum of the wastes into tiny little pieces.
** ''Arsenal'' also adds a number of AwesomeYetPractical weapons, including the Katana (high damage and attack speed), low-yield Mininukes (which make the formerly AwesomeButImpractical Fat Man launcher affordable and less likely to be suicidal), MFC cluster bombs (powerful explosives made from spare parts and very common Energy Weapons ammunition), the Greased Lightning Power Fist (the fastest Unarmed weapon in the game), and unique versions of bog-standard weapons that use plentiful ammo to better effect.
** The Satchel Charges from ''Lonesome Road'' also qualify. They have half the fuse time and at least double the damage of a standard frag mine and are made from VendorTrash and lead, which can be easily obtained by breaking down unused bullets. It's entirely possible to build them during the [[SurvivalHorror ''Dead Money'']] DLC, where they will be greatly appreciated.
** ''Lonesome Road'' also adds the Shoulder-Mounted Machine Gun. It uses 10mm ammo, which is almost entirely obsolete by the time the player can obtain a SMMG. Not only does it use ammo you're unlikely to still have a use for, it has a higher shot power and lower fire than most full-auto weapons, making it more economical ''and'' more effective against armored targets.
** Riot Gear, Advanced Riot Gear, and Elite Riot Gear from ''Lonesome Road''. Not only are they impossibly cool to look at, they all have significant stat boosts, have night vision goggles, and are faction neutral, so you can walk right up to Caesar looking like a cross between a Desert Ranger and a Helgahst and the rest of the Legion won't even bat and an eye. Topping it off is power armor levels of durability and damage threshold.
** The Jury Rigging perk. On paper, it seems like a fairly useful skill. You can repair weapons with other weapons of the same type. In practice, players who hoard weapons and armor now have the means to repair all their top-shelf gear with garden variety junk. Combine this with a good barter skill and all that top-shelf gear, most of which you will never use, sells for ''hundreds of thousands of caps''. You can buy every unique weapon in the ''Gun Runners' Arsenal'' DLC (which cost on average ''15,000 caps each'')
to:
** the Plasma Caster uses a single microfusion cell to deal the same damage as a sniper rifle with special ammunition. Deathclaws become goo in seconds.
** The Light Machine Gun is powerful and easy to find ammo for.
** The Riot Shotgun does away with the awful reload and attack times of shotguns by being semi-automatic and drum-fed. Add slug ammo and Cass becomes a monster with it.
** The Ballistic Fist, [[ImpossiblyCoolWeapon a fist weapon with a]] SawedOffShotgun [[ImpossiblyCoolWeapon attached to it]]. It has incredible damage, so even a character with a low unarmed skill can annihilate enemies with it. Despite shooting shotgun shells, [[BottomlessMagazines it needs no ammo]], so it's even more useful in hardcore mode.
*** The Two-Step Goodbye from the ''Gun Runner's Arsenal'' ups this, although it's slightly weaker. Instead of the shotgun attachment, it has a launcher that fires a small explosive into who/whatever is punched. The listed effect is actually called "Critical Kill = Boom!".
** The Anti-Materiel Rifle, which, if you have the money for it, you can get around halfway through the game. You can put down a deathclaw (the Quarry Junction uber-version, no less) in a single sneak attack critical headshot.
*** And now with the ''Gun Runner's Arsenal'' DLC, you can get the GRA Anti-Materiel Rifle, and that has mods available for it. Carbon fiber parts to decrease the weight, a custom bolt to increase fire rate, and a suppressor to decrease the loud boom it makes. It's like the normal version but with 2x the awesome.
** Comparable to the Anti-Materiel Rifle is the Gauss Rifle. While it doesn't have as large a magazine as the Anti-Materiel Rifle (just one shot), it has a lower strength and skill threshold, and does slightly more damage. And still will blow a Deathclaw's head off in the manner that the AMR does.
** The Multiplas Rifle. Outmatched only by the Gauss Rifle and Anti-Materiel Rifle in sheer damage per shot, and has an even lower skill and strength threshold than the Gauss Rifle. The latest patch drastically reduces its ammo consumption rate.
** ''New Vegas'' did a lot to turn the AwesomeButImpractical energy weapons and big guns from the previous game into this. Energy weapons now have an equivalent of nearly every regular gun, from shotguns to machine guns to a sniper rifle, and multiple ways to compensate for the limited ammo, making an energy-weapons-only build perfectly viable. The Big Guns skill was incorporated into the other skills, meaning you don't have to spend more skill points just to make use of the occasional Minigun or Gatling Laser. It does, however, mean that the big explosive weapons are harder to use since the Explosives skill is somewhat useless.
** The Recharger Pistol. It regenerates its own ammo fairly quickly, has a 20-shot magazine, and even in extended fire situations, as long as you can duck and cover for a couple seconds, you've got several more shots, and packs a pretty decent punch against most of your ordinary enemies. You can mow through whole raider parties and not use a single round of ammo, without having to get in their face with melee weapons.
** The DLC Holorifle. It hits harder than almost any other energy weapon, is fairly good with ammo, has an excellent scope, and has several mods you can find. The only drawback is that if you miss the holotapes containing the mod codes and then complete the DLC, they're LostForever.
** The newest patch turned the [[GatlingGood Minigun]], and especially its unique version, into this. Before the patch, the Minigun was a powerful weapon, but it had the downside most automatic weapons had: not being able to breach armor, making it weak against many late game enemies without expensive armor piercing ammunition. However, the latest patch gave it a boost which makes it automatically ignore 10 DT, which is about as much or more as most enemy mooks like Recruit Legionaries, Prime Legionaries, Fiends, Vipers, Jackals, and enemies wearing low condition combat armor. This means a Minigun using normal ammunition will absolutely demolish light to medium armored foes, and with armor piercing rounds, it will chew through any enemy who's not wearing the first or second highest end power armor in the game.
** The Lever Action Shotgun. It counts as a lever action weapon and that means it's affected by the Cowboy perk as well as the shotgun perks. The Cowboy perk increases the damage of all lever action weapons by 25%, essentially making the Lever Action Shotgun a viable alternative to the much more expensive and rarer Riot Shotgun. Plus, you can go around pretending to be the Terminator.
** Old World Blues gives you ''Christine's COS silencer rifle''. Yes, the .308 ammo isn't all too common, but it's better than the default sniper rifle, and about as good as the Gobi Campaign Rifle. But the real kicker on it? ''It's'' '''''silenced'''''. You can now snipe without fear that the enemy will magically have the premonition to find you half a mile away.
*** Arguably, any scoped weapon with a silencer can become this. There's the Ratslayer for early game, and you can buy a Sniper Rifle silencer from the Gun Runners even without DLC, making clearing most enemy groups trivial if you have decent aim.
*** Also while Christine's COS is a treat when looking at the stats, it has one major drawback: longevity. Which just doesn't exist. It has a terrible wear per shot so you can either spend a fortune continually repairing it or the stats deteriorate quicker than you can say "Deathclaw".
** As of Old World Blues, virtually any shotgun. Able to ignore 10 points of DT? Check. Easy to come by, with higher level shotguns appearing at [[DiscOneNuke fixed spawn points accessible as early as level 2?]] Check. Able to knock over enemies and stun them while you empty buckshot into them? Double check. Throw in the Gun Runner's Arsenal ammo types, which adds rounds that ignore DT even more, Dragonsbreath rounds, and Pulse Slugs to deal with robots, and you have a collection of powerful, versatile, and easily located weapons. Their only downside is that slugs are a bit heavy in Hardcore mode.
** The ''Gun Runners' Arsenal'' DLC adds the 25mm APW. APW stands for "Anti-Personnel Weapon," but might as well stand for "All-Purpose Weapon." It uses plentiful, cheap ammunition, does good damage, has good range, and makes the formerly marginal Explosives skill into a viable primary attack skill. By the time it becomes obsolete, you'll have enough caps to pick up a Grenade Machinegun, which uses the same ammo. As for the "awesome" part, it is a still grenade launcher that can blow the assorted scum of the wastes into tiny little pieces.
** ''Arsenal'' also adds a number of AwesomeYetPractical weapons, including the Katana (high damage and attack speed), low-yield Mininukes (which make the formerly AwesomeButImpractical Fat Man launcher affordable and less likely to be suicidal), MFC cluster bombs (powerful explosives made from spare parts and very common Energy Weapons ammunition), the Greased Lightning Power Fist (the fastest Unarmed weapon in the game), and unique versions of bog-standard weapons that use plentiful ammo to better effect.
** The Satchel Charges from ''Lonesome Road'' also qualify. They have half the fuse time and at least double the damage of a standard frag mine and are made from VendorTrash and lead, which can be easily obtained by breaking down unused bullets. It's entirely possible to build them during the [[SurvivalHorror ''Dead Money'']] DLC, where they will be greatly appreciated.
** ''Lonesome Road'' also adds the Shoulder-Mounted Machine Gun. It uses 10mm ammo, which is almost entirely obsolete by the time the player can obtain a SMMG. Not only does it use ammo you're unlikely to still have a use for, it has a higher shot power and lower fire than most full-auto weapons, making it more economical ''and'' more effective against armored targets.
** Riot Gear, Advanced Riot Gear, and Elite Riot Gear from ''Lonesome Road''. Not only are they impossibly cool to look at, they all have significant stat boosts, have night vision goggles, and are faction neutral, so you can walk right up to Caesar looking like a cross between a Desert Ranger and a Helgahst and the rest of the Legion won't even bat and an eye. Topping it off is power armor levels of durability and damage threshold.
* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: Legate Lanius is a MadeOfIron murder machine [[spoiler:and serves as the game's "final boss" for every non-Legion ending path.]] Averted with the NCR President Kimball and General Oliver, and even Caesar himself, who are all bog standard humans that go down after a couple decent headshots. Also a case of AsskickingEqualsAuthority, as Lanius got the job as Caesar's right hand man by singlehandedly killing off his entire former tribe in combat.
** ''Marcus!''. He has as much health as a [[KingMook deathclaw alpha]], and his punches do as much damage as one too!
** [[LargeHamRadio Tabitha]], [[EverythingsDeaderWithZombies the Vault 34 Overseer]], [[HumanoidAliens the Alien Captain]], and [[CompleteMonster Jean-Baptiste Cutting]] are all quite tough, each of them being a fairly worthy boss encounter.
** Joshua Graham, the legendary Burned Man, is equipped with a [[CoolGuns powerful customized Colt .45 pistol]] and, despite only wearing a light kevlar vest for armor, has a DT of 50! For comparison, a full suit of the best PoweredArmor in the game grants a total DT of 36. He pretty much laughs off anything short of direct headshots from the best firearms in the game.
** Salt-Upon-Wounds, the leader of the White Legs and "final boss" of the DLC, is no slouch himself. He has more health and armor than a Deathclaw Alpha, and is armed with a custom Power Fist. Graham pretty much curbstomps him, though.
* AnAxeToGrind: A few of them, especially the fire axe.
** Throw in some RuleOfCool and technobabble, and you get the Protonic Inversal Axe.
%% just making a soft alphabetic split here
* {{Badass}}: This is Fallout. There's... [[WorldOfBadass quite a few]]. Aside from the main characters, the main factions' top-tier [=NPCs=] get a special mention:
** NCR Veteran Rangers wear dusters over riot gear, and are armed with either a revolver that shoots rifle rounds, the best lever-rifle in the game, or a .50 sniper rifle.
** Legion praetorians, meanwhile, [[RuleOfCool sport sunglasses and shotgun fists]].
** A single MK II Securitron essentially has more firepower than an entire platoon of NCR troopers. Armed to the teeth with an SMG, Gatling Laser, missiles, Grenade Machine Gun, self-repair, AND the kitchen sink.
** Legate Lanius. In the G.E.C.K he even has the unique class "Legionary Bad Ass."
** The Courier before the game even starts. His journey started at the Mojave Express in Primm, South of Goodsprings. Most people who have been working as couriers for a while should notice the local wildlife, and as many people discovered, there are Cazadores north of Goodsprings. The Courier's route would have led straight through the swarm if he/she hadn't been shot. Planning to go through a swarm of Cazadores is either badass or TooDumbToLive.
*** Especially when we consider that unless the player not only preordered, but preordered from one of the four retailers whose copies came with an exclusive content pack, said courier was planning on walking through a swarm of Cazadores and close to a group of raiders armed with nothing but a 9mm pistol or laser pistol (if Doc Mitchell truly returned everything he found on you).
** Ulysses braved the entirety of the Divide, on foot, alone, just to lay an elaborate trap.
* BadassBoast: The Terrifying Presence perk gives you a few of these. Sometimes they're just something cool to say before you kill someone, other times they're [[ToThePain vivid descriptions of what you're going to do]] to your enemies. But they're all so invariably badass that you can say them unarmed in your underwear, and they'll make fully equipped Brotherhood Of Steel Paladins run screaming from you.
* BadassBystander: The entire town of [[WretchedHive Nipton]] fell to the Legion with hardly any resistance... then you come across this one solitary house complete with landmines, rigged shotguns, a cage ''full of man-eating scorpions'' and in which every single drawer and cabinet is locked - making him smarter that about 90% of the Mojave residents. If the corpses littering the floor are any indication, this guy did ''not'' come quietly. Read some of his documents and you will find that he was a severely paranoid guy, who was convinced that everybody in the town was trying to sniff out and [[ShoutOut steal his]] [[DrStrangelove "Vital Essence"]].
* BadassGrandpa: "Cannibal" Johnson got his nickname from an incident where, outnumbered by Raiders and with his back to the wall, he ''tore out a Raider's heart and took a bite out of it,'' hoping to scare the others off. It worked. Incidentally, the Raiders in question were half his age.
* BadassLongcoat: The NCR Ranger combat armor; it's the armor shown on the cover, also worn by the sniper at the wall around the Strip in the intro. Later [=DLCs=] add the Desert Ranger Combat Armor and the Elite Riot Gear, each Longcoat more Badass than the last.
** The Lonesome Road graces us with, not only the Courier's Duster, but [[spoiler: Ulysses' unique variant, with the tattered flag of the USA on the back]], which you naturally receive after the big finish. Goes quite nicely with Old Glory, a wooden staff capped with a golden metal eagle.
* BallisticDiscount: Can be done of course, but many traders and shopkeepers are usually heavily armed themselves as well as having guards and the risk of making the whole town hostile. The Silver Rush is the epitome of this, as they have half-a-dozen guards and one boss character guarding the shopkeeper. Keep in mind that the merchants' inventory and money gets replenished every few days, so killing may be a bad idea for a different reason.
** The Gun Runners take particular precautions in this regard - they built their reinforced, permanent sales booth ''around'' the Protectron who serves as their sales clerk.
* BastardUnderstudy: Benny tries to be this to Mr. House. [[spoiler:You can be one to House as well, and succeed where Benny failed]]
* BeamSpam: Gatling Laser (again), and the smaller Laser RCW, which is basically a WorldWar2 Thompson submachine gun that shoots FrickinLaserBeams.
* TheBeastmaster: The Animal Friend perk is upgraded again from ''Fallout 3''; this time it will also cause domesticated animals to fight with you, or even turn against their masters to help you.
* BeefGate: Used liberally in the beginning. The two north roads to Vegas lead you right into Cazadores and Deathclaws, the latter of which has twice as much health as a standard Deathclaw. To the south, straying from the road is a good way to get giant Radscorpions on your tail, and those things are hard to kill in the early game. It's a good sign that if something manages to kill you in two hits while anything you currently have can't inflict a single scratch in return, you should probably not be in that area yet. On the plus side, limiting specific monsters to specific ecological regions avoids the "anything can pop up anywhere" problem seen in ''Fallout 3'', where you'd have Deathclaws showing up just outside the walls of major settlements once your character reached a high-enough level.
** Also, the final battle. To be user-friendly, most action games with open-world or RPG elements (including ''{{Fallout 3}}'') have a final boss that is killable by the weakest possible player character that can reach the end of the game. This is not one of those games.
* BeingGoodSucks: Almost all of the Followers of the Apocalypse endings [[spoiler: has them taking on more responsibility than they can handle or being screwed outright. One of the only ''"good"'' endings, ironically enough, is an ending which Caesar lives. [[PetTheDog He spares their lives and lets them leave the Mojave Wasteland peacefully out of respect, as they had taught him as a boy]].]]
** In another ending, [[spoiler: if Followers support the NCR and you choose to end the game by siding with the NCR, Old Mormon Fort expanded its services and is able to aid more people, becoming a refuge for the less fortunate citizens of New Vegas.]] It is not as bad as the other endings for the Followers.
** Subverted with the Courier; even though EvilIsEasy, so much good karma is rewarded for winning unavoidable fights with evil enemies that no matter how much you [[HeroicSociopath kill]] and [[KleptomaniacHero steal]], you'll almost always be seen as a saint.
** Also played straight in the Honest Hearts DLC. [[spoiler: No matter which ending you choose, Daniel will still get the short end of the stick.]] Sure, sometimes it's only as bad as missing the paradise-that-could-have-been Zion, but it's ''very'' easy to make "good" decisions that cause him trouble.
* BerserkButton: [[{{Badass}} Boone]] ''hates'' the Legion, and for very good reason. It's impossible to get the Legion ending with him as a companion because he murders every single Legionnaire you come across.
** Technically, you CAN get the Legion ending if you have him as a companion... As long as you only kill legionaries ''before'' entering the Tops casino and getting the Mark of Caesar. As to this, it is perfectly possible to get him as a companion, complete his companion quest (which itself involves killing legionaries and is obtained similarily) and then dump him afterward to support Caesar right after getting the Mark from Vulpes. Boone has specific legion endings programmed into the game for a reason.
* BestServedCold: [[spoiler:Dean Domino]] of ''Dead Money'' is a firm believer in this. If you try to get the better of him in your first meeting (by beating him in a Barter check,) he'll patiently wait until the circumstances favour him again before stabbing you in the back.
* BettingMiniGame: As expected of a game with [[VivaLasVegas Vegas]] in the title; the game has a grand total of five casinos you can play in (and a few more you can't), each with their own theme and win limit. You can also play the Mojave's very own card game, "Caravan," if you're willing to learn the rules.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: The game's most powerful NPC is none other than Primm Slim, the Protectron sheriff robot in the Vikki and Vance Casino, who has more than 2,000 HP at level 30. That's just health, of course. It may take you a while, but he's a dolled-up Protectron and couldn't kill you if he wanted to.
** Yes Man. Oh, how nice and helpful is he. He also has a sadistic streak that comes out in a few lines.
* {{BFG}}: The Heavy Incinerator, Tesla Cannon, Grenade Machinegun, Minigun, Gatling Laser, Plasma Caster, Gauss Rifle, Light Machine Gun (note that 'Light' is a strictly relative term), and Anti-Materiel Rifle. All of them leave nice, chunky messes.
* {{BFS}}:
** The Bumper Sword.
** Lily carries a {{BFS}} made from a Vertibird propeller blade.
** Legate Lanius' {{BFS}}, the Blade of the East. It hurts. A lot.
** Marked Men in the ''Lonesome Road'' DLC may carry imitations of the above weapon called Blades of the West. They hurt. A lot.
* BigDamnGunship: You can see up to two of them in the final battle, provided you do their prerequisites. First one is the Boomers in their B-29 Bomber, the other is the [[spoiler: [[RetiredBadass Enclave]] [[TheAtoner Remnants]] arriving in a Vertibird to kick the ass of your choosing]]. It's even stated that the second one reminded everyone in the Mojave why they had feared the [[spoiler: Enclave]].
* BitchInSheepsClothing: [[spoiler:Jeannie May Crawford]] in Novac.
* BiTheWay: In one of her lines of dialogue, Cass says that once she is drunk enough, she doesn't care who she ends up in bed with whether they be male or female.
** If you try to invite her into your party when it's occupied by someone else (male or female), she says "I'm not in the mood for a threesome...today".
* BittersweetEnding: The best ending you can hope for in ''Honest Hearts'' is [[spoiler:The Sorrows and Dead Horses are safely evacuated from Zion and the White Legs' threat is neutralized [[TalkingTheMonsterToDeath one way]] [[KillEmAll or another]], And Joshua Graham finally makes peace with his inner demons, but Zion itself is lost forever, and Daniel spends the rest of his days wondering if abandoning it was the right decision after all...]]
** The "best case scenarios" for Arcade and Lily qualify big time. For Arcade, [[spoiler:the only endings where he ends up in a somewhat good position are the NCR and Wild Card endings, and even then he ends up somewhat disappointing with the negative aspects of each outcome, but nevertheless resolves to continue helping the Wasteland any way he can]]. As for Lily, her "good" endings either have her [[spoiler:go off to find her grandchildren, who are almost assuredly dead by now, or finally having her mental state stabilized at the cost of the memories of her past.]]
* BlackAndGreyMorality and GreyAndGreyMorality with some occasional [[EvilVersusEvil Black And Black Morality]]: There are no totally, completely good factions in the Fallout universe. There are plenty of pretty much outright evil factions, a ''lot'' of neutral ones, and a few that really are out to make the world a better place, [[WellIntentionedExtremist but even they tend to use rather questionable methods at times.]] The closest you'll probably get to a "good guy" in this game is a Good-aligned PlayerCharacter.
* BlatantLies: Those radioactive barrels you see both here and in Fallout 3? In the REPCONN headquarters, they're "safety barrels", and being buried in the ground is supposed to be totally safe! Some extremist hippy whackos are just lying to you about their radioactivity!
** Quite a few with the Think Tank in ''Old World Blues''.
--> '''Dr. Klein:''' How ''dare'' you! Branial beam ocilation was solely ''my'' discovery! I expressly told you that and deleted all evidence to the contrary!
* BlessedWithSuck[=/=]CursedWithAwesome: The positive and negative effect of the trait ''Wild Wasteland'' is described as "Adds wackier versions of current content."
** There's an example of this [[spoiler: if Arcade gives you his father's Enclave armor]]. He's really proud of it and brags that it will stop almost anything short of a plasma bolt. But due to its associations, wearing it could get you hunted down and killed, or if you're lucky, just thrown in an [=NCR=] jail for a long, long, long time. (Which [[spoiler: is what happens if ''Arcade'' wears it during some of his endings.]]) Uh ... thanks, man? What a ''blessing''. Luckily, StoryAndGameplaySegregation is in full effect if you decide to wear it.
* BlindWithoutEm: The ''Four Eyes'' trait, which gives a bonus to Perception so long as you're wearing glasses. Without them, it's a decrease to Perception. Will become useless later on, since power armor helmets, for obvious reasons, require you to take off your glasses. Again, this is assuming a character is even capable of / willing to wearing power armor helmets.
** Of course, this also poses serious problems; mechanically it reduces your base Perception by 1 and makes every pair of glasses give +2 Perception. Fairly nifty, except that certain perks require moderately high Perception to get, which this perk will more or less lock you out of.
* BlingBlingBang: All of the unique handguns.
* BlownAcrossTheRoom:
** The Gauss Rifle often send the opponent flying for considerable distance. Anyone who's heard the spiel from the drill instructor on the Citadel in MassEffect2 will understand why.
*** Which is a case of DidNotDoResearch in itself. Gauss guns in Fallout shoot micro-caliber ammunition that usually pass through the soft flesh. It is the tremendous hydrostatic shock that makes them so efficient.
** Averted, however, with Armor Piercing rounds...which do a little LESS damage on unarmored opponents than regular rounds BECAUSE of their overpenetration, which is actually TruthInTelevision.
** The Anti-Materiel Rifle can send ''Deathclaws'' flying back with a chest shot. It is not a gun that messes around.
** [[MeaningfulName Pushy]]. If your killing blow is an uppercut, you could easily send them 20 feet up and 30 feet away. If your unarmed is high enough, you can punch them with the force a football player punts a ball.
** Dead Money perk "And Stay Back" grants 10% chance per shotgun shot of throwing the target back. The sawed-off fires 14 buckshot per blast, practically guaranteeing an airborne ragdoll if fired at close range.
** The Fire Axe's special has a knockback effect; chaining the special lets you ''[[BeyondTheImpossible juggle an opponent in the air]]''.
* BombThrowingAnarchists: Averted by the Followers of the Apocalypse who, despite being derided as anarchists by some, arguably are the only "truly good" faction in the game, next to the Kings.
** Played straight by Samuel Cooke, the founder of the Powder Gangers, who was imprisoned by the NCR for being a literal example. The other Powder Gangers are aversions, however, as they are little more than another gang of raiders.
** 'Honest Hearts' introduces the 'Fight the Power!' that gives the bonus in combat with members of 'lawful' factions. It is accompanied by the picture of stereotypical rioter with a scarf on his face and holding Molotov cocktail.
* BookEnds: "War. War never changes."
* BoomerangBigot: One line used by Boomers states that they can take care of that robot problem for you. The same line is used by the robots on the base.
* BonusBoss: The four Legendary monsters. The toughest of them, the Legendary Deathclaw, is by far the most powerful thing in the entire game, with almost as much health as the final boss ''and'' an insanely high armor rating (significantly more than a full suit of the best power armor available!). Like all deathclaws, it is also very, very fast. He also [[OneHitKill one hit kills]] pretty much all but the toughest and most heavily armored of characters. [[DeadpanSnarker Nice knowing you.]]
** ''Old World Blues'' has the [[spoiler:[[LethalJokeCharacter Legendary Bloatfly]]. It's harder to kill than the Legendary Deathclaw and fires insanely powerful plasma bolts at you. When it dies it drops over 50 bloatfly meat and 20+ buffout.]]
** Colonel Royez and Gaius Magnus from post-Lonesome Road, [[spoiler: which appear when you nuke NCR or Legion territory respetively.]] They are two ghouls with utterly insane amounts of health (Capable of withstanding about five Holorifle shots to the face on Normal difficulty without dying), and constantly regenerate health as well. To make it worse, they both have high-end unique armor, one of which ''adds even more health regeneration''.
* BonusDungeon: Up to three are added by ''Lonesome Road,'' the Courier's Mile, the NCR Long 15, and the Legion Dry Wells. The latter two are only accessible if [[spoiler: you decided to nuke them.]]
* BoringButPractical: The Marksman Carbine. Powerful. Durable. Versatile. Ammo-efficient. Completely unspectacular and ugly.
** The Recharger Rifle. You're most likely to find this weapon at the beginning of the game, and it does lower damage than many other energy rifles. However, it makes up for this by being rechargeable, rather than using energy ammo. That's right, it's an energy weapon that has INFINITE AMMO. Kinda makes up for the slight shortage of energy ammo in the game, huh? Becomes useless later when you can regularly find and recharge energy rifle ammo, though.
** The Cowboy Repeater. Cheap to repair and uses powerful magnum ammo instead of rifle. Easy to make ammo, low AP cost, and incredible accuracy can make this a viable weapon for most of the game. As with the Marksman Carbine, the only problem is that it's obviously not full auto.
** Most Guns-type weapons really. This is one reason why many players consider [[KineticWeaponsAreJustBetter guns to be superior than the]] [[AwesomeButImpractical more flashy energy weapons,]] [[KineticWeaponsAreJustBetter even after the latter was made more powerful.]]
** Leg shots. Not as impressive or damaging as a head shot, but they slow down melee enemies significantly if you cripple the legs, and will save your life when you enter Deathclaw territory.
** The Strong Back, Educated, and Rapid Reload perks. They don't do anything flashy, but pay off massively in the long run.
** The simpler crafting recipes. Cooking meat into steaks and converting ammo into the type you need is always useful and worthwhile.
** From Dead Money, the Cosmic Knives. Not only are they easy to find, but you can clean one to give it a massive stat boost. Helps out in the first few quests, when you have almost no ammo or items.
** the Police Pistol. All the other weapons are exotic and powerful, and this is just a bog-standard revolver. However, it hits hard enough to easily dismember Ghosts, and the ammo is everywhere.
** From the Lonesome Road DLC comes the flare gun. Doesn't have the greatest damage, but uses a fairly common ammo type only used by a few other weapons in the entire game, and has the distinct power to SCARE DEATHCLAWS.
* BottleFairy: Cass
* BrainInAJar: The Robobrains. There's also the Think Tanks of Old World Blues, who come with monitors for eyes and a mouth. Amazingly enough, [[spoiler:there's YOUR brain, which you can actually talk to (and [[ScrewYourself come onto]]).]]
* BribingYourWayToVictory: The ''Courier's Stash'' and ''Gun Runners' Arsenal'' DLC, the former moreso than the latter. ''Courier's Stash'' is a compilation of several pre-order bonus packs which gives the player four full item sets at the start of the game, including a bottomless water canteen which reduces the amount of water you need to drink. No matter which set of armor you choose, you're a lot better off than in the vanilla game. ''Gun Runners' Arsenal'' adds a ton of new weapons to be purchased from shops, as well as weapon mods for them. At least these you actually have to buy in-game.
* BrokenAesop: The overall theme of the DLC ''Dead Money'' is how greed can make people unable to let go of their own vices. To illustrate this point, the casino vault is filled with dozens of gold bars that are far too heavy for you to carry to escape alive, proving that even the player must set aside their greed in order to move on. ... Except that with a stealthboy and some very precise timing, it's fully possible to make off with all the gold without a scratch. So in the end the moral is 'you need to let go of your greed, unless you're clever enough to get away scott free'.
* BulletTime: VATS of course. Turbo and the Implant GRX perk will also produce this effect.
* BullyingADragon: Keith, a hustler at the Aerotech business park, gets cornered by Captain Parker after you provide Parker with evidence of Keith's misdeeds. Parker tries to arrest Keith, who resists. Keith then starts taunting Parker about how his wife left him. Which prompts Parker to let fly with his service rifle. Taunting a man armed with a military rifle about his estranged wife... [[TooDumbToLive smooth.]]
* ButchLesbian: Corporal Betsy from Camp [=McCarran=]. Just OneOfTheBoys, though she's been hitting on every woman in the Camp after having been [[spoiler:raped by Cook-Cook. One side-quest is getting her to see a psychologist.]]
* ButForMeItWasTuesday: In the ''Lonesome Road'' DLC, [[spoiler:a single unremarkable package the Courier delivered prior to the start of the game accidently caused the destruction of the Divide, robbing Ulysses of his home, teaching him the power certain individuals hold to radically reshape the world, and sparking off some rather dangerous obsessions. When he tells you what that package did, you can respond that the package was so unremarkable to you, you can't even recall it clearly.]]
%% just making a soft alphabetic split here
* TheCakeIsALie: In ''Old World Blues'', [[spoiler:the Think Tank enlist your help in defeating their enemy, Dr. Mobius, on the promise that they'll let you go once you retrieve your brain and get it back in your skull. In truth, they plan on keeping your brain for themselves, because they need it for their own agenda.]]
* CaneFu: A favourite melee weapon for the White Gloves. While that doesn't sound too dangerous, remember that you have to go in bare-fisted unless you have a high enough sneak skill or can rob the cashier's room without getting caught. If your Unarmed skill is crap, you'll have a hell of a time doing the quest for their casino (the right way, at least).
* CannibalismSuperpower: The player character can literally gain cannibalism superpowers through a [[http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Meat_of_Champions hidden perk]]. [[spoiler:If the player takes the Cannibal perk and then kills and eats Caesar, The King, Mr. House and President Kimball, your character absorbs their greatest strengths. Afterward, you receive a boost to four primary stats for a full minute after committing any act of cannibalism. Given that you have to kill and eat the four most powerful people in the Mojave Wasteland (which will naturally alienate their factions) and Kimball only appears in the second-final plot mission of the game this perk is somewhere in between a BraggingRightsReward and AwesomeButImpractical.]]
* CantGetAwayWithNuthin: If you attack any member of a major faction, the rest will know and you will lose reputation with them for it. They {{Handwave}} it with both sides having a "robust network of informants", but that's a shallow justification when you're killing Legion recruits in the middle of the desert. Strangely averted with the Fiends. So long as you do it in one shot, you can kill one ten feet from the rest and they won't notice. You don't even have to sneak.
** Especially egregious with the faction hit squad spawning. Wipe out the Legion Raid Camp? Caesar will instantly know and teleport a hit squad to immediately retaliate.
* TheCaper: What the Dead Money [=DLC=] is all about.
* CatchPhrase: The Yes Man thinks this trope page is absolutely ''great!'' And he's not just saying that because he has to!
* CattlePunk: The closer you get to big cities, the more it becomes like a gangster flick, but the more rural areas have a definite old west feel to them. What do you expect, it's set in Nevada. Let us count the ways: ''Two'' cowboy robots (Victor and Primm Slim), [[RevolversAreJustBetter prominent revolvers]], cattle barons, extra-big bighorn sheep, moody guitar riffs, a Cowboy perk that makes you better at all things Gunslingers ought to be, a chain gang on the run... and these are all just in the first few hours of the game.
* ChainsawGood: As well as the Ripper, a full-sized chainsaw can be found [[spoiler:in Vault 3, wielded by Motor-Runner, or on high-level Legionaries]]. Thanks to its incredibly high-damage VATS attack (high enough to completely ignore a Ranger's DT and kill him in one hit), it is one of the best weapons for Sneak Attacks in the game. Despite whatever common sense may tell you about using a bulky, awkward and loud weapon for stealth work.
* CharacterDevelopment: [[spoiler: The Enclave Remnants really humanize the faction of [[CardCarryingVillain Card-Carrying Villains]] they were in {{Fallout 2}} and {{Fallout 3}}.]]
* ChekhovsGun: As you're poking around your would-be gravesite in Goodsprings, you'll likely come across a bunch of Distinctive Cigarette Butts, as well as a distinctive lighter off a named Great Khan you can kill in Boulder City. Keep these items, they become useful when convincing Swank to turn on Benny.
** In the ''Old World Blues'' expansion, [[spoiler: the injury you sustained at the ''very beginning'' of the game ends up as one of these. It creates a bit of a "wrinkle" in your brain that caused the Auto-Doc responsible for the brain-extraction process to alter its programming, and keep you sane and lucid after it was done.]]
* CherryTapping: One of the challenges added by ''Gun Runner's Arsenal'' is to kill Deathclaws with the weakest weapons in the game. Of course, it only says ''kill''. There's [[LoopholeAbuse nothing saying]] you can't horribly main them with your top shelf guns, first.
* ChronicBackstabbingDisorder: [[spoiler:Benny has betrayed three people before the game even started, can betray you if you are gullible enough to believe him about talking to you in private at the Tops penthouse, and has the audacity to betray you yet again if you free him from the Fort by running away for good instead of helping you.]]
** Also, the Courier has the capability of betraying not one, not two, but all three factions, murdering all three leaders ([[ImAHumanitarian and possibly even devouring them after he kills them]]), then taking over New Vegas in the resulting power vacuum.
*** And those are just the major factions. You can also get in good with EVERY minor faction in the game, provided you're clever enough not to alienate them by accident, and then, before the final battle, go in and wipe out ALL OF THEM. ICanRuleAlone, indeed...
*** There are also plenty of quests that end with the option to slaughter the people you're helping. Help a group of ghouls get to the rockets, then set them to crash into each other. Help restore power to Helios One, then set the defense system to kill everyone unlucky enough to be standing outside. Promise to cut off access to the sulfur mines under the Vault, then set enough explosives to take down the mines ''and'' the Vault. And then there's that self-destruct button in the Brotherhood of Steel bunker...
*** [[spoiler:And now with the Lonesome Road DLC, you can unleash nuclear missiles upon NCR territory, Legion territory or both of them.]]
* ChurchMilitant: The Mormon Church it seems. According to Graham, learning how to handle a .45 auto is a rite of passage for New Canaanites. However, it's more that they're quite capable of defending themselves rather than being aggressively militant (far from actually). Also, one must remember that, AfterTheEnd, you better damn well know how to kill or live around people that do.
* ClassyCatBurglar: The sneak skill '¡La Fantoma!' depicts one of these on it's cover.
* CloudCuckoolander: Played with; No-Bark Noonan is actually pretty perceptive about strange events that are happening around Novac, and good at looking through people with less-than honest intentions. Too bad he blames them on the Chupacabra and the mole people. [[spoiler: Of course, the mole people are actually real, and he sometimes lays blame on exactly what the problem is but obfuscates it behind his choice of words.]]
** The Think Tank and Doctor Mobius.
** Many of the relatively sane nightkin, such as Lily and Tabitha, qualify as this
* ClusterFBomb: Cass has a delightfully foul mouth, and can't help swearing repeatedly. The game plays with this during her side-quest, while [[spoiler: taking revenge for her ruined caravan]], she states that they'll settle accounts with one group, and then go to the leader of the other group and "make that bitch eat her own hair." When you look in the quest menu, that statement is recorded word for word as your goal for this quest. Some characters have a wonderful way of personalizing their own quests, you know?
--> '''Cass:''' [[CrowningMomentOfFunny "The NCR wants their hands on everything they see. Nobody's dick is that long, not even Long Dick Johnson, and he had a fucking long dick, thus the name."]]
--> '''The Courier''' [[CaptainObvious "Yeah, I kinda guessed that."]]
* ColdBloodedTorture: One torture path available when interrogating Silus is to kill him for your personal pleasure.
* ColdOpening: While the first 3 DLCs start with a narrated slideshow, Lonesome Road skips this in favor of dropping you right into The Divide.
* ColdSniper: Boone. He actually tries to keep you away, believing he's too cold to have a spotter and that it'll end in disaster. If he gets killed (or rendered unconscious), he'll [[EvilLaugh creepily chuckle and say the he knew that you'd be the death of him]].
** Corporal Betsy in Camp [=McCarran=] deconstructs the trope by expressing regret over the job requiring such a cold personality.
*** She also subverts it with her [[spoiler:vulnerability and mental trauma after being raped by Cook-cook.]]
** Ranger Ghost is somewhat of a subversion - she's cold and doesn't regret it, but the other NCR personnel think she's a prick and/or trying too hard.
** Sergeant Bitter Root as well. The other 2 First Recon members, [[ShellShockedVeteran Corporal Sterling]] and [[FarmBoy 10 of Spades]] are quite [[FriendlySniper friendly]] however are not [[ColdSniper cold snipers]].
* CollectionSidequest: The longest mission in the game, by logical extension, involves collecting special "star" bottle caps from bottles of Sunset Sarsaparilla and handing them in to an animatronic cowboy named [[{{Gunsmoke}} Festus]]. There is also a snow globe collection game which nets you caps.
* ColonelBadass: Colonel Cassandra Moore. She commands the garrison at Hoover Dam, within spitting distance of the massive Legion buildup at Fortification Hill. She's built up reputation as a hardass and a GeneralRipper (though justifiable due to the proximity to the Fort). She's had four tours against the Brotherhood of Steel during the NCR's war with them.
* CompetitiveBalance: Every character build has a chance to survive and thrive in the Mojave Wasteland, whether he be a [[MightyGlacier power armor-wearing sledgehammer-wielding maniac]], [[GlassCannon a sneaky thief with a sniper rifle]], or a [[GuileHero smooth talker]], Obsidian has made it possible for you to solve everything the game throws at you.
* TheComputerIsACheatingBastard: NPC characters can reload some slow reload weapons such as Cowboy Repeaters and .357 revolvers as though they are reloaded with magazines or speedloaders. Thankfully, this also applies to followers.
** Nowhere is this more apparent than the game's gambling. NPC card dealers will regularly deal themselves 20s and Blackjack several times in a row when your luck stat is below par. Maxing out your Luck stat allows for the game to cheat in your favour as well.
** The Boomers. The artillery barrage you must run through upon approaching their base is a scripted event, and cannot be avoided in any way or gives any third options besides 'duck and cover'. Stealth won't work, even with Stealth Boys. You can't snipe the spotters, because there aren't any. You can't make them run out of ammo. You can't return fire with the Fat Man. All you can do is run and take cover and wait for the reloading breaks (which, given the number of shells they're shooting per barrage, implies they've got a 20-gun battery firing at you).
*** You can, however, use [[BulletTime Turbo]] to run past them.
* ContinuityNod: This game takes place in the same area as the canon but canceled ''Van Buren'', so plenty of characters and elements in ''New Vegas'' are references to events from that game.
** Fans of ''Fallout'' will soon notice the large number of references to towns from [[{{Fallout1}} ''Fallout 1'']] and [[{{Fallout2}} ''2'']], such as Modoc or the Hub; understandable, since those took place in northern California, not far from Nevada, which is where this game takes place.
** The reason the NCR can't torture [=POWs=] can be traced back to the administration of "President Tandi".
** Who is one of the faces on the [[http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/NCR_dollars NCR currency]], along with [[{{Fallout1}} Seth and Aradesh]].
*** Not just that, but the [[{{Fallout2}} Chosen One]] him/herself is repeatedly referenced.
** Remember [[{{Fallout 2}} the crashed vertibird outside Klamath?]] [[CoolOldLady So does its pilot.]]
** Lily's melee weapon is a large sword made out of a propeller blade taken from the same Vertibird.
** A character makes mention of the mildly terrifying Mr. Bishop of New Reno, who seems more at home in the wasteland than the city. This, presumably, is the son a male Chosen One can have by [[ReallyGetsAround either the wife or daughter]] (canonically the latter) of the head of the Bishop family at the time.
** There are also a surprising amount of references to [[{{Fallout3}} ''Fallout 3'']], both explicitly and thematically:
** Veronica wishes the Brotherhood could help the ordinary people and look at changing the philosophy to fit the changing world they live in. This is basically what the Capital Wasteland [=BoS=] did. She even vaguely refers to this, mentioning that the [=BoS=] has had schisms and breakaway groups in the past (although that could refer to the ''Tactics'' [=BoS=] as well).
*** If you're low of intelligence, when asked about what you think about the Brotherhood of Steel, you can reply something along the lines of them being "giant monsters in power armour that shoot lasers from their eyes."...which is pretty much Liberty Prime in a nutshell.
*** The schism and breakaway part likely references both the Midwestern and Capital Wasteland Brotherhoods... but she continues by mentioning that one chapter even had a small civil war over it, which either references the Capital Wasteland Brotherhood/Outcast conflict or some other conflict we haven't heard about before or since.
** ED-E is [[spoiler: an Enclave eyebot from the airbase in the "Broken Steel" DLC. And was headed to Navarro. He was also the only prototype finished because funds were being pulled to create Hellfire Armor, also from Broken Steel.]]
** The [[spoiler: aliens from the Mothership Zeta DLC]] show up if you have the Wild Wasteland perk.
** Copies of Moira's "Wasteland Survival Guide" are skill books that increase your survival skill.
** Yes Man mentions how nice it would be to stomp the Legion and NCR with a giant robot that shoots lasers out if it's eyes. This is a reference to Liberty Prime.
** Doctor Henry in Jacobstown [[{{Fallout2}} really knows his cyberdogs. He also happens to know a thing or two about mutations.]]
** Remember Marcus, the friendly Super Mutant who helped Chosen One and wound up as mayor of Broken Hills in ''Fallout 2''? He's back.
** The Classic Pack gives you the equipment of both the Vault Dweller and the Chosen One.
** Emily Ortal, a Follower and a native of Arroyo, may reward you with medical supplies for completing a small side quest she gives you. She hopes that they are of no use to you... just like Hakunin, the shaman from when it was still a tribal village, from {{Fallout 2}}. Except a little less cryptically.
** Dog from 'Dead Money' seems to always need orders because he had a master as long as he remembers. Starting with ''The'' Master (the BigBad from ''Fallout'').
*** TheMaster is also mentioned by other Super mutants and Nightkin
** You can get the recipe for the delicious Deathclaw omelet from the great niece of its creator, who somehow got a female Deathclaw to provide a steady supply of eggs in Modoc. Until some stranger came along and "[[GoForTheEye shot it in the eye]]," anyway.
* CoolPlane: The Boomers' B-29 bomber.
* CoolVersusAwesome: The central conflict of the game is basically the [=US=] Army versus the Roman Legions versus Howard Hughes and his robot army versus a OneManArmy.
* CorruptCorporateExecutive: [[spoiler:Alice Mc Lafferty. She made a secret deal with the Van Graffs to eliminate the other trade caravans through any means necessary. Buy them out, kill the owners, it's all good.]]
* {{Courier}}: YOU! As well as the various other couriers that work for the Mojave Express.
* [[WizardNeedsFoodBadly Courier Needs Food Badly]]: In Hardcore Mode, you need to eat, drink, and sleep regularly, or suffer the consequences!
* {{Cowboy}}: One of the perks, which makes you better with [[RevolversAreJustBetter Revolvers]], [[TheWestern Lever action weapons]], [[KnifeNut knives]], [[AnAxeToGrind axes]], and [[DynamiteCandle dynamite]].
* CowboyCop: Meyers, one of the (better) options for Primm's new sheriff, was sent to the NCRCF for "taking the law into his own hands one too many times". [[spoiler:If he becomes sheriff, the epilogue reveals he does his job well and Primm prospers under him, but occasionally a body of a suspected criminal is found lying in the gutter.]]
* CrazyPrepared: ''Mr. House''. He not only calculated the exact time and day of the nuclear apocalypse (and was less than a day off), but he also managed to prepare himself that he survived for two hundred years afterwards, as well as being able to remotely disable or shoot down all but eleven of the missiles headed for Vegas. And if he'd had the Platinum Chip, none of them would have hit.
* CrazySurvivalist: Randall Clark, a soldier from the Great War and the former owner of the Desert Ranger Armor in Honest Hearts. He eventually became a god-like figure to the Sorrows, whom he developed a PapaWolf-like mentality towards.
** More like a subversion of this trope. He is pragmatical, usually behaves cowardly (which saves his life on more than one occasion), displays bouts of survivor guilt, plans to commit suicide and tries to help others without risking direct contact. Not your average CrazySurvivalist.
* CreditsGag: If you've got the Wild Wasteland perk, the credits are full of humorous notes, in-jokes, and nicknames.
%% We already have separate pages for Crowning Moments of Awesome, Funny, and Heartwarming for Fallout New Vegas, check at the top of the page for the links.
* CruelAndUnusualDeath: The death animation of some weapons, or if you have [[LudicrousGibs Bloody Mess]] perk.
* CruelMercy: One option in Cass' quest. If you spare [[spoiler:the Van Graffs and Alice [=McLafferty=] ]], and give evidence of their crimes to the NCR, Cass decides that the NCR's bureaucracy and legal procedures will do them more harm than her bullets ever could.
** You can also do the same to [[spoiler: Mr. House, by disconecting his body from the mainframe and putting him back in his capsule. His life support will keep him alive for at least one year before he dies from the contaminants you exposed him to.]]
** In ''Honest Hearts'', with high enough speech skill, you can convince Joshua Graham to do this to Salt-upon Wounds.
* CrushingThePopulace: Caesar's Legion if Legate Lanius comes to rule; he will murder anyone and everyone who he sees as an insult to the Legion, including the Followers of the Apocalypse as he claims they have "dishonored" Caesar's reputation. The Legion also does not treat its citizens well.
* CuteBruiser: Veronica; her WeaponOfChoice is the PowerFist. Give her a [[InfinityPlusOneSword Ballistic Fist]], and she will murder the crap out of just about anything.
* CurbStompBattle: The final battle at Hoover Dam can turn into this, especially if you got all factions to ally with the NCR [[spoiler: including the remnants]], have a powerful companion with you (like Boone with [[PowerArmor power armor]] and an [[{{BFG}} Anti-Materiel Rifle]]), have maxed out energy weapons and have saved all your [[InfinityPlusOneSword alien blaster]] ammo. You can just go around disintegrating squad after squad of the Legion's EliteMooks with no difficulty at all, while your allies just keep coming in and curb stomping the shit out of them in one BigDamnHeroes moment after another, finally culminating in defeating the FinalBoss [[MemeticBadass Legate Lanius]] in a few seconds.
%% just making a soft alphabetic split here
* DamageSpongeBoss: Giant Roboscorpion and Deathclaws.
** DamageSpongeBoss [[BossInMookClothing In Mook's Clothing]]: A way of instituting FakeDifficulty in the higher levels of the DLC.
* DangerousDeserter: You encounter a few in Primm, attempting to start a protection racket and attacking you if try to turn them in. They're survivors from a outpost that was overrun by [[TheEmpire Caesar's Legion]], and think the [=NCR=] will be defeated by them soon.
* DaysOfFuturePast: In addition to the "retro 50s" feel of all surviving pre-war culture typical to the ''{{Fallout}}'' franchise, Caesar's Legion is obviously inspired by the Roman Empire, in-universe and out.
* DeadCharacterWalking: Has a similar bug as Minecraft game. If you save while character just died, there's various bugged things that happen, from floating hollow heads to weird corpses that's still alive. [[http://www.cracked.com/article_19507_the-8-creepiest-glitches-hidden-in-popular-video-games_p2.html Cracked explains it the best...]]
* DeadpanSnarker:
** You, the player character; numerous dialogue options involve it.
** Veronica, a recruitable sarcastic Brotherhood companion. Voiced by FeliciaDay.
--->'''Veronica:''' (on the Boomers) "A bunch of shut-ins who show disdain for outsiders and hold technology above them. Huh. Haven't heard ''that'' one before."
** Ghoul companion Raul also has a sense of humor that's as dry as his skin.
** Arcade Gannon's ex-All-American sense of humor qualifies as well.
** Rene Auberjonois brings a delightful snideness to Mr House. Especially if the Courier tries to get uppity with him.
--->'''Mr. House:''' ''Why'' is it so hard to find good help these days? (unleashes a dozen murder-bots on the Courier)
* DeathByIrony: The Legion camp at Cottonwood Cove is built ''right underneath'' a truck loaded with barrels of radioactive waste, perched perilously halfway over a cliff. It's possible to dump the barrels into the Legion camp, killing all the Legion forces there, resulting in an ironic payback for their dirty bomb attack on Camp Searchlight (the NCR survivors of Camp Searchlight will appreciate the irony if you tell them about it).
** If you opt for traditional Townicide while playing a female character, Sergeant Astor will also comment on the delicious irony of the camp being wiped by a woman, who are [[StayInTheKitchen treated as incapable pieces]] [[NoWomansLand of meat in the Legion]].
** Step one, buy a powerful shotgun. Step two, go meet Caesar. Step three, load the shotgun with Coin Shot (rounds made with coins that are used by Caesar's Legions, and bonus points if these are coins that Caesar himself paid you). Step Four, [[BoomHeadshot Render Unto Caesar That Which Is Caesar's.]] Step Five, [[OhCrap fight your way out of the now angry horde of Legion soldiers.]]
* [[DeathWorld Death City]]: The Sierra Madre Villa is an isolated town choked by a toxic gas, inhabited only by [[HumanoidAbomination Ghost People]] and full of traps. It only gets worse when you find out that not only the Casino itself was [[spoiler: intended as a death trap]] but that the town was [[spoiler: a test lab for some Think Tank experiments]]. Ulysses even refers to it as a "special sort of hell".
* DeceasedFallGuyGambit: The Legion version of the quest "I Put a Spell on You" has you pulling this on [[ThePrankster Pvt. Crenshaw]]
* {{Deconstruction}}: [[spoiler:The Wild Card route is arguably one of StartMyOwn, OmnicidalNeutral, ICanRuleAlone and/or TakeAThirdOption. Even if you do everything ''exactly'' right ([[GuideDangIt which is harder than it sounds]]), there's still going to be a ''lot'' of people unhappy or otherwise having negative reactions, most notably the Followers and the [=BoS=]. This is driven home when, during the final battle, General Oliver and Legate Lanius ''taunt'' you for actually thinking you alone could make everyone happy and peaceful, Oliver in particular demanding to know what makes you more qualified than anyone else to make that kind of decision. Then again, the main theme of the Wild Card ending ''is'' that freedom and independence almost always come at a price...]]
** The Fallout tradition of doing this to the value system of the 50s also continues; there's a great example in the REPCONN Headquarters and it's rather strict security.
** Honest Hearts has some of MightyWhitey; Both Daniel and Joshua are aware that them leading their respective tribes isn't healthy for anyone involved, but they don't know how else to handle it. Daniel's uncertainty is actually hinted as one reason for him [[ItsUpToYou listening to a complete stranger]].
* {{Defictionalization}}: The collector's edition included chips from the major casinos in the game as well as [[MacGuffin the Platinum Chip.]] In a less profitable vein, many fans play Caravan in real life.
* DeliberatelyMonochrome: Camp Forlorn Hope is washed-out and has a heavy brown pallor over everything. Completing the quest "Restoring Hope" restores color to the area.
* DemocracyIsBad: Vault 11. [[spoiler:The computer stated that unless people were sacrificed at regular intervals, everyone would be killed. The citizens decided to choose those sacrifices with elections.]]
-->'''Gus Olson, Ombudsman:''' ''...Choose a [[spoiler:sacrifice]] democratically, in the way that we citizens are accustomed to washing our hands of terrible deeds...''
** Resulting in the rather darkly funny 1950s style campaign posters which say stuff like "Haley is a known adulterer & Communist sympathizer, vote for Haley!" in bold red, white, and blue.
* DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment: All of the Think Tank doctors get into this, with Dr. Mobious's dome-shaped... dome in the FORBIDDEN ZONE (that is... '''YES!'''... forbidden! to you), and the the TESLA COILS... OF NIKOLA TESLA.
* DesperatelyLookingForAPurposeInLife: Raul, if you follow his side-quest.
* {{Determinator}}: The Courier, and Caesar calls attention to it. [[BoomHeadshot You survived being shot in the head]]. Twice. At point blank range. By a guy holding [[InfinityMinusOneSword one of the most powerful unique handguns in the game]]. The doc didn't pull the bullets out of his/her skull, [[MemeticBadass the Courier forced them out THROUGH SHEER WILLPOWER]]. If you have high Luck, the doc will even suggest that this should have happened.
** Raul makes mention, during one of the conversations you unlock by talking to certain elderly people, about how he went on a RoaringRampageOfRevenge when a girl who resembled his deceased sister was kidnapped by raiders. He tracked them for three straight days (they slept, he didn't), and she was dead by the time he got there. In response, he killed all seven of them by himself, soaking up bullets and staying alive on nothing but pure rage. After several days of lying near-dead on the ground, he pulled himself back up and went back home.
*** Also helps that being a ghoul he has a healing factor while near radiation, and this was taking place not long after the bombs felled.
* DickDastardlyStopsToCheat: You can meet a bodyguard for hire who [[spoiler: hires people to pose as thugs so he can pretend to shoot them and scam his customers out of money.]] The problem? [[spoiler: He wears decent armor, is carrying a [[HandCannon powerful Hunting Revolver]], and most thugs he has to fight to protect his clients carry knives or lead pipes. It's much, much cheaper and less complicated for him to just do his job rather than hire 4 other people and split his earnings with them.]] Not played straight, though, as this is still a good way to increase the apparent need for his services and thus drum up business.
** Benny probably would have had an easier time putting his plan into action if he had just let the Platinum Chip reach its destination without a hitch.
* DidIJustSayThatOutLoud: [[spoiler:Mortimer]], upon realizing that he's just admitted to [[spoiler:still being a cannibal]] in front of a banquet of [[spoiler: other (former) cannibals.]]
** Also Karl if the Courier taunts him into [[spoiler: shouting that the Great Khans are nothing compared to the Legion]]. While the [[spoiler:Khan]] leaders are most likely [[TooDumbToLive sitting right next to him.]]
* DidNotDoTheResearch: In-universe example: [=McNamara=] has heard of a tribe with advanced weapons in the Northeast of the Mojave, but assumes that a small Brotherhood scouting patrol with PowerArmor and Laser rifles will be sufficient for a recon mission. Turns out the tribe in question is the [[BadassArmy Boomers]]. Their weapons? Pre-war artillery.
** The fate of Camp Guardian. The notes you uncover from the squad stationed there laments that the scouts who performed recon on the area didn't take the time to realise that they'd chosen a place where its difficult to get a radio signal out, failed to actually ''give them a radio'' and then [[ItGotWorse realise]] that underneath them is a large cave system filled with Radscorpions, Giant Rats and Lakelurks.
* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: Ulysses refers to the Think Tank as "the gods of the Big Empty," and remarks that not even he, or even "a hundred Elijahs" could defeat them. [[spoiler:The Courier can, thanks to a certain gunshot wound to the brain that allows him/her to bypass their pacification field.]]
* DiscOneFinalBoss: Benny serves this role, being the main object of the player's pursuit for the 1st half of the main quest line.
* DiscOneNuke:
** The Ratslayer, a Varmint Rifle with all the mods attached to it and with more damage, and can be obtained early, [[GuideDangIt if you know where to look]]. The catch? It's in a cave filled with the bigger Giant Rats. Thankfully, you can get Boone nearby.
** '[[ICallItVera Lucky]]', a unique and particularly powerful .357 revolver with a 2.5x crit multiplier (in LaymansTerms, it [[CriticalHit critically hits]] a lot). You can find it in Primm, which can be VERY early, if you can manage a buffed 75 lockpicking.
** The Space Suit and Helmet you find at the REPCONN Test Facility is Disc One Armor. It has decent defense, is a Light-type armor, and has the added bonus of having as much Rad Resistance on it as an Advanced Radiation Suit. Also, it looks ''[[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotAwesome awesome]]''.
** A short ways north from the starting town (there's [[BeefGate Cazadores]] about, but it's fairly easy to find a way around), you'll find Chance's grave. Bring a shovel, and you can loot it for Chance's Knife, which is the best melee weapon you can get for a long time.
** Boone is a Disc One Companion. With his outrageously high Guns skill, he can and will headshot anything he gets in his sights. He also makes grabbing other Disc One Nukes that much easier.
** ED-E can also count as this. He's the first companion you can find, and you can repair him with parts from Goodsprings if you loot the town. His Enhanced Sensors perk is the ultimate in enemy spotting, and his laser isn't that bad, either. He can't compare to Boone, of course, but pair him with Boone and you will have a murderous duo that will hunt down and kill anything that might dare to harm you.
** A fairly subtle one is using the oft-overlooked 'drag' button when inside a shop. Using it, you can drag any object -- for example, a Plasma Caster in the Silver Rush -- to a corner of the store where nobody's looking and steal it with ease. You can then either keep that object and make things a ''lot'' easier for you in the early levels, or sell it and earn yourself a boatload of caps. You don't even need to have any points in Sneak for this to work.
** "This Machine", an M1 Garand Rifle that deals incredible damage, has a semi automatic firing rate, has a larger clip size than any other rifle (save the Marksman's Carbine), and reloads very fast.
*** Though you will get the quest normally shortly before or after you get to Benny, and it will take some time, too. So Disc One is pretty much over before you get it.
** Bonnie Springs is host to a small group of Viper gang members, one of which has the unique unarmed weapon "Love and Hate". For an unarmed character only Pushy and the Ballistic Fist have a higher DPS, except in the DLC.
* DisproportionateRetribution: It's implied that [[spoiler:Jeannie May]] sold [[spoiler:Boone's wife, Carla]] to the Legion as a slave because [[spoiler:Carla didn't like Jeannie May's hotel]].
** From ''Dead Money'' Do anything to upset Dean, including behaving like anything other than his snivelling lackey and he'll try and kill you when you get inside the Sierra Madre.
* TheDitz: Any main character with less than 4 in intelligence will often find themselves CompletelyMissingThePoint, and can ask for the LaymansTerms if a conversation is causing them trouble.
--> '''Courier:''' You sell plants here?\\
'''Dr. Usanagi:''' Uh, no. Implants, not plants. They're little machines I can put inside you to make you faster, quicker, or smarter. [[DeadpanSnarker I recommend the smarter implant]]. (She'll offer a discount on it out of pity.)
** Of course, you can evolve your character into a GeniusDitz if you spend your skill points in the right categories like Science or Medicine, resulting in a character that has a very low IQ but is surprisingly talented in his/her fields of interest.
* DoubleEntendre: As a male with the Confirmed Bachelor perk, you can ask Major Knight in the Mojave Outpost if he wants to be [[HoYay "friends."]] He'll get really awkward and explain that he would like to have you as a "friend," and the NCR technically doesn't have rules against guys having "friends," but the outpost has a somewhat conservative climate and he can't afford to have a "friend" while having to get up and work with these people every day, but maybe you can be "friends" when he's transferred somewhere else.
* DownerEnding:
** [[spoiler: If you side with the Legion. Especially if you leave [[CompleteMonster Legate]] [[TheDragon Lanius]] in power. Because [[WellIntentionedExtremist Caesar]] is now dead, the Legion devolves from a evil empire into a band of raping and pillaging marauders, and every single settlement gets either enslaved or destroyed. Or enslaved ''then'' destroyed.]]
** Even the Legion ending is absolutely nothing compared to [[spoiler: siding with Elijah in Dead Money. The ending explains that Elijah proceeded to release the Cloud upon the Mojave, which brought horrible painful death to everything in it's wake, before releasing his army of invincible laser shooting holograms to mop up. No living thing set foot in the Mojave for years after due to rumors of ghosts immune to gunfire and a red cloud that brought death in its wake. All that remained was Elijah and the Courier, waiting in the Sierra Madre for the world to [[ArcWords begin again]].]]
** [[spoiler: No matter what you do, not everyone will be able to have a happy ending at the end. For example, the only way to get a good ending for the Followers of the Apocalypse is by making them cooperate with the NCR and leave the Republic in control of New Vegas. However, doing so will also result in Arcade getting hunted down by the NCR as a war criminal due to his former connections with the Enclave.]]
*** Only if you [[spoiler: tell him to join the Enclave Remnants for the battle, rather than going back to the Followers' camp. He gets a much better ending, only being mildly disappointed that Freeside is no longer independent.]]
** [[spoiler:Lily has nothing but downer endings. Either she dies, stops taking her medicine and goes insane, takes her medicine regularly and forgets her family, or takes it semi-regularly and tries to find her family. That last one may not seem so bad, but you have to remember that she's been around for nearly 200 years. If they're not mutants, they're corpses. And those two aren't even mutually exclusive.]]
* TheDragon:
** You to [[spoiler: Mr. House, if you choose to do so.]]
** Legate Lanius to Caesar.
** Jean-Baptiste Cutting to Gloria Van Graff.
** Yes-Man to Benny and [[spoiler: possibly to the Courier, if you so choose.]]
* DragonTheirFeet: Although it's possible to keep them alive, [[spoiler: both Caesar and President Kimball are likely to be dead by the time the final battle rolls around]]. Regardless, [[spoiler: Legate Lanius and General Oliver are still around to lead Caesar's Legion and NCR against each other for the endgame fight. [[DragonAscendant Lanius even becomes the new Caesar]] if you side with the Legion, kill Caesar during his surgery, and help them win.]]
* DressingAsTheEnemy: Can be done with some factions. Take note that the faction's oppositions will also mistake you for one of their goons and will open fire without warning. So don't go around wearing Powder Ganger armor without good reason since both the NCR and the Legion will try to gun you down.
** Also, security guards and EliteMooks will recognize you as a fake, so the only people that ''won't'' shoot at you are the mooks of that faction. Every other faction will open fire on an apparent enemy, and the guards will open fire on a disguised enemy. Granted, Legion/NCR armour is good enough, and Khan armour is pleasantly tribal.
** [[spoiler:If given the chance, Benny tries to dress as a member of the Legion in an attempt to sneak in the bunker under their stronghold, however, because his well-groomed hair makes him stand out quite a bit amongst the shaggy and dusty legionaries, he is quickly detected and captured]].
* DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler:The previous winner of the Star Cap "prize" did this due to being locked in a room with no food or water, thus avoiding a slow death. His gun is now the new prize.]]
** In the quest "Return to Sender", if [[spoiler: you choose to turn in Chief Hanlon for trying to sabotage the NCR's defences at Hoover Dam. You leave the room to report him to a ranger, and he locks the door behind you. Hanlon then gives a [[TearJerker rather poignant speech over the radio confessing what he did and how he messed up, followed by a gunshot. Going back in the room reveals he had killed himself out of shame]].]]
** Possibly [[spoiler: Elijah, if you choose to lock him the casino vault in ''Dead Money''.]]
** The final five inhabitants of Vault 11 decided that [[spoiler: they had enough with the sacrifices and announced that they would stop sending any more people to die]]. The Vault's automated response [[spoiler: which cheerfully informed them that the whole thing was a test and no one needed to die]] was enough to send four of the five into killing themselves.
** The absolute worst possible ending for [[spoiler: Arcade. If you sell him into Legion slavery as Caesar's personal doctor, he spends a long time as Caesar's intellectual conversation partner. Caesar himself is absolutely giddy to finally have someone in the Legion who understands science and technology (and a Follower of the Apocalypse, no less), but Arcade is absolutely miserable. Eventually, he disembowels himself with a scalpel.]]
* DropTheHammer: The sledgehammer and Super Sledge. Strangely, the tool hammers cannot be used as a weapon. Perhaps the best melee weapon in the game is the unique Super Sledge, Oh, Baby!, which can just about two-shot deathclaws.
* DrunkenMaster: Cass, by extension, you with her companion perk. Normally alcohol boosts your Str at the cost of Int, but with Cass the reduction is removed and addiction is no longer an issue. She also causes whiskey to ''boost your armor''.
* DuctTapeForEverything: Duct Tape is a component for the [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Weapon Repair kit]], which can repair any weapon, from a lead pipe to an Alien Blaster.
** Also: Wonderglue!
** This is somewhat lampshaded with the Jury Rigging Perk. With it, you can repair any weapon with something of its class (Bolt action, Automatic, Melee etc...), rather then an actual copy, so repairing Anti-Tank Rifles with your humble Varmint-rifle is possible. The Perk picture has the Vaultboy duct-tape a gun back together. [[ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve "How did you repair it? No one knows but you..."]]
** One of the conversation options with Doctor 8 in ''Old World Blues'' about masturbation of all things has the Courier explaining the wonders of combining Cram (processed meat) and a roll of Duct Tape.
* DullSurprise: Matthew Perry's [[SoBadItsGood surprisingly bad voice acting for Benny]] means that we don't just get DullSurprise, but a whole range of lukewarm emotions from [[spoiler: a rather hilarious G-rated sex scene]] to [[spoiler: a variety of bland reactions to his [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=naUBwRrpbTk impending death]]]].
* DummiedOut: During the battle of Hoover Dam, in what is assumed to be a developer oversight, [[spoiler:Colonel Moore will tell you about the NCR's victory and her promotion to Brigade General, and that NCR scouts are currently busy with pursuing and harassing the remains of the Legion's army that are hastily retreating back to Arizona, like the dialogue is supposed to be heard after the end of the game]]. This suggests that the game was at one point going to feature a PlayableEpilogue. WordOfGod has stated however that there won't be any DLC to play after the game finishes due to it having so many endings.
** A fully voiced dialogue option to convince House that [[spoiler:the Brotherhood could be useful to him, by having you working as his man on the inside, thereby ultimately talking him out of killing them]], has also been Dummied Out. Thank heaven for mods.
** Apparently, at one point in development, you were supposed to be able to speak to the three Fiends members you hunt for Dahtri. Quite frankly, their dialogue is [[http://tcrf.net/Fallout:_New_Vegas/Unused_Dialog#Fiends hilarious]].
* DumpStat:
** When picking S.P.E.C.I.A.L. scores, Perception is worthless. It doesn't affect your aim, only your ability to detect threats. ED-E's companion perk eliminates that weakness. There are about four or so high Perception checks in the main game, and a few more in the DLC. From a minimum of 1 you can buff yourself to 9 with various drugs and alcohol (7 in ''Dead Money'', since some of the drugs don't exist in that add-on), more than enough to pass any check in the game. Its one, true use is meeting the requirement for Better Criticals (+50% critical damage), which you don't really need to kill effectively.
** As far as skills go, if you're not playing on Hardcore, Survival definitely qualifies. Survival's main benefit is that it makes food far more effective. Food is worthless outside of Hardcore, since you heal instantly and Stimpacks are abundant. It's not checked against very often, and it's usually low when it is. In Hardcore, however, it's a lifesaver. Sneak is next to worthless in both modes. There are next to no checks against it, and those that are tend to be 50 or below. It's main benefit is getting weapons into casinos, which you don't need a high Sneak to manage. There are enough Stealth Boys to get you through whatever sequences actually require stealth, even in ''Dead Money''. Of course, having all the add-ons installed makes this a moot point, since there are more than enough points to cap every skill, provided you collect the skill books in the Mojave region (those in the add-ons aren't necessary).
* DysfunctionJunction: All of the Courier's humanoid companions have some sort of deep personal problem to be sorted out.
** [[BadassBookworm Arcade]] is trying desperately to [[WellDoneSonGuy live up to his father's name]] and to help the wasteland as best as he can.
** [[ColdSniper Boone]] is trying to reconcile with his [[DarkAndTroubledPast memories of Bitter Spring and Carla.]]
** [[BadassGrandpa Raul]] is trying to find [[DesperatelyLookingForAPurposeInLife find meaning in his life]].
** [[FieryRedhead Cass]] is trying to deal with the loss of her caravan.
** [[NeverMessWithGranny Lily]] wants to recover [[MysteriousPast her memories of her past]].
** [[WrenchWench Veronica]] wants to save the Brotherhood since she's the [[OnlySaneMan only person willing to look beyond the bunker's walls.]]
** [[SplitPersonality Dog/God]] is trying to find peace with his [[DumbMuscle dueling]] [[GeniusBruiser selves.]]
** [[GadgeteerGenius Christine]] wants to [[ItsPersonal finally deal with Elijah.]]
** [[GreenEyedMonster Dean]] wants to finally complete his [[TallPoppySyndrome revenge against Sinclair.]]
** [[BadassPreacher Joshua Graham]] wants to avenge his tribe and [[TheAtoner redeem himself]] when he was a Legate.
** In ''Lonesome Road'', [[RobotBuddy ED-E]] wants to find Navarro, fulfilling his creator's last wish.
* EagleLand: The NCR has evolved into a nice blend of Type 1 and 2. It certainly is safer in their territory, and their soldiers are generally well-meaning, but their high command is so bogged down with bureaucracy and carrying out the NCR government's aggressive expansion policies that the rest of the army suffers from being low on supplies and reinforcements. Not to mention that the guys at the top tend to work their own agendas at the expense of those they command. Oh, and they tax heavily.
** And it doesn't help that they dashed into the Southwest with their fully-exposed [[ZeroPunctuation assault-rifle shaped erections]] blazing at anything that opposed them, forgetting that overextension only gets worse when ''the Legion and the Brotherhood of Steel hate you.''
** [[AllThereInTheManual According to the guidebook]], a series of events after Tandi's death led to the hawkish Kimball getting into power, and also resulting in a wave of chauvanism against women in the ranks. Which makes the fact that Cassandra Moore is the colonel in charge of the Hoover Dam garrison makes her even more of a ColonelBadass since she also had to overcome [[StayInTheKitchen inherent sexism that's creeped into the system]]. Unfortunately, she's a jingo like Oliver and Kimball as well.
** Hey, what's left of the Enclave? [[spoiler:They'd like to be left alone, but Arcade Gannon's a Type 1.]]
* EarnYourHappyEnding: Regardless of who ultimately gains control of the Mojave Wasteland, typically the ending has some communities prospering, while others suffer (with much more suffering and less prospering if you sided with the Legion). However, it actually is possible to get a positive outcome for almost every community and character on the NCR and (to a marginally lesser extent) Independent routes. Doing so is ''difficult'', however, as the conditions to bring about a community or character's positive outcome are not always obvious (and in some cases are even counter-intuitive), and often involve difficult speech checks or extensive exploration.
* {{Earworm}}: Just about ''every song on the radio.'' Big Iron, Ain't That A Kick In The Head, Jingle Jangle Jingle, the list goes on...
* {{Egopolis}}: Black Mountain is a borderline version; Tabitha renamed it as the "State of Utobitha".
* ElevatorActionSequence: In a first for the series, ''Lonesome Road'' has you descending a lift platform to a nuke silo, with explosions and Tunnelers popping in and out spontaneously.
* EliteMooks: Each major faction has a couple different types of these guys. Typically, they have high-end weapons and armor, as well as Companion-level health that also scales up with the player's level.
** Caesar's best Elite Mooks are his PraetorianGuard; hand-to-hand masters armed with the best punching weapon in the game. Next are his Centurions, who aren't quite as tough as most of the game's Elite Mooks, but come equipped with the best armor and weapons available to the Legion. Finally, if you really piss the Legion off they'll send a squad of crack assassins to end you.
** NCR has the Veteran Rangers (the guys on the front cover of the game), who have excellent armor, high-caliber weapons, and an innate 30% reduction to any damage they take, making them some of the toughest human characters in the entire game. There's also the NCR Heavy Troopers, clad in salvaged PowerArmor and wielding heavy weapons like miniguns or light machine guns. And don't forget 1st Recon, the NCR Army's elite sniper squad.
** The fighting ranks of the Brotherhood of Steel is composed ''entirely'' of Elite Mooks, considering their standard equipment is PowerArmor and some of the best energy weapons in the game. The drawback is they lack the numerical advantage of the other factions, who have enough normal Mooks to just swarm them into submission.
** You will fight a large amount of these guys in the final battle depending on the side you choose. Thankfully, you will be helped by Securitrons or EliteMooks on your side.
* ElvisImpersonator: A whole gang of them, fronted by The King, one of the [[NeutralGood surprisingly nicest characters in the game.]]
* EmpathicWeapon: ''Old World Blues'' introduces the Stealth Suit Mk II, which has an on-board A.I. that makes idle chatter, lets you know when enemies have spotted you, and injects you with Med-X and Stimpacks if you take too much damage.
** Also, the K9000 Cyberdog Gun. It's a [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin dog's brain housed inside a machine gun]]. It growls when it smells enemies, even at extreme ranges, and whines sadly when you holster it.
* EnemyMine: If you're working for Mr. House or for Yes Man, if you save the NCR president and/or have done some good for the NCR, the NCR troopers will actively help you out in fighting the Legion.
** Also, it's possible to get the Khans, the Brotherhood of Steel and [[spoiler:the Enclave]] to fight for the NCR despite historically being some of their greatest and most hated enemies (especially the Khans, who have been the NCR's enemies since the very beginning).
* EpicTrackingShot: One right in the beginning, from a poster of old Las Vegas, to the current New Vegas, to the less-than-friendly NCR sniper guarding it, to the raider he's sniping, to the Legion spies on the hills nearby, to the graveyard where you get shot at by the mysterious checker-suited gangster.
* [[EverythingsWorseWithBears Everything's Worse With Yao Guais]]: Yao Guai make a comeback in the Honest Hearts DLC and unlike Fallout 3, having the [[FriendToAllLivingThings Animal Friend]] perk won't stop them from coming after you on sight.
** And then there's The Ghost of She. A GIANT Yao Guai. [[InfernalRetaliation On fire.]] Oh, and don't forget that on the quest that sends you after her, the drugs you take [[YourMindMakesItReal make you see multiple and you have to fight]] ''[[MesACrowd all]] '' [[DoppelgangerAttack of them.]]
* [[EverythingsWorseWithBees Everything's Worse With Wasps]]: Cazadores, they hurt a lot, are fast, poison you and attack in swarms of 2-5!
* EvilCounterpart: [[spoiler: Ulysses]]--if the player character is good, down to him being [[spoiler: the original Courier Six, a role he passed to you.]]
* EvilIsEasy: It's very easy to simply steal owned items for supplies rather than buying or looking for free ones, especially if those supplies belong to a faction you just butchered. Of course, doing so will bring your Karma down pretty fast, and earning it back isn't easy in the slightest in the short term. (Once you hit the mid- to end-game, though, you can build it up in no time flat. The Fiends are basically a positive Karma mine.)
* EvilIsPetty: [[spoiler: It's heavily implied through the investigation that the whole reason Jeannie sold Bonne's wife to the Legion was because she critiqued her hotel.]]
* EvilVersusEvil: The entire [[spoiler:''Lonesome Road'' DLC]], if the player character is evil.
* ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin: [[spoiler: The reward for the quest ''The Legend of the Star'' is just Fergus retelling you why the Sunset Sarsaparilla logo exists to begin with. It does lead to another quest with a better reward though.]]
* ExplosiveLeash: Bomb collars make surprisingly frequent appearances throughout the game.
** If one manages to find and enter the Brotherhood of Steel's secret bunker without being accompanied by a certain companion, they'll strip you down and force you to wear a bomb collar until you convince an NCR Ranger stationed nearby to leave (through speech or otherwise).
** As mentioned above, in the ''Dead Money'' DLC, you and your companions are forced to wear these collars to ensure that you will aid Father Elijah in his quest to rob the Sierra Madre casino. Unfortunately, the casino is littered with speakers that interfere with the collar's operation and will cause it to detonate prematurely unless you get out of range or destroy the speaker.
** In ''Old World Blues'', one can find Little Yangtze, a concentration camp for Chinese prisoners from before the War. The ghoulified prisoners there are still wearing working bomb collars, which will detonate if they try to follow you out of the camp. In addition, you can find a few of Father Elijah's encampments, at least one of which is littered with disabled or otherwise broken bomb collars and a detonator.
* ExpositionFairy: Lampshaded -- Doc Mitchell, who patches up your gaping head wounds and [[{{HowManyFingers}} walks you through the character building process]] waves off your gratitude, saying, "It's what I'm here for."
* TheExtremistWasRight: If you're familiar with the [[http://www.nolanchart.com/faq/faq8.php Nolan Chart]], you'll notice that each of the factions is run by one of the corners, insisting that this is the case. [[MultipleEndings And you get to choose who wins.]]
** Caesar's Legion is as conservative as all hell. Harm their subjects and they will crucify you. NotHyperbole. Cass outright states that while she refuses to deal with slavers like the Legion, ''a lot'' of traders work with the Legion because they're ensured safety. Even [[CompleteMonster the Fiends]] are too scared of the Legion to attack caravans under their protection. His methods are harsh, brutal, and more than a little evil, but they've unified Arizona and made it a safe place to live. Even [[NeutralGood Raul]] admits that Caesar transformed Arizona into a much better place than it was before. As per Conservative economic policy, their currency is the strongest in the Mojave: a single Legion gold coin is worth 100 bottle caps.
** The NCR is high-grade liberal. They are the only (known) functional post-war democratic government, and in many cases they greatly improve the standards of living for the common people living in their territory. However, they have elements of Liberal strawmen. Their foreign policy is a good example of Liberal Idealism in that they believe in 'spreading democracy' to foreign lands. Political corruption is high, as organizations with political connections such as [[spoiler:the Van Graffs and the Crimson Caravan]] are running (sometimes even ''gunning'') smaller ones out of business.
** Mr. House, a (ironically) Chinese-style Authoritarian Capitalist, is unquestioningly a hard-core statist. He provides stability, security, and wealth and generally doesn't demand personal worship. As long as you play by his rules and pay his taxes on time, he will offer you a relatively comfortable and safe life surrounded by pre-war glory.
** As for libertarians, they get the Wild Card ending, in which [[spoiler:'''''[[AtlasShrugged YOU ARE JOHN GALT!]]''''' You can waltz into New Vegas, talk to Yes Man and decide that all the jerks fighting over the place desperately need to be taken down a peg. Then you can depose Mr. House, brutalize Caesar's Legion and sucker the NCR. Then you can unleash an army of Securitrons upon the Mojave, turning it into [[{{Utopia}} a paradise of freedom and wealth]], rule over the place as a dictator, or turn the Mojave into a lawless hellhole, depending on your actions up to the ending.]]
* FakeDifficulty: Cazadors have an ever-present bug (no pun intended) that makes targeting their heads in VATS impossible unless it's already targeted when you go into VATS.
* FantasticRacism: On both sides. humans call Ghouls "Zombie" and Ghouls call humans "smoothskin."
** Also, the mercenaries that attack Jacobstown's Super Mutants.
** And in the other direction by the way [[SplitPersonality Rhonda and Best Friend Tabitha]] refer to humans on Black Mountain Radio.
* TheFarmerAndTheViper: With Doc Mitchell as the Farmer and the Courier as the Viper, if the player chooses to side with the Powder Gangers in Ghost Town Gunfight/Run, Goodsprings, Run!
* FateWorseThanDeath: While Ghoulification isn't necessarily bad (it does makes you ugly), losing your mind and becoming a slavering, carnivorous zombie is pretty bad. Which is presumably why you get [[KarmaMeter Good Karma]] [[MercyKill for killing Feral Ghouls.]]
** The [[spoiler: [[ZombieApocalypse inhabitants of Vault 22]].]]
** The [[TechnicallyLivingZombie "Ghosts"]] of Sierra Madre. The hazmat suits did a pretty good job when it came to keeping the guests and residents alive... [[HighOctaneNightmareFuel Well, alive long enough to turn them into whatever they are now.]]
** Life in the Legion, if [[NoWomansLand you're]] [[RapeAsDrama a]] [[SexSlave woman]].
** Having your brain, spine and heart removed and becoming a blood-thirsty 'Lobotomite'.
** According to Ulysses, [[spoiler:the residents of the Mojave, if the Tunnelers beneath the Divide expand their territory...]].
** The "inhabitants" of Y17a Trauma Harnesses. Walking suits created to pick up wounded on the battlefield and walk them out. Somehow they forgot to walk them out so these wounded are kept within a walking suit which does whatever it wants without any chance of getting out.
** The Marked Men found in ''Lonesome Road'' are unfortunates caught in the blast radius when nukes went off in First Battle of Hoover Dam four years ago who had their skin torn off by the force, then survived the intense radiation to become flash-ghoulified. Even though they were from opposite sides, they now work together against all others because their constant, intense pain is the only identity they have left.
* TheFederation: The New California Republic.
* FieryRedhead: Cass
* FightingForSurvival: You can convince Goodsprings citizens to fight with Ringo against the Powder Gangers.
* FiringOneHanded: Unless you're actively aiming down the sight, most handguns are held with just one hand. There's even a perk for one-handed weapons.
* FissionMailed: Collecting all 50 Star Bottle Caps grants you the reward of [[spoiler:a story about how the owner of Sunset Sarsaparilla [[strike:killed a guy for his recipe]] was left a recipe by a stranger who was killed by bandits, told to you by a mechanical toy sheriff]], followed by the "Quest FAILED" message. You then complain to Festus, who triggers a brief second quest to collect your real reward. It's particularly effective since there is an achievement/trophy for completing the original quest, though it's the follow-up that gives you credit.
* FiveManBand
** TheHero: The Courier
** TheLancer: Boone/Raul/Cass
** TheBigGuy: Lily/Boone
** TheSmartGuy: Arcade/Veronica/Raul
** TheChick: Veronica
** TeamPet: Rex/ED-E
* FlamingSword: The Shishkebab from Fallout 3 comes back in New Vegas.
* FluffyTheTerrible: Super Mutants, eight foot tall muscular green monsters, have names like Neil, and Tabitha (and in one case, Cuddles). Though most of them are fairly friendly unless provoked these days. Emphasis on 'most'.
** DeathbringerTheAdorable: Mean Sonofabitch is just there to scare away any wannabe criminals and to bash in the heads of Fiends. He's a pretty nice guy if you get past his inability to talk coherently, actually. (His tongue was cut out.)
* FootnoteFever: The REPCONN museum plaques.[[hottip:*:This statement not admissible in court.]]
* {{Foreshadowing}}: ''All Roads'' dumps a few metric tons into you.
** Right from the start, there's tons of mysterious foreshadowing regarding Victor, the cowboy-bot who apparently dug you up in the beginning after you were left for dead. What exactly is up with him remains mysterious, but it's clear there's more to him than meets the eye.
** When Benny tells you that "the game was rigged from the start" it seems to just be a BondOneLiner. [[spoiler:But when you meet Mr. House, it turns out the game was rigged after all, in Mr. House's favor. And depending on which end path you take (and how), you get to rig the game in yours.]]
** Dead Money heaps a HUGE amount of it in the final act and the end.
** The only way we know about Ulysses is through this. (unless you bought the [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/LimitedSpecialCollectorsUltimateEdition limited special collector's ultimate edition]] and saw Ulysses as the three of clubs)
** In ''Honest Hearts'' The Burned Man mentions Ulysses. [[spoiler: Apparently he's a Legion scout and spy.]]
** Johnston Nash on Ulysses: "Hope a storm from The Divide skins him alive!" [[spoiler:Guess what you can do to him at the end.]]
** The Canyon Wreckage, located west of Primm, oozes this.
*** At first, the Canyon Wreckage just looks like a pile of rusted vehicles with some coyotes denning near them... until you see the graffiti, which mentions "Lonesome Road" (now the confirmed name of the last DLC), the Divide, and the cryptic message, "You can go home now, Courier". And, if you look on the map, you'll see that the canyon the wreckage is blocking is the only path through the western mountains.
** The Northern Passage, though it lacks the graffiti and ominous location of the Canyon Wreckage, is the launch point for the DLC ''Honest Hearts''.
** The Mojave Drive-In seems like the last place to expect a DLC to launch, but nevertheless shows up in the trailer for ''Old World Blues,'' the third DLC. It's just a regular ruined drive-in movie theater... with a rather cryptic train tunnel to the south, that ''also'' shows up in the trailer, only from the other side.
*** The setting of ''Old World Blues'' is also alluded by Christine as she was trapped and experimented on within the Big Empty. She also mentions the aforementioned Ulysses as the courier who rescued her? Sound familiar?
** Before ''Dead Money'' came out, Veronica had this little bit of dialogue regarding Elijah
-->He said he'd be back with one of the greatest treasures of the Old World. Said he'd make the Mojave how it was meant to be... "[[KillEmAll wipe the slate clean]]"
** ''Old World Blues'' is literally dripping with {{Foreshadowing}} for the last add-on, ''Lonesome Road,'' not only with the omnipresent symbol of the Old World America's flag left by Ulysses on several buildings and the holotapes of him but in the X-17 Meteorological Station, mentioned repeatedly to have been visited by Ulysses, is a map of what could very well be [[http://images.wikia.com/fallout/images/f/ff/Nvdlc03dividepleximap.png the Divide,]] the location of ''Lonesome Road.''
* FrickinLaserBeams: Following ''Fallout 3''. Unlike earlier ''Fallout'' games, averted hard here as lasers are THE most accurate weapon in the game, especially outside VATS as the beams hit the target instantly. Still played straight with plasmas, but again, those are not laser weapons.
* FriendlySniper: Pretty much any member of 1st Recon, current or former, that isn't Boone.
* FromNobodyToNightmare: Caesar was originally a member of the Followers of the Apocalypse, the least aggressive, and most humanitarian, faction in the wastes.
** The player character starts out as a low-ranked delivery boy for a small-time courier company. By the end, he or she will generally be a battle-hardened veteran with either [[OneManArmy an arsenal of weapons to humble an army]], [[GuileHero an arsenal of skills sufficient to deal with any challenge]], or possibly [[TheAce both]] with careful skill/perk/trait selection. Oh, and you can also [[spoiler:take over the Mojave for yourself, fitting the trope almost exactly if you do it as an evil character.]]
** The Survivalist in Honest Hearts. [[spoiler: Some sickly Vault 22 survivors wander into the Valley and proceed to slaughter and [[ImAHumanitarian ...dispose]] of a group of mexican survivors he was observing and occasionally secretly helping. Still possessing human dignity, he wages a one-man guerilla war after observing their atrocity and cuts the majority of the group down. The "Vaulters" (as Survivalist called them in his logs) considered him to be no mere man but an evil spirit, since they never could catch him.]]
* FunWithAcronyms: F.I.S.T.O. the SexBot.
* FutureImperfect: Averted. Pre-war books are ''far'' less rare here than they were on the East Coast, civilization is far more organized, and the Followers of the Apocalypse, Brotherhood of Steel and New California Republic have done a pretty good job accurately preserving the knowledge of the past -- Caesar and his officers, for example, know more about the Roman Empire than most people in ''RealLife'' do. Of course, this has the added benefit of Las Vegas only being nuked 11 times - compare that to ''everywhere else.''
* FlunkyBoss: Pretty much every boss in one way or another.
** All the legendary creatures (including the [[BonusBoss Legendary Deathclaw]]) are accompanied by other, non-legendary (but by no means weak) normal creatures.
** [[FinalBoss Legate Lanius]] is accompanied both by his Praetorian Guards and the various Legion soldiers around the camp that will come to attack you (though you can convince him to fight you alone with 80 speech).
** [[AnticlimaxBoss Tabitha]] is in a building that's guarded by about half a dozen Nightkin, and you have to fight your way through a whole village of Super Mutant Masters just to get to her.
** Jean-Baptiste is supported by no less than five heavily armed thugs with full body armor and plasma rifles.
** Elijah in the ''Dead Money'' add-on tries to kill you by turning on a bunch of laser turrets while he hides behind a forcefield. Though, once they're dead, he comes after you with a Gauss Rifle.
** The ghoulifed Vault 34 overseer is in his office with a pair of machine gun turrets on his desk, and a few ghoulified security guards helping him.
** Caesar himself is probably the strongest example. Unlike previous ''Fallout'' [[BigBad Big Bads]], he's just a normal human and only about as tough as a standard [[EliteMooks Elite Mook]]. However, he's surrounded by several extremely tough EliteMooks armed with the best unarmed weapons in the game, all in a relatively enclosed space with no room to dodge or retreat. Attacking him head-on, even with a high-level character, will almost certainly result in you being dogpiled into a corner and beaten to death, especially in Hardcore mode where you can't instant-heal using stimpaks.
** Each of the fiend leaders (although [[AnticlimaxBoss they're really only bosses at lower levels]]) come supported by a gang of four to six fiends. Except Violet, who has around 8 dogs instead.
* GambitPileup: The NCR, Caesar's Legion, and Mr. House are competing in a high-stakes tournament with New Vegas as the prize, and they're all trying to stack the deck in their favor -- and you're the WildCard. [[spoiler:You can even [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder take advantage]] of the fact that everyone's plans rely on you for success to set ''yourself'' up to steal the whole pot]].
** To elaborate; the core conflict is NCR and the Legion both fighting for control of the Dam and New Vegas. Beyond this basic plot, [[spoiler: House has an army of robots waiting to swoop in and steal the land literally right from under the Legion. The NCR and Legion both know this, and potentially have him assassinated. On top of that, Benny is planning to take over New Vegas by overthrowing House, as are the Omertas, except they plan on allying with the Legion first. You, the Courier, can at the same time also be planning to take over New Vegas by overthrowing House and stealing his army with the help of Yes Man, while either aiding or foiling the Omertas. Then the DLC just adds more gambits; Father Elijah of ''Dead Money'' manipulates the Think Tank, Courier, Dean Domino, and Dog/God into helping him obtain experimental pre-war technology in his attempt to conquer the Mojave by [[KillEmAll killing most of post-apocalyptic America's remaining population]], and can potentially succeed in bringing what's left of the world under his control (though unlike other options, this gives a NonStandardGameOver). The Think Tank of ''Old World Blues'' manipulates the Courier and Mobius in hopes that they'll be able to break out of Big MT and cause trouble in the Mojave. And on top of all of this, Ulysses from ''Lonesome Road'' is planning on nuking both the Legion ''and'' the NCR while leaving the Mojave to die.]] That's about nine gambits, all trying to top one another. You decide which one (or combination of them) comes out on top.
* GameMod: As usual, there's an abundance of mods to change the game in minor to significant ways. Extending the game past the final mission is one of the big ones. It's recommended to grab some of the ones that fix obvious bugs, namely the fact that the Followers can't ally with the NCR properly. There's also the one that keeps ED-E from setting off mines, which no flying robot should do. A less important but still useful one is the mod that restores the option to spare the Brotherhood in House's questline.
* GameplayAllyImmortality: In normal mode, companions do not die. [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Hardcore mode]], [[PermaDeath on the other hand...]]
* GameplayAndStoryIntegration:
** Looting some body parts from corpses actually causes the body parts to be ripped off the corpse. It isn't just treated as a random item in the inventory of the corpse.
** Also, having too few skill points in a skill check during dialogue will display an option not as suave/competent as the one with the player having the proper amount of skill points in a given check. Unlike ''Fallout 3'', where the check is a matter of chance and gives the same sentence whether or not the player passed a speech check, passing or failing a speech check is directly tied to skill. Insufficient skill gives the option a different sentence (HulkSpeak or some overly emotional or annoying words when failing speech check for that option). Failing may also open up other options in some cases.
** If you're wearing an [=NCR=] uniform, Lt. Haggerty at Helios One will figure out from the amount of blood on it that you looted it off a dead [=NCR=] soldier and will attack if you fail a speech check to convince her otherwise.
* GameplayAndStorySegregation:
** There's a Ranger outpost where you can find a Legion raid camp nearby, as well as Legion raiding parties spying on it from a nearby ridge. However, even if you're an NCR man, you can't warn the Rangers of the Legion presence or the raiding parties, even if you go up to and chat with the Legion raiders spying on the outpost, and when you come back later as part of a side quest, you'll find... well, suffice to say, it isn't pretty.
** You can only use Empty Soda Bottles to make Cactus Water, and you can't fill these with water from other sources, either.
*** Fixed in ''Old World Blues'', where a highly advanced, sentient sink can (with the proper software upgrades) fill any empty bottle with purified water.
** It is literally impossible, even with a critical hit, for Maria (the gun used by Benny to shoot the Courier in the head) to kill the player in the opening cutscene using the combat damage tables. Even at level 1, Endurance 1, no armor, and assuming Benny has maxed Guns skill (which he doesn't), it does not do enough damage to kill with the critical and headshot bonuses to damage. This is either a bow to realism (this ''is'' a lethal injury) or FridgeBrilliance (those two shots to the head ''don't'' kill The Courier after all…)
** Although that of course assumes the Courier was at full health when the scene begins. He/she is already captured and tied up, it's not a great stretch to imagine he/she may have taken some damage resisting earlier.
** A wrench, which is used to craft a weapon repair kit, mysteriously disappers when the repair kit is used.
** The Gold Bars added by Dead Money are supposedly twenty ounces of .9999 pure gold, they weigh 35 pounds each.
** [[spoiler: Nuking the NCR or Legion home territories]] has no effect on the final battle at Hoover Dam, aside from royally pissing off the factions in question (and both factions will forgive you no-questions asked if you do this before you get their [[GetOutOfJailFreeCard Get Out Of Jail Free Cards]].
* GangOfHats: The Three Families of New Vegas personify different sides of the city
** The Omertas: Personifying the sleazy side of Vegas
** The Chairmen: Personifying the "cool" side of Vegas
** The White Gloves: Personifying the "classy" side of Vegas.
* GasMaskLongcoat: NCR Desert Rangers, as depicted on the box art.
* GeniusDitz: The Think Tank in ''Old World Blues'' are a spectacular example. One of them is named Dr. 0 (the number), but since they can't differentiate, he gets called Dr. O (the letter). Point out that [[CaptainObvious he could draw a line through it]], and you'll be hailed as a visionary.
* GenreShift: ''Dead Money'' strips you of all your equipment and money, and throws you into a hostile, poisonous environment full of deadly gas clouds, enemies that need to be dismembered to be killed, loads of booby traps, untouchable laser-firing holograms that must be outwitted rather than fought, and all with very limited resources. The "limited resources" part especially makes this add-on seem like the game has become a SurvivalHorror title.
* GentleGiant: [[DeathbringerTheAdorable Mean Sonofabitch]], a super mutant living in Westside, is rather amicable and polite. [[TheUnintelligible Good luck understanding what he says.]]
* GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere: All the legendary creatures, especially the Legendary Deathclaw. They're all large monsters who are bigger, stronger, and faster than their normal counterparts because... no real reason.
* GISSyndrome: The very first result for "happy face" is used for [[spoiler:Yes Man's avatar.]]
* GladiatorGames: A male Courier can fight slaves or prisoners in the Legion arena. Also, while you can just bet for the outcome of the fight in The Thorn, you can get better rewards if you come down and fight the monsters alone in the arena.
* GodGuise: Randall Clark, a survivalist living in Zion area helps a group of kids living nearby trying not to be noticed (he drops medicines, food and tools near their camp at night). When he notices that the kids see his help as the gift from God or angels, he doesn't want to break this illusion and show himself as a dying old man. Shortly before his death he leaves the notes stating that he has to depart deep into the mountains but he will always watch for them. The kids were ancestors of the Sorrows tribe and Clark is a Father from the Caves from their legends.
* GolfClubbing: There are 9-iron golf clubs around, with the VATS "Fore" attack that aim for [[GroinAttack one particular region]].
* GoldenPath: Depending on who you care about, the [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEX-d0yuxGk NCR]], Mr. House, and Yes Man paths could be this. Though the implications of the [[spoiler: Yes Man's "upgrade" and Mr. House's iron-fisted methods of government]] may make the latter two a bit questionable.
** Finishing every companion sidequest (all seven), with reasonably good endings, is also a part of it.
* GoldenSaucer: The casinos, of course:
** The Tops, which is basically the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sands Sands Hotel]] AfterTheEnd. [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] by the fact that the main act in their theater calls itself the [[RatPack Rad Pack]], and the ruling family calls itself [[FrankSinatra the Chairmen]].
** Gomorrah, a DenOfIniquity run by [[TheMafia The Omertas]].
** The Ultra-Luxe, which caters to a [[UpperClassTwit more refined clientele]], run by the White Glove Society, which is made up of [[spoiler:former cannibals]].
* {{Gonk}}: Grecks, a ghoul with a lazy eye. In order to achieve this he has a really...odd mesh. [[BerserkButton Just don't comment on it]].
* GoodAllAlong: [[spoiler:Doctor Mobius]].
* GoodIsNotNice: The player, if played as a strictly good character, still kills his share of characters and is generally a badass.
* {{Gorn}}: Bloody Mess; you don't have to have the perk but it makes it happen more often.
* GottaCatchEmAll: Star Caps, Snowglobes, Companions...
** In-universe, even. People are willing to kill for more Sunset Sarsaparilla Star Bottlecaps. Just rumor there's treasure out there, and Gold Fever (or OneHundredPercentCompletion fever) will take hold of people.
*** Hilarious in that the in-universe prize for the Star Caps is [[spoiler: absolutely worthless. You do get a powerful unique laser pistol for finishing, courtesy of your rival collector's suffocated corpse, [[BrokenAesop thus kind of ruining the moral]]]]. It's FridgeBrilliance, actually; [[spoiler:it's AfterTheEnd and people automatically associate treasure with things that are valuable to them, but it's a pre-war treasure and ValuesDissonance is in full swing. The treasure ''is'' something of value... to the people who should be playing the game]].
* GoshHornet: Cazadores
* GrayAndGreyMorality: [[spoiler: NCR and Mr. House both plan to drive each other out of New Vegas.]] Neither of them are any more villainous or altruistic than the other.
* {{Greed}}: The main theme of ''Dead Money.'' All of the characters involved have been consumed by greed of one sort or another, and the mythical treasure of the Sierra Madre drives prospectors insane with it.
* GrenadeTag: Reverse pickpocketing grenades.
* TheGuardsMustBeCrazy: Some of the things you can do with a high enough sneak skill qualify as this. You can, for example, massacre an entire Legion camp without them ever making the connection between the large number of corpses with bullet holes in the back of their skulls and the 'profligate' with the silenced sniper rifle.
* GuideDangIt:
** The companion quests. Let's run down the list, shall we?i
##Arcade's quest, "For Auld Lang Syne", requires you to find certain locations in the game and visit them, at which point he'll speak to you briefly. This one is actually fairly lenient, since the triggers are always there and fairly numerous. You also only need two "points" for it to count, and there are about twenty total based on location and dialogue choices.
##Boone's is similar, but both easier and more difficult. His dialogue isn't automatic most of the time, so you don't really know you're doing it right. The only ones which you can really be sure of are Legion outposts, which are automatic triggers. A plus is that if you take him to Cottonwood Cove and that the Fort (before or after killing Caesar, it still counts), you'll get four of the five points at once.
##Raul's is hands down the worst of the bunch. You have to talk to three specific old people in the wastes with him as your companion, and you cannot have talked to them before. This is really inexcusable because one of the three simply won't talk to you if you don't follow a very specific path of dialogue with him, and you are pretty much guaranteed to meet all three before you get around to murdering a dozen or so Super Mutants to reach Raul. What's worse, the same one who will stop talking to you is also buggy, so even if you do it right it may not be counted. It only seems to work right if you talk to him last, but he's ''the first that you meet''.
##Cass takes a while to even unlock as a companion due to her tie-in quest that requires you to trek all the way to Vegas, but after that she has the easiest one since it's available from the start. However, it will ruin another quest if you complete it.
##Veronica's quest is similar to the first two, except buggy as hell. There are nine places in the wastes where you can bring her in order to trigger dialogue. Of these nine, only four are permanent (the remaining five are lines of dialogue from the first time you meet the NPC). Assuming you even know where to look, Veronica may take days to finally remember she's supposed to say something, so you can't trigger the quest until she finally decides to do it. It seems to work better if you meet her request for a dress first, but that in itself is GuideDangIt because the type of dress she wants is the kind worn by the White Glove Society, and you have to kill or reverse-pickpocket a member to get one if you don't follow a specific line in the quest. In other words, it's three {{Guide Dang It}}s in one!
##Lily's quest is fairly simple. It's not even a quest, really. You just have to stick with her long enough to get to the bottom of her psychosis (it only takes about an in-game day if you get into a fight where she goes berserk), then decide how much medicine she should take.
##ED-E's quest doesn't require you to do anything, but is still annoying. After the first trigger goes off, which conveinently has a waypoint, you have to wait nine days for the second to work. Then you have to find someone who can activate the trigger, and you don't get any clues. The third takes another three days, but is automatic. If you're not playing in hardcore mode (and therefore have no need to sleep 8 hours a day) you could easily finish the game without getting to the final part.
##The final one is Rex, and he's the easiest since his quest is given to you before you even recruit him.
** For something simpler and earlier, there's the quest "I Fought the Law", which most good-inclined players will miss because they're likely to side against the Powder Gangers from the start, and because the inhabitants of the [=NCRCF=] will be hostile to them, making them likely to kill Eddie and immediately fail the quest. Or one might kill him because he's got a plasma pistol. Then again, the quest is bugged and leads to a bad ending even when it should be a good one, so that's for the better, really.
** Are you feeling a little sympathy for Dean [[spoiler: and want him to live]]? Let's just hope you never, ever once questioned him in any of your talks. Insult his fragile ego a ''single'' time? You lose.
*** Dean's case is arguably the worst of the lot. Why? In the '''very first''' conversation with him, you come to a choice between a Barter skill check and a normal dialogue choice. Almost any player will obviously pick the Barter choice if at all possible because skill-requiring answers are (and should be) superior to the ones available to all characters. However, in this case picking this choice will make it [[spoiler:impossible to get him to side with you inside the Sierra Madre]]. Made even more egregious by the fact that the Barter dialogue choice is simply informing Dean that he isn't bargaining from a position of power because your collars (and thus lives) are linked and he basically doesn't have a choice but to work with you... '''which is precisely the truth'''!
** The quest I Put a Spell on You is almost legendary for its unintuitiveness, aside from a plethora of bugs. Long story short, there's a spy somewhere in Camp [= McCarran =], and you've been tasked to single him out. After finding out there have been late-night sightings at the comm tower, you have two mission arrows: one to the comm tower, and another to the man you're workign with, Captain Curtis. [[spoiler: Talking to Curtis and telling him your lead makes the mission unwinnable, since he was the spy. There are absolutely no clues about this before now, there was no hint that doing this was wrong, and there is no way other than using the console to set the winning value back to 0.]] Ergo, by '''following the directions''' you have failed the quest.
* GuileHero: A viable option for the player character.
* GunAccessories: Unlike the previous game, this alone will make you think twice before using the unique versions of some weapons which have better stats but cannot be modded.
** Then again, some like the Ratslayer are more or less fully-modded versions of the base weapon along with a bonus or two tacked on.
* GunPorn: Vault 34.
** The Boomer's Armory
* GuysSmashGirlsShoot: Inverted. In the main game, your male companions are a ColdSniper, TheGunslinger, and a BadassBookworm who, like all fictional smart people [[spoiler:(and former members of the Enclave)]], prefers a high-tech Plasma Defender pistol over the ballistics, blades, and blunt force of the common rabble. Your female companions are a Nightkin with a {{BFS}} and a Brotherhood Scribe who wields a PowerFist. There is also a female companion who uses a shotgun, but [[ShortRangeShotgun unless you give her slug ammo she pretty much has to be in melee range for it to work anyway]]. Of course, everybody has a ranged and a melee weapon that you can order them to use, so you are welcome to have everyone play the trope straight, even if they won't be that good at it.
* HalfTruth: Elijah says that if you help him break into the Sierra Madre he'll let you go, along with all of your partners. [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness He's planning to kill you all]], of course, but he ''is'' letting you go from his control that way, nonetheless.
* HandCannon: The .44 Magnum Revolver, 12.7mm Pistol, the Hunting Revolver and its unique version, the Ranger Sequoia. There are also the energy weapons Plasma Defender and "Pew Pew". (Yes.) Then there's the hand''auto''-cannon, the 12.7mm [[MoreDakka sub-machine gun]].
** ''Old World Blues'' adds the Sonic Emitter. Initially its [[BoringButPractical none too exciting and reasonably useful]], but as you upgrade it with better soundwave samples it gets better and better special effects for critical hits, the ultimate one causing [[StuffBlowingUp explosions]].
* HandWave: The makers of Dead Money must have wristlash. Any element not flat-out [[AssPull contrived]] was explicitly described as "unknown" or "unexplained" in LoadingScreen tips and in-game materials, although the Old World Blues add-on does explain a few things. In particular, how the Sierra Madre casino transports people around in it is totally unexplained (teleportation? robot hands popping out of the ceiling? Who knows?)
** You wanna take all your awesome gear you had with you? Nope, it's been carted away for having "minute traces of radiation". In all likelihood, your Pip-Boy would have accumulated more radiation than any single item of your inventory.
** Played for laughs in ''Old World Blues'': the Think Tank explain that the Courier is able to move, think, and act consciously without a brain because "tesla coils" were inserted into his/her skull. Trying to further the line of questioning just exasperates them.
* HealingFactor: Several perks. Solar Powered makes you heal gradually, but only outdoors during daytime, and not at a rate useful for combat. Monocyte Breeder implants heal all the time, but again not at any rate useful in combat, and at the price tag of 12,000 caps and taking up a spot that you could have used to buy an implant with actual value. Rad Child heals with varying rates dependent on your radiation poisoning level. Highest level heals at an astounding 8 HP/S, but at the cost of pretty hefty hits to your SPECIAL stats.
* HeroicAlbino: Ranger Ghost. [[GoodIsNotNice She's not the most friendly person]], but she's a dedicated ranger
* HeroWithBadPublicity: It's possible to end the game with good karma and ridiculously low reputation with pretty much every faction, including the one you're working for.
* HeyItsThatPlace: Yes, Primm is a real place, and it does have a rollercoaster (attached to the Buffalo Bill hotel -- all three hotels in Primm are much larger, [[RuleOfFun but no one really cares]]), and does have Bonnie and Clyde's death car (not his gun, though, but it does have his jacket, and the car is in a mall attached to the hotels). Hoover Dam, Goodsprings, Black Mountains, Nipton, Nellis Air Force Base, and a lot of other real-world locations are snuck in as well (mostly things only native Nevadans would recognize, like camping sites).
* HideYourChildren: Averted in the main game, where some some (albeit unkillable) children do appear. Invoked in all four DLCs, though this is addressed in the only add-on where their absence is noteworthy. (The Dead Horse and Sorrows tribes of ''Honest Hearts'' have already begun to evacuate, sending the children and elderly first. The other three [=DLCs=] take place in dangerous hellholes that don't have an actual community of humans living in them, thus the lack of children makes sense).
* HistoricalInJoke: The real-life Nipton was primarily important as a place where state lotteries were held during the early 20th century. The Fallout Nipton [[LotteryOfDoom has an important lottery too]]...
** The poster ''I Hate Nate'' in Vault 11 is a pun on the ''I Like Ike'' slogan from 1952 presidential campaign.
* HistoricalVillainUpgrade: In-universe example. One of the first casinos you find, in Primm, is home to a historical gallery of a couple of Bonnie and Clyde knockoffs who were more prone to cashing bad checks than holding up banks and whose greatest claim to fame was being killed accidentally by cops shooting at bank robbers.
* HollywoodSilencer: Guns equipped with silencers make the "fwip" noise and the silencers themselves are, for all intents and purposes, a metal tube stuck onto the end of the gun. Averted in that silencers are specific to different firearms and that none are available for shotguns or revolvers, are all permanent attachments (meaning they cannot be removed once attached), and aren't completely silent (shooting and missing someone may get you noticed). In addition, there are guns in-game that come with integral silencers, like the .22 silenced pistol and SMG.
* HonorBeforeReason: With high enough karma and speech skill you can convince Legate Lanius to call off the other legionnaires and fight you by himself. However, whichever allies and companions you have with you will keep shooting anyway.
** Also [[spoiler:at the end of Veronica's personal quest, when you show [=McNamara=] proof that the Brotherhood is dying/a method of self-sufficiency, etc., he won't change anything. Why? Because the codex says he can't. Judging from his speech and sighing he knows it's stupid, but he has his orders.]]
--->'''Veronica:''' We'll die out.\\
'''[=McNamara=]:''' *sigh* [[spoiler:[[TearJerker I know.]]]]
* [[KickTheSOB Horrifically Mutilate and Torture the Sons of Bitches]]: How Caesar's Legion [[RewardedAsATraitorDeserves rewards]] the [[DyingLikeAnimals people of Nipton]] (mainly the Powder Gangers) for luring NCR troops into a trap, and the townsfolk for agreeing to betray the Powder Gangers. Also, depending on how you look at it, Bitter Springs could be like this.
* HotBlooded: A trait in Old World Blues makes you this, increasing your damage but reducing Perception and Agility while at low health.
* HowWeGotHere: Expect to spend most of the first leg of the story missions just figuring out what the hell led up to you delivering a platinum chip that was worth being ambushed and shot over.
* HoYay:
** There's a panel in All Roads that has a quite a bit of subtext.
** Aside from that, you can actually play a gay/bi character, with the option to have GRatedSex.
*** This is actually enforced by the Confirmed Bachelor/Cherchez La Femme which is just like the Lady Killer/Black Widow perk which is also available... Except that it is effective against people of the same sex rather than the opposite one. Considering how valuable the female counterpart was to the male one in the third game, this can be considered a blessing since males are far more commonly encountered as enemies in the wastes than females.
*** It could even be regarded as GettingCrapPastTheRadar, as this is perhaps the first RPG to confer a measurable benefit to being a male homosexual.
** Manny Vargas; he sounds downright jealous of Boone's wife, not just disdainful of her like the others. ** A female with Black Widow can't get relevant quest information out of him, while a male with Confirmed Bachelor can.
** Arcade Gannon's gay and can be recruited with a bit of flirting from a male Player Character. He claims he's never gotten a guy due to considering himself a [[UnluckyEverydude boring man]]. [[spoiler:Totally not because he's related to the Enclave.]]
** There are eight possible companions in the game. Four don't express much interest in the Courier, being a ghoul, a cyber-dog, an Eyebot, and a grandmotherly Super Mutant. Of the rest, Veronica is a lesbian, Arcade is gay, Cass admits to experimenting when drunk, and Boone has a hard-on for killing Legionnaires.
** Use Confirmed Bachelor to ask Major Knight at the Mojave Outpost whether he wants to be "friends".
** If you play a woman and travel with Cass this can happen.
** Though not really with Veronica (there's some flirtatious remarks but that seems to be her personality more than anything) despite her canonically being a lesbian (ask her about "love"). The female PC just doesn't seem to be her type. Lots of players actually want to romance Veronica so this kind of causes some problems.
** You can do this with Dr. Dala in Old World Blues, too.
* HulkSpeak: Much to the delight of old-school fans, this is back in, if you set your intelligence REALLY low.
* HundredPercentHeroismRating: The karma meter is the same from 3 but is nearly useless. What really matters is your reputation with each faction. Since you can't lose popularity or infamy, people could end up singing your praises for all the {{Fetch Quest}}ing while grudging you over blowing up their outpost last week.
* ICallItVera: Some unique guns, such as Maria, Lucky, Annabelle, and Big Boomer. In addition, Ranger Milo calls his Cowboy Repeater 'Carmine'.
* ICanRuleAlone: [[spoiler: The Wild Card line of quests provides this option. You can [[GondorCallsForAid go to the minor factions and ask for their help in creating a free Vegas]] or you can wipe them all off the face of the earth!]]
* IDieFree: [[spoiler: In Arcade's Legion ending, as long as Caesar lives through the end he becomes Caesar's personal physician. In a moment that he is unguarded he guts himself with a scalpel.]] Though he was well loved by Caesar, and thus probably lived quite nicely, he considered having to serve the Legion (even in comfort) a FateWorseThanDeath.
* IdiotBall: [[spoiler: It could be argued that Caesar is holding one. He knows that his camp at Fortification Hill is sitting on top of a bunker protected by doors that can't be drilled or blasted open. He knows said doors bear the logo of the Lucky 38 and thus must be relevant to Mr. House's interests in some way. He knows the Platinum Chip he just confiscated from Benny fits the disc-shaped console near the doors and suspects it will open them. What does he do? Why, he waits for the Courier to finally decide to make his way to Fortification Hill, hands the Platinum Chip to the Courier when the man might very well have single-handedly destroyed all of his operations west of the Dam by this point (if you want some really funny dialogue, ''do this''), and trust him to deal with whatever is inside the bunker completely unmolested, confident that the Courier will do as asked and destroy it. You even get to keep the chip. Brilliant! The best part is, the Courier doesn't even have to report to Caesar after he is done inside the bunker, and can just walk out of the fortress completely unmolested by the guards! Caesar might be an extremely intelligent person lore-wise, but he sure displays a complete lack of common sense here.]]
** It's actually acknowledged and explained if you discuss it via dialogue choices, though it does display an extreme amount of arrogance when it comes to [[BatmanGambit you and your motivations]]. [[spoiler: Caesar has a worldview where advanced technology in the hands of the masses is actively harmful to their cultural development. Thus, he cannot send Legionaries down to examine the structure without teaching them about technology and disrupting his carefully-constructed culture... but he can send you, a Profligate. His argument relies on you to see the light of his wisdom, but if that doesn't work he's happy to intimidate you into doing his bidding. He won't let you leave the camp with the Chip without trying to kill you, and if you fight back, you're Vilified by the Legion forever.]]
** Even his arrogance is [[FridgeBrilliance perfectly explained]]. After 'killing' Joshua Graham, the only other well-educated and independent man in the Legion, Caesar will be constantly surrounded by obedient subordinates that worship him as a god-figure. He's living inside an echo-chamber where his ideas and opinions are always right and no one will ever consider anything else. The courier is probably the first free agent that he's met in a very long time, and Caesar would naturally assume that you too will bend under his will like so many others. He may even be so far gone into megalomania that the idea that you'd defy him is something he can't even admit to himself anymore.
* IdiotHero: You can play as a 1-INT wasteland wanderer with hilarious moments of RalphWiggum-like stupidity [[JokeCharacter but the skill points you get are considerably less.]]
* IFoundYouLikeThis: After taking a bullet to the head, the courier is dug up by Victor and brought to Doc Mitchel's house. He then [[BeyondTheImpossible brings you back to life]] through surgery and gets you back on your feet.
* IGotBetter: [[spoiler:The Courier, of course. When you confront Benny again in the Tops, this can even be your response to him. With appropriate perk, you can also scare him into running by saying that you [[RiseFromYourGrave came back from the grave]] [[BadassBoast to put him in his.]]]]
** Also when [[spoiler: you confront Jessup. He'll be surprised, scared even maybe, and say "You're supposed to be dead." One of your responses can be exactly, word for word, the line, "I got better."]]
* IHaveThisFriend: Turns out that the [[spoiler: sex-bot Garett is interested in isn't for a customer... though after slips of the tongue, he asserts that it ''is'' for "those sick machine-fetishists".]]
* ILoveNuclearPower: Taking the Rad Child perk gives the Courier a HealingFactor whenever they suffer radiation poisoning, offsetting some of the penalties.
* ImAHumanitarian: The White Glove Society used to be this. [[spoiler:Mortimer however, still is and wants to serve the rest of the White Glove Society human flesh so they have no choice but to go back to the "old ways."]] And, of course, [[PlayerCharacter the Courier]] can be this as well if the player so wishes. A later perk even expands it [[ExtremeOmnivore to super mutants and ghouls.]] [[spoiler:There is even a special perk you can get as a reward for having Caesar, the King, Mr. House, and President Kimball for dinner]].
* ImmodestOrgasm: [[spoiler: Red Lucy]] in The Thorn, [[spoiler: Sarah Weintraub]] in Vault 21, and any prostitute you sleep with. Also, you can hear a few while walking around Gomorrah and Casa Madrid. Dr. Dala in ''Old World Blues'' takes this UpToEleven, despite (or ''because of'') being essentially a brain in a jar.
* ImprobablePowerDiscrepancy: The White Legs in Honest Hearts are basically [[EliteMooks Veteran]] [[BadassArmy Rangers]] disguised as tribals. In addition to having as much health as the Veteran Rangers, they also carry as good or better weapons (like automatic shotguns, anti-tank rifles, Tommy guns, and 12.7 submachine guns) and are the most commonly found enemies in the DLC. The only break in your favor is that White Legs have poor armor and lack the 30% damage resistance that Veteran Rangers have.
** Partly HandWaved in that the White Legs had raided armories in the past.
*** In the vanilla game, Veteran Rangers and Legion Praetorians were originally noticeably more powerful than Brotherhood of Steel Paladins. However, this got corrected after the most recent patch, where all non-named BOS NPCs have had their hit points doubled or more, putting them on par with the game's other EliteMooks (and, with their power armor, giving them the higher edge).
* IncrediblyLamePun: Lots and lots of craploads of them.
** Private Sexton in Camp Forlorn Hope runs a collection quest where you bring him the ear of any Legionaire you kill. Get it? Legion''ear''? You even can call him out for making such a horrible pun.
** The [[ApocalypticLog ''Die''ary]] of [[ReturnOfTheLivingDead Trash]]
** [[spoiler: When you return the Platinum Chip to Mr. House, you can make one by trying to Barter him for more money but not having enough skill points.]]
--> '''The Courier:''' "Better raise the price or... or you're [[IncrediblyLamePun "chip outta luck".]]\\
'''Mr. House:''' [[CrowningMomentOfFunny "... Was that an attempt at humor?"]]
* INeverSaidItWasPoison / SuspiciouslySpecificDenial
-->'''Courier:''' Can you help me find some missing people?\\
'''Slave trader:''' I don't know anything about the refugees going missing from the Aerotech Office Park.
* InfinityMinusOneSword: Several. The regular Gauss Rifle, the Holorifle, the 12.7mm pistol and submachine gun, the hunting revolver, possibly the Anti-Materiel Rifle, the Super Sledge, and the Displacer Glove, just to name a few.
* InfinityPlusOneSword: Whatever weapon you find north of Westside, whether it be the [[TooAwesomeToUse Alien Blaster]] or the YCS/186. They're both incredibly devastating weapons, capable of one or two-shotting all but the toughest enemies.
** There's a suit of Infinity Plus One Armor out there, as well. The Remnants Power Armor, the complete suit having a DT 6 points higher than the T51-b and no faction affiliation. However, like all great ultimate items, you have to work for it: it's on the wrong side of the Colorado river and guarded by a nest of Deathclaws. Good luck getting there! (Or you could do Arcade's loyalty quest. You simply have to talk to 6 people around the Mojave Wasteland.)
** Arm your humanoid companion with the highest weapons in his/her specialty and they become a walking InfinityPlusOneSword.
*** Give [[ColdSniper Boone]] the Anti-Materiel Rifle or the Gobi Campaign Sniper Rifle.
*** Give [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot Lily]] a Thermic Lance or the "Oh Baby!" Super Sledge.
*** Give [[CuteBruiser Veronica]] the Ballistic Fist or the unique displacer glove, Pushy.
*** Give [[CombatMedic Arcade]] the Gauss Rifle or the YCS/186.
*** Give [[BadassSpaniard Raul]] the Ranger Sequoia.
*** Give [[FieryRedhead Cass]] the Riot Shotgun.
** Joshua Graham is the InfinityPlusOneSword of companions. He's ridiculously accurate, carries a default pistol that does more damage (both per shot and per second) than about 90 % of the guns in the game, and has such a large damage threshold (50) that he's practically invincible. Unfortunately, he's only available as a companion during the final battle of Honest Hearts.
* InkSuitActor: Doc Mitchell looks like Michael Hogan with a country doctor mustache.
* InsaneProprietor: [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCKoz_Q2sCE The Wind-Brahmin Salesman]] at ''Brooks Tumbleweed Ranch''.
* InsurmountableWaistHighFence: Example is northwest of ''Brooks Tumbleweed ranch'', where a pileup prevents further movement northwest. Even though you could jump on one of the blockading vehicles, you're blocked from going further.
** {{Lampshaded}} in Old World Blues, if you tell the Think Tank you're leaving and want nothing to do with their plans.
---> Dr Klein: "WELL THEN. WE'LL JUST KEEP YOU HERE WITH OUR MOST POWERFUL OF TECHNOLOGIES. THE FENCE."
* InterfaceScrew: The otherwise pushover Bark Scorpions have this as a really nasty surprise. If they sting you, the poison completely distorts your screen. Not the "crippled head" kind of distortion, but completely warping your entire field of view such that you can't even see the scorpion if it's in your face. They are deadly if you give them the chance.
* InvisibleWall: As a definitive response to players notoriously finding ways to scale terrain intended to be unclimbable in Gamebryo engine games, invisible clip brushes have been added. No clever shortcuts for you.
** If only the players hadn't discovered new ways to scale their own inventories with "armor hopping" and coupon stairs. The Legate Camp is a popular destination.
* IronicEcho: When Benny and the player character first speak, the latter is on his knees and Benny's about to kill him. Guess what happens in Caesar's camp?
* {{Irony}}: Benny notes that the game was rigged from the start...[[spoiler: too bad it wasn't rigged in his favor, as House knew about his scheme all along.]]
** Doctor Henry in Jacobstown was once a member of the Enclave, a group that considered any outsider to be a subhuman fit for execution due to their exposure to radiation (no matter how minute). And what is his current line of work? Researching a cure to help Super Mutants with mental disabilities. [[TheAtoner Because they asked him]].
*** Even more special is the fact that he's working for the Mutant that helped kill Horrigan and bring about the fall of the Enclave.
** As a female character, if you either kill Caesar or help him, there's a delicious lump of irony involved given the status of, well, every other woman even remotely connected to the Legion.
* IsThisThingStillOn?: Though it doesn't have the payoff the trope normally promises, [[spoiler:President Kimball]] does this after his speech, announcing his desire to leave the stage before he gets shot. Given it was a PA system, however, maybe he just didn't care.
-->''Thank you, thank you. [{{Beat}}] All right, let's get the fuck out of here.''
* ItemCrafting: Of three varieties! You can use workbenches to create weapons from spare parts, use reloading benches to make or customize gun ammunition, and use campfires to cook up food or medicine.
* [[ItIsPronouncedTroPAY It Is Pronounced KAI-sarr]]/InsistentTerminology: Caesar's Legion uses the Latin pronunciations.
** In fact, how a character pronounces Caesar is a pretty good indication of how much respect they have for him. Joshua Graham calls him See-ser when you meet him in the Honest Hearts DLC, though J.E. Sawyer states that this has more to do with him being educated enough to have known of the actual Caesar before meeting Edward unlike the other Legionnaires.
** Strangely enough though, Marcus uses the Latin pronunciation.
* ItSeemedLikeAGoodIdeaAtTheTime: The Courier can say this about killing Jeannie May.
* IWasQuiteALooker: Pearl, you can see her younger days depicted as nose art on the B-29 Bomber you recovered once the restoration is well underway. Possibly Old Lady Gibson as well.
* JackBauerInterrogationTechnique: Lieutenant Boyd will be more satisfied if you make Silus talk by repeatedly punching him in the face rather than using speech or intelligence skills. So will Boone, for that matter, but he'd rather Silus just die.
-->'''Silus:''' You're getting nothing from me.
-->'''Boyd:''' I'm getting entertainment. That's something. So what it's gonna be?
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: On the outside, Cass is a [[ClusterFBomb swearing]], [[TheAlcoholic alcoholic]], [[MyGirlIsASlut promiscuous]], [[JerkassFacade foul-tempered]] bitch. [[GoodIsNotNice But she is a good person deep down.]] She's the only companion that will leave you if you have Evil Karma, rather than everyone else who leaves you based on your reputation wth certain factions, and she's extremely loyal to, and protective of, a Good-aligned Courier, and she gets quite riled up after hearing about what Benny did to him/her.
* JustFollowingOrders: Yes Man. Because his programming says so.
** At one point, you can ask him if he should really have just explained the details of Benny's master plan to you; his response is that he was programmed to be helpful and to answer questions, and whoever had reprogrammed him must have forgotten to add in restrictions on whose questions he was supposed to answer.
* KaizoTrap: In the House and Independent ending pathes, [[spoiler: you end up picking a fight with [=NCR=]'s General Oliver after you defeat Legate Lanius]]. Your Securitron allies will gun him down easily, ''but'' they often fail to do so before his 5 Veteran Ranger EliteMooks armed with the best guns in the game mow down your own character.
* KarmaMeter: Along with the karma meter, the reputation meter for each faction from ''{{Fallout 2}}'' makes a return. Karma only seems to dictate perks and some dialogue choices, whereas the reputation meter is the main focus of the gameplay.
** This is a good thing, because karma can behave odd at times. For example, killing Powder Gangers nets you positive karma, whereas taking their stuff strangely counts as stealing and gets you a bit of negative karma. The amount of it is negligible, but it's confusing nonetheless.
** Lonesome Road finally makes good use of the Karma Meter in addition to the Reputation Meter. Depending on your Karma Level and who you're supporting at the time, will radically change how [[TheRival Ulysses]] views you and your actions. At level 50 there's even a karma-based perk.
* KarmicDeath:
** Depending on how you deal with him, Benny can eventually ends up in the same position the player was at the beginning of the game: tied up and completely at the mercy of his captors and yourself. At this point, you can choose to execute him yourself, using either the machete handed to you - or the gun you may have concealed on your person.
*** Gun Runner's Arsenal adds a challenge for killing him with his own gun, Maria. You know, the gun he shot you with?
** Allen Marks, the supposed BigBad in the quest to collect the star bottlecaps, [[spoiler:is found dead in the prize room. A holotape reveals he was trapped inside, and all the people he killed to get the caps only got him a worthless badge and a slow death by asphyxiation]].
** If you commit corporate espionage for Alice [=McLafferty=] and finish Cass' quest peacefully, then [[spoiler:Alice, along with the Van Graffs she hired to put down competing caravaners, will be killed by raiders using "advanced weaponry and military tactics." The Gunrunners, whom she tried to steal from, will deny having any "[[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial public motivation]] behind the attack."]]
** [[spoiler: In ''Dead Money'', Elijah can be trapped forever in the vault. Simply sneak out to the left exit corridor as he's coming down to meet you. He really wants to get in the Sierra Madre casino vault THAT badly? [[PayEvilUntoEvil You can give him all the time in the world]].]]
** [[spoiler: Speaking of ''Dead Money'', YOU can have a KarmicDeath. Haven't been paying attention to the "greed will get you killed" message of Dead Money? [[DeathByMaterialism Trying to take all 37 gold bricks that weigh over 1200 pounds with you?]] Have fun outrunning that explosion! (It can be done, but you either have to exploit the physics engine or time your escape just right so Elijah's scripted trap activates after you've passed through the doors but not prematurely by approaching too soon.)]]
** One of the challenges for Gun Runners' Arsenal is "Historical Propriety", where you re-enact the Ides of March and stab Caesar to death with a knife.
* KatanasAreJustBetter: If you get the Gun Runners' Arsenal DLC, you can have a Katana as a melee weapon. It's got decent attack power, but it also attacks ludicrously fast, effectively turning you into an honourable Japanese meat grinder.
* KickTheSonOfABitch: Caesar's Legions ending for the Mojave is an absolutely brutal DownerEnding... but in their ending they are at least kind enough to take out the [[SmugSnake Great]] [[DrugsAreBad Khans]], the [[AlwaysChaoticEvil Powder]] [[BombThrowingAnarchists Gangers]], and the [[CompleteMonster Fiends.]]
* KillSat: The Archimedes II [[WaveMotionGun orbital laser]]. You can acquire a remote to it. [[spoiler: [[FridgeHorror And that remote is in the hands of an unwitting child.]] The safety was on, at least.]]
* KillThemAll: This is the easiest way to complete some of the main quests. Doesn't work so well when dealing with the Powder Gangers and Legions, but really, who wants to have anything to do with those jerks?
* KineticWeaponsAreJustBetter: Actually semi-justified, as Hoover Dam is the only genuine power source in the Wastelands (unless you get Helios One working) that could recharge energy weapons, thus it'd be far easier to use or manufacture bullets. The game actually intentionally makes pistol ammo be more prevalently dropped.
** Most notably, the laser tommy gun (Laser RCW) is less damaging than the real tommy gun (.45 Auto SMG).
* KingMook: In ''Old World Blues'', each enemy type encountered has a unique, named, "boss" version of it somewhere in the Big MT. Each mini-boss is set at level 50, with matching health.
** The Legendary Bloatfly takes this to an insane (and probably parodic) degree. Regular Bloatflies are perhaps the least threatening thing in the Mojave, second to Giant Mantis Nymphs or Radroaches and easy prey for even a low-level Courier. The Legendary Bloatfy is the second ''strongest'' enemy in the game (no, not Old World Blues. The game. Period). The thing is somehow more dangerous than ''every single Deathclaw you will come across'', outclassed only by the Giant Roboscorpion, which at least appears in a room containing a few defences to turn against it and lots of things to hide behind. The Legendary Bloatfly appears in a small cave surrounded by regular Bloatflies and will likely notice you before you notice it. Generally, the player will round the last corner of its cave, oblivious, and be reduced to glowing goo with a single shot before they have any idea what the hell just happened. Unless they're at the ''absolute peak'' of damage resistance, in which case it might take two shots.
* KitschyLocalCommercial: Load screens are almost entirely poster ads, billboards, and paper paraphernalia of pre-war Nevada. The ads are generally of mediocre quality at best; one shows a 50's style Strongman lifting weights with the caption, "Build Mass With Sass! Sunset Sarsaparilla".
* KleptomaniacHero: You can help yourself to anything that isn't nailed down. The game does dock a few karma points for outright stealing, but the penalty is negligible and karma isn't that important in this game anyway (thanks to the new reputation system). This can lead to the amusing irony of the "Scourge of the Wastes" being one of the most beloved residents of the wasteland.
* KlingonPromotion: You can convince Swank to let you bring in your weapons to kill Benny, and in Gomorrah you can help Cachino to kill Big Sal and Nero. They will take over their respective casinos once you have done that. Benny himself is also head of his casino due to this, having knocked off his boss when Mr. House first set up the Strip.
** Furthermore, you can knock off [[spoiler:Mr. House and take over New Vegas yourself]].
* KnightInSourArmor: Chief Hanlon and Dr. Henry.
* LargeHam: The Think Tanks.
** Especially Dr. Klein. Even his subtitles are in all caps. It's lampshaded as well, with him constantly complaining that the volume control of his loudpspeaker is awry.
** The Tick, Dr. Venture, and Captain Quark are 3 of the 6 scientists. Case closed.
* LampshadeHanging: [[spoiler: Yes Man hangs one on the fact he has been programmed so that he CannotTellALie... to ''anybody''. Period. Benny, you are TooDumbToLive.]]
* LeeroyJenkins: The Kamikaze trait apparently.
* LegitimateBusinessmensSocialClub: Club Zoara, inside the Gomorrah Casino.
* LethalJokeItem: The Abeline Kid LE BB Gun is the ''Fallout New Vegas'' equivalent of the [[{{Fallout 2}} Red Ryder Limited BB Gun]], which gives a bonus critical damage and bonus critical chance.
** Boxing gloves, or the unique Golden Gloves. Very low damage indeed, but you will find out that even a character with low Unarmed skill can KO a deathclaw with it, allowing you to take your time dismembering it with a chainsaw.
** Euclid's C-Finder, which looks like a child's toy, is actually used as a target painter for [[KillSat ARCHIMEDES II]].
* LightningBruiser:
** Deathclaws can run faster than you can, do a lot of damage, and have very long melee reach. Thankfully, a couple of bullets to the legs willl gimp them.
** Legate Lanius plays this even straighter. [[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard The man is straight-up faster than any human should be]], continues to be faster than you even if you cripple both his legs, hits ''really'' hard, and has nearly as much health as the Legendary Deathclaw.
** Any super mutant. Look at how fast they run, and how powerful their running stride looks.
** Any Level 45+ player with high Strength, Agility and Endurance is this, especially if you have the best weapons and armor in the game.
* LightningGun: The Tesla cannon, and the unique Tesla-Beaton prototype.
** The LAER (Laser Assisted Electrical Rifle) in ''Old World Blues''
** The Arc Welder in ''Lonesome Road''
* LipstickLesbian: Veronica. She even gives you a quest to find her a pretty dress, complete with audible {{squee}} if you find one and give it to her.
** A subversion at the same time, since she shows you her gratitude for finding her the dress by [[CuteBruiser teaching you a new way to punch people]] - in her words, "the gift that keeps giving".
* LiteralGenie: [[spoiler: Yes Man.]]
* TheLoad: Waking Cloud, a companion from ''Honest Hearts.'' Her only combat skill is Unarmed, the only combat skill in the game with no ranged attacks whatsoever (Melee Weapons has a handful of thrown weapons), but her hit points are so low she literally loses fights to plants with distressing regularity. Giving her a ranged weapon means she'll live an extra 2 seconds because now the monster she's fighting has to walk to her ''without'' her charging right up to it.
* LoadsAndLoadsOfLoading: Probably one of this game's biggest flaws. The load times themselves aren't that long, but there's lots of them.
** The load redundancy makes this especially eg-- For example, fast traveling places the player outside a location, without preloading the interior, which is the primary reason for traveling there in the first place. There's rarely a fast travel mark directly to commonly visited characters, some of which are instead ''two to four maps deep'' from arrival. It's almost as if they were relying on design shortsightedness to inflate the playing time.
** One of the worst examples would probably be wanting to buy stuff from Sergeant Contreras. Fast travel to Camp Mc Carran (load), enter it (load), run a minute or two, to reach the terminal building (load) and now you can either go through the airfield (load, run a minute, load) or the terminal hallways (load, run a minute, load) to get to his shack. At least, after buying you can just exit the shack and fast travel away, since the airfield counts as an outside location.
* LoopholeAbuse: Katherine Stone, the Overseer in Vault 11. [[spoiler:Since the Justice Bloc in the Vault used their majority to control who became Overseer and thus was sacrificed, she was forced to perform sexual favors to save her husband. When they nominated him anyway, she murdered several of them, because she knew she would be elected Overseer due to her crimes. Upon her nomination, she changed the voting process to selection by random number generation, effectively destroying the Justice Bloc's power. There wasn't any rule preventing her from changing the rules.]]
* LostForever: While it has improved a lot since launch, the game is still quite unstable, and odd glitches may still manifest that will prevent even the most able player from obtaining unique items and party members.
* LoveDodecahedron: The employees of H&H Tools spent nine minutes out of ten planning romantic trysts. You can use terminals and read personal e-mails between them planning some horizontal mambo after-hours. In fact, a couple (as in married) make up excuses to not be away from each other so they can have a tryst [[LoveTriangle WITH THE SAME GUY.]]
** NoodleImplements: They were also very... interesting in their choice of love toys. Amongst those mentioned in the e-mails are an accordion, a riding crop, a stovepipe, souvenir moon rocks, rubber sheets and a souvenir elephant-foot trashcan.
* LuckStat: A Fallout trope in general, but {{Deconstructed}} in this game. It's actually an ability to [[TheChessmaster calculate probabilities]] and [[WindsOfDestinyChange know how to nudge them in your favor]]. The luckiest individual in the Wasteland, [[spoiler: Mr. House, who has a Luck state of 10]], can in fact [[XanatosRoulette predict the future]] with his ability. Not that it helps him to any extent should the player decide to cross him - and you can't see the NPC stats directly without console commands either. A better example of DoingInTheWizard on the matter of luck is that one of the implants you may obtain - a probability processing unit of sorts - actually increases your luck.
** Vault 21's [[PlanetOfHats hat]] was that everyone was equal and conflicts were solved with games of chance, essentially an in-game deconstruction of luck. Unlike most of the other Vaults, 21 did pretty well for itself...until House showed up and won the whole place in a game of blackjack.
* LudicrousGibs: The Anti-Materiel Rifle. What do you expect when you use a gun made primarily against tanks and vehicles on [[NoKillLikeOverkill those poor, poor people?]]
** Or when you use a weapon that flings projectiles at several times the speed of sound with [[MagneticWeapons magnets]]?
** Don't forget about the Bloody Mess perk, which lets you make a splatter house on anyone or anything by coughing at them (just so long as it's the killing hit).
** What's truly amusing about this is that it's not just showy, but practical. Is there a body hanging just out of reach? Gib it, and you can loot it through whatever pieces of it happened to fall in your direction.
* {{MacGuffin Location}}: Hoover Dam, source of clean water and free power to the Mojave, is being fought over by both the Legion and the NCR.
** To the extent that the NCR has holed up most of its troops there, leaving the rest of the border poorly defended, and the Legion - despite the poorly defended border and the success of their raiding parties across the Colorado - will not attempt to invade the Mojave without first capturing the Dam.
* MacheteMayhem: One of the more powerful and reliable melee weapons in the game is the humble machete. This is a staple weapon of low-level Legionnaires in Caesar's Legion, and there's even an advanced version called a machete gladius and the unique Liberator.
* [[MagikarpPower Magikarp Skill]]: Explosives, arguably. It's a near-useless skill on a normal playthough, as even a number less than 10 is sufficient to disarm proximity mines, i.e. the only mines that matter. However, get it high enough and take the right perks (Demolition Expert and Splash Damage), and the blast radius and damage of any explosive is significantly increased. This turns weapons like the missile launcher, grenade machinegun, and the Fat Man into THE MOST damaging weapons in the game. The only problem is ammo, about which this game is not kind.
** This trope is taken UpToEleven with the new Gun Runner's DLC. Mini nukes and missiles that fragment into 9 cluster bombs, plasma and pulse grenades for grenade launchers, the return of the Nuka Grenade, and extremely easy-to-craft explosives made from microfusion cells and pistol powder.
* MadeOfIron: Most notably there's Legate Lanius. A lesser example would be Jean-Baptiste Cutting, TheDragon to Gloria Van Graff, and of course high-level monsters such as deathclaws and sentry bots.
** A character can be specced to become this. If you have Remnants power armor, both ranks of the Toughness perk, the big brained and reinforced spine perks from the Old World Blues DLC, and the sub-dermal plating implant, you can have a DT of 53! If you have Cass as a active companion and drink Whiskey, you'll have a DT of [[UpToEleven 57!]] Also, if you have Endurance 10 and Life Giver at level 30 (45 if you have the three DLCs), [[StoneWall your HP will be a whopping 620 (770)!]]
*** The Whiskey boost can reach 6 DT with enough Survival skill. It stacks with two kinds of tequila, which count as whiskey. "In Shining Armor" is literally [[IncrediblyLamePun made of iron]] against beam weapons. Basically, there are so many defense tweaks you're unlikely to fit them all on one character.
** [[PlayerCharacter The Courier]] being MadeOfIron is pretty much required. Over the course of the game, the Courier is shot in the head (twice. At point blank range. ''Before the game even starts''), knocked unconscious and dragged for miles (''Dead Money''), survives having his heart, spine, and brain removed, eventually swapping them and their prosthesis out at will (''Old World Blues''), and can optionally waltz through ''three separate ground zeroes'' within hours of their creation. And that's without all the decision-dependent beatings he/she takes and survives. Two of the three highest-level Perks lampshade the fact that the Courier shouldn't be alive (they're called "I'm Lucky to Be Alive," and "I Thought You Died").
** The backstory of the game also has Joshua Graham. In fact, a few Legion characters will mention that while Legate Lanius is a more intelligent tactician and strategist, ''Legate Graham was an even more powerful warrior than Lanius''. It's worth noting that the seven foot tall heavily armored killing machine that fights by swinging a huge blade around was the ''brains'' relative to Joshua Graham.
*** They're not kidding. Joshua Graham was covered in pitch, set on fire, and thrown over the edge of the ''Grand freakin' Canyon''. Not only did he live, he climbed out again and walked all the way back to his home in Utah.
* MadScientist: The Think Tanks of the Big Empty.
* MamaBear: The Mother ''Deathclaw''. [[BerserkButton Shoot one of her little babies]] and prepare for '''pain'''.
* ManInTheMachine: [[spoiler: Mr. House, and potentially the player, if the Mr. House ending is chosen.]]
* MatterReplicator: The Sierra Madre vending machines, which uses Sierra Madre chips as both a form of currency and base matter.
* TheManBehindTheCurtain: Mr. House, the perpetually sequestered leader, face of New Vegas, and leader of a [[BadassArmy vast army of killbots]], is [[spoiler: really nothing more a shriveled, 261-year-old Howard Hughes {{Expy}} who's immune system is so weak, he'll die from numerous viral infections in a matter of months if you so much as open his stasis tank.]]
* MatchMakerQuest: Jack and Janet, another way to increase your reputation with the Boomers.
* MeaningfulName: Jason Bright, leader of a religious cult for ghouls, is a Glowing One - a ghoul so dosed up on radiation that he emits a radioactive glow. Lampshaded if you ask him about his name.
** The name ''Lanius'' means "butcher," a word that certainly describes the Legate's approach to battle.
** The man in charge of New Vegas, playing the NCR and the Legion against one another for his own gain? Robert ''House'', as in "''the'' House."
** In the cases of Bright and House, those were the names they were born with a good 200 years previously. Foreshadowing indeed.
** Each of the scientists in the Big MT has a name referring to an endless loop. Dr. Klein refers to the Klein bottle, Dr. Borous refers to the Ouroboros (and with a high enough INT, you can point out it's spelled wrong), Dr. Dala comes from "Mandala", a Sanskrit word meaning circle, Dr. 0 is obviously a loop, Dr. 8 is an infinity symbol turned on its side, and Dr. Mobius is named for the Mobius strip.
* MedievalStasis: A higher-tech version than usual, but consider, it's been 200 years since the bombs fell and the Brotherhood of Steel (in particular, the Nevada chapter you deal with) is falling into a ''serious'' rut. [[spoiler: It's stated that the Mojave Brotherhood chapter is trying to get in touch with the Brotherhood of Steel headquarters far to the west, but isn't getting responses. Given that the Brotherhood of Steel and the NCR have just been at war, it's possible that all other Brotherhood chapters in NCR territory have been wiped out and the Mojave chapter may be one of the few Brotherhood chapters left.]]
* MeetTheNewBoss: Caesar's manifesto will seem pretty familiar to those who've played the original ''Fallout'' and faced down TheMaster. In many ways the Legion is simply the Unity all over again. You can even talk to Marcus about Caesar, and while he doesn't make an obvious direct comparison you definitely get the vibe that he's seen it before and knows it can never lead to anything good.
* MegaCorp: The Crimson Caravan Company is the closest thing to a Mega Corp that you can get in a post-apocalyptic world. They dominate most of the commercial activities on the west coast, have offices and trading outpost all the way from California to Utah, and have lot of influence in the NCR government.
** The Mojave Wasteland under the control of Mr. House is basically a [[OneNationUnderCopyright Mega Corp in the form of a nation state]].
* MegaManning: The super-secret hidden perk Meat of Champions [[spoiler: If you use the Cannibal perk to eat President Kimball, Caesar, Mr. House, and The King, you temporarily gain their abilities (Kimball's strength, Caesar's intelligence, House's luck, and The King's charisma) whenever you feed from a human corpse.]]
* MercyKill: [[spoiler: Boone gives one to his wife.]]
** [[spoiler:You can also give one to mutilated NCR troops while exploring a minefield. It's a good thing.]]
** [[spoiler:Boone repeatedly voices his distaste towards mercy kills and often stresses that you should only be done as a last resort. Of course, there are only two situations (and a few scattered ones if you're on the side of NCR, notably before assaulting a Legion stronghold) where it isn't, so it's a moot point.]]
** [[spoiler:You get an option to inflict a MercyKill upon Benny when you find him captured in Caesar's camp -- otherwise he'll meet a far more gruesome death at the hands of the Legion.]]
** At Nipton, [[spoiler: you can give these to the [[AssholeVictim crucified Powder Gangers]].]]
* MightyWhitey: Played with ''a lot'' in Honest Hearts; both Daniel and Joshua are Mormons who have become leaders of tribal societies. Neither is terribly happy that they're interfering to such a massive degree, but they don't have/know any other way to help. Daniel in particular is incredibly indecisive, worrying about whether he's doing the right thing, and both of them [[ItsUpToYou put major decisions at your feet]] because [[JustifiedTrope they're uncomfortable]] with their [[DeconstructedTrope level of involvement]] in everyone's lives. Joshua even says this to you outright about Follows-Chalk (paraphrased).
--> '''Courier:''' Why don't you talk to him? You know I'm just going to tell him to leave, right?\\
'''Joshua:''' Perhaps, but I think he's learned too much from me already.
** The Courier may complicate this even further depending on the skin tone you chose for him/her at character creation.
* MindScrew: The Lonesome Drifter's [[spoiler:father may very well be the Mysterious Stranger. Made even screwier by the fact that "Lonesome" and "Drifter" are synonyms of "Lone" and "Wanderer." Make of that what you will.]]
* AMillionIsAStatistic: A strange meta-example with the Mr. House quest to [[spoiler:wipe out the Brotherhood bunker]]. Of the available options[[hottip:*:A peaceful solution existed, but was DummiedOut.]] are going in, guns blazing, and killing them all, or sneaking in, and [[StuffBlowingUp blowing the whole place up]]. Of the two options, both give negative Karma, but the latter significantly less-so, because it's one large karma hit, instead of many smaller (but still reasonably large) hits.
* MismatchedEyes: Some dogs (e.g. ones at Gibson scrap yard) have one brown and one blue eye.
* MixAndMatchCritters: Nightstalkers are coyote/rattlesnake hybrids. Yao Guai are some kinda quasi-furry part-bear thing.
* MoodLighting: Camp Forelorn Hope gets a [[RealIsBrown brown color wash]], but not when you play on a low detail setting. In this case, the color is much more desaturated than normal.
* MolotovCocktail: The firebomb from ''Honest Hearts'' gives off this vibe, as it is made from a beer bottle and uses a lit rag as a fuse. In gameplay, it's more of a weaker, craftable Incendiary Grenade.
* MoneyToBurn: Legion Coins may not be exchangeable as currency in many places, but you can use them as ''ammunition'' if you're playing a particularly creative character who's good at tinkering with ammo.
** Of course, the perennial favorite "Bottlecap Mine" (an IED made with Caps, the region's popular currency, as shrapnel) makes a return in this game. The head of Crimson Caravan even lampshades it.
* MontyHaul: The Dead Money DLC is named quite appropriately. After the very frustrating and aggravating campaign, you are rewarded with Gold Bars which are worth 10000 caps each, the very high tier weapons and armor from the campaign, and over 10000 Sierra Madre chips if you gambled at the casino. Also, every three days, you get 1100 Sierra Madre chips at the Abandoned Bunker. Think they're useless now? There's a vending machine in Elijah's room. That means a practically infinite supplies of chems, stimpacks, and weapon repair kits!
* {{Mordor}}: The Divide.
* MoreDakka: The iconic minigun, of course, but also the light machine gun, the assault carbine (which can burn through its 24-round magazine in less than three seconds), and the many variations on the theme of submachine gun. Old World Blues includes the K9000, a Cyberdog Gatling Gun that fires magnum rounds.
* MuggingTheMonster: Freeside Thugs bring this trope to [[SuicidalOverconfidence untold heights of absurdity.]]
** Terrifying Presence allows your dialogue options to occasionally lampshade this.
* MultipleEndings: Four proper endings, plus a variety of "segmented endings" for different communities and characters that all depend on the choices you make.
* MushroomSamba: one quest in Honest Hearts has YOU go on one.
* MusicalThemeNaming: Almost every quest is named after a classic song, along with an IncrediblyLamePun or two ("Ant Misbehavin'").
* MyCountryRightOrWrong: Cass believes this about the NCR. While she loves her country, she just wishes that the leadership of the NCR would get their heads out of their asses. Boone has hints of it as well.
** Elder [=MacNamara=] also has this attitude.
* MyGreatestFailure: This attitude is commonly held of [[spoiler: The Bitter Springs Massacre]] by those who were there.
* MysteriousProtector: Two of them, Mysterious Stranger and Miss Fortune, the latter simply knocking people out instead of killing them. You can get both.
** The Lonesome Drifter is an NPC you can find along the road to Vegas. If you ask for his story it's heavily implied that he is the Mysterious Stranger's son.
** And a step further, you can get his Mysterious Magnum. It even plays the Stranger's theme when you draw and holster it.
* MythologyGag: "[[{{Fallout 3}} I'm looking for a man in a checkered coat. Have you seen anyone like that?]]"
** A side-quest for the Kings will have one suspect identified by the name "Lou Tennant," the name the dumber Super Mutants called TheDragon in the original ''{{Fallout}}.''
*** The friend of the witness who provides that little gem even calls him "dumb as a mutant."
** Cannibal Johnson remembers [[DrillSergeantNasty Sergeant Dornan]] giving [[{{Fallout 2}} a private that had wandered into Navarro without a uniform the most blistering rant known to mankind.]]
** Near Novac you can find [[{{Fallout 2}} a busted old Highwayman]]. Moreover, its trunk is filled with various energy weapon ammo, hearkening back to players storing such items in the trunk as spare Highwayman fuel.
** Does Julie Farkas's hairdo remind you of anyone? Say... Nicole, the founder of the Followers of The Apocalypse?
** Several characters, including Yes Man and Caesar, speculate that the secret weapon Mr. House has stored in the secret bunker underneath Fortification Hill is a [[{{Fallout 3}} giant war robot he's going to use to curbstomp everything]]. Yes Man even massages the Courier's ego by telling him that he's such a badass [[TakeThat he doesn't need a giant robot to do all his work for him]].
* MythArc: The [=DLCs=] all hint towards the Courier's confrontation with Ulysses, which is settled at the Divide in Lonesome Road.
* NationalWeapon: The tribes in the Honest Hearts DLC each have a signature weapon. The Whitelegs use Submachine Guns, the Dead Horses use War Clubs, the Sorrows use Yao Guai Gauntlets, and the New Canaanites use .45 pistols.
* {{Nerf}}: Many of the low-level energy weapons were practically useless before the 1.2.31X patch, doing far too little damage to be of any worth. Also, the Hunting Rifle in ''Fallout 3'' had low damage mitigating its usefulness despite its plentiful ammunition; something that was rectified in ''New Vegas'', that being both the damage and the ammo supply. Also, the Sniper Rifle, with its 5x [[CriticalHit crit chance multiplier]] all but guaranteeing crits outside of sneak attacks, was toned down in the same patch that de-nerfed the low-tier energy weapons. Not to mention That Gun, the .223 pistol from ''BladeRunner''. It was by far the best pistol in the 1st and 2nd games. Now it's not even as strong as the default 10mm pistol you get an hour into the game (but what it lacks in raw damage it makes up by being able to load the best armor-piercing pistol ammunition in the game).
** On the flip side, the missile launcher now does hellacious damage since the patch, making it a true BFG.
** On the recent patch, the minigun, service rifle, and assault carbine are de-nerfed as well, with the default armor piercing nature of the 5mm ammo and the Grunt perk in Honest Hearts. However, the Varmint Rifle got nerfed hard since it gets the damage decrease of the Service Rifle without the rate of fire boost, that it is almost impossible to kill anything with it in a single VATS round.
** The Feral Ghoul Reavers got nerfed massively as well. In Broken Steel, they were one of the nastiest enemies in the game, with health to rival a Super Mutant Overlord and a deadly ranged attack. Now, their health got cut significantly and they lost the ranged attack. They're still extremely dangerous, but not as ridiculous as they were.
* NeverFoundTheBody: [[spoiler: Joshua Graham, the previous Legate of Caesar's Legion, whom Caesar ordered to be set on fire and cast into the Grand Canyon after losing the first battle of Hoover Dam]]. He is so widely speculated to be alive that Caesar has forbidden his name to be spoken, mostly due to his reputation as the ultimate [[ImplacableMan Implacable Man]] who miraculously survived fatal wounds on an almost regular basis.
* NeverMessWithGranny: Lily, a Nightkin supermutant who is roughly 250 years old and alternates between talking about her grandchildren and chopping enemies in half with a [[{{BFS}} helicopter blade]]. And she has [[FunnySchizophrenia a split personality where she blames all her violent tendencies on "Leo".]]
* NeverTrustATrailer: The [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epFupigyIN8 Blue Moon trailer]] features a gorgeous view of a fully illuminated New Vegas in the background. In the actual game, however, only the four casinos are actually lit up. The trailer, as well as some bits in the intro narration, suggest that Obsidian might have intended New Vegas to be a completely pristine pre-war city. In the actual game, it is revealed that the city had undergone centuries of dilapidation until Mr. House decided to repair the casinos as a means of welcoming the NCR.
** The Limits of the game engine might have something to do with this, as the game's intro also shows Vegas as a near pristine pre-war city.
* NewMeat - 10 of Spades. He's called that, because he's too green to earn Ace of Spades as his callsign.
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: The game gets rather {{Anvilicious}} in this respect if you [[spoiler:kill or incapacitate Mr. House. You even receive a message saying "A great tragedy has befallen mankind" '''and''' take a large karma hit, despite the fact that Mr. House's actions are no less morally dubious than those of the NCR.]] Arguably, however, this might be intentional. [[spoiler:Mr. House has very little modesty and obviously arranged this prior to his death. It's essentially some post-mortem ego-stroking]]. Also consider that Mr. House is [[TheExtremistWasRight largely responsible]] for most of Nevada ''not'' being hit with Chinese nukes, and thus, much of it being a safe haven for non-Vault inhabitants.
** Also gets rather ham-fisted in Lonesome Road, where it's made clear, in no uncertain terms, [[spoiler:that YOU are the reason The Divide, touted as humanity's best chance at recovery, is now nothing more than an Irradiated crack in the ground, thanks to the EarthShatteringKaboom you set off. [[YouBastard Thanks a lot, asshole.]]]]
* NighInvulnerable - With the Stealth suit Mk II (A suit of sentient PoweredArmour} you get in Old World Blues, when you hit relatively low (about 40%) health, you have a stimpak and Med-x administered. And the rate of it is insane - about 1 dose of Stim per second. This renders you almost invincible in Casual, as long as you're not being wailed upon by about eight enemies at once, or fighting the Giant Robo-Scorpion with it's near insta-kill laser.
* NinjaPirateZombieRobot: This game loves playing with this.
** First, there's Victor, the cowboy robot unicycle.
*** Primm has Primm Slim, who is another robot cowboy. Amusingly, there's a bit of dialogue where you have to clarify ''which'' robot cowboy you're talking about.
** There's also Raul Tejada, the [[BadassGrandpa 230 year old]] ghoul vaquero mechanic.
** And let's not forget cowboy-ghoul-mercenary-dominatrix Beatrix Russel.
** And of course, any given player could become a martial-artist-cannibal-sniper-radioactive-birdslaying-courier..
** There are plenty of implants and mutations for the player to pick up.
** In ''Old World Blues'', there are robot radscorpions with laser in the place of the stinger
* NintendoHard: The game gives you the option of ''Hardcore Mode'', which simulates the post-apocalyptic experience. What does this mean? You have to [[ThisIsReality eat, drink, and sleep regularly to survive]]. Ammo has weight. Stimpacks heal over time instead of instantly. They also can't heal limbs any more; you need a doctor's bag or and actual doctor for that. That said, doing this is at best a minor annoyance for a decent player: there is more than enough food, water, and beds to cover your needs. The only thing in short supply is doctor's bags, which can be supplemented cheaply by actual doctors.
** Then there's the DLC ''Dead Money'', which was apparently written by a KillerGameMaster: You lose all your gear at start and are given low-condition, barely protective junk in return. There's toxic gas clouds all over causing a constant HP drain. The puzzles are a tad harder. There are traps ''everywhere''. The good supplies are hard to come by at first. The Ghost People within can't just be beaten to death without a huge health drain (because they level with you). The whole thing is in a dark, terrible tint that will make you want to punch the screen. It also helps with not seeing the freakin' bear traps. [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment Which are everywhere]]. And to top it off, there are speakers and radios which set off your explosive collar; SaveScumming is the way to find and deactivate (or outrun) them. [[SchmuckBait At least you're warned.]]
** Whereas ''Dead Money'' was Nintendo Hard in terms of dungeon exploration, all the DLC is Nintendo Hard in terms of straight-out combat. All the enemies level with you, which actually makes being at high levels a ''disadvantage'', since ''every single normal enemy'' is tough enough that they'd be considered a major boss character in the vanilla game. And you'll often have to fight several at once. This is especially bad in ''Dead Money'', though, because you don't get your high damage weapons and the Ghost People don't take extra damage from headshots.
* [[NoCampaignForTheWicked No Campaign or Companions For the Wicked]]: The game prides itself on making certain that none of the factions are straight out "good" or "evil," with reminders like NCR being ineffective at defending its interests in stark contrast to the Legion inspiring such strict order that even the [[CompleteMonster Fiends]] won't attack their territory, but...of the companions for the Courier, nearly all fall under either pro-NCR or neutral, and two will even abandon you outright for supporting the Legion. Couple that with ''a lot'' of doors being closed to players for throwing their lot in with the Legion...yeah. There aren't a lot of incentives for siding with the Legion for anything but the different story missions.
** ''Honest Hearts'' also plays this straight--despite your ability to side with the Legion in the main game, you can't side with the White Legs in Zion, who are attempting to join the Legion. There are numerous potential Justifications/Hand Waves available, but none are brought up.
** WordOfGod also alluded to this concerning Joshua Graham--his FalloutVanBuren counterpart, The Hanged Man, was a TokenEvilTeammate played quite straight, with great stats, but severe social consequences for bringing him along. For his appearance in ''Honest Hearts'', this was deemed too bland a character, and wouldn't be interesting. Considering how conflicted he is when you meet him, this was clearly the correct move.
** Ironically, when programming a character along the lines stated above (powerful, but antagonizing), the end result was Boone, who is essentially the "[[GoodIsNotNice good]]" counterpart to the above character: very powerful, but attacks Legion on sight, essentially creating instant enemies for otherwise neutral player characters.
** Ulysses was also a TokenEvilTeammate, however according to the developers he can persuaded to serve a different cause completely.
* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: Mr. House basically ''is'' Howard Hughes. WordOfGod even lampshaded it.
** His securitron friend Jane is based on Jane Russell.
** Several casinos and landmarks were given this treatment, such as Bison Steve = Buffalo Bill's, Dinky the T-Rex = Dinny the Dinosaur/Mr Rex, and The Tops = The Sands.
** Despite this being the future, Benny is based on mobster [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bugsy_Siegel Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel]], right down to the tacky suit.
** Mr. New Vegas is Wayne Newton, famous announcer known as "Mr. Las Vegas". And literally so as the character is actually voiced by Newton.
* NoFairCheating: Have the PC version and used the console? ''No achievements for you!''
** [[EpicFail Even if you do it to fix a]] {{game breaking bug}}. Achievements can re-enabled by saving and quitting, then going back to the game.
** If you are in a casino, saving the game also shuts down all the gambling options for a minute as an "anti-cheat" measure to prevent save-scumming.
** Similarly, you cannot click through the type-up sequence for the hacking minigame if you just exited and re-entered the computer terminal.
* NonStandardGameOver: In Dead Money [[spoiler: if you access Sinclair's personal account in the Sierra Madre Vault [[TooDumbToLive even though a previous text clearly says doing so will permanently and irreversibly lock the vault door]], you get a message (addressed to Domino) saying you are [[FateWorseThanDeath trapped in the vault]] [[AndIMustScream with absolutely no way to get out]], and an ending slide plays saying the Courier died inside the vault and was turned into a hologram.]]
** Also in Dead Money, [[spoiler: you can join Father Elijah and unleash the cloud upon the Mojave Wasteland, killing everyone.]]
* NoodleIncident: You can find a computer log in ''Old World Blues'' which says steps are being taken to avoid a repeat of [=Incident:PLAYTIME=]. There were cyberdogs involved, and fixing it took up a good portion of the research budget.
** Hinted to cyberdogs in heat and measures taken to sterilize the place after the dogs had their mating season.
* NotQuiteTheRightThing: [[spoiler:Solving "Heartache By the Number" the [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge Cass way]] certainly seems viable, as the targets completely deserve it for their crimes...but then the epilogue reveals that you and Cass have effectively crippled both the NCR and the Wasteland's only major trade industry. OOPS!]]
* NonActionGuy: The idea behind the Good Natured trait. Your combat skills take a hit, but a whole bunch of non-combat skills get a boost, and since you have the option of getting a couple of party members to do the fighting for you, you can still survive when violence becomes necessary. That also does not prevent you from [[TookALevelInBadass taking a level in badass]] by putting skill points appropriately.
** What's funny is that this trait actually has the opposite intended effect. Since you can't max out skills like in ''Fallout 3'', you have to decide which skills you want to build up. This trait takes points away from the combat skills you will never use (depending on how you like to play, you'll only ever use one or two combat skills, maybe three at most) and puts them into skills you will, almost certainly resulting in a net gain. By putting skill points into combat skills anyway, [[TheAce your character can deal with practically any situation.]]
** Even better, the ''Old World Blues'' DLC has the [[TheAce Skilled]] trait, which gives you +5 to all skills at the cost of a -10% exp gain. Combined with the Good Natured Trait, this is a net gain of +10 to a lot of skills while also removing the -5 penalty to your combat skills. The experience loss can be negated by a perk which you can get at second level.
*** Sort of. The 10% penalty is applied first, then the 10% bonus is applied to the intermediate calculation, giving a net loss of 1% XP (1*.9*1.1=.99).
* NoOneShouldSurviveThat: The response you will get when you catch up with the people who shot you in the head and buried you alive at the start of the game.
* NoOSHACompliance: Standard for the course in the Fallout verse. Though the Bison Steve hotel gets kudos. Pre-War there was a platform that led directly to the tracks for the Roller Coaster. Not to the loading[=/=]unloading platform, just in the middle of the tracks.
** Subverted with the Hoover Dam. There are guard rails and there is a fence to block anything going into the intake valves. [[TheDevTeamThinksOfEverything including stray players trying to sequence break.]]
*** Followed through in many other cases where toxic waste is dumped in places such as a fire station. The REPCONN headquarters' tour guide also lampshades this by constantly reassuring you that no safety measures are required for toxic waste dumps because "nothing bad will ever happen."
* NoTellMotel: Bison Steve was this BEFORE the war. You find a ransom note. A skeleton on the bed next to a blood stain that's at chest level then another skeleton in the tub with a knife and surrounded by drugs. Murder-suicide, anyone?
** Maybe it's a StealthPun, since the real-world equivalent is "[[TheSilenceOfTheLambs Buffalo Bill's]]".
* NotSoDifferent: [[spoiler:Caesar and Arcade Gannon]] are extremely similar. Both are or were members of [[spoiler:the Followers of Apocalypse]]. Both lost their fathers at a young age. Both are well educated [[spoiler:to the point of knowing Latin]]. Both believe in the greater good, even if it is at the expense of the individual good ([[spoiler:although Arcade doesn't take it to the same extremes]]). Both prove to be [[spoiler:remarkably effective military leaders as soon as they put their mind to do so. Arcade is openly gay, while Caesar (along with the entire Legion) is implied to be gay (though this might just be slander). If you get a very specific ending, the trope is more apparent, as well, due to Caesar's interactions with Arcade]].
** Veronica also points out that both the Boomers and the Brotherhood of Steel are quite similar, both being aggressively xenophobic hoarders of technology.
* NotStayingForBreakfast: If Benny survives his night with a black widow Courier, he leaves a note that manages to be infuriating and endearing at the same time.
* OffModel: Strafing to the left as a female Courier causes your left arm to suddenly gain a new joint. Pre-patch, there were [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToKIkw3LIoQ some]] that were unintentionally hilarious.
* OffscreenTeleportation: Both of the Mysterious Protectors. Victor seems to always be one step ahead of you, but it turns out he's got a justification for that.
* OhCrap:
** [[spoiler:Benny's reaction when he sees how [[IGotBetter you got better]] after that little incident up near Goodsprings.]]
** Probably the best OhCrap to come from Benny is if [[spoiler: you go up to the penthouse at The Tops at his request. Of course, he betrays you and sends 4 of his bouncers to do you in. Kill them, and then go over to the intercom and interact with it.]]
--> [[spoiler: '''Benny:''' The cleaners will knock twice. Make sure they do a thorough job.]]\\
[[spoiler: '''The Courier:''' [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome Yeah... There's quite a mess up here. Four bodies.]]]]\\
[[spoiler: '''Benny:''' [[OhCrap What... the... fuck!?]]]]
*** [[spoiler: It's also heavily implied in dialogue with The Tops members that after this exchange, Benny fled from the casino in pure unbridled ''terror''.]]
** If you tell the lone NCR Ranger attempting to use a bunker as a safehouse that the Brotherhood of Steel have you hostage - "Ha, ha, not a slaver collar... hey, what's that noise?" [[spoiler:Three angry paladins in T-51b armor, that's what.]]
** In the WildCard ending, [[spoiler:General Oliver shows up after blasting down the doors to congratulate you. Then you point out you had help. Cue the dust settling and a very unhealthy number of Securitrons suddenly holding him at gunpoint]].
** Jessup gets one in Boulder City when he recognises the Courier, remarking that he saw you get shot in the head by Benny in Goodsprings and you're ''supposed'' to be dead.
---> '''Courier:''' [[IGotBetter I got better]].
* OneHitPointWonder: The Cloud in ''Dead Money'' can turn ''you'' into this in Hardcore more if you don't have the stims to keep your health up, especially in the early game. Half the time you'll be throwing your companions at enemies to avoid using your precious healing items.
* OneManArmy: The pro-NCR path more or less requires you to be this. Even if you aren't following that path, a high-level character with the right equipment can literally be this.
** Ranger Stella, one of the possible opponent in the arena. She apparently refused to be given a machete in the arena, prefering to fight with just her bare hands, and she wasted just about anyone thrown at her, from slaves and recruit legionaries up to veteran legionaries and an elite centurion. When you fight her, she can cripple limbs with one hit.
** Randall Clark, the Survivalist, wiped out most of the cannibalistic Vault 22 dwellers who killed the Spanish refugees he was watching over, at first by guerilla warfare which led him being called the [[RedBaron Evil Spirit]] by them.
* OneStatToRuleThemAll:
** Like all ''Fallout'' games, Intelligence is the most important stat. Period. It determines how many skill points you get each level up and figures into several speech checks. Following close, but not strictly necessary, is Luck. Luck allows you to win the casino games, specifically blackjack. A minimum Luck of 7 (which is easy enough to get thanks to the Luck implant, Naughty Nightwear, and the Lucky Shades if you can manage the Legion rep) will ensure that you win almost every hand. You'll be able to clean out every casino on and off the Strip. The combined payout for every casino comes out to about 40000 caps, which means you're set for life.[[hottip:*:And in the Sierra Madre Casino in ''Dead Money'', the 10,000-chip jackpot limit can be cashed in for Pre-War Money, one-to-one, which can equate to over ''100,000'' caps with a good Barter skill.]] Luck also provides the most skill points, since it grants a +1 boost to every skill for every two points invested.
** Repair and Barter are useful skills if you want to make a LOT of money. You can sell higher and buy lower with the Barter skill, and repairing items significantly increases the value of it. For example, having 90 repair and Jury Rigging will allow you to repair a near broken super sledge with a shovel, increasing its value by over 2000 caps. It's dozens of times more lucrative than Luck if you keep everything you loot and wait until you have the perk.
** Speech and Science are unquestionably necessary to achieve the best endings in the game, and they need to be really high at that. You need to manage 90 in both to get the best endings, and a full 100 to talk down the bosses.
* OneTimeDungeon:
** The Securitron Vault was intended to be such, with the player being unable to re-enter once it is completed, and the guard's dialogue not permitting you to leave until you complete the task. However, the actual implementation permits you to leave (using dialog or killing the guards) as long as you don't complete the section.
** The ''Dead Money'' DLC cannot be visited after it is completed, unlike the Old World Blues and Honest Hearts add-ons. In said DLC, the vault of the Sierra Madre is also closed off after you leave.
* OnlyOneFemaleMold: Even the old wrinkle faced women have young shaped bodies.
* OohMeAccentsSlipping: Sort of. One minor Frumentarius that you meet greets you for the first time with "Hail Caesar" (hard C) and the very next sentence says it again, this time with a soft C.
** Cachino speaks with an Italian accent when you first meets you, but then drops it after you show him his journal. Justified because, like all Strip families, the accent and attitude is part of his family's "character" (mafia), which he doesn't need in personal conversation.
** Santiago also loses his accent when you reveal that you were sent to settle his debts with the Garretts. He even admits its an act so he can charm his way out of this sort of thing.
* OptionalSexualEncounter: Let's see. There are the hookers in New Vegas, Freeside, and Westside, [[spoiler: Red Lucy]] in the Thorn, Sarah Weintraub in the Vault 21 hotel if you bring her enough Vault Suits, and [[spoiler: Benny]] with the Black Widow perk. Finally, there's Fisto, who, as the name implies, is a robot that performs special services.
** "Numbness will subside in several minutes."
* OracularUrchin: The Forecaster.
* OurWeaponsWillBeBoxyInTheFuture: The 12.7mm submachine gun is one of the few weapons in the Guns category with no real-world counterpart or inspiration. It looks like a brick. Add the silencer mod to it (which is ''far'' larger than the [[HollywoodSilencer silencers]] other guns get), and it looks like a brick with a piece of pipe on the end. Also, the laser pistol and laser rifle retain their rectangular appearance from ''Fallout 3'', but the rifle can be made to be ''even more'' boxy by attaching the scope to it. The result is a box with another box suspended several inches above it. A scoped laser rifle actually takes up so much of the screen in first person mode, it can make seeing things to your right difficult.
* OutlawCouple: Vikki and Vance, who, according to the claims of the robot that works as a tour guide in their museum, were not copycats of the former {{Trope Namer}}s, as they began their own "crime spree" two days before Bonnie and Clyde began theirs. The pair's crimes were, however, pretty low key, and consisted mostly of shoplifting and con artistry. Their story still ends in a tragedy as they were unfortunate enough to caught in the massive crossfire between the police and a bunch of bank robbers, which resulted in them getting shot to pieces.
** A couple of idiots try to emulate them by stealing their clothes and gun, but it's pretty easy to convince them how badly this will go.
* OutscareTheEnemy: This can work against Caesar's legion on one occasion. [[spoiler:There's a quest where you can be hired by the NCR to help interrogate a Legion officer they've captured. If your character has a high enough intelligence or charisma, then the best solution is to convince him you're a Legion assassin sent to punish him for allowing himself to be captured. He's obviously more afraid of the Legion than the NCR, and in his panic and indignation he lists everything he'd done for the Legion lately, which is exactly what the NCR wanted to know.]]
** With the Terrifying Presence perk, you can intimidate hardened badasses in cowering like children. Of note, you can scare the crap out of Caesar himself, turn Jean-Baptiste Cutting (a murderous psychopath who vaped a dude for ''fun'') into whimpering wuss, and scare an entire team of Brotherhood soldiers into submission when they both ''outnumber and outgun you''. It may be a largely useless perk, but it's easily the funniest.
---> '''Courier:''' [[MuggingTheMonster Raise that gun and I will kill everyone in this room.]]
** Terrifying Presence is essentially made of [[OhCrap pants-shittingly terrifying]] speech checks. Like scaring the dog-helmeted '''[[CompleteMonster Vulpes Inculta]]''', right after he ''slaughtered the entirety of Nipton''.
---> '''Courier:''' "I'll wear your heads like you do that dog's."\\
'''Vulpes''': [[ThisIsGonnaSuck "Legionnaires! We have a problem!"]]
** Also of note is convincing some mercs to leave quaint, idyllic, [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking Super Mutant owned]] Jacobstown alone, because if they don't, instead of dealing with a village of pissed off Super Mutants, they'll have to deal '''with you.'''
* OutWithABang: Killing [[spoiler:Benny]] is easy with the Black Widow perk.
* PacifistRun: [[NintendoHard It's possible!]] It may be easier if you [[TechnicalPacifist get someone else to do the killing for you]].
* PaintingTheFourthWall: Obsidian addressed complaints about ''Dead Money'' in regards to personal item whereabouts and the ability to return in the newest DLC, among others:
--> '''In-Game Warning:''' You get the premonition that while you'll be unable to return to the Mojave until you solve the mysteries of the Big Empty, you '''WILL''' be able to take anything you can carry with you, and you '''WILL''' be able to return to the Big Empty any time after completing this adventure.\\
'''Courier:''' If you stole my brain, then how the hell am I still functioning?\\
'''Dr. Klein:''' WE HAVE NO IDEA! THIS LINE OF QUESTIONING ISN'T IMPORTANT TO US NOW! WHY MUST YOU ASK THESE TANGIENTAL QUESTIONS! STOP IT!
** OWB's epilogue actually calls the player out if they rush through the main quest.
* PaperThinDisguise: Partially averted with the faction disguises. Coming near enough to interact with members will reveal you to any, even to the lowliest mooks if your infamy is high enough. But still, you're wearing the same hat, tailed by the same companions, and they don't seem to take notice of a female wearing legionnaire armor.
* ThePasswordIsAlwaysSwordfish: Every password you steal is always something very silly or at least words that can be found in a dictionary. Such as 123456789 for Raul's cell. All hackable terminals all have passwords in the form of words which can be found in most dictionaries.
** Seemingly averted on the HELIOS ONE terminal passwords, where the two terminals have super long passwords with seemingly random letters and numbers, until you find out that the number sequences can be converted from hexadecimal into ASCII, producing the phrases "My voice is my passport" and "Too many secrets"—both encoded phrases from the movie {{Sneakers}}.
** It is implied the reason the passwords are so simple is because of your own hacking skills essentially resetting the password into a guessing game.
** In the latter case, it was Raul himself who programmed it, thinking that no one will ever bother reading the terminal where he writes down the password. He is SurroundedByIdiots up in Black Mountain, after all.
** You can get past the REPPCON HQ security on the top floor by guessing the password, 'Ice Cream', by being lucky or stupid enough.
** Many passwords set by technicians are good (even if they are common words they at least have non-standard capitalization or elements of 1337 sp34k) and common passwords are more than likely a reference to RealLife practices. The hacking minigame can be also considered a StoryAndGameplaySegregation designed to convey the 'vintage' feeling of the hex editor.
* PayEvilUntoEvil: The 'best' path for the 'Eye for an Eye' quest (which gives you the best NCR rep boost) involves [[spoiler: showering Cottonwood Cove with radioactive waste, to give the unfortunate Legion personnel there the KarmicDeath for what they did in Camp Searchlight]]. Before doing this though, hopefully you remembered to get the family in the slave pen out first. The strung-up Great Khan on the outskirts of town will live through it just fine.
* PercussiveMaintenance: When a low-condition gun jams, the Courier smacks it once or twice during the reloading animation.
* PleaOfPersonalNecessity: [[spoiler: Mr. House]]
* PoisonedWeapon: A Courier with a decent survival skill is able to concoct poisons of varying lethality, then apply them to melee weapons. It's more of AwesomeButImpractical as the poison is removed after one strike, but it's worth it to stealthily toss a throwing knife at a deathclaw and watch its health bar drain completely.
* PointOfNoReturn: Once you choose to undertake the [[spoiler:attack on the Hoover Dam]] mission there's no turning back, though the game does at least warn you about this, unlike the corresponding situation in ''Fallout 3''. Strangely enough, it doesn't seem as if Obsidian took on-board the criticism of the fact that you couldn't play past the final level of ''Fallout 3'' (at least not until the "Broken Steel" DLC was released), as the game ends once you defeat the final boss(es).
** However unlike ''Fallout 3'' there are four ending paths to ''New Vegas'' and each ending montage varies greatly depending on your actions throughout the game. Trying to program a PlayableEpilogue that takes all of these factors into account would be an entire game in itself.
** There's also a lesser Point of No Return in the form of which faction quest you choose to pursue. There's a lockout point in each questline which alienates you from the other three. The only two questlines that can be played concurrently are Yes Man and Mr. House, and you still have to choose one prior to the final mission.
** Once you complete the ''Dead Money'' DLC, you may stay as long as you like, but you can't return to the Sierra Madre casino once you do leave. Might be worth going back and getting everything you want.
* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: Caesar's Legion makes no pretense about it: they think women are inferior to men physically and mentally, and should StayInTheKitchen. Also, [[FantasticRacism they think of Ghouls and Super Mutants as nothing more than savage beasts]], even though the majority of them actually aren't so bad. Just one more reason to remember they represent sociological ''regression'', not progress. This is arguably part of the idea, though. Caesar is trying to turn back the clock, and values have to come with that package.
* PostMortemOneLiner: Boone gives us a very good one after [[spoiler:you kill Caesar with him in the party]]:
--> '''Boone:''' *smug tone* Thumbs down, you son of a bitch.
* PowerFist: The [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Power Fist]] makes a comeback, but the big daddy of them in the game is the Ballistic Fist: a glove with a [[MoreDakka SHOTGUN]] attached to it which triggers on contact. [[RuleOfCool AWESOME!]]
** It's Veronica's WeaponOfChoice.
* PowerPerversionPotential: A memo describing a shipment of Stealth Boys with some missing is followed by another memo alluding to regulations regarding sexual harassment and the unauthorized use of military hardware.
* PraetorianGuard: Caesar's personal guards; they are even called that in the game.
** The Centurions, Caesar's elite, wear armor made from pieces scavenged from defeated enemies. This armor includes pieces scavenged off of Brotherhood soldiers and Super Mutants. BadassArmy indeed...
** The Desert Rangers serve in this capacity for President Kimball and General Oliver.
* ThePrankster: Private Davey Crenshaw
* PrecisionFStrike:
** This exchange:
--->[[spoiler:'''Benny:''' "The cleaners will knock twice. Tell them to be thorough."]]\\
[[spoiler:'''[[{{Determinator}} The Courier]]:''' (paraphrased) [[BondOneLiner "They better... there's four bodies."]]]]\\
[[spoiler:'''Benny:''' [[OhCrap "...what the fuck!?"]]]]
** Also:
--->[[spoiler:'''Benny:''']] Don't do that, baby. Not crucifixion. I could be up there for days with those twisted creeps laughing and pointing.\\
'''The Courier:''' Pass the time thinking over your mistakes.\\
[[spoiler:'''Benny:''']] You sick, vindictive fuck!
** Let President Kimball finish his speech at Hoover Dam for a classic IsThisThingStillOn Moment.
* PrepareToDie: Done as a joke by [[spoiler:Caesar]], of all people. [[spoiler:After either recovering the Platinum Chip from Benny or being duped and having him run off with it, you will receive an invitation to meet Caesar in person. It's quite possible that you will have made his life difficult in any number of ways before this, from digging out his moles to slaughtering his garrisons. He will ask you why, despite all this, you still chose to accept the offer to meet him in person. The conversation proceeds like this:]]
-->[[spoiler:'''Courier:''' You guaranteed my safety.]]\\
[[spoiler:'''Caesar:''' And you fell for that? Really? Because I'm going to have you killed now.]]\\
[[spoiler:'''beat''']]\\
[[spoiler:'''Caesar:''' [[EvilHasABadSenseOfHumor ... relax, I'm fucking with you.]]]]
* ProperlyParanoid: Mr. House believes that it is only a matter of time before the NCR betrays him and use military force to annex New Vegas. The NCR on the other hand thinks that Mr. House will use his robot army to betray the Republic and drive them out of the region after they defeat the Legion at Hoover Dam. They were both correct.
** [[spoiler: In this case it was a self-fulfilling prophecy since both side's mutual paranoia is what led to the events that led to them betraying each other.]]
** One of the Vaults has its citizens sectioned off into "red" and "blue" factions and is filled with HAL-9000-looking security cameras. Most of their journal entries display paranoia towards the people on the other side, but one person believes that the entire Vault is part of a psychological experiment, and they've all been drugged to forget that they used to be patients in a mental institution. He seems to be right, but he can't trust himself, because he now knows that he's insane.
* PropRecycling: Lots from {{Fallout 3}}.
** Consequently, there is also some from Oblivion, since {{Fallout 3}} recycled some Oblivion props; this is most obvious in the caves.
** If you listen closely you will hear some Oblivion soundtrack recycling. Less than in {{Fallout 3}} but still.
* PstandardPsychicPstance: The holograms in Dead Money will do this before attacking.
* PsychopathicManchild: If you read the [[AllThereInTheManual fluff text in the back of the collectors edition guide]], it's revealed that Caesar is pretty much this.
** He also has a pretty impressive moment if you bluntly refuse to serve him.
* PunchedAcrossTheRoom: If you have high enough Unarmed skill, this can be one of the death animations. Veronica frequently does it as well. If you're using the Power Fist or Ballistic Glove, this will happen to everything you punch to death.
* PunchClockVillain: It seems every Vault Overseer loyally went ahead with their experiment protocols, despite knowing full well that the world had ended and they were on their own, even in cases where it should have been obvious to anyone with any common sense that the experiment would not only kill the Vault inhabitants, but likely result in the Overseer's own death as well.
** For Vault 34 though this is the case of the inherent flaw (there were just too many guns around and the vault was overpopulated), and even when the Overseer has no interest in the vault experiments, not much could be done. The game was rigged from the start.
*** Funny enough the Vault was doing well, until the Overseer started taking away their gun rights.
* PyroManiac: Cook-Cook, one of the Fiend Bosses.
* PsychoForHire: Jean-Baptiste Cutting.
* TheQuisling: [[spoiler:Papa Khan to the Legion. You can show him how that's a bad idea.]]
** [[spoiler:Regis as well, if you think about it. He takes leadership of the Khans if you assassinate Papa, agrees to a truce with the hated NCR and aids them against the Legion.]]
* RagnarokProofing: An integral part of the ''Fallout'' universe, but the example that truly shines is the Lady. This universe's WW2-era engineers must have been remarkable, [[spoiler: since a B-29 can sit on the bottom of Lake Mead for ''300 years'' and not only be raised intact, but made to fly again by repairing her with spare parts from a museum piece.]]
** [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1948_B-29_Lake_Mead_crash A B-29 really did crash into Lake Mead on July 21, 1948.]] And given the report recently done, is still mostly intact.
*** There are numerous wrecks at the bottom of freshwater lakes and some rivers. Due to low corrosion and few animals living that deep, they do tend remain in fairly good shape.
* RainbowPimpGear: As usual, a possibility.
* RapeAsComedy: FISTO, initially. "'''ASSUME THE POSITION.'''"
** The Biological Station in Old World Blues threatens to seed the ''shit'' out of you, and has seeded Muggy before.
** In the cut audio files for Cook-Cook (who could be approached as friendly), he will constantly hit on you and make veiled threats at rape. Talking to Driver Nephi as a female will have him repeatedly warn you not to talk to him.
* RapeAsDrama: [[spoiler: Corporal Betsy.]]
** Cook-Cook is a notorious rapist, so much so that a ''male'' bounty hunter and even a lot of NCR soldiers are afraid of him. [[spoiler: Killing him will earn you the thanks of some of his victims, some of which only regret that they weren't there to see him die.]]
* RapidFireFisticuffs: The Greased Lightning power fist from the ''Gun Runners' Arsenal'' DLC has a ridiculous attack rate at the cost of reduced damage. With the right perks, you can hit roughly three times ''per second''.
* RealIsBrown: ''New Vegas'' plays around with this; there's a surprising amount of color in the Mojave Wasteland, especially New Vegas itself but as you approach Camp Forlorn Hope the color is leached out of the setting, making everything appear in shades of dull brown.
* RecycledINSPACE: Caesar's Legion is the Romans [-IN POST APOCALYPTIC NEVADA-]!
** [[InsultToRocks The Romans take offense to this horrible slur.]]
* RedOniBlueOni: For the NCR, Colonels Cassandra Moore and James Hsu are red and blue, respectively. For example, Colonel Hsu prefers to resolve the problem with the Kings peacefully by providing supply for The Kings, while Colonel Moore just prefer to [[KillEmAll kill them all.]]
** In ''Honest Hearts'', [[TechnicalPacifist Daniel]] is the blue while [[BadassPreacher Joshua Graham]] is the red.
** Veronica calls attention to this between the Followers of the Apocalypse and the Brotherhood of Steel, though it can be difficult to tell which is red and which blue. The Followers have a good cause but a woeful lack of resources, while the Brotherhood is practically second only to the Enclave in resources, but lacks any legitimately good cause.
* RefugeInAudacity: You, Boone, and ED-E storming Caesar's fort and killing everyone inside, Caesar included. Boone even comments on it.
** Lampshaded by Mr New Vegas later, though he was rather surprised on how the assassins evade heavy security even though the truth is you just storm your way in, killing anyone that gets in the way.
* TheRemnant: The remnants of the Master's Super Mutant army, which has split into the State of Utobitha and Jacobstown. In addition to them, there is the [[spoiler: Enclave remnant]], composed of the scattered handful of remaining members. [[spoiler: Play your cards right, and you can get them back together and fighting with you.]] The Brotherhood of Steel chapter you find hiding in Nevada is also a Remnant and a shadow of their former power.
* ReportsOfMyDeathWereGreatlyExaggerated: The "Thought You Died" perk from ''Lonesome Road''.
* {{Retcon}}: Used to explain the significant departure from the plasma rifle as seen in previous games to Fallout 3. The classic Plasma Rifle is now the "Plasma Caster", while the new truly rifle-shaped plasma rifle is a format encouraged by a Colonel Moretti. You see the name turn up on the "Future Weapons Today" cover on a loading screen: "Colonel Moretti slams the venerable P-94!" And in several terminals in the Repconn HQ you find a weapons project that was authorized by the same Colonel Moretti and resulted in the [[SuperPrototype Q-35 Matter]] [[FlawedPrototype Modulator]], which appears to be the first functional prototype iteration of the Plasma Rifle as seen in Fallout 3 and as a low-mid tier energy weapon in New Vegas. The explanation for why it shows up on the east coast is easy: The Enclave refined it to field-deployable status it and produced it over there. The reason for its apperance on the West Coast since Fallout 2 could be explained by the Van Graffs or other energy weapon manufacturers salvaging the field-ready plasma rifle design from ruined Enclave bases.
* RetiredBadass: You can recruit a squad of them to aid you in the final battle. [[spoiler:They're ex-Enclave, so they're also [[RetiredMonster Retired]] [[PunchClockVillain Employees of a]] Complete Monster.]]
* RetiredBadassRoundup: The entire quest of "For Auld Lang Syre".
* RetroUniverse: It wouldn't be Fallout without it. Though it manages to not only have a 1950's vibe in it, but also combines that with a late 19th Century Western feeling in the more rural areas outside the Vegas Strip itself.
** A late 19th Century Western where one can easily find [[AnachronismStew HK 416 carbines with ACOGs on their MIL-STD-1913 rails and digital camouflage]], anyway.
** It's less like the real 19th Century American West, and more like the [[FridgeBrilliance Western movies popular during the 1950s.]]
* RevolversAreJustBetter: When an old cowboy-style revolver badly outclasses a plasma pistol that was cutting edge before the Great War, you know this trope was overplayed.
* RewardedAsATraitorDeserves: [[spoiler:The Mayor of Nipton. According to Vulpes, he really had it coming; if you read his personal terminal, it turns out [[PayEvilUntoEvil Vulpes was right]].]]
* RideOfTheValkyries: Plays during the launch at the end of "Come Fly With Me"
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: The Courier, if they so choose, and Boone, in two of his endings. Ulysses, as well, though most of it occurs off-screen.
* RobotBuddy: ED-E. Flies, allows you to spot enemies from ''really'' far away... And kick some ass with his laser while playing a bugle sound.
* RomanticismVersusEnlightenment: Caesar's Legion (Romanticism) versus NCR (Enlightenment)
* {{Robosexual}}: [[CrowningMomentOfFunny The owner of the Atomic Wranger.]]
** You as well, if you decide to test it out before delivering it to the Atomic Wrangler.
** '''ASSUME THE POSITION.'''
* RousseauWasRight: Vault 11. The mainframe requires one resident to sacrifice themselves each year, or all life support will be turned off, dooming the others. As it turns out, [[spoiler:the designers believed this to be utterly inhumane, and once the residents refused to play along, they would be congratulated for their conscience and the vault would be opened. The population kept on sacrificing each other for years until only a handful was left and decided to try breaking out instead. Most committed suicide when they found out the truth.]]
** Though given the nature of vaults and their designers, it's almost certain Vault 11 was simply a social experiment and the people behind it knew very well how it was going to end up.
* RuleOfThree: Quest-givers give three tasks, with few exceptions.
* SadisticChoice: The player get to make one at the end of ''Lonesome Road'' [[spoiler: either allow a barrage of nuclear ICBM'S to be launched, destroying either/both the only usuble path into the mojave from the West, or/and obliterating most of Arizona, or asking ED-E to sacrifice himself to stop the missles.]]
* SamusIsAGirl: Nightkin, like other Super Mutants, have no secondary sexual characteristics, so the ladies sound just like the men chewing gravel. This is used as a point of humor a few times with some plot-relevant Nightkin.
* SanitySlippage: [[spoiler:Mr. House, more specifically the Mr. House that is the half-brother to the one in the Lucky 38, during his reign at H&H Tools.]]
* SarcasticConfession: If you ask Arcade Gannon about his past, he will originally be evasive. If you ask him why he is dodging the question, he will jokingly reply "Only to obfuscate my previous association with a fascist paramilitary organization." [[spoiler: You can later find out that he used to be a member of the Enclave.]]
* SavedFromDevelopmentHell: Caesar's Legion was going to be part of the stillborn ''Van Buren'' game following ''Fallout 2''. Some [=NPCs=] from Van Buren were also recycled and given slightly different roles (Alice [=McLafferty=] and Arcade Gannon for example). The setting of ''Old World Blues'', the Big Empty, came from the original design concepts of ''Van Buren'''s opening location, the Tibbets prison facility.
* SaveScumming: this plus a Slots Machine equals easy but boring money-making... [[TheDevTeamThinksOfEverything until the casino kicks you out.]]
** When doing this, trying to use the slot machines (or the Black Jack or Roulette tables) within 60 seconds of reloading produces a message stating that it seems to be resetting itself [[LampshadeHanging as an anti-cheating measure.]]
* SawedOffShotgun: In addition, there is also the laser version (Tri Beam Laser Rifle).
* SceneryGorn: Camp Searchlight.
** [[DeathWorld The]] [[EverythingTryingToKillYou Divide]].
* SceneryPorn: Lake Mead Cave.
** Jacobstown. You've been traipsing around the RealIsBrown wasteland, and then you go up that long road. The trees are green and lively, the mountaintops are white with snow, and it's gorgeous.
** New Vegas itself. Being hit with all that color after going through Freeside and outer Vegas is pretty amazing.
** Zion Valley from ''Honest Hearts''.
* ScarsAreForever[=/=]WoundThatWillNotHeal: The Marked Men get their skin ripped straight off of their flesh by the searing winds of The Divide, but because The Divide is so full of radiation, the Ghoulified soldiers are kept alive through it all, [[AndIMustScream and are unable to die as their skinless bodies are put through mind-breaking agony year after year after year]].
* SchmuckBait: Vault 11 is deliberately designed like this. Really, when there's an option to open the [[spoiler:sacrifical chamber]] on a terminal, you just know the end result will be bad. But you'll do it, because you've come this far and you need to know (and have to in order to complete the unmarked quest). Curiosity demands it!
** The radio which starts the Dead Money DLC. "Oh look, a radio, let's go touch--*choke*"
** At the end of the Dead Money DLC, [[spoiler:when you access the vault, you get a message from Sinclair warning you not to open his personal files, which will seal the vault if you read them. Normally, you would use this to [[LaserGuidedKarma trap Father Elijah in]], but [[TooDumbToLive you can activate it]] [[PressXToDie yourself]]. [[HaveANiceDeath The game ends and tells you how you slowly starved to death.]]]]
** You can find the Thump-Thump, a variant of the regular Grenade Rifle during the quest Ant Misbehaivin'. Said Ants have been eating gunpowder, and you were told in advance of fighting them that they'll pretty much explode if you look at them the wrong way. The chances that this is a coincidence are extremely small.
* ScratchDamage: Sufficent [=BBs=] will take down a Paladin.
* ScreensAreCameras: The members of the Think Tank in ''Old World Blues'' each have three mounted screens displaying their eyes and mouth separately, and are capable of seeing through their "eye screens".
* ScrewYourself: It's possible to flirt with your own brain in ''Old World Blues''.
* SealedArmyInACan: [[spoiler: The Securitron army at Fortification Hill.]]
* SecretTestOfCharacter: [[spoiler:Vault 11.]]
** Vulpes claims the lottery in Nipton was this. He relates how no one fought back when their loved ones were killed or crucified with each drawing, and he mentions that he was amazed that the townsfolk were so cowardly as to not fight back against the half-dozen Frumentarii under his command. It seems that the people of Nipton had several opportunities to impress Vulpes, at least one of which would have saved them, and they failed every time. However, it is shown that at least a few fought back, with some success at that. Unless Vulpes dismissed a large portion of his invading army then held the lottery, it's unlikely they ever really stood a chance. [[YouFailLogicForever And some people still think it's unreasonable for people to be scared to paralysis under the threat of death.]]
* SelfImposedChallenge: The in-game challenges. They range from normal things (heal 10,000 damage with Stimpacks or do 10,000 unarmed damage, for example) to more specific ones (cripple right arms, blow off limbs). ''Gun Runners' Arsenal'' adds some truly absurd challenges, most of which involve killing specific things with specific weapons. The three-star challenges are the worst, like having to kill Deathclaws with (among other, slightly more reasonable things) ''switchblades and boxing tape''.
* SequelDifficultyDrop: The DLC have done this so far--Dead Money is NintendoHard, not least because you can't bring [[InfinityPlusOneSword your stuff]]. Honest Hearts lets you bring some items based on weight (the good stuff is generally heavy), but hands you quite a lot of good equipment along the course of the story. Old World Blues doesn't restrict what you can carry at all, and even hands you three free perks near the beginning (with different versions available to replace them at the end).
** There are two ways in which Old World Blues does not follow this: there are no companions at all, and the enemies in the Big Empty scale to your level and are spawned by a script system that drops them more frequently than the standardized system.
* SequelHook: You can go home now, Courier...
* SexyDiscretionShot
* ShapedLikeItself: Doctor Mobius of ''Old World Blues'' breathes this.
---> [[AC: Doctor Mobius]]: It is I, Doctor Mobius, transmitting from my dome-shaped... dome in the forbidden zone. A zone that is... yes... FORBIDDEN to you!
** And don't forget [[LargeHam the Tesla coils! The coils of Nikola Tesla!]]
* ShortRangeShotgun: The Sawed-off Shotgun returns to affirm this trope, but every other shotgun in the game has a tighter spread, making them actually useful for medium range combat. Ballsy players may choose to use a modified Hunting Shotgun to snipe. In addition, there are also Slug shells, which makes the shotgun otherwise behave like rifles. Higher tier shotguns are also superior weapons to submachine guns and most handguns in medium range combat even with just buckshot shells.
** Two of the laser rifle's mods are one that gives it a mid-range scope, and one that turns it into a laser shotgun. Some players see it as [[SchmuckBait an invitation to use both]], but most see them as mutually exclusive.
** As of patch 1.3.0/1.5, all shotguns are now decent weapons at medium range due to vastly reduced spread, including the sawed-off.
* ShotgunsAreJustBetter: The Shotgun Surgeon perk, along with other things (see ShortRangeShotgun), allow shotguns to become viable all-situation weapons.
** The Multiplas Rifle is topped only by the Gauss Rifle and Anti-Materiel Rifle in damage per shot. Granted, the damage is split up between three projectiles, but it's still a lot of damage for a mid-tier weapon. Its main disadvantage is its ammo consumption.
* ShoutOut: Being ReferenceOverdosed is standard for the ''Fallout'' series. There's so much {{Shout Out}}s in this game that it demanded [[ShoutOut/FalloutNewVegas its own page]].
* SortingAlgorithmOfWeaponEffectiveness: Being an RPG, this obviously isn't played very straight, but most weapon types have a noticeable pattern, about 4-6 weapons in rough order of power. Keep in mind they don't necessarily have to be found in order:
** Semi Automatic Pistols: Silenced .22 --> 9mm pistol --> 10mm pistol --> .45 Auto Pistol (in Honest Hearts)--> 12.7mm pistol --> A Light Shining in Darkness (.45 pistol from Honest Hearts)
** Energy pistols: Laser pistol --> plasma pistol --> Recharger pistol --> Plasma defender --> Pew Pew --> Alien blaster
** Revolvers: .357 magnum revolver --> Police pistol (Dead Money) --> .44 Magnum revolver --> That Gun (post 4/25/11 patch) --> Hunting revolver --> Ranger Sequoia
** Lever action rifles: BB Gun --> Cowboy repeater --> Trail carbine --> Brush gun
** Bolt action/semi automatic rifles: Varmint rifle --> Service Rifle (post 4/25/11 patch) --> Hunting rifle --> Sniper rifle --> This Machine/Anti-materiel Rifle/Marksman Carbine
** Automatic guns: 9mm submachine gun --> 10mm sub machine gun --> Assault carbine --> Light Machine Gun/12.7mm submachine Gun/.45 Auto submachine gun (in Honest Hearts) --> Minigun/Automatic Rifle
** Energy rifles: Recharger rifle --> Laser/Plasma rifle --> Multiplas/Tribeam rifle --> Gauss rifle (or YCS/186) --> Holorifle
** Shotguns: Single shotgun --> Caravan shotgun --> Lever action shotgun/Sawed-Off Shotgun --> Hunting shotgun --> Riot shotgun
** Explosive launchers: Grenade Rifle --- > Grenade Launcher --- > Rocket Launcher --> Grenade Machine Gun --> Fat Man
** Hand-thrown Explosives: Dynamite --> Frag Grenade --> Pulse Grenade/Incendiary Grenade --> Plasma Grenade --> Holy Frag Grenade
** Proximity/Remote Explosives: Powder Charge --> Frag Mine --> Pulse Mine --> Plasma Mine/C4 Explosives
* ShownTheirWork: "Caesar" is pronounced "kye-zar" and "ave" is pronounced "a-weh", reflecting prevailing academic opinion of ancient Roman pronunciation as opposed to the medieval "Church Latin" pronunciations used today.
** The fluff about the Legion fits both in-universe and in the meta. The Legion features far too many accurate reflections of the Roman Empire's nature to be cooincidental.
*** Most notably the Frumentarii, who play an important role in the plot. They were rather obscure group, virtually nonexistent in any popular media (and even many historical textbooks).
** As mentioned above, the vast number of towns and landmarks that appear in this game (even the starting town) that are closely based off those in real life, if a bit space-compressed.
*** For instance, the Goodsprings General Store and the Prospector Saloon do exist and look exactly as they do in-game (except that it's the Pioneer Saloon). Not exactly general tourist knowledge.
** On the [=AER14=] Prototype Laser Rifle (a unique variant of the basic laser rifle), there is a sticky note on the back: "Focus: 1064nm, 532 nm (SHG), 8.18 pm!!!". It means that it has a primary wavelength of 1064nm (infra-red range), a "[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second-harmonic_generation second harmoinic generation]]" (SHG) that doubles the frequency to a green-wavelength 532 nm., and the 8.18 pm is beam divergence, or how wide the beam gets as it leaves the laser (usually measured in picometers per meter).
* SidetrackedByTheGoldenSaucer:
** The minigame "Caravan", which you can play with other travelers and some merchants. Sure, it may not look like much at first, but in no time you'll be buying every card you see (it's dirt cheap to do so) and swindling people out of absurd amounts of money before you even get to the meat of the main quest. It may look difficult at first, but it's actually fairly easy to win every single game on almost any hand, provided you have a decent-sized deck or a lot of high-number cards.
** "Caravan" is really easy without ever buying additional cards past the default set you are given. Make a deck of the minimum size (30 cards) with 4 each of 6's, 7's, 8's, 9's, 10's, Jacks, Kings, and 2 Queens. Then proceed to win every game assuming you understand the rules. It is also helpful that the AI doesn't seem to understand that face cards can be used to really mess with your opponent's stacks.
*** The last issue has been addressed by a patch. Still easy to win but not as easy as it was.
** DAMN YOU STAR CAPS! I WANT THAT PRIZE! (*Cue stealing every bottle of Sunset Sarsaparilla you can get your hands on*)
** And, of course, you can go to any of the casinos of New Vegas and blow all your money trying to "get lucky" at the slots, the roulette wheel, or the blackjack table - just like in RealLife.
*** Not if you have a half decent luck. If you have a luck of 6 or 7 and are able to increase this through the Naughty Nightwear or Lucky Shades (the latter not being highly recomended), and then hit the blackjack tables, the dealer will be handing out kings, queens, jacks and aces like its going out of style. It'll take you maybe 10 minutes to break all three casinos.
* SillinessSwitch: The "Wild Wasteland" perk adds a number of silly gags and bonus encounters.
* SirSwearsALot: Boxcars is among the most foul-mouthed people in the wasteland. Justifed, because he's been through a lot.
** [[FieryRedhead Cass]] as well.
* SitcomArchNemesis: Depending on how you play the game, [[AffablyEvil Benny]] could be one.
* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism: Idealistic, but less so than previous Fallout games. On the grand scale, civilization is mostly rebuilt. However, the two largest nations are the corrupt and inefficient if progressive New California Republic and the brutal and repressive, yet efficient, Caesar's Legion. Within the city, the Kings and Followers of the Apocalypse are working to help Freeside, while all those with real power are ignoring or exploiting the horrific conditions. The Brotherhood of Steel, present in every Fallout game thus far, are finally dying out as a result of their xenophobia, a stark contrast to the stretched-but-altruistic Brotherhood of Fallout 3.
** In defense of New Vegas' relative idealism, this is the first Fallout game where no one is planning genocide of the human population in general. So there's that.
*** [[spoiler: Or not, as indicated by a NonStandardGameOver in ''Dead Money''.]]
* SmartPeopleKnowLatin: Your character can use Latin phrases in certain trees provided their intelligence is 8 out of 10. The lower ranks of Caesar's Legion seem only to know "vale" and "ave", while a centurion POW you meet seems to be fluent.
* SniperPistol: The [[RevolversAreJustBetter Hunting Revolver]] comes with a scope attatched and is accurate to boot. The .44 magnum and 9mm can also be modded to have a scope.
* SnuffFilm: [[spoiler: Clanden, one of the members of the Omerta faction]] does these, though they're audio tapes rather than video.
* SoLongAndThanksForAllTheGear: A companion exiting the party takes the gear with them. In case of the ED-E retrofit, the gear is lost forever. The only exception is if you complete Arcade Gannon's quest, where he gives you all the gear he was carrying.
* SophisticatedAsHell: Dean Domino.
* SpaceCompression: The RealLife area covered by the Mojave Wasteland is about 10,000 square miles. The in-game version is much smaller. This is most noticable around Hoover Dam and the Colorado, which look alright in-game, but grow by several orders of magnitude when overlaid over the real area.
* SpinAttack: Can be done with some melee weapons, though some requires sufficient melee weapons skill.
** The Ranger Takedown. When used in third-person view, to preform a leg sweep.
* {{Squee}}: Veronica has this reaction when you give her a formal dress.
* TheStarscream: It seems this happens ''a lot'' in the Mojave Wasteland. Cachino wants your help to take over the Omertas, Head Paladin Hardin wants you to help him overthrow Elder [=McNamara=], and while Pacer doesn't particularly want to lead The Kings, he does try to overthrow The King if you succeed in negotiating a peace treaty between The King and NCR. And of course, [[spoiler: there's Benny and his plot to overthrow Mr. House and take over New Vegas. Heck, YOU can be TheStarscream if you work for Mr. House and then starting following the Yes Man questline.]]
* STDImmunity: Averted. Benny remarks at one point that he "doesn't need another 'social disease'.
* TheStoic: Boone.
* StopHelpingMe: Played straight and spoofed with the Stealth Suit Mk II. The suit's AI will remind you, quite often, that your Pip-Boy light is on if you use it. Spoofed when it warns you of incoming hostiles then retracts it as a joke.
* StraightGay: Arcade Gannon, Veronica, and the Courier if the player so desires.
* StuffBlowingUp: The Powder Gangers' WeaponOfChoice is sticks of Dynamite and power charges. Cranked UpToEleven with the Boomers, who venerate anything that goes... well, ''[[ShapedLikeItself boom]]''.
* StupidCrooks: The Freeside Thugs, they seemingly do not understand the stupidity of luring someone in Power Armor and carrying a Machine Gun into a 'trap' they set, when all they have is just pool cues and meat cleavers.
* SuicidalOverconfidence: Tying in with the above, some people are just too self-confident for their own good. Special mention goes to [=Caleb McCaffery=], who you have to find for the Debt Collector quest. He is easily the most unjustifiably arrogant man in the entire Mojave Wasteland. Yeah buddy, you're really such a bad-ass that you can take the Power Armor-wearing, Plasma Caster-packing celebrity who people publically know [[spoiler:killed Caesar himself]] armed with only a low-level shotgun. Even pacifist players will have a hard time fighting the urge to paint the sidewalk with this guy's brains.
** The Fiends, Powder Gangers, Vipers, and Jackals, just like the raiders of Fallout 3, seemingly do not understand that the OneManArmy with the [[PoweredArmor Power Armor]] and [[GatlingGood Minigun]] is not the best person to mug. Justified with the [[StupidEvil Fiends]], who are all insane drug addicts, and NCR military police (provided you massacred one of the casinos) due to, er, having some pull with the NCR, but the Powder Gangers have no excuse.
** This is actually built into New Vegas and Fallout 3's game engine; every enemy has a "confidence" attribute as part of their programming- the highest level means an enemy will never avoid a fight, with the ones right below that not offering them much better chances.
* SuicidePact: [[spoiler:How the last surviving inhabitants of Vault 11 decided to go out after discovering the very uncomfortable truth about their vault. Interestingly enough, despite the security recording of the suicide has five voices speaking, only four skeletons are found near the entrance, suggesting that the person holding the gun had second thoughts.]]
* SuperPrototype: The Q-35 Matter Modulator has several superiorities in comparison to its more production-rate plasma rifle brethren: a higher crit chance, higher crit damage, faster rate of fire, less ammo used per shot, and faster projectiles.
* SurvivalHorror: The ''Dead Money'' DLC in spades. You go around travelling with companions solving puzzles and fighting abominations in hazmat suits and gas masks that wield knives, spears and bombs. Ammo is limited, you have to search hard to find the best weapons, and medical supplies are very scarce, so you have to not lose a lot of health. The "climax" of the first portion of the DLC is this - you must fight your way, badly wounded, through hordes of Ghost People, to the Casino.
* SuspiciouslySpecificDenial: After Arcade gives you his opinion on where to direct the power from Helios One, you can agree with him straight off. He evidently doesn't expect it.
-->'''Arcade:''' Great. Glad we're on the same page. I mean, I didn't expect that you'd want to... activate the [[KillSat super weapon]] or anything. Heh.
* TakeThat: When you are researching weird NCR broadcasts, you can ask one ranger station about reports of [[FalloutTactics domesticated Deathclaws]] and they reject it out of hand as impossible.
** A response to a rather inbred question asker in J.E. Sawyer's talk page:
--->''Who's the homo that insisted on being so heavy handed with the gay dialogue and references in the game?''\\
''Alarm at the presence of homosexual dialogue topics is pretty interesting considering [[DiggingYourselfDeeper the majority of them only appear if you voluntarily take a perk that identifies your character as homosexual.]]''
** In-game example in Old World Blues. Dr. 0 made Muggy, a tiny, neurotic Securitron obsessed with coffee mugs as a cheap joke at the expense of Mr. House, who he hates.
* TakeAThirdOption:
** Don't like NCR or the Legion? Go to work for Mr. House, or anyone ''not'' those three! Or, if you don't like them either, take over, yourself! [[spoiler: Warning: Side-effects may include future backstabbing. Consult your doctor before use.]]
** In ''Honest Hearts'', [[spoiler:you are faced with the choice of either evacuating Zion or brutally eradicating the White Legs. Both options lead to {{Bittersweet Ending}}s. However, if you choose to eradicate the White Legs and convince Joshua to spare Salt-Upon-Wounds, you get a slightly happier (albeit still quite bittersweet) ending.]]
* TakeYourTime: No matter how urgent the quest giver's language, you can leave and circle the map a few times and pick up where you left off. The only exception is the President's visit, which will run according to scripted schedule.
* TalkingTheMonsterToDeath: Diplomacy (and judicious use of seductive perks like Black Widow or Confirmed Bachelor) can open as many doors for you as a lock pick or a hacked computer terminal. The speech stat still reigns king, however - if you're lucky, you can pass a speech check that doesn't require speech ''or'' barter, such as using your intelligence, explosives, et cetera rating instead. Passing speech checks is no longer percentive, either.
** ''New Vegas'' continues the ''Fallout'' tradition of [[spoiler: giving a high Speech character the opportunity to win the inevitable endgame confrontation with diplomacy rather than firepower.]]
*** It then turns this option into the ultimate InfinityPlusOneSword in story terms. [[spoiler: Killing Caesar and Lanius simply sends Caesar's Legion into mayhem, fracturing the group and pretty much ensuring that their methods get adopted by dozens of Caesar-wannabes. If Caesar dies or is allowed to die, and Lanius is defeated but talked into leaving, a much different ending occurs. Lanius has been foreshadowed to be a brutal warrior and capable general, but no politician, and without Caesar's charisma backing him, his plan to retake Hoover leaves him oblivious to the fact he lacks Caesar's leadership ability. The Legion still causes problems in the short term, but gradually dissolves as individual outposts realize it never could have lasted without Caesar or someone like him at its head.]]
* TalkingToHimself: Pretty much inevitable in a game where all dialogue is voiced, and there is a huge cast of generic [=NPCs=]. It becomes especially noticeable, however, when the actor in question has a distinctive "neutral" voice. Take the four male Remnants, for example, as three of them are voiced by Peter Renaday.
* TechnicalPacifist: O'Hanrahan, one of the misfits. His squadmates think he is a coward, though if you did follow his advice on squad improvements, he has no problem kicking legionaries' asses in the final battle. According to him, the behavior is because of his upbringing: he was always very phsyically strong, and his mother told him something to the extent of "with great power comes great responsibility," which he readily took to heart.
** Daniel in 'Honest Hearts', though he is close to being an ActualPacifist. He has no desire to attack the White Legs (nor does he), but is fully capable and willing to kill any that try and sneak into the Sorrows encampment.
* TeleportingKeycardSquad: Used in some areas, most notably Vault 34. All of the DLC use this a lot - reaching an objective site or picking up supplies will often spawn a formidable ambush behind you.
* TemptingFate: One too-proud-for-his-own-good NPC just doesn't know how to take the hint.
-->'''[[spoiler:General Oliver]]:''' If our situations were reversed, [[WhatAnIdiot I'd see you hang.]]\\
'''Courier:''' [[spoiler: I see. Yes Man, would you please throw the General off of the Hoover Dam?]]
* ThereAreNoTherapists: Thoroughly averted. Standard medical training seems to include psychiatry in the Mojave - Doc Mitchell gives you a mental health examination, the Followers of the Apocalypse help with the mental health of the people they care for (one of their biggest jobs in Freeside is helping addicts), Lt. Markland at Bitter Springs asks you to find psychology textbooks to help him help the refugees, and your character's own medical skill allows some dialogue options in which you diagnose mental trauma or disease. The Auto-Doc in ''Old World Blues'' can also give you a one time psych exam (read: A second chance to pick your traits).
* ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill: One of the ''GRA'' challenges takes this to its logical conclusion. You are tasked with killing twenty non-mutated animals (dogs, coyotes) with ''mini-nukes''. This is the only challenge where killing yourself by mistake is more of a concern than the threat your enemy poses (which is to say, none whatsoever).
* TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon: The Divide acts as this for the {{DLC}}. It's an uninhabitable (even by wasteland standards) stretch of ruin, filled with radiation, windstorms, and scattered nuclear warheads. It's populated by [[DemonicSpiders Deathclaws]], Tunnelers (innumerable subterranean creatures ''that can kill Deathclaws''), and crazed [[BodyHorror skinless]] Marked Men armed with the various military weapons scattered all over the place. And worst of all, [[spoiler:it is home to [=ICBMs=] that are still alive and about to be launched]].
* TitleDrop: Three out of four [=DLCs=] have them.
** The Dead Money Jumpsuit and Dead Money Collar from ''Dead Money.''
** ''Old World Blues'' has a quest of that name, and the jukebox in your room is willing to explain the expression (focusing on the glory lost during the apocalypse, rather than hope for the future).
** The Lonesome Road Perk granted at the end of ''Lonesome Road.''
* TokenGoodTeammate: A good karma Courier can be this if working for the Legion.
* TooAwesomeToUse: The Fatman, which has less than 20 mini nukes to use in the ENTIRE game, at least until GRA came out and added more to purchase and new variants. The three Holy Frag Grenades which are even more powerful than the Fatman can only be obtained in a special encounter. And the Alien Blaster, a ridiculously powerful energy pistol that comes with a limited supply of ammo that you only get once. And any weapon that uses the devastating yet rare .44 magnum rounds.
** [[AvertedTrope With the addition of ammo crafting at sufficiently high levels, you can make your own .44 magnum rounds by breaking down your less useful bullets]]. Not so with the alien energy ammo or the mini nukes, though.
** Turbo. It puts everything around you into BulletTime, causing enemies to move and attack ridiculously slowly while you continue to fight at normal speed, rendering even the Legendary Deathclaw a sitting duck for its duration. Unfortunately, there's only a handful that can be found or bought right off the bat, and to get any more than that you have to learn an extremely rare crafting recipe that requires you to hunt Cazadores (one of the hardest enemies in the game) for ingredients. The only other option is the Implant GRX perk in ''Old World Blues''.
** Nuka-Cola Quartz and Nuka-Cola Victory; they're about as close to Infinity Plus One Food as you can get (The former gives you night vision and a DT boost, the latter gives you extra action points, and neither have a chance of addiction), but there are only a handful of each scattered about. However, the Nuka Chemist perk lets you craft them both using regular Nuka-Cola, which is plentiful.
** The Proton Inversal Throwing Axes in ''Old World Blues''. There are, at best, around thirty total with random spawning on corpses. You're lucky if you find ten. They are the single most-damaging thrown melee weapon in the game, but there's no way to get more.
* TooDumbToLive: There are a lot of people in this game that would earn a [[DarwinAwards Darwin Award]].
** Mister [=RADical=], who found himself a radiation suit and assumed it made him totally immune to radiation because he couldn't "feel" any radiation in a highly radioactive area. Just in case you don't know how radiation works, you ''don't'' feel it, only its after-effects. Radiation poisoning takes time to develop fully, which incidentally it did for Mister Radical, who passed it off as food poisoning. You find the idiot dead near a radioactive dump site, probably either been killed by his radiation poisoning or by the Golden Geckos inhabiting the place (which is itself TooDumbToLive), and according to a log he had on him, he was preparing to drench himself in a fluid that was so horribly radioactive that, had he done so, it would have killed him and turned everything within a hundred feet of him nightmarishly radioactive in seconds.
** Then there's [[ReturnOfTheLivingDead Trash]], a girl who decided that life as a human sucks, so she'd become a ghoul. How? By exposing herself to excessive amounts of radiation, naturally. She lives in a shack on the southern edge of the map, in an old nuclear test site. How she even got there is a mystery considering it's surrounded by tough-as-nails feral ghouls. Of course, the odds of ghoulification are roughly one in one million, but she assumes its a sure thing, and when you reach the shack where she's staying, she's usually dead (she may spawn alive as a bug). Basically, mixing radiation and idiots are a fatal combination, at least for the idiot.
** Freeside Thugs. They're armed with knives and lead pipes, maybe a sledgehammer at best. They aren't even a threat to you when you enter the city, much less later when you're walking along in PoweredArmor with a sniper rifle that can punch a hole in a tank. To wit, they will attack you and your companions despite the fact that said selection can include a robot attack dog and a Nightkin with a {{BFS}}, among other friends who may not look as threatening but are every bit as dangerous. Not to mention the fact that ''the entire freaking city'' is hostile to them on sight.
** Any of a number of female characters in the game who openly support Caesar's Legion. It's not as if it's a secret what they do to women. Though at least one of said characters was lied to.
** At Goodsprings Source you can find a man named [[spoiler: Barton Thorn]] who claims that his girlfriend is nearby just beyond a nest of Geckos. After you get done massacring them for him it turns out that there is no girlfriend, just corpses and a cache of food and supplies. [[spoiler: Thorn]] then approaches, apologizes for tricking you into clearing the way to the cache, and then tries to kill you because [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness you're of no use anymore.]] It is a severe case of [[TooDumbToLive Darwinitis]] on his part since you have not only just survived being shot - point blank - in the head, you have also just killed a bunch of [[http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Gecko_(Fallout:_New_Vegas) Geckos]]. Vicious, speedy, mutated lizards which generally swarm you in packs of 5-8.
* TookALevelInBadass: The Courier takes several levels of badass over the course of the game, both game levels and in-story levels.
** Do you remember those poor Deathclaws in ''{{Fallout 3}}'' and how easily you could slaughter them after a few levels? Try it with a Deathclaw in THIS game and see how that works out for you.
*** Lampshaded in a player dialog response to someone warning you of the problem. [[TooDumbToLive "I'm not afraid of Deathclaws."]]
* TortureAlwaysWorks: An interrogator constrained by NCR regulations asks the player to rough up a captive for her. The man allowed himself to be captured rather than dying because he was confident that he could withstand any torture, a pride he could only take if he believed TortureAlwaysWorks in the first place. Of course, he cracks under sufficient brutality. Averted, however, if you opt for psychology rather than punching.
* ToThePain: The Terrifying Presence perk is pretty much based around this. It causes NPCs to flee for a little while after you make scary threats like "I'll carve myself a knife out of your bones."
* TrainingThePeacefulVillagers: One of the options at the end of the Honest Hearts DLC. [[spoiler: It's Deconstructed; having learned to fight, they're not peaceful anymore, so they spend the next couple decades warring with former allies. However, sparing Salt-Upon-Wounds leads to them being more merciful.]]
* TrialBalloonQuestion: Veronica.
* TribalFacePaint: In the Honest Hearts DLC, one of the two tribes of Zion Canyon, known as the Dead Horses, has a custom where members earn a facial or body tattoo for every major achievement they accomplish.
* TropersDoItWithoutNotability: One of the graffito on the loading screen says, "Powder Gangers do it with a BANG!" [[StuffBlowingUp They ain't lying]].
* TheUnintelligible:
** [[GentleGiant Mean]] [[NonindicativeName Sonofabitch]], on account of having his tongue cut out. Even his voice actor doesn't know what he's saying. One line has him mention "Wesibe" (Westside), and he pronounces it "wes-see-bay".
** Dr. 8 from ''Old World Blues'' can only speak in static and scrambled audio.
* UndefeatableLittleVillage: Goodsprings is one of these, if you decide to help them drive away the Powder Gangers.
* UniversalPoison: Played straight in the main game, as the generic item "antivemom" will cure you instantly, whether it be a simple radscorpion sting or a nasty Cazador attack. Averted in the ''Honest Hearts'' DLC, where the local poisonous plants have their own type of antivenom.
** On the other hand, the effects themselves differ wildly by toxin source.
* VendorTrash: Much of the Misc Item category is this. None are immediately useful like ammo, weapons, apparel, or aid items. Many can be used as crafting items. You can even make your own vendor trash in the form of tanned hides, which makes them much more valuable (especially the tanned golden gecko hide).
** The ''Old World Blues'' DLC does its level best to subvert this. The personality constructs in the Sink can break down completely worthless items and turn them into incredibly useful crafting material. The Book Chute can turn pencils and clipboards into scrap metal and duct tape weighing ''twice'' as much as the materials you recycled, Muggy turns worthless dishes into valuable gun materials, and the Biological Research Station turns plants you don't use into a generic slop which can be converted into the kinds of plants you do. The whole place is a hoarder's wet dream.
* VideoGameCaringPotential: [[spoiler:Benny, the man that shot you in the head and left you for dead in Goodsprings is captured by Caesar's Legion. You can order his brutal death, [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming or you can help him escape his predicament, even after everything he's done to you...]]]]
* VideoGameCrueltyPotential: [[spoiler:...But if you want to kill him, there's always a nice cross you can strap him to. You can also smuggle a pistol into Caesar's tent and shoot him in the head for PoeticJustice, but it takes around 15 shots and he keeps yelling "Damn!" while all the guards become antsy at your having produced a gun.]]
** Those Deathclaws mentioned earlier, and how terrible they are? [[spoiler: They can't figure out how to jump and climb. The quarry you find them in has cranes and conveyer inclines you can climb on, and the deathclaws will literally run around like headless chickens. You will feel terrible killing the babies.]]
** If you'd like to blast at your comrades' kneecaps so they have to limp on broken legs across the Wasteland, sell them to cannibals, sell them to slavers, or bring them along and make them watch as you usher those they hate to new heights of power and influence over the helpless people of the wastes, New Vegas has you covered. There is plenty of opportunity for depravity, if that's your thing...
* VideoGameCrueltyPunishment: ...until you find out exactly what happens if the people of the wasteland decide you're too cruel.
* VillainWithGoodPublicity: The Courier can be one if you decide to work for Caesar's Legion while simultaneously keeping the NCR (and most of the other neutral and good factions) happy and unaware of your plans to stab them in the back when the time comes. In fact, it's probably for the best to play the game this way if you decide to work for Caesar since a good chunk of the quests in this game come from the NCR.
* [[VivaLasVegas Viva New Vegas]]
* TheVoiceless: Christine from the Dead Money DLC, due an Auto-Doc [[HighOctaneNightmareFuel malfunctioning and cutting her vocal chords out.]] [[spoiler: [[IGotBetter She gets better]] near the end, though.]]
** [[spoiler: Not so much voiceless and not so much a malfunction. [[HighOctaneNightmareFuel Which only makes it worse.]] ]]
* VomitIndiscretionShot: A few NCR soldiers on leave in the Strip can display these.
* WalkingTechbane: Dr. 0 of the Think Tank takes pride in his ability to [[ExpospeakGag nullify, deconstruct or otherwise neutralise]] any machine. Extra ironic, considering that he himself is a cyborg. Unsurprisingly, he despises Mr. House.
* WarriorTherapist: The Courier's companions all have baggage that he can help unload.
** Alternately, the Courier may often end up [[IncrediblyLamePun unloading]] [[VendorTrash baggage]] onto them.
* WeaksauceWeakness: The Pulse Gun and 'Paladin Toaster' fist weapon will OneHitKill almost any robots or anyone in power armor. The Securitron robots, while tough and powerful, have a major weakness in the wheels.
** This aspect of the Pulse Gun being a WeaksauceWeakness is used as an attempt by Veronica to attempt to convince the Elder of the folly of the Brotherhood's slowly self-destructive dogma. It doesn't work...
** Cazadores and Deathclaws, the deadliest monsters in the game, can be easily circle-strafed to death after crippling one of their wings/legs, respectively.
* WeirdnessMagnet: The effect of the "Wild Wasteland" trait. Chris Avellone outright used the title of this trope to describe it.
* WelcomeToCorneria: Patrolling the Mojave almost makes you wish for a Nuclear Winter.
** When I got this assignment, I thought there'd be more gambling...
** If you were enlisted, you'd be halfway to General by now.
** Ave, true to Caesar.
** "MURDERER!!!": Shouted by an NPC if you kill another NPC of the same faction nearby. Which in most cases is perfectly appropriate, but in the case of the [[ForTheEvulz Powder Gangers]], it just sounds ironic.
** '''RETRIBUTION!'''
* WhamEpisode: Vault 11. [[PennyArcade The Vaults were never meant to save anyone]], [[{{Tearjerker}} and this is the Vault that proves it...]]
* [[WhatHappenedToTheMouse What Happened To The Abominations]]: Lonesome Road features the Tunnelers, mutated humanoids that can tear apart Deathclaws. Ulysses mentions that they're slowly tunneling their way towards the Mojave, which would be utterly screwed when packs of super-strong abominations pop out of the ground without warning. And yet you can do absolutely nothing about this, and its never mentioned again.
* WhatMeasureIsANonHuman: Aside from the ghoul and mutant companions in game, you also have Victor, [[NinjaPirateRobotZombie a robot who think he's a cowboy.]]
* WhatTheHellHero: You will get a small one from the narrator if you get the Legion ending with good karma, or the NCR ending with evil karma.
** The Great Khans will not shy away to tell the player that you're traveling with a fucking murderer if Boone is your companion.
** [[spoiler: Mr. House]] certainly tries this on you when you kill him, and [[spoiler:the obituary he leaves in your notes]] just rubs it in further. Whether or not [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone you agree]] or [[ShutUpHannibal not]] depends on your personal beliefs, of course.
*** And whether or not you finish reading the obituary [[IsThisThingStillOn to the very end]].
** If you go through the pains and labors of convincing Boone to reconcile with his past only to bail on him at the last second, he will give you one of these.
* WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue: As per the tradition of the original Fallout games, you get an epilogue informing you what happened to all the settlements you visited and the companions that you had depending on your actions. Some are [[EarnYourHappyEnding nice]], some are [[BittersweetEnding bittersweet]], and some are [[DownerEnding just nasty]].
* WhiteHairedPrettyGirl: Ranger Ghost under her hat.
* WhiteMaskOfDoom: The White Gloves Society. Of course this is obviously also [[DressingAsTheEnemy their weakness]].
* WholePlotReference: To ''TheTreasureOfTheSierraMadre'' in ''Dead Money.''
* WickedCultured: Caesar, the Legion's intelligent and charismatic leader. He is a talented anthropologist, linguists, and historian that speaks fluent Latin and knows all about both pre-war and post-war history. In his free time he like to read and debate about political science and philosophy with other educated people. Did we forgot to mention that he is also the founder and leader of a faction of imperialistic slavers that kills the weak, enslaves woman and children, and engages in war crimes?
* WildCard: You. Potentially you could side with the Legion, NCR, Mr. House or with nobody but yourself. The game lampshades this by labeling a specific set of quests "Wild Card."
* WolverinePublicity: The Ranger Combat Armor, which is featured on the cover, title screen, and intro, and can otherwise hardly be found anywhere in-game until near the end. Recent patches, however, have aleviated this somewhat and made it available earlier and more easily.
* TheWorfEffect:
** The Powder Gangers are a major enemy in the area of the Mojave where you start. At Nipton, you learn that they are no match for the Legion.
** In ''Lonesome Road'', the first Tunneler you see kills a deathclaw.
*** Admittedly, with the Living Anatomy perk and a quick hand in V.A.T.S., you can see it only has 35 HP... but it's the thought that counts.
* AWorldHalfFull: Unlike the Capital Wasteland, the Mojave Wasteland has very few abandoned or destroyed buildings in it, with most of them being just outside the New Vegas strip. Even then, most of them are boarded up and inaccessible. Civilization is firmly in control at this point and most peoples' lives don't revolve around struggling to survive. The Mojave feels more like it has returned to the wild west and less like a hopeless irrecoverable hellhole. (Then again, the Wild West is still a wasteland, and even the good endings are going to lead to someone suffering.)
** Though the further away you get from Legion or NCR areas the more violence and despair there really is. Most of Utah is considered a horrible place to live, and Raul even says how before the Legion took over Arizona that the the whole state was overrun by raiders and warring towns.
* WorldOfHam: Old World Blues. By Oppenheimer, Old World Blues.
* WorstAid: Sleeping to cure crippled limbs. Possibly [[AcceptableBreakFromReality for convenience]], since Hardcore Mode disables it.
* WorthlessYellowRocks: Inverted: Bottlecaps, once worthless, are now the currency of the wasteland, so when you find a cache full of them, it's an unexpected good reward.
** The most valuable (currency-wise) item in the game are gold bars from the ''Dead Money'' DLC. However, they weigh 35 pounds and most vendors don't have over 10000 caps on them at a time. On the plus side, if you can manage to drag out the entire set, you could purchase the entire inventories of the Gun Runners and Van Graffs and still have leftover change.
* YesButWhatDoesZataproximetacineDO: Sunset Sarssparilla apparently has a long list of "side effects". You have to ask Festus three times before he'll even tell you them.
* YouAndWhatArmy: [[spoiler: Two of the four endings (Mr. House and Wild Card) play out in this manner.]]
** One of the quests even lampshades it in the title.
* YouBastard: Cass is one of the few who calls the Courier out for consistent enough bastardry to earn bad karma.
* YouHaveFailedMe: The story behind the Burned Man.
* YouHaveResearchedBreathing:
** The Great Khans can teach you how to throw a handful of sand in an opponent's face.
** You need training from the Brotherhood [[spoiler:or the Enclave]] in order to figure out how to wear PowerArmor. The courier is the only character in the game who requires this training.
** Old World Blues requires you to find two holotapes in order to fill a bottle of water from a sink.
* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: [[spoiler: Barton Thorn]] in Goodsprings Source, he should know better. [[spoiler: Logan, a mercenary, tries to pull this off on you after you help him and his crew find a few items at Camp Searchlight. It doesn't go well for them.]]
** Caesar's Legion is ''really'' fond of this trope, to the point that with a high enough Speech skill you can convince some of the Legion's allies to abandon them by pointing out the FridgeLogic of working for someone who's obviously going to kill or enslave you as soon as they win.
** The leadership of the Omertas comes down to those who drug and enslave prostitutes, or those who "only" physically abuse them. Or you can [[TakeAThirdOption wait until they turn their backs after they trust you.]]
** Logan and his group of prospectors. They enlist you to help them acquire some radiation suits and scavenge Camp Searchlight. Once everything of value has been found, they then try to kill you.
** Elijah in ''Dead Money''. Though he leaves the decision of whether your former comrades live or not up to you, he encourages you to kill them once they become of no further use.
* YourHeadAsplode: Often if you always aim for the head. Subverted in one quest where you are instructed to score no headshots on the bounties since their heads are required as a proof. The First Recon squad that are sent to help you kill Driver Nephi seemingly does not listen to this and occasionally headshots him.
** In ''Dead Money'', if you hear a beeping coming from your collar, '''''move it'''''.
* YourMoneyIsNoGoodHere: There are four types of currencies: standard caps, NCR money, Pre-War Money and Caesar's Legion coins. The trope is subverted, however, because everyone, even the Legion, generally pay you in caps because it's the only currency the Mojave actually cares about. Vendors have set exchange rates for the non-standard currencies, but everything is measured in caps.
** Another case of ShownTheirWork. During the American Civil War, the western territories typically disdained paper money, since it was backed by one of three nations that wasn't guaranteed to survive much longer (and indeed, the Confederacy and Mexican governments did not).
** Although the NCR claims they're trying to introduce their currency to supersede the Bottle Cap, [[AdamSmithHatesYourGuts their own damn merchants won't let you use them as tender!]] You learn the reason why later: the Brotherhood of Steel blew up their gold deposits, which not only makes distribution of coinage impossible but also severely devalues their recently-introduced paper currency. Also likely further exacerbated by the fact that the war with the Legion isn't going well, and that the NCR is running out of money and resources.
** Pre-War Money ''should'' be worthless by now, as the United States government [[MythBusters went away]]. It's still in limited use throughout the Mojave; this is probably a mix of value as a collector's item, the fact that it was very hard to counterfeit pre-war and impossible post-war, and the fact that Mr. House - and therefore New Vegas - still accepts it.
*** And it makes good toilet paper...
** Legion money, on the other hand, is actually valued higher than caps because it's made of precious metals. It can also be combined with shotgun shells to form coin shot, which [[BallisticDiscount is a currency accepted ''everywhere''.]]
*** One unit (coin) has more worth than any other currency's base unit but that doesn't make the currency more valuable per se. It suffers from the same "drawback" as NCR$ : you cannot use it directly, only exchange it for caps at a price. Of course, they exchange it freely, meaning you don't lose money exchanging currency.
** In Dead Money, you can't get any caps; instead, you use Sierra Madre chips (for vending machines) and Pre-War Money (for holographic vendors). Justified in that the Sierra Madre runs on old world equipment, and that the chips themselves are [[MatterReplicator actually transmuted by the vending machine]] into the goods that you purchase.
* YourPrincessIsInAnotherCastle: [[spoiler:Well done! You've finally tracked down Benny and recovered the Platinum Chip! Now all that's left is to deliver it to House and...wait, is that an NCR Trooper? Huh? The NCR Ambassador wants to talk to you? Well, ok, but...OhCrap, Vulpes Inculta?! Wait, he's not hostile, but he says ''Caesar'' wants to talk to you. And what's with the Securitron with the goofy face in Benny's suite who seems to want to talk to you...?]]
* {{Zeerust}}: Obviously.
* ZombieApocalypse: [[spoiler:Vault 22: turns out, they were using a fungus that infected vermin and pests and forced it to kill its own before dying, as pest control. Unfortunately, it spread to the human population.]]
** And Vault 34, a vault that, only a short time ago, experienced a critical reactor leak, turning more than half the residents into feral ghouls and promptly killed anyone who wasn't killed by the radiation [[spoiler: or haven't already left to the Nellis Air Force Base]].
** The Ghost People were all residents or guests in the area of the Sierra Madre Casino. [[GoneHorriblyRight It turns out those Hazmat suits worked too well...]]
** The Marked Men are what's left of the Legionaries and Troopers who were stationed in the Divide. [[CameBackWrong They changed.]]
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** A ton of Fallout only weapons have their own in-universe brand names, obviously not being real guns but having real companies behind them.
*** The 12.7mm Pistol is a rechambered Sig Sauer 14mm pistol.
*** The "Plasma Caster" is a Winchester P94 Plasma Rifle.
*** The "Plasma Defender" is a Glock 86 Plasma Pistol
*** The 10mm Pistol is either a Colt 6520 or an N99 10mm. There are two brands.
*** The 12.7mm Pistol is a rechambered Sig Sauer 14mm pistol.
*** The "Plasma Caster" is a Winchester P94 Plasma Rifle.
*** The "Plasma Defender" is a Glock 86 Plasma Pistol
*** The 10mm Pistol is either a Colt 6520 or an N99 10mm. There are two brands.
Changed line(s) 184,1283 (click to see context) from:
** The Jury Rigging perk. On paper, it seems like a fairly useful skill. You can repair weapons with other weapons of the same type. In practice, players who hoard weapons and armor now have the means to repair all their top-shelf gear with garden variety junk. Combine this with a good barter skill and all that top-shelf gear, most of which you will never use, sells for ''hundreds of thousands of caps''. You can buy every unique weapon in the ''Gun Runners' Arsenal'' DLC (which cost on average ''15,000 caps each'') and still have more (potential) money than you could ever possibly spend.
* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: Legate Lanius is a MadeOfIron murder machine [[spoiler:and serves as the game's "final boss" for every non-Legion ending path.]] Averted with the NCR President Kimball and General Oliver, and even Caesar himself, who are all bog standard humans that go down after a couple decent headshots. Also a case of AsskickingEqualsAuthority, as Lanius got the job as Caesar's right hand man by singlehandedly killing off his entire former tribe in combat.
** ''Marcus!''. He has as much health as a [[KingMook deathclaw alpha]], and his punches do as much damage as one too!
** [[LargeHamRadio Tabitha]], [[EverythingsDeaderWithZombies the Vault 34 Overseer]], [[HumanoidAliens the Alien Captain]], and [[CompleteMonster Jean-Baptiste Cutting]] are all quite tough, each of them being a fairly worthy boss encounter.
** Joshua Graham, the legendary Burned Man, is equipped with a [[CoolGuns powerful customized Colt .45 pistol]] and, despite only wearing a light kevlar vest for armor, has a DT of 50! For comparison, a full suit of the best PoweredArmor in the game grants a total DT of 36. He pretty much laughs off anything short of direct headshots from the best firearms in the game.
** Salt-Upon-Wounds, the leader of the White Legs and "final boss" of the DLC, is no slouch himself. He has more health and armor than a Deathclaw Alpha, and is armed with a custom Power Fist. Graham pretty much curbstomps him, though.
* AnAxeToGrind: A few of them, especially the fire axe.
** Throw in some RuleOfCool and technobabble, and you get the Protonic Inversal Axe.
%% just making a soft alphabetic split here
* {{Badass}}: This is Fallout. There's... [[WorldOfBadass quite a few]]. Aside from the main characters, the main factions' top-tier [=NPCs=] get a special mention:
** NCR Veteran Rangers wear dusters over riot gear, and are armed with either a revolver that shoots rifle rounds, the best lever-rifle in the game, or a .50 sniper rifle.
** Legion praetorians, meanwhile, [[RuleOfCool sport sunglasses and shotgun fists]].
** A single MK II Securitron essentially has more firepower than an entire platoon of NCR troopers. Armed to the teeth with an SMG, Gatling Laser, missiles, Grenade Machine Gun, self-repair, AND the kitchen sink.
** Legate Lanius. In the G.E.C.K he even has the unique class "Legionary Bad Ass."
** The Courier before the game even starts. His journey started at the Mojave Express in Primm, South of Goodsprings. Most people who have been working as couriers for a while should notice the local wildlife, and as many people discovered, there are Cazadores north of Goodsprings. The Courier's route would have led straight through the swarm if he/she hadn't been shot. Planning to go through a swarm of Cazadores is either badass or TooDumbToLive.
*** Especially when we consider that unless the player not only preordered, but preordered from one of the four retailers whose copies came with an exclusive content pack, said courier was planning on walking through a swarm of Cazadores and close to a group of raiders armed with nothing but a 9mm pistol or laser pistol (if Doc Mitchell truly returned everything he found on you).
** Ulysses braved the entirety of the Divide, on foot, alone, just to lay an elaborate trap.
* BadassBoast: The Terrifying Presence perk gives you a few of these. Sometimes they're just something cool to say before you kill someone, other times they're [[ToThePain vivid descriptions of what you're going to do]] to your enemies. But they're all so invariably badass that you can say them unarmed in your underwear, and they'll make fully equipped Brotherhood Of Steel Paladins run screaming from you.
* BadassBystander: The entire town of [[WretchedHive Nipton]] fell to the Legion with hardly any resistance... then you come across this one solitary house complete with landmines, rigged shotguns, a cage ''full of man-eating scorpions'' and in which every single drawer and cabinet is locked - making him smarter that about 90% of the Mojave residents. If the corpses littering the floor are any indication, this guy did ''not'' come quietly. Read some of his documents and you will find that he was a severely paranoid guy, who was convinced that everybody in the town was trying to sniff out and [[ShoutOut steal his]] [[DrStrangelove "Vital Essence"]].
* BadassGrandpa: "Cannibal" Johnson got his nickname from an incident where, outnumbered by Raiders and with his back to the wall, he ''tore out a Raider's heart and took a bite out of it,'' hoping to scare the others off. It worked. Incidentally, the Raiders in question were half his age.
* BadassLongcoat: The NCR Ranger combat armor; it's the armor shown on the cover, also worn by the sniper at the wall around the Strip in the intro. Later [=DLCs=] add the Desert Ranger Combat Armor and the Elite Riot Gear, each Longcoat more Badass than the last.
** The Lonesome Road graces us with, not only the Courier's Duster, but [[spoiler: Ulysses' unique variant, with the tattered flag of the USA on the back]], which you naturally receive after the big finish. Goes quite nicely with Old Glory, a wooden staff capped with a golden metal eagle.
* BallisticDiscount: Can be done of course, but many traders and shopkeepers are usually heavily armed themselves as well as having guards and the risk of making the whole town hostile. The Silver Rush is the epitome of this, as they have half-a-dozen guards and one boss character guarding the shopkeeper. Keep in mind that the merchants' inventory and money gets replenished every few days, so killing may be a bad idea for a different reason.
** The Gun Runners take particular precautions in this regard - they built their reinforced, permanent sales booth ''around'' the Protectron who serves as their sales clerk.
* BastardUnderstudy: Benny tries to be this to Mr. House. [[spoiler:You can be one to House as well, and succeed where Benny failed]]
* BeamSpam: Gatling Laser (again), and the smaller Laser RCW, which is basically a WorldWar2 Thompson submachine gun that shoots FrickinLaserBeams.
* TheBeastmaster: The Animal Friend perk is upgraded again from ''Fallout 3''; this time it will also cause domesticated animals to fight with you, or even turn against their masters to help you.
* BeefGate: Used liberally in the beginning. The two north roads to Vegas lead you right into Cazadores and Deathclaws, the latter of which has twice as much health as a standard Deathclaw. To the south, straying from the road is a good way to get giant Radscorpions on your tail, and those things are hard to kill in the early game. It's a good sign that if something manages to kill you in two hits while anything you currently have can't inflict a single scratch in return, you should probably not be in that area yet. On the plus side, limiting specific monsters to specific ecological regions avoids the "anything can pop up anywhere" problem seen in ''Fallout 3'', where you'd have Deathclaws showing up just outside the walls of major settlements once your character reached a high-enough level.
** Also, the final battle. To be user-friendly, most action games with open-world or RPG elements (including ''{{Fallout 3}}'') have a final boss that is killable by the weakest possible player character that can reach the end of the game. This is not one of those games.
* BeingGoodSucks: Almost all of the Followers of the Apocalypse endings [[spoiler: has them taking on more responsibility than they can handle or being screwed outright. One of the only ''"good"'' endings, ironically enough, is an ending which Caesar lives. [[PetTheDog He spares their lives and lets them leave the Mojave Wasteland peacefully out of respect, as they had taught him as a boy]].]]
** In another ending, [[spoiler: if Followers support the NCR and you choose to end the game by siding with the NCR, Old Mormon Fort expanded its services and is able to aid more people, becoming a refuge for the less fortunate citizens of New Vegas.]] It is not as bad as the other endings for the Followers.
** Subverted with the Courier; even though EvilIsEasy, so much good karma is rewarded for winning unavoidable fights with evil enemies that no matter how much you [[HeroicSociopath kill]] and [[KleptomaniacHero steal]], you'll almost always be seen as a saint.
** Also played straight in the Honest Hearts DLC. [[spoiler: No matter which ending you choose, Daniel will still get the short end of the stick.]] Sure, sometimes it's only as bad as missing the paradise-that-could-have-been Zion, but it's ''very'' easy to make "good" decisions that cause him trouble.
* BerserkButton: [[{{Badass}} Boone]] ''hates'' the Legion, and for very good reason. It's impossible to get the Legion ending with him as a companion because he murders every single Legionnaire you come across.
** Technically, you CAN get the Legion ending if you have him as a companion... As long as you only kill legionaries ''before'' entering the Tops casino and getting the Mark of Caesar. As to this, it is perfectly possible to get him as a companion, complete his companion quest (which itself involves killing legionaries and is obtained similarily) and then dump him afterward to support Caesar right after getting the Mark from Vulpes. Boone has specific legion endings programmed into the game for a reason.
* BestServedCold: [[spoiler:Dean Domino]] of ''Dead Money'' is a firm believer in this. If you try to get the better of him in your first meeting (by beating him in a Barter check,) he'll patiently wait until the circumstances favour him again before stabbing you in the back.
* BettingMiniGame: As expected of a game with [[VivaLasVegas Vegas]] in the title; the game has a grand total of five casinos you can play in (and a few more you can't), each with their own theme and win limit. You can also play the Mojave's very own card game, "Caravan," if you're willing to learn the rules.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: The game's most powerful NPC is none other than Primm Slim, the Protectron sheriff robot in the Vikki and Vance Casino, who has more than 2,000 HP at level 30. That's just health, of course. It may take you a while, but he's a dolled-up Protectron and couldn't kill you if he wanted to.
** Yes Man. Oh, how nice and helpful is he. He also has a sadistic streak that comes out in a few lines.
* {{BFG}}: The Heavy Incinerator, Tesla Cannon, Grenade Machinegun, Minigun, Gatling Laser, Plasma Caster, Gauss Rifle, Light Machine Gun (note that 'Light' is a strictly relative term), and Anti-Materiel Rifle. All of them leave nice, chunky messes.
* {{BFS}}:
** The Bumper Sword.
** Lily carries a {{BFS}} made from a Vertibird propeller blade.
** Legate Lanius' {{BFS}}, the Blade of the East. It hurts. A lot.
** Marked Men in the ''Lonesome Road'' DLC may carry imitations of the above weapon called Blades of the West. They hurt. A lot.
* BigDamnGunship: You can see up to two of them in the final battle, provided you do their prerequisites. First one is the Boomers in their B-29 Bomber, the other is the [[spoiler: [[RetiredBadass Enclave]] [[TheAtoner Remnants]] arriving in a Vertibird to kick the ass of your choosing]]. It's even stated that the second one reminded everyone in the Mojave why they had feared the [[spoiler: Enclave]].
* BitchInSheepsClothing: [[spoiler:Jeannie May Crawford]] in Novac.
* BiTheWay: In one of her lines of dialogue, Cass says that once she is drunk enough, she doesn't care who she ends up in bed with whether they be male or female.
** If you try to invite her into your party when it's occupied by someone else (male or female), she says "I'm not in the mood for a threesome...today".
* BittersweetEnding: The best ending you can hope for in ''Honest Hearts'' is [[spoiler:The Sorrows and Dead Horses are safely evacuated from Zion and the White Legs' threat is neutralized [[TalkingTheMonsterToDeath one way]] [[KillEmAll or another]], And Joshua Graham finally makes peace with his inner demons, but Zion itself is lost forever, and Daniel spends the rest of his days wondering if abandoning it was the right decision after all...]]
** The "best case scenarios" for Arcade and Lily qualify big time. For Arcade, [[spoiler:the only endings where he ends up in a somewhat good position are the NCR and Wild Card endings, and even then he ends up somewhat disappointing with the negative aspects of each outcome, but nevertheless resolves to continue helping the Wasteland any way he can]]. As for Lily, her "good" endings either have her [[spoiler:go off to find her grandchildren, who are almost assuredly dead by now, or finally having her mental state stabilized at the cost of the memories of her past.]]
* BlackAndGreyMorality and GreyAndGreyMorality with some occasional [[EvilVersusEvil Black And Black Morality]]: There are no totally, completely good factions in the Fallout universe. There are plenty of pretty much outright evil factions, a ''lot'' of neutral ones, and a few that really are out to make the world a better place, [[WellIntentionedExtremist but even they tend to use rather questionable methods at times.]] The closest you'll probably get to a "good guy" in this game is a Good-aligned PlayerCharacter.
* BlatantLies: Those radioactive barrels you see both here and in Fallout 3? In the REPCONN headquarters, they're "safety barrels", and being buried in the ground is supposed to be totally safe! Some extremist hippy whackos are just lying to you about their radioactivity!
** Quite a few with the Think Tank in ''Old World Blues''.
--> '''Dr. Klein:''' How ''dare'' you! Branial beam ocilation was solely ''my'' discovery! I expressly told you that and deleted all evidence to the contrary!
* BlessedWithSuck[=/=]CursedWithAwesome: The positive and negative effect of the trait ''Wild Wasteland'' is described as "Adds wackier versions of current content."
** There's an example of this [[spoiler: if Arcade gives you his father's Enclave armor]]. He's really proud of it and brags that it will stop almost anything short of a plasma bolt. But due to its associations, wearing it could get you hunted down and killed, or if you're lucky, just thrown in an [=NCR=] jail for a long, long, long time. (Which [[spoiler: is what happens if ''Arcade'' wears it during some of his endings.]]) Uh ... thanks, man? What a ''blessing''. Luckily, StoryAndGameplaySegregation is in full effect if you decide to wear it.
* BlindWithoutEm: The ''Four Eyes'' trait, which gives a bonus to Perception so long as you're wearing glasses. Without them, it's a decrease to Perception. Will become useless later on, since power armor helmets, for obvious reasons, require you to take off your glasses. Again, this is assuming a character is even capable of / willing to wearing power armor helmets.
** Of course, this also poses serious problems; mechanically it reduces your base Perception by 1 and makes every pair of glasses give +2 Perception. Fairly nifty, except that certain perks require moderately high Perception to get, which this perk will more or less lock you out of.
* BlingBlingBang: All of the unique handguns.
* BlownAcrossTheRoom:
** The Gauss Rifle often send the opponent flying for considerable distance. Anyone who's heard the spiel from the drill instructor on the Citadel in MassEffect2 will understand why.
*** Which is a case of DidNotDoResearch in itself. Gauss guns in Fallout shoot micro-caliber ammunition that usually pass through the soft flesh. It is the tremendous hydrostatic shock that makes them so efficient.
** Averted, however, with Armor Piercing rounds...which do a little LESS damage on unarmored opponents than regular rounds BECAUSE of their overpenetration, which is actually TruthInTelevision.
** The Anti-Materiel Rifle can send ''Deathclaws'' flying back with a chest shot. It is not a gun that messes around.
** [[MeaningfulName Pushy]]. If your killing blow is an uppercut, you could easily send them 20 feet up and 30 feet away. If your unarmed is high enough, you can punch them with the force a football player punts a ball.
** Dead Money perk "And Stay Back" grants 10% chance per shotgun shot of throwing the target back. The sawed-off fires 14 buckshot per blast, practically guaranteeing an airborne ragdoll if fired at close range.
** The Fire Axe's special has a knockback effect; chaining the special lets you ''[[BeyondTheImpossible juggle an opponent in the air]]''.
* BombThrowingAnarchists: Averted by the Followers of the Apocalypse who, despite being derided as anarchists by some, arguably are the only "truly good" faction in the game, next to the Kings.
** Played straight by Samuel Cooke, the founder of the Powder Gangers, who was imprisoned by the NCR for being a literal example. The other Powder Gangers are aversions, however, as they are little more than another gang of raiders.
** 'Honest Hearts' introduces the 'Fight the Power!' that gives the bonus in combat with members of 'lawful' factions. It is accompanied by the picture of stereotypical rioter with a scarf on his face and holding Molotov cocktail.
* BookEnds: "War. War never changes."
* BoomerangBigot: One line used by Boomers states that they can take care of that robot problem for you. The same line is used by the robots on the base.
* BonusBoss: The four Legendary monsters. The toughest of them, the Legendary Deathclaw, is by far the most powerful thing in the entire game, with almost as much health as the final boss ''and'' an insanely high armor rating (significantly more than a full suit of the best power armor available!). Like all deathclaws, it is also very, very fast. He also [[OneHitKill one hit kills]] pretty much all but the toughest and most heavily armored of characters. [[DeadpanSnarker Nice knowing you.]]
** ''Old World Blues'' has the [[spoiler:[[LethalJokeCharacter Legendary Bloatfly]]. It's harder to kill than the Legendary Deathclaw and fires insanely powerful plasma bolts at you. When it dies it drops over 50 bloatfly meat and 20+ buffout.]]
** Colonel Royez and Gaius Magnus from post-Lonesome Road, [[spoiler: which appear when you nuke NCR or Legion territory respetively.]] They are two ghouls with utterly insane amounts of health (Capable of withstanding about five Holorifle shots to the face on Normal difficulty without dying), and constantly regenerate health as well. To make it worse, they both have high-end unique armor, one of which ''adds even more health regeneration''.
* BonusDungeon: Up to three are added by ''Lonesome Road,'' the Courier's Mile, the NCR Long 15, and the Legion Dry Wells. The latter two are only accessible if [[spoiler: you decided to nuke them.]]
* BoringButPractical: The Marksman Carbine. Powerful. Durable. Versatile. Ammo-efficient. Completely unspectacular and ugly.
** The Recharger Rifle. You're most likely to find this weapon at the beginning of the game, and it does lower damage than many other energy rifles. However, it makes up for this by being rechargeable, rather than using energy ammo. That's right, it's an energy weapon that has INFINITE AMMO. Kinda makes up for the slight shortage of energy ammo in the game, huh? Becomes useless later when you can regularly find and recharge energy rifle ammo, though.
** The Cowboy Repeater. Cheap to repair and uses powerful magnum ammo instead of rifle. Easy to make ammo, low AP cost, and incredible accuracy can make this a viable weapon for most of the game. As with the Marksman Carbine, the only problem is that it's obviously not full auto.
** Most Guns-type weapons really. This is one reason why many players consider [[KineticWeaponsAreJustBetter guns to be superior than the]] [[AwesomeButImpractical more flashy energy weapons,]] [[KineticWeaponsAreJustBetter even after the latter was made more powerful.]]
** Leg shots. Not as impressive or damaging as a head shot, but they slow down melee enemies significantly if you cripple the legs, and will save your life when you enter Deathclaw territory.
** The Strong Back, Educated, and Rapid Reload perks. They don't do anything flashy, but pay off massively in the long run.
** The simpler crafting recipes. Cooking meat into steaks and converting ammo into the type you need is always useful and worthwhile.
** From Dead Money, the Cosmic Knives. Not only are they easy to find, but you can clean one to give it a massive stat boost. Helps out in the first few quests, when you have almost no ammo or items.
** the Police Pistol. All the other weapons are exotic and powerful, and this is just a bog-standard revolver. However, it hits hard enough to easily dismember Ghosts, and the ammo is everywhere.
** From the Lonesome Road DLC comes the flare gun. Doesn't have the greatest damage, but uses a fairly common ammo type only used by a few other weapons in the entire game, and has the distinct power to SCARE DEATHCLAWS.
* BottleFairy: Cass
* BrainInAJar: The Robobrains. There's also the Think Tanks of Old World Blues, who come with monitors for eyes and a mouth. Amazingly enough, [[spoiler:there's YOUR brain, which you can actually talk to (and [[ScrewYourself come onto]]).]]
* BribingYourWayToVictory: The ''Courier's Stash'' and ''Gun Runners' Arsenal'' DLC, the former moreso than the latter. ''Courier's Stash'' is a compilation of several pre-order bonus packs which gives the player four full item sets at the start of the game, including a bottomless water canteen which reduces the amount of water you need to drink. No matter which set of armor you choose, you're a lot better off than in the vanilla game. ''Gun Runners' Arsenal'' adds a ton of new weapons to be purchased from shops, as well as weapon mods for them. At least these you actually have to buy in-game.
* BrokenAesop: The overall theme of the DLC ''Dead Money'' is how greed can make people unable to let go of their own vices. To illustrate this point, the casino vault is filled with dozens of gold bars that are far too heavy for you to carry to escape alive, proving that even the player must set aside their greed in order to move on. ... Except that with a stealthboy and some very precise timing, it's fully possible to make off with all the gold without a scratch. So in the end the moral is 'you need to let go of your greed, unless you're clever enough to get away scott free'.
* BulletTime: VATS of course. Turbo and the Implant GRX perk will also produce this effect.
* BullyingADragon: Keith, a hustler at the Aerotech business park, gets cornered by Captain Parker after you provide Parker with evidence of Keith's misdeeds. Parker tries to arrest Keith, who resists. Keith then starts taunting Parker about how his wife left him. Which prompts Parker to let fly with his service rifle. Taunting a man armed with a military rifle about his estranged wife... [[TooDumbToLive smooth.]]
* ButchLesbian: Corporal Betsy from Camp [=McCarran=]. Just OneOfTheBoys, though she's been hitting on every woman in the Camp after having been [[spoiler:raped by Cook-Cook. One side-quest is getting her to see a psychologist.]]
* ButForMeItWasTuesday: In the ''Lonesome Road'' DLC, [[spoiler:a single unremarkable package the Courier delivered prior to the start of the game accidently caused the destruction of the Divide, robbing Ulysses of his home, teaching him the power certain individuals hold to radically reshape the world, and sparking off some rather dangerous obsessions. When he tells you what that package did, you can respond that the package was so unremarkable to you, you can't even recall it clearly.]]
%% just making a soft alphabetic split here
* TheCakeIsALie: In ''Old World Blues'', [[spoiler:the Think Tank enlist your help in defeating their enemy, Dr. Mobius, on the promise that they'll let you go once you retrieve your brain and get it back in your skull. In truth, they plan on keeping your brain for themselves, because they need it for their own agenda.]]
* CaneFu: A favourite melee weapon for the White Gloves. While that doesn't sound too dangerous, remember that you have to go in bare-fisted unless you have a high enough sneak skill or can rob the cashier's room without getting caught. If your Unarmed skill is crap, you'll have a hell of a time doing the quest for their casino (the right way, at least).
* CannibalismSuperpower: The player character can literally gain cannibalism superpowers through a [[http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Meat_of_Champions hidden perk]]. [[spoiler:If the player takes the Cannibal perk and then kills and eats Caesar, The King, Mr. House and President Kimball, your character absorbs their greatest strengths. Afterward, you receive a boost to four primary stats for a full minute after committing any act of cannibalism. Given that you have to kill and eat the four most powerful people in the Mojave Wasteland (which will naturally alienate their factions) and Kimball only appears in the second-final plot mission of the game this perk is somewhere in between a BraggingRightsReward and AwesomeButImpractical.]]
* CantGetAwayWithNuthin: If you attack any member of a major faction, the rest will know and you will lose reputation with them for it. They {{Handwave}} it with both sides having a "robust network of informants", but that's a shallow justification when you're killing Legion recruits in the middle of the desert. Strangely averted with the Fiends. So long as you do it in one shot, you can kill one ten feet from the rest and they won't notice. You don't even have to sneak.
** Especially egregious with the faction hit squad spawning. Wipe out the Legion Raid Camp? Caesar will instantly know and teleport a hit squad to immediately retaliate.
* TheCaper: What the Dead Money [=DLC=] is all about.
* CatchPhrase: The Yes Man thinks this trope page is absolutely ''great!'' And he's not just saying that because he has to!
* CattlePunk: The closer you get to big cities, the more it becomes like a gangster flick, but the more rural areas have a definite old west feel to them. What do you expect, it's set in Nevada. Let us count the ways: ''Two'' cowboy robots (Victor and Primm Slim), [[RevolversAreJustBetter prominent revolvers]], cattle barons, extra-big bighorn sheep, moody guitar riffs, a Cowboy perk that makes you better at all things Gunslingers ought to be, a chain gang on the run... and these are all just in the first few hours of the game.
* ChainsawGood: As well as the Ripper, a full-sized chainsaw can be found [[spoiler:in Vault 3, wielded by Motor-Runner, or on high-level Legionaries]]. Thanks to its incredibly high-damage VATS attack (high enough to completely ignore a Ranger's DT and kill him in one hit), it is one of the best weapons for Sneak Attacks in the game. Despite whatever common sense may tell you about using a bulky, awkward and loud weapon for stealth work.
* CharacterDevelopment: [[spoiler: The Enclave Remnants really humanize the faction of [[CardCarryingVillain Card-Carrying Villains]] they were in {{Fallout 2}} and {{Fallout 3}}.]]
* ChekhovsGun: As you're poking around your would-be gravesite in Goodsprings, you'll likely come across a bunch of Distinctive Cigarette Butts, as well as a distinctive lighter off a named Great Khan you can kill in Boulder City. Keep these items, they become useful when convincing Swank to turn on Benny.
** In the ''Old World Blues'' expansion, [[spoiler: the injury you sustained at the ''very beginning'' of the game ends up as one of these. It creates a bit of a "wrinkle" in your brain that caused the Auto-Doc responsible for the brain-extraction process to alter its programming, and keep you sane and lucid after it was done.]]
* CherryTapping: One of the challenges added by ''Gun Runner's Arsenal'' is to kill Deathclaws with the weakest weapons in the game. Of course, it only says ''kill''. There's [[LoopholeAbuse nothing saying]] you can't horribly main them with your top shelf guns, first.
* ChronicBackstabbingDisorder: [[spoiler:Benny has betrayed three people before the game even started, can betray you if you are gullible enough to believe him about talking to you in private at the Tops penthouse, and has the audacity to betray you yet again if you free him from the Fort by running away for good instead of helping you.]]
** Also, the Courier has the capability of betraying not one, not two, but all three factions, murdering all three leaders ([[ImAHumanitarian and possibly even devouring them after he kills them]]), then taking over New Vegas in the resulting power vacuum.
*** And those are just the major factions. You can also get in good with EVERY minor faction in the game, provided you're clever enough not to alienate them by accident, and then, before the final battle, go in and wipe out ALL OF THEM. ICanRuleAlone, indeed...
*** There are also plenty of quests that end with the option to slaughter the people you're helping. Help a group of ghouls get to the rockets, then set them to crash into each other. Help restore power to Helios One, then set the defense system to kill everyone unlucky enough to be standing outside. Promise to cut off access to the sulfur mines under the Vault, then set enough explosives to take down the mines ''and'' the Vault. And then there's that self-destruct button in the Brotherhood of Steel bunker...
*** [[spoiler:And now with the Lonesome Road DLC, you can unleash nuclear missiles upon NCR territory, Legion territory or both of them.]]
* ChurchMilitant: The Mormon Church it seems. According to Graham, learning how to handle a .45 auto is a rite of passage for New Canaanites. However, it's more that they're quite capable of defending themselves rather than being aggressively militant (far from actually). Also, one must remember that, AfterTheEnd, you better damn well know how to kill or live around people that do.
* ClassyCatBurglar: The sneak skill '¡La Fantoma!' depicts one of these on it's cover.
* CloudCuckoolander: Played with; No-Bark Noonan is actually pretty perceptive about strange events that are happening around Novac, and good at looking through people with less-than honest intentions. Too bad he blames them on the Chupacabra and the mole people. [[spoiler: Of course, the mole people are actually real, and he sometimes lays blame on exactly what the problem is but obfuscates it behind his choice of words.]]
** The Think Tank and Doctor Mobius.
** Many of the relatively sane nightkin, such as Lily and Tabitha, qualify as this
* ClusterFBomb: Cass has a delightfully foul mouth, and can't help swearing repeatedly. The game plays with this during her side-quest, while [[spoiler: taking revenge for her ruined caravan]], she states that they'll settle accounts with one group, and then go to the leader of the other group and "make that bitch eat her own hair." When you look in the quest menu, that statement is recorded word for word as your goal for this quest. Some characters have a wonderful way of personalizing their own quests, you know?
--> '''Cass:''' [[CrowningMomentOfFunny "The NCR wants their hands on everything they see. Nobody's dick is that long, not even Long Dick Johnson, and he had a fucking long dick, thus the name."]]
--> '''The Courier''' [[CaptainObvious "Yeah, I kinda guessed that."]]
* ColdBloodedTorture: One torture path available when interrogating Silus is to kill him for your personal pleasure.
* ColdOpening: While the first 3 DLCs start with a narrated slideshow, Lonesome Road skips this in favor of dropping you right into The Divide.
* ColdSniper: Boone. He actually tries to keep you away, believing he's too cold to have a spotter and that it'll end in disaster. If he gets killed (or rendered unconscious), he'll [[EvilLaugh creepily chuckle and say the he knew that you'd be the death of him]].
** Corporal Betsy in Camp [=McCarran=] deconstructs the trope by expressing regret over the job requiring such a cold personality.
*** She also subverts it with her [[spoiler:vulnerability and mental trauma after being raped by Cook-cook.]]
** Ranger Ghost is somewhat of a subversion - she's cold and doesn't regret it, but the other NCR personnel think she's a prick and/or trying too hard.
** Sergeant Bitter Root as well. The other 2 First Recon members, [[ShellShockedVeteran Corporal Sterling]] and [[FarmBoy 10 of Spades]] are quite [[FriendlySniper friendly]] however are not [[ColdSniper cold snipers]].
* CollectionSidequest: The longest mission in the game, by logical extension, involves collecting special "star" bottle caps from bottles of Sunset Sarsaparilla and handing them in to an animatronic cowboy named [[{{Gunsmoke}} Festus]]. There is also a snow globe collection game which nets you caps.
* ColonelBadass: Colonel Cassandra Moore. She commands the garrison at Hoover Dam, within spitting distance of the massive Legion buildup at Fortification Hill. She's built up reputation as a hardass and a GeneralRipper (though justifiable due to the proximity to the Fort). She's had four tours against the Brotherhood of Steel during the NCR's war with them.
* CompetitiveBalance: Every character build has a chance to survive and thrive in the Mojave Wasteland, whether he be a [[MightyGlacier power armor-wearing sledgehammer-wielding maniac]], [[GlassCannon a sneaky thief with a sniper rifle]], or a [[GuileHero smooth talker]], Obsidian has made it possible for you to solve everything the game throws at you.
* TheComputerIsACheatingBastard: NPC characters can reload some slow reload weapons such as Cowboy Repeaters and .357 revolvers as though they are reloaded with magazines or speedloaders. Thankfully, this also applies to followers.
** Nowhere is this more apparent than the game's gambling. NPC card dealers will regularly deal themselves 20s and Blackjack several times in a row when your luck stat is below par. Maxing out your Luck stat allows for the game to cheat in your favour as well.
** The Boomers. The artillery barrage you must run through upon approaching their base is a scripted event, and cannot be avoided in any way or gives any third options besides 'duck and cover'. Stealth won't work, even with Stealth Boys. You can't snipe the spotters, because there aren't any. You can't make them run out of ammo. You can't return fire with the Fat Man. All you can do is run and take cover and wait for the reloading breaks (which, given the number of shells they're shooting per barrage, implies they've got a 20-gun battery firing at you).
*** You can, however, use [[BulletTime Turbo]] to run past them.
* ContinuityNod: This game takes place in the same area as the canon but canceled ''Van Buren'', so plenty of characters and elements in ''New Vegas'' are references to events from that game.
** Fans of ''Fallout'' will soon notice the large number of references to towns from [[{{Fallout1}} ''Fallout 1'']] and [[{{Fallout2}} ''2'']], such as Modoc or the Hub; understandable, since those took place in northern California, not far from Nevada, which is where this game takes place.
** The reason the NCR can't torture [=POWs=] can be traced back to the administration of "President Tandi".
** Who is one of the faces on the [[http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/NCR_dollars NCR currency]], along with [[{{Fallout1}} Seth and Aradesh]].
*** Not just that, but the [[{{Fallout2}} Chosen One]] him/herself is repeatedly referenced.
** Remember [[{{Fallout 2}} the crashed vertibird outside Klamath?]] [[CoolOldLady So does its pilot.]]
** Lily's melee weapon is a large sword made out of a propeller blade taken from the same Vertibird.
** A character makes mention of the mildly terrifying Mr. Bishop of New Reno, who seems more at home in the wasteland than the city. This, presumably, is the son a male Chosen One can have by [[ReallyGetsAround either the wife or daughter]] (canonically the latter) of the head of the Bishop family at the time.
** There are also a surprising amount of references to [[{{Fallout3}} ''Fallout 3'']], both explicitly and thematically:
** Veronica wishes the Brotherhood could help the ordinary people and look at changing the philosophy to fit the changing world they live in. This is basically what the Capital Wasteland [=BoS=] did. She even vaguely refers to this, mentioning that the [=BoS=] has had schisms and breakaway groups in the past (although that could refer to the ''Tactics'' [=BoS=] as well).
*** If you're low of intelligence, when asked about what you think about the Brotherhood of Steel, you can reply something along the lines of them being "giant monsters in power armour that shoot lasers from their eyes."...which is pretty much Liberty Prime in a nutshell.
*** The schism and breakaway part likely references both the Midwestern and Capital Wasteland Brotherhoods... but she continues by mentioning that one chapter even had a small civil war over it, which either references the Capital Wasteland Brotherhood/Outcast conflict or some other conflict we haven't heard about before or since.
** ED-E is [[spoiler: an Enclave eyebot from the airbase in the "Broken Steel" DLC. And was headed to Navarro. He was also the only prototype finished because funds were being pulled to create Hellfire Armor, also from Broken Steel.]]
** The [[spoiler: aliens from the Mothership Zeta DLC]] show up if you have the Wild Wasteland perk.
** Copies of Moira's "Wasteland Survival Guide" are skill books that increase your survival skill.
** Yes Man mentions how nice it would be to stomp the Legion and NCR with a giant robot that shoots lasers out if it's eyes. This is a reference to Liberty Prime.
** Doctor Henry in Jacobstown [[{{Fallout2}} really knows his cyberdogs. He also happens to know a thing or two about mutations.]]
** Remember Marcus, the friendly Super Mutant who helped Chosen One and wound up as mayor of Broken Hills in ''Fallout 2''? He's back.
** The Classic Pack gives you the equipment of both the Vault Dweller and the Chosen One.
** Emily Ortal, a Follower and a native of Arroyo, may reward you with medical supplies for completing a small side quest she gives you. She hopes that they are of no use to you... just like Hakunin, the shaman from when it was still a tribal village, from {{Fallout 2}}. Except a little less cryptically.
** Dog from 'Dead Money' seems to always need orders because he had a master as long as he remembers. Starting with ''The'' Master (the BigBad from ''Fallout'').
*** TheMaster is also mentioned by other Super mutants and Nightkin
** You can get the recipe for the delicious Deathclaw omelet from the great niece of its creator, who somehow got a female Deathclaw to provide a steady supply of eggs in Modoc. Until some stranger came along and "[[GoForTheEye shot it in the eye]]," anyway.
* CoolPlane: The Boomers' B-29 bomber.
* CoolVersusAwesome: The central conflict of the game is basically the [=US=] Army versus the Roman Legions versus Howard Hughes and his robot army versus a OneManArmy.
* CorruptCorporateExecutive: [[spoiler:Alice Mc Lafferty. She made a secret deal with the Van Graffs to eliminate the other trade caravans through any means necessary. Buy them out, kill the owners, it's all good.]]
* {{Courier}}: YOU! As well as the various other couriers that work for the Mojave Express.
* [[WizardNeedsFoodBadly Courier Needs Food Badly]]: In Hardcore Mode, you need to eat, drink, and sleep regularly, or suffer the consequences!
* {{Cowboy}}: One of the perks, which makes you better with [[RevolversAreJustBetter Revolvers]], [[TheWestern Lever action weapons]], [[KnifeNut knives]], [[AnAxeToGrind axes]], and [[DynamiteCandle dynamite]].
* CowboyCop: Meyers, one of the (better) options for Primm's new sheriff, was sent to the NCRCF for "taking the law into his own hands one too many times". [[spoiler:If he becomes sheriff, the epilogue reveals he does his job well and Primm prospers under him, but occasionally a body of a suspected criminal is found lying in the gutter.]]
* CrazyPrepared: ''Mr. House''. He not only calculated the exact time and day of the nuclear apocalypse (and was less than a day off), but he also managed to prepare himself that he survived for two hundred years afterwards, as well as being able to remotely disable or shoot down all but eleven of the missiles headed for Vegas. And if he'd had the Platinum Chip, none of them would have hit.
* CrazySurvivalist: Randall Clark, a soldier from the Great War and the former owner of the Desert Ranger Armor in Honest Hearts. He eventually became a god-like figure to the Sorrows, whom he developed a PapaWolf-like mentality towards.
** More like a subversion of this trope. He is pragmatical, usually behaves cowardly (which saves his life on more than one occasion), displays bouts of survivor guilt, plans to commit suicide and tries to help others without risking direct contact. Not your average CrazySurvivalist.
* CreditsGag: If you've got the Wild Wasteland perk, the credits are full of humorous notes, in-jokes, and nicknames.
%% We already have separate pages for Crowning Moments of Awesome, Funny, and Heartwarming for Fallout New Vegas, check at the top of the page for the links.
* CruelAndUnusualDeath: The death animation of some weapons, or if you have [[LudicrousGibs Bloody Mess]] perk.
* CruelMercy: One option in Cass' quest. If you spare [[spoiler:the Van Graffs and Alice [=McLafferty=] ]], and give evidence of their crimes to the NCR, Cass decides that the NCR's bureaucracy and legal procedures will do them more harm than her bullets ever could.
** You can also do the same to [[spoiler: Mr. House, by disconecting his body from the mainframe and putting him back in his capsule. His life support will keep him alive for at least one year before he dies from the contaminants you exposed him to.]]
** In ''Honest Hearts'', with high enough speech skill, you can convince Joshua Graham to do this to Salt-upon Wounds.
* CrushingThePopulace: Caesar's Legion if Legate Lanius comes to rule; he will murder anyone and everyone who he sees as an insult to the Legion, including the Followers of the Apocalypse as he claims they have "dishonored" Caesar's reputation. The Legion also does not treat its citizens well.
* CuteBruiser: Veronica; her WeaponOfChoice is the PowerFist. Give her a [[InfinityPlusOneSword Ballistic Fist]], and she will murder the crap out of just about anything.
* CurbStompBattle: The final battle at Hoover Dam can turn into this, especially if you got all factions to ally with the NCR [[spoiler: including the remnants]], have a powerful companion with you (like Boone with [[PowerArmor power armor]] and an [[{{BFG}} Anti-Materiel Rifle]]), have maxed out energy weapons and have saved all your [[InfinityPlusOneSword alien blaster]] ammo. You can just go around disintegrating squad after squad of the Legion's EliteMooks with no difficulty at all, while your allies just keep coming in and curb stomping the shit out of them in one BigDamnHeroes moment after another, finally culminating in defeating the FinalBoss [[MemeticBadass Legate Lanius]] in a few seconds.
%% just making a soft alphabetic split here
* DamageSpongeBoss: Giant Roboscorpion and Deathclaws.
** DamageSpongeBoss [[BossInMookClothing In Mook's Clothing]]: A way of instituting FakeDifficulty in the higher levels of the DLC.
* DangerousDeserter: You encounter a few in Primm, attempting to start a protection racket and attacking you if try to turn them in. They're survivors from a outpost that was overrun by [[TheEmpire Caesar's Legion]], and think the [=NCR=] will be defeated by them soon.
* DaysOfFuturePast: In addition to the "retro 50s" feel of all surviving pre-war culture typical to the ''{{Fallout}}'' franchise, Caesar's Legion is obviously inspired by the Roman Empire, in-universe and out.
* DeadCharacterWalking: Has a similar bug as Minecraft game. If you save while character just died, there's various bugged things that happen, from floating hollow heads to weird corpses that's still alive. [[http://www.cracked.com/article_19507_the-8-creepiest-glitches-hidden-in-popular-video-games_p2.html Cracked explains it the best...]]
* DeadpanSnarker:
** You, the player character; numerous dialogue options involve it.
** Veronica, a recruitable sarcastic Brotherhood companion. Voiced by FeliciaDay.
--->'''Veronica:''' (on the Boomers) "A bunch of shut-ins who show disdain for outsiders and hold technology above them. Huh. Haven't heard ''that'' one before."
** Ghoul companion Raul also has a sense of humor that's as dry as his skin.
** Arcade Gannon's ex-All-American sense of humor qualifies as well.
** Rene Auberjonois brings a delightful snideness to Mr House. Especially if the Courier tries to get uppity with him.
--->'''Mr. House:''' ''Why'' is it so hard to find good help these days? (unleashes a dozen murder-bots on the Courier)
* DeathByIrony: The Legion camp at Cottonwood Cove is built ''right underneath'' a truck loaded with barrels of radioactive waste, perched perilously halfway over a cliff. It's possible to dump the barrels into the Legion camp, killing all the Legion forces there, resulting in an ironic payback for their dirty bomb attack on Camp Searchlight (the NCR survivors of Camp Searchlight will appreciate the irony if you tell them about it).
** If you opt for traditional Townicide while playing a female character, Sergeant Astor will also comment on the delicious irony of the camp being wiped by a woman, who are [[StayInTheKitchen treated as incapable pieces]] [[NoWomansLand of meat in the Legion]].
** Step one, buy a powerful shotgun. Step two, go meet Caesar. Step three, load the shotgun with Coin Shot (rounds made with coins that are used by Caesar's Legions, and bonus points if these are coins that Caesar himself paid you). Step Four, [[BoomHeadshot Render Unto Caesar That Which Is Caesar's.]] Step Five, [[OhCrap fight your way out of the now angry horde of Legion soldiers.]]
* [[DeathWorld Death City]]: The Sierra Madre Villa is an isolated town choked by a toxic gas, inhabited only by [[HumanoidAbomination Ghost People]] and full of traps. It only gets worse when you find out that not only the Casino itself was [[spoiler: intended as a death trap]] but that the town was [[spoiler: a test lab for some Think Tank experiments]]. Ulysses even refers to it as a "special sort of hell".
* DeceasedFallGuyGambit: The Legion version of the quest "I Put a Spell on You" has you pulling this on [[ThePrankster Pvt. Crenshaw]]
* {{Deconstruction}}: [[spoiler:The Wild Card route is arguably one of StartMyOwn, OmnicidalNeutral, ICanRuleAlone and/or TakeAThirdOption. Even if you do everything ''exactly'' right ([[GuideDangIt which is harder than it sounds]]), there's still going to be a ''lot'' of people unhappy or otherwise having negative reactions, most notably the Followers and the [=BoS=]. This is driven home when, during the final battle, General Oliver and Legate Lanius ''taunt'' you for actually thinking you alone could make everyone happy and peaceful, Oliver in particular demanding to know what makes you more qualified than anyone else to make that kind of decision. Then again, the main theme of the Wild Card ending ''is'' that freedom and independence almost always come at a price...]]
** The Fallout tradition of doing this to the value system of the 50s also continues; there's a great example in the REPCONN Headquarters and it's rather strict security.
** Honest Hearts has some of MightyWhitey; Both Daniel and Joshua are aware that them leading their respective tribes isn't healthy for anyone involved, but they don't know how else to handle it. Daniel's uncertainty is actually hinted as one reason for him [[ItsUpToYou listening to a complete stranger]].
* {{Defictionalization}}: The collector's edition included chips from the major casinos in the game as well as [[MacGuffin the Platinum Chip.]] In a less profitable vein, many fans play Caravan in real life.
* DeliberatelyMonochrome: Camp Forlorn Hope is washed-out and has a heavy brown pallor over everything. Completing the quest "Restoring Hope" restores color to the area.
* DemocracyIsBad: Vault 11. [[spoiler:The computer stated that unless people were sacrificed at regular intervals, everyone would be killed. The citizens decided to choose those sacrifices with elections.]]
-->'''Gus Olson, Ombudsman:''' ''...Choose a [[spoiler:sacrifice]] democratically, in the way that we citizens are accustomed to washing our hands of terrible deeds...''
** Resulting in the rather darkly funny 1950s style campaign posters which say stuff like "Haley is a known adulterer & Communist sympathizer, vote for Haley!" in bold red, white, and blue.
* DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment: All of the Think Tank doctors get into this, with Dr. Mobious's dome-shaped... dome in the FORBIDDEN ZONE (that is... '''YES!'''... forbidden! to you), and the the TESLA COILS... OF NIKOLA TESLA.
* DesperatelyLookingForAPurposeInLife: Raul, if you follow his side-quest.
* {{Determinator}}: The Courier, and Caesar calls attention to it. [[BoomHeadshot You survived being shot in the head]]. Twice. At point blank range. By a guy holding [[InfinityMinusOneSword one of the most powerful unique handguns in the game]]. The doc didn't pull the bullets out of his/her skull, [[MemeticBadass the Courier forced them out THROUGH SHEER WILLPOWER]]. If you have high Luck, the doc will even suggest that this should have happened.
** Raul makes mention, during one of the conversations you unlock by talking to certain elderly people, about how he went on a RoaringRampageOfRevenge when a girl who resembled his deceased sister was kidnapped by raiders. He tracked them for three straight days (they slept, he didn't), and she was dead by the time he got there. In response, he killed all seven of them by himself, soaking up bullets and staying alive on nothing but pure rage. After several days of lying near-dead on the ground, he pulled himself back up and went back home.
*** Also helps that being a ghoul he has a healing factor while near radiation, and this was taking place not long after the bombs felled.
* DickDastardlyStopsToCheat: You can meet a bodyguard for hire who [[spoiler: hires people to pose as thugs so he can pretend to shoot them and scam his customers out of money.]] The problem? [[spoiler: He wears decent armor, is carrying a [[HandCannon powerful Hunting Revolver]], and most thugs he has to fight to protect his clients carry knives or lead pipes. It's much, much cheaper and less complicated for him to just do his job rather than hire 4 other people and split his earnings with them.]] Not played straight, though, as this is still a good way to increase the apparent need for his services and thus drum up business.
** Benny probably would have had an easier time putting his plan into action if he had just let the Platinum Chip reach its destination without a hitch.
* DidIJustSayThatOutLoud: [[spoiler:Mortimer]], upon realizing that he's just admitted to [[spoiler:still being a cannibal]] in front of a banquet of [[spoiler: other (former) cannibals.]]
** Also Karl if the Courier taunts him into [[spoiler: shouting that the Great Khans are nothing compared to the Legion]]. While the [[spoiler:Khan]] leaders are most likely [[TooDumbToLive sitting right next to him.]]
* DidNotDoTheResearch: In-universe example: [=McNamara=] has heard of a tribe with advanced weapons in the Northeast of the Mojave, but assumes that a small Brotherhood scouting patrol with PowerArmor and Laser rifles will be sufficient for a recon mission. Turns out the tribe in question is the [[BadassArmy Boomers]]. Their weapons? Pre-war artillery.
** The fate of Camp Guardian. The notes you uncover from the squad stationed there laments that the scouts who performed recon on the area didn't take the time to realise that they'd chosen a place where its difficult to get a radio signal out, failed to actually ''give them a radio'' and then [[ItGotWorse realise]] that underneath them is a large cave system filled with Radscorpions, Giant Rats and Lakelurks.
* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: Ulysses refers to the Think Tank as "the gods of the Big Empty," and remarks that not even he, or even "a hundred Elijahs" could defeat them. [[spoiler:The Courier can, thanks to a certain gunshot wound to the brain that allows him/her to bypass their pacification field.]]
* DiscOneFinalBoss: Benny serves this role, being the main object of the player's pursuit for the 1st half of the main quest line.
* DiscOneNuke:
** The Ratslayer, a Varmint Rifle with all the mods attached to it and with more damage, and can be obtained early, [[GuideDangIt if you know where to look]]. The catch? It's in a cave filled with the bigger Giant Rats. Thankfully, you can get Boone nearby.
** '[[ICallItVera Lucky]]', a unique and particularly powerful .357 revolver with a 2.5x crit multiplier (in LaymansTerms, it [[CriticalHit critically hits]] a lot). You can find it in Primm, which can be VERY early, if you can manage a buffed 75 lockpicking.
** The Space Suit and Helmet you find at the REPCONN Test Facility is Disc One Armor. It has decent defense, is a Light-type armor, and has the added bonus of having as much Rad Resistance on it as an Advanced Radiation Suit. Also, it looks ''[[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotAwesome awesome]]''.
** A short ways north from the starting town (there's [[BeefGate Cazadores]] about, but it's fairly easy to find a way around), you'll find Chance's grave. Bring a shovel, and you can loot it for Chance's Knife, which is the best melee weapon you can get for a long time.
** Boone is a Disc One Companion. With his outrageously high Guns skill, he can and will headshot anything he gets in his sights. He also makes grabbing other Disc One Nukes that much easier.
** ED-E can also count as this. He's the first companion you can find, and you can repair him with parts from Goodsprings if you loot the town. His Enhanced Sensors perk is the ultimate in enemy spotting, and his laser isn't that bad, either. He can't compare to Boone, of course, but pair him with Boone and you will have a murderous duo that will hunt down and kill anything that might dare to harm you.
** A fairly subtle one is using the oft-overlooked 'drag' button when inside a shop. Using it, you can drag any object -- for example, a Plasma Caster in the Silver Rush -- to a corner of the store where nobody's looking and steal it with ease. You can then either keep that object and make things a ''lot'' easier for you in the early levels, or sell it and earn yourself a boatload of caps. You don't even need to have any points in Sneak for this to work.
** "This Machine", an M1 Garand Rifle that deals incredible damage, has a semi automatic firing rate, has a larger clip size than any other rifle (save the Marksman's Carbine), and reloads very fast.
*** Though you will get the quest normally shortly before or after you get to Benny, and it will take some time, too. So Disc One is pretty much over before you get it.
** Bonnie Springs is host to a small group of Viper gang members, one of which has the unique unarmed weapon "Love and Hate". For an unarmed character only Pushy and the Ballistic Fist have a higher DPS, except in the DLC.
* DisproportionateRetribution: It's implied that [[spoiler:Jeannie May]] sold [[spoiler:Boone's wife, Carla]] to the Legion as a slave because [[spoiler:Carla didn't like Jeannie May's hotel]].
** From ''Dead Money'' Do anything to upset Dean, including behaving like anything other than his snivelling lackey and he'll try and kill you when you get inside the Sierra Madre.
* TheDitz: Any main character with less than 4 in intelligence will often find themselves CompletelyMissingThePoint, and can ask for the LaymansTerms if a conversation is causing them trouble.
--> '''Courier:''' You sell plants here?\\
'''Dr. Usanagi:''' Uh, no. Implants, not plants. They're little machines I can put inside you to make you faster, quicker, or smarter. [[DeadpanSnarker I recommend the smarter implant]]. (She'll offer a discount on it out of pity.)
** Of course, you can evolve your character into a GeniusDitz if you spend your skill points in the right categories like Science or Medicine, resulting in a character that has a very low IQ but is surprisingly talented in his/her fields of interest.
* DoubleEntendre: As a male with the Confirmed Bachelor perk, you can ask Major Knight in the Mojave Outpost if he wants to be [[HoYay "friends."]] He'll get really awkward and explain that he would like to have you as a "friend," and the NCR technically doesn't have rules against guys having "friends," but the outpost has a somewhat conservative climate and he can't afford to have a "friend" while having to get up and work with these people every day, but maybe you can be "friends" when he's transferred somewhere else.
* DownerEnding:
** [[spoiler: If you side with the Legion. Especially if you leave [[CompleteMonster Legate]] [[TheDragon Lanius]] in power. Because [[WellIntentionedExtremist Caesar]] is now dead, the Legion devolves from a evil empire into a band of raping and pillaging marauders, and every single settlement gets either enslaved or destroyed. Or enslaved ''then'' destroyed.]]
** Even the Legion ending is absolutely nothing compared to [[spoiler: siding with Elijah in Dead Money. The ending explains that Elijah proceeded to release the Cloud upon the Mojave, which brought horrible painful death to everything in it's wake, before releasing his army of invincible laser shooting holograms to mop up. No living thing set foot in the Mojave for years after due to rumors of ghosts immune to gunfire and a red cloud that brought death in its wake. All that remained was Elijah and the Courier, waiting in the Sierra Madre for the world to [[ArcWords begin again]].]]
** [[spoiler: No matter what you do, not everyone will be able to have a happy ending at the end. For example, the only way to get a good ending for the Followers of the Apocalypse is by making them cooperate with the NCR and leave the Republic in control of New Vegas. However, doing so will also result in Arcade getting hunted down by the NCR as a war criminal due to his former connections with the Enclave.]]
*** Only if you [[spoiler: tell him to join the Enclave Remnants for the battle, rather than going back to the Followers' camp. He gets a much better ending, only being mildly disappointed that Freeside is no longer independent.]]
** [[spoiler:Lily has nothing but downer endings. Either she dies, stops taking her medicine and goes insane, takes her medicine regularly and forgets her family, or takes it semi-regularly and tries to find her family. That last one may not seem so bad, but you have to remember that she's been around for nearly 200 years. If they're not mutants, they're corpses. And those two aren't even mutually exclusive.]]
* TheDragon:
** You to [[spoiler: Mr. House, if you choose to do so.]]
** Legate Lanius to Caesar.
** Jean-Baptiste Cutting to Gloria Van Graff.
** Yes-Man to Benny and [[spoiler: possibly to the Courier, if you so choose.]]
* DragonTheirFeet: Although it's possible to keep them alive, [[spoiler: both Caesar and President Kimball are likely to be dead by the time the final battle rolls around]]. Regardless, [[spoiler: Legate Lanius and General Oliver are still around to lead Caesar's Legion and NCR against each other for the endgame fight. [[DragonAscendant Lanius even becomes the new Caesar]] if you side with the Legion, kill Caesar during his surgery, and help them win.]]
* DressingAsTheEnemy: Can be done with some factions. Take note that the faction's oppositions will also mistake you for one of their goons and will open fire without warning. So don't go around wearing Powder Ganger armor without good reason since both the NCR and the Legion will try to gun you down.
** Also, security guards and EliteMooks will recognize you as a fake, so the only people that ''won't'' shoot at you are the mooks of that faction. Every other faction will open fire on an apparent enemy, and the guards will open fire on a disguised enemy. Granted, Legion/NCR armour is good enough, and Khan armour is pleasantly tribal.
** [[spoiler:If given the chance, Benny tries to dress as a member of the Legion in an attempt to sneak in the bunker under their stronghold, however, because his well-groomed hair makes him stand out quite a bit amongst the shaggy and dusty legionaries, he is quickly detected and captured]].
* DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler:The previous winner of the Star Cap "prize" did this due to being locked in a room with no food or water, thus avoiding a slow death. His gun is now the new prize.]]
** In the quest "Return to Sender", if [[spoiler: you choose to turn in Chief Hanlon for trying to sabotage the NCR's defences at Hoover Dam. You leave the room to report him to a ranger, and he locks the door behind you. Hanlon then gives a [[TearJerker rather poignant speech over the radio confessing what he did and how he messed up, followed by a gunshot. Going back in the room reveals he had killed himself out of shame]].]]
** Possibly [[spoiler: Elijah, if you choose to lock him the casino vault in ''Dead Money''.]]
** The final five inhabitants of Vault 11 decided that [[spoiler: they had enough with the sacrifices and announced that they would stop sending any more people to die]]. The Vault's automated response [[spoiler: which cheerfully informed them that the whole thing was a test and no one needed to die]] was enough to send four of the five into killing themselves.
** The absolute worst possible ending for [[spoiler: Arcade. If you sell him into Legion slavery as Caesar's personal doctor, he spends a long time as Caesar's intellectual conversation partner. Caesar himself is absolutely giddy to finally have someone in the Legion who understands science and technology (and a Follower of the Apocalypse, no less), but Arcade is absolutely miserable. Eventually, he disembowels himself with a scalpel.]]
* DropTheHammer: The sledgehammer and Super Sledge. Strangely, the tool hammers cannot be used as a weapon. Perhaps the best melee weapon in the game is the unique Super Sledge, Oh, Baby!, which can just about two-shot deathclaws.
* DrunkenMaster: Cass, by extension, you with her companion perk. Normally alcohol boosts your Str at the cost of Int, but with Cass the reduction is removed and addiction is no longer an issue. She also causes whiskey to ''boost your armor''.
* DuctTapeForEverything: Duct Tape is a component for the [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Weapon Repair kit]], which can repair any weapon, from a lead pipe to an Alien Blaster.
** Also: Wonderglue!
** This is somewhat lampshaded with the Jury Rigging Perk. With it, you can repair any weapon with something of its class (Bolt action, Automatic, Melee etc...), rather then an actual copy, so repairing Anti-Tank Rifles with your humble Varmint-rifle is possible. The Perk picture has the Vaultboy duct-tape a gun back together. [[ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve "How did you repair it? No one knows but you..."]]
** One of the conversation options with Doctor 8 in ''Old World Blues'' about masturbation of all things has the Courier explaining the wonders of combining Cram (processed meat) and a roll of Duct Tape.
* DullSurprise: Matthew Perry's [[SoBadItsGood surprisingly bad voice acting for Benny]] means that we don't just get DullSurprise, but a whole range of lukewarm emotions from [[spoiler: a rather hilarious G-rated sex scene]] to [[spoiler: a variety of bland reactions to his [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=naUBwRrpbTk impending death]]]].
* DummiedOut: During the battle of Hoover Dam, in what is assumed to be a developer oversight, [[spoiler:Colonel Moore will tell you about the NCR's victory and her promotion to Brigade General, and that NCR scouts are currently busy with pursuing and harassing the remains of the Legion's army that are hastily retreating back to Arizona, like the dialogue is supposed to be heard after the end of the game]]. This suggests that the game was at one point going to feature a PlayableEpilogue. WordOfGod has stated however that there won't be any DLC to play after the game finishes due to it having so many endings.
** A fully voiced dialogue option to convince House that [[spoiler:the Brotherhood could be useful to him, by having you working as his man on the inside, thereby ultimately talking him out of killing them]], has also been Dummied Out. Thank heaven for mods.
** Apparently, at one point in development, you were supposed to be able to speak to the three Fiends members you hunt for Dahtri. Quite frankly, their dialogue is [[http://tcrf.net/Fallout:_New_Vegas/Unused_Dialog#Fiends hilarious]].
* DumpStat:
** When picking S.P.E.C.I.A.L. scores, Perception is worthless. It doesn't affect your aim, only your ability to detect threats. ED-E's companion perk eliminates that weakness. There are about four or so high Perception checks in the main game, and a few more in the DLC. From a minimum of 1 you can buff yourself to 9 with various drugs and alcohol (7 in ''Dead Money'', since some of the drugs don't exist in that add-on), more than enough to pass any check in the game. Its one, true use is meeting the requirement for Better Criticals (+50% critical damage), which you don't really need to kill effectively.
** As far as skills go, if you're not playing on Hardcore, Survival definitely qualifies. Survival's main benefit is that it makes food far more effective. Food is worthless outside of Hardcore, since you heal instantly and Stimpacks are abundant. It's not checked against very often, and it's usually low when it is. In Hardcore, however, it's a lifesaver. Sneak is next to worthless in both modes. There are next to no checks against it, and those that are tend to be 50 or below. It's main benefit is getting weapons into casinos, which you don't need a high Sneak to manage. There are enough Stealth Boys to get you through whatever sequences actually require stealth, even in ''Dead Money''. Of course, having all the add-ons installed makes this a moot point, since there are more than enough points to cap every skill, provided you collect the skill books in the Mojave region (those in the add-ons aren't necessary).
* DysfunctionJunction: All of the Courier's humanoid companions have some sort of deep personal problem to be sorted out.
** [[BadassBookworm Arcade]] is trying desperately to [[WellDoneSonGuy live up to his father's name]] and to help the wasteland as best as he can.
** [[ColdSniper Boone]] is trying to reconcile with his [[DarkAndTroubledPast memories of Bitter Spring and Carla.]]
** [[BadassGrandpa Raul]] is trying to find [[DesperatelyLookingForAPurposeInLife find meaning in his life]].
** [[FieryRedhead Cass]] is trying to deal with the loss of her caravan.
** [[NeverMessWithGranny Lily]] wants to recover [[MysteriousPast her memories of her past]].
** [[WrenchWench Veronica]] wants to save the Brotherhood since she's the [[OnlySaneMan only person willing to look beyond the bunker's walls.]]
** [[SplitPersonality Dog/God]] is trying to find peace with his [[DumbMuscle dueling]] [[GeniusBruiser selves.]]
** [[GadgeteerGenius Christine]] wants to [[ItsPersonal finally deal with Elijah.]]
** [[GreenEyedMonster Dean]] wants to finally complete his [[TallPoppySyndrome revenge against Sinclair.]]
** [[BadassPreacher Joshua Graham]] wants to avenge his tribe and [[TheAtoner redeem himself]] when he was a Legate.
** In ''Lonesome Road'', [[RobotBuddy ED-E]] wants to find Navarro, fulfilling his creator's last wish.
* EagleLand: The NCR has evolved into a nice blend of Type 1 and 2. It certainly is safer in their territory, and their soldiers are generally well-meaning, but their high command is so bogged down with bureaucracy and carrying out the NCR government's aggressive expansion policies that the rest of the army suffers from being low on supplies and reinforcements. Not to mention that the guys at the top tend to work their own agendas at the expense of those they command. Oh, and they tax heavily.
** And it doesn't help that they dashed into the Southwest with their fully-exposed [[ZeroPunctuation assault-rifle shaped erections]] blazing at anything that opposed them, forgetting that overextension only gets worse when ''the Legion and the Brotherhood of Steel hate you.''
** [[AllThereInTheManual According to the guidebook]], a series of events after Tandi's death led to the hawkish Kimball getting into power, and also resulting in a wave of chauvanism against women in the ranks. Which makes the fact that Cassandra Moore is the colonel in charge of the Hoover Dam garrison makes her even more of a ColonelBadass since she also had to overcome [[StayInTheKitchen inherent sexism that's creeped into the system]]. Unfortunately, she's a jingo like Oliver and Kimball as well.
** Hey, what's left of the Enclave? [[spoiler:They'd like to be left alone, but Arcade Gannon's a Type 1.]]
* EarnYourHappyEnding: Regardless of who ultimately gains control of the Mojave Wasteland, typically the ending has some communities prospering, while others suffer (with much more suffering and less prospering if you sided with the Legion). However, it actually is possible to get a positive outcome for almost every community and character on the NCR and (to a marginally lesser extent) Independent routes. Doing so is ''difficult'', however, as the conditions to bring about a community or character's positive outcome are not always obvious (and in some cases are even counter-intuitive), and often involve difficult speech checks or extensive exploration.
* {{Earworm}}: Just about ''every song on the radio.'' Big Iron, Ain't That A Kick In The Head, Jingle Jangle Jingle, the list goes on...
* {{Egopolis}}: Black Mountain is a borderline version; Tabitha renamed it as the "State of Utobitha".
* ElevatorActionSequence: In a first for the series, ''Lonesome Road'' has you descending a lift platform to a nuke silo, with explosions and Tunnelers popping in and out spontaneously.
* EliteMooks: Each major faction has a couple different types of these guys. Typically, they have high-end weapons and armor, as well as Companion-level health that also scales up with the player's level.
** Caesar's best Elite Mooks are his PraetorianGuard; hand-to-hand masters armed with the best punching weapon in the game. Next are his Centurions, who aren't quite as tough as most of the game's Elite Mooks, but come equipped with the best armor and weapons available to the Legion. Finally, if you really piss the Legion off they'll send a squad of crack assassins to end you.
** NCR has the Veteran Rangers (the guys on the front cover of the game), who have excellent armor, high-caliber weapons, and an innate 30% reduction to any damage they take, making them some of the toughest human characters in the entire game. There's also the NCR Heavy Troopers, clad in salvaged PowerArmor and wielding heavy weapons like miniguns or light machine guns. And don't forget 1st Recon, the NCR Army's elite sniper squad.
** The fighting ranks of the Brotherhood of Steel is composed ''entirely'' of Elite Mooks, considering their standard equipment is PowerArmor and some of the best energy weapons in the game. The drawback is they lack the numerical advantage of the other factions, who have enough normal Mooks to just swarm them into submission.
** You will fight a large amount of these guys in the final battle depending on the side you choose. Thankfully, you will be helped by Securitrons or EliteMooks on your side.
* ElvisImpersonator: A whole gang of them, fronted by The King, one of the [[NeutralGood surprisingly nicest characters in the game.]]
* EmpathicWeapon: ''Old World Blues'' introduces the Stealth Suit Mk II, which has an on-board A.I. that makes idle chatter, lets you know when enemies have spotted you, and injects you with Med-X and Stimpacks if you take too much damage.
** Also, the K9000 Cyberdog Gun. It's a [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin dog's brain housed inside a machine gun]]. It growls when it smells enemies, even at extreme ranges, and whines sadly when you holster it.
* EnemyMine: If you're working for Mr. House or for Yes Man, if you save the NCR president and/or have done some good for the NCR, the NCR troopers will actively help you out in fighting the Legion.
** Also, it's possible to get the Khans, the Brotherhood of Steel and [[spoiler:the Enclave]] to fight for the NCR despite historically being some of their greatest and most hated enemies (especially the Khans, who have been the NCR's enemies since the very beginning).
* EpicTrackingShot: One right in the beginning, from a poster of old Las Vegas, to the current New Vegas, to the less-than-friendly NCR sniper guarding it, to the raider he's sniping, to the Legion spies on the hills nearby, to the graveyard where you get shot at by the mysterious checker-suited gangster.
* [[EverythingsWorseWithBears Everything's Worse With Yao Guais]]: Yao Guai make a comeback in the Honest Hearts DLC and unlike Fallout 3, having the [[FriendToAllLivingThings Animal Friend]] perk won't stop them from coming after you on sight.
** And then there's The Ghost of She. A GIANT Yao Guai. [[InfernalRetaliation On fire.]] Oh, and don't forget that on the quest that sends you after her, the drugs you take [[YourMindMakesItReal make you see multiple and you have to fight]] ''[[MesACrowd all]] '' [[DoppelgangerAttack of them.]]
* [[EverythingsWorseWithBees Everything's Worse With Wasps]]: Cazadores, they hurt a lot, are fast, poison you and attack in swarms of 2-5!
* EvilCounterpart: [[spoiler: Ulysses]]--if the player character is good, down to him being [[spoiler: the original Courier Six, a role he passed to you.]]
* EvilIsEasy: It's very easy to simply steal owned items for supplies rather than buying or looking for free ones, especially if those supplies belong to a faction you just butchered. Of course, doing so will bring your Karma down pretty fast, and earning it back isn't easy in the slightest in the short term. (Once you hit the mid- to end-game, though, you can build it up in no time flat. The Fiends are basically a positive Karma mine.)
* EvilIsPetty: [[spoiler: It's heavily implied through the investigation that the whole reason Jeannie sold Bonne's wife to the Legion was because she critiqued her hotel.]]
* EvilVersusEvil: The entire [[spoiler:''Lonesome Road'' DLC]], if the player character is evil.
* ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin: [[spoiler: The reward for the quest ''The Legend of the Star'' is just Fergus retelling you why the Sunset Sarsaparilla logo exists to begin with. It does lead to another quest with a better reward though.]]
* ExplosiveLeash: Bomb collars make surprisingly frequent appearances throughout the game.
** If one manages to find and enter the Brotherhood of Steel's secret bunker without being accompanied by a certain companion, they'll strip you down and force you to wear a bomb collar until you convince an NCR Ranger stationed nearby to leave (through speech or otherwise).
** As mentioned above, in the ''Dead Money'' DLC, you and your companions are forced to wear these collars to ensure that you will aid Father Elijah in his quest to rob the Sierra Madre casino. Unfortunately, the casino is littered with speakers that interfere with the collar's operation and will cause it to detonate prematurely unless you get out of range or destroy the speaker.
** In ''Old World Blues'', one can find Little Yangtze, a concentration camp for Chinese prisoners from before the War. The ghoulified prisoners there are still wearing working bomb collars, which will detonate if they try to follow you out of the camp. In addition, you can find a few of Father Elijah's encampments, at least one of which is littered with disabled or otherwise broken bomb collars and a detonator.
* ExpositionFairy: Lampshaded -- Doc Mitchell, who patches up your gaping head wounds and [[{{HowManyFingers}} walks you through the character building process]] waves off your gratitude, saying, "It's what I'm here for."
* TheExtremistWasRight: If you're familiar with the [[http://www.nolanchart.com/faq/faq8.php Nolan Chart]], you'll notice that each of the factions is run by one of the corners, insisting that this is the case. [[MultipleEndings And you get to choose who wins.]]
** Caesar's Legion is as conservative as all hell. Harm their subjects and they will crucify you. NotHyperbole. Cass outright states that while she refuses to deal with slavers like the Legion, ''a lot'' of traders work with the Legion because they're ensured safety. Even [[CompleteMonster the Fiends]] are too scared of the Legion to attack caravans under their protection. His methods are harsh, brutal, and more than a little evil, but they've unified Arizona and made it a safe place to live. Even [[NeutralGood Raul]] admits that Caesar transformed Arizona into a much better place than it was before. As per Conservative economic policy, their currency is the strongest in the Mojave: a single Legion gold coin is worth 100 bottle caps.
** The NCR is high-grade liberal. They are the only (known) functional post-war democratic government, and in many cases they greatly improve the standards of living for the common people living in their territory. However, they have elements of Liberal strawmen. Their foreign policy is a good example of Liberal Idealism in that they believe in 'spreading democracy' to foreign lands. Political corruption is high, as organizations with political connections such as [[spoiler:the Van Graffs and the Crimson Caravan]] are running (sometimes even ''gunning'') smaller ones out of business.
** Mr. House, a (ironically) Chinese-style Authoritarian Capitalist, is unquestioningly a hard-core statist. He provides stability, security, and wealth and generally doesn't demand personal worship. As long as you play by his rules and pay his taxes on time, he will offer you a relatively comfortable and safe life surrounded by pre-war glory.
** As for libertarians, they get the Wild Card ending, in which [[spoiler:'''''[[AtlasShrugged YOU ARE JOHN GALT!]]''''' You can waltz into New Vegas, talk to Yes Man and decide that all the jerks fighting over the place desperately need to be taken down a peg. Then you can depose Mr. House, brutalize Caesar's Legion and sucker the NCR. Then you can unleash an army of Securitrons upon the Mojave, turning it into [[{{Utopia}} a paradise of freedom and wealth]], rule over the place as a dictator, or turn the Mojave into a lawless hellhole, depending on your actions up to the ending.]]
* FakeDifficulty: Cazadors have an ever-present bug (no pun intended) that makes targeting their heads in VATS impossible unless it's already targeted when you go into VATS.
* FantasticRacism: On both sides. humans call Ghouls "Zombie" and Ghouls call humans "smoothskin."
** Also, the mercenaries that attack Jacobstown's Super Mutants.
** And in the other direction by the way [[SplitPersonality Rhonda and Best Friend Tabitha]] refer to humans on Black Mountain Radio.
* TheFarmerAndTheViper: With Doc Mitchell as the Farmer and the Courier as the Viper, if the player chooses to side with the Powder Gangers in Ghost Town Gunfight/Run, Goodsprings, Run!
* FateWorseThanDeath: While Ghoulification isn't necessarily bad (it does makes you ugly), losing your mind and becoming a slavering, carnivorous zombie is pretty bad. Which is presumably why you get [[KarmaMeter Good Karma]] [[MercyKill for killing Feral Ghouls.]]
** The [[spoiler: [[ZombieApocalypse inhabitants of Vault 22]].]]
** The [[TechnicallyLivingZombie "Ghosts"]] of Sierra Madre. The hazmat suits did a pretty good job when it came to keeping the guests and residents alive... [[HighOctaneNightmareFuel Well, alive long enough to turn them into whatever they are now.]]
** Life in the Legion, if [[NoWomansLand you're]] [[RapeAsDrama a]] [[SexSlave woman]].
** Having your brain, spine and heart removed and becoming a blood-thirsty 'Lobotomite'.
** According to Ulysses, [[spoiler:the residents of the Mojave, if the Tunnelers beneath the Divide expand their territory...]].
** The "inhabitants" of Y17a Trauma Harnesses. Walking suits created to pick up wounded on the battlefield and walk them out. Somehow they forgot to walk them out so these wounded are kept within a walking suit which does whatever it wants without any chance of getting out.
** The Marked Men found in ''Lonesome Road'' are unfortunates caught in the blast radius when nukes went off in First Battle of Hoover Dam four years ago who had their skin torn off by the force, then survived the intense radiation to become flash-ghoulified. Even though they were from opposite sides, they now work together against all others because their constant, intense pain is the only identity they have left.
* TheFederation: The New California Republic.
* FieryRedhead: Cass
* FightingForSurvival: You can convince Goodsprings citizens to fight with Ringo against the Powder Gangers.
* FiringOneHanded: Unless you're actively aiming down the sight, most handguns are held with just one hand. There's even a perk for one-handed weapons.
* FissionMailed: Collecting all 50 Star Bottle Caps grants you the reward of [[spoiler:a story about how the owner of Sunset Sarsaparilla [[strike:killed a guy for his recipe]] was left a recipe by a stranger who was killed by bandits, told to you by a mechanical toy sheriff]], followed by the "Quest FAILED" message. You then complain to Festus, who triggers a brief second quest to collect your real reward. It's particularly effective since there is an achievement/trophy for completing the original quest, though it's the follow-up that gives you credit.
* FiveManBand
** TheHero: The Courier
** TheLancer: Boone/Raul/Cass
** TheBigGuy: Lily/Boone
** TheSmartGuy: Arcade/Veronica/Raul
** TheChick: Veronica
** TeamPet: Rex/ED-E
* FlamingSword: The Shishkebab from Fallout 3 comes back in New Vegas.
* FluffyTheTerrible: Super Mutants, eight foot tall muscular green monsters, have names like Neil, and Tabitha (and in one case, Cuddles). Though most of them are fairly friendly unless provoked these days. Emphasis on 'most'.
** DeathbringerTheAdorable: Mean Sonofabitch is just there to scare away any wannabe criminals and to bash in the heads of Fiends. He's a pretty nice guy if you get past his inability to talk coherently, actually. (His tongue was cut out.)
* FootnoteFever: The REPCONN museum plaques.[[hottip:*:This statement not admissible in court.]]
* {{Foreshadowing}}: ''All Roads'' dumps a few metric tons into you.
** Right from the start, there's tons of mysterious foreshadowing regarding Victor, the cowboy-bot who apparently dug you up in the beginning after you were left for dead. What exactly is up with him remains mysterious, but it's clear there's more to him than meets the eye.
** When Benny tells you that "the game was rigged from the start" it seems to just be a BondOneLiner. [[spoiler:But when you meet Mr. House, it turns out the game was rigged after all, in Mr. House's favor. And depending on which end path you take (and how), you get to rig the game in yours.]]
** Dead Money heaps a HUGE amount of it in the final act and the end.
** The only way we know about Ulysses is through this. (unless you bought the [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/LimitedSpecialCollectorsUltimateEdition limited special collector's ultimate edition]] and saw Ulysses as the three of clubs)
** In ''Honest Hearts'' The Burned Man mentions Ulysses. [[spoiler: Apparently he's a Legion scout and spy.]]
** Johnston Nash on Ulysses: "Hope a storm from The Divide skins him alive!" [[spoiler:Guess what you can do to him at the end.]]
** The Canyon Wreckage, located west of Primm, oozes this.
*** At first, the Canyon Wreckage just looks like a pile of rusted vehicles with some coyotes denning near them... until you see the graffiti, which mentions "Lonesome Road" (now the confirmed name of the last DLC), the Divide, and the cryptic message, "You can go home now, Courier". And, if you look on the map, you'll see that the canyon the wreckage is blocking is the only path through the western mountains.
** The Northern Passage, though it lacks the graffiti and ominous location of the Canyon Wreckage, is the launch point for the DLC ''Honest Hearts''.
** The Mojave Drive-In seems like the last place to expect a DLC to launch, but nevertheless shows up in the trailer for ''Old World Blues,'' the third DLC. It's just a regular ruined drive-in movie theater... with a rather cryptic train tunnel to the south, that ''also'' shows up in the trailer, only from the other side.
*** The setting of ''Old World Blues'' is also alluded by Christine as she was trapped and experimented on within the Big Empty. She also mentions the aforementioned Ulysses as the courier who rescued her? Sound familiar?
** Before ''Dead Money'' came out, Veronica had this little bit of dialogue regarding Elijah
-->He said he'd be back with one of the greatest treasures of the Old World. Said he'd make the Mojave how it was meant to be... "[[KillEmAll wipe the slate clean]]"
** ''Old World Blues'' is literally dripping with {{Foreshadowing}} for the last add-on, ''Lonesome Road,'' not only with the omnipresent symbol of the Old World America's flag left by Ulysses on several buildings and the holotapes of him but in the X-17 Meteorological Station, mentioned repeatedly to have been visited by Ulysses, is a map of what could very well be [[http://images.wikia.com/fallout/images/f/ff/Nvdlc03dividepleximap.png the Divide,]] the location of ''Lonesome Road.''
* FrickinLaserBeams: Following ''Fallout 3''. Unlike earlier ''Fallout'' games, averted hard here as lasers are THE most accurate weapon in the game, especially outside VATS as the beams hit the target instantly. Still played straight with plasmas, but again, those are not laser weapons.
* FriendlySniper: Pretty much any member of 1st Recon, current or former, that isn't Boone.
* FromNobodyToNightmare: Caesar was originally a member of the Followers of the Apocalypse, the least aggressive, and most humanitarian, faction in the wastes.
** The player character starts out as a low-ranked delivery boy for a small-time courier company. By the end, he or she will generally be a battle-hardened veteran with either [[OneManArmy an arsenal of weapons to humble an army]], [[GuileHero an arsenal of skills sufficient to deal with any challenge]], or possibly [[TheAce both]] with careful skill/perk/trait selection. Oh, and you can also [[spoiler:take over the Mojave for yourself, fitting the trope almost exactly if you do it as an evil character.]]
** The Survivalist in Honest Hearts. [[spoiler: Some sickly Vault 22 survivors wander into the Valley and proceed to slaughter and [[ImAHumanitarian ...dispose]] of a group of mexican survivors he was observing and occasionally secretly helping. Still possessing human dignity, he wages a one-man guerilla war after observing their atrocity and cuts the majority of the group down. The "Vaulters" (as Survivalist called them in his logs) considered him to be no mere man but an evil spirit, since they never could catch him.]]
* FunWithAcronyms: F.I.S.T.O. the SexBot.
* FutureImperfect: Averted. Pre-war books are ''far'' less rare here than they were on the East Coast, civilization is far more organized, and the Followers of the Apocalypse, Brotherhood of Steel and New California Republic have done a pretty good job accurately preserving the knowledge of the past -- Caesar and his officers, for example, know more about the Roman Empire than most people in ''RealLife'' do. Of course, this has the added benefit of Las Vegas only being nuked 11 times - compare that to ''everywhere else.''
* FlunkyBoss: Pretty much every boss in one way or another.
** All the legendary creatures (including the [[BonusBoss Legendary Deathclaw]]) are accompanied by other, non-legendary (but by no means weak) normal creatures.
** [[FinalBoss Legate Lanius]] is accompanied both by his Praetorian Guards and the various Legion soldiers around the camp that will come to attack you (though you can convince him to fight you alone with 80 speech).
** [[AnticlimaxBoss Tabitha]] is in a building that's guarded by about half a dozen Nightkin, and you have to fight your way through a whole village of Super Mutant Masters just to get to her.
** Jean-Baptiste is supported by no less than five heavily armed thugs with full body armor and plasma rifles.
** Elijah in the ''Dead Money'' add-on tries to kill you by turning on a bunch of laser turrets while he hides behind a forcefield. Though, once they're dead, he comes after you with a Gauss Rifle.
** The ghoulifed Vault 34 overseer is in his office with a pair of machine gun turrets on his desk, and a few ghoulified security guards helping him.
** Caesar himself is probably the strongest example. Unlike previous ''Fallout'' [[BigBad Big Bads]], he's just a normal human and only about as tough as a standard [[EliteMooks Elite Mook]]. However, he's surrounded by several extremely tough EliteMooks armed with the best unarmed weapons in the game, all in a relatively enclosed space with no room to dodge or retreat. Attacking him head-on, even with a high-level character, will almost certainly result in you being dogpiled into a corner and beaten to death, especially in Hardcore mode where you can't instant-heal using stimpaks.
** Each of the fiend leaders (although [[AnticlimaxBoss they're really only bosses at lower levels]]) come supported by a gang of four to six fiends. Except Violet, who has around 8 dogs instead.
* GambitPileup: The NCR, Caesar's Legion, and Mr. House are competing in a high-stakes tournament with New Vegas as the prize, and they're all trying to stack the deck in their favor -- and you're the WildCard. [[spoiler:You can even [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder take advantage]] of the fact that everyone's plans rely on you for success to set ''yourself'' up to steal the whole pot]].
** To elaborate; the core conflict is NCR and the Legion both fighting for control of the Dam and New Vegas. Beyond this basic plot, [[spoiler: House has an army of robots waiting to swoop in and steal the land literally right from under the Legion. The NCR and Legion both know this, and potentially have him assassinated. On top of that, Benny is planning to take over New Vegas by overthrowing House, as are the Omertas, except they plan on allying with the Legion first. You, the Courier, can at the same time also be planning to take over New Vegas by overthrowing House and stealing his army with the help of Yes Man, while either aiding or foiling the Omertas. Then the DLC just adds more gambits; Father Elijah of ''Dead Money'' manipulates the Think Tank, Courier, Dean Domino, and Dog/God into helping him obtain experimental pre-war technology in his attempt to conquer the Mojave by [[KillEmAll killing most of post-apocalyptic America's remaining population]], and can potentially succeed in bringing what's left of the world under his control (though unlike other options, this gives a NonStandardGameOver). The Think Tank of ''Old World Blues'' manipulates the Courier and Mobius in hopes that they'll be able to break out of Big MT and cause trouble in the Mojave. And on top of all of this, Ulysses from ''Lonesome Road'' is planning on nuking both the Legion ''and'' the NCR while leaving the Mojave to die.]] That's about nine gambits, all trying to top one another. You decide which one (or combination of them) comes out on top.
* GameMod: As usual, there's an abundance of mods to change the game in minor to significant ways. Extending the game past the final mission is one of the big ones. It's recommended to grab some of the ones that fix obvious bugs, namely the fact that the Followers can't ally with the NCR properly. There's also the one that keeps ED-E from setting off mines, which no flying robot should do. A less important but still useful one is the mod that restores the option to spare the Brotherhood in House's questline.
* GameplayAllyImmortality: In normal mode, companions do not die. [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Hardcore mode]], [[PermaDeath on the other hand...]]
* GameplayAndStoryIntegration:
** Looting some body parts from corpses actually causes the body parts to be ripped off the corpse. It isn't just treated as a random item in the inventory of the corpse.
** Also, having too few skill points in a skill check during dialogue will display an option not as suave/competent as the one with the player having the proper amount of skill points in a given check. Unlike ''Fallout 3'', where the check is a matter of chance and gives the same sentence whether or not the player passed a speech check, passing or failing a speech check is directly tied to skill. Insufficient skill gives the option a different sentence (HulkSpeak or some overly emotional or annoying words when failing speech check for that option). Failing may also open up other options in some cases.
** If you're wearing an [=NCR=] uniform, Lt. Haggerty at Helios One will figure out from the amount of blood on it that you looted it off a dead [=NCR=] soldier and will attack if you fail a speech check to convince her otherwise.
* GameplayAndStorySegregation:
** There's a Ranger outpost where you can find a Legion raid camp nearby, as well as Legion raiding parties spying on it from a nearby ridge. However, even if you're an NCR man, you can't warn the Rangers of the Legion presence or the raiding parties, even if you go up to and chat with the Legion raiders spying on the outpost, and when you come back later as part of a side quest, you'll find... well, suffice to say, it isn't pretty.
** You can only use Empty Soda Bottles to make Cactus Water, and you can't fill these with water from other sources, either.
*** Fixed in ''Old World Blues'', where a highly advanced, sentient sink can (with the proper software upgrades) fill any empty bottle with purified water.
** It is literally impossible, even with a critical hit, for Maria (the gun used by Benny to shoot the Courier in the head) to kill the player in the opening cutscene using the combat damage tables. Even at level 1, Endurance 1, no armor, and assuming Benny has maxed Guns skill (which he doesn't), it does not do enough damage to kill with the critical and headshot bonuses to damage. This is either a bow to realism (this ''is'' a lethal injury) or FridgeBrilliance (those two shots to the head ''don't'' kill The Courier after all…)
** Although that of course assumes the Courier was at full health when the scene begins. He/she is already captured and tied up, it's not a great stretch to imagine he/she may have taken some damage resisting earlier.
** A wrench, which is used to craft a weapon repair kit, mysteriously disappers when the repair kit is used.
** The Gold Bars added by Dead Money are supposedly twenty ounces of .9999 pure gold, they weigh 35 pounds each.
** [[spoiler: Nuking the NCR or Legion home territories]] has no effect on the final battle at Hoover Dam, aside from royally pissing off the factions in question (and both factions will forgive you no-questions asked if you do this before you get their [[GetOutOfJailFreeCard Get Out Of Jail Free Cards]].
* GangOfHats: The Three Families of New Vegas personify different sides of the city
** The Omertas: Personifying the sleazy side of Vegas
** The Chairmen: Personifying the "cool" side of Vegas
** The White Gloves: Personifying the "classy" side of Vegas.
* GasMaskLongcoat: NCR Desert Rangers, as depicted on the box art.
* GeniusDitz: The Think Tank in ''Old World Blues'' are a spectacular example. One of them is named Dr. 0 (the number), but since they can't differentiate, he gets called Dr. O (the letter). Point out that [[CaptainObvious he could draw a line through it]], and you'll be hailed as a visionary.
* GenreShift: ''Dead Money'' strips you of all your equipment and money, and throws you into a hostile, poisonous environment full of deadly gas clouds, enemies that need to be dismembered to be killed, loads of booby traps, untouchable laser-firing holograms that must be outwitted rather than fought, and all with very limited resources. The "limited resources" part especially makes this add-on seem like the game has become a SurvivalHorror title.
* GentleGiant: [[DeathbringerTheAdorable Mean Sonofabitch]], a super mutant living in Westside, is rather amicable and polite. [[TheUnintelligible Good luck understanding what he says.]]
* GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere: All the legendary creatures, especially the Legendary Deathclaw. They're all large monsters who are bigger, stronger, and faster than their normal counterparts because... no real reason.
* GISSyndrome: The very first result for "happy face" is used for [[spoiler:Yes Man's avatar.]]
* GladiatorGames: A male Courier can fight slaves or prisoners in the Legion arena. Also, while you can just bet for the outcome of the fight in The Thorn, you can get better rewards if you come down and fight the monsters alone in the arena.
* GodGuise: Randall Clark, a survivalist living in Zion area helps a group of kids living nearby trying not to be noticed (he drops medicines, food and tools near their camp at night). When he notices that the kids see his help as the gift from God or angels, he doesn't want to break this illusion and show himself as a dying old man. Shortly before his death he leaves the notes stating that he has to depart deep into the mountains but he will always watch for them. The kids were ancestors of the Sorrows tribe and Clark is a Father from the Caves from their legends.
* GolfClubbing: There are 9-iron golf clubs around, with the VATS "Fore" attack that aim for [[GroinAttack one particular region]].
* GoldenPath: Depending on who you care about, the [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEX-d0yuxGk NCR]], Mr. House, and Yes Man paths could be this. Though the implications of the [[spoiler: Yes Man's "upgrade" and Mr. House's iron-fisted methods of government]] may make the latter two a bit questionable.
** Finishing every companion sidequest (all seven), with reasonably good endings, is also a part of it.
* GoldenSaucer: The casinos, of course:
** The Tops, which is basically the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sands Sands Hotel]] AfterTheEnd. [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] by the fact that the main act in their theater calls itself the [[RatPack Rad Pack]], and the ruling family calls itself [[FrankSinatra the Chairmen]].
** Gomorrah, a DenOfIniquity run by [[TheMafia The Omertas]].
** The Ultra-Luxe, which caters to a [[UpperClassTwit more refined clientele]], run by the White Glove Society, which is made up of [[spoiler:former cannibals]].
* {{Gonk}}: Grecks, a ghoul with a lazy eye. In order to achieve this he has a really...odd mesh. [[BerserkButton Just don't comment on it]].
* GoodAllAlong: [[spoiler:Doctor Mobius]].
* GoodIsNotNice: The player, if played as a strictly good character, still kills his share of characters and is generally a badass.
* {{Gorn}}: Bloody Mess; you don't have to have the perk but it makes it happen more often.
* GottaCatchEmAll: Star Caps, Snowglobes, Companions...
** In-universe, even. People are willing to kill for more Sunset Sarsaparilla Star Bottlecaps. Just rumor there's treasure out there, and Gold Fever (or OneHundredPercentCompletion fever) will take hold of people.
*** Hilarious in that the in-universe prize for the Star Caps is [[spoiler: absolutely worthless. You do get a powerful unique laser pistol for finishing, courtesy of your rival collector's suffocated corpse, [[BrokenAesop thus kind of ruining the moral]]]]. It's FridgeBrilliance, actually; [[spoiler:it's AfterTheEnd and people automatically associate treasure with things that are valuable to them, but it's a pre-war treasure and ValuesDissonance is in full swing. The treasure ''is'' something of value... to the people who should be playing the game]].
* GoshHornet: Cazadores
* GrayAndGreyMorality: [[spoiler: NCR and Mr. House both plan to drive each other out of New Vegas.]] Neither of them are any more villainous or altruistic than the other.
* {{Greed}}: The main theme of ''Dead Money.'' All of the characters involved have been consumed by greed of one sort or another, and the mythical treasure of the Sierra Madre drives prospectors insane with it.
* GrenadeTag: Reverse pickpocketing grenades.
* TheGuardsMustBeCrazy: Some of the things you can do with a high enough sneak skill qualify as this. You can, for example, massacre an entire Legion camp without them ever making the connection between the large number of corpses with bullet holes in the back of their skulls and the 'profligate' with the silenced sniper rifle.
* GuideDangIt:
** The companion quests. Let's run down the list, shall we?i
##Arcade's quest, "For Auld Lang Syne", requires you to find certain locations in the game and visit them, at which point he'll speak to you briefly. This one is actually fairly lenient, since the triggers are always there and fairly numerous. You also only need two "points" for it to count, and there are about twenty total based on location and dialogue choices.
##Boone's is similar, but both easier and more difficult. His dialogue isn't automatic most of the time, so you don't really know you're doing it right. The only ones which you can really be sure of are Legion outposts, which are automatic triggers. A plus is that if you take him to Cottonwood Cove and that the Fort (before or after killing Caesar, it still counts), you'll get four of the five points at once.
##Raul's is hands down the worst of the bunch. You have to talk to three specific old people in the wastes with him as your companion, and you cannot have talked to them before. This is really inexcusable because one of the three simply won't talk to you if you don't follow a very specific path of dialogue with him, and you are pretty much guaranteed to meet all three before you get around to murdering a dozen or so Super Mutants to reach Raul. What's worse, the same one who will stop talking to you is also buggy, so even if you do it right it may not be counted. It only seems to work right if you talk to him last, but he's ''the first that you meet''.
##Cass takes a while to even unlock as a companion due to her tie-in quest that requires you to trek all the way to Vegas, but after that she has the easiest one since it's available from the start. However, it will ruin another quest if you complete it.
##Veronica's quest is similar to the first two, except buggy as hell. There are nine places in the wastes where you can bring her in order to trigger dialogue. Of these nine, only four are permanent (the remaining five are lines of dialogue from the first time you meet the NPC). Assuming you even know where to look, Veronica may take days to finally remember she's supposed to say something, so you can't trigger the quest until she finally decides to do it. It seems to work better if you meet her request for a dress first, but that in itself is GuideDangIt because the type of dress she wants is the kind worn by the White Glove Society, and you have to kill or reverse-pickpocket a member to get one if you don't follow a specific line in the quest. In other words, it's three {{Guide Dang It}}s in one!
##Lily's quest is fairly simple. It's not even a quest, really. You just have to stick with her long enough to get to the bottom of her psychosis (it only takes about an in-game day if you get into a fight where she goes berserk), then decide how much medicine she should take.
##ED-E's quest doesn't require you to do anything, but is still annoying. After the first trigger goes off, which conveinently has a waypoint, you have to wait nine days for the second to work. Then you have to find someone who can activate the trigger, and you don't get any clues. The third takes another three days, but is automatic. If you're not playing in hardcore mode (and therefore have no need to sleep 8 hours a day) you could easily finish the game without getting to the final part.
##The final one is Rex, and he's the easiest since his quest is given to you before you even recruit him.
** For something simpler and earlier, there's the quest "I Fought the Law", which most good-inclined players will miss because they're likely to side against the Powder Gangers from the start, and because the inhabitants of the [=NCRCF=] will be hostile to them, making them likely to kill Eddie and immediately fail the quest. Or one might kill him because he's got a plasma pistol. Then again, the quest is bugged and leads to a bad ending even when it should be a good one, so that's for the better, really.
** Are you feeling a little sympathy for Dean [[spoiler: and want him to live]]? Let's just hope you never, ever once questioned him in any of your talks. Insult his fragile ego a ''single'' time? You lose.
*** Dean's case is arguably the worst of the lot. Why? In the '''very first''' conversation with him, you come to a choice between a Barter skill check and a normal dialogue choice. Almost any player will obviously pick the Barter choice if at all possible because skill-requiring answers are (and should be) superior to the ones available to all characters. However, in this case picking this choice will make it [[spoiler:impossible to get him to side with you inside the Sierra Madre]]. Made even more egregious by the fact that the Barter dialogue choice is simply informing Dean that he isn't bargaining from a position of power because your collars (and thus lives) are linked and he basically doesn't have a choice but to work with you... '''which is precisely the truth'''!
** The quest I Put a Spell on You is almost legendary for its unintuitiveness, aside from a plethora of bugs. Long story short, there's a spy somewhere in Camp [= McCarran =], and you've been tasked to single him out. After finding out there have been late-night sightings at the comm tower, you have two mission arrows: one to the comm tower, and another to the man you're workign with, Captain Curtis. [[spoiler: Talking to Curtis and telling him your lead makes the mission unwinnable, since he was the spy. There are absolutely no clues about this before now, there was no hint that doing this was wrong, and there is no way other than using the console to set the winning value back to 0.]] Ergo, by '''following the directions''' you have failed the quest.
* GuileHero: A viable option for the player character.
* GunAccessories: Unlike the previous game, this alone will make you think twice before using the unique versions of some weapons which have better stats but cannot be modded.
** Then again, some like the Ratslayer are more or less fully-modded versions of the base weapon along with a bonus or two tacked on.
* GunPorn: Vault 34.
** The Boomer's Armory
* GuysSmashGirlsShoot: Inverted. In the main game, your male companions are a ColdSniper, TheGunslinger, and a BadassBookworm who, like all fictional smart people [[spoiler:(and former members of the Enclave)]], prefers a high-tech Plasma Defender pistol over the ballistics, blades, and blunt force of the common rabble. Your female companions are a Nightkin with a {{BFS}} and a Brotherhood Scribe who wields a PowerFist. There is also a female companion who uses a shotgun, but [[ShortRangeShotgun unless you give her slug ammo she pretty much has to be in melee range for it to work anyway]]. Of course, everybody has a ranged and a melee weapon that you can order them to use, so you are welcome to have everyone play the trope straight, even if they won't be that good at it.
* HalfTruth: Elijah says that if you help him break into the Sierra Madre he'll let you go, along with all of your partners. [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness He's planning to kill you all]], of course, but he ''is'' letting you go from his control that way, nonetheless.
* HandCannon: The .44 Magnum Revolver, 12.7mm Pistol, the Hunting Revolver and its unique version, the Ranger Sequoia. There are also the energy weapons Plasma Defender and "Pew Pew". (Yes.) Then there's the hand''auto''-cannon, the 12.7mm [[MoreDakka sub-machine gun]].
** ''Old World Blues'' adds the Sonic Emitter. Initially its [[BoringButPractical none too exciting and reasonably useful]], but as you upgrade it with better soundwave samples it gets better and better special effects for critical hits, the ultimate one causing [[StuffBlowingUp explosions]].
* HandWave: The makers of Dead Money must have wristlash. Any element not flat-out [[AssPull contrived]] was explicitly described as "unknown" or "unexplained" in LoadingScreen tips and in-game materials, although the Old World Blues add-on does explain a few things. In particular, how the Sierra Madre casino transports people around in it is totally unexplained (teleportation? robot hands popping out of the ceiling? Who knows?)
** You wanna take all your awesome gear you had with you? Nope, it's been carted away for having "minute traces of radiation". In all likelihood, your Pip-Boy would have accumulated more radiation than any single item of your inventory.
** Played for laughs in ''Old World Blues'': the Think Tank explain that the Courier is able to move, think, and act consciously without a brain because "tesla coils" were inserted into his/her skull. Trying to further the line of questioning just exasperates them.
* HealingFactor: Several perks. Solar Powered makes you heal gradually, but only outdoors during daytime, and not at a rate useful for combat. Monocyte Breeder implants heal all the time, but again not at any rate useful in combat, and at the price tag of 12,000 caps and taking up a spot that you could have used to buy an implant with actual value. Rad Child heals with varying rates dependent on your radiation poisoning level. Highest level heals at an astounding 8 HP/S, but at the cost of pretty hefty hits to your SPECIAL stats.
* HeroicAlbino: Ranger Ghost. [[GoodIsNotNice She's not the most friendly person]], but she's a dedicated ranger
* HeroWithBadPublicity: It's possible to end the game with good karma and ridiculously low reputation with pretty much every faction, including the one you're working for.
* HeyItsThatPlace: Yes, Primm is a real place, and it does have a rollercoaster (attached to the Buffalo Bill hotel -- all three hotels in Primm are much larger, [[RuleOfFun but no one really cares]]), and does have Bonnie and Clyde's death car (not his gun, though, but it does have his jacket, and the car is in a mall attached to the hotels). Hoover Dam, Goodsprings, Black Mountains, Nipton, Nellis Air Force Base, and a lot of other real-world locations are snuck in as well (mostly things only native Nevadans would recognize, like camping sites).
* HideYourChildren: Averted in the main game, where some some (albeit unkillable) children do appear. Invoked in all four DLCs, though this is addressed in the only add-on where their absence is noteworthy. (The Dead Horse and Sorrows tribes of ''Honest Hearts'' have already begun to evacuate, sending the children and elderly first. The other three [=DLCs=] take place in dangerous hellholes that don't have an actual community of humans living in them, thus the lack of children makes sense).
* HistoricalInJoke: The real-life Nipton was primarily important as a place where state lotteries were held during the early 20th century. The Fallout Nipton [[LotteryOfDoom has an important lottery too]]...
** The poster ''I Hate Nate'' in Vault 11 is a pun on the ''I Like Ike'' slogan from 1952 presidential campaign.
* HistoricalVillainUpgrade: In-universe example. One of the first casinos you find, in Primm, is home to a historical gallery of a couple of Bonnie and Clyde knockoffs who were more prone to cashing bad checks than holding up banks and whose greatest claim to fame was being killed accidentally by cops shooting at bank robbers.
* HollywoodSilencer: Guns equipped with silencers make the "fwip" noise and the silencers themselves are, for all intents and purposes, a metal tube stuck onto the end of the gun. Averted in that silencers are specific to different firearms and that none are available for shotguns or revolvers, are all permanent attachments (meaning they cannot be removed once attached), and aren't completely silent (shooting and missing someone may get you noticed). In addition, there are guns in-game that come with integral silencers, like the .22 silenced pistol and SMG.
* HonorBeforeReason: With high enough karma and speech skill you can convince Legate Lanius to call off the other legionnaires and fight you by himself. However, whichever allies and companions you have with you will keep shooting anyway.
** Also [[spoiler:at the end of Veronica's personal quest, when you show [=McNamara=] proof that the Brotherhood is dying/a method of self-sufficiency, etc., he won't change anything. Why? Because the codex says he can't. Judging from his speech and sighing he knows it's stupid, but he has his orders.]]
--->'''Veronica:''' We'll die out.\\
'''[=McNamara=]:''' *sigh* [[spoiler:[[TearJerker I know.]]]]
* [[KickTheSOB Horrifically Mutilate and Torture the Sons of Bitches]]: How Caesar's Legion [[RewardedAsATraitorDeserves rewards]] the [[DyingLikeAnimals people of Nipton]] (mainly the Powder Gangers) for luring NCR troops into a trap, and the townsfolk for agreeing to betray the Powder Gangers. Also, depending on how you look at it, Bitter Springs could be like this.
* HotBlooded: A trait in Old World Blues makes you this, increasing your damage but reducing Perception and Agility while at low health.
* HowWeGotHere: Expect to spend most of the first leg of the story missions just figuring out what the hell led up to you delivering a platinum chip that was worth being ambushed and shot over.
* HoYay:
** There's a panel in All Roads that has a quite a bit of subtext.
** Aside from that, you can actually play a gay/bi character, with the option to have GRatedSex.
*** This is actually enforced by the Confirmed Bachelor/Cherchez La Femme which is just like the Lady Killer/Black Widow perk which is also available... Except that it is effective against people of the same sex rather than the opposite one. Considering how valuable the female counterpart was to the male one in the third game, this can be considered a blessing since males are far more commonly encountered as enemies in the wastes than females.
*** It could even be regarded as GettingCrapPastTheRadar, as this is perhaps the first RPG to confer a measurable benefit to being a male homosexual.
** Manny Vargas; he sounds downright jealous of Boone's wife, not just disdainful of her like the others. ** A female with Black Widow can't get relevant quest information out of him, while a male with Confirmed Bachelor can.
** Arcade Gannon's gay and can be recruited with a bit of flirting from a male Player Character. He claims he's never gotten a guy due to considering himself a [[UnluckyEverydude boring man]]. [[spoiler:Totally not because he's related to the Enclave.]]
** There are eight possible companions in the game. Four don't express much interest in the Courier, being a ghoul, a cyber-dog, an Eyebot, and a grandmotherly Super Mutant. Of the rest, Veronica is a lesbian, Arcade is gay, Cass admits to experimenting when drunk, and Boone has a hard-on for killing Legionnaires.
** Use Confirmed Bachelor to ask Major Knight at the Mojave Outpost whether he wants to be "friends".
** If you play a woman and travel with Cass this can happen.
** Though not really with Veronica (there's some flirtatious remarks but that seems to be her personality more than anything) despite her canonically being a lesbian (ask her about "love"). The female PC just doesn't seem to be her type. Lots of players actually want to romance Veronica so this kind of causes some problems.
** You can do this with Dr. Dala in Old World Blues, too.
* HulkSpeak: Much to the delight of old-school fans, this is back in, if you set your intelligence REALLY low.
* HundredPercentHeroismRating: The karma meter is the same from 3 but is nearly useless. What really matters is your reputation with each faction. Since you can't lose popularity or infamy, people could end up singing your praises for all the {{Fetch Quest}}ing while grudging you over blowing up their outpost last week.
* ICallItVera: Some unique guns, such as Maria, Lucky, Annabelle, and Big Boomer. In addition, Ranger Milo calls his Cowboy Repeater 'Carmine'.
* ICanRuleAlone: [[spoiler: The Wild Card line of quests provides this option. You can [[GondorCallsForAid go to the minor factions and ask for their help in creating a free Vegas]] or you can wipe them all off the face of the earth!]]
* IDieFree: [[spoiler: In Arcade's Legion ending, as long as Caesar lives through the end he becomes Caesar's personal physician. In a moment that he is unguarded he guts himself with a scalpel.]] Though he was well loved by Caesar, and thus probably lived quite nicely, he considered having to serve the Legion (even in comfort) a FateWorseThanDeath.
* IdiotBall: [[spoiler: It could be argued that Caesar is holding one. He knows that his camp at Fortification Hill is sitting on top of a bunker protected by doors that can't be drilled or blasted open. He knows said doors bear the logo of the Lucky 38 and thus must be relevant to Mr. House's interests in some way. He knows the Platinum Chip he just confiscated from Benny fits the disc-shaped console near the doors and suspects it will open them. What does he do? Why, he waits for the Courier to finally decide to make his way to Fortification Hill, hands the Platinum Chip to the Courier when the man might very well have single-handedly destroyed all of his operations west of the Dam by this point (if you want some really funny dialogue, ''do this''), and trust him to deal with whatever is inside the bunker completely unmolested, confident that the Courier will do as asked and destroy it. You even get to keep the chip. Brilliant! The best part is, the Courier doesn't even have to report to Caesar after he is done inside the bunker, and can just walk out of the fortress completely unmolested by the guards! Caesar might be an extremely intelligent person lore-wise, but he sure displays a complete lack of common sense here.]]
** It's actually acknowledged and explained if you discuss it via dialogue choices, though it does display an extreme amount of arrogance when it comes to [[BatmanGambit you and your motivations]]. [[spoiler: Caesar has a worldview where advanced technology in the hands of the masses is actively harmful to their cultural development. Thus, he cannot send Legionaries down to examine the structure without teaching them about technology and disrupting his carefully-constructed culture... but he can send you, a Profligate. His argument relies on you to see the light of his wisdom, but if that doesn't work he's happy to intimidate you into doing his bidding. He won't let you leave the camp with the Chip without trying to kill you, and if you fight back, you're Vilified by the Legion forever.]]
** Even his arrogance is [[FridgeBrilliance perfectly explained]]. After 'killing' Joshua Graham, the only other well-educated and independent man in the Legion, Caesar will be constantly surrounded by obedient subordinates that worship him as a god-figure. He's living inside an echo-chamber where his ideas and opinions are always right and no one will ever consider anything else. The courier is probably the first free agent that he's met in a very long time, and Caesar would naturally assume that you too will bend under his will like so many others. He may even be so far gone into megalomania that the idea that you'd defy him is something he can't even admit to himself anymore.
* IdiotHero: You can play as a 1-INT wasteland wanderer with hilarious moments of RalphWiggum-like stupidity [[JokeCharacter but the skill points you get are considerably less.]]
* IFoundYouLikeThis: After taking a bullet to the head, the courier is dug up by Victor and brought to Doc Mitchel's house. He then [[BeyondTheImpossible brings you back to life]] through surgery and gets you back on your feet.
* IGotBetter: [[spoiler:The Courier, of course. When you confront Benny again in the Tops, this can even be your response to him. With appropriate perk, you can also scare him into running by saying that you [[RiseFromYourGrave came back from the grave]] [[BadassBoast to put him in his.]]]]
** Also when [[spoiler: you confront Jessup. He'll be surprised, scared even maybe, and say "You're supposed to be dead." One of your responses can be exactly, word for word, the line, "I got better."]]
* IHaveThisFriend: Turns out that the [[spoiler: sex-bot Garett is interested in isn't for a customer... though after slips of the tongue, he asserts that it ''is'' for "those sick machine-fetishists".]]
* ILoveNuclearPower: Taking the Rad Child perk gives the Courier a HealingFactor whenever they suffer radiation poisoning, offsetting some of the penalties.
* ImAHumanitarian: The White Glove Society used to be this. [[spoiler:Mortimer however, still is and wants to serve the rest of the White Glove Society human flesh so they have no choice but to go back to the "old ways."]] And, of course, [[PlayerCharacter the Courier]] can be this as well if the player so wishes. A later perk even expands it [[ExtremeOmnivore to super mutants and ghouls.]] [[spoiler:There is even a special perk you can get as a reward for having Caesar, the King, Mr. House, and President Kimball for dinner]].
* ImmodestOrgasm: [[spoiler: Red Lucy]] in The Thorn, [[spoiler: Sarah Weintraub]] in Vault 21, and any prostitute you sleep with. Also, you can hear a few while walking around Gomorrah and Casa Madrid. Dr. Dala in ''Old World Blues'' takes this UpToEleven, despite (or ''because of'') being essentially a brain in a jar.
* ImprobablePowerDiscrepancy: The White Legs in Honest Hearts are basically [[EliteMooks Veteran]] [[BadassArmy Rangers]] disguised as tribals. In addition to having as much health as the Veteran Rangers, they also carry as good or better weapons (like automatic shotguns, anti-tank rifles, Tommy guns, and 12.7 submachine guns) and are the most commonly found enemies in the DLC. The only break in your favor is that White Legs have poor armor and lack the 30% damage resistance that Veteran Rangers have.
** Partly HandWaved in that the White Legs had raided armories in the past.
*** In the vanilla game, Veteran Rangers and Legion Praetorians were originally noticeably more powerful than Brotherhood of Steel Paladins. However, this got corrected after the most recent patch, where all non-named BOS NPCs have had their hit points doubled or more, putting them on par with the game's other EliteMooks (and, with their power armor, giving them the higher edge).
* IncrediblyLamePun: Lots and lots of craploads of them.
** Private Sexton in Camp Forlorn Hope runs a collection quest where you bring him the ear of any Legionaire you kill. Get it? Legion''ear''? You even can call him out for making such a horrible pun.
** The [[ApocalypticLog ''Die''ary]] of [[ReturnOfTheLivingDead Trash]]
** [[spoiler: When you return the Platinum Chip to Mr. House, you can make one by trying to Barter him for more money but not having enough skill points.]]
--> '''The Courier:''' "Better raise the price or... or you're [[IncrediblyLamePun "chip outta luck".]]\\
'''Mr. House:''' [[CrowningMomentOfFunny "... Was that an attempt at humor?"]]
* INeverSaidItWasPoison / SuspiciouslySpecificDenial
-->'''Courier:''' Can you help me find some missing people?\\
'''Slave trader:''' I don't know anything about the refugees going missing from the Aerotech Office Park.
* InfinityMinusOneSword: Several. The regular Gauss Rifle, the Holorifle, the 12.7mm pistol and submachine gun, the hunting revolver, possibly the Anti-Materiel Rifle, the Super Sledge, and the Displacer Glove, just to name a few.
* InfinityPlusOneSword: Whatever weapon you find north of Westside, whether it be the [[TooAwesomeToUse Alien Blaster]] or the YCS/186. They're both incredibly devastating weapons, capable of one or two-shotting all but the toughest enemies.
** There's a suit of Infinity Plus One Armor out there, as well. The Remnants Power Armor, the complete suit having a DT 6 points higher than the T51-b and no faction affiliation. However, like all great ultimate items, you have to work for it: it's on the wrong side of the Colorado river and guarded by a nest of Deathclaws. Good luck getting there! (Or you could do Arcade's loyalty quest. You simply have to talk to 6 people around the Mojave Wasteland.)
** Arm your humanoid companion with the highest weapons in his/her specialty and they become a walking InfinityPlusOneSword.
*** Give [[ColdSniper Boone]] the Anti-Materiel Rifle or the Gobi Campaign Sniper Rifle.
*** Give [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot Lily]] a Thermic Lance or the "Oh Baby!" Super Sledge.
*** Give [[CuteBruiser Veronica]] the Ballistic Fist or the unique displacer glove, Pushy.
*** Give [[CombatMedic Arcade]] the Gauss Rifle or the YCS/186.
*** Give [[BadassSpaniard Raul]] the Ranger Sequoia.
*** Give [[FieryRedhead Cass]] the Riot Shotgun.
** Joshua Graham is the InfinityPlusOneSword of companions. He's ridiculously accurate, carries a default pistol that does more damage (both per shot and per second) than about 90 % of the guns in the game, and has such a large damage threshold (50) that he's practically invincible. Unfortunately, he's only available as a companion during the final battle of Honest Hearts.
* InkSuitActor: Doc Mitchell looks like Michael Hogan with a country doctor mustache.
* InsaneProprietor: [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCKoz_Q2sCE The Wind-Brahmin Salesman]] at ''Brooks Tumbleweed Ranch''.
* InsurmountableWaistHighFence: Example is northwest of ''Brooks Tumbleweed ranch'', where a pileup prevents further movement northwest. Even though you could jump on one of the blockading vehicles, you're blocked from going further.
** {{Lampshaded}} in Old World Blues, if you tell the Think Tank you're leaving and want nothing to do with their plans.
---> Dr Klein: "WELL THEN. WE'LL JUST KEEP YOU HERE WITH OUR MOST POWERFUL OF TECHNOLOGIES. THE FENCE."
* InterfaceScrew: The otherwise pushover Bark Scorpions have this as a really nasty surprise. If they sting you, the poison completely distorts your screen. Not the "crippled head" kind of distortion, but completely warping your entire field of view such that you can't even see the scorpion if it's in your face. They are deadly if you give them the chance.
* InvisibleWall: As a definitive response to players notoriously finding ways to scale terrain intended to be unclimbable in Gamebryo engine games, invisible clip brushes have been added. No clever shortcuts for you.
** If only the players hadn't discovered new ways to scale their own inventories with "armor hopping" and coupon stairs. The Legate Camp is a popular destination.
* IronicEcho: When Benny and the player character first speak, the latter is on his knees and Benny's about to kill him. Guess what happens in Caesar's camp?
* {{Irony}}: Benny notes that the game was rigged from the start...[[spoiler: too bad it wasn't rigged in his favor, as House knew about his scheme all along.]]
** Doctor Henry in Jacobstown was once a member of the Enclave, a group that considered any outsider to be a subhuman fit for execution due to their exposure to radiation (no matter how minute). And what is his current line of work? Researching a cure to help Super Mutants with mental disabilities. [[TheAtoner Because they asked him]].
*** Even more special is the fact that he's working for the Mutant that helped kill Horrigan and bring about the fall of the Enclave.
** As a female character, if you either kill Caesar or help him, there's a delicious lump of irony involved given the status of, well, every other woman even remotely connected to the Legion.
* IsThisThingStillOn?: Though it doesn't have the payoff the trope normally promises, [[spoiler:President Kimball]] does this after his speech, announcing his desire to leave the stage before he gets shot. Given it was a PA system, however, maybe he just didn't care.
-->''Thank you, thank you. [{{Beat}}] All right, let's get the fuck out of here.''
* ItemCrafting: Of three varieties! You can use workbenches to create weapons from spare parts, use reloading benches to make or customize gun ammunition, and use campfires to cook up food or medicine.
* [[ItIsPronouncedTroPAY It Is Pronounced KAI-sarr]]/InsistentTerminology: Caesar's Legion uses the Latin pronunciations.
** In fact, how a character pronounces Caesar is a pretty good indication of how much respect they have for him. Joshua Graham calls him See-ser when you meet him in the Honest Hearts DLC, though J.E. Sawyer states that this has more to do with him being educated enough to have known of the actual Caesar before meeting Edward unlike the other Legionnaires.
** Strangely enough though, Marcus uses the Latin pronunciation.
* ItSeemedLikeAGoodIdeaAtTheTime: The Courier can say this about killing Jeannie May.
* IWasQuiteALooker: Pearl, you can see her younger days depicted as nose art on the B-29 Bomber you recovered once the restoration is well underway. Possibly Old Lady Gibson as well.
* JackBauerInterrogationTechnique: Lieutenant Boyd will be more satisfied if you make Silus talk by repeatedly punching him in the face rather than using speech or intelligence skills. So will Boone, for that matter, but he'd rather Silus just die.
-->'''Silus:''' You're getting nothing from me.
-->'''Boyd:''' I'm getting entertainment. That's something. So what it's gonna be?
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: On the outside, Cass is a [[ClusterFBomb swearing]], [[TheAlcoholic alcoholic]], [[MyGirlIsASlut promiscuous]], [[JerkassFacade foul-tempered]] bitch. [[GoodIsNotNice But she is a good person deep down.]] She's the only companion that will leave you if you have Evil Karma, rather than everyone else who leaves you based on your reputation wth certain factions, and she's extremely loyal to, and protective of, a Good-aligned Courier, and she gets quite riled up after hearing about what Benny did to him/her.
* JustFollowingOrders: Yes Man. Because his programming says so.
** At one point, you can ask him if he should really have just explained the details of Benny's master plan to you; his response is that he was programmed to be helpful and to answer questions, and whoever had reprogrammed him must have forgotten to add in restrictions on whose questions he was supposed to answer.
* KaizoTrap: In the House and Independent ending pathes, [[spoiler: you end up picking a fight with [=NCR=]'s General Oliver after you defeat Legate Lanius]]. Your Securitron allies will gun him down easily, ''but'' they often fail to do so before his 5 Veteran Ranger EliteMooks armed with the best guns in the game mow down your own character.
* KarmaMeter: Along with the karma meter, the reputation meter for each faction from ''{{Fallout 2}}'' makes a return. Karma only seems to dictate perks and some dialogue choices, whereas the reputation meter is the main focus of the gameplay.
** This is a good thing, because karma can behave odd at times. For example, killing Powder Gangers nets you positive karma, whereas taking their stuff strangely counts as stealing and gets you a bit of negative karma. The amount of it is negligible, but it's confusing nonetheless.
** Lonesome Road finally makes good use of the Karma Meter in addition to the Reputation Meter. Depending on your Karma Level and who you're supporting at the time, will radically change how [[TheRival Ulysses]] views you and your actions. At level 50 there's even a karma-based perk.
* KarmicDeath:
** Depending on how you deal with him, Benny can eventually ends up in the same position the player was at the beginning of the game: tied up and completely at the mercy of his captors and yourself. At this point, you can choose to execute him yourself, using either the machete handed to you - or the gun you may have concealed on your person.
*** Gun Runner's Arsenal adds a challenge for killing him with his own gun, Maria. You know, the gun he shot you with?
** Allen Marks, the supposed BigBad in the quest to collect the star bottlecaps, [[spoiler:is found dead in the prize room. A holotape reveals he was trapped inside, and all the people he killed to get the caps only got him a worthless badge and a slow death by asphyxiation]].
** If you commit corporate espionage for Alice [=McLafferty=] and finish Cass' quest peacefully, then [[spoiler:Alice, along with the Van Graffs she hired to put down competing caravaners, will be killed by raiders using "advanced weaponry and military tactics." The Gunrunners, whom she tried to steal from, will deny having any "[[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial public motivation]] behind the attack."]]
** [[spoiler: In ''Dead Money'', Elijah can be trapped forever in the vault. Simply sneak out to the left exit corridor as he's coming down to meet you. He really wants to get in the Sierra Madre casino vault THAT badly? [[PayEvilUntoEvil You can give him all the time in the world]].]]
** [[spoiler: Speaking of ''Dead Money'', YOU can have a KarmicDeath. Haven't been paying attention to the "greed will get you killed" message of Dead Money? [[DeathByMaterialism Trying to take all 37 gold bricks that weigh over 1200 pounds with you?]] Have fun outrunning that explosion! (It can be done, but you either have to exploit the physics engine or time your escape just right so Elijah's scripted trap activates after you've passed through the doors but not prematurely by approaching too soon.)]]
** One of the challenges for Gun Runners' Arsenal is "Historical Propriety", where you re-enact the Ides of March and stab Caesar to death with a knife.
* KatanasAreJustBetter: If you get the Gun Runners' Arsenal DLC, you can have a Katana as a melee weapon. It's got decent attack power, but it also attacks ludicrously fast, effectively turning you into an honourable Japanese meat grinder.
* KickTheSonOfABitch: Caesar's Legions ending for the Mojave is an absolutely brutal DownerEnding... but in their ending they are at least kind enough to take out the [[SmugSnake Great]] [[DrugsAreBad Khans]], the [[AlwaysChaoticEvil Powder]] [[BombThrowingAnarchists Gangers]], and the [[CompleteMonster Fiends.]]
* KillSat: The Archimedes II [[WaveMotionGun orbital laser]]. You can acquire a remote to it. [[spoiler: [[FridgeHorror And that remote is in the hands of an unwitting child.]] The safety was on, at least.]]
* KillThemAll: This is the easiest way to complete some of the main quests. Doesn't work so well when dealing with the Powder Gangers and Legions, but really, who wants to have anything to do with those jerks?
* KineticWeaponsAreJustBetter: Actually semi-justified, as Hoover Dam is the only genuine power source in the Wastelands (unless you get Helios One working) that could recharge energy weapons, thus it'd be far easier to use or manufacture bullets. The game actually intentionally makes pistol ammo be more prevalently dropped.
** Most notably, the laser tommy gun (Laser RCW) is less damaging than the real tommy gun (.45 Auto SMG).
* KingMook: In ''Old World Blues'', each enemy type encountered has a unique, named, "boss" version of it somewhere in the Big MT. Each mini-boss is set at level 50, with matching health.
** The Legendary Bloatfly takes this to an insane (and probably parodic) degree. Regular Bloatflies are perhaps the least threatening thing in the Mojave, second to Giant Mantis Nymphs or Radroaches and easy prey for even a low-level Courier. The Legendary Bloatfy is the second ''strongest'' enemy in the game (no, not Old World Blues. The game. Period). The thing is somehow more dangerous than ''every single Deathclaw you will come across'', outclassed only by the Giant Roboscorpion, which at least appears in a room containing a few defences to turn against it and lots of things to hide behind. The Legendary Bloatfly appears in a small cave surrounded by regular Bloatflies and will likely notice you before you notice it. Generally, the player will round the last corner of its cave, oblivious, and be reduced to glowing goo with a single shot before they have any idea what the hell just happened. Unless they're at the ''absolute peak'' of damage resistance, in which case it might take two shots.
* KitschyLocalCommercial: Load screens are almost entirely poster ads, billboards, and paper paraphernalia of pre-war Nevada. The ads are generally of mediocre quality at best; one shows a 50's style Strongman lifting weights with the caption, "Build Mass With Sass! Sunset Sarsaparilla".
* KleptomaniacHero: You can help yourself to anything that isn't nailed down. The game does dock a few karma points for outright stealing, but the penalty is negligible and karma isn't that important in this game anyway (thanks to the new reputation system). This can lead to the amusing irony of the "Scourge of the Wastes" being one of the most beloved residents of the wasteland.
* KlingonPromotion: You can convince Swank to let you bring in your weapons to kill Benny, and in Gomorrah you can help Cachino to kill Big Sal and Nero. They will take over their respective casinos once you have done that. Benny himself is also head of his casino due to this, having knocked off his boss when Mr. House first set up the Strip.
** Furthermore, you can knock off [[spoiler:Mr. House and take over New Vegas yourself]].
* KnightInSourArmor: Chief Hanlon and Dr. Henry.
* LargeHam: The Think Tanks.
** Especially Dr. Klein. Even his subtitles are in all caps. It's lampshaded as well, with him constantly complaining that the volume control of his loudpspeaker is awry.
** The Tick, Dr. Venture, and Captain Quark are 3 of the 6 scientists. Case closed.
* LampshadeHanging: [[spoiler: Yes Man hangs one on the fact he has been programmed so that he CannotTellALie... to ''anybody''. Period. Benny, you are TooDumbToLive.]]
* LeeroyJenkins: The Kamikaze trait apparently.
* LegitimateBusinessmensSocialClub: Club Zoara, inside the Gomorrah Casino.
* LethalJokeItem: The Abeline Kid LE BB Gun is the ''Fallout New Vegas'' equivalent of the [[{{Fallout 2}} Red Ryder Limited BB Gun]], which gives a bonus critical damage and bonus critical chance.
** Boxing gloves, or the unique Golden Gloves. Very low damage indeed, but you will find out that even a character with low Unarmed skill can KO a deathclaw with it, allowing you to take your time dismembering it with a chainsaw.
** Euclid's C-Finder, which looks like a child's toy, is actually used as a target painter for [[KillSat ARCHIMEDES II]].
* LightningBruiser:
** Deathclaws can run faster than you can, do a lot of damage, and have very long melee reach. Thankfully, a couple of bullets to the legs willl gimp them.
** Legate Lanius plays this even straighter. [[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard The man is straight-up faster than any human should be]], continues to be faster than you even if you cripple both his legs, hits ''really'' hard, and has nearly as much health as the Legendary Deathclaw.
** Any super mutant. Look at how fast they run, and how powerful their running stride looks.
** Any Level 45+ player with high Strength, Agility and Endurance is this, especially if you have the best weapons and armor in the game.
* LightningGun: The Tesla cannon, and the unique Tesla-Beaton prototype.
** The LAER (Laser Assisted Electrical Rifle) in ''Old World Blues''
** The Arc Welder in ''Lonesome Road''
* LipstickLesbian: Veronica. She even gives you a quest to find her a pretty dress, complete with audible {{squee}} if you find one and give it to her.
** A subversion at the same time, since she shows you her gratitude for finding her the dress by [[CuteBruiser teaching you a new way to punch people]] - in her words, "the gift that keeps giving".
* LiteralGenie: [[spoiler: Yes Man.]]
* TheLoad: Waking Cloud, a companion from ''Honest Hearts.'' Her only combat skill is Unarmed, the only combat skill in the game with no ranged attacks whatsoever (Melee Weapons has a handful of thrown weapons), but her hit points are so low she literally loses fights to plants with distressing regularity. Giving her a ranged weapon means she'll live an extra 2 seconds because now the monster she's fighting has to walk to her ''without'' her charging right up to it.
* LoadsAndLoadsOfLoading: Probably one of this game's biggest flaws. The load times themselves aren't that long, but there's lots of them.
** The load redundancy makes this especially eg-- For example, fast traveling places the player outside a location, without preloading the interior, which is the primary reason for traveling there in the first place. There's rarely a fast travel mark directly to commonly visited characters, some of which are instead ''two to four maps deep'' from arrival. It's almost as if they were relying on design shortsightedness to inflate the playing time.
** One of the worst examples would probably be wanting to buy stuff from Sergeant Contreras. Fast travel to Camp Mc Carran (load), enter it (load), run a minute or two, to reach the terminal building (load) and now you can either go through the airfield (load, run a minute, load) or the terminal hallways (load, run a minute, load) to get to his shack. At least, after buying you can just exit the shack and fast travel away, since the airfield counts as an outside location.
* LoopholeAbuse: Katherine Stone, the Overseer in Vault 11. [[spoiler:Since the Justice Bloc in the Vault used their majority to control who became Overseer and thus was sacrificed, she was forced to perform sexual favors to save her husband. When they nominated him anyway, she murdered several of them, because she knew she would be elected Overseer due to her crimes. Upon her nomination, she changed the voting process to selection by random number generation, effectively destroying the Justice Bloc's power. There wasn't any rule preventing her from changing the rules.]]
* LostForever: While it has improved a lot since launch, the game is still quite unstable, and odd glitches may still manifest that will prevent even the most able player from obtaining unique items and party members.
* LoveDodecahedron: The employees of H&H Tools spent nine minutes out of ten planning romantic trysts. You can use terminals and read personal e-mails between them planning some horizontal mambo after-hours. In fact, a couple (as in married) make up excuses to not be away from each other so they can have a tryst [[LoveTriangle WITH THE SAME GUY.]]
** NoodleImplements: They were also very... interesting in their choice of love toys. Amongst those mentioned in the e-mails are an accordion, a riding crop, a stovepipe, souvenir moon rocks, rubber sheets and a souvenir elephant-foot trashcan.
* LuckStat: A Fallout trope in general, but {{Deconstructed}} in this game. It's actually an ability to [[TheChessmaster calculate probabilities]] and [[WindsOfDestinyChange know how to nudge them in your favor]]. The luckiest individual in the Wasteland, [[spoiler: Mr. House, who has a Luck state of 10]], can in fact [[XanatosRoulette predict the future]] with his ability. Not that it helps him to any extent should the player decide to cross him - and you can't see the NPC stats directly without console commands either. A better example of DoingInTheWizard on the matter of luck is that one of the implants you may obtain - a probability processing unit of sorts - actually increases your luck.
** Vault 21's [[PlanetOfHats hat]] was that everyone was equal and conflicts were solved with games of chance, essentially an in-game deconstruction of luck. Unlike most of the other Vaults, 21 did pretty well for itself...until House showed up and won the whole place in a game of blackjack.
* LudicrousGibs: The Anti-Materiel Rifle. What do you expect when you use a gun made primarily against tanks and vehicles on [[NoKillLikeOverkill those poor, poor people?]]
** Or when you use a weapon that flings projectiles at several times the speed of sound with [[MagneticWeapons magnets]]?
** Don't forget about the Bloody Mess perk, which lets you make a splatter house on anyone or anything by coughing at them (just so long as it's the killing hit).
** What's truly amusing about this is that it's not just showy, but practical. Is there a body hanging just out of reach? Gib it, and you can loot it through whatever pieces of it happened to fall in your direction.
* {{MacGuffin Location}}: Hoover Dam, source of clean water and free power to the Mojave, is being fought over by both the Legion and the NCR.
** To the extent that the NCR has holed up most of its troops there, leaving the rest of the border poorly defended, and the Legion - despite the poorly defended border and the success of their raiding parties across the Colorado - will not attempt to invade the Mojave without first capturing the Dam.
* MacheteMayhem: One of the more powerful and reliable melee weapons in the game is the humble machete. This is a staple weapon of low-level Legionnaires in Caesar's Legion, and there's even an advanced version called a machete gladius and the unique Liberator.
* [[MagikarpPower Magikarp Skill]]: Explosives, arguably. It's a near-useless skill on a normal playthough, as even a number less than 10 is sufficient to disarm proximity mines, i.e. the only mines that matter. However, get it high enough and take the right perks (Demolition Expert and Splash Damage), and the blast radius and damage of any explosive is significantly increased. This turns weapons like the missile launcher, grenade machinegun, and the Fat Man into THE MOST damaging weapons in the game. The only problem is ammo, about which this game is not kind.
** This trope is taken UpToEleven with the new Gun Runner's DLC. Mini nukes and missiles that fragment into 9 cluster bombs, plasma and pulse grenades for grenade launchers, the return of the Nuka Grenade, and extremely easy-to-craft explosives made from microfusion cells and pistol powder.
* MadeOfIron: Most notably there's Legate Lanius. A lesser example would be Jean-Baptiste Cutting, TheDragon to Gloria Van Graff, and of course high-level monsters such as deathclaws and sentry bots.
** A character can be specced to become this. If you have Remnants power armor, both ranks of the Toughness perk, the big brained and reinforced spine perks from the Old World Blues DLC, and the sub-dermal plating implant, you can have a DT of 53! If you have Cass as a active companion and drink Whiskey, you'll have a DT of [[UpToEleven 57!]] Also, if you have Endurance 10 and Life Giver at level 30 (45 if you have the three DLCs), [[StoneWall your HP will be a whopping 620 (770)!]]
*** The Whiskey boost can reach 6 DT with enough Survival skill. It stacks with two kinds of tequila, which count as whiskey. "In Shining Armor" is literally [[IncrediblyLamePun made of iron]] against beam weapons. Basically, there are so many defense tweaks you're unlikely to fit them all on one character.
** [[PlayerCharacter The Courier]] being MadeOfIron is pretty much required. Over the course of the game, the Courier is shot in the head (twice. At point blank range. ''Before the game even starts''), knocked unconscious and dragged for miles (''Dead Money''), survives having his heart, spine, and brain removed, eventually swapping them and their prosthesis out at will (''Old World Blues''), and can optionally waltz through ''three separate ground zeroes'' within hours of their creation. And that's without all the decision-dependent beatings he/she takes and survives. Two of the three highest-level Perks lampshade the fact that the Courier shouldn't be alive (they're called "I'm Lucky to Be Alive," and "I Thought You Died").
** The backstory of the game also has Joshua Graham. In fact, a few Legion characters will mention that while Legate Lanius is a more intelligent tactician and strategist, ''Legate Graham was an even more powerful warrior than Lanius''. It's worth noting that the seven foot tall heavily armored killing machine that fights by swinging a huge blade around was the ''brains'' relative to Joshua Graham.
*** They're not kidding. Joshua Graham was covered in pitch, set on fire, and thrown over the edge of the ''Grand freakin' Canyon''. Not only did he live, he climbed out again and walked all the way back to his home in Utah.
* MadScientist: The Think Tanks of the Big Empty.
* MamaBear: The Mother ''Deathclaw''. [[BerserkButton Shoot one of her little babies]] and prepare for '''pain'''.
* ManInTheMachine: [[spoiler: Mr. House, and potentially the player, if the Mr. House ending is chosen.]]
* MatterReplicator: The Sierra Madre vending machines, which uses Sierra Madre chips as both a form of currency and base matter.
* TheManBehindTheCurtain: Mr. House, the perpetually sequestered leader, face of New Vegas, and leader of a [[BadassArmy vast army of killbots]], is [[spoiler: really nothing more a shriveled, 261-year-old Howard Hughes {{Expy}} who's immune system is so weak, he'll die from numerous viral infections in a matter of months if you so much as open his stasis tank.]]
* MatchMakerQuest: Jack and Janet, another way to increase your reputation with the Boomers.
* MeaningfulName: Jason Bright, leader of a religious cult for ghouls, is a Glowing One - a ghoul so dosed up on radiation that he emits a radioactive glow. Lampshaded if you ask him about his name.
** The name ''Lanius'' means "butcher," a word that certainly describes the Legate's approach to battle.
** The man in charge of New Vegas, playing the NCR and the Legion against one another for his own gain? Robert ''House'', as in "''the'' House."
** In the cases of Bright and House, those were the names they were born with a good 200 years previously. Foreshadowing indeed.
** Each of the scientists in the Big MT has a name referring to an endless loop. Dr. Klein refers to the Klein bottle, Dr. Borous refers to the Ouroboros (and with a high enough INT, you can point out it's spelled wrong), Dr. Dala comes from "Mandala", a Sanskrit word meaning circle, Dr. 0 is obviously a loop, Dr. 8 is an infinity symbol turned on its side, and Dr. Mobius is named for the Mobius strip.
* MedievalStasis: A higher-tech version than usual, but consider, it's been 200 years since the bombs fell and the Brotherhood of Steel (in particular, the Nevada chapter you deal with) is falling into a ''serious'' rut. [[spoiler: It's stated that the Mojave Brotherhood chapter is trying to get in touch with the Brotherhood of Steel headquarters far to the west, but isn't getting responses. Given that the Brotherhood of Steel and the NCR have just been at war, it's possible that all other Brotherhood chapters in NCR territory have been wiped out and the Mojave chapter may be one of the few Brotherhood chapters left.]]
* MeetTheNewBoss: Caesar's manifesto will seem pretty familiar to those who've played the original ''Fallout'' and faced down TheMaster. In many ways the Legion is simply the Unity all over again. You can even talk to Marcus about Caesar, and while he doesn't make an obvious direct comparison you definitely get the vibe that he's seen it before and knows it can never lead to anything good.
* MegaCorp: The Crimson Caravan Company is the closest thing to a Mega Corp that you can get in a post-apocalyptic world. They dominate most of the commercial activities on the west coast, have offices and trading outpost all the way from California to Utah, and have lot of influence in the NCR government.
** The Mojave Wasteland under the control of Mr. House is basically a [[OneNationUnderCopyright Mega Corp in the form of a nation state]].
* MegaManning: The super-secret hidden perk Meat of Champions [[spoiler: If you use the Cannibal perk to eat President Kimball, Caesar, Mr. House, and The King, you temporarily gain their abilities (Kimball's strength, Caesar's intelligence, House's luck, and The King's charisma) whenever you feed from a human corpse.]]
* MercyKill: [[spoiler: Boone gives one to his wife.]]
** [[spoiler:You can also give one to mutilated NCR troops while exploring a minefield. It's a good thing.]]
** [[spoiler:Boone repeatedly voices his distaste towards mercy kills and often stresses that you should only be done as a last resort. Of course, there are only two situations (and a few scattered ones if you're on the side of NCR, notably before assaulting a Legion stronghold) where it isn't, so it's a moot point.]]
** [[spoiler:You get an option to inflict a MercyKill upon Benny when you find him captured in Caesar's camp -- otherwise he'll meet a far more gruesome death at the hands of the Legion.]]
** At Nipton, [[spoiler: you can give these to the [[AssholeVictim crucified Powder Gangers]].]]
* MightyWhitey: Played with ''a lot'' in Honest Hearts; both Daniel and Joshua are Mormons who have become leaders of tribal societies. Neither is terribly happy that they're interfering to such a massive degree, but they don't have/know any other way to help. Daniel in particular is incredibly indecisive, worrying about whether he's doing the right thing, and both of them [[ItsUpToYou put major decisions at your feet]] because [[JustifiedTrope they're uncomfortable]] with their [[DeconstructedTrope level of involvement]] in everyone's lives. Joshua even says this to you outright about Follows-Chalk (paraphrased).
--> '''Courier:''' Why don't you talk to him? You know I'm just going to tell him to leave, right?\\
'''Joshua:''' Perhaps, but I think he's learned too much from me already.
** The Courier may complicate this even further depending on the skin tone you chose for him/her at character creation.
* MindScrew: The Lonesome Drifter's [[spoiler:father may very well be the Mysterious Stranger. Made even screwier by the fact that "Lonesome" and "Drifter" are synonyms of "Lone" and "Wanderer." Make of that what you will.]]
* AMillionIsAStatistic: A strange meta-example with the Mr. House quest to [[spoiler:wipe out the Brotherhood bunker]]. Of the available options[[hottip:*:A peaceful solution existed, but was DummiedOut.]] are going in, guns blazing, and killing them all, or sneaking in, and [[StuffBlowingUp blowing the whole place up]]. Of the two options, both give negative Karma, but the latter significantly less-so, because it's one large karma hit, instead of many smaller (but still reasonably large) hits.
* MismatchedEyes: Some dogs (e.g. ones at Gibson scrap yard) have one brown and one blue eye.
* MixAndMatchCritters: Nightstalkers are coyote/rattlesnake hybrids. Yao Guai are some kinda quasi-furry part-bear thing.
* MoodLighting: Camp Forelorn Hope gets a [[RealIsBrown brown color wash]], but not when you play on a low detail setting. In this case, the color is much more desaturated than normal.
* MolotovCocktail: The firebomb from ''Honest Hearts'' gives off this vibe, as it is made from a beer bottle and uses a lit rag as a fuse. In gameplay, it's more of a weaker, craftable Incendiary Grenade.
* MoneyToBurn: Legion Coins may not be exchangeable as currency in many places, but you can use them as ''ammunition'' if you're playing a particularly creative character who's good at tinkering with ammo.
** Of course, the perennial favorite "Bottlecap Mine" (an IED made with Caps, the region's popular currency, as shrapnel) makes a return in this game. The head of Crimson Caravan even lampshades it.
* MontyHaul: The Dead Money DLC is named quite appropriately. After the very frustrating and aggravating campaign, you are rewarded with Gold Bars which are worth 10000 caps each, the very high tier weapons and armor from the campaign, and over 10000 Sierra Madre chips if you gambled at the casino. Also, every three days, you get 1100 Sierra Madre chips at the Abandoned Bunker. Think they're useless now? There's a vending machine in Elijah's room. That means a practically infinite supplies of chems, stimpacks, and weapon repair kits!
* {{Mordor}}: The Divide.
* MoreDakka: The iconic minigun, of course, but also the light machine gun, the assault carbine (which can burn through its 24-round magazine in less than three seconds), and the many variations on the theme of submachine gun. Old World Blues includes the K9000, a Cyberdog Gatling Gun that fires magnum rounds.
* MuggingTheMonster: Freeside Thugs bring this trope to [[SuicidalOverconfidence untold heights of absurdity.]]
** Terrifying Presence allows your dialogue options to occasionally lampshade this.
* MultipleEndings: Four proper endings, plus a variety of "segmented endings" for different communities and characters that all depend on the choices you make.
* MushroomSamba: one quest in Honest Hearts has YOU go on one.
* MusicalThemeNaming: Almost every quest is named after a classic song, along with an IncrediblyLamePun or two ("Ant Misbehavin'").
* MyCountryRightOrWrong: Cass believes this about the NCR. While she loves her country, she just wishes that the leadership of the NCR would get their heads out of their asses. Boone has hints of it as well.
** Elder [=MacNamara=] also has this attitude.
* MyGreatestFailure: This attitude is commonly held of [[spoiler: The Bitter Springs Massacre]] by those who were there.
* MysteriousProtector: Two of them, Mysterious Stranger and Miss Fortune, the latter simply knocking people out instead of killing them. You can get both.
** The Lonesome Drifter is an NPC you can find along the road to Vegas. If you ask for his story it's heavily implied that he is the Mysterious Stranger's son.
** And a step further, you can get his Mysterious Magnum. It even plays the Stranger's theme when you draw and holster it.
* MythologyGag: "[[{{Fallout 3}} I'm looking for a man in a checkered coat. Have you seen anyone like that?]]"
** A side-quest for the Kings will have one suspect identified by the name "Lou Tennant," the name the dumber Super Mutants called TheDragon in the original ''{{Fallout}}.''
*** The friend of the witness who provides that little gem even calls him "dumb as a mutant."
** Cannibal Johnson remembers [[DrillSergeantNasty Sergeant Dornan]] giving [[{{Fallout 2}} a private that had wandered into Navarro without a uniform the most blistering rant known to mankind.]]
** Near Novac you can find [[{{Fallout 2}} a busted old Highwayman]]. Moreover, its trunk is filled with various energy weapon ammo, hearkening back to players storing such items in the trunk as spare Highwayman fuel.
** Does Julie Farkas's hairdo remind you of anyone? Say... Nicole, the founder of the Followers of The Apocalypse?
** Several characters, including Yes Man and Caesar, speculate that the secret weapon Mr. House has stored in the secret bunker underneath Fortification Hill is a [[{{Fallout 3}} giant war robot he's going to use to curbstomp everything]]. Yes Man even massages the Courier's ego by telling him that he's such a badass [[TakeThat he doesn't need a giant robot to do all his work for him]].
* MythArc: The [=DLCs=] all hint towards the Courier's confrontation with Ulysses, which is settled at the Divide in Lonesome Road.
* NationalWeapon: The tribes in the Honest Hearts DLC each have a signature weapon. The Whitelegs use Submachine Guns, the Dead Horses use War Clubs, the Sorrows use Yao Guai Gauntlets, and the New Canaanites use .45 pistols.
* {{Nerf}}: Many of the low-level energy weapons were practically useless before the 1.2.31X patch, doing far too little damage to be of any worth. Also, the Hunting Rifle in ''Fallout 3'' had low damage mitigating its usefulness despite its plentiful ammunition; something that was rectified in ''New Vegas'', that being both the damage and the ammo supply. Also, the Sniper Rifle, with its 5x [[CriticalHit crit chance multiplier]] all but guaranteeing crits outside of sneak attacks, was toned down in the same patch that de-nerfed the low-tier energy weapons. Not to mention That Gun, the .223 pistol from ''BladeRunner''. It was by far the best pistol in the 1st and 2nd games. Now it's not even as strong as the default 10mm pistol you get an hour into the game (but what it lacks in raw damage it makes up by being able to load the best armor-piercing pistol ammunition in the game).
** On the flip side, the missile launcher now does hellacious damage since the patch, making it a true BFG.
** On the recent patch, the minigun, service rifle, and assault carbine are de-nerfed as well, with the default armor piercing nature of the 5mm ammo and the Grunt perk in Honest Hearts. However, the Varmint Rifle got nerfed hard since it gets the damage decrease of the Service Rifle without the rate of fire boost, that it is almost impossible to kill anything with it in a single VATS round.
** The Feral Ghoul Reavers got nerfed massively as well. In Broken Steel, they were one of the nastiest enemies in the game, with health to rival a Super Mutant Overlord and a deadly ranged attack. Now, their health got cut significantly and they lost the ranged attack. They're still extremely dangerous, but not as ridiculous as they were.
* NeverFoundTheBody: [[spoiler: Joshua Graham, the previous Legate of Caesar's Legion, whom Caesar ordered to be set on fire and cast into the Grand Canyon after losing the first battle of Hoover Dam]]. He is so widely speculated to be alive that Caesar has forbidden his name to be spoken, mostly due to his reputation as the ultimate [[ImplacableMan Implacable Man]] who miraculously survived fatal wounds on an almost regular basis.
* NeverMessWithGranny: Lily, a Nightkin supermutant who is roughly 250 years old and alternates between talking about her grandchildren and chopping enemies in half with a [[{{BFS}} helicopter blade]]. And she has [[FunnySchizophrenia a split personality where she blames all her violent tendencies on "Leo".]]
* NeverTrustATrailer: The [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epFupigyIN8 Blue Moon trailer]] features a gorgeous view of a fully illuminated New Vegas in the background. In the actual game, however, only the four casinos are actually lit up. The trailer, as well as some bits in the intro narration, suggest that Obsidian might have intended New Vegas to be a completely pristine pre-war city. In the actual game, it is revealed that the city had undergone centuries of dilapidation until Mr. House decided to repair the casinos as a means of welcoming the NCR.
** The Limits of the game engine might have something to do with this, as the game's intro also shows Vegas as a near pristine pre-war city.
* NewMeat - 10 of Spades. He's called that, because he's too green to earn Ace of Spades as his callsign.
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: The game gets rather {{Anvilicious}} in this respect if you [[spoiler:kill or incapacitate Mr. House. You even receive a message saying "A great tragedy has befallen mankind" '''and''' take a large karma hit, despite the fact that Mr. House's actions are no less morally dubious than those of the NCR.]] Arguably, however, this might be intentional. [[spoiler:Mr. House has very little modesty and obviously arranged this prior to his death. It's essentially some post-mortem ego-stroking]]. Also consider that Mr. House is [[TheExtremistWasRight largely responsible]] for most of Nevada ''not'' being hit with Chinese nukes, and thus, much of it being a safe haven for non-Vault inhabitants.
** Also gets rather ham-fisted in Lonesome Road, where it's made clear, in no uncertain terms, [[spoiler:that YOU are the reason The Divide, touted as humanity's best chance at recovery, is now nothing more than an Irradiated crack in the ground, thanks to the EarthShatteringKaboom you set off. [[YouBastard Thanks a lot, asshole.]]]]
* NighInvulnerable - With the Stealth suit Mk II (A suit of sentient PoweredArmour} you get in Old World Blues, when you hit relatively low (about 40%) health, you have a stimpak and Med-x administered. And the rate of it is insane - about 1 dose of Stim per second. This renders you almost invincible in Casual, as long as you're not being wailed upon by about eight enemies at once, or fighting the Giant Robo-Scorpion with it's near insta-kill laser.
* NinjaPirateZombieRobot: This game loves playing with this.
** First, there's Victor, the cowboy robot unicycle.
*** Primm has Primm Slim, who is another robot cowboy. Amusingly, there's a bit of dialogue where you have to clarify ''which'' robot cowboy you're talking about.
** There's also Raul Tejada, the [[BadassGrandpa 230 year old]] ghoul vaquero mechanic.
** And let's not forget cowboy-ghoul-mercenary-dominatrix Beatrix Russel.
** And of course, any given player could become a martial-artist-cannibal-sniper-radioactive-birdslaying-courier..
** There are plenty of implants and mutations for the player to pick up.
** In ''Old World Blues'', there are robot radscorpions with laser in the place of the stinger
* NintendoHard: The game gives you the option of ''Hardcore Mode'', which simulates the post-apocalyptic experience. What does this mean? You have to [[ThisIsReality eat, drink, and sleep regularly to survive]]. Ammo has weight. Stimpacks heal over time instead of instantly. They also can't heal limbs any more; you need a doctor's bag or and actual doctor for that. That said, doing this is at best a minor annoyance for a decent player: there is more than enough food, water, and beds to cover your needs. The only thing in short supply is doctor's bags, which can be supplemented cheaply by actual doctors.
** Then there's the DLC ''Dead Money'', which was apparently written by a KillerGameMaster: You lose all your gear at start and are given low-condition, barely protective junk in return. There's toxic gas clouds all over causing a constant HP drain. The puzzles are a tad harder. There are traps ''everywhere''. The good supplies are hard to come by at first. The Ghost People within can't just be beaten to death without a huge health drain (because they level with you). The whole thing is in a dark, terrible tint that will make you want to punch the screen. It also helps with not seeing the freakin' bear traps. [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment Which are everywhere]]. And to top it off, there are speakers and radios which set off your explosive collar; SaveScumming is the way to find and deactivate (or outrun) them. [[SchmuckBait At least you're warned.]]
** Whereas ''Dead Money'' was Nintendo Hard in terms of dungeon exploration, all the DLC is Nintendo Hard in terms of straight-out combat. All the enemies level with you, which actually makes being at high levels a ''disadvantage'', since ''every single normal enemy'' is tough enough that they'd be considered a major boss character in the vanilla game. And you'll often have to fight several at once. This is especially bad in ''Dead Money'', though, because you don't get your high damage weapons and the Ghost People don't take extra damage from headshots.
* [[NoCampaignForTheWicked No Campaign or Companions For the Wicked]]: The game prides itself on making certain that none of the factions are straight out "good" or "evil," with reminders like NCR being ineffective at defending its interests in stark contrast to the Legion inspiring such strict order that even the [[CompleteMonster Fiends]] won't attack their territory, but...of the companions for the Courier, nearly all fall under either pro-NCR or neutral, and two will even abandon you outright for supporting the Legion. Couple that with ''a lot'' of doors being closed to players for throwing their lot in with the Legion...yeah. There aren't a lot of incentives for siding with the Legion for anything but the different story missions.
** ''Honest Hearts'' also plays this straight--despite your ability to side with the Legion in the main game, you can't side with the White Legs in Zion, who are attempting to join the Legion. There are numerous potential Justifications/Hand Waves available, but none are brought up.
** WordOfGod also alluded to this concerning Joshua Graham--his FalloutVanBuren counterpart, The Hanged Man, was a TokenEvilTeammate played quite straight, with great stats, but severe social consequences for bringing him along. For his appearance in ''Honest Hearts'', this was deemed too bland a character, and wouldn't be interesting. Considering how conflicted he is when you meet him, this was clearly the correct move.
** Ironically, when programming a character along the lines stated above (powerful, but antagonizing), the end result was Boone, who is essentially the "[[GoodIsNotNice good]]" counterpart to the above character: very powerful, but attacks Legion on sight, essentially creating instant enemies for otherwise neutral player characters.
** Ulysses was also a TokenEvilTeammate, however according to the developers he can persuaded to serve a different cause completely.
* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: Mr. House basically ''is'' Howard Hughes. WordOfGod even lampshaded it.
** His securitron friend Jane is based on Jane Russell.
** Several casinos and landmarks were given this treatment, such as Bison Steve = Buffalo Bill's, Dinky the T-Rex = Dinny the Dinosaur/Mr Rex, and The Tops = The Sands.
** Despite this being the future, Benny is based on mobster [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bugsy_Siegel Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel]], right down to the tacky suit.
** Mr. New Vegas is Wayne Newton, famous announcer known as "Mr. Las Vegas". And literally so as the character is actually voiced by Newton.
* NoFairCheating: Have the PC version and used the console? ''No achievements for you!''
** [[EpicFail Even if you do it to fix a]] {{game breaking bug}}. Achievements can re-enabled by saving and quitting, then going back to the game.
** If you are in a casino, saving the game also shuts down all the gambling options for a minute as an "anti-cheat" measure to prevent save-scumming.
** Similarly, you cannot click through the type-up sequence for the hacking minigame if you just exited and re-entered the computer terminal.
* NonStandardGameOver: In Dead Money [[spoiler: if you access Sinclair's personal account in the Sierra Madre Vault [[TooDumbToLive even though a previous text clearly says doing so will permanently and irreversibly lock the vault door]], you get a message (addressed to Domino) saying you are [[FateWorseThanDeath trapped in the vault]] [[AndIMustScream with absolutely no way to get out]], and an ending slide plays saying the Courier died inside the vault and was turned into a hologram.]]
** Also in Dead Money, [[spoiler: you can join Father Elijah and unleash the cloud upon the Mojave Wasteland, killing everyone.]]
* NoodleIncident: You can find a computer log in ''Old World Blues'' which says steps are being taken to avoid a repeat of [=Incident:PLAYTIME=]. There were cyberdogs involved, and fixing it took up a good portion of the research budget.
** Hinted to cyberdogs in heat and measures taken to sterilize the place after the dogs had their mating season.
* NotQuiteTheRightThing: [[spoiler:Solving "Heartache By the Number" the [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge Cass way]] certainly seems viable, as the targets completely deserve it for their crimes...but then the epilogue reveals that you and Cass have effectively crippled both the NCR and the Wasteland's only major trade industry. OOPS!]]
* NonActionGuy: The idea behind the Good Natured trait. Your combat skills take a hit, but a whole bunch of non-combat skills get a boost, and since you have the option of getting a couple of party members to do the fighting for you, you can still survive when violence becomes necessary. That also does not prevent you from [[TookALevelInBadass taking a level in badass]] by putting skill points appropriately.
** What's funny is that this trait actually has the opposite intended effect. Since you can't max out skills like in ''Fallout 3'', you have to decide which skills you want to build up. This trait takes points away from the combat skills you will never use (depending on how you like to play, you'll only ever use one or two combat skills, maybe three at most) and puts them into skills you will, almost certainly resulting in a net gain. By putting skill points into combat skills anyway, [[TheAce your character can deal with practically any situation.]]
** Even better, the ''Old World Blues'' DLC has the [[TheAce Skilled]] trait, which gives you +5 to all skills at the cost of a -10% exp gain. Combined with the Good Natured Trait, this is a net gain of +10 to a lot of skills while also removing the -5 penalty to your combat skills. The experience loss can be negated by a perk which you can get at second level.
*** Sort of. The 10% penalty is applied first, then the 10% bonus is applied to the intermediate calculation, giving a net loss of 1% XP (1*.9*1.1=.99).
* NoOneShouldSurviveThat: The response you will get when you catch up with the people who shot you in the head and buried you alive at the start of the game.
* NoOSHACompliance: Standard for the course in the Fallout verse. Though the Bison Steve hotel gets kudos. Pre-War there was a platform that led directly to the tracks for the Roller Coaster. Not to the loading[=/=]unloading platform, just in the middle of the tracks.
** Subverted with the Hoover Dam. There are guard rails and there is a fence to block anything going into the intake valves. [[TheDevTeamThinksOfEverything including stray players trying to sequence break.]]
*** Followed through in many other cases where toxic waste is dumped in places such as a fire station. The REPCONN headquarters' tour guide also lampshades this by constantly reassuring you that no safety measures are required for toxic waste dumps because "nothing bad will ever happen."
* NoTellMotel: Bison Steve was this BEFORE the war. You find a ransom note. A skeleton on the bed next to a blood stain that's at chest level then another skeleton in the tub with a knife and surrounded by drugs. Murder-suicide, anyone?
** Maybe it's a StealthPun, since the real-world equivalent is "[[TheSilenceOfTheLambs Buffalo Bill's]]".
* NotSoDifferent: [[spoiler:Caesar and Arcade Gannon]] are extremely similar. Both are or were members of [[spoiler:the Followers of Apocalypse]]. Both lost their fathers at a young age. Both are well educated [[spoiler:to the point of knowing Latin]]. Both believe in the greater good, even if it is at the expense of the individual good ([[spoiler:although Arcade doesn't take it to the same extremes]]). Both prove to be [[spoiler:remarkably effective military leaders as soon as they put their mind to do so. Arcade is openly gay, while Caesar (along with the entire Legion) is implied to be gay (though this might just be slander). If you get a very specific ending, the trope is more apparent, as well, due to Caesar's interactions with Arcade]].
** Veronica also points out that both the Boomers and the Brotherhood of Steel are quite similar, both being aggressively xenophobic hoarders of technology.
* NotStayingForBreakfast: If Benny survives his night with a black widow Courier, he leaves a note that manages to be infuriating and endearing at the same time.
* OffModel: Strafing to the left as a female Courier causes your left arm to suddenly gain a new joint. Pre-patch, there were [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToKIkw3LIoQ some]] that were unintentionally hilarious.
* OffscreenTeleportation: Both of the Mysterious Protectors. Victor seems to always be one step ahead of you, but it turns out he's got a justification for that.
* OhCrap:
** [[spoiler:Benny's reaction when he sees how [[IGotBetter you got better]] after that little incident up near Goodsprings.]]
** Probably the best OhCrap to come from Benny is if [[spoiler: you go up to the penthouse at The Tops at his request. Of course, he betrays you and sends 4 of his bouncers to do you in. Kill them, and then go over to the intercom and interact with it.]]
--> [[spoiler: '''Benny:''' The cleaners will knock twice. Make sure they do a thorough job.]]\\
[[spoiler: '''The Courier:''' [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome Yeah... There's quite a mess up here. Four bodies.]]]]\\
[[spoiler: '''Benny:''' [[OhCrap What... the... fuck!?]]]]
*** [[spoiler: It's also heavily implied in dialogue with The Tops members that after this exchange, Benny fled from the casino in pure unbridled ''terror''.]]
** If you tell the lone NCR Ranger attempting to use a bunker as a safehouse that the Brotherhood of Steel have you hostage - "Ha, ha, not a slaver collar... hey, what's that noise?" [[spoiler:Three angry paladins in T-51b armor, that's what.]]
** In the WildCard ending, [[spoiler:General Oliver shows up after blasting down the doors to congratulate you. Then you point out you had help. Cue the dust settling and a very unhealthy number of Securitrons suddenly holding him at gunpoint]].
** Jessup gets one in Boulder City when he recognises the Courier, remarking that he saw you get shot in the head by Benny in Goodsprings and you're ''supposed'' to be dead.
---> '''Courier:''' [[IGotBetter I got better]].
* OneHitPointWonder: The Cloud in ''Dead Money'' can turn ''you'' into this in Hardcore more if you don't have the stims to keep your health up, especially in the early game. Half the time you'll be throwing your companions at enemies to avoid using your precious healing items.
* OneManArmy: The pro-NCR path more or less requires you to be this. Even if you aren't following that path, a high-level character with the right equipment can literally be this.
** Ranger Stella, one of the possible opponent in the arena. She apparently refused to be given a machete in the arena, prefering to fight with just her bare hands, and she wasted just about anyone thrown at her, from slaves and recruit legionaries up to veteran legionaries and an elite centurion. When you fight her, she can cripple limbs with one hit.
** Randall Clark, the Survivalist, wiped out most of the cannibalistic Vault 22 dwellers who killed the Spanish refugees he was watching over, at first by guerilla warfare which led him being called the [[RedBaron Evil Spirit]] by them.
* OneStatToRuleThemAll:
** Like all ''Fallout'' games, Intelligence is the most important stat. Period. It determines how many skill points you get each level up and figures into several speech checks. Following close, but not strictly necessary, is Luck. Luck allows you to win the casino games, specifically blackjack. A minimum Luck of 7 (which is easy enough to get thanks to the Luck implant, Naughty Nightwear, and the Lucky Shades if you can manage the Legion rep) will ensure that you win almost every hand. You'll be able to clean out every casino on and off the Strip. The combined payout for every casino comes out to about 40000 caps, which means you're set for life.[[hottip:*:And in the Sierra Madre Casino in ''Dead Money'', the 10,000-chip jackpot limit can be cashed in for Pre-War Money, one-to-one, which can equate to over ''100,000'' caps with a good Barter skill.]] Luck also provides the most skill points, since it grants a +1 boost to every skill for every two points invested.
** Repair and Barter are useful skills if you want to make a LOT of money. You can sell higher and buy lower with the Barter skill, and repairing items significantly increases the value of it. For example, having 90 repair and Jury Rigging will allow you to repair a near broken super sledge with a shovel, increasing its value by over 2000 caps. It's dozens of times more lucrative than Luck if you keep everything you loot and wait until you have the perk.
** Speech and Science are unquestionably necessary to achieve the best endings in the game, and they need to be really high at that. You need to manage 90 in both to get the best endings, and a full 100 to talk down the bosses.
* OneTimeDungeon:
** The Securitron Vault was intended to be such, with the player being unable to re-enter once it is completed, and the guard's dialogue not permitting you to leave until you complete the task. However, the actual implementation permits you to leave (using dialog or killing the guards) as long as you don't complete the section.
** The ''Dead Money'' DLC cannot be visited after it is completed, unlike the Old World Blues and Honest Hearts add-ons. In said DLC, the vault of the Sierra Madre is also closed off after you leave.
* OnlyOneFemaleMold: Even the old wrinkle faced women have young shaped bodies.
* OohMeAccentsSlipping: Sort of. One minor Frumentarius that you meet greets you for the first time with "Hail Caesar" (hard C) and the very next sentence says it again, this time with a soft C.
** Cachino speaks with an Italian accent when you first meets you, but then drops it after you show him his journal. Justified because, like all Strip families, the accent and attitude is part of his family's "character" (mafia), which he doesn't need in personal conversation.
** Santiago also loses his accent when you reveal that you were sent to settle his debts with the Garretts. He even admits its an act so he can charm his way out of this sort of thing.
* OptionalSexualEncounter: Let's see. There are the hookers in New Vegas, Freeside, and Westside, [[spoiler: Red Lucy]] in the Thorn, Sarah Weintraub in the Vault 21 hotel if you bring her enough Vault Suits, and [[spoiler: Benny]] with the Black Widow perk. Finally, there's Fisto, who, as the name implies, is a robot that performs special services.
** "Numbness will subside in several minutes."
* OracularUrchin: The Forecaster.
* OurWeaponsWillBeBoxyInTheFuture: The 12.7mm submachine gun is one of the few weapons in the Guns category with no real-world counterpart or inspiration. It looks like a brick. Add the silencer mod to it (which is ''far'' larger than the [[HollywoodSilencer silencers]] other guns get), and it looks like a brick with a piece of pipe on the end. Also, the laser pistol and laser rifle retain their rectangular appearance from ''Fallout 3'', but the rifle can be made to be ''even more'' boxy by attaching the scope to it. The result is a box with another box suspended several inches above it. A scoped laser rifle actually takes up so much of the screen in first person mode, it can make seeing things to your right difficult.
* OutlawCouple: Vikki and Vance, who, according to the claims of the robot that works as a tour guide in their museum, were not copycats of the former {{Trope Namer}}s, as they began their own "crime spree" two days before Bonnie and Clyde began theirs. The pair's crimes were, however, pretty low key, and consisted mostly of shoplifting and con artistry. Their story still ends in a tragedy as they were unfortunate enough to caught in the massive crossfire between the police and a bunch of bank robbers, which resulted in them getting shot to pieces.
** A couple of idiots try to emulate them by stealing their clothes and gun, but it's pretty easy to convince them how badly this will go.
* OutscareTheEnemy: This can work against Caesar's legion on one occasion. [[spoiler:There's a quest where you can be hired by the NCR to help interrogate a Legion officer they've captured. If your character has a high enough intelligence or charisma, then the best solution is to convince him you're a Legion assassin sent to punish him for allowing himself to be captured. He's obviously more afraid of the Legion than the NCR, and in his panic and indignation he lists everything he'd done for the Legion lately, which is exactly what the NCR wanted to know.]]
** With the Terrifying Presence perk, you can intimidate hardened badasses in cowering like children. Of note, you can scare the crap out of Caesar himself, turn Jean-Baptiste Cutting (a murderous psychopath who vaped a dude for ''fun'') into whimpering wuss, and scare an entire team of Brotherhood soldiers into submission when they both ''outnumber and outgun you''. It may be a largely useless perk, but it's easily the funniest.
---> '''Courier:''' [[MuggingTheMonster Raise that gun and I will kill everyone in this room.]]
** Terrifying Presence is essentially made of [[OhCrap pants-shittingly terrifying]] speech checks. Like scaring the dog-helmeted '''[[CompleteMonster Vulpes Inculta]]''', right after he ''slaughtered the entirety of Nipton''.
---> '''Courier:''' "I'll wear your heads like you do that dog's."\\
'''Vulpes''': [[ThisIsGonnaSuck "Legionnaires! We have a problem!"]]
** Also of note is convincing some mercs to leave quaint, idyllic, [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking Super Mutant owned]] Jacobstown alone, because if they don't, instead of dealing with a village of pissed off Super Mutants, they'll have to deal '''with you.'''
* OutWithABang: Killing [[spoiler:Benny]] is easy with the Black Widow perk.
* PacifistRun: [[NintendoHard It's possible!]] It may be easier if you [[TechnicalPacifist get someone else to do the killing for you]].
* PaintingTheFourthWall: Obsidian addressed complaints about ''Dead Money'' in regards to personal item whereabouts and the ability to return in the newest DLC, among others:
--> '''In-Game Warning:''' You get the premonition that while you'll be unable to return to the Mojave until you solve the mysteries of the Big Empty, you '''WILL''' be able to take anything you can carry with you, and you '''WILL''' be able to return to the Big Empty any time after completing this adventure.\\
'''Courier:''' If you stole my brain, then how the hell am I still functioning?\\
'''Dr. Klein:''' WE HAVE NO IDEA! THIS LINE OF QUESTIONING ISN'T IMPORTANT TO US NOW! WHY MUST YOU ASK THESE TANGIENTAL QUESTIONS! STOP IT!
** OWB's epilogue actually calls the player out if they rush through the main quest.
* PaperThinDisguise: Partially averted with the faction disguises. Coming near enough to interact with members will reveal you to any, even to the lowliest mooks if your infamy is high enough. But still, you're wearing the same hat, tailed by the same companions, and they don't seem to take notice of a female wearing legionnaire armor.
* ThePasswordIsAlwaysSwordfish: Every password you steal is always something very silly or at least words that can be found in a dictionary. Such as 123456789 for Raul's cell. All hackable terminals all have passwords in the form of words which can be found in most dictionaries.
** Seemingly averted on the HELIOS ONE terminal passwords, where the two terminals have super long passwords with seemingly random letters and numbers, until you find out that the number sequences can be converted from hexadecimal into ASCII, producing the phrases "My voice is my passport" and "Too many secrets"—both encoded phrases from the movie {{Sneakers}}.
** It is implied the reason the passwords are so simple is because of your own hacking skills essentially resetting the password into a guessing game.
** In the latter case, it was Raul himself who programmed it, thinking that no one will ever bother reading the terminal where he writes down the password. He is SurroundedByIdiots up in Black Mountain, after all.
** You can get past the REPPCON HQ security on the top floor by guessing the password, 'Ice Cream', by being lucky or stupid enough.
** Many passwords set by technicians are good (even if they are common words they at least have non-standard capitalization or elements of 1337 sp34k) and common passwords are more than likely a reference to RealLife practices. The hacking minigame can be also considered a StoryAndGameplaySegregation designed to convey the 'vintage' feeling of the hex editor.
* PayEvilUntoEvil: The 'best' path for the 'Eye for an Eye' quest (which gives you the best NCR rep boost) involves [[spoiler: showering Cottonwood Cove with radioactive waste, to give the unfortunate Legion personnel there the KarmicDeath for what they did in Camp Searchlight]]. Before doing this though, hopefully you remembered to get the family in the slave pen out first. The strung-up Great Khan on the outskirts of town will live through it just fine.
* PercussiveMaintenance: When a low-condition gun jams, the Courier smacks it once or twice during the reloading animation.
* PleaOfPersonalNecessity: [[spoiler: Mr. House]]
* PoisonedWeapon: A Courier with a decent survival skill is able to concoct poisons of varying lethality, then apply them to melee weapons. It's more of AwesomeButImpractical as the poison is removed after one strike, but it's worth it to stealthily toss a throwing knife at a deathclaw and watch its health bar drain completely.
* PointOfNoReturn: Once you choose to undertake the [[spoiler:attack on the Hoover Dam]] mission there's no turning back, though the game does at least warn you about this, unlike the corresponding situation in ''Fallout 3''. Strangely enough, it doesn't seem as if Obsidian took on-board the criticism of the fact that you couldn't play past the final level of ''Fallout 3'' (at least not until the "Broken Steel" DLC was released), as the game ends once you defeat the final boss(es).
** However unlike ''Fallout 3'' there are four ending paths to ''New Vegas'' and each ending montage varies greatly depending on your actions throughout the game. Trying to program a PlayableEpilogue that takes all of these factors into account would be an entire game in itself.
** There's also a lesser Point of No Return in the form of which faction quest you choose to pursue. There's a lockout point in each questline which alienates you from the other three. The only two questlines that can be played concurrently are Yes Man and Mr. House, and you still have to choose one prior to the final mission.
** Once you complete the ''Dead Money'' DLC, you may stay as long as you like, but you can't return to the Sierra Madre casino once you do leave. Might be worth going back and getting everything you want.
* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: Caesar's Legion makes no pretense about it: they think women are inferior to men physically and mentally, and should StayInTheKitchen. Also, [[FantasticRacism they think of Ghouls and Super Mutants as nothing more than savage beasts]], even though the majority of them actually aren't so bad. Just one more reason to remember they represent sociological ''regression'', not progress. This is arguably part of the idea, though. Caesar is trying to turn back the clock, and values have to come with that package.
* PostMortemOneLiner: Boone gives us a very good one after [[spoiler:you kill Caesar with him in the party]]:
--> '''Boone:''' *smug tone* Thumbs down, you son of a bitch.
* PowerFist: The [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Power Fist]] makes a comeback, but the big daddy of them in the game is the Ballistic Fist: a glove with a [[MoreDakka SHOTGUN]] attached to it which triggers on contact. [[RuleOfCool AWESOME!]]
** It's Veronica's WeaponOfChoice.
* PowerPerversionPotential: A memo describing a shipment of Stealth Boys with some missing is followed by another memo alluding to regulations regarding sexual harassment and the unauthorized use of military hardware.
* PraetorianGuard: Caesar's personal guards; they are even called that in the game.
** The Centurions, Caesar's elite, wear armor made from pieces scavenged from defeated enemies. This armor includes pieces scavenged off of Brotherhood soldiers and Super Mutants. BadassArmy indeed...
** The Desert Rangers serve in this capacity for President Kimball and General Oliver.
* ThePrankster: Private Davey Crenshaw
* PrecisionFStrike:
** This exchange:
--->[[spoiler:'''Benny:''' "The cleaners will knock twice. Tell them to be thorough."]]\\
[[spoiler:'''[[{{Determinator}} The Courier]]:''' (paraphrased) [[BondOneLiner "They better... there's four bodies."]]]]\\
[[spoiler:'''Benny:''' [[OhCrap "...what the fuck!?"]]]]
** Also:
--->[[spoiler:'''Benny:''']] Don't do that, baby. Not crucifixion. I could be up there for days with those twisted creeps laughing and pointing.\\
'''The Courier:''' Pass the time thinking over your mistakes.\\
[[spoiler:'''Benny:''']] You sick, vindictive fuck!
** Let President Kimball finish his speech at Hoover Dam for a classic IsThisThingStillOn Moment.
* PrepareToDie: Done as a joke by [[spoiler:Caesar]], of all people. [[spoiler:After either recovering the Platinum Chip from Benny or being duped and having him run off with it, you will receive an invitation to meet Caesar in person. It's quite possible that you will have made his life difficult in any number of ways before this, from digging out his moles to slaughtering his garrisons. He will ask you why, despite all this, you still chose to accept the offer to meet him in person. The conversation proceeds like this:]]
-->[[spoiler:'''Courier:''' You guaranteed my safety.]]\\
[[spoiler:'''Caesar:''' And you fell for that? Really? Because I'm going to have you killed now.]]\\
[[spoiler:'''beat''']]\\
[[spoiler:'''Caesar:''' [[EvilHasABadSenseOfHumor ... relax, I'm fucking with you.]]]]
* ProperlyParanoid: Mr. House believes that it is only a matter of time before the NCR betrays him and use military force to annex New Vegas. The NCR on the other hand thinks that Mr. House will use his robot army to betray the Republic and drive them out of the region after they defeat the Legion at Hoover Dam. They were both correct.
** [[spoiler: In this case it was a self-fulfilling prophecy since both side's mutual paranoia is what led to the events that led to them betraying each other.]]
** One of the Vaults has its citizens sectioned off into "red" and "blue" factions and is filled with HAL-9000-looking security cameras. Most of their journal entries display paranoia towards the people on the other side, but one person believes that the entire Vault is part of a psychological experiment, and they've all been drugged to forget that they used to be patients in a mental institution. He seems to be right, but he can't trust himself, because he now knows that he's insane.
* PropRecycling: Lots from {{Fallout 3}}.
** Consequently, there is also some from Oblivion, since {{Fallout 3}} recycled some Oblivion props; this is most obvious in the caves.
** If you listen closely you will hear some Oblivion soundtrack recycling. Less than in {{Fallout 3}} but still.
* PstandardPsychicPstance: The holograms in Dead Money will do this before attacking.
* PsychopathicManchild: If you read the [[AllThereInTheManual fluff text in the back of the collectors edition guide]], it's revealed that Caesar is pretty much this.
** He also has a pretty impressive moment if you bluntly refuse to serve him.
* PunchedAcrossTheRoom: If you have high enough Unarmed skill, this can be one of the death animations. Veronica frequently does it as well. If you're using the Power Fist or Ballistic Glove, this will happen to everything you punch to death.
* PunchClockVillain: It seems every Vault Overseer loyally went ahead with their experiment protocols, despite knowing full well that the world had ended and they were on their own, even in cases where it should have been obvious to anyone with any common sense that the experiment would not only kill the Vault inhabitants, but likely result in the Overseer's own death as well.
** For Vault 34 though this is the case of the inherent flaw (there were just too many guns around and the vault was overpopulated), and even when the Overseer has no interest in the vault experiments, not much could be done. The game was rigged from the start.
*** Funny enough the Vault was doing well, until the Overseer started taking away their gun rights.
* PyroManiac: Cook-Cook, one of the Fiend Bosses.
* PsychoForHire: Jean-Baptiste Cutting.
* TheQuisling: [[spoiler:Papa Khan to the Legion. You can show him how that's a bad idea.]]
** [[spoiler:Regis as well, if you think about it. He takes leadership of the Khans if you assassinate Papa, agrees to a truce with the hated NCR and aids them against the Legion.]]
* RagnarokProofing: An integral part of the ''Fallout'' universe, but the example that truly shines is the Lady. This universe's WW2-era engineers must have been remarkable, [[spoiler: since a B-29 can sit on the bottom of Lake Mead for ''300 years'' and not only be raised intact, but made to fly again by repairing her with spare parts from a museum piece.]]
** [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1948_B-29_Lake_Mead_crash A B-29 really did crash into Lake Mead on July 21, 1948.]] And given the report recently done, is still mostly intact.
*** There are numerous wrecks at the bottom of freshwater lakes and some rivers. Due to low corrosion and few animals living that deep, they do tend remain in fairly good shape.
* RainbowPimpGear: As usual, a possibility.
* RapeAsComedy: FISTO, initially. "'''ASSUME THE POSITION.'''"
** The Biological Station in Old World Blues threatens to seed the ''shit'' out of you, and has seeded Muggy before.
** In the cut audio files for Cook-Cook (who could be approached as friendly), he will constantly hit on you and make veiled threats at rape. Talking to Driver Nephi as a female will have him repeatedly warn you not to talk to him.
* RapeAsDrama: [[spoiler: Corporal Betsy.]]
** Cook-Cook is a notorious rapist, so much so that a ''male'' bounty hunter and even a lot of NCR soldiers are afraid of him. [[spoiler: Killing him will earn you the thanks of some of his victims, some of which only regret that they weren't there to see him die.]]
* RapidFireFisticuffs: The Greased Lightning power fist from the ''Gun Runners' Arsenal'' DLC has a ridiculous attack rate at the cost of reduced damage. With the right perks, you can hit roughly three times ''per second''.
* RealIsBrown: ''New Vegas'' plays around with this; there's a surprising amount of color in the Mojave Wasteland, especially New Vegas itself but as you approach Camp Forlorn Hope the color is leached out of the setting, making everything appear in shades of dull brown.
* RecycledINSPACE: Caesar's Legion is the Romans [-IN POST APOCALYPTIC NEVADA-]!
** [[InsultToRocks The Romans take offense to this horrible slur.]]
* RedOniBlueOni: For the NCR, Colonels Cassandra Moore and James Hsu are red and blue, respectively. For example, Colonel Hsu prefers to resolve the problem with the Kings peacefully by providing supply for The Kings, while Colonel Moore just prefer to [[KillEmAll kill them all.]]
** In ''Honest Hearts'', [[TechnicalPacifist Daniel]] is the blue while [[BadassPreacher Joshua Graham]] is the red.
** Veronica calls attention to this between the Followers of the Apocalypse and the Brotherhood of Steel, though it can be difficult to tell which is red and which blue. The Followers have a good cause but a woeful lack of resources, while the Brotherhood is practically second only to the Enclave in resources, but lacks any legitimately good cause.
* RefugeInAudacity: You, Boone, and ED-E storming Caesar's fort and killing everyone inside, Caesar included. Boone even comments on it.
** Lampshaded by Mr New Vegas later, though he was rather surprised on how the assassins evade heavy security even though the truth is you just storm your way in, killing anyone that gets in the way.
* TheRemnant: The remnants of the Master's Super Mutant army, which has split into the State of Utobitha and Jacobstown. In addition to them, there is the [[spoiler: Enclave remnant]], composed of the scattered handful of remaining members. [[spoiler: Play your cards right, and you can get them back together and fighting with you.]] The Brotherhood of Steel chapter you find hiding in Nevada is also a Remnant and a shadow of their former power.
* ReportsOfMyDeathWereGreatlyExaggerated: The "Thought You Died" perk from ''Lonesome Road''.
* {{Retcon}}: Used to explain the significant departure from the plasma rifle as seen in previous games to Fallout 3. The classic Plasma Rifle is now the "Plasma Caster", while the new truly rifle-shaped plasma rifle is a format encouraged by a Colonel Moretti. You see the name turn up on the "Future Weapons Today" cover on a loading screen: "Colonel Moretti slams the venerable P-94!" And in several terminals in the Repconn HQ you find a weapons project that was authorized by the same Colonel Moretti and resulted in the [[SuperPrototype Q-35 Matter]] [[FlawedPrototype Modulator]], which appears to be the first functional prototype iteration of the Plasma Rifle as seen in Fallout 3 and as a low-mid tier energy weapon in New Vegas. The explanation for why it shows up on the east coast is easy: The Enclave refined it to field-deployable status it and produced it over there. The reason for its apperance on the West Coast since Fallout 2 could be explained by the Van Graffs or other energy weapon manufacturers salvaging the field-ready plasma rifle design from ruined Enclave bases.
* RetiredBadass: You can recruit a squad of them to aid you in the final battle. [[spoiler:They're ex-Enclave, so they're also [[RetiredMonster Retired]] [[PunchClockVillain Employees of a]] Complete Monster.]]
* RetiredBadassRoundup: The entire quest of "For Auld Lang Syre".
* RetroUniverse: It wouldn't be Fallout without it. Though it manages to not only have a 1950's vibe in it, but also combines that with a late 19th Century Western feeling in the more rural areas outside the Vegas Strip itself.
** A late 19th Century Western where one can easily find [[AnachronismStew HK 416 carbines with ACOGs on their MIL-STD-1913 rails and digital camouflage]], anyway.
** It's less like the real 19th Century American West, and more like the [[FridgeBrilliance Western movies popular during the 1950s.]]
* RevolversAreJustBetter: When an old cowboy-style revolver badly outclasses a plasma pistol that was cutting edge before the Great War, you know this trope was overplayed.
* RewardedAsATraitorDeserves: [[spoiler:The Mayor of Nipton. According to Vulpes, he really had it coming; if you read his personal terminal, it turns out [[PayEvilUntoEvil Vulpes was right]].]]
* RideOfTheValkyries: Plays during the launch at the end of "Come Fly With Me"
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: The Courier, if they so choose, and Boone, in two of his endings. Ulysses, as well, though most of it occurs off-screen.
* RobotBuddy: ED-E. Flies, allows you to spot enemies from ''really'' far away... And kick some ass with his laser while playing a bugle sound.
* RomanticismVersusEnlightenment: Caesar's Legion (Romanticism) versus NCR (Enlightenment)
* {{Robosexual}}: [[CrowningMomentOfFunny The owner of the Atomic Wranger.]]
** You as well, if you decide to test it out before delivering it to the Atomic Wrangler.
** '''ASSUME THE POSITION.'''
* RousseauWasRight: Vault 11. The mainframe requires one resident to sacrifice themselves each year, or all life support will be turned off, dooming the others. As it turns out, [[spoiler:the designers believed this to be utterly inhumane, and once the residents refused to play along, they would be congratulated for their conscience and the vault would be opened. The population kept on sacrificing each other for years until only a handful was left and decided to try breaking out instead. Most committed suicide when they found out the truth.]]
** Though given the nature of vaults and their designers, it's almost certain Vault 11 was simply a social experiment and the people behind it knew very well how it was going to end up.
* RuleOfThree: Quest-givers give three tasks, with few exceptions.
* SadisticChoice: The player get to make one at the end of ''Lonesome Road'' [[spoiler: either allow a barrage of nuclear ICBM'S to be launched, destroying either/both the only usuble path into the mojave from the West, or/and obliterating most of Arizona, or asking ED-E to sacrifice himself to stop the missles.]]
* SamusIsAGirl: Nightkin, like other Super Mutants, have no secondary sexual characteristics, so the ladies sound just like the men chewing gravel. This is used as a point of humor a few times with some plot-relevant Nightkin.
* SanitySlippage: [[spoiler:Mr. House, more specifically the Mr. House that is the half-brother to the one in the Lucky 38, during his reign at H&H Tools.]]
* SarcasticConfession: If you ask Arcade Gannon about his past, he will originally be evasive. If you ask him why he is dodging the question, he will jokingly reply "Only to obfuscate my previous association with a fascist paramilitary organization." [[spoiler: You can later find out that he used to be a member of the Enclave.]]
* SavedFromDevelopmentHell: Caesar's Legion was going to be part of the stillborn ''Van Buren'' game following ''Fallout 2''. Some [=NPCs=] from Van Buren were also recycled and given slightly different roles (Alice [=McLafferty=] and Arcade Gannon for example). The setting of ''Old World Blues'', the Big Empty, came from the original design concepts of ''Van Buren'''s opening location, the Tibbets prison facility.
* SaveScumming: this plus a Slots Machine equals easy but boring money-making... [[TheDevTeamThinksOfEverything until the casino kicks you out.]]
** When doing this, trying to use the slot machines (or the Black Jack or Roulette tables) within 60 seconds of reloading produces a message stating that it seems to be resetting itself [[LampshadeHanging as an anti-cheating measure.]]
* SawedOffShotgun: In addition, there is also the laser version (Tri Beam Laser Rifle).
* SceneryGorn: Camp Searchlight.
** [[DeathWorld The]] [[EverythingTryingToKillYou Divide]].
* SceneryPorn: Lake Mead Cave.
** Jacobstown. You've been traipsing around the RealIsBrown wasteland, and then you go up that long road. The trees are green and lively, the mountaintops are white with snow, and it's gorgeous.
** New Vegas itself. Being hit with all that color after going through Freeside and outer Vegas is pretty amazing.
** Zion Valley from ''Honest Hearts''.
* ScarsAreForever[=/=]WoundThatWillNotHeal: The Marked Men get their skin ripped straight off of their flesh by the searing winds of The Divide, but because The Divide is so full of radiation, the Ghoulified soldiers are kept alive through it all, [[AndIMustScream and are unable to die as their skinless bodies are put through mind-breaking agony year after year after year]].
* SchmuckBait: Vault 11 is deliberately designed like this. Really, when there's an option to open the [[spoiler:sacrifical chamber]] on a terminal, you just know the end result will be bad. But you'll do it, because you've come this far and you need to know (and have to in order to complete the unmarked quest). Curiosity demands it!
** The radio which starts the Dead Money DLC. "Oh look, a radio, let's go touch--*choke*"
** At the end of the Dead Money DLC, [[spoiler:when you access the vault, you get a message from Sinclair warning you not to open his personal files, which will seal the vault if you read them. Normally, you would use this to [[LaserGuidedKarma trap Father Elijah in]], but [[TooDumbToLive you can activate it]] [[PressXToDie yourself]]. [[HaveANiceDeath The game ends and tells you how you slowly starved to death.]]]]
** You can find the Thump-Thump, a variant of the regular Grenade Rifle during the quest Ant Misbehaivin'. Said Ants have been eating gunpowder, and you were told in advance of fighting them that they'll pretty much explode if you look at them the wrong way. The chances that this is a coincidence are extremely small.
* ScratchDamage: Sufficent [=BBs=] will take down a Paladin.
* ScreensAreCameras: The members of the Think Tank in ''Old World Blues'' each have three mounted screens displaying their eyes and mouth separately, and are capable of seeing through their "eye screens".
* ScrewYourself: It's possible to flirt with your own brain in ''Old World Blues''.
* SealedArmyInACan: [[spoiler: The Securitron army at Fortification Hill.]]
* SecretTestOfCharacter: [[spoiler:Vault 11.]]
** Vulpes claims the lottery in Nipton was this. He relates how no one fought back when their loved ones were killed or crucified with each drawing, and he mentions that he was amazed that the townsfolk were so cowardly as to not fight back against the half-dozen Frumentarii under his command. It seems that the people of Nipton had several opportunities to impress Vulpes, at least one of which would have saved them, and they failed every time. However, it is shown that at least a few fought back, with some success at that. Unless Vulpes dismissed a large portion of his invading army then held the lottery, it's unlikely they ever really stood a chance. [[YouFailLogicForever And some people still think it's unreasonable for people to be scared to paralysis under the threat of death.]]
* SelfImposedChallenge: The in-game challenges. They range from normal things (heal 10,000 damage with Stimpacks or do 10,000 unarmed damage, for example) to more specific ones (cripple right arms, blow off limbs). ''Gun Runners' Arsenal'' adds some truly absurd challenges, most of which involve killing specific things with specific weapons. The three-star challenges are the worst, like having to kill Deathclaws with (among other, slightly more reasonable things) ''switchblades and boxing tape''.
* SequelDifficultyDrop: The DLC have done this so far--Dead Money is NintendoHard, not least because you can't bring [[InfinityPlusOneSword your stuff]]. Honest Hearts lets you bring some items based on weight (the good stuff is generally heavy), but hands you quite a lot of good equipment along the course of the story. Old World Blues doesn't restrict what you can carry at all, and even hands you three free perks near the beginning (with different versions available to replace them at the end).
** There are two ways in which Old World Blues does not follow this: there are no companions at all, and the enemies in the Big Empty scale to your level and are spawned by a script system that drops them more frequently than the standardized system.
* SequelHook: You can go home now, Courier...
* SexyDiscretionShot
* ShapedLikeItself: Doctor Mobius of ''Old World Blues'' breathes this.
---> [[AC: Doctor Mobius]]: It is I, Doctor Mobius, transmitting from my dome-shaped... dome in the forbidden zone. A zone that is... yes... FORBIDDEN to you!
** And don't forget [[LargeHam the Tesla coils! The coils of Nikola Tesla!]]
* ShortRangeShotgun: The Sawed-off Shotgun returns to affirm this trope, but every other shotgun in the game has a tighter spread, making them actually useful for medium range combat. Ballsy players may choose to use a modified Hunting Shotgun to snipe. In addition, there are also Slug shells, which makes the shotgun otherwise behave like rifles. Higher tier shotguns are also superior weapons to submachine guns and most handguns in medium range combat even with just buckshot shells.
** Two of the laser rifle's mods are one that gives it a mid-range scope, and one that turns it into a laser shotgun. Some players see it as [[SchmuckBait an invitation to use both]], but most see them as mutually exclusive.
** As of patch 1.3.0/1.5, all shotguns are now decent weapons at medium range due to vastly reduced spread, including the sawed-off.
* ShotgunsAreJustBetter: The Shotgun Surgeon perk, along with other things (see ShortRangeShotgun), allow shotguns to become viable all-situation weapons.
** The Multiplas Rifle is topped only by the Gauss Rifle and Anti-Materiel Rifle in damage per shot. Granted, the damage is split up between three projectiles, but it's still a lot of damage for a mid-tier weapon. Its main disadvantage is its ammo consumption.
* ShoutOut: Being ReferenceOverdosed is standard for the ''Fallout'' series. There's so much {{Shout Out}}s in this game that it demanded [[ShoutOut/FalloutNewVegas its own page]].
* SortingAlgorithmOfWeaponEffectiveness: Being an RPG, this obviously isn't played very straight, but most weapon types have a noticeable pattern, about 4-6 weapons in rough order of power. Keep in mind they don't necessarily have to be found in order:
** Semi Automatic Pistols: Silenced .22 --> 9mm pistol --> 10mm pistol --> .45 Auto Pistol (in Honest Hearts)--> 12.7mm pistol --> A Light Shining in Darkness (.45 pistol from Honest Hearts)
** Energy pistols: Laser pistol --> plasma pistol --> Recharger pistol --> Plasma defender --> Pew Pew --> Alien blaster
** Revolvers: .357 magnum revolver --> Police pistol (Dead Money) --> .44 Magnum revolver --> That Gun (post 4/25/11 patch) --> Hunting revolver --> Ranger Sequoia
** Lever action rifles: BB Gun --> Cowboy repeater --> Trail carbine --> Brush gun
** Bolt action/semi automatic rifles: Varmint rifle --> Service Rifle (post 4/25/11 patch) --> Hunting rifle --> Sniper rifle --> This Machine/Anti-materiel Rifle/Marksman Carbine
** Automatic guns: 9mm submachine gun --> 10mm sub machine gun --> Assault carbine --> Light Machine Gun/12.7mm submachine Gun/.45 Auto submachine gun (in Honest Hearts) --> Minigun/Automatic Rifle
** Energy rifles: Recharger rifle --> Laser/Plasma rifle --> Multiplas/Tribeam rifle --> Gauss rifle (or YCS/186) --> Holorifle
** Shotguns: Single shotgun --> Caravan shotgun --> Lever action shotgun/Sawed-Off Shotgun --> Hunting shotgun --> Riot shotgun
** Explosive launchers: Grenade Rifle --- > Grenade Launcher --- > Rocket Launcher --> Grenade Machine Gun --> Fat Man
** Hand-thrown Explosives: Dynamite --> Frag Grenade --> Pulse Grenade/Incendiary Grenade --> Plasma Grenade --> Holy Frag Grenade
** Proximity/Remote Explosives: Powder Charge --> Frag Mine --> Pulse Mine --> Plasma Mine/C4 Explosives
* ShownTheirWork: "Caesar" is pronounced "kye-zar" and "ave" is pronounced "a-weh", reflecting prevailing academic opinion of ancient Roman pronunciation as opposed to the medieval "Church Latin" pronunciations used today.
** The fluff about the Legion fits both in-universe and in the meta. The Legion features far too many accurate reflections of the Roman Empire's nature to be cooincidental.
*** Most notably the Frumentarii, who play an important role in the plot. They were rather obscure group, virtually nonexistent in any popular media (and even many historical textbooks).
** As mentioned above, the vast number of towns and landmarks that appear in this game (even the starting town) that are closely based off those in real life, if a bit space-compressed.
*** For instance, the Goodsprings General Store and the Prospector Saloon do exist and look exactly as they do in-game (except that it's the Pioneer Saloon). Not exactly general tourist knowledge.
** On the [=AER14=] Prototype Laser Rifle (a unique variant of the basic laser rifle), there is a sticky note on the back: "Focus: 1064nm, 532 nm (SHG), 8.18 pm!!!". It means that it has a primary wavelength of 1064nm (infra-red range), a "[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second-harmonic_generation second harmoinic generation]]" (SHG) that doubles the frequency to a green-wavelength 532 nm., and the 8.18 pm is beam divergence, or how wide the beam gets as it leaves the laser (usually measured in picometers per meter).
* SidetrackedByTheGoldenSaucer:
** The minigame "Caravan", which you can play with other travelers and some merchants. Sure, it may not look like much at first, but in no time you'll be buying every card you see (it's dirt cheap to do so) and swindling people out of absurd amounts of money before you even get to the meat of the main quest. It may look difficult at first, but it's actually fairly easy to win every single game on almost any hand, provided you have a decent-sized deck or a lot of high-number cards.
** "Caravan" is really easy without ever buying additional cards past the default set you are given. Make a deck of the minimum size (30 cards) with 4 each of 6's, 7's, 8's, 9's, 10's, Jacks, Kings, and 2 Queens. Then proceed to win every game assuming you understand the rules. It is also helpful that the AI doesn't seem to understand that face cards can be used to really mess with your opponent's stacks.
*** The last issue has been addressed by a patch. Still easy to win but not as easy as it was.
** DAMN YOU STAR CAPS! I WANT THAT PRIZE! (*Cue stealing every bottle of Sunset Sarsaparilla you can get your hands on*)
** And, of course, you can go to any of the casinos of New Vegas and blow all your money trying to "get lucky" at the slots, the roulette wheel, or the blackjack table - just like in RealLife.
*** Not if you have a half decent luck. If you have a luck of 6 or 7 and are able to increase this through the Naughty Nightwear or Lucky Shades (the latter not being highly recomended), and then hit the blackjack tables, the dealer will be handing out kings, queens, jacks and aces like its going out of style. It'll take you maybe 10 minutes to break all three casinos.
* SillinessSwitch: The "Wild Wasteland" perk adds a number of silly gags and bonus encounters.
* SirSwearsALot: Boxcars is among the most foul-mouthed people in the wasteland. Justifed, because he's been through a lot.
** [[FieryRedhead Cass]] as well.
* SitcomArchNemesis: Depending on how you play the game, [[AffablyEvil Benny]] could be one.
* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism: Idealistic, but less so than previous Fallout games. On the grand scale, civilization is mostly rebuilt. However, the two largest nations are the corrupt and inefficient if progressive New California Republic and the brutal and repressive, yet efficient, Caesar's Legion. Within the city, the Kings and Followers of the Apocalypse are working to help Freeside, while all those with real power are ignoring or exploiting the horrific conditions. The Brotherhood of Steel, present in every Fallout game thus far, are finally dying out as a result of their xenophobia, a stark contrast to the stretched-but-altruistic Brotherhood of Fallout 3.
** In defense of New Vegas' relative idealism, this is the first Fallout game where no one is planning genocide of the human population in general. So there's that.
*** [[spoiler: Or not, as indicated by a NonStandardGameOver in ''Dead Money''.]]
* SmartPeopleKnowLatin: Your character can use Latin phrases in certain trees provided their intelligence is 8 out of 10. The lower ranks of Caesar's Legion seem only to know "vale" and "ave", while a centurion POW you meet seems to be fluent.
* SniperPistol: The [[RevolversAreJustBetter Hunting Revolver]] comes with a scope attatched and is accurate to boot. The .44 magnum and 9mm can also be modded to have a scope.
* SnuffFilm: [[spoiler: Clanden, one of the members of the Omerta faction]] does these, though they're audio tapes rather than video.
* SoLongAndThanksForAllTheGear: A companion exiting the party takes the gear with them. In case of the ED-E retrofit, the gear is lost forever. The only exception is if you complete Arcade Gannon's quest, where he gives you all the gear he was carrying.
* SophisticatedAsHell: Dean Domino.
* SpaceCompression: The RealLife area covered by the Mojave Wasteland is about 10,000 square miles. The in-game version is much smaller. This is most noticable around Hoover Dam and the Colorado, which look alright in-game, but grow by several orders of magnitude when overlaid over the real area.
* SpinAttack: Can be done with some melee weapons, though some requires sufficient melee weapons skill.
** The Ranger Takedown. When used in third-person view, to preform a leg sweep.
* {{Squee}}: Veronica has this reaction when you give her a formal dress.
* TheStarscream: It seems this happens ''a lot'' in the Mojave Wasteland. Cachino wants your help to take over the Omertas, Head Paladin Hardin wants you to help him overthrow Elder [=McNamara=], and while Pacer doesn't particularly want to lead The Kings, he does try to overthrow The King if you succeed in negotiating a peace treaty between The King and NCR. And of course, [[spoiler: there's Benny and his plot to overthrow Mr. House and take over New Vegas. Heck, YOU can be TheStarscream if you work for Mr. House and then starting following the Yes Man questline.]]
* STDImmunity: Averted. Benny remarks at one point that he "doesn't need another 'social disease'.
* TheStoic: Boone.
* StopHelpingMe: Played straight and spoofed with the Stealth Suit Mk II. The suit's AI will remind you, quite often, that your Pip-Boy light is on if you use it. Spoofed when it warns you of incoming hostiles then retracts it as a joke.
* StraightGay: Arcade Gannon, Veronica, and the Courier if the player so desires.
* StuffBlowingUp: The Powder Gangers' WeaponOfChoice is sticks of Dynamite and power charges. Cranked UpToEleven with the Boomers, who venerate anything that goes... well, ''[[ShapedLikeItself boom]]''.
* StupidCrooks: The Freeside Thugs, they seemingly do not understand the stupidity of luring someone in Power Armor and carrying a Machine Gun into a 'trap' they set, when all they have is just pool cues and meat cleavers.
* SuicidalOverconfidence: Tying in with the above, some people are just too self-confident for their own good. Special mention goes to [=Caleb McCaffery=], who you have to find for the Debt Collector quest. He is easily the most unjustifiably arrogant man in the entire Mojave Wasteland. Yeah buddy, you're really such a bad-ass that you can take the Power Armor-wearing, Plasma Caster-packing celebrity who people publically know [[spoiler:killed Caesar himself]] armed with only a low-level shotgun. Even pacifist players will have a hard time fighting the urge to paint the sidewalk with this guy's brains.
** The Fiends, Powder Gangers, Vipers, and Jackals, just like the raiders of Fallout 3, seemingly do not understand that the OneManArmy with the [[PoweredArmor Power Armor]] and [[GatlingGood Minigun]] is not the best person to mug. Justified with the [[StupidEvil Fiends]], who are all insane drug addicts, and NCR military police (provided you massacred one of the casinos) due to, er, having some pull with the NCR, but the Powder Gangers have no excuse.
** This is actually built into New Vegas and Fallout 3's game engine; every enemy has a "confidence" attribute as part of their programming- the highest level means an enemy will never avoid a fight, with the ones right below that not offering them much better chances.
* SuicidePact: [[spoiler:How the last surviving inhabitants of Vault 11 decided to go out after discovering the very uncomfortable truth about their vault. Interestingly enough, despite the security recording of the suicide has five voices speaking, only four skeletons are found near the entrance, suggesting that the person holding the gun had second thoughts.]]
* SuperPrototype: The Q-35 Matter Modulator has several superiorities in comparison to its more production-rate plasma rifle brethren: a higher crit chance, higher crit damage, faster rate of fire, less ammo used per shot, and faster projectiles.
* SurvivalHorror: The ''Dead Money'' DLC in spades. You go around travelling with companions solving puzzles and fighting abominations in hazmat suits and gas masks that wield knives, spears and bombs. Ammo is limited, you have to search hard to find the best weapons, and medical supplies are very scarce, so you have to not lose a lot of health. The "climax" of the first portion of the DLC is this - you must fight your way, badly wounded, through hordes of Ghost People, to the Casino.
* SuspiciouslySpecificDenial: After Arcade gives you his opinion on where to direct the power from Helios One, you can agree with him straight off. He evidently doesn't expect it.
-->'''Arcade:''' Great. Glad we're on the same page. I mean, I didn't expect that you'd want to... activate the [[KillSat super weapon]] or anything. Heh.
* TakeThat: When you are researching weird NCR broadcasts, you can ask one ranger station about reports of [[FalloutTactics domesticated Deathclaws]] and they reject it out of hand as impossible.
** A response to a rather inbred question asker in J.E. Sawyer's talk page:
--->''Who's the homo that insisted on being so heavy handed with the gay dialogue and references in the game?''\\
''Alarm at the presence of homosexual dialogue topics is pretty interesting considering [[DiggingYourselfDeeper the majority of them only appear if you voluntarily take a perk that identifies your character as homosexual.]]''
** In-game example in Old World Blues. Dr. 0 made Muggy, a tiny, neurotic Securitron obsessed with coffee mugs as a cheap joke at the expense of Mr. House, who he hates.
* TakeAThirdOption:
** Don't like NCR or the Legion? Go to work for Mr. House, or anyone ''not'' those three! Or, if you don't like them either, take over, yourself! [[spoiler: Warning: Side-effects may include future backstabbing. Consult your doctor before use.]]
** In ''Honest Hearts'', [[spoiler:you are faced with the choice of either evacuating Zion or brutally eradicating the White Legs. Both options lead to {{Bittersweet Ending}}s. However, if you choose to eradicate the White Legs and convince Joshua to spare Salt-Upon-Wounds, you get a slightly happier (albeit still quite bittersweet) ending.]]
* TakeYourTime: No matter how urgent the quest giver's language, you can leave and circle the map a few times and pick up where you left off. The only exception is the President's visit, which will run according to scripted schedule.
* TalkingTheMonsterToDeath: Diplomacy (and judicious use of seductive perks like Black Widow or Confirmed Bachelor) can open as many doors for you as a lock pick or a hacked computer terminal. The speech stat still reigns king, however - if you're lucky, you can pass a speech check that doesn't require speech ''or'' barter, such as using your intelligence, explosives, et cetera rating instead. Passing speech checks is no longer percentive, either.
** ''New Vegas'' continues the ''Fallout'' tradition of [[spoiler: giving a high Speech character the opportunity to win the inevitable endgame confrontation with diplomacy rather than firepower.]]
*** It then turns this option into the ultimate InfinityPlusOneSword in story terms. [[spoiler: Killing Caesar and Lanius simply sends Caesar's Legion into mayhem, fracturing the group and pretty much ensuring that their methods get adopted by dozens of Caesar-wannabes. If Caesar dies or is allowed to die, and Lanius is defeated but talked into leaving, a much different ending occurs. Lanius has been foreshadowed to be a brutal warrior and capable general, but no politician, and without Caesar's charisma backing him, his plan to retake Hoover leaves him oblivious to the fact he lacks Caesar's leadership ability. The Legion still causes problems in the short term, but gradually dissolves as individual outposts realize it never could have lasted without Caesar or someone like him at its head.]]
* TalkingToHimself: Pretty much inevitable in a game where all dialogue is voiced, and there is a huge cast of generic [=NPCs=]. It becomes especially noticeable, however, when the actor in question has a distinctive "neutral" voice. Take the four male Remnants, for example, as three of them are voiced by Peter Renaday.
* TechnicalPacifist: O'Hanrahan, one of the misfits. His squadmates think he is a coward, though if you did follow his advice on squad improvements, he has no problem kicking legionaries' asses in the final battle. According to him, the behavior is because of his upbringing: he was always very phsyically strong, and his mother told him something to the extent of "with great power comes great responsibility," which he readily took to heart.
** Daniel in 'Honest Hearts', though he is close to being an ActualPacifist. He has no desire to attack the White Legs (nor does he), but is fully capable and willing to kill any that try and sneak into the Sorrows encampment.
* TeleportingKeycardSquad: Used in some areas, most notably Vault 34. All of the DLC use this a lot - reaching an objective site or picking up supplies will often spawn a formidable ambush behind you.
* TemptingFate: One too-proud-for-his-own-good NPC just doesn't know how to take the hint.
-->'''[[spoiler:General Oliver]]:''' If our situations were reversed, [[WhatAnIdiot I'd see you hang.]]\\
'''Courier:''' [[spoiler: I see. Yes Man, would you please throw the General off of the Hoover Dam?]]
* ThereAreNoTherapists: Thoroughly averted. Standard medical training seems to include psychiatry in the Mojave - Doc Mitchell gives you a mental health examination, the Followers of the Apocalypse help with the mental health of the people they care for (one of their biggest jobs in Freeside is helping addicts), Lt. Markland at Bitter Springs asks you to find psychology textbooks to help him help the refugees, and your character's own medical skill allows some dialogue options in which you diagnose mental trauma or disease. The Auto-Doc in ''Old World Blues'' can also give you a one time psych exam (read: A second chance to pick your traits).
* ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill: One of the ''GRA'' challenges takes this to its logical conclusion. You are tasked with killing twenty non-mutated animals (dogs, coyotes) with ''mini-nukes''. This is the only challenge where killing yourself by mistake is more of a concern than the threat your enemy poses (which is to say, none whatsoever).
* TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon: The Divide acts as this for the {{DLC}}. It's an uninhabitable (even by wasteland standards) stretch of ruin, filled with radiation, windstorms, and scattered nuclear warheads. It's populated by [[DemonicSpiders Deathclaws]], Tunnelers (innumerable subterranean creatures ''that can kill Deathclaws''), and crazed [[BodyHorror skinless]] Marked Men armed with the various military weapons scattered all over the place. And worst of all, [[spoiler:it is home to [=ICBMs=] that are still alive and about to be launched]].
* TitleDrop: Three out of four [=DLCs=] have them.
** The Dead Money Jumpsuit and Dead Money Collar from ''Dead Money.''
** ''Old World Blues'' has a quest of that name, and the jukebox in your room is willing to explain the expression (focusing on the glory lost during the apocalypse, rather than hope for the future).
** The Lonesome Road Perk granted at the end of ''Lonesome Road.''
* TokenGoodTeammate: A good karma Courier can be this if working for the Legion.
* TooAwesomeToUse: The Fatman, which has less than 20 mini nukes to use in the ENTIRE game, at least until GRA came out and added more to purchase and new variants. The three Holy Frag Grenades which are even more powerful than the Fatman can only be obtained in a special encounter. And the Alien Blaster, a ridiculously powerful energy pistol that comes with a limited supply of ammo that you only get once. And any weapon that uses the devastating yet rare .44 magnum rounds.
** [[AvertedTrope With the addition of ammo crafting at sufficiently high levels, you can make your own .44 magnum rounds by breaking down your less useful bullets]]. Not so with the alien energy ammo or the mini nukes, though.
** Turbo. It puts everything around you into BulletTime, causing enemies to move and attack ridiculously slowly while you continue to fight at normal speed, rendering even the Legendary Deathclaw a sitting duck for its duration. Unfortunately, there's only a handful that can be found or bought right off the bat, and to get any more than that you have to learn an extremely rare crafting recipe that requires you to hunt Cazadores (one of the hardest enemies in the game) for ingredients. The only other option is the Implant GRX perk in ''Old World Blues''.
** Nuka-Cola Quartz and Nuka-Cola Victory; they're about as close to Infinity Plus One Food as you can get (The former gives you night vision and a DT boost, the latter gives you extra action points, and neither have a chance of addiction), but there are only a handful of each scattered about. However, the Nuka Chemist perk lets you craft them both using regular Nuka-Cola, which is plentiful.
** The Proton Inversal Throwing Axes in ''Old World Blues''. There are, at best, around thirty total with random spawning on corpses. You're lucky if you find ten. They are the single most-damaging thrown melee weapon in the game, but there's no way to get more.
* TooDumbToLive: There are a lot of people in this game that would earn a [[DarwinAwards Darwin Award]].
** Mister [=RADical=], who found himself a radiation suit and assumed it made him totally immune to radiation because he couldn't "feel" any radiation in a highly radioactive area. Just in case you don't know how radiation works, you ''don't'' feel it, only its after-effects. Radiation poisoning takes time to develop fully, which incidentally it did for Mister Radical, who passed it off as food poisoning. You find the idiot dead near a radioactive dump site, probably either been killed by his radiation poisoning or by the Golden Geckos inhabiting the place (which is itself TooDumbToLive), and according to a log he had on him, he was preparing to drench himself in a fluid that was so horribly radioactive that, had he done so, it would have killed him and turned everything within a hundred feet of him nightmarishly radioactive in seconds.
** Then there's [[ReturnOfTheLivingDead Trash]], a girl who decided that life as a human sucks, so she'd become a ghoul. How? By exposing herself to excessive amounts of radiation, naturally. She lives in a shack on the southern edge of the map, in an old nuclear test site. How she even got there is a mystery considering it's surrounded by tough-as-nails feral ghouls. Of course, the odds of ghoulification are roughly one in one million, but she assumes its a sure thing, and when you reach the shack where she's staying, she's usually dead (she may spawn alive as a bug). Basically, mixing radiation and idiots are a fatal combination, at least for the idiot.
** Freeside Thugs. They're armed with knives and lead pipes, maybe a sledgehammer at best. They aren't even a threat to you when you enter the city, much less later when you're walking along in PoweredArmor with a sniper rifle that can punch a hole in a tank. To wit, they will attack you and your companions despite the fact that said selection can include a robot attack dog and a Nightkin with a {{BFS}}, among other friends who may not look as threatening but are every bit as dangerous. Not to mention the fact that ''the entire freaking city'' is hostile to them on sight.
** Any of a number of female characters in the game who openly support Caesar's Legion. It's not as if it's a secret what they do to women. Though at least one of said characters was lied to.
** At Goodsprings Source you can find a man named [[spoiler: Barton Thorn]] who claims that his girlfriend is nearby just beyond a nest of Geckos. After you get done massacring them for him it turns out that there is no girlfriend, just corpses and a cache of food and supplies. [[spoiler: Thorn]] then approaches, apologizes for tricking you into clearing the way to the cache, and then tries to kill you because [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness you're of no use anymore.]] It is a severe case of [[TooDumbToLive Darwinitis]] on his part since you have not only just survived being shot - point blank - in the head, you have also just killed a bunch of [[http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Gecko_(Fallout:_New_Vegas) Geckos]]. Vicious, speedy, mutated lizards which generally swarm you in packs of 5-8.
* TookALevelInBadass: The Courier takes several levels of badass over the course of the game, both game levels and in-story levels.
** Do you remember those poor Deathclaws in ''{{Fallout 3}}'' and how easily you could slaughter them after a few levels? Try it with a Deathclaw in THIS game and see how that works out for you.
*** Lampshaded in a player dialog response to someone warning you of the problem. [[TooDumbToLive "I'm not afraid of Deathclaws."]]
* TortureAlwaysWorks: An interrogator constrained by NCR regulations asks the player to rough up a captive for her. The man allowed himself to be captured rather than dying because he was confident that he could withstand any torture, a pride he could only take if he believed TortureAlwaysWorks in the first place. Of course, he cracks under sufficient brutality. Averted, however, if you opt for psychology rather than punching.
* ToThePain: The Terrifying Presence perk is pretty much based around this. It causes NPCs to flee for a little while after you make scary threats like "I'll carve myself a knife out of your bones."
* TrainingThePeacefulVillagers: One of the options at the end of the Honest Hearts DLC. [[spoiler: It's Deconstructed; having learned to fight, they're not peaceful anymore, so they spend the next couple decades warring with former allies. However, sparing Salt-Upon-Wounds leads to them being more merciful.]]
* TrialBalloonQuestion: Veronica.
* TribalFacePaint: In the Honest Hearts DLC, one of the two tribes of Zion Canyon, known as the Dead Horses, has a custom where members earn a facial or body tattoo for every major achievement they accomplish.
* TropersDoItWithoutNotability: One of the graffito on the loading screen says, "Powder Gangers do it with a BANG!" [[StuffBlowingUp They ain't lying]].
* TheUnintelligible:
** [[GentleGiant Mean]] [[NonindicativeName Sonofabitch]], on account of having his tongue cut out. Even his voice actor doesn't know what he's saying. One line has him mention "Wesibe" (Westside), and he pronounces it "wes-see-bay".
** Dr. 8 from ''Old World Blues'' can only speak in static and scrambled audio.
* UndefeatableLittleVillage: Goodsprings is one of these, if you decide to help them drive away the Powder Gangers.
* UniversalPoison: Played straight in the main game, as the generic item "antivemom" will cure you instantly, whether it be a simple radscorpion sting or a nasty Cazador attack. Averted in the ''Honest Hearts'' DLC, where the local poisonous plants have their own type of antivenom.
** On the other hand, the effects themselves differ wildly by toxin source.
* VendorTrash: Much of the Misc Item category is this. None are immediately useful like ammo, weapons, apparel, or aid items. Many can be used as crafting items. You can even make your own vendor trash in the form of tanned hides, which makes them much more valuable (especially the tanned golden gecko hide).
** The ''Old World Blues'' DLC does its level best to subvert this. The personality constructs in the Sink can break down completely worthless items and turn them into incredibly useful crafting material. The Book Chute can turn pencils and clipboards into scrap metal and duct tape weighing ''twice'' as much as the materials you recycled, Muggy turns worthless dishes into valuable gun materials, and the Biological Research Station turns plants you don't use into a generic slop which can be converted into the kinds of plants you do. The whole place is a hoarder's wet dream.
* VideoGameCaringPotential: [[spoiler:Benny, the man that shot you in the head and left you for dead in Goodsprings is captured by Caesar's Legion. You can order his brutal death, [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming or you can help him escape his predicament, even after everything he's done to you...]]]]
* VideoGameCrueltyPotential: [[spoiler:...But if you want to kill him, there's always a nice cross you can strap him to. You can also smuggle a pistol into Caesar's tent and shoot him in the head for PoeticJustice, but it takes around 15 shots and he keeps yelling "Damn!" while all the guards become antsy at your having produced a gun.]]
** Those Deathclaws mentioned earlier, and how terrible they are? [[spoiler: They can't figure out how to jump and climb. The quarry you find them in has cranes and conveyer inclines you can climb on, and the deathclaws will literally run around like headless chickens. You will feel terrible killing the babies.]]
** If you'd like to blast at your comrades' kneecaps so they have to limp on broken legs across the Wasteland, sell them to cannibals, sell them to slavers, or bring them along and make them watch as you usher those they hate to new heights of power and influence over the helpless people of the wastes, New Vegas has you covered. There is plenty of opportunity for depravity, if that's your thing...
* VideoGameCrueltyPunishment: ...until you find out exactly what happens if the people of the wasteland decide you're too cruel.
* VillainWithGoodPublicity: The Courier can be one if you decide to work for Caesar's Legion while simultaneously keeping the NCR (and most of the other neutral and good factions) happy and unaware of your plans to stab them in the back when the time comes. In fact, it's probably for the best to play the game this way if you decide to work for Caesar since a good chunk of the quests in this game come from the NCR.
* [[VivaLasVegas Viva New Vegas]]
* TheVoiceless: Christine from the Dead Money DLC, due an Auto-Doc [[HighOctaneNightmareFuel malfunctioning and cutting her vocal chords out.]] [[spoiler: [[IGotBetter She gets better]] near the end, though.]]
** [[spoiler: Not so much voiceless and not so much a malfunction. [[HighOctaneNightmareFuel Which only makes it worse.]] ]]
* VomitIndiscretionShot: A few NCR soldiers on leave in the Strip can display these.
* WalkingTechbane: Dr. 0 of the Think Tank takes pride in his ability to [[ExpospeakGag nullify, deconstruct or otherwise neutralise]] any machine. Extra ironic, considering that he himself is a cyborg. Unsurprisingly, he despises Mr. House.
* WarriorTherapist: The Courier's companions all have baggage that he can help unload.
** Alternately, the Courier may often end up [[IncrediblyLamePun unloading]] [[VendorTrash baggage]] onto them.
* WeaksauceWeakness: The Pulse Gun and 'Paladin Toaster' fist weapon will OneHitKill almost any robots or anyone in power armor. The Securitron robots, while tough and powerful, have a major weakness in the wheels.
** This aspect of the Pulse Gun being a WeaksauceWeakness is used as an attempt by Veronica to attempt to convince the Elder of the folly of the Brotherhood's slowly self-destructive dogma. It doesn't work...
** Cazadores and Deathclaws, the deadliest monsters in the game, can be easily circle-strafed to death after crippling one of their wings/legs, respectively.
* WeirdnessMagnet: The effect of the "Wild Wasteland" trait. Chris Avellone outright used the title of this trope to describe it.
* WelcomeToCorneria: Patrolling the Mojave almost makes you wish for a Nuclear Winter.
** When I got this assignment, I thought there'd be more gambling...
** If you were enlisted, you'd be halfway to General by now.
** Ave, true to Caesar.
** "MURDERER!!!": Shouted by an NPC if you kill another NPC of the same faction nearby. Which in most cases is perfectly appropriate, but in the case of the [[ForTheEvulz Powder Gangers]], it just sounds ironic.
** '''RETRIBUTION!'''
* WhamEpisode: Vault 11. [[PennyArcade The Vaults were never meant to save anyone]], [[{{Tearjerker}} and this is the Vault that proves it...]]
* [[WhatHappenedToTheMouse What Happened To The Abominations]]: Lonesome Road features the Tunnelers, mutated humanoids that can tear apart Deathclaws. Ulysses mentions that they're slowly tunneling their way towards the Mojave, which would be utterly screwed when packs of super-strong abominations pop out of the ground without warning. And yet you can do absolutely nothing about this, and its never mentioned again.
* WhatMeasureIsANonHuman: Aside from the ghoul and mutant companions in game, you also have Victor, [[NinjaPirateRobotZombie a robot who think he's a cowboy.]]
* WhatTheHellHero: You will get a small one from the narrator if you get the Legion ending with good karma, or the NCR ending with evil karma.
** The Great Khans will not shy away to tell the player that you're traveling with a fucking murderer if Boone is your companion.
** [[spoiler: Mr. House]] certainly tries this on you when you kill him, and [[spoiler:the obituary he leaves in your notes]] just rubs it in further. Whether or not [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone you agree]] or [[ShutUpHannibal not]] depends on your personal beliefs, of course.
*** And whether or not you finish reading the obituary [[IsThisThingStillOn to the very end]].
** If you go through the pains and labors of convincing Boone to reconcile with his past only to bail on him at the last second, he will give you one of these.
* WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue: As per the tradition of the original Fallout games, you get an epilogue informing you what happened to all the settlements you visited and the companions that you had depending on your actions. Some are [[EarnYourHappyEnding nice]], some are [[BittersweetEnding bittersweet]], and some are [[DownerEnding just nasty]].
* WhiteHairedPrettyGirl: Ranger Ghost under her hat.
* WhiteMaskOfDoom: The White Gloves Society. Of course this is obviously also [[DressingAsTheEnemy their weakness]].
* WholePlotReference: To ''TheTreasureOfTheSierraMadre'' in ''Dead Money.''
* WickedCultured: Caesar, the Legion's intelligent and charismatic leader. He is a talented anthropologist, linguists, and historian that speaks fluent Latin and knows all about both pre-war and post-war history. In his free time he like to read and debate about political science and philosophy with other educated people. Did we forgot to mention that he is also the founder and leader of a faction of imperialistic slavers that kills the weak, enslaves woman and children, and engages in war crimes?
* WildCard: You. Potentially you could side with the Legion, NCR, Mr. House or with nobody but yourself. The game lampshades this by labeling a specific set of quests "Wild Card."
* WolverinePublicity: The Ranger Combat Armor, which is featured on the cover, title screen, and intro, and can otherwise hardly be found anywhere in-game until near the end. Recent patches, however, have aleviated this somewhat and made it available earlier and more easily.
* TheWorfEffect:
** The Powder Gangers are a major enemy in the area of the Mojave where you start. At Nipton, you learn that they are no match for the Legion.
** In ''Lonesome Road'', the first Tunneler you see kills a deathclaw.
*** Admittedly, with the Living Anatomy perk and a quick hand in V.A.T.S., you can see it only has 35 HP... but it's the thought that counts.
* AWorldHalfFull: Unlike the Capital Wasteland, the Mojave Wasteland has very few abandoned or destroyed buildings in it, with most of them being just outside the New Vegas strip. Even then, most of them are boarded up and inaccessible. Civilization is firmly in control at this point and most peoples' lives don't revolve around struggling to survive. The Mojave feels more like it has returned to the wild west and less like a hopeless irrecoverable hellhole. (Then again, the Wild West is still a wasteland, and even the good endings are going to lead to someone suffering.)
** Though the further away you get from Legion or NCR areas the more violence and despair there really is. Most of Utah is considered a horrible place to live, and Raul even says how before the Legion took over Arizona that the the whole state was overrun by raiders and warring towns.
* WorldOfHam: Old World Blues. By Oppenheimer, Old World Blues.
* WorstAid: Sleeping to cure crippled limbs. Possibly [[AcceptableBreakFromReality for convenience]], since Hardcore Mode disables it.
* WorthlessYellowRocks: Inverted: Bottlecaps, once worthless, are now the currency of the wasteland, so when you find a cache full of them, it's an unexpected good reward.
** The most valuable (currency-wise) item in the game are gold bars from the ''Dead Money'' DLC. However, they weigh 35 pounds and most vendors don't have over 10000 caps on them at a time. On the plus side, if you can manage to drag out the entire set, you could purchase the entire inventories of the Gun Runners and Van Graffs and still have leftover change.
* YesButWhatDoesZataproximetacineDO: Sunset Sarssparilla apparently has a long list of "side effects". You have to ask Festus three times before he'll even tell you them.
* YouAndWhatArmy: [[spoiler: Two of the four endings (Mr. House and Wild Card) play out in this manner.]]
** One of the quests even lampshades it in the title.
* YouBastard: Cass is one of the few who calls the Courier out for consistent enough bastardry to earn bad karma.
* YouHaveFailedMe: The story behind the Burned Man.
* YouHaveResearchedBreathing:
** The Great Khans can teach you how to throw a handful of sand in an opponent's face.
** You need training from the Brotherhood [[spoiler:or the Enclave]] in order to figure out how to wear PowerArmor. The courier is the only character in the game who requires this training.
** Old World Blues requires you to find two holotapes in order to fill a bottle of water from a sink.
* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: [[spoiler: Barton Thorn]] in Goodsprings Source, he should know better. [[spoiler: Logan, a mercenary, tries to pull this off on you after you help him and his crew find a few items at Camp Searchlight. It doesn't go well for them.]]
** Caesar's Legion is ''really'' fond of this trope, to the point that with a high enough Speech skill you can convince some of the Legion's allies to abandon them by pointing out the FridgeLogic of working for someone who's obviously going to kill or enslave you as soon as they win.
** The leadership of the Omertas comes down to those who drug and enslave prostitutes, or those who "only" physically abuse them. Or you can [[TakeAThirdOption wait until they turn their backs after they trust you.]]
** Logan and his group of prospectors. They enlist you to help them acquire some radiation suits and scavenge Camp Searchlight. Once everything of value has been found, they then try to kill you.
** Elijah in ''Dead Money''. Though he leaves the decision of whether your former comrades live or not up to you, he encourages you to kill them once they become of no further use.
* YourHeadAsplode: Often if you always aim for the head. Subverted in one quest where you are instructed to score no headshots on the bounties since their heads are required as a proof. The First Recon squad that are sent to help you kill Driver Nephi seemingly does not listen to this and occasionally headshots him.
** In ''Dead Money'', if you hear a beeping coming from your collar, '''''move it'''''.
* YourMoneyIsNoGoodHere: There are four types of currencies: standard caps, NCR money, Pre-War Money and Caesar's Legion coins. The trope is subverted, however, because everyone, even the Legion, generally pay you in caps because it's the only currency the Mojave actually cares about. Vendors have set exchange rates for the non-standard currencies, but everything is measured in caps.
** Another case of ShownTheirWork. During the American Civil War, the western territories typically disdained paper money, since it was backed by one of three nations that wasn't guaranteed to survive much longer (and indeed, the Confederacy and Mexican governments did not).
** Although the NCR claims they're trying to introduce their currency to supersede the Bottle Cap, [[AdamSmithHatesYourGuts their own damn merchants won't let you use them as tender!]] You learn the reason why later: the Brotherhood of Steel blew up their gold deposits, which not only makes distribution of coinage impossible but also severely devalues their recently-introduced paper currency. Also likely further exacerbated by the fact that the war with the Legion isn't going well, and that the NCR is running out of money and resources.
** Pre-War Money ''should'' be worthless by now, as the United States government [[MythBusters went away]]. It's still in limited use throughout the Mojave; this is probably a mix of value as a collector's item, the fact that it was very hard to counterfeit pre-war and impossible post-war, and the fact that Mr. House - and therefore New Vegas - still accepts it.
*** And it makes good toilet paper...
** Legion money, on the other hand, is actually valued higher than caps because it's made of precious metals. It can also be combined with shotgun shells to form coin shot, which [[BallisticDiscount is a currency accepted ''everywhere''.]]
*** One unit (coin) has more worth than any other currency's base unit but that doesn't make the currency more valuable per se. It suffers from the same "drawback" as NCR$ : you cannot use it directly, only exchange it for caps at a price. Of course, they exchange it freely, meaning you don't lose money exchanging currency.
** In Dead Money, you can't get any caps; instead, you use Sierra Madre chips (for vending machines) and Pre-War Money (for holographic vendors). Justified in that the Sierra Madre runs on old world equipment, and that the chips themselves are [[MatterReplicator actually transmuted by the vending machine]] into the goods that you purchase.
* YourPrincessIsInAnotherCastle: [[spoiler:Well done! You've finally tracked down Benny and recovered the Platinum Chip! Now all that's left is to deliver it to House and...wait, is that an NCR Trooper? Huh? The NCR Ambassador wants to talk to you? Well, ok, but...OhCrap, Vulpes Inculta?! Wait, he's not hostile, but he says ''Caesar'' wants to talk to you. And what's with the Securitron with the goofy face in Benny's suite who seems to want to talk to you...?]]
* {{Zeerust}}: Obviously.
* ZombieApocalypse: [[spoiler:Vault 22: turns out, they were using a fungus that infected vermin and pests and forced it to kill its own before dying, as pest control. Unfortunately, it spread to the human population.]]
** And Vault 34, a vault that, only a short time ago, experienced a critical reactor leak, turning more than half the residents into feral ghouls and promptly killed anyone who wasn't killed by the radiation [[spoiler: or haven't already left to the Nellis Air Force Base]].
** The Ghost People were all residents or guests in the area of the Sierra Madre Casino. [[GoneHorriblyRight It turns out those Hazmat suits worked too well...]]
** The Marked Men are what's left of the Legionaries and Troopers who were stationed in the Divide. [[CameBackWrong They changed.]]
----
* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: Legate Lanius is a MadeOfIron murder machine [[spoiler:and serves as the game's "final boss" for every non-Legion ending path.]] Averted with the NCR President Kimball and General Oliver, and even Caesar himself, who are all bog standard humans that go down after a couple decent headshots. Also a case of AsskickingEqualsAuthority, as Lanius got the job as Caesar's right hand man by singlehandedly killing off his entire former tribe in combat.
** ''Marcus!''. He has as much health as a [[KingMook deathclaw alpha]], and his punches do as much damage as one too!
** [[LargeHamRadio Tabitha]], [[EverythingsDeaderWithZombies the Vault 34 Overseer]], [[HumanoidAliens the Alien Captain]], and [[CompleteMonster Jean-Baptiste Cutting]] are all quite tough, each of them being a fairly worthy boss encounter.
** Joshua Graham, the legendary Burned Man, is equipped with a [[CoolGuns powerful customized Colt .45 pistol]] and, despite only wearing a light kevlar vest for armor, has a DT of 50! For comparison, a full suit of the best PoweredArmor in the game grants a total DT of 36. He pretty much laughs off anything short of direct headshots from the best firearms in the game.
** Salt-Upon-Wounds, the leader of the White Legs and "final boss" of the DLC, is no slouch himself. He has more health and armor than a Deathclaw Alpha, and is armed with a custom Power Fist. Graham pretty much curbstomps him, though.
* AnAxeToGrind: A few of them, especially the fire axe.
** Throw in some RuleOfCool and technobabble, and you get the Protonic Inversal Axe.
%% just making a soft alphabetic split here
* {{Badass}}: This is Fallout. There's... [[WorldOfBadass quite a few]]. Aside from the main characters, the main factions' top-tier [=NPCs=] get a special mention:
** NCR Veteran Rangers wear dusters over riot gear, and are armed with either a revolver that shoots rifle rounds, the best lever-rifle in the game, or a .50 sniper rifle.
** Legion praetorians, meanwhile, [[RuleOfCool sport sunglasses and shotgun fists]].
** A single MK II Securitron essentially has more firepower than an entire platoon of NCR troopers. Armed to the teeth with an SMG, Gatling Laser, missiles, Grenade Machine Gun, self-repair, AND the kitchen sink.
** Legate Lanius. In the G.E.C.K he even has the unique class "Legionary Bad Ass."
** The Courier before the game even starts. His journey started at the Mojave Express in Primm, South of Goodsprings. Most people who have been working as couriers for a while should notice the local wildlife, and as many people discovered, there are Cazadores north of Goodsprings. The Courier's route would have led straight through the swarm if he/she hadn't been shot. Planning to go through a swarm of Cazadores is either badass or TooDumbToLive.
*** Especially when we consider that unless the player not only preordered, but preordered from one of the four retailers whose copies came with an exclusive content pack, said courier was planning on walking through a swarm of Cazadores and close to a group of raiders armed with nothing but a 9mm pistol or laser pistol (if Doc Mitchell truly returned everything he found on you).
** Ulysses braved the entirety of the Divide, on foot, alone, just to lay an elaborate trap.
* BadassBoast: The Terrifying Presence perk gives you a few of these. Sometimes they're just something cool to say before you kill someone, other times they're [[ToThePain vivid descriptions of what you're going to do]] to your enemies. But they're all so invariably badass that you can say them unarmed in your underwear, and they'll make fully equipped Brotherhood Of Steel Paladins run screaming from you.
* BadassBystander: The entire town of [[WretchedHive Nipton]] fell to the Legion with hardly any resistance... then you come across this one solitary house complete with landmines, rigged shotguns, a cage ''full of man-eating scorpions'' and in which every single drawer and cabinet is locked - making him smarter that about 90% of the Mojave residents. If the corpses littering the floor are any indication, this guy did ''not'' come quietly. Read some of his documents and you will find that he was a severely paranoid guy, who was convinced that everybody in the town was trying to sniff out and [[ShoutOut steal his]] [[DrStrangelove "Vital Essence"]].
* BadassGrandpa: "Cannibal" Johnson got his nickname from an incident where, outnumbered by Raiders and with his back to the wall, he ''tore out a Raider's heart and took a bite out of it,'' hoping to scare the others off. It worked. Incidentally, the Raiders in question were half his age.
* BadassLongcoat: The NCR Ranger combat armor; it's the armor shown on the cover, also worn by the sniper at the wall around the Strip in the intro. Later [=DLCs=] add the Desert Ranger Combat Armor and the Elite Riot Gear, each Longcoat more Badass than the last.
** The Lonesome Road graces us with, not only the Courier's Duster, but [[spoiler: Ulysses' unique variant, with the tattered flag of the USA on the back]], which you naturally receive after the big finish. Goes quite nicely with Old Glory, a wooden staff capped with a golden metal eagle.
* BallisticDiscount: Can be done of course, but many traders and shopkeepers are usually heavily armed themselves as well as having guards and the risk of making the whole town hostile. The Silver Rush is the epitome of this, as they have half-a-dozen guards and one boss character guarding the shopkeeper. Keep in mind that the merchants' inventory and money gets replenished every few days, so killing may be a bad idea for a different reason.
** The Gun Runners take particular precautions in this regard - they built their reinforced, permanent sales booth ''around'' the Protectron who serves as their sales clerk.
* BastardUnderstudy: Benny tries to be this to Mr. House. [[spoiler:You can be one to House as well, and succeed where Benny failed]]
* BeamSpam: Gatling Laser (again), and the smaller Laser RCW, which is basically a WorldWar2 Thompson submachine gun that shoots FrickinLaserBeams.
* TheBeastmaster: The Animal Friend perk is upgraded again from ''Fallout 3''; this time it will also cause domesticated animals to fight with you, or even turn against their masters to help you.
* BeefGate: Used liberally in the beginning. The two north roads to Vegas lead you right into Cazadores and Deathclaws, the latter of which has twice as much health as a standard Deathclaw. To the south, straying from the road is a good way to get giant Radscorpions on your tail, and those things are hard to kill in the early game. It's a good sign that if something manages to kill you in two hits while anything you currently have can't inflict a single scratch in return, you should probably not be in that area yet. On the plus side, limiting specific monsters to specific ecological regions avoids the "anything can pop up anywhere" problem seen in ''Fallout 3'', where you'd have Deathclaws showing up just outside the walls of major settlements once your character reached a high-enough level.
** Also, the final battle. To be user-friendly, most action games with open-world or RPG elements (including ''{{Fallout 3}}'') have a final boss that is killable by the weakest possible player character that can reach the end of the game. This is not one of those games.
* BeingGoodSucks: Almost all of the Followers of the Apocalypse endings [[spoiler: has them taking on more responsibility than they can handle or being screwed outright. One of the only ''"good"'' endings, ironically enough, is an ending which Caesar lives. [[PetTheDog He spares their lives and lets them leave the Mojave Wasteland peacefully out of respect, as they had taught him as a boy]].]]
** In another ending, [[spoiler: if Followers support the NCR and you choose to end the game by siding with the NCR, Old Mormon Fort expanded its services and is able to aid more people, becoming a refuge for the less fortunate citizens of New Vegas.]] It is not as bad as the other endings for the Followers.
** Subverted with the Courier; even though EvilIsEasy, so much good karma is rewarded for winning unavoidable fights with evil enemies that no matter how much you [[HeroicSociopath kill]] and [[KleptomaniacHero steal]], you'll almost always be seen as a saint.
** Also played straight in the Honest Hearts DLC. [[spoiler: No matter which ending you choose, Daniel will still get the short end of the stick.]] Sure, sometimes it's only as bad as missing the paradise-that-could-have-been Zion, but it's ''very'' easy to make "good" decisions that cause him trouble.
* BerserkButton: [[{{Badass}} Boone]] ''hates'' the Legion, and for very good reason. It's impossible to get the Legion ending with him as a companion because he murders every single Legionnaire you come across.
** Technically, you CAN get the Legion ending if you have him as a companion... As long as you only kill legionaries ''before'' entering the Tops casino and getting the Mark of Caesar. As to this, it is perfectly possible to get him as a companion, complete his companion quest (which itself involves killing legionaries and is obtained similarily) and then dump him afterward to support Caesar right after getting the Mark from Vulpes. Boone has specific legion endings programmed into the game for a reason.
* BestServedCold: [[spoiler:Dean Domino]] of ''Dead Money'' is a firm believer in this. If you try to get the better of him in your first meeting (by beating him in a Barter check,) he'll patiently wait until the circumstances favour him again before stabbing you in the back.
* BettingMiniGame: As expected of a game with [[VivaLasVegas Vegas]] in the title; the game has a grand total of five casinos you can play in (and a few more you can't), each with their own theme and win limit. You can also play the Mojave's very own card game, "Caravan," if you're willing to learn the rules.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: The game's most powerful NPC is none other than Primm Slim, the Protectron sheriff robot in the Vikki and Vance Casino, who has more than 2,000 HP at level 30. That's just health, of course. It may take you a while, but he's a dolled-up Protectron and couldn't kill you if he wanted to.
** Yes Man. Oh, how nice and helpful is he. He also has a sadistic streak that comes out in a few lines.
* {{BFG}}: The Heavy Incinerator, Tesla Cannon, Grenade Machinegun, Minigun, Gatling Laser, Plasma Caster, Gauss Rifle, Light Machine Gun (note that 'Light' is a strictly relative term), and Anti-Materiel Rifle. All of them leave nice, chunky messes.
* {{BFS}}:
** The Bumper Sword.
** Lily carries a {{BFS}} made from a Vertibird propeller blade.
** Legate Lanius' {{BFS}}, the Blade of the East. It hurts. A lot.
** Marked Men in the ''Lonesome Road'' DLC may carry imitations of the above weapon called Blades of the West. They hurt. A lot.
* BigDamnGunship: You can see up to two of them in the final battle, provided you do their prerequisites. First one is the Boomers in their B-29 Bomber, the other is the [[spoiler: [[RetiredBadass Enclave]] [[TheAtoner Remnants]] arriving in a Vertibird to kick the ass of your choosing]]. It's even stated that the second one reminded everyone in the Mojave why they had feared the [[spoiler: Enclave]].
* BitchInSheepsClothing: [[spoiler:Jeannie May Crawford]] in Novac.
* BiTheWay: In one of her lines of dialogue, Cass says that once she is drunk enough, she doesn't care who she ends up in bed with whether they be male or female.
** If you try to invite her into your party when it's occupied by someone else (male or female), she says "I'm not in the mood for a threesome...today".
* BittersweetEnding: The best ending you can hope for in ''Honest Hearts'' is [[spoiler:The Sorrows and Dead Horses are safely evacuated from Zion and the White Legs' threat is neutralized [[TalkingTheMonsterToDeath one way]] [[KillEmAll or another]], And Joshua Graham finally makes peace with his inner demons, but Zion itself is lost forever, and Daniel spends the rest of his days wondering if abandoning it was the right decision after all...]]
** The "best case scenarios" for Arcade and Lily qualify big time. For Arcade, [[spoiler:the only endings where he ends up in a somewhat good position are the NCR and Wild Card endings, and even then he ends up somewhat disappointing with the negative aspects of each outcome, but nevertheless resolves to continue helping the Wasteland any way he can]]. As for Lily, her "good" endings either have her [[spoiler:go off to find her grandchildren, who are almost assuredly dead by now, or finally having her mental state stabilized at the cost of the memories of her past.]]
* BlackAndGreyMorality and GreyAndGreyMorality with some occasional [[EvilVersusEvil Black And Black Morality]]: There are no totally, completely good factions in the Fallout universe. There are plenty of pretty much outright evil factions, a ''lot'' of neutral ones, and a few that really are out to make the world a better place, [[WellIntentionedExtremist but even they tend to use rather questionable methods at times.]] The closest you'll probably get to a "good guy" in this game is a Good-aligned PlayerCharacter.
* BlatantLies: Those radioactive barrels you see both here and in Fallout 3? In the REPCONN headquarters, they're "safety barrels", and being buried in the ground is supposed to be totally safe! Some extremist hippy whackos are just lying to you about their radioactivity!
** Quite a few with the Think Tank in ''Old World Blues''.
--> '''Dr. Klein:''' How ''dare'' you! Branial beam ocilation was solely ''my'' discovery! I expressly told you that and deleted all evidence to the contrary!
* BlessedWithSuck[=/=]CursedWithAwesome: The positive and negative effect of the trait ''Wild Wasteland'' is described as "Adds wackier versions of current content."
** There's an example of this [[spoiler: if Arcade gives you his father's Enclave armor]]. He's really proud of it and brags that it will stop almost anything short of a plasma bolt. But due to its associations, wearing it could get you hunted down and killed, or if you're lucky, just thrown in an [=NCR=] jail for a long, long, long time. (Which [[spoiler: is what happens if ''Arcade'' wears it during some of his endings.]]) Uh ... thanks, man? What a ''blessing''. Luckily, StoryAndGameplaySegregation is in full effect if you decide to wear it.
* BlindWithoutEm: The ''Four Eyes'' trait, which gives a bonus to Perception so long as you're wearing glasses. Without them, it's a decrease to Perception. Will become useless later on, since power armor helmets, for obvious reasons, require you to take off your glasses. Again, this is assuming a character is even capable of / willing to wearing power armor helmets.
** Of course, this also poses serious problems; mechanically it reduces your base Perception by 1 and makes every pair of glasses give +2 Perception. Fairly nifty, except that certain perks require moderately high Perception to get, which this perk will more or less lock you out of.
* BlingBlingBang: All of the unique handguns.
* BlownAcrossTheRoom:
** The Gauss Rifle often send the opponent flying for considerable distance. Anyone who's heard the spiel from the drill instructor on the Citadel in MassEffect2 will understand why.
*** Which is a case of DidNotDoResearch in itself. Gauss guns in Fallout shoot micro-caliber ammunition that usually pass through the soft flesh. It is the tremendous hydrostatic shock that makes them so efficient.
** Averted, however, with Armor Piercing rounds...which do a little LESS damage on unarmored opponents than regular rounds BECAUSE of their overpenetration, which is actually TruthInTelevision.
** The Anti-Materiel Rifle can send ''Deathclaws'' flying back with a chest shot. It is not a gun that messes around.
** [[MeaningfulName Pushy]]. If your killing blow is an uppercut, you could easily send them 20 feet up and 30 feet away. If your unarmed is high enough, you can punch them with the force a football player punts a ball.
** Dead Money perk "And Stay Back" grants 10% chance per shotgun shot of throwing the target back. The sawed-off fires 14 buckshot per blast, practically guaranteeing an airborne ragdoll if fired at close range.
** The Fire Axe's special has a knockback effect; chaining the special lets you ''[[BeyondTheImpossible juggle an opponent in the air]]''.
* BombThrowingAnarchists: Averted by the Followers of the Apocalypse who, despite being derided as anarchists by some, arguably are the only "truly good" faction in the game, next to the Kings.
** Played straight by Samuel Cooke, the founder of the Powder Gangers, who was imprisoned by the NCR for being a literal example. The other Powder Gangers are aversions, however, as they are little more than another gang of raiders.
** 'Honest Hearts' introduces the 'Fight the Power!' that gives the bonus in combat with members of 'lawful' factions. It is accompanied by the picture of stereotypical rioter with a scarf on his face and holding Molotov cocktail.
* BookEnds: "War. War never changes."
* BoomerangBigot: One line used by Boomers states that they can take care of that robot problem for you. The same line is used by the robots on the base.
* BonusBoss: The four Legendary monsters. The toughest of them, the Legendary Deathclaw, is by far the most powerful thing in the entire game, with almost as much health as the final boss ''and'' an insanely high armor rating (significantly more than a full suit of the best power armor available!). Like all deathclaws, it is also very, very fast. He also [[OneHitKill one hit kills]] pretty much all but the toughest and most heavily armored of characters. [[DeadpanSnarker Nice knowing you.]]
** ''Old World Blues'' has the [[spoiler:[[LethalJokeCharacter Legendary Bloatfly]]. It's harder to kill than the Legendary Deathclaw and fires insanely powerful plasma bolts at you. When it dies it drops over 50 bloatfly meat and 20+ buffout.]]
** Colonel Royez and Gaius Magnus from post-Lonesome Road, [[spoiler: which appear when you nuke NCR or Legion territory respetively.]] They are two ghouls with utterly insane amounts of health (Capable of withstanding about five Holorifle shots to the face on Normal difficulty without dying), and constantly regenerate health as well. To make it worse, they both have high-end unique armor, one of which ''adds even more health regeneration''.
* BonusDungeon: Up to three are added by ''Lonesome Road,'' the Courier's Mile, the NCR Long 15, and the Legion Dry Wells. The latter two are only accessible if [[spoiler: you decided to nuke them.]]
* BoringButPractical: The Marksman Carbine. Powerful. Durable. Versatile. Ammo-efficient. Completely unspectacular and ugly.
** The Recharger Rifle. You're most likely to find this weapon at the beginning of the game, and it does lower damage than many other energy rifles. However, it makes up for this by being rechargeable, rather than using energy ammo. That's right, it's an energy weapon that has INFINITE AMMO. Kinda makes up for the slight shortage of energy ammo in the game, huh? Becomes useless later when you can regularly find and recharge energy rifle ammo, though.
** The Cowboy Repeater. Cheap to repair and uses powerful magnum ammo instead of rifle. Easy to make ammo, low AP cost, and incredible accuracy can make this a viable weapon for most of the game. As with the Marksman Carbine, the only problem is that it's obviously not full auto.
** Most Guns-type weapons really. This is one reason why many players consider [[KineticWeaponsAreJustBetter guns to be superior than the]] [[AwesomeButImpractical more flashy energy weapons,]] [[KineticWeaponsAreJustBetter even after the latter was made more powerful.]]
** Leg shots. Not as impressive or damaging as a head shot, but they slow down melee enemies significantly if you cripple the legs, and will save your life when you enter Deathclaw territory.
** The Strong Back, Educated, and Rapid Reload perks. They don't do anything flashy, but pay off massively in the long run.
** The simpler crafting recipes. Cooking meat into steaks and converting ammo into the type you need is always useful and worthwhile.
** From Dead Money, the Cosmic Knives. Not only are they easy to find, but you can clean one to give it a massive stat boost. Helps out in the first few quests, when you have almost no ammo or items.
** the Police Pistol. All the other weapons are exotic and powerful, and this is just a bog-standard revolver. However, it hits hard enough to easily dismember Ghosts, and the ammo is everywhere.
** From the Lonesome Road DLC comes the flare gun. Doesn't have the greatest damage, but uses a fairly common ammo type only used by a few other weapons in the entire game, and has the distinct power to SCARE DEATHCLAWS.
* BottleFairy: Cass
* BrainInAJar: The Robobrains. There's also the Think Tanks of Old World Blues, who come with monitors for eyes and a mouth. Amazingly enough, [[spoiler:there's YOUR brain, which you can actually talk to (and [[ScrewYourself come onto]]).]]
* BribingYourWayToVictory: The ''Courier's Stash'' and ''Gun Runners' Arsenal'' DLC, the former moreso than the latter. ''Courier's Stash'' is a compilation of several pre-order bonus packs which gives the player four full item sets at the start of the game, including a bottomless water canteen which reduces the amount of water you need to drink. No matter which set of armor you choose, you're a lot better off than in the vanilla game. ''Gun Runners' Arsenal'' adds a ton of new weapons to be purchased from shops, as well as weapon mods for them. At least these you actually have to buy in-game.
* BrokenAesop: The overall theme of the DLC ''Dead Money'' is how greed can make people unable to let go of their own vices. To illustrate this point, the casino vault is filled with dozens of gold bars that are far too heavy for you to carry to escape alive, proving that even the player must set aside their greed in order to move on. ... Except that with a stealthboy and some very precise timing, it's fully possible to make off with all the gold without a scratch. So in the end the moral is 'you need to let go of your greed, unless you're clever enough to get away scott free'.
* BulletTime: VATS of course. Turbo and the Implant GRX perk will also produce this effect.
* BullyingADragon: Keith, a hustler at the Aerotech business park, gets cornered by Captain Parker after you provide Parker with evidence of Keith's misdeeds. Parker tries to arrest Keith, who resists. Keith then starts taunting Parker about how his wife left him. Which prompts Parker to let fly with his service rifle. Taunting a man armed with a military rifle about his estranged wife... [[TooDumbToLive smooth.]]
* ButchLesbian: Corporal Betsy from Camp [=McCarran=]. Just OneOfTheBoys, though she's been hitting on every woman in the Camp after having been [[spoiler:raped by Cook-Cook. One side-quest is getting her to see a psychologist.]]
* ButForMeItWasTuesday: In the ''Lonesome Road'' DLC, [[spoiler:a single unremarkable package the Courier delivered prior to the start of the game accidently caused the destruction of the Divide, robbing Ulysses of his home, teaching him the power certain individuals hold to radically reshape the world, and sparking off some rather dangerous obsessions. When he tells you what that package did, you can respond that the package was so unremarkable to you, you can't even recall it clearly.]]
%% just making a soft alphabetic split here
* TheCakeIsALie: In ''Old World Blues'', [[spoiler:the Think Tank enlist your help in defeating their enemy, Dr. Mobius, on the promise that they'll let you go once you retrieve your brain and get it back in your skull. In truth, they plan on keeping your brain for themselves, because they need it for their own agenda.]]
* CaneFu: A favourite melee weapon for the White Gloves. While that doesn't sound too dangerous, remember that you have to go in bare-fisted unless you have a high enough sneak skill or can rob the cashier's room without getting caught. If your Unarmed skill is crap, you'll have a hell of a time doing the quest for their casino (the right way, at least).
* CannibalismSuperpower: The player character can literally gain cannibalism superpowers through a [[http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Meat_of_Champions hidden perk]]. [[spoiler:If the player takes the Cannibal perk and then kills and eats Caesar, The King, Mr. House and President Kimball, your character absorbs their greatest strengths. Afterward, you receive a boost to four primary stats for a full minute after committing any act of cannibalism. Given that you have to kill and eat the four most powerful people in the Mojave Wasteland (which will naturally alienate their factions) and Kimball only appears in the second-final plot mission of the game this perk is somewhere in between a BraggingRightsReward and AwesomeButImpractical.]]
* CantGetAwayWithNuthin: If you attack any member of a major faction, the rest will know and you will lose reputation with them for it. They {{Handwave}} it with both sides having a "robust network of informants", but that's a shallow justification when you're killing Legion recruits in the middle of the desert. Strangely averted with the Fiends. So long as you do it in one shot, you can kill one ten feet from the rest and they won't notice. You don't even have to sneak.
** Especially egregious with the faction hit squad spawning. Wipe out the Legion Raid Camp? Caesar will instantly know and teleport a hit squad to immediately retaliate.
* TheCaper: What the Dead Money [=DLC=] is all about.
* CatchPhrase: The Yes Man thinks this trope page is absolutely ''great!'' And he's not just saying that because he has to!
* CattlePunk: The closer you get to big cities, the more it becomes like a gangster flick, but the more rural areas have a definite old west feel to them. What do you expect, it's set in Nevada. Let us count the ways: ''Two'' cowboy robots (Victor and Primm Slim), [[RevolversAreJustBetter prominent revolvers]], cattle barons, extra-big bighorn sheep, moody guitar riffs, a Cowboy perk that makes you better at all things Gunslingers ought to be, a chain gang on the run... and these are all just in the first few hours of the game.
* ChainsawGood: As well as the Ripper, a full-sized chainsaw can be found [[spoiler:in Vault 3, wielded by Motor-Runner, or on high-level Legionaries]]. Thanks to its incredibly high-damage VATS attack (high enough to completely ignore a Ranger's DT and kill him in one hit), it is one of the best weapons for Sneak Attacks in the game. Despite whatever common sense may tell you about using a bulky, awkward and loud weapon for stealth work.
* CharacterDevelopment: [[spoiler: The Enclave Remnants really humanize the faction of [[CardCarryingVillain Card-Carrying Villains]] they were in {{Fallout 2}} and {{Fallout 3}}.]]
* ChekhovsGun: As you're poking around your would-be gravesite in Goodsprings, you'll likely come across a bunch of Distinctive Cigarette Butts, as well as a distinctive lighter off a named Great Khan you can kill in Boulder City. Keep these items, they become useful when convincing Swank to turn on Benny.
** In the ''Old World Blues'' expansion, [[spoiler: the injury you sustained at the ''very beginning'' of the game ends up as one of these. It creates a bit of a "wrinkle" in your brain that caused the Auto-Doc responsible for the brain-extraction process to alter its programming, and keep you sane and lucid after it was done.]]
* CherryTapping: One of the challenges added by ''Gun Runner's Arsenal'' is to kill Deathclaws with the weakest weapons in the game. Of course, it only says ''kill''. There's [[LoopholeAbuse nothing saying]] you can't horribly main them with your top shelf guns, first.
* ChronicBackstabbingDisorder: [[spoiler:Benny has betrayed three people before the game even started, can betray you if you are gullible enough to believe him about talking to you in private at the Tops penthouse, and has the audacity to betray you yet again if you free him from the Fort by running away for good instead of helping you.]]
** Also, the Courier has the capability of betraying not one, not two, but all three factions, murdering all three leaders ([[ImAHumanitarian and possibly even devouring them after he kills them]]), then taking over New Vegas in the resulting power vacuum.
*** And those are just the major factions. You can also get in good with EVERY minor faction in the game, provided you're clever enough not to alienate them by accident, and then, before the final battle, go in and wipe out ALL OF THEM. ICanRuleAlone, indeed...
*** There are also plenty of quests that end with the option to slaughter the people you're helping. Help a group of ghouls get to the rockets, then set them to crash into each other. Help restore power to Helios One, then set the defense system to kill everyone unlucky enough to be standing outside. Promise to cut off access to the sulfur mines under the Vault, then set enough explosives to take down the mines ''and'' the Vault. And then there's that self-destruct button in the Brotherhood of Steel bunker...
*** [[spoiler:And now with the Lonesome Road DLC, you can unleash nuclear missiles upon NCR territory, Legion territory or both of them.]]
* ChurchMilitant: The Mormon Church it seems. According to Graham, learning how to handle a .45 auto is a rite of passage for New Canaanites. However, it's more that they're quite capable of defending themselves rather than being aggressively militant (far from actually). Also, one must remember that, AfterTheEnd, you better damn well know how to kill or live around people that do.
* ClassyCatBurglar: The sneak skill '¡La Fantoma!' depicts one of these on it's cover.
* CloudCuckoolander: Played with; No-Bark Noonan is actually pretty perceptive about strange events that are happening around Novac, and good at looking through people with less-than honest intentions. Too bad he blames them on the Chupacabra and the mole people. [[spoiler: Of course, the mole people are actually real, and he sometimes lays blame on exactly what the problem is but obfuscates it behind his choice of words.]]
** The Think Tank and Doctor Mobius.
** Many of the relatively sane nightkin, such as Lily and Tabitha, qualify as this
* ClusterFBomb: Cass has a delightfully foul mouth, and can't help swearing repeatedly. The game plays with this during her side-quest, while [[spoiler: taking revenge for her ruined caravan]], she states that they'll settle accounts with one group, and then go to the leader of the other group and "make that bitch eat her own hair." When you look in the quest menu, that statement is recorded word for word as your goal for this quest. Some characters have a wonderful way of personalizing their own quests, you know?
--> '''Cass:''' [[CrowningMomentOfFunny "The NCR wants their hands on everything they see. Nobody's dick is that long, not even Long Dick Johnson, and he had a fucking long dick, thus the name."]]
--> '''The Courier''' [[CaptainObvious "Yeah, I kinda guessed that."]]
* ColdBloodedTorture: One torture path available when interrogating Silus is to kill him for your personal pleasure.
* ColdOpening: While the first 3 DLCs start with a narrated slideshow, Lonesome Road skips this in favor of dropping you right into The Divide.
* ColdSniper: Boone. He actually tries to keep you away, believing he's too cold to have a spotter and that it'll end in disaster. If he gets killed (or rendered unconscious), he'll [[EvilLaugh creepily chuckle and say the he knew that you'd be the death of him]].
** Corporal Betsy in Camp [=McCarran=] deconstructs the trope by expressing regret over the job requiring such a cold personality.
*** She also subverts it with her [[spoiler:vulnerability and mental trauma after being raped by Cook-cook.]]
** Ranger Ghost is somewhat of a subversion - she's cold and doesn't regret it, but the other NCR personnel think she's a prick and/or trying too hard.
** Sergeant Bitter Root as well. The other 2 First Recon members, [[ShellShockedVeteran Corporal Sterling]] and [[FarmBoy 10 of Spades]] are quite [[FriendlySniper friendly]] however are not [[ColdSniper cold snipers]].
* CollectionSidequest: The longest mission in the game, by logical extension, involves collecting special "star" bottle caps from bottles of Sunset Sarsaparilla and handing them in to an animatronic cowboy named [[{{Gunsmoke}} Festus]]. There is also a snow globe collection game which nets you caps.
* ColonelBadass: Colonel Cassandra Moore. She commands the garrison at Hoover Dam, within spitting distance of the massive Legion buildup at Fortification Hill. She's built up reputation as a hardass and a GeneralRipper (though justifiable due to the proximity to the Fort). She's had four tours against the Brotherhood of Steel during the NCR's war with them.
* CompetitiveBalance: Every character build has a chance to survive and thrive in the Mojave Wasteland, whether he be a [[MightyGlacier power armor-wearing sledgehammer-wielding maniac]], [[GlassCannon a sneaky thief with a sniper rifle]], or a [[GuileHero smooth talker]], Obsidian has made it possible for you to solve everything the game throws at you.
* TheComputerIsACheatingBastard: NPC characters can reload some slow reload weapons such as Cowboy Repeaters and .357 revolvers as though they are reloaded with magazines or speedloaders. Thankfully, this also applies to followers.
** Nowhere is this more apparent than the game's gambling. NPC card dealers will regularly deal themselves 20s and Blackjack several times in a row when your luck stat is below par. Maxing out your Luck stat allows for the game to cheat in your favour as well.
** The Boomers. The artillery barrage you must run through upon approaching their base is a scripted event, and cannot be avoided in any way or gives any third options besides 'duck and cover'. Stealth won't work, even with Stealth Boys. You can't snipe the spotters, because there aren't any. You can't make them run out of ammo. You can't return fire with the Fat Man. All you can do is run and take cover and wait for the reloading breaks (which, given the number of shells they're shooting per barrage, implies they've got a 20-gun battery firing at you).
*** You can, however, use [[BulletTime Turbo]] to run past them.
* ContinuityNod: This game takes place in the same area as the canon but canceled ''Van Buren'', so plenty of characters and elements in ''New Vegas'' are references to events from that game.
** Fans of ''Fallout'' will soon notice the large number of references to towns from [[{{Fallout1}} ''Fallout 1'']] and [[{{Fallout2}} ''2'']], such as Modoc or the Hub; understandable, since those took place in northern California, not far from Nevada, which is where this game takes place.
** The reason the NCR can't torture [=POWs=] can be traced back to the administration of "President Tandi".
** Who is one of the faces on the [[http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/NCR_dollars NCR currency]], along with [[{{Fallout1}} Seth and Aradesh]].
*** Not just that, but the [[{{Fallout2}} Chosen One]] him/herself is repeatedly referenced.
** Remember [[{{Fallout 2}} the crashed vertibird outside Klamath?]] [[CoolOldLady So does its pilot.]]
** Lily's melee weapon is a large sword made out of a propeller blade taken from the same Vertibird.
** A character makes mention of the mildly terrifying Mr. Bishop of New Reno, who seems more at home in the wasteland than the city. This, presumably, is the son a male Chosen One can have by [[ReallyGetsAround either the wife or daughter]] (canonically the latter) of the head of the Bishop family at the time.
** There are also a surprising amount of references to [[{{Fallout3}} ''Fallout 3'']], both explicitly and thematically:
** Veronica wishes the Brotherhood could help the ordinary people and look at changing the philosophy to fit the changing world they live in. This is basically what the Capital Wasteland [=BoS=] did. She even vaguely refers to this, mentioning that the [=BoS=] has had schisms and breakaway groups in the past (although that could refer to the ''Tactics'' [=BoS=] as well).
*** If you're low of intelligence, when asked about what you think about the Brotherhood of Steel, you can reply something along the lines of them being "giant monsters in power armour that shoot lasers from their eyes."...which is pretty much Liberty Prime in a nutshell.
*** The schism and breakaway part likely references both the Midwestern and Capital Wasteland Brotherhoods... but she continues by mentioning that one chapter even had a small civil war over it, which either references the Capital Wasteland Brotherhood/Outcast conflict or some other conflict we haven't heard about before or since.
** ED-E is [[spoiler: an Enclave eyebot from the airbase in the "Broken Steel" DLC. And was headed to Navarro. He was also the only prototype finished because funds were being pulled to create Hellfire Armor, also from Broken Steel.]]
** The [[spoiler: aliens from the Mothership Zeta DLC]] show up if you have the Wild Wasteland perk.
** Copies of Moira's "Wasteland Survival Guide" are skill books that increase your survival skill.
** Yes Man mentions how nice it would be to stomp the Legion and NCR with a giant robot that shoots lasers out if it's eyes. This is a reference to Liberty Prime.
** Doctor Henry in Jacobstown [[{{Fallout2}} really knows his cyberdogs. He also happens to know a thing or two about mutations.]]
** Remember Marcus, the friendly Super Mutant who helped Chosen One and wound up as mayor of Broken Hills in ''Fallout 2''? He's back.
** The Classic Pack gives you the equipment of both the Vault Dweller and the Chosen One.
** Emily Ortal, a Follower and a native of Arroyo, may reward you with medical supplies for completing a small side quest she gives you. She hopes that they are of no use to you... just like Hakunin, the shaman from when it was still a tribal village, from {{Fallout 2}}. Except a little less cryptically.
** Dog from 'Dead Money' seems to always need orders because he had a master as long as he remembers. Starting with ''The'' Master (the BigBad from ''Fallout'').
*** TheMaster is also mentioned by other Super mutants and Nightkin
** You can get the recipe for the delicious Deathclaw omelet from the great niece of its creator, who somehow got a female Deathclaw to provide a steady supply of eggs in Modoc. Until some stranger came along and "[[GoForTheEye shot it in the eye]]," anyway.
* CoolPlane: The Boomers' B-29 bomber.
* CoolVersusAwesome: The central conflict of the game is basically the [=US=] Army versus the Roman Legions versus Howard Hughes and his robot army versus a OneManArmy.
* CorruptCorporateExecutive: [[spoiler:Alice Mc Lafferty. She made a secret deal with the Van Graffs to eliminate the other trade caravans through any means necessary. Buy them out, kill the owners, it's all good.]]
* {{Courier}}: YOU! As well as the various other couriers that work for the Mojave Express.
* [[WizardNeedsFoodBadly Courier Needs Food Badly]]: In Hardcore Mode, you need to eat, drink, and sleep regularly, or suffer the consequences!
* {{Cowboy}}: One of the perks, which makes you better with [[RevolversAreJustBetter Revolvers]], [[TheWestern Lever action weapons]], [[KnifeNut knives]], [[AnAxeToGrind axes]], and [[DynamiteCandle dynamite]].
* CowboyCop: Meyers, one of the (better) options for Primm's new sheriff, was sent to the NCRCF for "taking the law into his own hands one too many times". [[spoiler:If he becomes sheriff, the epilogue reveals he does his job well and Primm prospers under him, but occasionally a body of a suspected criminal is found lying in the gutter.]]
* CrazyPrepared: ''Mr. House''. He not only calculated the exact time and day of the nuclear apocalypse (and was less than a day off), but he also managed to prepare himself that he survived for two hundred years afterwards, as well as being able to remotely disable or shoot down all but eleven of the missiles headed for Vegas. And if he'd had the Platinum Chip, none of them would have hit.
* CrazySurvivalist: Randall Clark, a soldier from the Great War and the former owner of the Desert Ranger Armor in Honest Hearts. He eventually became a god-like figure to the Sorrows, whom he developed a PapaWolf-like mentality towards.
** More like a subversion of this trope. He is pragmatical, usually behaves cowardly (which saves his life on more than one occasion), displays bouts of survivor guilt, plans to commit suicide and tries to help others without risking direct contact. Not your average CrazySurvivalist.
* CreditsGag: If you've got the Wild Wasteland perk, the credits are full of humorous notes, in-jokes, and nicknames.
%% We already have separate pages for Crowning Moments of Awesome, Funny, and Heartwarming for Fallout New Vegas, check at the top of the page for the links.
* CruelAndUnusualDeath: The death animation of some weapons, or if you have [[LudicrousGibs Bloody Mess]] perk.
* CruelMercy: One option in Cass' quest. If you spare [[spoiler:the Van Graffs and Alice [=McLafferty=] ]], and give evidence of their crimes to the NCR, Cass decides that the NCR's bureaucracy and legal procedures will do them more harm than her bullets ever could.
** You can also do the same to [[spoiler: Mr. House, by disconecting his body from the mainframe and putting him back in his capsule. His life support will keep him alive for at least one year before he dies from the contaminants you exposed him to.]]
** In ''Honest Hearts'', with high enough speech skill, you can convince Joshua Graham to do this to Salt-upon Wounds.
* CrushingThePopulace: Caesar's Legion if Legate Lanius comes to rule; he will murder anyone and everyone who he sees as an insult to the Legion, including the Followers of the Apocalypse as he claims they have "dishonored" Caesar's reputation. The Legion also does not treat its citizens well.
* CuteBruiser: Veronica; her WeaponOfChoice is the PowerFist. Give her a [[InfinityPlusOneSword Ballistic Fist]], and she will murder the crap out of just about anything.
* CurbStompBattle: The final battle at Hoover Dam can turn into this, especially if you got all factions to ally with the NCR [[spoiler: including the remnants]], have a powerful companion with you (like Boone with [[PowerArmor power armor]] and an [[{{BFG}} Anti-Materiel Rifle]]), have maxed out energy weapons and have saved all your [[InfinityPlusOneSword alien blaster]] ammo. You can just go around disintegrating squad after squad of the Legion's EliteMooks with no difficulty at all, while your allies just keep coming in and curb stomping the shit out of them in one BigDamnHeroes moment after another, finally culminating in defeating the FinalBoss [[MemeticBadass Legate Lanius]] in a few seconds.
%% just making a soft alphabetic split here
* DamageSpongeBoss: Giant Roboscorpion and Deathclaws.
** DamageSpongeBoss [[BossInMookClothing In Mook's Clothing]]: A way of instituting FakeDifficulty in the higher levels of the DLC.
* DangerousDeserter: You encounter a few in Primm, attempting to start a protection racket and attacking you if try to turn them in. They're survivors from a outpost that was overrun by [[TheEmpire Caesar's Legion]], and think the [=NCR=] will be defeated by them soon.
* DaysOfFuturePast: In addition to the "retro 50s" feel of all surviving pre-war culture typical to the ''{{Fallout}}'' franchise, Caesar's Legion is obviously inspired by the Roman Empire, in-universe and out.
* DeadCharacterWalking: Has a similar bug as Minecraft game. If you save while character just died, there's various bugged things that happen, from floating hollow heads to weird corpses that's still alive. [[http://www.cracked.com/article_19507_the-8-creepiest-glitches-hidden-in-popular-video-games_p2.html Cracked explains it the best...]]
* DeadpanSnarker:
** You, the player character; numerous dialogue options involve it.
** Veronica, a recruitable sarcastic Brotherhood companion. Voiced by FeliciaDay.
--->'''Veronica:''' (on the Boomers) "A bunch of shut-ins who show disdain for outsiders and hold technology above them. Huh. Haven't heard ''that'' one before."
** Ghoul companion Raul also has a sense of humor that's as dry as his skin.
** Arcade Gannon's ex-All-American sense of humor qualifies as well.
** Rene Auberjonois brings a delightful snideness to Mr House. Especially if the Courier tries to get uppity with him.
--->'''Mr. House:''' ''Why'' is it so hard to find good help these days? (unleashes a dozen murder-bots on the Courier)
* DeathByIrony: The Legion camp at Cottonwood Cove is built ''right underneath'' a truck loaded with barrels of radioactive waste, perched perilously halfway over a cliff. It's possible to dump the barrels into the Legion camp, killing all the Legion forces there, resulting in an ironic payback for their dirty bomb attack on Camp Searchlight (the NCR survivors of Camp Searchlight will appreciate the irony if you tell them about it).
** If you opt for traditional Townicide while playing a female character, Sergeant Astor will also comment on the delicious irony of the camp being wiped by a woman, who are [[StayInTheKitchen treated as incapable pieces]] [[NoWomansLand of meat in the Legion]].
** Step one, buy a powerful shotgun. Step two, go meet Caesar. Step three, load the shotgun with Coin Shot (rounds made with coins that are used by Caesar's Legions, and bonus points if these are coins that Caesar himself paid you). Step Four, [[BoomHeadshot Render Unto Caesar That Which Is Caesar's.]] Step Five, [[OhCrap fight your way out of the now angry horde of Legion soldiers.]]
* [[DeathWorld Death City]]: The Sierra Madre Villa is an isolated town choked by a toxic gas, inhabited only by [[HumanoidAbomination Ghost People]] and full of traps. It only gets worse when you find out that not only the Casino itself was [[spoiler: intended as a death trap]] but that the town was [[spoiler: a test lab for some Think Tank experiments]]. Ulysses even refers to it as a "special sort of hell".
* DeceasedFallGuyGambit: The Legion version of the quest "I Put a Spell on You" has you pulling this on [[ThePrankster Pvt. Crenshaw]]
* {{Deconstruction}}: [[spoiler:The Wild Card route is arguably one of StartMyOwn, OmnicidalNeutral, ICanRuleAlone and/or TakeAThirdOption. Even if you do everything ''exactly'' right ([[GuideDangIt which is harder than it sounds]]), there's still going to be a ''lot'' of people unhappy or otherwise having negative reactions, most notably the Followers and the [=BoS=]. This is driven home when, during the final battle, General Oliver and Legate Lanius ''taunt'' you for actually thinking you alone could make everyone happy and peaceful, Oliver in particular demanding to know what makes you more qualified than anyone else to make that kind of decision. Then again, the main theme of the Wild Card ending ''is'' that freedom and independence almost always come at a price...]]
** The Fallout tradition of doing this to the value system of the 50s also continues; there's a great example in the REPCONN Headquarters and it's rather strict security.
** Honest Hearts has some of MightyWhitey; Both Daniel and Joshua are aware that them leading their respective tribes isn't healthy for anyone involved, but they don't know how else to handle it. Daniel's uncertainty is actually hinted as one reason for him [[ItsUpToYou listening to a complete stranger]].
* {{Defictionalization}}: The collector's edition included chips from the major casinos in the game as well as [[MacGuffin the Platinum Chip.]] In a less profitable vein, many fans play Caravan in real life.
* DeliberatelyMonochrome: Camp Forlorn Hope is washed-out and has a heavy brown pallor over everything. Completing the quest "Restoring Hope" restores color to the area.
* DemocracyIsBad: Vault 11. [[spoiler:The computer stated that unless people were sacrificed at regular intervals, everyone would be killed. The citizens decided to choose those sacrifices with elections.]]
-->'''Gus Olson, Ombudsman:''' ''...Choose a [[spoiler:sacrifice]] democratically, in the way that we citizens are accustomed to washing our hands of terrible deeds...''
** Resulting in the rather darkly funny 1950s style campaign posters which say stuff like "Haley is a known adulterer & Communist sympathizer, vote for Haley!" in bold red, white, and blue.
* DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment: All of the Think Tank doctors get into this, with Dr. Mobious's dome-shaped... dome in the FORBIDDEN ZONE (that is... '''YES!'''... forbidden! to you), and the the TESLA COILS... OF NIKOLA TESLA.
* DesperatelyLookingForAPurposeInLife: Raul, if you follow his side-quest.
* {{Determinator}}: The Courier, and Caesar calls attention to it. [[BoomHeadshot You survived being shot in the head]]. Twice. At point blank range. By a guy holding [[InfinityMinusOneSword one of the most powerful unique handguns in the game]]. The doc didn't pull the bullets out of his/her skull, [[MemeticBadass the Courier forced them out THROUGH SHEER WILLPOWER]]. If you have high Luck, the doc will even suggest that this should have happened.
** Raul makes mention, during one of the conversations you unlock by talking to certain elderly people, about how he went on a RoaringRampageOfRevenge when a girl who resembled his deceased sister was kidnapped by raiders. He tracked them for three straight days (they slept, he didn't), and she was dead by the time he got there. In response, he killed all seven of them by himself, soaking up bullets and staying alive on nothing but pure rage. After several days of lying near-dead on the ground, he pulled himself back up and went back home.
*** Also helps that being a ghoul he has a healing factor while near radiation, and this was taking place not long after the bombs felled.
* DickDastardlyStopsToCheat: You can meet a bodyguard for hire who [[spoiler: hires people to pose as thugs so he can pretend to shoot them and scam his customers out of money.]] The problem? [[spoiler: He wears decent armor, is carrying a [[HandCannon powerful Hunting Revolver]], and most thugs he has to fight to protect his clients carry knives or lead pipes. It's much, much cheaper and less complicated for him to just do his job rather than hire 4 other people and split his earnings with them.]] Not played straight, though, as this is still a good way to increase the apparent need for his services and thus drum up business.
** Benny probably would have had an easier time putting his plan into action if he had just let the Platinum Chip reach its destination without a hitch.
* DidIJustSayThatOutLoud: [[spoiler:Mortimer]], upon realizing that he's just admitted to [[spoiler:still being a cannibal]] in front of a banquet of [[spoiler: other (former) cannibals.]]
** Also Karl if the Courier taunts him into [[spoiler: shouting that the Great Khans are nothing compared to the Legion]]. While the [[spoiler:Khan]] leaders are most likely [[TooDumbToLive sitting right next to him.]]
* DidNotDoTheResearch: In-universe example: [=McNamara=] has heard of a tribe with advanced weapons in the Northeast of the Mojave, but assumes that a small Brotherhood scouting patrol with PowerArmor and Laser rifles will be sufficient for a recon mission. Turns out the tribe in question is the [[BadassArmy Boomers]]. Their weapons? Pre-war artillery.
** The fate of Camp Guardian. The notes you uncover from the squad stationed there laments that the scouts who performed recon on the area didn't take the time to realise that they'd chosen a place where its difficult to get a radio signal out, failed to actually ''give them a radio'' and then [[ItGotWorse realise]] that underneath them is a large cave system filled with Radscorpions, Giant Rats and Lakelurks.
* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: Ulysses refers to the Think Tank as "the gods of the Big Empty," and remarks that not even he, or even "a hundred Elijahs" could defeat them. [[spoiler:The Courier can, thanks to a certain gunshot wound to the brain that allows him/her to bypass their pacification field.]]
* DiscOneFinalBoss: Benny serves this role, being the main object of the player's pursuit for the 1st half of the main quest line.
* DiscOneNuke:
** The Ratslayer, a Varmint Rifle with all the mods attached to it and with more damage, and can be obtained early, [[GuideDangIt if you know where to look]]. The catch? It's in a cave filled with the bigger Giant Rats. Thankfully, you can get Boone nearby.
** '[[ICallItVera Lucky]]', a unique and particularly powerful .357 revolver with a 2.5x crit multiplier (in LaymansTerms, it [[CriticalHit critically hits]] a lot). You can find it in Primm, which can be VERY early, if you can manage a buffed 75 lockpicking.
** The Space Suit and Helmet you find at the REPCONN Test Facility is Disc One Armor. It has decent defense, is a Light-type armor, and has the added bonus of having as much Rad Resistance on it as an Advanced Radiation Suit. Also, it looks ''[[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotAwesome awesome]]''.
** A short ways north from the starting town (there's [[BeefGate Cazadores]] about, but it's fairly easy to find a way around), you'll find Chance's grave. Bring a shovel, and you can loot it for Chance's Knife, which is the best melee weapon you can get for a long time.
** Boone is a Disc One Companion. With his outrageously high Guns skill, he can and will headshot anything he gets in his sights. He also makes grabbing other Disc One Nukes that much easier.
** ED-E can also count as this. He's the first companion you can find, and you can repair him with parts from Goodsprings if you loot the town. His Enhanced Sensors perk is the ultimate in enemy spotting, and his laser isn't that bad, either. He can't compare to Boone, of course, but pair him with Boone and you will have a murderous duo that will hunt down and kill anything that might dare to harm you.
** A fairly subtle one is using the oft-overlooked 'drag' button when inside a shop. Using it, you can drag any object -- for example, a Plasma Caster in the Silver Rush -- to a corner of the store where nobody's looking and steal it with ease. You can then either keep that object and make things a ''lot'' easier for you in the early levels, or sell it and earn yourself a boatload of caps. You don't even need to have any points in Sneak for this to work.
** "This Machine", an M1 Garand Rifle that deals incredible damage, has a semi automatic firing rate, has a larger clip size than any other rifle (save the Marksman's Carbine), and reloads very fast.
*** Though you will get the quest normally shortly before or after you get to Benny, and it will take some time, too. So Disc One is pretty much over before you get it.
** Bonnie Springs is host to a small group of Viper gang members, one of which has the unique unarmed weapon "Love and Hate". For an unarmed character only Pushy and the Ballistic Fist have a higher DPS, except in the DLC.
* DisproportionateRetribution: It's implied that [[spoiler:Jeannie May]] sold [[spoiler:Boone's wife, Carla]] to the Legion as a slave because [[spoiler:Carla didn't like Jeannie May's hotel]].
** From ''Dead Money'' Do anything to upset Dean, including behaving like anything other than his snivelling lackey and he'll try and kill you when you get inside the Sierra Madre.
* TheDitz: Any main character with less than 4 in intelligence will often find themselves CompletelyMissingThePoint, and can ask for the LaymansTerms if a conversation is causing them trouble.
--> '''Courier:''' You sell plants here?\\
'''Dr. Usanagi:''' Uh, no. Implants, not plants. They're little machines I can put inside you to make you faster, quicker, or smarter. [[DeadpanSnarker I recommend the smarter implant]]. (She'll offer a discount on it out of pity.)
** Of course, you can evolve your character into a GeniusDitz if you spend your skill points in the right categories like Science or Medicine, resulting in a character that has a very low IQ but is surprisingly talented in his/her fields of interest.
* DoubleEntendre: As a male with the Confirmed Bachelor perk, you can ask Major Knight in the Mojave Outpost if he wants to be [[HoYay "friends."]] He'll get really awkward and explain that he would like to have you as a "friend," and the NCR technically doesn't have rules against guys having "friends," but the outpost has a somewhat conservative climate and he can't afford to have a "friend" while having to get up and work with these people every day, but maybe you can be "friends" when he's transferred somewhere else.
* DownerEnding:
** [[spoiler: If you side with the Legion. Especially if you leave [[CompleteMonster Legate]] [[TheDragon Lanius]] in power. Because [[WellIntentionedExtremist Caesar]] is now dead, the Legion devolves from a evil empire into a band of raping and pillaging marauders, and every single settlement gets either enslaved or destroyed. Or enslaved ''then'' destroyed.]]
** Even the Legion ending is absolutely nothing compared to [[spoiler: siding with Elijah in Dead Money. The ending explains that Elijah proceeded to release the Cloud upon the Mojave, which brought horrible painful death to everything in it's wake, before releasing his army of invincible laser shooting holograms to mop up. No living thing set foot in the Mojave for years after due to rumors of ghosts immune to gunfire and a red cloud that brought death in its wake. All that remained was Elijah and the Courier, waiting in the Sierra Madre for the world to [[ArcWords begin again]].]]
** [[spoiler: No matter what you do, not everyone will be able to have a happy ending at the end. For example, the only way to get a good ending for the Followers of the Apocalypse is by making them cooperate with the NCR and leave the Republic in control of New Vegas. However, doing so will also result in Arcade getting hunted down by the NCR as a war criminal due to his former connections with the Enclave.]]
*** Only if you [[spoiler: tell him to join the Enclave Remnants for the battle, rather than going back to the Followers' camp. He gets a much better ending, only being mildly disappointed that Freeside is no longer independent.]]
** [[spoiler:Lily has nothing but downer endings. Either she dies, stops taking her medicine and goes insane, takes her medicine regularly and forgets her family, or takes it semi-regularly and tries to find her family. That last one may not seem so bad, but you have to remember that she's been around for nearly 200 years. If they're not mutants, they're corpses. And those two aren't even mutually exclusive.]]
* TheDragon:
** You to [[spoiler: Mr. House, if you choose to do so.]]
** Legate Lanius to Caesar.
** Jean-Baptiste Cutting to Gloria Van Graff.
** Yes-Man to Benny and [[spoiler: possibly to the Courier, if you so choose.]]
* DragonTheirFeet: Although it's possible to keep them alive, [[spoiler: both Caesar and President Kimball are likely to be dead by the time the final battle rolls around]]. Regardless, [[spoiler: Legate Lanius and General Oliver are still around to lead Caesar's Legion and NCR against each other for the endgame fight. [[DragonAscendant Lanius even becomes the new Caesar]] if you side with the Legion, kill Caesar during his surgery, and help them win.]]
* DressingAsTheEnemy: Can be done with some factions. Take note that the faction's oppositions will also mistake you for one of their goons and will open fire without warning. So don't go around wearing Powder Ganger armor without good reason since both the NCR and the Legion will try to gun you down.
** Also, security guards and EliteMooks will recognize you as a fake, so the only people that ''won't'' shoot at you are the mooks of that faction. Every other faction will open fire on an apparent enemy, and the guards will open fire on a disguised enemy. Granted, Legion/NCR armour is good enough, and Khan armour is pleasantly tribal.
** [[spoiler:If given the chance, Benny tries to dress as a member of the Legion in an attempt to sneak in the bunker under their stronghold, however, because his well-groomed hair makes him stand out quite a bit amongst the shaggy and dusty legionaries, he is quickly detected and captured]].
* DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler:The previous winner of the Star Cap "prize" did this due to being locked in a room with no food or water, thus avoiding a slow death. His gun is now the new prize.]]
** In the quest "Return to Sender", if [[spoiler: you choose to turn in Chief Hanlon for trying to sabotage the NCR's defences at Hoover Dam. You leave the room to report him to a ranger, and he locks the door behind you. Hanlon then gives a [[TearJerker rather poignant speech over the radio confessing what he did and how he messed up, followed by a gunshot. Going back in the room reveals he had killed himself out of shame]].]]
** Possibly [[spoiler: Elijah, if you choose to lock him the casino vault in ''Dead Money''.]]
** The final five inhabitants of Vault 11 decided that [[spoiler: they had enough with the sacrifices and announced that they would stop sending any more people to die]]. The Vault's automated response [[spoiler: which cheerfully informed them that the whole thing was a test and no one needed to die]] was enough to send four of the five into killing themselves.
** The absolute worst possible ending for [[spoiler: Arcade. If you sell him into Legion slavery as Caesar's personal doctor, he spends a long time as Caesar's intellectual conversation partner. Caesar himself is absolutely giddy to finally have someone in the Legion who understands science and technology (and a Follower of the Apocalypse, no less), but Arcade is absolutely miserable. Eventually, he disembowels himself with a scalpel.]]
* DropTheHammer: The sledgehammer and Super Sledge. Strangely, the tool hammers cannot be used as a weapon. Perhaps the best melee weapon in the game is the unique Super Sledge, Oh, Baby!, which can just about two-shot deathclaws.
* DrunkenMaster: Cass, by extension, you with her companion perk. Normally alcohol boosts your Str at the cost of Int, but with Cass the reduction is removed and addiction is no longer an issue. She also causes whiskey to ''boost your armor''.
* DuctTapeForEverything: Duct Tape is a component for the [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Weapon Repair kit]], which can repair any weapon, from a lead pipe to an Alien Blaster.
** Also: Wonderglue!
** This is somewhat lampshaded with the Jury Rigging Perk. With it, you can repair any weapon with something of its class (Bolt action, Automatic, Melee etc...), rather then an actual copy, so repairing Anti-Tank Rifles with your humble Varmint-rifle is possible. The Perk picture has the Vaultboy duct-tape a gun back together. [[ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve "How did you repair it? No one knows but you..."]]
** One of the conversation options with Doctor 8 in ''Old World Blues'' about masturbation of all things has the Courier explaining the wonders of combining Cram (processed meat) and a roll of Duct Tape.
* DullSurprise: Matthew Perry's [[SoBadItsGood surprisingly bad voice acting for Benny]] means that we don't just get DullSurprise, but a whole range of lukewarm emotions from [[spoiler: a rather hilarious G-rated sex scene]] to [[spoiler: a variety of bland reactions to his [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=naUBwRrpbTk impending death]]]].
* DummiedOut: During the battle of Hoover Dam, in what is assumed to be a developer oversight, [[spoiler:Colonel Moore will tell you about the NCR's victory and her promotion to Brigade General, and that NCR scouts are currently busy with pursuing and harassing the remains of the Legion's army that are hastily retreating back to Arizona, like the dialogue is supposed to be heard after the end of the game]]. This suggests that the game was at one point going to feature a PlayableEpilogue. WordOfGod has stated however that there won't be any DLC to play after the game finishes due to it having so many endings.
** A fully voiced dialogue option to convince House that [[spoiler:the Brotherhood could be useful to him, by having you working as his man on the inside, thereby ultimately talking him out of killing them]], has also been Dummied Out. Thank heaven for mods.
** Apparently, at one point in development, you were supposed to be able to speak to the three Fiends members you hunt for Dahtri. Quite frankly, their dialogue is [[http://tcrf.net/Fallout:_New_Vegas/Unused_Dialog#Fiends hilarious]].
* DumpStat:
** When picking S.P.E.C.I.A.L. scores, Perception is worthless. It doesn't affect your aim, only your ability to detect threats. ED-E's companion perk eliminates that weakness. There are about four or so high Perception checks in the main game, and a few more in the DLC. From a minimum of 1 you can buff yourself to 9 with various drugs and alcohol (7 in ''Dead Money'', since some of the drugs don't exist in that add-on), more than enough to pass any check in the game. Its one, true use is meeting the requirement for Better Criticals (+50% critical damage), which you don't really need to kill effectively.
** As far as skills go, if you're not playing on Hardcore, Survival definitely qualifies. Survival's main benefit is that it makes food far more effective. Food is worthless outside of Hardcore, since you heal instantly and Stimpacks are abundant. It's not checked against very often, and it's usually low when it is. In Hardcore, however, it's a lifesaver. Sneak is next to worthless in both modes. There are next to no checks against it, and those that are tend to be 50 or below. It's main benefit is getting weapons into casinos, which you don't need a high Sneak to manage. There are enough Stealth Boys to get you through whatever sequences actually require stealth, even in ''Dead Money''. Of course, having all the add-ons installed makes this a moot point, since there are more than enough points to cap every skill, provided you collect the skill books in the Mojave region (those in the add-ons aren't necessary).
* DysfunctionJunction: All of the Courier's humanoid companions have some sort of deep personal problem to be sorted out.
** [[BadassBookworm Arcade]] is trying desperately to [[WellDoneSonGuy live up to his father's name]] and to help the wasteland as best as he can.
** [[ColdSniper Boone]] is trying to reconcile with his [[DarkAndTroubledPast memories of Bitter Spring and Carla.]]
** [[BadassGrandpa Raul]] is trying to find [[DesperatelyLookingForAPurposeInLife find meaning in his life]].
** [[FieryRedhead Cass]] is trying to deal with the loss of her caravan.
** [[NeverMessWithGranny Lily]] wants to recover [[MysteriousPast her memories of her past]].
** [[WrenchWench Veronica]] wants to save the Brotherhood since she's the [[OnlySaneMan only person willing to look beyond the bunker's walls.]]
** [[SplitPersonality Dog/God]] is trying to find peace with his [[DumbMuscle dueling]] [[GeniusBruiser selves.]]
** [[GadgeteerGenius Christine]] wants to [[ItsPersonal finally deal with Elijah.]]
** [[GreenEyedMonster Dean]] wants to finally complete his [[TallPoppySyndrome revenge against Sinclair.]]
** [[BadassPreacher Joshua Graham]] wants to avenge his tribe and [[TheAtoner redeem himself]] when he was a Legate.
** In ''Lonesome Road'', [[RobotBuddy ED-E]] wants to find Navarro, fulfilling his creator's last wish.
* EagleLand: The NCR has evolved into a nice blend of Type 1 and 2. It certainly is safer in their territory, and their soldiers are generally well-meaning, but their high command is so bogged down with bureaucracy and carrying out the NCR government's aggressive expansion policies that the rest of the army suffers from being low on supplies and reinforcements. Not to mention that the guys at the top tend to work their own agendas at the expense of those they command. Oh, and they tax heavily.
** And it doesn't help that they dashed into the Southwest with their fully-exposed [[ZeroPunctuation assault-rifle shaped erections]] blazing at anything that opposed them, forgetting that overextension only gets worse when ''the Legion and the Brotherhood of Steel hate you.''
** [[AllThereInTheManual According to the guidebook]], a series of events after Tandi's death led to the hawkish Kimball getting into power, and also resulting in a wave of chauvanism against women in the ranks. Which makes the fact that Cassandra Moore is the colonel in charge of the Hoover Dam garrison makes her even more of a ColonelBadass since she also had to overcome [[StayInTheKitchen inherent sexism that's creeped into the system]]. Unfortunately, she's a jingo like Oliver and Kimball as well.
** Hey, what's left of the Enclave? [[spoiler:They'd like to be left alone, but Arcade Gannon's a Type 1.]]
* EarnYourHappyEnding: Regardless of who ultimately gains control of the Mojave Wasteland, typically the ending has some communities prospering, while others suffer (with much more suffering and less prospering if you sided with the Legion). However, it actually is possible to get a positive outcome for almost every community and character on the NCR and (to a marginally lesser extent) Independent routes. Doing so is ''difficult'', however, as the conditions to bring about a community or character's positive outcome are not always obvious (and in some cases are even counter-intuitive), and often involve difficult speech checks or extensive exploration.
* {{Earworm}}: Just about ''every song on the radio.'' Big Iron, Ain't That A Kick In The Head, Jingle Jangle Jingle, the list goes on...
* {{Egopolis}}: Black Mountain is a borderline version; Tabitha renamed it as the "State of Utobitha".
* ElevatorActionSequence: In a first for the series, ''Lonesome Road'' has you descending a lift platform to a nuke silo, with explosions and Tunnelers popping in and out spontaneously.
* EliteMooks: Each major faction has a couple different types of these guys. Typically, they have high-end weapons and armor, as well as Companion-level health that also scales up with the player's level.
** Caesar's best Elite Mooks are his PraetorianGuard; hand-to-hand masters armed with the best punching weapon in the game. Next are his Centurions, who aren't quite as tough as most of the game's Elite Mooks, but come equipped with the best armor and weapons available to the Legion. Finally, if you really piss the Legion off they'll send a squad of crack assassins to end you.
** NCR has the Veteran Rangers (the guys on the front cover of the game), who have excellent armor, high-caliber weapons, and an innate 30% reduction to any damage they take, making them some of the toughest human characters in the entire game. There's also the NCR Heavy Troopers, clad in salvaged PowerArmor and wielding heavy weapons like miniguns or light machine guns. And don't forget 1st Recon, the NCR Army's elite sniper squad.
** The fighting ranks of the Brotherhood of Steel is composed ''entirely'' of Elite Mooks, considering their standard equipment is PowerArmor and some of the best energy weapons in the game. The drawback is they lack the numerical advantage of the other factions, who have enough normal Mooks to just swarm them into submission.
** You will fight a large amount of these guys in the final battle depending on the side you choose. Thankfully, you will be helped by Securitrons or EliteMooks on your side.
* ElvisImpersonator: A whole gang of them, fronted by The King, one of the [[NeutralGood surprisingly nicest characters in the game.]]
* EmpathicWeapon: ''Old World Blues'' introduces the Stealth Suit Mk II, which has an on-board A.I. that makes idle chatter, lets you know when enemies have spotted you, and injects you with Med-X and Stimpacks if you take too much damage.
** Also, the K9000 Cyberdog Gun. It's a [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin dog's brain housed inside a machine gun]]. It growls when it smells enemies, even at extreme ranges, and whines sadly when you holster it.
* EnemyMine: If you're working for Mr. House or for Yes Man, if you save the NCR president and/or have done some good for the NCR, the NCR troopers will actively help you out in fighting the Legion.
** Also, it's possible to get the Khans, the Brotherhood of Steel and [[spoiler:the Enclave]] to fight for the NCR despite historically being some of their greatest and most hated enemies (especially the Khans, who have been the NCR's enemies since the very beginning).
* EpicTrackingShot: One right in the beginning, from a poster of old Las Vegas, to the current New Vegas, to the less-than-friendly NCR sniper guarding it, to the raider he's sniping, to the Legion spies on the hills nearby, to the graveyard where you get shot at by the mysterious checker-suited gangster.
* [[EverythingsWorseWithBears Everything's Worse With Yao Guais]]: Yao Guai make a comeback in the Honest Hearts DLC and unlike Fallout 3, having the [[FriendToAllLivingThings Animal Friend]] perk won't stop them from coming after you on sight.
** And then there's The Ghost of She. A GIANT Yao Guai. [[InfernalRetaliation On fire.]] Oh, and don't forget that on the quest that sends you after her, the drugs you take [[YourMindMakesItReal make you see multiple and you have to fight]] ''[[MesACrowd all]] '' [[DoppelgangerAttack of them.]]
* [[EverythingsWorseWithBees Everything's Worse With Wasps]]: Cazadores, they hurt a lot, are fast, poison you and attack in swarms of 2-5!
* EvilCounterpart: [[spoiler: Ulysses]]--if the player character is good, down to him being [[spoiler: the original Courier Six, a role he passed to you.]]
* EvilIsEasy: It's very easy to simply steal owned items for supplies rather than buying or looking for free ones, especially if those supplies belong to a faction you just butchered. Of course, doing so will bring your Karma down pretty fast, and earning it back isn't easy in the slightest in the short term. (Once you hit the mid- to end-game, though, you can build it up in no time flat. The Fiends are basically a positive Karma mine.)
* EvilIsPetty: [[spoiler: It's heavily implied through the investigation that the whole reason Jeannie sold Bonne's wife to the Legion was because she critiqued her hotel.]]
* EvilVersusEvil: The entire [[spoiler:''Lonesome Road'' DLC]], if the player character is evil.
* ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin: [[spoiler: The reward for the quest ''The Legend of the Star'' is just Fergus retelling you why the Sunset Sarsaparilla logo exists to begin with. It does lead to another quest with a better reward though.]]
* ExplosiveLeash: Bomb collars make surprisingly frequent appearances throughout the game.
** If one manages to find and enter the Brotherhood of Steel's secret bunker without being accompanied by a certain companion, they'll strip you down and force you to wear a bomb collar until you convince an NCR Ranger stationed nearby to leave (through speech or otherwise).
** As mentioned above, in the ''Dead Money'' DLC, you and your companions are forced to wear these collars to ensure that you will aid Father Elijah in his quest to rob the Sierra Madre casino. Unfortunately, the casino is littered with speakers that interfere with the collar's operation and will cause it to detonate prematurely unless you get out of range or destroy the speaker.
** In ''Old World Blues'', one can find Little Yangtze, a concentration camp for Chinese prisoners from before the War. The ghoulified prisoners there are still wearing working bomb collars, which will detonate if they try to follow you out of the camp. In addition, you can find a few of Father Elijah's encampments, at least one of which is littered with disabled or otherwise broken bomb collars and a detonator.
* ExpositionFairy: Lampshaded -- Doc Mitchell, who patches up your gaping head wounds and [[{{HowManyFingers}} walks you through the character building process]] waves off your gratitude, saying, "It's what I'm here for."
* TheExtremistWasRight: If you're familiar with the [[http://www.nolanchart.com/faq/faq8.php Nolan Chart]], you'll notice that each of the factions is run by one of the corners, insisting that this is the case. [[MultipleEndings And you get to choose who wins.]]
** Caesar's Legion is as conservative as all hell. Harm their subjects and they will crucify you. NotHyperbole. Cass outright states that while she refuses to deal with slavers like the Legion, ''a lot'' of traders work with the Legion because they're ensured safety. Even [[CompleteMonster the Fiends]] are too scared of the Legion to attack caravans under their protection. His methods are harsh, brutal, and more than a little evil, but they've unified Arizona and made it a safe place to live. Even [[NeutralGood Raul]] admits that Caesar transformed Arizona into a much better place than it was before. As per Conservative economic policy, their currency is the strongest in the Mojave: a single Legion gold coin is worth 100 bottle caps.
** The NCR is high-grade liberal. They are the only (known) functional post-war democratic government, and in many cases they greatly improve the standards of living for the common people living in their territory. However, they have elements of Liberal strawmen. Their foreign policy is a good example of Liberal Idealism in that they believe in 'spreading democracy' to foreign lands. Political corruption is high, as organizations with political connections such as [[spoiler:the Van Graffs and the Crimson Caravan]] are running (sometimes even ''gunning'') smaller ones out of business.
** Mr. House, a (ironically) Chinese-style Authoritarian Capitalist, is unquestioningly a hard-core statist. He provides stability, security, and wealth and generally doesn't demand personal worship. As long as you play by his rules and pay his taxes on time, he will offer you a relatively comfortable and safe life surrounded by pre-war glory.
** As for libertarians, they get the Wild Card ending, in which [[spoiler:'''''[[AtlasShrugged YOU ARE JOHN GALT!]]''''' You can waltz into New Vegas, talk to Yes Man and decide that all the jerks fighting over the place desperately need to be taken down a peg. Then you can depose Mr. House, brutalize Caesar's Legion and sucker the NCR. Then you can unleash an army of Securitrons upon the Mojave, turning it into [[{{Utopia}} a paradise of freedom and wealth]], rule over the place as a dictator, or turn the Mojave into a lawless hellhole, depending on your actions up to the ending.]]
* FakeDifficulty: Cazadors have an ever-present bug (no pun intended) that makes targeting their heads in VATS impossible unless it's already targeted when you go into VATS.
* FantasticRacism: On both sides. humans call Ghouls "Zombie" and Ghouls call humans "smoothskin."
** Also, the mercenaries that attack Jacobstown's Super Mutants.
** And in the other direction by the way [[SplitPersonality Rhonda and Best Friend Tabitha]] refer to humans on Black Mountain Radio.
* TheFarmerAndTheViper: With Doc Mitchell as the Farmer and the Courier as the Viper, if the player chooses to side with the Powder Gangers in Ghost Town Gunfight/Run, Goodsprings, Run!
* FateWorseThanDeath: While Ghoulification isn't necessarily bad (it does makes you ugly), losing your mind and becoming a slavering, carnivorous zombie is pretty bad. Which is presumably why you get [[KarmaMeter Good Karma]] [[MercyKill for killing Feral Ghouls.]]
** The [[spoiler: [[ZombieApocalypse inhabitants of Vault 22]].]]
** The [[TechnicallyLivingZombie "Ghosts"]] of Sierra Madre. The hazmat suits did a pretty good job when it came to keeping the guests and residents alive... [[HighOctaneNightmareFuel Well, alive long enough to turn them into whatever they are now.]]
** Life in the Legion, if [[NoWomansLand you're]] [[RapeAsDrama a]] [[SexSlave woman]].
** Having your brain, spine and heart removed and becoming a blood-thirsty 'Lobotomite'.
** According to Ulysses, [[spoiler:the residents of the Mojave, if the Tunnelers beneath the Divide expand their territory...]].
** The "inhabitants" of Y17a Trauma Harnesses. Walking suits created to pick up wounded on the battlefield and walk them out. Somehow they forgot to walk them out so these wounded are kept within a walking suit which does whatever it wants without any chance of getting out.
** The Marked Men found in ''Lonesome Road'' are unfortunates caught in the blast radius when nukes went off in First Battle of Hoover Dam four years ago who had their skin torn off by the force, then survived the intense radiation to become flash-ghoulified. Even though they were from opposite sides, they now work together against all others because their constant, intense pain is the only identity they have left.
* TheFederation: The New California Republic.
* FieryRedhead: Cass
* FightingForSurvival: You can convince Goodsprings citizens to fight with Ringo against the Powder Gangers.
* FiringOneHanded: Unless you're actively aiming down the sight, most handguns are held with just one hand. There's even a perk for one-handed weapons.
* FissionMailed: Collecting all 50 Star Bottle Caps grants you the reward of [[spoiler:a story about how the owner of Sunset Sarsaparilla [[strike:killed a guy for his recipe]] was left a recipe by a stranger who was killed by bandits, told to you by a mechanical toy sheriff]], followed by the "Quest FAILED" message. You then complain to Festus, who triggers a brief second quest to collect your real reward. It's particularly effective since there is an achievement/trophy for completing the original quest, though it's the follow-up that gives you credit.
* FiveManBand
** TheHero: The Courier
** TheLancer: Boone/Raul/Cass
** TheBigGuy: Lily/Boone
** TheSmartGuy: Arcade/Veronica/Raul
** TheChick: Veronica
** TeamPet: Rex/ED-E
* FlamingSword: The Shishkebab from Fallout 3 comes back in New Vegas.
* FluffyTheTerrible: Super Mutants, eight foot tall muscular green monsters, have names like Neil, and Tabitha (and in one case, Cuddles). Though most of them are fairly friendly unless provoked these days. Emphasis on 'most'.
** DeathbringerTheAdorable: Mean Sonofabitch is just there to scare away any wannabe criminals and to bash in the heads of Fiends. He's a pretty nice guy if you get past his inability to talk coherently, actually. (His tongue was cut out.)
* FootnoteFever: The REPCONN museum plaques.[[hottip:*:This statement not admissible in court.]]
* {{Foreshadowing}}: ''All Roads'' dumps a few metric tons into you.
** Right from the start, there's tons of mysterious foreshadowing regarding Victor, the cowboy-bot who apparently dug you up in the beginning after you were left for dead. What exactly is up with him remains mysterious, but it's clear there's more to him than meets the eye.
** When Benny tells you that "the game was rigged from the start" it seems to just be a BondOneLiner. [[spoiler:But when you meet Mr. House, it turns out the game was rigged after all, in Mr. House's favor. And depending on which end path you take (and how), you get to rig the game in yours.]]
** Dead Money heaps a HUGE amount of it in the final act and the end.
** The only way we know about Ulysses is through this. (unless you bought the [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/LimitedSpecialCollectorsUltimateEdition limited special collector's ultimate edition]] and saw Ulysses as the three of clubs)
** In ''Honest Hearts'' The Burned Man mentions Ulysses. [[spoiler: Apparently he's a Legion scout and spy.]]
** Johnston Nash on Ulysses: "Hope a storm from The Divide skins him alive!" [[spoiler:Guess what you can do to him at the end.]]
** The Canyon Wreckage, located west of Primm, oozes this.
*** At first, the Canyon Wreckage just looks like a pile of rusted vehicles with some coyotes denning near them... until you see the graffiti, which mentions "Lonesome Road" (now the confirmed name of the last DLC), the Divide, and the cryptic message, "You can go home now, Courier". And, if you look on the map, you'll see that the canyon the wreckage is blocking is the only path through the western mountains.
** The Northern Passage, though it lacks the graffiti and ominous location of the Canyon Wreckage, is the launch point for the DLC ''Honest Hearts''.
** The Mojave Drive-In seems like the last place to expect a DLC to launch, but nevertheless shows up in the trailer for ''Old World Blues,'' the third DLC. It's just a regular ruined drive-in movie theater... with a rather cryptic train tunnel to the south, that ''also'' shows up in the trailer, only from the other side.
*** The setting of ''Old World Blues'' is also alluded by Christine as she was trapped and experimented on within the Big Empty. She also mentions the aforementioned Ulysses as the courier who rescued her? Sound familiar?
** Before ''Dead Money'' came out, Veronica had this little bit of dialogue regarding Elijah
-->He said he'd be back with one of the greatest treasures of the Old World. Said he'd make the Mojave how it was meant to be... "[[KillEmAll wipe the slate clean]]"
** ''Old World Blues'' is literally dripping with {{Foreshadowing}} for the last add-on, ''Lonesome Road,'' not only with the omnipresent symbol of the Old World America's flag left by Ulysses on several buildings and the holotapes of him but in the X-17 Meteorological Station, mentioned repeatedly to have been visited by Ulysses, is a map of what could very well be [[http://images.wikia.com/fallout/images/f/ff/Nvdlc03dividepleximap.png the Divide,]] the location of ''Lonesome Road.''
* FrickinLaserBeams: Following ''Fallout 3''. Unlike earlier ''Fallout'' games, averted hard here as lasers are THE most accurate weapon in the game, especially outside VATS as the beams hit the target instantly. Still played straight with plasmas, but again, those are not laser weapons.
* FriendlySniper: Pretty much any member of 1st Recon, current or former, that isn't Boone.
* FromNobodyToNightmare: Caesar was originally a member of the Followers of the Apocalypse, the least aggressive, and most humanitarian, faction in the wastes.
** The player character starts out as a low-ranked delivery boy for a small-time courier company. By the end, he or she will generally be a battle-hardened veteran with either [[OneManArmy an arsenal of weapons to humble an army]], [[GuileHero an arsenal of skills sufficient to deal with any challenge]], or possibly [[TheAce both]] with careful skill/perk/trait selection. Oh, and you can also [[spoiler:take over the Mojave for yourself, fitting the trope almost exactly if you do it as an evil character.]]
** The Survivalist in Honest Hearts. [[spoiler: Some sickly Vault 22 survivors wander into the Valley and proceed to slaughter and [[ImAHumanitarian ...dispose]] of a group of mexican survivors he was observing and occasionally secretly helping. Still possessing human dignity, he wages a one-man guerilla war after observing their atrocity and cuts the majority of the group down. The "Vaulters" (as Survivalist called them in his logs) considered him to be no mere man but an evil spirit, since they never could catch him.]]
* FunWithAcronyms: F.I.S.T.O. the SexBot.
* FutureImperfect: Averted. Pre-war books are ''far'' less rare here than they were on the East Coast, civilization is far more organized, and the Followers of the Apocalypse, Brotherhood of Steel and New California Republic have done a pretty good job accurately preserving the knowledge of the past -- Caesar and his officers, for example, know more about the Roman Empire than most people in ''RealLife'' do. Of course, this has the added benefit of Las Vegas only being nuked 11 times - compare that to ''everywhere else.''
* FlunkyBoss: Pretty much every boss in one way or another.
** All the legendary creatures (including the [[BonusBoss Legendary Deathclaw]]) are accompanied by other, non-legendary (but by no means weak) normal creatures.
** [[FinalBoss Legate Lanius]] is accompanied both by his Praetorian Guards and the various Legion soldiers around the camp that will come to attack you (though you can convince him to fight you alone with 80 speech).
** [[AnticlimaxBoss Tabitha]] is in a building that's guarded by about half a dozen Nightkin, and you have to fight your way through a whole village of Super Mutant Masters just to get to her.
** Jean-Baptiste is supported by no less than five heavily armed thugs with full body armor and plasma rifles.
** Elijah in the ''Dead Money'' add-on tries to kill you by turning on a bunch of laser turrets while he hides behind a forcefield. Though, once they're dead, he comes after you with a Gauss Rifle.
** The ghoulifed Vault 34 overseer is in his office with a pair of machine gun turrets on his desk, and a few ghoulified security guards helping him.
** Caesar himself is probably the strongest example. Unlike previous ''Fallout'' [[BigBad Big Bads]], he's just a normal human and only about as tough as a standard [[EliteMooks Elite Mook]]. However, he's surrounded by several extremely tough EliteMooks armed with the best unarmed weapons in the game, all in a relatively enclosed space with no room to dodge or retreat. Attacking him head-on, even with a high-level character, will almost certainly result in you being dogpiled into a corner and beaten to death, especially in Hardcore mode where you can't instant-heal using stimpaks.
** Each of the fiend leaders (although [[AnticlimaxBoss they're really only bosses at lower levels]]) come supported by a gang of four to six fiends. Except Violet, who has around 8 dogs instead.
* GambitPileup: The NCR, Caesar's Legion, and Mr. House are competing in a high-stakes tournament with New Vegas as the prize, and they're all trying to stack the deck in their favor -- and you're the WildCard. [[spoiler:You can even [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder take advantage]] of the fact that everyone's plans rely on you for success to set ''yourself'' up to steal the whole pot]].
** To elaborate; the core conflict is NCR and the Legion both fighting for control of the Dam and New Vegas. Beyond this basic plot, [[spoiler: House has an army of robots waiting to swoop in and steal the land literally right from under the Legion. The NCR and Legion both know this, and potentially have him assassinated. On top of that, Benny is planning to take over New Vegas by overthrowing House, as are the Omertas, except they plan on allying with the Legion first. You, the Courier, can at the same time also be planning to take over New Vegas by overthrowing House and stealing his army with the help of Yes Man, while either aiding or foiling the Omertas. Then the DLC just adds more gambits; Father Elijah of ''Dead Money'' manipulates the Think Tank, Courier, Dean Domino, and Dog/God into helping him obtain experimental pre-war technology in his attempt to conquer the Mojave by [[KillEmAll killing most of post-apocalyptic America's remaining population]], and can potentially succeed in bringing what's left of the world under his control (though unlike other options, this gives a NonStandardGameOver). The Think Tank of ''Old World Blues'' manipulates the Courier and Mobius in hopes that they'll be able to break out of Big MT and cause trouble in the Mojave. And on top of all of this, Ulysses from ''Lonesome Road'' is planning on nuking both the Legion ''and'' the NCR while leaving the Mojave to die.]] That's about nine gambits, all trying to top one another. You decide which one (or combination of them) comes out on top.
* GameMod: As usual, there's an abundance of mods to change the game in minor to significant ways. Extending the game past the final mission is one of the big ones. It's recommended to grab some of the ones that fix obvious bugs, namely the fact that the Followers can't ally with the NCR properly. There's also the one that keeps ED-E from setting off mines, which no flying robot should do. A less important but still useful one is the mod that restores the option to spare the Brotherhood in House's questline.
* GameplayAllyImmortality: In normal mode, companions do not die. [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Hardcore mode]], [[PermaDeath on the other hand...]]
* GameplayAndStoryIntegration:
** Looting some body parts from corpses actually causes the body parts to be ripped off the corpse. It isn't just treated as a random item in the inventory of the corpse.
** Also, having too few skill points in a skill check during dialogue will display an option not as suave/competent as the one with the player having the proper amount of skill points in a given check. Unlike ''Fallout 3'', where the check is a matter of chance and gives the same sentence whether or not the player passed a speech check, passing or failing a speech check is directly tied to skill. Insufficient skill gives the option a different sentence (HulkSpeak or some overly emotional or annoying words when failing speech check for that option). Failing may also open up other options in some cases.
** If you're wearing an [=NCR=] uniform, Lt. Haggerty at Helios One will figure out from the amount of blood on it that you looted it off a dead [=NCR=] soldier and will attack if you fail a speech check to convince her otherwise.
* GameplayAndStorySegregation:
** There's a Ranger outpost where you can find a Legion raid camp nearby, as well as Legion raiding parties spying on it from a nearby ridge. However, even if you're an NCR man, you can't warn the Rangers of the Legion presence or the raiding parties, even if you go up to and chat with the Legion raiders spying on the outpost, and when you come back later as part of a side quest, you'll find... well, suffice to say, it isn't pretty.
** You can only use Empty Soda Bottles to make Cactus Water, and you can't fill these with water from other sources, either.
*** Fixed in ''Old World Blues'', where a highly advanced, sentient sink can (with the proper software upgrades) fill any empty bottle with purified water.
** It is literally impossible, even with a critical hit, for Maria (the gun used by Benny to shoot the Courier in the head) to kill the player in the opening cutscene using the combat damage tables. Even at level 1, Endurance 1, no armor, and assuming Benny has maxed Guns skill (which he doesn't), it does not do enough damage to kill with the critical and headshot bonuses to damage. This is either a bow to realism (this ''is'' a lethal injury) or FridgeBrilliance (those two shots to the head ''don't'' kill The Courier after all…)
** Although that of course assumes the Courier was at full health when the scene begins. He/she is already captured and tied up, it's not a great stretch to imagine he/she may have taken some damage resisting earlier.
** A wrench, which is used to craft a weapon repair kit, mysteriously disappers when the repair kit is used.
** The Gold Bars added by Dead Money are supposedly twenty ounces of .9999 pure gold, they weigh 35 pounds each.
** [[spoiler: Nuking the NCR or Legion home territories]] has no effect on the final battle at Hoover Dam, aside from royally pissing off the factions in question (and both factions will forgive you no-questions asked if you do this before you get their [[GetOutOfJailFreeCard Get Out Of Jail Free Cards]].
* GangOfHats: The Three Families of New Vegas personify different sides of the city
** The Omertas: Personifying the sleazy side of Vegas
** The Chairmen: Personifying the "cool" side of Vegas
** The White Gloves: Personifying the "classy" side of Vegas.
* GasMaskLongcoat: NCR Desert Rangers, as depicted on the box art.
* GeniusDitz: The Think Tank in ''Old World Blues'' are a spectacular example. One of them is named Dr. 0 (the number), but since they can't differentiate, he gets called Dr. O (the letter). Point out that [[CaptainObvious he could draw a line through it]], and you'll be hailed as a visionary.
* GenreShift: ''Dead Money'' strips you of all your equipment and money, and throws you into a hostile, poisonous environment full of deadly gas clouds, enemies that need to be dismembered to be killed, loads of booby traps, untouchable laser-firing holograms that must be outwitted rather than fought, and all with very limited resources. The "limited resources" part especially makes this add-on seem like the game has become a SurvivalHorror title.
* GentleGiant: [[DeathbringerTheAdorable Mean Sonofabitch]], a super mutant living in Westside, is rather amicable and polite. [[TheUnintelligible Good luck understanding what he says.]]
* GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere: All the legendary creatures, especially the Legendary Deathclaw. They're all large monsters who are bigger, stronger, and faster than their normal counterparts because... no real reason.
* GISSyndrome: The very first result for "happy face" is used for [[spoiler:Yes Man's avatar.]]
* GladiatorGames: A male Courier can fight slaves or prisoners in the Legion arena. Also, while you can just bet for the outcome of the fight in The Thorn, you can get better rewards if you come down and fight the monsters alone in the arena.
* GodGuise: Randall Clark, a survivalist living in Zion area helps a group of kids living nearby trying not to be noticed (he drops medicines, food and tools near their camp at night). When he notices that the kids see his help as the gift from God or angels, he doesn't want to break this illusion and show himself as a dying old man. Shortly before his death he leaves the notes stating that he has to depart deep into the mountains but he will always watch for them. The kids were ancestors of the Sorrows tribe and Clark is a Father from the Caves from their legends.
* GolfClubbing: There are 9-iron golf clubs around, with the VATS "Fore" attack that aim for [[GroinAttack one particular region]].
* GoldenPath: Depending on who you care about, the [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEX-d0yuxGk NCR]], Mr. House, and Yes Man paths could be this. Though the implications of the [[spoiler: Yes Man's "upgrade" and Mr. House's iron-fisted methods of government]] may make the latter two a bit questionable.
** Finishing every companion sidequest (all seven), with reasonably good endings, is also a part of it.
* GoldenSaucer: The casinos, of course:
** The Tops, which is basically the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sands Sands Hotel]] AfterTheEnd. [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] by the fact that the main act in their theater calls itself the [[RatPack Rad Pack]], and the ruling family calls itself [[FrankSinatra the Chairmen]].
** Gomorrah, a DenOfIniquity run by [[TheMafia The Omertas]].
** The Ultra-Luxe, which caters to a [[UpperClassTwit more refined clientele]], run by the White Glove Society, which is made up of [[spoiler:former cannibals]].
* {{Gonk}}: Grecks, a ghoul with a lazy eye. In order to achieve this he has a really...odd mesh. [[BerserkButton Just don't comment on it]].
* GoodAllAlong: [[spoiler:Doctor Mobius]].
* GoodIsNotNice: The player, if played as a strictly good character, still kills his share of characters and is generally a badass.
* {{Gorn}}: Bloody Mess; you don't have to have the perk but it makes it happen more often.
* GottaCatchEmAll: Star Caps, Snowglobes, Companions...
** In-universe, even. People are willing to kill for more Sunset Sarsaparilla Star Bottlecaps. Just rumor there's treasure out there, and Gold Fever (or OneHundredPercentCompletion fever) will take hold of people.
*** Hilarious in that the in-universe prize for the Star Caps is [[spoiler: absolutely worthless. You do get a powerful unique laser pistol for finishing, courtesy of your rival collector's suffocated corpse, [[BrokenAesop thus kind of ruining the moral]]]]. It's FridgeBrilliance, actually; [[spoiler:it's AfterTheEnd and people automatically associate treasure with things that are valuable to them, but it's a pre-war treasure and ValuesDissonance is in full swing. The treasure ''is'' something of value... to the people who should be playing the game]].
* GoshHornet: Cazadores
* GrayAndGreyMorality: [[spoiler: NCR and Mr. House both plan to drive each other out of New Vegas.]] Neither of them are any more villainous or altruistic than the other.
* {{Greed}}: The main theme of ''Dead Money.'' All of the characters involved have been consumed by greed of one sort or another, and the mythical treasure of the Sierra Madre drives prospectors insane with it.
* GrenadeTag: Reverse pickpocketing grenades.
* TheGuardsMustBeCrazy: Some of the things you can do with a high enough sneak skill qualify as this. You can, for example, massacre an entire Legion camp without them ever making the connection between the large number of corpses with bullet holes in the back of their skulls and the 'profligate' with the silenced sniper rifle.
* GuideDangIt:
** The companion quests. Let's run down the list, shall we?i
##Arcade's quest, "For Auld Lang Syne", requires you to find certain locations in the game and visit them, at which point he'll speak to you briefly. This one is actually fairly lenient, since the triggers are always there and fairly numerous. You also only need two "points" for it to count, and there are about twenty total based on location and dialogue choices.
##Boone's is similar, but both easier and more difficult. His dialogue isn't automatic most of the time, so you don't really know you're doing it right. The only ones which you can really be sure of are Legion outposts, which are automatic triggers. A plus is that if you take him to Cottonwood Cove and that the Fort (before or after killing Caesar, it still counts), you'll get four of the five points at once.
##Raul's is hands down the worst of the bunch. You have to talk to three specific old people in the wastes with him as your companion, and you cannot have talked to them before. This is really inexcusable because one of the three simply won't talk to you if you don't follow a very specific path of dialogue with him, and you are pretty much guaranteed to meet all three before you get around to murdering a dozen or so Super Mutants to reach Raul. What's worse, the same one who will stop talking to you is also buggy, so even if you do it right it may not be counted. It only seems to work right if you talk to him last, but he's ''the first that you meet''.
##Cass takes a while to even unlock as a companion due to her tie-in quest that requires you to trek all the way to Vegas, but after that she has the easiest one since it's available from the start. However, it will ruin another quest if you complete it.
##Veronica's quest is similar to the first two, except buggy as hell. There are nine places in the wastes where you can bring her in order to trigger dialogue. Of these nine, only four are permanent (the remaining five are lines of dialogue from the first time you meet the NPC). Assuming you even know where to look, Veronica may take days to finally remember she's supposed to say something, so you can't trigger the quest until she finally decides to do it. It seems to work better if you meet her request for a dress first, but that in itself is GuideDangIt because the type of dress she wants is the kind worn by the White Glove Society, and you have to kill or reverse-pickpocket a member to get one if you don't follow a specific line in the quest. In other words, it's three {{Guide Dang It}}s in one!
##Lily's quest is fairly simple. It's not even a quest, really. You just have to stick with her long enough to get to the bottom of her psychosis (it only takes about an in-game day if you get into a fight where she goes berserk), then decide how much medicine she should take.
##ED-E's quest doesn't require you to do anything, but is still annoying. After the first trigger goes off, which conveinently has a waypoint, you have to wait nine days for the second to work. Then you have to find someone who can activate the trigger, and you don't get any clues. The third takes another three days, but is automatic. If you're not playing in hardcore mode (and therefore have no need to sleep 8 hours a day) you could easily finish the game without getting to the final part.
##The final one is Rex, and he's the easiest since his quest is given to you before you even recruit him.
** For something simpler and earlier, there's the quest "I Fought the Law", which most good-inclined players will miss because they're likely to side against the Powder Gangers from the start, and because the inhabitants of the [=NCRCF=] will be hostile to them, making them likely to kill Eddie and immediately fail the quest. Or one might kill him because he's got a plasma pistol. Then again, the quest is bugged and leads to a bad ending even when it should be a good one, so that's for the better, really.
** Are you feeling a little sympathy for Dean [[spoiler: and want him to live]]? Let's just hope you never, ever once questioned him in any of your talks. Insult his fragile ego a ''single'' time? You lose.
*** Dean's case is arguably the worst of the lot. Why? In the '''very first''' conversation with him, you come to a choice between a Barter skill check and a normal dialogue choice. Almost any player will obviously pick the Barter choice if at all possible because skill-requiring answers are (and should be) superior to the ones available to all characters. However, in this case picking this choice will make it [[spoiler:impossible to get him to side with you inside the Sierra Madre]]. Made even more egregious by the fact that the Barter dialogue choice is simply informing Dean that he isn't bargaining from a position of power because your collars (and thus lives) are linked and he basically doesn't have a choice but to work with you... '''which is precisely the truth'''!
** The quest I Put a Spell on You is almost legendary for its unintuitiveness, aside from a plethora of bugs. Long story short, there's a spy somewhere in Camp [= McCarran =], and you've been tasked to single him out. After finding out there have been late-night sightings at the comm tower, you have two mission arrows: one to the comm tower, and another to the man you're workign with, Captain Curtis. [[spoiler: Talking to Curtis and telling him your lead makes the mission unwinnable, since he was the spy. There are absolutely no clues about this before now, there was no hint that doing this was wrong, and there is no way other than using the console to set the winning value back to 0.]] Ergo, by '''following the directions''' you have failed the quest.
* GuileHero: A viable option for the player character.
* GunAccessories: Unlike the previous game, this alone will make you think twice before using the unique versions of some weapons which have better stats but cannot be modded.
** Then again, some like the Ratslayer are more or less fully-modded versions of the base weapon along with a bonus or two tacked on.
* GunPorn: Vault 34.
** The Boomer's Armory
* GuysSmashGirlsShoot: Inverted. In the main game, your male companions are a ColdSniper, TheGunslinger, and a BadassBookworm who, like all fictional smart people [[spoiler:(and former members of the Enclave)]], prefers a high-tech Plasma Defender pistol over the ballistics, blades, and blunt force of the common rabble. Your female companions are a Nightkin with a {{BFS}} and a Brotherhood Scribe who wields a PowerFist. There is also a female companion who uses a shotgun, but [[ShortRangeShotgun unless you give her slug ammo she pretty much has to be in melee range for it to work anyway]]. Of course, everybody has a ranged and a melee weapon that you can order them to use, so you are welcome to have everyone play the trope straight, even if they won't be that good at it.
* HalfTruth: Elijah says that if you help him break into the Sierra Madre he'll let you go, along with all of your partners. [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness He's planning to kill you all]], of course, but he ''is'' letting you go from his control that way, nonetheless.
* HandCannon: The .44 Magnum Revolver, 12.7mm Pistol, the Hunting Revolver and its unique version, the Ranger Sequoia. There are also the energy weapons Plasma Defender and "Pew Pew". (Yes.) Then there's the hand''auto''-cannon, the 12.7mm [[MoreDakka sub-machine gun]].
** ''Old World Blues'' adds the Sonic Emitter. Initially its [[BoringButPractical none too exciting and reasonably useful]], but as you upgrade it with better soundwave samples it gets better and better special effects for critical hits, the ultimate one causing [[StuffBlowingUp explosions]].
* HandWave: The makers of Dead Money must have wristlash. Any element not flat-out [[AssPull contrived]] was explicitly described as "unknown" or "unexplained" in LoadingScreen tips and in-game materials, although the Old World Blues add-on does explain a few things. In particular, how the Sierra Madre casino transports people around in it is totally unexplained (teleportation? robot hands popping out of the ceiling? Who knows?)
** You wanna take all your awesome gear you had with you? Nope, it's been carted away for having "minute traces of radiation". In all likelihood, your Pip-Boy would have accumulated more radiation than any single item of your inventory.
** Played for laughs in ''Old World Blues'': the Think Tank explain that the Courier is able to move, think, and act consciously without a brain because "tesla coils" were inserted into his/her skull. Trying to further the line of questioning just exasperates them.
* HealingFactor: Several perks. Solar Powered makes you heal gradually, but only outdoors during daytime, and not at a rate useful for combat. Monocyte Breeder implants heal all the time, but again not at any rate useful in combat, and at the price tag of 12,000 caps and taking up a spot that you could have used to buy an implant with actual value. Rad Child heals with varying rates dependent on your radiation poisoning level. Highest level heals at an astounding 8 HP/S, but at the cost of pretty hefty hits to your SPECIAL stats.
* HeroicAlbino: Ranger Ghost. [[GoodIsNotNice She's not the most friendly person]], but she's a dedicated ranger
* HeroWithBadPublicity: It's possible to end the game with good karma and ridiculously low reputation with pretty much every faction, including the one you're working for.
* HeyItsThatPlace: Yes, Primm is a real place, and it does have a rollercoaster (attached to the Buffalo Bill hotel -- all three hotels in Primm are much larger, [[RuleOfFun but no one really cares]]), and does have Bonnie and Clyde's death car (not his gun, though, but it does have his jacket, and the car is in a mall attached to the hotels). Hoover Dam, Goodsprings, Black Mountains, Nipton, Nellis Air Force Base, and a lot of other real-world locations are snuck in as well (mostly things only native Nevadans would recognize, like camping sites).
* HideYourChildren: Averted in the main game, where some some (albeit unkillable) children do appear. Invoked in all four DLCs, though this is addressed in the only add-on where their absence is noteworthy. (The Dead Horse and Sorrows tribes of ''Honest Hearts'' have already begun to evacuate, sending the children and elderly first. The other three [=DLCs=] take place in dangerous hellholes that don't have an actual community of humans living in them, thus the lack of children makes sense).
* HistoricalInJoke: The real-life Nipton was primarily important as a place where state lotteries were held during the early 20th century. The Fallout Nipton [[LotteryOfDoom has an important lottery too]]...
** The poster ''I Hate Nate'' in Vault 11 is a pun on the ''I Like Ike'' slogan from 1952 presidential campaign.
* HistoricalVillainUpgrade: In-universe example. One of the first casinos you find, in Primm, is home to a historical gallery of a couple of Bonnie and Clyde knockoffs who were more prone to cashing bad checks than holding up banks and whose greatest claim to fame was being killed accidentally by cops shooting at bank robbers.
* HollywoodSilencer: Guns equipped with silencers make the "fwip" noise and the silencers themselves are, for all intents and purposes, a metal tube stuck onto the end of the gun. Averted in that silencers are specific to different firearms and that none are available for shotguns or revolvers, are all permanent attachments (meaning they cannot be removed once attached), and aren't completely silent (shooting and missing someone may get you noticed). In addition, there are guns in-game that come with integral silencers, like the .22 silenced pistol and SMG.
* HonorBeforeReason: With high enough karma and speech skill you can convince Legate Lanius to call off the other legionnaires and fight you by himself. However, whichever allies and companions you have with you will keep shooting anyway.
** Also [[spoiler:at the end of Veronica's personal quest, when you show [=McNamara=] proof that the Brotherhood is dying/a method of self-sufficiency, etc., he won't change anything. Why? Because the codex says he can't. Judging from his speech and sighing he knows it's stupid, but he has his orders.]]
--->'''Veronica:''' We'll die out.\\
'''[=McNamara=]:''' *sigh* [[spoiler:[[TearJerker I know.]]]]
* [[KickTheSOB Horrifically Mutilate and Torture the Sons of Bitches]]: How Caesar's Legion [[RewardedAsATraitorDeserves rewards]] the [[DyingLikeAnimals people of Nipton]] (mainly the Powder Gangers) for luring NCR troops into a trap, and the townsfolk for agreeing to betray the Powder Gangers. Also, depending on how you look at it, Bitter Springs could be like this.
* HotBlooded: A trait in Old World Blues makes you this, increasing your damage but reducing Perception and Agility while at low health.
* HowWeGotHere: Expect to spend most of the first leg of the story missions just figuring out what the hell led up to you delivering a platinum chip that was worth being ambushed and shot over.
* HoYay:
** There's a panel in All Roads that has a quite a bit of subtext.
** Aside from that, you can actually play a gay/bi character, with the option to have GRatedSex.
*** This is actually enforced by the Confirmed Bachelor/Cherchez La Femme which is just like the Lady Killer/Black Widow perk which is also available... Except that it is effective against people of the same sex rather than the opposite one. Considering how valuable the female counterpart was to the male one in the third game, this can be considered a blessing since males are far more commonly encountered as enemies in the wastes than females.
*** It could even be regarded as GettingCrapPastTheRadar, as this is perhaps the first RPG to confer a measurable benefit to being a male homosexual.
** Manny Vargas; he sounds downright jealous of Boone's wife, not just disdainful of her like the others. ** A female with Black Widow can't get relevant quest information out of him, while a male with Confirmed Bachelor can.
** Arcade Gannon's gay and can be recruited with a bit of flirting from a male Player Character. He claims he's never gotten a guy due to considering himself a [[UnluckyEverydude boring man]]. [[spoiler:Totally not because he's related to the Enclave.]]
** There are eight possible companions in the game. Four don't express much interest in the Courier, being a ghoul, a cyber-dog, an Eyebot, and a grandmotherly Super Mutant. Of the rest, Veronica is a lesbian, Arcade is gay, Cass admits to experimenting when drunk, and Boone has a hard-on for killing Legionnaires.
** Use Confirmed Bachelor to ask Major Knight at the Mojave Outpost whether he wants to be "friends".
** If you play a woman and travel with Cass this can happen.
** Though not really with Veronica (there's some flirtatious remarks but that seems to be her personality more than anything) despite her canonically being a lesbian (ask her about "love"). The female PC just doesn't seem to be her type. Lots of players actually want to romance Veronica so this kind of causes some problems.
** You can do this with Dr. Dala in Old World Blues, too.
* HulkSpeak: Much to the delight of old-school fans, this is back in, if you set your intelligence REALLY low.
* HundredPercentHeroismRating: The karma meter is the same from 3 but is nearly useless. What really matters is your reputation with each faction. Since you can't lose popularity or infamy, people could end up singing your praises for all the {{Fetch Quest}}ing while grudging you over blowing up their outpost last week.
* ICallItVera: Some unique guns, such as Maria, Lucky, Annabelle, and Big Boomer. In addition, Ranger Milo calls his Cowboy Repeater 'Carmine'.
* ICanRuleAlone: [[spoiler: The Wild Card line of quests provides this option. You can [[GondorCallsForAid go to the minor factions and ask for their help in creating a free Vegas]] or you can wipe them all off the face of the earth!]]
* IDieFree: [[spoiler: In Arcade's Legion ending, as long as Caesar lives through the end he becomes Caesar's personal physician. In a moment that he is unguarded he guts himself with a scalpel.]] Though he was well loved by Caesar, and thus probably lived quite nicely, he considered having to serve the Legion (even in comfort) a FateWorseThanDeath.
* IdiotBall: [[spoiler: It could be argued that Caesar is holding one. He knows that his camp at Fortification Hill is sitting on top of a bunker protected by doors that can't be drilled or blasted open. He knows said doors bear the logo of the Lucky 38 and thus must be relevant to Mr. House's interests in some way. He knows the Platinum Chip he just confiscated from Benny fits the disc-shaped console near the doors and suspects it will open them. What does he do? Why, he waits for the Courier to finally decide to make his way to Fortification Hill, hands the Platinum Chip to the Courier when the man might very well have single-handedly destroyed all of his operations west of the Dam by this point (if you want some really funny dialogue, ''do this''), and trust him to deal with whatever is inside the bunker completely unmolested, confident that the Courier will do as asked and destroy it. You even get to keep the chip. Brilliant! The best part is, the Courier doesn't even have to report to Caesar after he is done inside the bunker, and can just walk out of the fortress completely unmolested by the guards! Caesar might be an extremely intelligent person lore-wise, but he sure displays a complete lack of common sense here.]]
** It's actually acknowledged and explained if you discuss it via dialogue choices, though it does display an extreme amount of arrogance when it comes to [[BatmanGambit you and your motivations]]. [[spoiler: Caesar has a worldview where advanced technology in the hands of the masses is actively harmful to their cultural development. Thus, he cannot send Legionaries down to examine the structure without teaching them about technology and disrupting his carefully-constructed culture... but he can send you, a Profligate. His argument relies on you to see the light of his wisdom, but if that doesn't work he's happy to intimidate you into doing his bidding. He won't let you leave the camp with the Chip without trying to kill you, and if you fight back, you're Vilified by the Legion forever.]]
** Even his arrogance is [[FridgeBrilliance perfectly explained]]. After 'killing' Joshua Graham, the only other well-educated and independent man in the Legion, Caesar will be constantly surrounded by obedient subordinates that worship him as a god-figure. He's living inside an echo-chamber where his ideas and opinions are always right and no one will ever consider anything else. The courier is probably the first free agent that he's met in a very long time, and Caesar would naturally assume that you too will bend under his will like so many others. He may even be so far gone into megalomania that the idea that you'd defy him is something he can't even admit to himself anymore.
* IdiotHero: You can play as a 1-INT wasteland wanderer with hilarious moments of RalphWiggum-like stupidity [[JokeCharacter but the skill points you get are considerably less.]]
* IFoundYouLikeThis: After taking a bullet to the head, the courier is dug up by Victor and brought to Doc Mitchel's house. He then [[BeyondTheImpossible brings you back to life]] through surgery and gets you back on your feet.
* IGotBetter: [[spoiler:The Courier, of course. When you confront Benny again in the Tops, this can even be your response to him. With appropriate perk, you can also scare him into running by saying that you [[RiseFromYourGrave came back from the grave]] [[BadassBoast to put him in his.]]]]
** Also when [[spoiler: you confront Jessup. He'll be surprised, scared even maybe, and say "You're supposed to be dead." One of your responses can be exactly, word for word, the line, "I got better."]]
* IHaveThisFriend: Turns out that the [[spoiler: sex-bot Garett is interested in isn't for a customer... though after slips of the tongue, he asserts that it ''is'' for "those sick machine-fetishists".]]
* ILoveNuclearPower: Taking the Rad Child perk gives the Courier a HealingFactor whenever they suffer radiation poisoning, offsetting some of the penalties.
* ImAHumanitarian: The White Glove Society used to be this. [[spoiler:Mortimer however, still is and wants to serve the rest of the White Glove Society human flesh so they have no choice but to go back to the "old ways."]] And, of course, [[PlayerCharacter the Courier]] can be this as well if the player so wishes. A later perk even expands it [[ExtremeOmnivore to super mutants and ghouls.]] [[spoiler:There is even a special perk you can get as a reward for having Caesar, the King, Mr. House, and President Kimball for dinner]].
* ImmodestOrgasm: [[spoiler: Red Lucy]] in The Thorn, [[spoiler: Sarah Weintraub]] in Vault 21, and any prostitute you sleep with. Also, you can hear a few while walking around Gomorrah and Casa Madrid. Dr. Dala in ''Old World Blues'' takes this UpToEleven, despite (or ''because of'') being essentially a brain in a jar.
* ImprobablePowerDiscrepancy: The White Legs in Honest Hearts are basically [[EliteMooks Veteran]] [[BadassArmy Rangers]] disguised as tribals. In addition to having as much health as the Veteran Rangers, they also carry as good or better weapons (like automatic shotguns, anti-tank rifles, Tommy guns, and 12.7 submachine guns) and are the most commonly found enemies in the DLC. The only break in your favor is that White Legs have poor armor and lack the 30% damage resistance that Veteran Rangers have.
** Partly HandWaved in that the White Legs had raided armories in the past.
*** In the vanilla game, Veteran Rangers and Legion Praetorians were originally noticeably more powerful than Brotherhood of Steel Paladins. However, this got corrected after the most recent patch, where all non-named BOS NPCs have had their hit points doubled or more, putting them on par with the game's other EliteMooks (and, with their power armor, giving them the higher edge).
* IncrediblyLamePun: Lots and lots of craploads of them.
** Private Sexton in Camp Forlorn Hope runs a collection quest where you bring him the ear of any Legionaire you kill. Get it? Legion''ear''? You even can call him out for making such a horrible pun.
** The [[ApocalypticLog ''Die''ary]] of [[ReturnOfTheLivingDead Trash]]
** [[spoiler: When you return the Platinum Chip to Mr. House, you can make one by trying to Barter him for more money but not having enough skill points.]]
--> '''The Courier:''' "Better raise the price or... or you're [[IncrediblyLamePun "chip outta luck".]]\\
'''Mr. House:''' [[CrowningMomentOfFunny "... Was that an attempt at humor?"]]
* INeverSaidItWasPoison / SuspiciouslySpecificDenial
-->'''Courier:''' Can you help me find some missing people?\\
'''Slave trader:''' I don't know anything about the refugees going missing from the Aerotech Office Park.
* InfinityMinusOneSword: Several. The regular Gauss Rifle, the Holorifle, the 12.7mm pistol and submachine gun, the hunting revolver, possibly the Anti-Materiel Rifle, the Super Sledge, and the Displacer Glove, just to name a few.
* InfinityPlusOneSword: Whatever weapon you find north of Westside, whether it be the [[TooAwesomeToUse Alien Blaster]] or the YCS/186. They're both incredibly devastating weapons, capable of one or two-shotting all but the toughest enemies.
** There's a suit of Infinity Plus One Armor out there, as well. The Remnants Power Armor, the complete suit having a DT 6 points higher than the T51-b and no faction affiliation. However, like all great ultimate items, you have to work for it: it's on the wrong side of the Colorado river and guarded by a nest of Deathclaws. Good luck getting there! (Or you could do Arcade's loyalty quest. You simply have to talk to 6 people around the Mojave Wasteland.)
** Arm your humanoid companion with the highest weapons in his/her specialty and they become a walking InfinityPlusOneSword.
*** Give [[ColdSniper Boone]] the Anti-Materiel Rifle or the Gobi Campaign Sniper Rifle.
*** Give [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot Lily]] a Thermic Lance or the "Oh Baby!" Super Sledge.
*** Give [[CuteBruiser Veronica]] the Ballistic Fist or the unique displacer glove, Pushy.
*** Give [[CombatMedic Arcade]] the Gauss Rifle or the YCS/186.
*** Give [[BadassSpaniard Raul]] the Ranger Sequoia.
*** Give [[FieryRedhead Cass]] the Riot Shotgun.
** Joshua Graham is the InfinityPlusOneSword of companions. He's ridiculously accurate, carries a default pistol that does more damage (both per shot and per second) than about 90 % of the guns in the game, and has such a large damage threshold (50) that he's practically invincible. Unfortunately, he's only available as a companion during the final battle of Honest Hearts.
* InkSuitActor: Doc Mitchell looks like Michael Hogan with a country doctor mustache.
* InsaneProprietor: [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCKoz_Q2sCE The Wind-Brahmin Salesman]] at ''Brooks Tumbleweed Ranch''.
* InsurmountableWaistHighFence: Example is northwest of ''Brooks Tumbleweed ranch'', where a pileup prevents further movement northwest. Even though you could jump on one of the blockading vehicles, you're blocked from going further.
** {{Lampshaded}} in Old World Blues, if you tell the Think Tank you're leaving and want nothing to do with their plans.
---> Dr Klein: "WELL THEN. WE'LL JUST KEEP YOU HERE WITH OUR MOST POWERFUL OF TECHNOLOGIES. THE FENCE."
* InterfaceScrew: The otherwise pushover Bark Scorpions have this as a really nasty surprise. If they sting you, the poison completely distorts your screen. Not the "crippled head" kind of distortion, but completely warping your entire field of view such that you can't even see the scorpion if it's in your face. They are deadly if you give them the chance.
* InvisibleWall: As a definitive response to players notoriously finding ways to scale terrain intended to be unclimbable in Gamebryo engine games, invisible clip brushes have been added. No clever shortcuts for you.
** If only the players hadn't discovered new ways to scale their own inventories with "armor hopping" and coupon stairs. The Legate Camp is a popular destination.
* IronicEcho: When Benny and the player character first speak, the latter is on his knees and Benny's about to kill him. Guess what happens in Caesar's camp?
* {{Irony}}: Benny notes that the game was rigged from the start...[[spoiler: too bad it wasn't rigged in his favor, as House knew about his scheme all along.]]
** Doctor Henry in Jacobstown was once a member of the Enclave, a group that considered any outsider to be a subhuman fit for execution due to their exposure to radiation (no matter how minute). And what is his current line of work? Researching a cure to help Super Mutants with mental disabilities. [[TheAtoner Because they asked him]].
*** Even more special is the fact that he's working for the Mutant that helped kill Horrigan and bring about the fall of the Enclave.
** As a female character, if you either kill Caesar or help him, there's a delicious lump of irony involved given the status of, well, every other woman even remotely connected to the Legion.
* IsThisThingStillOn?: Though it doesn't have the payoff the trope normally promises, [[spoiler:President Kimball]] does this after his speech, announcing his desire to leave the stage before he gets shot. Given it was a PA system, however, maybe he just didn't care.
-->''Thank you, thank you. [{{Beat}}] All right, let's get the fuck out of here.''
* ItemCrafting: Of three varieties! You can use workbenches to create weapons from spare parts, use reloading benches to make or customize gun ammunition, and use campfires to cook up food or medicine.
* [[ItIsPronouncedTroPAY It Is Pronounced KAI-sarr]]/InsistentTerminology: Caesar's Legion uses the Latin pronunciations.
** In fact, how a character pronounces Caesar is a pretty good indication of how much respect they have for him. Joshua Graham calls him See-ser when you meet him in the Honest Hearts DLC, though J.E. Sawyer states that this has more to do with him being educated enough to have known of the actual Caesar before meeting Edward unlike the other Legionnaires.
** Strangely enough though, Marcus uses the Latin pronunciation.
* ItSeemedLikeAGoodIdeaAtTheTime: The Courier can say this about killing Jeannie May.
* IWasQuiteALooker: Pearl, you can see her younger days depicted as nose art on the B-29 Bomber you recovered once the restoration is well underway. Possibly Old Lady Gibson as well.
* JackBauerInterrogationTechnique: Lieutenant Boyd will be more satisfied if you make Silus talk by repeatedly punching him in the face rather than using speech or intelligence skills. So will Boone, for that matter, but he'd rather Silus just die.
-->'''Silus:''' You're getting nothing from me.
-->'''Boyd:''' I'm getting entertainment. That's something. So what it's gonna be?
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: On the outside, Cass is a [[ClusterFBomb swearing]], [[TheAlcoholic alcoholic]], [[MyGirlIsASlut promiscuous]], [[JerkassFacade foul-tempered]] bitch. [[GoodIsNotNice But she is a good person deep down.]] She's the only companion that will leave you if you have Evil Karma, rather than everyone else who leaves you based on your reputation wth certain factions, and she's extremely loyal to, and protective of, a Good-aligned Courier, and she gets quite riled up after hearing about what Benny did to him/her.
* JustFollowingOrders: Yes Man. Because his programming says so.
** At one point, you can ask him if he should really have just explained the details of Benny's master plan to you; his response is that he was programmed to be helpful and to answer questions, and whoever had reprogrammed him must have forgotten to add in restrictions on whose questions he was supposed to answer.
* KaizoTrap: In the House and Independent ending pathes, [[spoiler: you end up picking a fight with [=NCR=]'s General Oliver after you defeat Legate Lanius]]. Your Securitron allies will gun him down easily, ''but'' they often fail to do so before his 5 Veteran Ranger EliteMooks armed with the best guns in the game mow down your own character.
* KarmaMeter: Along with the karma meter, the reputation meter for each faction from ''{{Fallout 2}}'' makes a return. Karma only seems to dictate perks and some dialogue choices, whereas the reputation meter is the main focus of the gameplay.
** This is a good thing, because karma can behave odd at times. For example, killing Powder Gangers nets you positive karma, whereas taking their stuff strangely counts as stealing and gets you a bit of negative karma. The amount of it is negligible, but it's confusing nonetheless.
** Lonesome Road finally makes good use of the Karma Meter in addition to the Reputation Meter. Depending on your Karma Level and who you're supporting at the time, will radically change how [[TheRival Ulysses]] views you and your actions. At level 50 there's even a karma-based perk.
* KarmicDeath:
** Depending on how you deal with him, Benny can eventually ends up in the same position the player was at the beginning of the game: tied up and completely at the mercy of his captors and yourself. At this point, you can choose to execute him yourself, using either the machete handed to you - or the gun you may have concealed on your person.
*** Gun Runner's Arsenal adds a challenge for killing him with his own gun, Maria. You know, the gun he shot you with?
** Allen Marks, the supposed BigBad in the quest to collect the star bottlecaps, [[spoiler:is found dead in the prize room. A holotape reveals he was trapped inside, and all the people he killed to get the caps only got him a worthless badge and a slow death by asphyxiation]].
** If you commit corporate espionage for Alice [=McLafferty=] and finish Cass' quest peacefully, then [[spoiler:Alice, along with the Van Graffs she hired to put down competing caravaners, will be killed by raiders using "advanced weaponry and military tactics." The Gunrunners, whom she tried to steal from, will deny having any "[[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial public motivation]] behind the attack."]]
** [[spoiler: In ''Dead Money'', Elijah can be trapped forever in the vault. Simply sneak out to the left exit corridor as he's coming down to meet you. He really wants to get in the Sierra Madre casino vault THAT badly? [[PayEvilUntoEvil You can give him all the time in the world]].]]
** [[spoiler: Speaking of ''Dead Money'', YOU can have a KarmicDeath. Haven't been paying attention to the "greed will get you killed" message of Dead Money? [[DeathByMaterialism Trying to take all 37 gold bricks that weigh over 1200 pounds with you?]] Have fun outrunning that explosion! (It can be done, but you either have to exploit the physics engine or time your escape just right so Elijah's scripted trap activates after you've passed through the doors but not prematurely by approaching too soon.)]]
** One of the challenges for Gun Runners' Arsenal is "Historical Propriety", where you re-enact the Ides of March and stab Caesar to death with a knife.
* KatanasAreJustBetter: If you get the Gun Runners' Arsenal DLC, you can have a Katana as a melee weapon. It's got decent attack power, but it also attacks ludicrously fast, effectively turning you into an honourable Japanese meat grinder.
* KickTheSonOfABitch: Caesar's Legions ending for the Mojave is an absolutely brutal DownerEnding... but in their ending they are at least kind enough to take out the [[SmugSnake Great]] [[DrugsAreBad Khans]], the [[AlwaysChaoticEvil Powder]] [[BombThrowingAnarchists Gangers]], and the [[CompleteMonster Fiends.]]
* KillSat: The Archimedes II [[WaveMotionGun orbital laser]]. You can acquire a remote to it. [[spoiler: [[FridgeHorror And that remote is in the hands of an unwitting child.]] The safety was on, at least.]]
* KillThemAll: This is the easiest way to complete some of the main quests. Doesn't work so well when dealing with the Powder Gangers and Legions, but really, who wants to have anything to do with those jerks?
* KineticWeaponsAreJustBetter: Actually semi-justified, as Hoover Dam is the only genuine power source in the Wastelands (unless you get Helios One working) that could recharge energy weapons, thus it'd be far easier to use or manufacture bullets. The game actually intentionally makes pistol ammo be more prevalently dropped.
** Most notably, the laser tommy gun (Laser RCW) is less damaging than the real tommy gun (.45 Auto SMG).
* KingMook: In ''Old World Blues'', each enemy type encountered has a unique, named, "boss" version of it somewhere in the Big MT. Each mini-boss is set at level 50, with matching health.
** The Legendary Bloatfly takes this to an insane (and probably parodic) degree. Regular Bloatflies are perhaps the least threatening thing in the Mojave, second to Giant Mantis Nymphs or Radroaches and easy prey for even a low-level Courier. The Legendary Bloatfy is the second ''strongest'' enemy in the game (no, not Old World Blues. The game. Period). The thing is somehow more dangerous than ''every single Deathclaw you will come across'', outclassed only by the Giant Roboscorpion, which at least appears in a room containing a few defences to turn against it and lots of things to hide behind. The Legendary Bloatfly appears in a small cave surrounded by regular Bloatflies and will likely notice you before you notice it. Generally, the player will round the last corner of its cave, oblivious, and be reduced to glowing goo with a single shot before they have any idea what the hell just happened. Unless they're at the ''absolute peak'' of damage resistance, in which case it might take two shots.
* KitschyLocalCommercial: Load screens are almost entirely poster ads, billboards, and paper paraphernalia of pre-war Nevada. The ads are generally of mediocre quality at best; one shows a 50's style Strongman lifting weights with the caption, "Build Mass With Sass! Sunset Sarsaparilla".
* KleptomaniacHero: You can help yourself to anything that isn't nailed down. The game does dock a few karma points for outright stealing, but the penalty is negligible and karma isn't that important in this game anyway (thanks to the new reputation system). This can lead to the amusing irony of the "Scourge of the Wastes" being one of the most beloved residents of the wasteland.
* KlingonPromotion: You can convince Swank to let you bring in your weapons to kill Benny, and in Gomorrah you can help Cachino to kill Big Sal and Nero. They will take over their respective casinos once you have done that. Benny himself is also head of his casino due to this, having knocked off his boss when Mr. House first set up the Strip.
** Furthermore, you can knock off [[spoiler:Mr. House and take over New Vegas yourself]].
* KnightInSourArmor: Chief Hanlon and Dr. Henry.
* LargeHam: The Think Tanks.
** Especially Dr. Klein. Even his subtitles are in all caps. It's lampshaded as well, with him constantly complaining that the volume control of his loudpspeaker is awry.
** The Tick, Dr. Venture, and Captain Quark are 3 of the 6 scientists. Case closed.
* LampshadeHanging: [[spoiler: Yes Man hangs one on the fact he has been programmed so that he CannotTellALie... to ''anybody''. Period. Benny, you are TooDumbToLive.]]
* LeeroyJenkins: The Kamikaze trait apparently.
* LegitimateBusinessmensSocialClub: Club Zoara, inside the Gomorrah Casino.
* LethalJokeItem: The Abeline Kid LE BB Gun is the ''Fallout New Vegas'' equivalent of the [[{{Fallout 2}} Red Ryder Limited BB Gun]], which gives a bonus critical damage and bonus critical chance.
** Boxing gloves, or the unique Golden Gloves. Very low damage indeed, but you will find out that even a character with low Unarmed skill can KO a deathclaw with it, allowing you to take your time dismembering it with a chainsaw.
** Euclid's C-Finder, which looks like a child's toy, is actually used as a target painter for [[KillSat ARCHIMEDES II]].
* LightningBruiser:
** Deathclaws can run faster than you can, do a lot of damage, and have very long melee reach. Thankfully, a couple of bullets to the legs willl gimp them.
** Legate Lanius plays this even straighter. [[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard The man is straight-up faster than any human should be]], continues to be faster than you even if you cripple both his legs, hits ''really'' hard, and has nearly as much health as the Legendary Deathclaw.
** Any super mutant. Look at how fast they run, and how powerful their running stride looks.
** Any Level 45+ player with high Strength, Agility and Endurance is this, especially if you have the best weapons and armor in the game.
* LightningGun: The Tesla cannon, and the unique Tesla-Beaton prototype.
** The LAER (Laser Assisted Electrical Rifle) in ''Old World Blues''
** The Arc Welder in ''Lonesome Road''
* LipstickLesbian: Veronica. She even gives you a quest to find her a pretty dress, complete with audible {{squee}} if you find one and give it to her.
** A subversion at the same time, since she shows you her gratitude for finding her the dress by [[CuteBruiser teaching you a new way to punch people]] - in her words, "the gift that keeps giving".
* LiteralGenie: [[spoiler: Yes Man.]]
* TheLoad: Waking Cloud, a companion from ''Honest Hearts.'' Her only combat skill is Unarmed, the only combat skill in the game with no ranged attacks whatsoever (Melee Weapons has a handful of thrown weapons), but her hit points are so low she literally loses fights to plants with distressing regularity. Giving her a ranged weapon means she'll live an extra 2 seconds because now the monster she's fighting has to walk to her ''without'' her charging right up to it.
* LoadsAndLoadsOfLoading: Probably one of this game's biggest flaws. The load times themselves aren't that long, but there's lots of them.
** The load redundancy makes this especially eg-- For example, fast traveling places the player outside a location, without preloading the interior, which is the primary reason for traveling there in the first place. There's rarely a fast travel mark directly to commonly visited characters, some of which are instead ''two to four maps deep'' from arrival. It's almost as if they were relying on design shortsightedness to inflate the playing time.
** One of the worst examples would probably be wanting to buy stuff from Sergeant Contreras. Fast travel to Camp Mc Carran (load), enter it (load), run a minute or two, to reach the terminal building (load) and now you can either go through the airfield (load, run a minute, load) or the terminal hallways (load, run a minute, load) to get to his shack. At least, after buying you can just exit the shack and fast travel away, since the airfield counts as an outside location.
* LoopholeAbuse: Katherine Stone, the Overseer in Vault 11. [[spoiler:Since the Justice Bloc in the Vault used their majority to control who became Overseer and thus was sacrificed, she was forced to perform sexual favors to save her husband. When they nominated him anyway, she murdered several of them, because she knew she would be elected Overseer due to her crimes. Upon her nomination, she changed the voting process to selection by random number generation, effectively destroying the Justice Bloc's power. There wasn't any rule preventing her from changing the rules.]]
* LostForever: While it has improved a lot since launch, the game is still quite unstable, and odd glitches may still manifest that will prevent even the most able player from obtaining unique items and party members.
* LoveDodecahedron: The employees of H&H Tools spent nine minutes out of ten planning romantic trysts. You can use terminals and read personal e-mails between them planning some horizontal mambo after-hours. In fact, a couple (as in married) make up excuses to not be away from each other so they can have a tryst [[LoveTriangle WITH THE SAME GUY.]]
** NoodleImplements: They were also very... interesting in their choice of love toys. Amongst those mentioned in the e-mails are an accordion, a riding crop, a stovepipe, souvenir moon rocks, rubber sheets and a souvenir elephant-foot trashcan.
* LuckStat: A Fallout trope in general, but {{Deconstructed}} in this game. It's actually an ability to [[TheChessmaster calculate probabilities]] and [[WindsOfDestinyChange know how to nudge them in your favor]]. The luckiest individual in the Wasteland, [[spoiler: Mr. House, who has a Luck state of 10]], can in fact [[XanatosRoulette predict the future]] with his ability. Not that it helps him to any extent should the player decide to cross him - and you can't see the NPC stats directly without console commands either. A better example of DoingInTheWizard on the matter of luck is that one of the implants you may obtain - a probability processing unit of sorts - actually increases your luck.
** Vault 21's [[PlanetOfHats hat]] was that everyone was equal and conflicts were solved with games of chance, essentially an in-game deconstruction of luck. Unlike most of the other Vaults, 21 did pretty well for itself...until House showed up and won the whole place in a game of blackjack.
* LudicrousGibs: The Anti-Materiel Rifle. What do you expect when you use a gun made primarily against tanks and vehicles on [[NoKillLikeOverkill those poor, poor people?]]
** Or when you use a weapon that flings projectiles at several times the speed of sound with [[MagneticWeapons magnets]]?
** Don't forget about the Bloody Mess perk, which lets you make a splatter house on anyone or anything by coughing at them (just so long as it's the killing hit).
** What's truly amusing about this is that it's not just showy, but practical. Is there a body hanging just out of reach? Gib it, and you can loot it through whatever pieces of it happened to fall in your direction.
* {{MacGuffin Location}}: Hoover Dam, source of clean water and free power to the Mojave, is being fought over by both the Legion and the NCR.
** To the extent that the NCR has holed up most of its troops there, leaving the rest of the border poorly defended, and the Legion - despite the poorly defended border and the success of their raiding parties across the Colorado - will not attempt to invade the Mojave without first capturing the Dam.
* MacheteMayhem: One of the more powerful and reliable melee weapons in the game is the humble machete. This is a staple weapon of low-level Legionnaires in Caesar's Legion, and there's even an advanced version called a machete gladius and the unique Liberator.
* [[MagikarpPower Magikarp Skill]]: Explosives, arguably. It's a near-useless skill on a normal playthough, as even a number less than 10 is sufficient to disarm proximity mines, i.e. the only mines that matter. However, get it high enough and take the right perks (Demolition Expert and Splash Damage), and the blast radius and damage of any explosive is significantly increased. This turns weapons like the missile launcher, grenade machinegun, and the Fat Man into THE MOST damaging weapons in the game. The only problem is ammo, about which this game is not kind.
** This trope is taken UpToEleven with the new Gun Runner's DLC. Mini nukes and missiles that fragment into 9 cluster bombs, plasma and pulse grenades for grenade launchers, the return of the Nuka Grenade, and extremely easy-to-craft explosives made from microfusion cells and pistol powder.
* MadeOfIron: Most notably there's Legate Lanius. A lesser example would be Jean-Baptiste Cutting, TheDragon to Gloria Van Graff, and of course high-level monsters such as deathclaws and sentry bots.
** A character can be specced to become this. If you have Remnants power armor, both ranks of the Toughness perk, the big brained and reinforced spine perks from the Old World Blues DLC, and the sub-dermal plating implant, you can have a DT of 53! If you have Cass as a active companion and drink Whiskey, you'll have a DT of [[UpToEleven 57!]] Also, if you have Endurance 10 and Life Giver at level 30 (45 if you have the three DLCs), [[StoneWall your HP will be a whopping 620 (770)!]]
*** The Whiskey boost can reach 6 DT with enough Survival skill. It stacks with two kinds of tequila, which count as whiskey. "In Shining Armor" is literally [[IncrediblyLamePun made of iron]] against beam weapons. Basically, there are so many defense tweaks you're unlikely to fit them all on one character.
** [[PlayerCharacter The Courier]] being MadeOfIron is pretty much required. Over the course of the game, the Courier is shot in the head (twice. At point blank range. ''Before the game even starts''), knocked unconscious and dragged for miles (''Dead Money''), survives having his heart, spine, and brain removed, eventually swapping them and their prosthesis out at will (''Old World Blues''), and can optionally waltz through ''three separate ground zeroes'' within hours of their creation. And that's without all the decision-dependent beatings he/she takes and survives. Two of the three highest-level Perks lampshade the fact that the Courier shouldn't be alive (they're called "I'm Lucky to Be Alive," and "I Thought You Died").
** The backstory of the game also has Joshua Graham. In fact, a few Legion characters will mention that while Legate Lanius is a more intelligent tactician and strategist, ''Legate Graham was an even more powerful warrior than Lanius''. It's worth noting that the seven foot tall heavily armored killing machine that fights by swinging a huge blade around was the ''brains'' relative to Joshua Graham.
*** They're not kidding. Joshua Graham was covered in pitch, set on fire, and thrown over the edge of the ''Grand freakin' Canyon''. Not only did he live, he climbed out again and walked all the way back to his home in Utah.
* MadScientist: The Think Tanks of the Big Empty.
* MamaBear: The Mother ''Deathclaw''. [[BerserkButton Shoot one of her little babies]] and prepare for '''pain'''.
* ManInTheMachine: [[spoiler: Mr. House, and potentially the player, if the Mr. House ending is chosen.]]
* MatterReplicator: The Sierra Madre vending machines, which uses Sierra Madre chips as both a form of currency and base matter.
* TheManBehindTheCurtain: Mr. House, the perpetually sequestered leader, face of New Vegas, and leader of a [[BadassArmy vast army of killbots]], is [[spoiler: really nothing more a shriveled, 261-year-old Howard Hughes {{Expy}} who's immune system is so weak, he'll die from numerous viral infections in a matter of months if you so much as open his stasis tank.]]
* MatchMakerQuest: Jack and Janet, another way to increase your reputation with the Boomers.
* MeaningfulName: Jason Bright, leader of a religious cult for ghouls, is a Glowing One - a ghoul so dosed up on radiation that he emits a radioactive glow. Lampshaded if you ask him about his name.
** The name ''Lanius'' means "butcher," a word that certainly describes the Legate's approach to battle.
** The man in charge of New Vegas, playing the NCR and the Legion against one another for his own gain? Robert ''House'', as in "''the'' House."
** In the cases of Bright and House, those were the names they were born with a good 200 years previously. Foreshadowing indeed.
** Each of the scientists in the Big MT has a name referring to an endless loop. Dr. Klein refers to the Klein bottle, Dr. Borous refers to the Ouroboros (and with a high enough INT, you can point out it's spelled wrong), Dr. Dala comes from "Mandala", a Sanskrit word meaning circle, Dr. 0 is obviously a loop, Dr. 8 is an infinity symbol turned on its side, and Dr. Mobius is named for the Mobius strip.
* MedievalStasis: A higher-tech version than usual, but consider, it's been 200 years since the bombs fell and the Brotherhood of Steel (in particular, the Nevada chapter you deal with) is falling into a ''serious'' rut. [[spoiler: It's stated that the Mojave Brotherhood chapter is trying to get in touch with the Brotherhood of Steel headquarters far to the west, but isn't getting responses. Given that the Brotherhood of Steel and the NCR have just been at war, it's possible that all other Brotherhood chapters in NCR territory have been wiped out and the Mojave chapter may be one of the few Brotherhood chapters left.]]
* MeetTheNewBoss: Caesar's manifesto will seem pretty familiar to those who've played the original ''Fallout'' and faced down TheMaster. In many ways the Legion is simply the Unity all over again. You can even talk to Marcus about Caesar, and while he doesn't make an obvious direct comparison you definitely get the vibe that he's seen it before and knows it can never lead to anything good.
* MegaCorp: The Crimson Caravan Company is the closest thing to a Mega Corp that you can get in a post-apocalyptic world. They dominate most of the commercial activities on the west coast, have offices and trading outpost all the way from California to Utah, and have lot of influence in the NCR government.
** The Mojave Wasteland under the control of Mr. House is basically a [[OneNationUnderCopyright Mega Corp in the form of a nation state]].
* MegaManning: The super-secret hidden perk Meat of Champions [[spoiler: If you use the Cannibal perk to eat President Kimball, Caesar, Mr. House, and The King, you temporarily gain their abilities (Kimball's strength, Caesar's intelligence, House's luck, and The King's charisma) whenever you feed from a human corpse.]]
* MercyKill: [[spoiler: Boone gives one to his wife.]]
** [[spoiler:You can also give one to mutilated NCR troops while exploring a minefield. It's a good thing.]]
** [[spoiler:Boone repeatedly voices his distaste towards mercy kills and often stresses that you should only be done as a last resort. Of course, there are only two situations (and a few scattered ones if you're on the side of NCR, notably before assaulting a Legion stronghold) where it isn't, so it's a moot point.]]
** [[spoiler:You get an option to inflict a MercyKill upon Benny when you find him captured in Caesar's camp -- otherwise he'll meet a far more gruesome death at the hands of the Legion.]]
** At Nipton, [[spoiler: you can give these to the [[AssholeVictim crucified Powder Gangers]].]]
* MightyWhitey: Played with ''a lot'' in Honest Hearts; both Daniel and Joshua are Mormons who have become leaders of tribal societies. Neither is terribly happy that they're interfering to such a massive degree, but they don't have/know any other way to help. Daniel in particular is incredibly indecisive, worrying about whether he's doing the right thing, and both of them [[ItsUpToYou put major decisions at your feet]] because [[JustifiedTrope they're uncomfortable]] with their [[DeconstructedTrope level of involvement]] in everyone's lives. Joshua even says this to you outright about Follows-Chalk (paraphrased).
--> '''Courier:''' Why don't you talk to him? You know I'm just going to tell him to leave, right?\\
'''Joshua:''' Perhaps, but I think he's learned too much from me already.
** The Courier may complicate this even further depending on the skin tone you chose for him/her at character creation.
* MindScrew: The Lonesome Drifter's [[spoiler:father may very well be the Mysterious Stranger. Made even screwier by the fact that "Lonesome" and "Drifter" are synonyms of "Lone" and "Wanderer." Make of that what you will.]]
* AMillionIsAStatistic: A strange meta-example with the Mr. House quest to [[spoiler:wipe out the Brotherhood bunker]]. Of the available options[[hottip:*:A peaceful solution existed, but was DummiedOut.]] are going in, guns blazing, and killing them all, or sneaking in, and [[StuffBlowingUp blowing the whole place up]]. Of the two options, both give negative Karma, but the latter significantly less-so, because it's one large karma hit, instead of many smaller (but still reasonably large) hits.
* MismatchedEyes: Some dogs (e.g. ones at Gibson scrap yard) have one brown and one blue eye.
* MixAndMatchCritters: Nightstalkers are coyote/rattlesnake hybrids. Yao Guai are some kinda quasi-furry part-bear thing.
* MoodLighting: Camp Forelorn Hope gets a [[RealIsBrown brown color wash]], but not when you play on a low detail setting. In this case, the color is much more desaturated than normal.
* MolotovCocktail: The firebomb from ''Honest Hearts'' gives off this vibe, as it is made from a beer bottle and uses a lit rag as a fuse. In gameplay, it's more of a weaker, craftable Incendiary Grenade.
* MoneyToBurn: Legion Coins may not be exchangeable as currency in many places, but you can use them as ''ammunition'' if you're playing a particularly creative character who's good at tinkering with ammo.
** Of course, the perennial favorite "Bottlecap Mine" (an IED made with Caps, the region's popular currency, as shrapnel) makes a return in this game. The head of Crimson Caravan even lampshades it.
* MontyHaul: The Dead Money DLC is named quite appropriately. After the very frustrating and aggravating campaign, you are rewarded with Gold Bars which are worth 10000 caps each, the very high tier weapons and armor from the campaign, and over 10000 Sierra Madre chips if you gambled at the casino. Also, every three days, you get 1100 Sierra Madre chips at the Abandoned Bunker. Think they're useless now? There's a vending machine in Elijah's room. That means a practically infinite supplies of chems, stimpacks, and weapon repair kits!
* {{Mordor}}: The Divide.
* MoreDakka: The iconic minigun, of course, but also the light machine gun, the assault carbine (which can burn through its 24-round magazine in less than three seconds), and the many variations on the theme of submachine gun. Old World Blues includes the K9000, a Cyberdog Gatling Gun that fires magnum rounds.
* MuggingTheMonster: Freeside Thugs bring this trope to [[SuicidalOverconfidence untold heights of absurdity.]]
** Terrifying Presence allows your dialogue options to occasionally lampshade this.
* MultipleEndings: Four proper endings, plus a variety of "segmented endings" for different communities and characters that all depend on the choices you make.
* MushroomSamba: one quest in Honest Hearts has YOU go on one.
* MusicalThemeNaming: Almost every quest is named after a classic song, along with an IncrediblyLamePun or two ("Ant Misbehavin'").
* MyCountryRightOrWrong: Cass believes this about the NCR. While she loves her country, she just wishes that the leadership of the NCR would get their heads out of their asses. Boone has hints of it as well.
** Elder [=MacNamara=] also has this attitude.
* MyGreatestFailure: This attitude is commonly held of [[spoiler: The Bitter Springs Massacre]] by those who were there.
* MysteriousProtector: Two of them, Mysterious Stranger and Miss Fortune, the latter simply knocking people out instead of killing them. You can get both.
** The Lonesome Drifter is an NPC you can find along the road to Vegas. If you ask for his story it's heavily implied that he is the Mysterious Stranger's son.
** And a step further, you can get his Mysterious Magnum. It even plays the Stranger's theme when you draw and holster it.
* MythologyGag: "[[{{Fallout 3}} I'm looking for a man in a checkered coat. Have you seen anyone like that?]]"
** A side-quest for the Kings will have one suspect identified by the name "Lou Tennant," the name the dumber Super Mutants called TheDragon in the original ''{{Fallout}}.''
*** The friend of the witness who provides that little gem even calls him "dumb as a mutant."
** Cannibal Johnson remembers [[DrillSergeantNasty Sergeant Dornan]] giving [[{{Fallout 2}} a private that had wandered into Navarro without a uniform the most blistering rant known to mankind.]]
** Near Novac you can find [[{{Fallout 2}} a busted old Highwayman]]. Moreover, its trunk is filled with various energy weapon ammo, hearkening back to players storing such items in the trunk as spare Highwayman fuel.
** Does Julie Farkas's hairdo remind you of anyone? Say... Nicole, the founder of the Followers of The Apocalypse?
** Several characters, including Yes Man and Caesar, speculate that the secret weapon Mr. House has stored in the secret bunker underneath Fortification Hill is a [[{{Fallout 3}} giant war robot he's going to use to curbstomp everything]]. Yes Man even massages the Courier's ego by telling him that he's such a badass [[TakeThat he doesn't need a giant robot to do all his work for him]].
* MythArc: The [=DLCs=] all hint towards the Courier's confrontation with Ulysses, which is settled at the Divide in Lonesome Road.
* NationalWeapon: The tribes in the Honest Hearts DLC each have a signature weapon. The Whitelegs use Submachine Guns, the Dead Horses use War Clubs, the Sorrows use Yao Guai Gauntlets, and the New Canaanites use .45 pistols.
* {{Nerf}}: Many of the low-level energy weapons were practically useless before the 1.2.31X patch, doing far too little damage to be of any worth. Also, the Hunting Rifle in ''Fallout 3'' had low damage mitigating its usefulness despite its plentiful ammunition; something that was rectified in ''New Vegas'', that being both the damage and the ammo supply. Also, the Sniper Rifle, with its 5x [[CriticalHit crit chance multiplier]] all but guaranteeing crits outside of sneak attacks, was toned down in the same patch that de-nerfed the low-tier energy weapons. Not to mention That Gun, the .223 pistol from ''BladeRunner''. It was by far the best pistol in the 1st and 2nd games. Now it's not even as strong as the default 10mm pistol you get an hour into the game (but what it lacks in raw damage it makes up by being able to load the best armor-piercing pistol ammunition in the game).
** On the flip side, the missile launcher now does hellacious damage since the patch, making it a true BFG.
** On the recent patch, the minigun, service rifle, and assault carbine are de-nerfed as well, with the default armor piercing nature of the 5mm ammo and the Grunt perk in Honest Hearts. However, the Varmint Rifle got nerfed hard since it gets the damage decrease of the Service Rifle without the rate of fire boost, that it is almost impossible to kill anything with it in a single VATS round.
** The Feral Ghoul Reavers got nerfed massively as well. In Broken Steel, they were one of the nastiest enemies in the game, with health to rival a Super Mutant Overlord and a deadly ranged attack. Now, their health got cut significantly and they lost the ranged attack. They're still extremely dangerous, but not as ridiculous as they were.
* NeverFoundTheBody: [[spoiler: Joshua Graham, the previous Legate of Caesar's Legion, whom Caesar ordered to be set on fire and cast into the Grand Canyon after losing the first battle of Hoover Dam]]. He is so widely speculated to be alive that Caesar has forbidden his name to be spoken, mostly due to his reputation as the ultimate [[ImplacableMan Implacable Man]] who miraculously survived fatal wounds on an almost regular basis.
* NeverMessWithGranny: Lily, a Nightkin supermutant who is roughly 250 years old and alternates between talking about her grandchildren and chopping enemies in half with a [[{{BFS}} helicopter blade]]. And she has [[FunnySchizophrenia a split personality where she blames all her violent tendencies on "Leo".]]
* NeverTrustATrailer: The [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epFupigyIN8 Blue Moon trailer]] features a gorgeous view of a fully illuminated New Vegas in the background. In the actual game, however, only the four casinos are actually lit up. The trailer, as well as some bits in the intro narration, suggest that Obsidian might have intended New Vegas to be a completely pristine pre-war city. In the actual game, it is revealed that the city had undergone centuries of dilapidation until Mr. House decided to repair the casinos as a means of welcoming the NCR.
** The Limits of the game engine might have something to do with this, as the game's intro also shows Vegas as a near pristine pre-war city.
* NewMeat - 10 of Spades. He's called that, because he's too green to earn Ace of Spades as his callsign.
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: The game gets rather {{Anvilicious}} in this respect if you [[spoiler:kill or incapacitate Mr. House. You even receive a message saying "A great tragedy has befallen mankind" '''and''' take a large karma hit, despite the fact that Mr. House's actions are no less morally dubious than those of the NCR.]] Arguably, however, this might be intentional. [[spoiler:Mr. House has very little modesty and obviously arranged this prior to his death. It's essentially some post-mortem ego-stroking]]. Also consider that Mr. House is [[TheExtremistWasRight largely responsible]] for most of Nevada ''not'' being hit with Chinese nukes, and thus, much of it being a safe haven for non-Vault inhabitants.
** Also gets rather ham-fisted in Lonesome Road, where it's made clear, in no uncertain terms, [[spoiler:that YOU are the reason The Divide, touted as humanity's best chance at recovery, is now nothing more than an Irradiated crack in the ground, thanks to the EarthShatteringKaboom you set off. [[YouBastard Thanks a lot, asshole.]]]]
* NighInvulnerable - With the Stealth suit Mk II (A suit of sentient PoweredArmour} you get in Old World Blues, when you hit relatively low (about 40%) health, you have a stimpak and Med-x administered. And the rate of it is insane - about 1 dose of Stim per second. This renders you almost invincible in Casual, as long as you're not being wailed upon by about eight enemies at once, or fighting the Giant Robo-Scorpion with it's near insta-kill laser.
* NinjaPirateZombieRobot: This game loves playing with this.
** First, there's Victor, the cowboy robot unicycle.
*** Primm has Primm Slim, who is another robot cowboy. Amusingly, there's a bit of dialogue where you have to clarify ''which'' robot cowboy you're talking about.
** There's also Raul Tejada, the [[BadassGrandpa 230 year old]] ghoul vaquero mechanic.
** And let's not forget cowboy-ghoul-mercenary-dominatrix Beatrix Russel.
** And of course, any given player could become a martial-artist-cannibal-sniper-radioactive-birdslaying-courier..
** There are plenty of implants and mutations for the player to pick up.
** In ''Old World Blues'', there are robot radscorpions with laser in the place of the stinger
* NintendoHard: The game gives you the option of ''Hardcore Mode'', which simulates the post-apocalyptic experience. What does this mean? You have to [[ThisIsReality eat, drink, and sleep regularly to survive]]. Ammo has weight. Stimpacks heal over time instead of instantly. They also can't heal limbs any more; you need a doctor's bag or and actual doctor for that. That said, doing this is at best a minor annoyance for a decent player: there is more than enough food, water, and beds to cover your needs. The only thing in short supply is doctor's bags, which can be supplemented cheaply by actual doctors.
** Then there's the DLC ''Dead Money'', which was apparently written by a KillerGameMaster: You lose all your gear at start and are given low-condition, barely protective junk in return. There's toxic gas clouds all over causing a constant HP drain. The puzzles are a tad harder. There are traps ''everywhere''. The good supplies are hard to come by at first. The Ghost People within can't just be beaten to death without a huge health drain (because they level with you). The whole thing is in a dark, terrible tint that will make you want to punch the screen. It also helps with not seeing the freakin' bear traps. [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment Which are everywhere]]. And to top it off, there are speakers and radios which set off your explosive collar; SaveScumming is the way to find and deactivate (or outrun) them. [[SchmuckBait At least you're warned.]]
** Whereas ''Dead Money'' was Nintendo Hard in terms of dungeon exploration, all the DLC is Nintendo Hard in terms of straight-out combat. All the enemies level with you, which actually makes being at high levels a ''disadvantage'', since ''every single normal enemy'' is tough enough that they'd be considered a major boss character in the vanilla game. And you'll often have to fight several at once. This is especially bad in ''Dead Money'', though, because you don't get your high damage weapons and the Ghost People don't take extra damage from headshots.
* [[NoCampaignForTheWicked No Campaign or Companions For the Wicked]]: The game prides itself on making certain that none of the factions are straight out "good" or "evil," with reminders like NCR being ineffective at defending its interests in stark contrast to the Legion inspiring such strict order that even the [[CompleteMonster Fiends]] won't attack their territory, but...of the companions for the Courier, nearly all fall under either pro-NCR or neutral, and two will even abandon you outright for supporting the Legion. Couple that with ''a lot'' of doors being closed to players for throwing their lot in with the Legion...yeah. There aren't a lot of incentives for siding with the Legion for anything but the different story missions.
** ''Honest Hearts'' also plays this straight--despite your ability to side with the Legion in the main game, you can't side with the White Legs in Zion, who are attempting to join the Legion. There are numerous potential Justifications/Hand Waves available, but none are brought up.
** WordOfGod also alluded to this concerning Joshua Graham--his FalloutVanBuren counterpart, The Hanged Man, was a TokenEvilTeammate played quite straight, with great stats, but severe social consequences for bringing him along. For his appearance in ''Honest Hearts'', this was deemed too bland a character, and wouldn't be interesting. Considering how conflicted he is when you meet him, this was clearly the correct move.
** Ironically, when programming a character along the lines stated above (powerful, but antagonizing), the end result was Boone, who is essentially the "[[GoodIsNotNice good]]" counterpart to the above character: very powerful, but attacks Legion on sight, essentially creating instant enemies for otherwise neutral player characters.
** Ulysses was also a TokenEvilTeammate, however according to the developers he can persuaded to serve a different cause completely.
* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: Mr. House basically ''is'' Howard Hughes. WordOfGod even lampshaded it.
** His securitron friend Jane is based on Jane Russell.
** Several casinos and landmarks were given this treatment, such as Bison Steve = Buffalo Bill's, Dinky the T-Rex = Dinny the Dinosaur/Mr Rex, and The Tops = The Sands.
** Despite this being the future, Benny is based on mobster [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bugsy_Siegel Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel]], right down to the tacky suit.
** Mr. New Vegas is Wayne Newton, famous announcer known as "Mr. Las Vegas". And literally so as the character is actually voiced by Newton.
* NoFairCheating: Have the PC version and used the console? ''No achievements for you!''
** [[EpicFail Even if you do it to fix a]] {{game breaking bug}}. Achievements can re-enabled by saving and quitting, then going back to the game.
** If you are in a casino, saving the game also shuts down all the gambling options for a minute as an "anti-cheat" measure to prevent save-scumming.
** Similarly, you cannot click through the type-up sequence for the hacking minigame if you just exited and re-entered the computer terminal.
* NonStandardGameOver: In Dead Money [[spoiler: if you access Sinclair's personal account in the Sierra Madre Vault [[TooDumbToLive even though a previous text clearly says doing so will permanently and irreversibly lock the vault door]], you get a message (addressed to Domino) saying you are [[FateWorseThanDeath trapped in the vault]] [[AndIMustScream with absolutely no way to get out]], and an ending slide plays saying the Courier died inside the vault and was turned into a hologram.]]
** Also in Dead Money, [[spoiler: you can join Father Elijah and unleash the cloud upon the Mojave Wasteland, killing everyone.]]
* NoodleIncident: You can find a computer log in ''Old World Blues'' which says steps are being taken to avoid a repeat of [=Incident:PLAYTIME=]. There were cyberdogs involved, and fixing it took up a good portion of the research budget.
** Hinted to cyberdogs in heat and measures taken to sterilize the place after the dogs had their mating season.
* NotQuiteTheRightThing: [[spoiler:Solving "Heartache By the Number" the [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge Cass way]] certainly seems viable, as the targets completely deserve it for their crimes...but then the epilogue reveals that you and Cass have effectively crippled both the NCR and the Wasteland's only major trade industry. OOPS!]]
* NonActionGuy: The idea behind the Good Natured trait. Your combat skills take a hit, but a whole bunch of non-combat skills get a boost, and since you have the option of getting a couple of party members to do the fighting for you, you can still survive when violence becomes necessary. That also does not prevent you from [[TookALevelInBadass taking a level in badass]] by putting skill points appropriately.
** What's funny is that this trait actually has the opposite intended effect. Since you can't max out skills like in ''Fallout 3'', you have to decide which skills you want to build up. This trait takes points away from the combat skills you will never use (depending on how you like to play, you'll only ever use one or two combat skills, maybe three at most) and puts them into skills you will, almost certainly resulting in a net gain. By putting skill points into combat skills anyway, [[TheAce your character can deal with practically any situation.]]
** Even better, the ''Old World Blues'' DLC has the [[TheAce Skilled]] trait, which gives you +5 to all skills at the cost of a -10% exp gain. Combined with the Good Natured Trait, this is a net gain of +10 to a lot of skills while also removing the -5 penalty to your combat skills. The experience loss can be negated by a perk which you can get at second level.
*** Sort of. The 10% penalty is applied first, then the 10% bonus is applied to the intermediate calculation, giving a net loss of 1% XP (1*.9*1.1=.99).
* NoOneShouldSurviveThat: The response you will get when you catch up with the people who shot you in the head and buried you alive at the start of the game.
* NoOSHACompliance: Standard for the course in the Fallout verse. Though the Bison Steve hotel gets kudos. Pre-War there was a platform that led directly to the tracks for the Roller Coaster. Not to the loading[=/=]unloading platform, just in the middle of the tracks.
** Subverted with the Hoover Dam. There are guard rails and there is a fence to block anything going into the intake valves. [[TheDevTeamThinksOfEverything including stray players trying to sequence break.]]
*** Followed through in many other cases where toxic waste is dumped in places such as a fire station. The REPCONN headquarters' tour guide also lampshades this by constantly reassuring you that no safety measures are required for toxic waste dumps because "nothing bad will ever happen."
* NoTellMotel: Bison Steve was this BEFORE the war. You find a ransom note. A skeleton on the bed next to a blood stain that's at chest level then another skeleton in the tub with a knife and surrounded by drugs. Murder-suicide, anyone?
** Maybe it's a StealthPun, since the real-world equivalent is "[[TheSilenceOfTheLambs Buffalo Bill's]]".
* NotSoDifferent: [[spoiler:Caesar and Arcade Gannon]] are extremely similar. Both are or were members of [[spoiler:the Followers of Apocalypse]]. Both lost their fathers at a young age. Both are well educated [[spoiler:to the point of knowing Latin]]. Both believe in the greater good, even if it is at the expense of the individual good ([[spoiler:although Arcade doesn't take it to the same extremes]]). Both prove to be [[spoiler:remarkably effective military leaders as soon as they put their mind to do so. Arcade is openly gay, while Caesar (along with the entire Legion) is implied to be gay (though this might just be slander). If you get a very specific ending, the trope is more apparent, as well, due to Caesar's interactions with Arcade]].
** Veronica also points out that both the Boomers and the Brotherhood of Steel are quite similar, both being aggressively xenophobic hoarders of technology.
* NotStayingForBreakfast: If Benny survives his night with a black widow Courier, he leaves a note that manages to be infuriating and endearing at the same time.
* OffModel: Strafing to the left as a female Courier causes your left arm to suddenly gain a new joint. Pre-patch, there were [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToKIkw3LIoQ some]] that were unintentionally hilarious.
* OffscreenTeleportation: Both of the Mysterious Protectors. Victor seems to always be one step ahead of you, but it turns out he's got a justification for that.
* OhCrap:
** [[spoiler:Benny's reaction when he sees how [[IGotBetter you got better]] after that little incident up near Goodsprings.]]
** Probably the best OhCrap to come from Benny is if [[spoiler: you go up to the penthouse at The Tops at his request. Of course, he betrays you and sends 4 of his bouncers to do you in. Kill them, and then go over to the intercom and interact with it.]]
--> [[spoiler: '''Benny:''' The cleaners will knock twice. Make sure they do a thorough job.]]\\
[[spoiler: '''The Courier:''' [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome Yeah... There's quite a mess up here. Four bodies.]]]]\\
[[spoiler: '''Benny:''' [[OhCrap What... the... fuck!?]]]]
*** [[spoiler: It's also heavily implied in dialogue with The Tops members that after this exchange, Benny fled from the casino in pure unbridled ''terror''.]]
** If you tell the lone NCR Ranger attempting to use a bunker as a safehouse that the Brotherhood of Steel have you hostage - "Ha, ha, not a slaver collar... hey, what's that noise?" [[spoiler:Three angry paladins in T-51b armor, that's what.]]
** In the WildCard ending, [[spoiler:General Oliver shows up after blasting down the doors to congratulate you. Then you point out you had help. Cue the dust settling and a very unhealthy number of Securitrons suddenly holding him at gunpoint]].
** Jessup gets one in Boulder City when he recognises the Courier, remarking that he saw you get shot in the head by Benny in Goodsprings and you're ''supposed'' to be dead.
---> '''Courier:''' [[IGotBetter I got better]].
* OneHitPointWonder: The Cloud in ''Dead Money'' can turn ''you'' into this in Hardcore more if you don't have the stims to keep your health up, especially in the early game. Half the time you'll be throwing your companions at enemies to avoid using your precious healing items.
* OneManArmy: The pro-NCR path more or less requires you to be this. Even if you aren't following that path, a high-level character with the right equipment can literally be this.
** Ranger Stella, one of the possible opponent in the arena. She apparently refused to be given a machete in the arena, prefering to fight with just her bare hands, and she wasted just about anyone thrown at her, from slaves and recruit legionaries up to veteran legionaries and an elite centurion. When you fight her, she can cripple limbs with one hit.
** Randall Clark, the Survivalist, wiped out most of the cannibalistic Vault 22 dwellers who killed the Spanish refugees he was watching over, at first by guerilla warfare which led him being called the [[RedBaron Evil Spirit]] by them.
* OneStatToRuleThemAll:
** Like all ''Fallout'' games, Intelligence is the most important stat. Period. It determines how many skill points you get each level up and figures into several speech checks. Following close, but not strictly necessary, is Luck. Luck allows you to win the casino games, specifically blackjack. A minimum Luck of 7 (which is easy enough to get thanks to the Luck implant, Naughty Nightwear, and the Lucky Shades if you can manage the Legion rep) will ensure that you win almost every hand. You'll be able to clean out every casino on and off the Strip. The combined payout for every casino comes out to about 40000 caps, which means you're set for life.[[hottip:*:And in the Sierra Madre Casino in ''Dead Money'', the 10,000-chip jackpot limit can be cashed in for Pre-War Money, one-to-one, which can equate to over ''100,000'' caps with a good Barter skill.]] Luck also provides the most skill points, since it grants a +1 boost to every skill for every two points invested.
** Repair and Barter are useful skills if you want to make a LOT of money. You can sell higher and buy lower with the Barter skill, and repairing items significantly increases the value of it. For example, having 90 repair and Jury Rigging will allow you to repair a near broken super sledge with a shovel, increasing its value by over 2000 caps. It's dozens of times more lucrative than Luck if you keep everything you loot and wait until you have the perk.
** Speech and Science are unquestionably necessary to achieve the best endings in the game, and they need to be really high at that. You need to manage 90 in both to get the best endings, and a full 100 to talk down the bosses.
* OneTimeDungeon:
** The Securitron Vault was intended to be such, with the player being unable to re-enter once it is completed, and the guard's dialogue not permitting you to leave until you complete the task. However, the actual implementation permits you to leave (using dialog or killing the guards) as long as you don't complete the section.
** The ''Dead Money'' DLC cannot be visited after it is completed, unlike the Old World Blues and Honest Hearts add-ons. In said DLC, the vault of the Sierra Madre is also closed off after you leave.
* OnlyOneFemaleMold: Even the old wrinkle faced women have young shaped bodies.
* OohMeAccentsSlipping: Sort of. One minor Frumentarius that you meet greets you for the first time with "Hail Caesar" (hard C) and the very next sentence says it again, this time with a soft C.
** Cachino speaks with an Italian accent when you first meets you, but then drops it after you show him his journal. Justified because, like all Strip families, the accent and attitude is part of his family's "character" (mafia), which he doesn't need in personal conversation.
** Santiago also loses his accent when you reveal that you were sent to settle his debts with the Garretts. He even admits its an act so he can charm his way out of this sort of thing.
* OptionalSexualEncounter: Let's see. There are the hookers in New Vegas, Freeside, and Westside, [[spoiler: Red Lucy]] in the Thorn, Sarah Weintraub in the Vault 21 hotel if you bring her enough Vault Suits, and [[spoiler: Benny]] with the Black Widow perk. Finally, there's Fisto, who, as the name implies, is a robot that performs special services.
** "Numbness will subside in several minutes."
* OracularUrchin: The Forecaster.
* OurWeaponsWillBeBoxyInTheFuture: The 12.7mm submachine gun is one of the few weapons in the Guns category with no real-world counterpart or inspiration. It looks like a brick. Add the silencer mod to it (which is ''far'' larger than the [[HollywoodSilencer silencers]] other guns get), and it looks like a brick with a piece of pipe on the end. Also, the laser pistol and laser rifle retain their rectangular appearance from ''Fallout 3'', but the rifle can be made to be ''even more'' boxy by attaching the scope to it. The result is a box with another box suspended several inches above it. A scoped laser rifle actually takes up so much of the screen in first person mode, it can make seeing things to your right difficult.
* OutlawCouple: Vikki and Vance, who, according to the claims of the robot that works as a tour guide in their museum, were not copycats of the former {{Trope Namer}}s, as they began their own "crime spree" two days before Bonnie and Clyde began theirs. The pair's crimes were, however, pretty low key, and consisted mostly of shoplifting and con artistry. Their story still ends in a tragedy as they were unfortunate enough to caught in the massive crossfire between the police and a bunch of bank robbers, which resulted in them getting shot to pieces.
** A couple of idiots try to emulate them by stealing their clothes and gun, but it's pretty easy to convince them how badly this will go.
* OutscareTheEnemy: This can work against Caesar's legion on one occasion. [[spoiler:There's a quest where you can be hired by the NCR to help interrogate a Legion officer they've captured. If your character has a high enough intelligence or charisma, then the best solution is to convince him you're a Legion assassin sent to punish him for allowing himself to be captured. He's obviously more afraid of the Legion than the NCR, and in his panic and indignation he lists everything he'd done for the Legion lately, which is exactly what the NCR wanted to know.]]
** With the Terrifying Presence perk, you can intimidate hardened badasses in cowering like children. Of note, you can scare the crap out of Caesar himself, turn Jean-Baptiste Cutting (a murderous psychopath who vaped a dude for ''fun'') into whimpering wuss, and scare an entire team of Brotherhood soldiers into submission when they both ''outnumber and outgun you''. It may be a largely useless perk, but it's easily the funniest.
---> '''Courier:''' [[MuggingTheMonster Raise that gun and I will kill everyone in this room.]]
** Terrifying Presence is essentially made of [[OhCrap pants-shittingly terrifying]] speech checks. Like scaring the dog-helmeted '''[[CompleteMonster Vulpes Inculta]]''', right after he ''slaughtered the entirety of Nipton''.
---> '''Courier:''' "I'll wear your heads like you do that dog's."\\
'''Vulpes''': [[ThisIsGonnaSuck "Legionnaires! We have a problem!"]]
** Also of note is convincing some mercs to leave quaint, idyllic, [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking Super Mutant owned]] Jacobstown alone, because if they don't, instead of dealing with a village of pissed off Super Mutants, they'll have to deal '''with you.'''
* OutWithABang: Killing [[spoiler:Benny]] is easy with the Black Widow perk.
* PacifistRun: [[NintendoHard It's possible!]] It may be easier if you [[TechnicalPacifist get someone else to do the killing for you]].
* PaintingTheFourthWall: Obsidian addressed complaints about ''Dead Money'' in regards to personal item whereabouts and the ability to return in the newest DLC, among others:
--> '''In-Game Warning:''' You get the premonition that while you'll be unable to return to the Mojave until you solve the mysteries of the Big Empty, you '''WILL''' be able to take anything you can carry with you, and you '''WILL''' be able to return to the Big Empty any time after completing this adventure.\\
'''Courier:''' If you stole my brain, then how the hell am I still functioning?\\
'''Dr. Klein:''' WE HAVE NO IDEA! THIS LINE OF QUESTIONING ISN'T IMPORTANT TO US NOW! WHY MUST YOU ASK THESE TANGIENTAL QUESTIONS! STOP IT!
** OWB's epilogue actually calls the player out if they rush through the main quest.
* PaperThinDisguise: Partially averted with the faction disguises. Coming near enough to interact with members will reveal you to any, even to the lowliest mooks if your infamy is high enough. But still, you're wearing the same hat, tailed by the same companions, and they don't seem to take notice of a female wearing legionnaire armor.
* ThePasswordIsAlwaysSwordfish: Every password you steal is always something very silly or at least words that can be found in a dictionary. Such as 123456789 for Raul's cell. All hackable terminals all have passwords in the form of words which can be found in most dictionaries.
** Seemingly averted on the HELIOS ONE terminal passwords, where the two terminals have super long passwords with seemingly random letters and numbers, until you find out that the number sequences can be converted from hexadecimal into ASCII, producing the phrases "My voice is my passport" and "Too many secrets"—both encoded phrases from the movie {{Sneakers}}.
** It is implied the reason the passwords are so simple is because of your own hacking skills essentially resetting the password into a guessing game.
** In the latter case, it was Raul himself who programmed it, thinking that no one will ever bother reading the terminal where he writes down the password. He is SurroundedByIdiots up in Black Mountain, after all.
** You can get past the REPPCON HQ security on the top floor by guessing the password, 'Ice Cream', by being lucky or stupid enough.
** Many passwords set by technicians are good (even if they are common words they at least have non-standard capitalization or elements of 1337 sp34k) and common passwords are more than likely a reference to RealLife practices. The hacking minigame can be also considered a StoryAndGameplaySegregation designed to convey the 'vintage' feeling of the hex editor.
* PayEvilUntoEvil: The 'best' path for the 'Eye for an Eye' quest (which gives you the best NCR rep boost) involves [[spoiler: showering Cottonwood Cove with radioactive waste, to give the unfortunate Legion personnel there the KarmicDeath for what they did in Camp Searchlight]]. Before doing this though, hopefully you remembered to get the family in the slave pen out first. The strung-up Great Khan on the outskirts of town will live through it just fine.
* PercussiveMaintenance: When a low-condition gun jams, the Courier smacks it once or twice during the reloading animation.
* PleaOfPersonalNecessity: [[spoiler: Mr. House]]
* PoisonedWeapon: A Courier with a decent survival skill is able to concoct poisons of varying lethality, then apply them to melee weapons. It's more of AwesomeButImpractical as the poison is removed after one strike, but it's worth it to stealthily toss a throwing knife at a deathclaw and watch its health bar drain completely.
* PointOfNoReturn: Once you choose to undertake the [[spoiler:attack on the Hoover Dam]] mission there's no turning back, though the game does at least warn you about this, unlike the corresponding situation in ''Fallout 3''. Strangely enough, it doesn't seem as if Obsidian took on-board the criticism of the fact that you couldn't play past the final level of ''Fallout 3'' (at least not until the "Broken Steel" DLC was released), as the game ends once you defeat the final boss(es).
** However unlike ''Fallout 3'' there are four ending paths to ''New Vegas'' and each ending montage varies greatly depending on your actions throughout the game. Trying to program a PlayableEpilogue that takes all of these factors into account would be an entire game in itself.
** There's also a lesser Point of No Return in the form of which faction quest you choose to pursue. There's a lockout point in each questline which alienates you from the other three. The only two questlines that can be played concurrently are Yes Man and Mr. House, and you still have to choose one prior to the final mission.
** Once you complete the ''Dead Money'' DLC, you may stay as long as you like, but you can't return to the Sierra Madre casino once you do leave. Might be worth going back and getting everything you want.
* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: Caesar's Legion makes no pretense about it: they think women are inferior to men physically and mentally, and should StayInTheKitchen. Also, [[FantasticRacism they think of Ghouls and Super Mutants as nothing more than savage beasts]], even though the majority of them actually aren't so bad. Just one more reason to remember they represent sociological ''regression'', not progress. This is arguably part of the idea, though. Caesar is trying to turn back the clock, and values have to come with that package.
* PostMortemOneLiner: Boone gives us a very good one after [[spoiler:you kill Caesar with him in the party]]:
--> '''Boone:''' *smug tone* Thumbs down, you son of a bitch.
* PowerFist: The [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Power Fist]] makes a comeback, but the big daddy of them in the game is the Ballistic Fist: a glove with a [[MoreDakka SHOTGUN]] attached to it which triggers on contact. [[RuleOfCool AWESOME!]]
** It's Veronica's WeaponOfChoice.
* PowerPerversionPotential: A memo describing a shipment of Stealth Boys with some missing is followed by another memo alluding to regulations regarding sexual harassment and the unauthorized use of military hardware.
* PraetorianGuard: Caesar's personal guards; they are even called that in the game.
** The Centurions, Caesar's elite, wear armor made from pieces scavenged from defeated enemies. This armor includes pieces scavenged off of Brotherhood soldiers and Super Mutants. BadassArmy indeed...
** The Desert Rangers serve in this capacity for President Kimball and General Oliver.
* ThePrankster: Private Davey Crenshaw
* PrecisionFStrike:
** This exchange:
--->[[spoiler:'''Benny:''' "The cleaners will knock twice. Tell them to be thorough."]]\\
[[spoiler:'''[[{{Determinator}} The Courier]]:''' (paraphrased) [[BondOneLiner "They better... there's four bodies."]]]]\\
[[spoiler:'''Benny:''' [[OhCrap "...what the fuck!?"]]]]
** Also:
--->[[spoiler:'''Benny:''']] Don't do that, baby. Not crucifixion. I could be up there for days with those twisted creeps laughing and pointing.\\
'''The Courier:''' Pass the time thinking over your mistakes.\\
[[spoiler:'''Benny:''']] You sick, vindictive fuck!
** Let President Kimball finish his speech at Hoover Dam for a classic IsThisThingStillOn Moment.
* PrepareToDie: Done as a joke by [[spoiler:Caesar]], of all people. [[spoiler:After either recovering the Platinum Chip from Benny or being duped and having him run off with it, you will receive an invitation to meet Caesar in person. It's quite possible that you will have made his life difficult in any number of ways before this, from digging out his moles to slaughtering his garrisons. He will ask you why, despite all this, you still chose to accept the offer to meet him in person. The conversation proceeds like this:]]
-->[[spoiler:'''Courier:''' You guaranteed my safety.]]\\
[[spoiler:'''Caesar:''' And you fell for that? Really? Because I'm going to have you killed now.]]\\
[[spoiler:'''beat''']]\\
[[spoiler:'''Caesar:''' [[EvilHasABadSenseOfHumor ... relax, I'm fucking with you.]]]]
* ProperlyParanoid: Mr. House believes that it is only a matter of time before the NCR betrays him and use military force to annex New Vegas. The NCR on the other hand thinks that Mr. House will use his robot army to betray the Republic and drive them out of the region after they defeat the Legion at Hoover Dam. They were both correct.
** [[spoiler: In this case it was a self-fulfilling prophecy since both side's mutual paranoia is what led to the events that led to them betraying each other.]]
** One of the Vaults has its citizens sectioned off into "red" and "blue" factions and is filled with HAL-9000-looking security cameras. Most of their journal entries display paranoia towards the people on the other side, but one person believes that the entire Vault is part of a psychological experiment, and they've all been drugged to forget that they used to be patients in a mental institution. He seems to be right, but he can't trust himself, because he now knows that he's insane.
* PropRecycling: Lots from {{Fallout 3}}.
** Consequently, there is also some from Oblivion, since {{Fallout 3}} recycled some Oblivion props; this is most obvious in the caves.
** If you listen closely you will hear some Oblivion soundtrack recycling. Less than in {{Fallout 3}} but still.
* PstandardPsychicPstance: The holograms in Dead Money will do this before attacking.
* PsychopathicManchild: If you read the [[AllThereInTheManual fluff text in the back of the collectors edition guide]], it's revealed that Caesar is pretty much this.
** He also has a pretty impressive moment if you bluntly refuse to serve him.
* PunchedAcrossTheRoom: If you have high enough Unarmed skill, this can be one of the death animations. Veronica frequently does it as well. If you're using the Power Fist or Ballistic Glove, this will happen to everything you punch to death.
* PunchClockVillain: It seems every Vault Overseer loyally went ahead with their experiment protocols, despite knowing full well that the world had ended and they were on their own, even in cases where it should have been obvious to anyone with any common sense that the experiment would not only kill the Vault inhabitants, but likely result in the Overseer's own death as well.
** For Vault 34 though this is the case of the inherent flaw (there were just too many guns around and the vault was overpopulated), and even when the Overseer has no interest in the vault experiments, not much could be done. The game was rigged from the start.
*** Funny enough the Vault was doing well, until the Overseer started taking away their gun rights.
* PyroManiac: Cook-Cook, one of the Fiend Bosses.
* PsychoForHire: Jean-Baptiste Cutting.
* TheQuisling: [[spoiler:Papa Khan to the Legion. You can show him how that's a bad idea.]]
** [[spoiler:Regis as well, if you think about it. He takes leadership of the Khans if you assassinate Papa, agrees to a truce with the hated NCR and aids them against the Legion.]]
* RagnarokProofing: An integral part of the ''Fallout'' universe, but the example that truly shines is the Lady. This universe's WW2-era engineers must have been remarkable, [[spoiler: since a B-29 can sit on the bottom of Lake Mead for ''300 years'' and not only be raised intact, but made to fly again by repairing her with spare parts from a museum piece.]]
** [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1948_B-29_Lake_Mead_crash A B-29 really did crash into Lake Mead on July 21, 1948.]] And given the report recently done, is still mostly intact.
*** There are numerous wrecks at the bottom of freshwater lakes and some rivers. Due to low corrosion and few animals living that deep, they do tend remain in fairly good shape.
* RainbowPimpGear: As usual, a possibility.
* RapeAsComedy: FISTO, initially. "'''ASSUME THE POSITION.'''"
** The Biological Station in Old World Blues threatens to seed the ''shit'' out of you, and has seeded Muggy before.
** In the cut audio files for Cook-Cook (who could be approached as friendly), he will constantly hit on you and make veiled threats at rape. Talking to Driver Nephi as a female will have him repeatedly warn you not to talk to him.
* RapeAsDrama: [[spoiler: Corporal Betsy.]]
** Cook-Cook is a notorious rapist, so much so that a ''male'' bounty hunter and even a lot of NCR soldiers are afraid of him. [[spoiler: Killing him will earn you the thanks of some of his victims, some of which only regret that they weren't there to see him die.]]
* RapidFireFisticuffs: The Greased Lightning power fist from the ''Gun Runners' Arsenal'' DLC has a ridiculous attack rate at the cost of reduced damage. With the right perks, you can hit roughly three times ''per second''.
* RealIsBrown: ''New Vegas'' plays around with this; there's a surprising amount of color in the Mojave Wasteland, especially New Vegas itself but as you approach Camp Forlorn Hope the color is leached out of the setting, making everything appear in shades of dull brown.
* RecycledINSPACE: Caesar's Legion is the Romans [-IN POST APOCALYPTIC NEVADA-]!
** [[InsultToRocks The Romans take offense to this horrible slur.]]
* RedOniBlueOni: For the NCR, Colonels Cassandra Moore and James Hsu are red and blue, respectively. For example, Colonel Hsu prefers to resolve the problem with the Kings peacefully by providing supply for The Kings, while Colonel Moore just prefer to [[KillEmAll kill them all.]]
** In ''Honest Hearts'', [[TechnicalPacifist Daniel]] is the blue while [[BadassPreacher Joshua Graham]] is the red.
** Veronica calls attention to this between the Followers of the Apocalypse and the Brotherhood of Steel, though it can be difficult to tell which is red and which blue. The Followers have a good cause but a woeful lack of resources, while the Brotherhood is practically second only to the Enclave in resources, but lacks any legitimately good cause.
* RefugeInAudacity: You, Boone, and ED-E storming Caesar's fort and killing everyone inside, Caesar included. Boone even comments on it.
** Lampshaded by Mr New Vegas later, though he was rather surprised on how the assassins evade heavy security even though the truth is you just storm your way in, killing anyone that gets in the way.
* TheRemnant: The remnants of the Master's Super Mutant army, which has split into the State of Utobitha and Jacobstown. In addition to them, there is the [[spoiler: Enclave remnant]], composed of the scattered handful of remaining members. [[spoiler: Play your cards right, and you can get them back together and fighting with you.]] The Brotherhood of Steel chapter you find hiding in Nevada is also a Remnant and a shadow of their former power.
* ReportsOfMyDeathWereGreatlyExaggerated: The "Thought You Died" perk from ''Lonesome Road''.
* {{Retcon}}: Used to explain the significant departure from the plasma rifle as seen in previous games to Fallout 3. The classic Plasma Rifle is now the "Plasma Caster", while the new truly rifle-shaped plasma rifle is a format encouraged by a Colonel Moretti. You see the name turn up on the "Future Weapons Today" cover on a loading screen: "Colonel Moretti slams the venerable P-94!" And in several terminals in the Repconn HQ you find a weapons project that was authorized by the same Colonel Moretti and resulted in the [[SuperPrototype Q-35 Matter]] [[FlawedPrototype Modulator]], which appears to be the first functional prototype iteration of the Plasma Rifle as seen in Fallout 3 and as a low-mid tier energy weapon in New Vegas. The explanation for why it shows up on the east coast is easy: The Enclave refined it to field-deployable status it and produced it over there. The reason for its apperance on the West Coast since Fallout 2 could be explained by the Van Graffs or other energy weapon manufacturers salvaging the field-ready plasma rifle design from ruined Enclave bases.
* RetiredBadass: You can recruit a squad of them to aid you in the final battle. [[spoiler:They're ex-Enclave, so they're also [[RetiredMonster Retired]] [[PunchClockVillain Employees of a]] Complete Monster.]]
* RetiredBadassRoundup: The entire quest of "For Auld Lang Syre".
* RetroUniverse: It wouldn't be Fallout without it. Though it manages to not only have a 1950's vibe in it, but also combines that with a late 19th Century Western feeling in the more rural areas outside the Vegas Strip itself.
** A late 19th Century Western where one can easily find [[AnachronismStew HK 416 carbines with ACOGs on their MIL-STD-1913 rails and digital camouflage]], anyway.
** It's less like the real 19th Century American West, and more like the [[FridgeBrilliance Western movies popular during the 1950s.]]
* RevolversAreJustBetter: When an old cowboy-style revolver badly outclasses a plasma pistol that was cutting edge before the Great War, you know this trope was overplayed.
* RewardedAsATraitorDeserves: [[spoiler:The Mayor of Nipton. According to Vulpes, he really had it coming; if you read his personal terminal, it turns out [[PayEvilUntoEvil Vulpes was right]].]]
* RideOfTheValkyries: Plays during the launch at the end of "Come Fly With Me"
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: The Courier, if they so choose, and Boone, in two of his endings. Ulysses, as well, though most of it occurs off-screen.
* RobotBuddy: ED-E. Flies, allows you to spot enemies from ''really'' far away... And kick some ass with his laser while playing a bugle sound.
* RomanticismVersusEnlightenment: Caesar's Legion (Romanticism) versus NCR (Enlightenment)
* {{Robosexual}}: [[CrowningMomentOfFunny The owner of the Atomic Wranger.]]
** You as well, if you decide to test it out before delivering it to the Atomic Wrangler.
** '''ASSUME THE POSITION.'''
* RousseauWasRight: Vault 11. The mainframe requires one resident to sacrifice themselves each year, or all life support will be turned off, dooming the others. As it turns out, [[spoiler:the designers believed this to be utterly inhumane, and once the residents refused to play along, they would be congratulated for their conscience and the vault would be opened. The population kept on sacrificing each other for years until only a handful was left and decided to try breaking out instead. Most committed suicide when they found out the truth.]]
** Though given the nature of vaults and their designers, it's almost certain Vault 11 was simply a social experiment and the people behind it knew very well how it was going to end up.
* RuleOfThree: Quest-givers give three tasks, with few exceptions.
* SadisticChoice: The player get to make one at the end of ''Lonesome Road'' [[spoiler: either allow a barrage of nuclear ICBM'S to be launched, destroying either/both the only usuble path into the mojave from the West, or/and obliterating most of Arizona, or asking ED-E to sacrifice himself to stop the missles.]]
* SamusIsAGirl: Nightkin, like other Super Mutants, have no secondary sexual characteristics, so the ladies sound just like the men chewing gravel. This is used as a point of humor a few times with some plot-relevant Nightkin.
* SanitySlippage: [[spoiler:Mr. House, more specifically the Mr. House that is the half-brother to the one in the Lucky 38, during his reign at H&H Tools.]]
* SarcasticConfession: If you ask Arcade Gannon about his past, he will originally be evasive. If you ask him why he is dodging the question, he will jokingly reply "Only to obfuscate my previous association with a fascist paramilitary organization." [[spoiler: You can later find out that he used to be a member of the Enclave.]]
* SavedFromDevelopmentHell: Caesar's Legion was going to be part of the stillborn ''Van Buren'' game following ''Fallout 2''. Some [=NPCs=] from Van Buren were also recycled and given slightly different roles (Alice [=McLafferty=] and Arcade Gannon for example). The setting of ''Old World Blues'', the Big Empty, came from the original design concepts of ''Van Buren'''s opening location, the Tibbets prison facility.
* SaveScumming: this plus a Slots Machine equals easy but boring money-making... [[TheDevTeamThinksOfEverything until the casino kicks you out.]]
** When doing this, trying to use the slot machines (or the Black Jack or Roulette tables) within 60 seconds of reloading produces a message stating that it seems to be resetting itself [[LampshadeHanging as an anti-cheating measure.]]
* SawedOffShotgun: In addition, there is also the laser version (Tri Beam Laser Rifle).
* SceneryGorn: Camp Searchlight.
** [[DeathWorld The]] [[EverythingTryingToKillYou Divide]].
* SceneryPorn: Lake Mead Cave.
** Jacobstown. You've been traipsing around the RealIsBrown wasteland, and then you go up that long road. The trees are green and lively, the mountaintops are white with snow, and it's gorgeous.
** New Vegas itself. Being hit with all that color after going through Freeside and outer Vegas is pretty amazing.
** Zion Valley from ''Honest Hearts''.
* ScarsAreForever[=/=]WoundThatWillNotHeal: The Marked Men get their skin ripped straight off of their flesh by the searing winds of The Divide, but because The Divide is so full of radiation, the Ghoulified soldiers are kept alive through it all, [[AndIMustScream and are unable to die as their skinless bodies are put through mind-breaking agony year after year after year]].
* SchmuckBait: Vault 11 is deliberately designed like this. Really, when there's an option to open the [[spoiler:sacrifical chamber]] on a terminal, you just know the end result will be bad. But you'll do it, because you've come this far and you need to know (and have to in order to complete the unmarked quest). Curiosity demands it!
** The radio which starts the Dead Money DLC. "Oh look, a radio, let's go touch--*choke*"
** At the end of the Dead Money DLC, [[spoiler:when you access the vault, you get a message from Sinclair warning you not to open his personal files, which will seal the vault if you read them. Normally, you would use this to [[LaserGuidedKarma trap Father Elijah in]], but [[TooDumbToLive you can activate it]] [[PressXToDie yourself]]. [[HaveANiceDeath The game ends and tells you how you slowly starved to death.]]]]
** You can find the Thump-Thump, a variant of the regular Grenade Rifle during the quest Ant Misbehaivin'. Said Ants have been eating gunpowder, and you were told in advance of fighting them that they'll pretty much explode if you look at them the wrong way. The chances that this is a coincidence are extremely small.
* ScratchDamage: Sufficent [=BBs=] will take down a Paladin.
* ScreensAreCameras: The members of the Think Tank in ''Old World Blues'' each have three mounted screens displaying their eyes and mouth separately, and are capable of seeing through their "eye screens".
* ScrewYourself: It's possible to flirt with your own brain in ''Old World Blues''.
* SealedArmyInACan: [[spoiler: The Securitron army at Fortification Hill.]]
* SecretTestOfCharacter: [[spoiler:Vault 11.]]
** Vulpes claims the lottery in Nipton was this. He relates how no one fought back when their loved ones were killed or crucified with each drawing, and he mentions that he was amazed that the townsfolk were so cowardly as to not fight back against the half-dozen Frumentarii under his command. It seems that the people of Nipton had several opportunities to impress Vulpes, at least one of which would have saved them, and they failed every time. However, it is shown that at least a few fought back, with some success at that. Unless Vulpes dismissed a large portion of his invading army then held the lottery, it's unlikely they ever really stood a chance. [[YouFailLogicForever And some people still think it's unreasonable for people to be scared to paralysis under the threat of death.]]
* SelfImposedChallenge: The in-game challenges. They range from normal things (heal 10,000 damage with Stimpacks or do 10,000 unarmed damage, for example) to more specific ones (cripple right arms, blow off limbs). ''Gun Runners' Arsenal'' adds some truly absurd challenges, most of which involve killing specific things with specific weapons. The three-star challenges are the worst, like having to kill Deathclaws with (among other, slightly more reasonable things) ''switchblades and boxing tape''.
* SequelDifficultyDrop: The DLC have done this so far--Dead Money is NintendoHard, not least because you can't bring [[InfinityPlusOneSword your stuff]]. Honest Hearts lets you bring some items based on weight (the good stuff is generally heavy), but hands you quite a lot of good equipment along the course of the story. Old World Blues doesn't restrict what you can carry at all, and even hands you three free perks near the beginning (with different versions available to replace them at the end).
** There are two ways in which Old World Blues does not follow this: there are no companions at all, and the enemies in the Big Empty scale to your level and are spawned by a script system that drops them more frequently than the standardized system.
* SequelHook: You can go home now, Courier...
* SexyDiscretionShot
* ShapedLikeItself: Doctor Mobius of ''Old World Blues'' breathes this.
---> [[AC: Doctor Mobius]]: It is I, Doctor Mobius, transmitting from my dome-shaped... dome in the forbidden zone. A zone that is... yes... FORBIDDEN to you!
** And don't forget [[LargeHam the Tesla coils! The coils of Nikola Tesla!]]
* ShortRangeShotgun: The Sawed-off Shotgun returns to affirm this trope, but every other shotgun in the game has a tighter spread, making them actually useful for medium range combat. Ballsy players may choose to use a modified Hunting Shotgun to snipe. In addition, there are also Slug shells, which makes the shotgun otherwise behave like rifles. Higher tier shotguns are also superior weapons to submachine guns and most handguns in medium range combat even with just buckshot shells.
** Two of the laser rifle's mods are one that gives it a mid-range scope, and one that turns it into a laser shotgun. Some players see it as [[SchmuckBait an invitation to use both]], but most see them as mutually exclusive.
** As of patch 1.3.0/1.5, all shotguns are now decent weapons at medium range due to vastly reduced spread, including the sawed-off.
* ShotgunsAreJustBetter: The Shotgun Surgeon perk, along with other things (see ShortRangeShotgun), allow shotguns to become viable all-situation weapons.
** The Multiplas Rifle is topped only by the Gauss Rifle and Anti-Materiel Rifle in damage per shot. Granted, the damage is split up between three projectiles, but it's still a lot of damage for a mid-tier weapon. Its main disadvantage is its ammo consumption.
* ShoutOut: Being ReferenceOverdosed is standard for the ''Fallout'' series. There's so much {{Shout Out}}s in this game that it demanded [[ShoutOut/FalloutNewVegas its own page]].
* SortingAlgorithmOfWeaponEffectiveness: Being an RPG, this obviously isn't played very straight, but most weapon types have a noticeable pattern, about 4-6 weapons in rough order of power. Keep in mind they don't necessarily have to be found in order:
** Semi Automatic Pistols: Silenced .22 --> 9mm pistol --> 10mm pistol --> .45 Auto Pistol (in Honest Hearts)--> 12.7mm pistol --> A Light Shining in Darkness (.45 pistol from Honest Hearts)
** Energy pistols: Laser pistol --> plasma pistol --> Recharger pistol --> Plasma defender --> Pew Pew --> Alien blaster
** Revolvers: .357 magnum revolver --> Police pistol (Dead Money) --> .44 Magnum revolver --> That Gun (post 4/25/11 patch) --> Hunting revolver --> Ranger Sequoia
** Lever action rifles: BB Gun --> Cowboy repeater --> Trail carbine --> Brush gun
** Bolt action/semi automatic rifles: Varmint rifle --> Service Rifle (post 4/25/11 patch) --> Hunting rifle --> Sniper rifle --> This Machine/Anti-materiel Rifle/Marksman Carbine
** Automatic guns: 9mm submachine gun --> 10mm sub machine gun --> Assault carbine --> Light Machine Gun/12.7mm submachine Gun/.45 Auto submachine gun (in Honest Hearts) --> Minigun/Automatic Rifle
** Energy rifles: Recharger rifle --> Laser/Plasma rifle --> Multiplas/Tribeam rifle --> Gauss rifle (or YCS/186) --> Holorifle
** Shotguns: Single shotgun --> Caravan shotgun --> Lever action shotgun/Sawed-Off Shotgun --> Hunting shotgun --> Riot shotgun
** Explosive launchers: Grenade Rifle --- > Grenade Launcher --- > Rocket Launcher --> Grenade Machine Gun --> Fat Man
** Hand-thrown Explosives: Dynamite --> Frag Grenade --> Pulse Grenade/Incendiary Grenade --> Plasma Grenade --> Holy Frag Grenade
** Proximity/Remote Explosives: Powder Charge --> Frag Mine --> Pulse Mine --> Plasma Mine/C4 Explosives
* ShownTheirWork: "Caesar" is pronounced "kye-zar" and "ave" is pronounced "a-weh", reflecting prevailing academic opinion of ancient Roman pronunciation as opposed to the medieval "Church Latin" pronunciations used today.
** The fluff about the Legion fits both in-universe and in the meta. The Legion features far too many accurate reflections of the Roman Empire's nature to be cooincidental.
*** Most notably the Frumentarii, who play an important role in the plot. They were rather obscure group, virtually nonexistent in any popular media (and even many historical textbooks).
** As mentioned above, the vast number of towns and landmarks that appear in this game (even the starting town) that are closely based off those in real life, if a bit space-compressed.
*** For instance, the Goodsprings General Store and the Prospector Saloon do exist and look exactly as they do in-game (except that it's the Pioneer Saloon). Not exactly general tourist knowledge.
** On the [=AER14=] Prototype Laser Rifle (a unique variant of the basic laser rifle), there is a sticky note on the back: "Focus: 1064nm, 532 nm (SHG), 8.18 pm!!!". It means that it has a primary wavelength of 1064nm (infra-red range), a "[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second-harmonic_generation second harmoinic generation]]" (SHG) that doubles the frequency to a green-wavelength 532 nm., and the 8.18 pm is beam divergence, or how wide the beam gets as it leaves the laser (usually measured in picometers per meter).
* SidetrackedByTheGoldenSaucer:
** The minigame "Caravan", which you can play with other travelers and some merchants. Sure, it may not look like much at first, but in no time you'll be buying every card you see (it's dirt cheap to do so) and swindling people out of absurd amounts of money before you even get to the meat of the main quest. It may look difficult at first, but it's actually fairly easy to win every single game on almost any hand, provided you have a decent-sized deck or a lot of high-number cards.
** "Caravan" is really easy without ever buying additional cards past the default set you are given. Make a deck of the minimum size (30 cards) with 4 each of 6's, 7's, 8's, 9's, 10's, Jacks, Kings, and 2 Queens. Then proceed to win every game assuming you understand the rules. It is also helpful that the AI doesn't seem to understand that face cards can be used to really mess with your opponent's stacks.
*** The last issue has been addressed by a patch. Still easy to win but not as easy as it was.
** DAMN YOU STAR CAPS! I WANT THAT PRIZE! (*Cue stealing every bottle of Sunset Sarsaparilla you can get your hands on*)
** And, of course, you can go to any of the casinos of New Vegas and blow all your money trying to "get lucky" at the slots, the roulette wheel, or the blackjack table - just like in RealLife.
*** Not if you have a half decent luck. If you have a luck of 6 or 7 and are able to increase this through the Naughty Nightwear or Lucky Shades (the latter not being highly recomended), and then hit the blackjack tables, the dealer will be handing out kings, queens, jacks and aces like its going out of style. It'll take you maybe 10 minutes to break all three casinos.
* SillinessSwitch: The "Wild Wasteland" perk adds a number of silly gags and bonus encounters.
* SirSwearsALot: Boxcars is among the most foul-mouthed people in the wasteland. Justifed, because he's been through a lot.
** [[FieryRedhead Cass]] as well.
* SitcomArchNemesis: Depending on how you play the game, [[AffablyEvil Benny]] could be one.
* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism: Idealistic, but less so than previous Fallout games. On the grand scale, civilization is mostly rebuilt. However, the two largest nations are the corrupt and inefficient if progressive New California Republic and the brutal and repressive, yet efficient, Caesar's Legion. Within the city, the Kings and Followers of the Apocalypse are working to help Freeside, while all those with real power are ignoring or exploiting the horrific conditions. The Brotherhood of Steel, present in every Fallout game thus far, are finally dying out as a result of their xenophobia, a stark contrast to the stretched-but-altruistic Brotherhood of Fallout 3.
** In defense of New Vegas' relative idealism, this is the first Fallout game where no one is planning genocide of the human population in general. So there's that.
*** [[spoiler: Or not, as indicated by a NonStandardGameOver in ''Dead Money''.]]
* SmartPeopleKnowLatin: Your character can use Latin phrases in certain trees provided their intelligence is 8 out of 10. The lower ranks of Caesar's Legion seem only to know "vale" and "ave", while a centurion POW you meet seems to be fluent.
* SniperPistol: The [[RevolversAreJustBetter Hunting Revolver]] comes with a scope attatched and is accurate to boot. The .44 magnum and 9mm can also be modded to have a scope.
* SnuffFilm: [[spoiler: Clanden, one of the members of the Omerta faction]] does these, though they're audio tapes rather than video.
* SoLongAndThanksForAllTheGear: A companion exiting the party takes the gear with them. In case of the ED-E retrofit, the gear is lost forever. The only exception is if you complete Arcade Gannon's quest, where he gives you all the gear he was carrying.
* SophisticatedAsHell: Dean Domino.
* SpaceCompression: The RealLife area covered by the Mojave Wasteland is about 10,000 square miles. The in-game version is much smaller. This is most noticable around Hoover Dam and the Colorado, which look alright in-game, but grow by several orders of magnitude when overlaid over the real area.
* SpinAttack: Can be done with some melee weapons, though some requires sufficient melee weapons skill.
** The Ranger Takedown. When used in third-person view, to preform a leg sweep.
* {{Squee}}: Veronica has this reaction when you give her a formal dress.
* TheStarscream: It seems this happens ''a lot'' in the Mojave Wasteland. Cachino wants your help to take over the Omertas, Head Paladin Hardin wants you to help him overthrow Elder [=McNamara=], and while Pacer doesn't particularly want to lead The Kings, he does try to overthrow The King if you succeed in negotiating a peace treaty between The King and NCR. And of course, [[spoiler: there's Benny and his plot to overthrow Mr. House and take over New Vegas. Heck, YOU can be TheStarscream if you work for Mr. House and then starting following the Yes Man questline.]]
* STDImmunity: Averted. Benny remarks at one point that he "doesn't need another 'social disease'.
* TheStoic: Boone.
* StopHelpingMe: Played straight and spoofed with the Stealth Suit Mk II. The suit's AI will remind you, quite often, that your Pip-Boy light is on if you use it. Spoofed when it warns you of incoming hostiles then retracts it as a joke.
* StraightGay: Arcade Gannon, Veronica, and the Courier if the player so desires.
* StuffBlowingUp: The Powder Gangers' WeaponOfChoice is sticks of Dynamite and power charges. Cranked UpToEleven with the Boomers, who venerate anything that goes... well, ''[[ShapedLikeItself boom]]''.
* StupidCrooks: The Freeside Thugs, they seemingly do not understand the stupidity of luring someone in Power Armor and carrying a Machine Gun into a 'trap' they set, when all they have is just pool cues and meat cleavers.
* SuicidalOverconfidence: Tying in with the above, some people are just too self-confident for their own good. Special mention goes to [=Caleb McCaffery=], who you have to find for the Debt Collector quest. He is easily the most unjustifiably arrogant man in the entire Mojave Wasteland. Yeah buddy, you're really such a bad-ass that you can take the Power Armor-wearing, Plasma Caster-packing celebrity who people publically know [[spoiler:killed Caesar himself]] armed with only a low-level shotgun. Even pacifist players will have a hard time fighting the urge to paint the sidewalk with this guy's brains.
** The Fiends, Powder Gangers, Vipers, and Jackals, just like the raiders of Fallout 3, seemingly do not understand that the OneManArmy with the [[PoweredArmor Power Armor]] and [[GatlingGood Minigun]] is not the best person to mug. Justified with the [[StupidEvil Fiends]], who are all insane drug addicts, and NCR military police (provided you massacred one of the casinos) due to, er, having some pull with the NCR, but the Powder Gangers have no excuse.
** This is actually built into New Vegas and Fallout 3's game engine; every enemy has a "confidence" attribute as part of their programming- the highest level means an enemy will never avoid a fight, with the ones right below that not offering them much better chances.
* SuicidePact: [[spoiler:How the last surviving inhabitants of Vault 11 decided to go out after discovering the very uncomfortable truth about their vault. Interestingly enough, despite the security recording of the suicide has five voices speaking, only four skeletons are found near the entrance, suggesting that the person holding the gun had second thoughts.]]
* SuperPrototype: The Q-35 Matter Modulator has several superiorities in comparison to its more production-rate plasma rifle brethren: a higher crit chance, higher crit damage, faster rate of fire, less ammo used per shot, and faster projectiles.
* SurvivalHorror: The ''Dead Money'' DLC in spades. You go around travelling with companions solving puzzles and fighting abominations in hazmat suits and gas masks that wield knives, spears and bombs. Ammo is limited, you have to search hard to find the best weapons, and medical supplies are very scarce, so you have to not lose a lot of health. The "climax" of the first portion of the DLC is this - you must fight your way, badly wounded, through hordes of Ghost People, to the Casino.
* SuspiciouslySpecificDenial: After Arcade gives you his opinion on where to direct the power from Helios One, you can agree with him straight off. He evidently doesn't expect it.
-->'''Arcade:''' Great. Glad we're on the same page. I mean, I didn't expect that you'd want to... activate the [[KillSat super weapon]] or anything. Heh.
* TakeThat: When you are researching weird NCR broadcasts, you can ask one ranger station about reports of [[FalloutTactics domesticated Deathclaws]] and they reject it out of hand as impossible.
** A response to a rather inbred question asker in J.E. Sawyer's talk page:
--->''Who's the homo that insisted on being so heavy handed with the gay dialogue and references in the game?''\\
''Alarm at the presence of homosexual dialogue topics is pretty interesting considering [[DiggingYourselfDeeper the majority of them only appear if you voluntarily take a perk that identifies your character as homosexual.]]''
** In-game example in Old World Blues. Dr. 0 made Muggy, a tiny, neurotic Securitron obsessed with coffee mugs as a cheap joke at the expense of Mr. House, who he hates.
* TakeAThirdOption:
** Don't like NCR or the Legion? Go to work for Mr. House, or anyone ''not'' those three! Or, if you don't like them either, take over, yourself! [[spoiler: Warning: Side-effects may include future backstabbing. Consult your doctor before use.]]
** In ''Honest Hearts'', [[spoiler:you are faced with the choice of either evacuating Zion or brutally eradicating the White Legs. Both options lead to {{Bittersweet Ending}}s. However, if you choose to eradicate the White Legs and convince Joshua to spare Salt-Upon-Wounds, you get a slightly happier (albeit still quite bittersweet) ending.]]
* TakeYourTime: No matter how urgent the quest giver's language, you can leave and circle the map a few times and pick up where you left off. The only exception is the President's visit, which will run according to scripted schedule.
* TalkingTheMonsterToDeath: Diplomacy (and judicious use of seductive perks like Black Widow or Confirmed Bachelor) can open as many doors for you as a lock pick or a hacked computer terminal. The speech stat still reigns king, however - if you're lucky, you can pass a speech check that doesn't require speech ''or'' barter, such as using your intelligence, explosives, et cetera rating instead. Passing speech checks is no longer percentive, either.
** ''New Vegas'' continues the ''Fallout'' tradition of [[spoiler: giving a high Speech character the opportunity to win the inevitable endgame confrontation with diplomacy rather than firepower.]]
*** It then turns this option into the ultimate InfinityPlusOneSword in story terms. [[spoiler: Killing Caesar and Lanius simply sends Caesar's Legion into mayhem, fracturing the group and pretty much ensuring that their methods get adopted by dozens of Caesar-wannabes. If Caesar dies or is allowed to die, and Lanius is defeated but talked into leaving, a much different ending occurs. Lanius has been foreshadowed to be a brutal warrior and capable general, but no politician, and without Caesar's charisma backing him, his plan to retake Hoover leaves him oblivious to the fact he lacks Caesar's leadership ability. The Legion still causes problems in the short term, but gradually dissolves as individual outposts realize it never could have lasted without Caesar or someone like him at its head.]]
* TalkingToHimself: Pretty much inevitable in a game where all dialogue is voiced, and there is a huge cast of generic [=NPCs=]. It becomes especially noticeable, however, when the actor in question has a distinctive "neutral" voice. Take the four male Remnants, for example, as three of them are voiced by Peter Renaday.
* TechnicalPacifist: O'Hanrahan, one of the misfits. His squadmates think he is a coward, though if you did follow his advice on squad improvements, he has no problem kicking legionaries' asses in the final battle. According to him, the behavior is because of his upbringing: he was always very phsyically strong, and his mother told him something to the extent of "with great power comes great responsibility," which he readily took to heart.
** Daniel in 'Honest Hearts', though he is close to being an ActualPacifist. He has no desire to attack the White Legs (nor does he), but is fully capable and willing to kill any that try and sneak into the Sorrows encampment.
* TeleportingKeycardSquad: Used in some areas, most notably Vault 34. All of the DLC use this a lot - reaching an objective site or picking up supplies will often spawn a formidable ambush behind you.
* TemptingFate: One too-proud-for-his-own-good NPC just doesn't know how to take the hint.
-->'''[[spoiler:General Oliver]]:''' If our situations were reversed, [[WhatAnIdiot I'd see you hang.]]\\
'''Courier:''' [[spoiler: I see. Yes Man, would you please throw the General off of the Hoover Dam?]]
* ThereAreNoTherapists: Thoroughly averted. Standard medical training seems to include psychiatry in the Mojave - Doc Mitchell gives you a mental health examination, the Followers of the Apocalypse help with the mental health of the people they care for (one of their biggest jobs in Freeside is helping addicts), Lt. Markland at Bitter Springs asks you to find psychology textbooks to help him help the refugees, and your character's own medical skill allows some dialogue options in which you diagnose mental trauma or disease. The Auto-Doc in ''Old World Blues'' can also give you a one time psych exam (read: A second chance to pick your traits).
* ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill: One of the ''GRA'' challenges takes this to its logical conclusion. You are tasked with killing twenty non-mutated animals (dogs, coyotes) with ''mini-nukes''. This is the only challenge where killing yourself by mistake is more of a concern than the threat your enemy poses (which is to say, none whatsoever).
* TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon: The Divide acts as this for the {{DLC}}. It's an uninhabitable (even by wasteland standards) stretch of ruin, filled with radiation, windstorms, and scattered nuclear warheads. It's populated by [[DemonicSpiders Deathclaws]], Tunnelers (innumerable subterranean creatures ''that can kill Deathclaws''), and crazed [[BodyHorror skinless]] Marked Men armed with the various military weapons scattered all over the place. And worst of all, [[spoiler:it is home to [=ICBMs=] that are still alive and about to be launched]].
* TitleDrop: Three out of four [=DLCs=] have them.
** The Dead Money Jumpsuit and Dead Money Collar from ''Dead Money.''
** ''Old World Blues'' has a quest of that name, and the jukebox in your room is willing to explain the expression (focusing on the glory lost during the apocalypse, rather than hope for the future).
** The Lonesome Road Perk granted at the end of ''Lonesome Road.''
* TokenGoodTeammate: A good karma Courier can be this if working for the Legion.
* TooAwesomeToUse: The Fatman, which has less than 20 mini nukes to use in the ENTIRE game, at least until GRA came out and added more to purchase and new variants. The three Holy Frag Grenades which are even more powerful than the Fatman can only be obtained in a special encounter. And the Alien Blaster, a ridiculously powerful energy pistol that comes with a limited supply of ammo that you only get once. And any weapon that uses the devastating yet rare .44 magnum rounds.
** [[AvertedTrope With the addition of ammo crafting at sufficiently high levels, you can make your own .44 magnum rounds by breaking down your less useful bullets]]. Not so with the alien energy ammo or the mini nukes, though.
** Turbo. It puts everything around you into BulletTime, causing enemies to move and attack ridiculously slowly while you continue to fight at normal speed, rendering even the Legendary Deathclaw a sitting duck for its duration. Unfortunately, there's only a handful that can be found or bought right off the bat, and to get any more than that you have to learn an extremely rare crafting recipe that requires you to hunt Cazadores (one of the hardest enemies in the game) for ingredients. The only other option is the Implant GRX perk in ''Old World Blues''.
** Nuka-Cola Quartz and Nuka-Cola Victory; they're about as close to Infinity Plus One Food as you can get (The former gives you night vision and a DT boost, the latter gives you extra action points, and neither have a chance of addiction), but there are only a handful of each scattered about. However, the Nuka Chemist perk lets you craft them both using regular Nuka-Cola, which is plentiful.
** The Proton Inversal Throwing Axes in ''Old World Blues''. There are, at best, around thirty total with random spawning on corpses. You're lucky if you find ten. They are the single most-damaging thrown melee weapon in the game, but there's no way to get more.
* TooDumbToLive: There are a lot of people in this game that would earn a [[DarwinAwards Darwin Award]].
** Mister [=RADical=], who found himself a radiation suit and assumed it made him totally immune to radiation because he couldn't "feel" any radiation in a highly radioactive area. Just in case you don't know how radiation works, you ''don't'' feel it, only its after-effects. Radiation poisoning takes time to develop fully, which incidentally it did for Mister Radical, who passed it off as food poisoning. You find the idiot dead near a radioactive dump site, probably either been killed by his radiation poisoning or by the Golden Geckos inhabiting the place (which is itself TooDumbToLive), and according to a log he had on him, he was preparing to drench himself in a fluid that was so horribly radioactive that, had he done so, it would have killed him and turned everything within a hundred feet of him nightmarishly radioactive in seconds.
** Then there's [[ReturnOfTheLivingDead Trash]], a girl who decided that life as a human sucks, so she'd become a ghoul. How? By exposing herself to excessive amounts of radiation, naturally. She lives in a shack on the southern edge of the map, in an old nuclear test site. How she even got there is a mystery considering it's surrounded by tough-as-nails feral ghouls. Of course, the odds of ghoulification are roughly one in one million, but she assumes its a sure thing, and when you reach the shack where she's staying, she's usually dead (she may spawn alive as a bug). Basically, mixing radiation and idiots are a fatal combination, at least for the idiot.
** Freeside Thugs. They're armed with knives and lead pipes, maybe a sledgehammer at best. They aren't even a threat to you when you enter the city, much less later when you're walking along in PoweredArmor with a sniper rifle that can punch a hole in a tank. To wit, they will attack you and your companions despite the fact that said selection can include a robot attack dog and a Nightkin with a {{BFS}}, among other friends who may not look as threatening but are every bit as dangerous. Not to mention the fact that ''the entire freaking city'' is hostile to them on sight.
** Any of a number of female characters in the game who openly support Caesar's Legion. It's not as if it's a secret what they do to women. Though at least one of said characters was lied to.
** At Goodsprings Source you can find a man named [[spoiler: Barton Thorn]] who claims that his girlfriend is nearby just beyond a nest of Geckos. After you get done massacring them for him it turns out that there is no girlfriend, just corpses and a cache of food and supplies. [[spoiler: Thorn]] then approaches, apologizes for tricking you into clearing the way to the cache, and then tries to kill you because [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness you're of no use anymore.]] It is a severe case of [[TooDumbToLive Darwinitis]] on his part since you have not only just survived being shot - point blank - in the head, you have also just killed a bunch of [[http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Gecko_(Fallout:_New_Vegas) Geckos]]. Vicious, speedy, mutated lizards which generally swarm you in packs of 5-8.
* TookALevelInBadass: The Courier takes several levels of badass over the course of the game, both game levels and in-story levels.
** Do you remember those poor Deathclaws in ''{{Fallout 3}}'' and how easily you could slaughter them after a few levels? Try it with a Deathclaw in THIS game and see how that works out for you.
*** Lampshaded in a player dialog response to someone warning you of the problem. [[TooDumbToLive "I'm not afraid of Deathclaws."]]
* TortureAlwaysWorks: An interrogator constrained by NCR regulations asks the player to rough up a captive for her. The man allowed himself to be captured rather than dying because he was confident that he could withstand any torture, a pride he could only take if he believed TortureAlwaysWorks in the first place. Of course, he cracks under sufficient brutality. Averted, however, if you opt for psychology rather than punching.
* ToThePain: The Terrifying Presence perk is pretty much based around this. It causes NPCs to flee for a little while after you make scary threats like "I'll carve myself a knife out of your bones."
* TrainingThePeacefulVillagers: One of the options at the end of the Honest Hearts DLC. [[spoiler: It's Deconstructed; having learned to fight, they're not peaceful anymore, so they spend the next couple decades warring with former allies. However, sparing Salt-Upon-Wounds leads to them being more merciful.]]
* TrialBalloonQuestion: Veronica.
* TribalFacePaint: In the Honest Hearts DLC, one of the two tribes of Zion Canyon, known as the Dead Horses, has a custom where members earn a facial or body tattoo for every major achievement they accomplish.
* TropersDoItWithoutNotability: One of the graffito on the loading screen says, "Powder Gangers do it with a BANG!" [[StuffBlowingUp They ain't lying]].
* TheUnintelligible:
** [[GentleGiant Mean]] [[NonindicativeName Sonofabitch]], on account of having his tongue cut out. Even his voice actor doesn't know what he's saying. One line has him mention "Wesibe" (Westside), and he pronounces it "wes-see-bay".
** Dr. 8 from ''Old World Blues'' can only speak in static and scrambled audio.
* UndefeatableLittleVillage: Goodsprings is one of these, if you decide to help them drive away the Powder Gangers.
* UniversalPoison: Played straight in the main game, as the generic item "antivemom" will cure you instantly, whether it be a simple radscorpion sting or a nasty Cazador attack. Averted in the ''Honest Hearts'' DLC, where the local poisonous plants have their own type of antivenom.
** On the other hand, the effects themselves differ wildly by toxin source.
* VendorTrash: Much of the Misc Item category is this. None are immediately useful like ammo, weapons, apparel, or aid items. Many can be used as crafting items. You can even make your own vendor trash in the form of tanned hides, which makes them much more valuable (especially the tanned golden gecko hide).
** The ''Old World Blues'' DLC does its level best to subvert this. The personality constructs in the Sink can break down completely worthless items and turn them into incredibly useful crafting material. The Book Chute can turn pencils and clipboards into scrap metal and duct tape weighing ''twice'' as much as the materials you recycled, Muggy turns worthless dishes into valuable gun materials, and the Biological Research Station turns plants you don't use into a generic slop which can be converted into the kinds of plants you do. The whole place is a hoarder's wet dream.
* VideoGameCaringPotential: [[spoiler:Benny, the man that shot you in the head and left you for dead in Goodsprings is captured by Caesar's Legion. You can order his brutal death, [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming or you can help him escape his predicament, even after everything he's done to you...]]]]
* VideoGameCrueltyPotential: [[spoiler:...But if you want to kill him, there's always a nice cross you can strap him to. You can also smuggle a pistol into Caesar's tent and shoot him in the head for PoeticJustice, but it takes around 15 shots and he keeps yelling "Damn!" while all the guards become antsy at your having produced a gun.]]
** Those Deathclaws mentioned earlier, and how terrible they are? [[spoiler: They can't figure out how to jump and climb. The quarry you find them in has cranes and conveyer inclines you can climb on, and the deathclaws will literally run around like headless chickens. You will feel terrible killing the babies.]]
** If you'd like to blast at your comrades' kneecaps so they have to limp on broken legs across the Wasteland, sell them to cannibals, sell them to slavers, or bring them along and make them watch as you usher those they hate to new heights of power and influence over the helpless people of the wastes, New Vegas has you covered. There is plenty of opportunity for depravity, if that's your thing...
* VideoGameCrueltyPunishment: ...until you find out exactly what happens if the people of the wasteland decide you're too cruel.
* VillainWithGoodPublicity: The Courier can be one if you decide to work for Caesar's Legion while simultaneously keeping the NCR (and most of the other neutral and good factions) happy and unaware of your plans to stab them in the back when the time comes. In fact, it's probably for the best to play the game this way if you decide to work for Caesar since a good chunk of the quests in this game come from the NCR.
* [[VivaLasVegas Viva New Vegas]]
* TheVoiceless: Christine from the Dead Money DLC, due an Auto-Doc [[HighOctaneNightmareFuel malfunctioning and cutting her vocal chords out.]] [[spoiler: [[IGotBetter She gets better]] near the end, though.]]
** [[spoiler: Not so much voiceless and not so much a malfunction. [[HighOctaneNightmareFuel Which only makes it worse.]] ]]
* VomitIndiscretionShot: A few NCR soldiers on leave in the Strip can display these.
* WalkingTechbane: Dr. 0 of the Think Tank takes pride in his ability to [[ExpospeakGag nullify, deconstruct or otherwise neutralise]] any machine. Extra ironic, considering that he himself is a cyborg. Unsurprisingly, he despises Mr. House.
* WarriorTherapist: The Courier's companions all have baggage that he can help unload.
** Alternately, the Courier may often end up [[IncrediblyLamePun unloading]] [[VendorTrash baggage]] onto them.
* WeaksauceWeakness: The Pulse Gun and 'Paladin Toaster' fist weapon will OneHitKill almost any robots or anyone in power armor. The Securitron robots, while tough and powerful, have a major weakness in the wheels.
** This aspect of the Pulse Gun being a WeaksauceWeakness is used as an attempt by Veronica to attempt to convince the Elder of the folly of the Brotherhood's slowly self-destructive dogma. It doesn't work...
** Cazadores and Deathclaws, the deadliest monsters in the game, can be easily circle-strafed to death after crippling one of their wings/legs, respectively.
* WeirdnessMagnet: The effect of the "Wild Wasteland" trait. Chris Avellone outright used the title of this trope to describe it.
* WelcomeToCorneria: Patrolling the Mojave almost makes you wish for a Nuclear Winter.
** When I got this assignment, I thought there'd be more gambling...
** If you were enlisted, you'd be halfway to General by now.
** Ave, true to Caesar.
** "MURDERER!!!": Shouted by an NPC if you kill another NPC of the same faction nearby. Which in most cases is perfectly appropriate, but in the case of the [[ForTheEvulz Powder Gangers]], it just sounds ironic.
** '''RETRIBUTION!'''
* WhamEpisode: Vault 11. [[PennyArcade The Vaults were never meant to save anyone]], [[{{Tearjerker}} and this is the Vault that proves it...]]
* [[WhatHappenedToTheMouse What Happened To The Abominations]]: Lonesome Road features the Tunnelers, mutated humanoids that can tear apart Deathclaws. Ulysses mentions that they're slowly tunneling their way towards the Mojave, which would be utterly screwed when packs of super-strong abominations pop out of the ground without warning. And yet you can do absolutely nothing about this, and its never mentioned again.
* WhatMeasureIsANonHuman: Aside from the ghoul and mutant companions in game, you also have Victor, [[NinjaPirateRobotZombie a robot who think he's a cowboy.]]
* WhatTheHellHero: You will get a small one from the narrator if you get the Legion ending with good karma, or the NCR ending with evil karma.
** The Great Khans will not shy away to tell the player that you're traveling with a fucking murderer if Boone is your companion.
** [[spoiler: Mr. House]] certainly tries this on you when you kill him, and [[spoiler:the obituary he leaves in your notes]] just rubs it in further. Whether or not [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone you agree]] or [[ShutUpHannibal not]] depends on your personal beliefs, of course.
*** And whether or not you finish reading the obituary [[IsThisThingStillOn to the very end]].
** If you go through the pains and labors of convincing Boone to reconcile with his past only to bail on him at the last second, he will give you one of these.
* WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue: As per the tradition of the original Fallout games, you get an epilogue informing you what happened to all the settlements you visited and the companions that you had depending on your actions. Some are [[EarnYourHappyEnding nice]], some are [[BittersweetEnding bittersweet]], and some are [[DownerEnding just nasty]].
* WhiteHairedPrettyGirl: Ranger Ghost under her hat.
* WhiteMaskOfDoom: The White Gloves Society. Of course this is obviously also [[DressingAsTheEnemy their weakness]].
* WholePlotReference: To ''TheTreasureOfTheSierraMadre'' in ''Dead Money.''
* WickedCultured: Caesar, the Legion's intelligent and charismatic leader. He is a talented anthropologist, linguists, and historian that speaks fluent Latin and knows all about both pre-war and post-war history. In his free time he like to read and debate about political science and philosophy with other educated people. Did we forgot to mention that he is also the founder and leader of a faction of imperialistic slavers that kills the weak, enslaves woman and children, and engages in war crimes?
* WildCard: You. Potentially you could side with the Legion, NCR, Mr. House or with nobody but yourself. The game lampshades this by labeling a specific set of quests "Wild Card."
* WolverinePublicity: The Ranger Combat Armor, which is featured on the cover, title screen, and intro, and can otherwise hardly be found anywhere in-game until near the end. Recent patches, however, have aleviated this somewhat and made it available earlier and more easily.
* TheWorfEffect:
** The Powder Gangers are a major enemy in the area of the Mojave where you start. At Nipton, you learn that they are no match for the Legion.
** In ''Lonesome Road'', the first Tunneler you see kills a deathclaw.
*** Admittedly, with the Living Anatomy perk and a quick hand in V.A.T.S., you can see it only has 35 HP... but it's the thought that counts.
* AWorldHalfFull: Unlike the Capital Wasteland, the Mojave Wasteland has very few abandoned or destroyed buildings in it, with most of them being just outside the New Vegas strip. Even then, most of them are boarded up and inaccessible. Civilization is firmly in control at this point and most peoples' lives don't revolve around struggling to survive. The Mojave feels more like it has returned to the wild west and less like a hopeless irrecoverable hellhole. (Then again, the Wild West is still a wasteland, and even the good endings are going to lead to someone suffering.)
** Though the further away you get from Legion or NCR areas the more violence and despair there really is. Most of Utah is considered a horrible place to live, and Raul even says how before the Legion took over Arizona that the the whole state was overrun by raiders and warring towns.
* WorldOfHam: Old World Blues. By Oppenheimer, Old World Blues.
* WorstAid: Sleeping to cure crippled limbs. Possibly [[AcceptableBreakFromReality for convenience]], since Hardcore Mode disables it.
* WorthlessYellowRocks: Inverted: Bottlecaps, once worthless, are now the currency of the wasteland, so when you find a cache full of them, it's an unexpected good reward.
** The most valuable (currency-wise) item in the game are gold bars from the ''Dead Money'' DLC. However, they weigh 35 pounds and most vendors don't have over 10000 caps on them at a time. On the plus side, if you can manage to drag out the entire set, you could purchase the entire inventories of the Gun Runners and Van Graffs and still have leftover change.
* YesButWhatDoesZataproximetacineDO: Sunset Sarssparilla apparently has a long list of "side effects". You have to ask Festus three times before he'll even tell you them.
* YouAndWhatArmy: [[spoiler: Two of the four endings (Mr. House and Wild Card) play out in this manner.]]
** One of the quests even lampshades it in the title.
* YouBastard: Cass is one of the few who calls the Courier out for consistent enough bastardry to earn bad karma.
* YouHaveFailedMe: The story behind the Burned Man.
* YouHaveResearchedBreathing:
** The Great Khans can teach you how to throw a handful of sand in an opponent's face.
** You need training from the Brotherhood [[spoiler:or the Enclave]] in order to figure out how to wear PowerArmor. The courier is the only character in the game who requires this training.
** Old World Blues requires you to find two holotapes in order to fill a bottle of water from a sink.
* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: [[spoiler: Barton Thorn]] in Goodsprings Source, he should know better. [[spoiler: Logan, a mercenary, tries to pull this off on you after you help him and his crew find a few items at Camp Searchlight. It doesn't go well for them.]]
** Caesar's Legion is ''really'' fond of this trope, to the point that with a high enough Speech skill you can convince some of the Legion's allies to abandon them by pointing out the FridgeLogic of working for someone who's obviously going to kill or enslave you as soon as they win.
** The leadership of the Omertas comes down to those who drug and enslave prostitutes, or those who "only" physically abuse them. Or you can [[TakeAThirdOption wait until they turn their backs after they trust you.]]
** Logan and his group of prospectors. They enlist you to help them acquire some radiation suits and scavenge Camp Searchlight. Once everything of value has been found, they then try to kill you.
** Elijah in ''Dead Money''. Though he leaves the decision of whether your former comrades live or not up to you, he encourages you to kill them once they become of no further use.
* YourHeadAsplode: Often if you always aim for the head. Subverted in one quest where you are instructed to score no headshots on the bounties since their heads are required as a proof. The First Recon squad that are sent to help you kill Driver Nephi seemingly does not listen to this and occasionally headshots him.
** In ''Dead Money'', if you hear a beeping coming from your collar, '''''move it'''''.
* YourMoneyIsNoGoodHere: There are four types of currencies: standard caps, NCR money, Pre-War Money and Caesar's Legion coins. The trope is subverted, however, because everyone, even the Legion, generally pay you in caps because it's the only currency the Mojave actually cares about. Vendors have set exchange rates for the non-standard currencies, but everything is measured in caps.
** Another case of ShownTheirWork. During the American Civil War, the western territories typically disdained paper money, since it was backed by one of three nations that wasn't guaranteed to survive much longer (and indeed, the Confederacy and Mexican governments did not).
** Although the NCR claims they're trying to introduce their currency to supersede the Bottle Cap, [[AdamSmithHatesYourGuts their own damn merchants won't let you use them as tender!]] You learn the reason why later: the Brotherhood of Steel blew up their gold deposits, which not only makes distribution of coinage impossible but also severely devalues their recently-introduced paper currency. Also likely further exacerbated by the fact that the war with the Legion isn't going well, and that the NCR is running out of money and resources.
** Pre-War Money ''should'' be worthless by now, as the United States government [[MythBusters went away]]. It's still in limited use throughout the Mojave; this is probably a mix of value as a collector's item, the fact that it was very hard to counterfeit pre-war and impossible post-war, and the fact that Mr. House - and therefore New Vegas - still accepts it.
*** And it makes good toilet paper...
** Legion money, on the other hand, is actually valued higher than caps because it's made of precious metals. It can also be combined with shotgun shells to form coin shot, which [[BallisticDiscount is a currency accepted ''everywhere''.]]
*** One unit (coin) has more worth than any other currency's base unit but that doesn't make the currency more valuable per se. It suffers from the same "drawback" as NCR$ : you cannot use it directly, only exchange it for caps at a price. Of course, they exchange it freely, meaning you don't lose money exchanging currency.
** In Dead Money, you can't get any caps; instead, you use Sierra Madre chips (for vending machines) and Pre-War Money (for holographic vendors). Justified in that the Sierra Madre runs on old world equipment, and that the chips themselves are [[MatterReplicator actually transmuted by the vending machine]] into the goods that you purchase.
* YourPrincessIsInAnotherCastle: [[spoiler:Well done! You've finally tracked down Benny and recovered the Platinum Chip! Now all that's left is to deliver it to House and...wait, is that an NCR Trooper? Huh? The NCR Ambassador wants to talk to you? Well, ok, but...OhCrap, Vulpes Inculta?! Wait, he's not hostile, but he says ''Caesar'' wants to talk to you. And what's with the Securitron with the goofy face in Benny's suite who seems to want to talk to you...?]]
* {{Zeerust}}: Obviously.
* ZombieApocalypse: [[spoiler:Vault 22: turns out, they were using a fungus that infected vermin and pests and forced it to kill its own before dying, as pest control. Unfortunately, it spread to the human population.]]
** And Vault 34, a vault that, only a short time ago, experienced a critical reactor leak, turning more than half the residents into feral ghouls and promptly killed anyone who wasn't killed by the radiation [[spoiler: or haven't already left to the Nellis Air Force Base]].
** The Ghost People were all residents or guests in the area of the Sierra Madre Casino. [[GoneHorriblyRight It turns out those Hazmat suits worked too well...]]
** The Marked Men are what's left of the Legionaries and Troopers who were stationed in the Divide. [[CameBackWrong They changed.]]
----
to:
** The Jury Rigging perk. On paper, it seems like a fairly useful skill. You can repair weapons with other weapons of the same type. In practice, players who hoard weapons and armor now have the means to repair all their top-shelf gear with garden variety junk. Combine this with a good barter skill and all that top-shelf gear, most of which you will never use, sells for ''hundreds of thousands of caps''. You can buy every unique weapon in the ''Gun Runners' Arsenal'' DLC (which cost on average ''15,000 caps each'') and still have more (potential) money than you could ever possibly spend.
* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: Legate Lanius is a MadeOfIron murder machine [[spoiler:and serves as the game's "final boss" for every non-Legion ending path.]] Averted with the NCR President Kimball and General Oliver, and even Caesar himself, who are all bog standard humans that go down after a couple decent headshots. Also a case of AsskickingEqualsAuthority, as Lanius got the job as Caesar's right hand man by singlehandedly killing off his entire former tribe in combat.
** ''Marcus!''. He has as much health as a [[KingMook deathclaw alpha]], and his punches do as much damage as one too!
** [[LargeHamRadio Tabitha]], [[EverythingsDeaderWithZombies the Vault 34 Overseer]], [[HumanoidAliens the Alien Captain]], and [[CompleteMonster Jean-Baptiste Cutting]] are all quite tough, each of them being a fairly worthy boss encounter.
** Joshua Graham, the legendary Burned Man, is equipped with a [[CoolGuns powerful customized Colt .45 pistol]] and, despite only wearing a light kevlar vest for armor, has a DT of 50! For comparison, a full suit of the best PoweredArmor in the game grants a total DT of 36. He pretty much laughs off anything short of direct headshots from the best firearms in the game.
** Salt-Upon-Wounds, the leader of the White Legs and "final boss" of the DLC, is no slouch himself. He has more health and armor than a Deathclaw Alpha, and is armed with a custom Power Fist. Graham pretty much curbstomps him, though.
* AnAxeToGrind: A few of them, especially the fire axe.
** Throw in some RuleOfCool and technobabble, and you get the Protonic Inversal Axe.
%% just making a soft alphabetic split here
* {{Badass}}: This is Fallout. There's... [[WorldOfBadass quite a few]]. Aside from the main characters, the main factions' top-tier [=NPCs=] get a special mention:
** NCR Veteran Rangers wear dusters over riot gear, and are armed with either a revolver that shoots rifle rounds, the best lever-rifle in the game, or a .50 sniper rifle.
** Legion praetorians, meanwhile, [[RuleOfCool sport sunglasses and shotgun fists]].
** A single MK II Securitron essentially has more firepower than an entire platoon of NCR troopers. Armed to the teeth with an SMG, Gatling Laser, missiles, Grenade Machine Gun, self-repair, AND the kitchen sink.
** Legate Lanius. In the G.E.C.K he even has the unique class "Legionary Bad Ass."
** The Courier before the game even starts. His journey started at the Mojave Express in Primm, South of Goodsprings. Most people who have been working as couriers for a while should notice the local wildlife, and as many people discovered, there are Cazadores north of Goodsprings. The Courier's route would have led straight through the swarm if he/she hadn't been shot. Planning to go through a swarm of Cazadores is either badass or TooDumbToLive.
*** Especially when we consider that unless the player not only preordered, but preordered from one of the four retailers whose copies came with an exclusive content pack, said courier was planning on walking through a swarm of Cazadores and close to a group of raiders armed with nothing but a 9mm pistol or laser pistol (if Doc Mitchell truly returned everything he found on you).
** Ulysses braved the entirety of the Divide, on foot, alone, just to lay an elaborate trap.
* BadassBoast: The Terrifying Presence perk gives you a few of these. Sometimes they're just something cool to say before you kill someone, other times they're [[ToThePain vivid descriptions of what you're going to do]] to your enemies. But they're all so invariably badass that you can say them unarmed in your underwear, and they'll make fully equipped Brotherhood Of Steel Paladins run screaming from you.
* BadassBystander: The entire town of [[WretchedHive Nipton]] fell to the Legion with hardly any resistance... then you come across this one solitary house complete with landmines, rigged shotguns, a cage ''full of man-eating scorpions'' and in which every single drawer and cabinet is locked - making him smarter that about 90% of the Mojave residents. If the corpses littering the floor are any indication, this guy did ''not'' come quietly. Read some of his documents and you will find that he was a severely paranoid guy, who was convinced that everybody in the town was trying to sniff out and [[ShoutOut steal his]] [[DrStrangelove "Vital Essence"]].
* BadassGrandpa: "Cannibal" Johnson got his nickname from an incident where, outnumbered by Raiders and with his back to the wall, he ''tore out a Raider's heart and took a bite out of it,'' hoping to scare the others off. It worked. Incidentally, the Raiders in question were half his age.
* BadassLongcoat: The NCR Ranger combat armor; it's the armor shown on the cover, also worn by the sniper at the wall around the Strip in the intro. Later [=DLCs=] add the Desert Ranger Combat Armor and the Elite Riot Gear, each Longcoat more Badass than the last.
** The Lonesome Road graces us with, not only the Courier's Duster, but [[spoiler: Ulysses' unique variant, with the tattered flag of the USA on the back]], which you naturally receive after the big finish. Goes quite nicely with Old Glory, a wooden staff capped with a golden metal eagle.
* BallisticDiscount: Can be done of course, but many traders and shopkeepers are usually heavily armed themselves as well as having guards and the risk of making the whole town hostile. The Silver Rush is the epitome of this, as they have half-a-dozen guards and one boss character guarding the shopkeeper. Keep in mind that the merchants' inventory and money gets replenished every few days, so killing may be a bad idea for a different reason.
** The Gun Runners take particular precautions in this regard - they built their reinforced, permanent sales booth ''around'' the Protectron who serves as their sales clerk.
* BastardUnderstudy: Benny tries to be this to Mr. House. [[spoiler:You can be one to House as well, and succeed where Benny failed]]
* BeamSpam: Gatling Laser (again), and the smaller Laser RCW, which is basically a WorldWar2 Thompson submachine gun that shoots FrickinLaserBeams.
* TheBeastmaster: The Animal Friend perk is upgraded again from ''Fallout 3''; this time it will also cause domesticated animals to fight with you, or even turn against their masters to help you.
* BeefGate: Used liberally in the beginning. The two north roads to Vegas lead you right into Cazadores and Deathclaws, the latter of which has twice as much health as a standard Deathclaw. To the south, straying from the road is a good way to get giant Radscorpions on your tail, and those things are hard to kill in the early game. It's a good sign that if something manages to kill you in two hits while anything you currently have can't inflict a single scratch in return, you should probably not be in that area yet. On the plus side, limiting specific monsters to specific ecological regions avoids the "anything can pop up anywhere" problem seen in ''Fallout 3'', where you'd have Deathclaws showing up just outside the walls of major settlements once your character reached a high-enough level.
** Also, the final battle. To be user-friendly, most action games with open-world or RPG elements (including ''{{Fallout 3}}'') have a final boss that is killable by the weakest possible player character that can reach the end of the game. This is not one of those games.
* BeingGoodSucks: Almost all of the Followers of the Apocalypse endings [[spoiler: has them taking on more responsibility than they can handle or being screwed outright. One of the only ''"good"'' endings, ironically enough, is an ending which Caesar lives. [[PetTheDog He spares their lives and lets them leave the Mojave Wasteland peacefully out of respect, as they had taught him as a boy]].]]
** In another ending, [[spoiler: if Followers support the NCR and you choose to end the game by siding with the NCR, Old Mormon Fort expanded its services and is able to aid more people, becoming a refuge for the less fortunate citizens of New Vegas.]] It is not as bad as the other endings for the Followers.
** Subverted with the Courier; even though EvilIsEasy, so much good karma is rewarded for winning unavoidable fights with evil enemies that no matter how much you [[HeroicSociopath kill]] and [[KleptomaniacHero steal]], you'll almost always be seen as a saint.
** Also played straight in the Honest Hearts DLC. [[spoiler: No matter which ending you choose, Daniel will still get the short end of the stick.]] Sure, sometimes it's only as bad as missing the paradise-that-could-have-been Zion, but it's ''very'' easy to make "good" decisions that cause him trouble.
* BerserkButton: [[{{Badass}} Boone]] ''hates'' the Legion, and for very good reason. It's impossible to get the Legion ending with him as a companion because he murders every single Legionnaire you come across.
** Technically, you CAN get the Legion ending if you have him as a companion... As long as you only kill legionaries ''before'' entering the Tops casino and getting the Mark of Caesar. As to this, it is perfectly possible to get him as a companion, complete his companion quest (which itself involves killing legionaries and is obtained similarily) and then dump him afterward to support Caesar right after getting the Mark from Vulpes. Boone has specific legion endings programmed into the game for a reason.
* BestServedCold: [[spoiler:Dean Domino]] of ''Dead Money'' is a firm believer in this. If you try to get the better of him in your first meeting (by beating him in a Barter check,) he'll patiently wait until the circumstances favour him again before stabbing you in the back.
* BettingMiniGame: As expected of a game with [[VivaLasVegas Vegas]] in the title; the game has a grand total of five casinos you can play in (and a few more you can't), each with their own theme and win limit. You can also play the Mojave's very own card game, "Caravan," if you're willing to learn the rules.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: The game's most powerful NPC is none other than Primm Slim, the Protectron sheriff robot in the Vikki and Vance Casino, who has more than 2,000 HP at level 30. That's just health, of course. It may take you a while, but he's a dolled-up Protectron and couldn't kill you if he wanted to.
** Yes Man. Oh, how nice and helpful is he. He also has a sadistic streak that comes out in a few lines.
* {{BFG}}: The Heavy Incinerator, Tesla Cannon, Grenade Machinegun, Minigun, Gatling Laser, Plasma Caster, Gauss Rifle, Light Machine Gun (note that 'Light' is a strictly relative term), and Anti-Materiel Rifle. All of them leave nice, chunky messes.
* {{BFS}}:
** The Bumper Sword.
** Lily carries a {{BFS}} made from a Vertibird propeller blade.
** Legate Lanius' {{BFS}}, the Blade of the East. It hurts. A lot.
** Marked Men in the ''Lonesome Road'' DLC may carry imitations of the above weapon called Blades of the West. They hurt. A lot.
* BigDamnGunship: You can see up to two of them in the final battle, provided you do their prerequisites. First one is the Boomers in their B-29 Bomber, the other is the [[spoiler: [[RetiredBadass Enclave]] [[TheAtoner Remnants]] arriving in a Vertibird to kick the ass of your choosing]]. It's even stated that the second one reminded everyone in the Mojave why they had feared the [[spoiler: Enclave]].
* BitchInSheepsClothing: [[spoiler:Jeannie May Crawford]] in Novac.
* BiTheWay: In one of her lines of dialogue, Cass says that once she is drunk enough, she doesn't care who she ends up in bed with whether they be male or female.
** If you try to invite her into your party when it's occupied by someone else (male or female), she says "I'm not in the mood for a threesome...today".
* BittersweetEnding: The best ending you can hope for in ''Honest Hearts'' is [[spoiler:The Sorrows and Dead Horses are safely evacuated from Zion and the White Legs' threat is neutralized [[TalkingTheMonsterToDeath one way]] [[KillEmAll or another]], And Joshua Graham finally makes peace with his inner demons, but Zion itself is lost forever, and Daniel spends the rest of his days wondering if abandoning it was the right decision after all...]]
** The "best case scenarios" for Arcade and Lily qualify big time. For Arcade, [[spoiler:the only endings where he ends up in a somewhat good position are the NCR and Wild Card endings, and even then he ends up somewhat disappointing with the negative aspects of each outcome, but nevertheless resolves to continue helping the Wasteland any way he can]]. As for Lily, her "good" endings either have her [[spoiler:go off to find her grandchildren, who are almost assuredly dead by now, or finally having her mental state stabilized at the cost of the memories of her past.]]
* BlackAndGreyMorality and GreyAndGreyMorality with some occasional [[EvilVersusEvil Black And Black Morality]]: There are no totally, completely good factions in the Fallout universe. There are plenty of pretty much outright evil factions, a ''lot'' of neutral ones, and a few that really are out to make the world a better place, [[WellIntentionedExtremist but even they tend to use rather questionable methods at times.]] The closest you'll probably get to a "good guy" in this game is a Good-aligned PlayerCharacter.
* BlatantLies: Those radioactive barrels you see both here and in Fallout 3? In the REPCONN headquarters, they're "safety barrels", and being buried in the ground is supposed to be totally safe! Some extremist hippy whackos are just lying to you about their radioactivity!
** Quite a few with the Think Tank in ''Old World Blues''.
--> '''Dr. Klein:''' How ''dare'' you! Branial beam ocilation was solely ''my'' discovery! I expressly told you that and deleted all evidence to the contrary!
* BlessedWithSuck[=/=]CursedWithAwesome: The positive and negative effect of the trait ''Wild Wasteland'' is described as "Adds wackier versions of current content."
** There's an example of this [[spoiler: if Arcade gives you his father's Enclave armor]]. He's really proud of it and brags that it will stop almost anything short of a plasma bolt. But due to its associations, wearing it could get you hunted down and killed, or if you're lucky, just thrown in an [=NCR=] jail for a long, long, long time. (Which [[spoiler: is what happens if ''Arcade'' wears it during some of his endings.]]) Uh ... thanks, man? What a ''blessing''. Luckily, StoryAndGameplaySegregation is in full effect if you decide to wear it.
* BlindWithoutEm: The ''Four Eyes'' trait, which gives a bonus to Perception so long as you're wearing glasses. Without them, it's a decrease to Perception. Will become useless later on, since power armor helmets, for obvious reasons, require you to take off your glasses. Again, this is assuming a character is even capable of / willing to wearing power armor helmets.
** Of course, this also poses serious problems; mechanically it reduces your base Perception by 1 and makes every pair of glasses give +2 Perception. Fairly nifty, except that certain perks require moderately high Perception to get, which this perk will more or less lock you out of.
* BlingBlingBang: All of the unique handguns.
* BlownAcrossTheRoom:
** The Gauss Rifle often send the opponent flying for considerable distance. Anyone who's heard the spiel from the drill instructor on the Citadel in MassEffect2 will understand why.
*** Which is a case of DidNotDoResearch in itself. Gauss guns in Fallout shoot micro-caliber ammunition that usually pass through the soft flesh. It is the tremendous hydrostatic shock that makes them so efficient.
** Averted, however, with Armor Piercing rounds...which do a little LESS damage on unarmored opponents than regular rounds BECAUSE of their overpenetration, which is actually TruthInTelevision.
** The Anti-Materiel Rifle can send ''Deathclaws'' flying back with a chest shot. It is not a gun that messes around.
** [[MeaningfulName Pushy]]. If your killing blow is an uppercut, you could easily send them 20 feet up and 30 feet away. If your unarmed is high enough, you can punch them with the force a football player punts a ball.
** Dead Money perk "And Stay Back" grants 10% chance per shotgun shot of throwing the target back. The sawed-off fires 14 buckshot per blast, practically guaranteeing an airborne ragdoll if fired at close range.
** The Fire Axe's special has a knockback effect; chaining the special lets you ''[[BeyondTheImpossible juggle an opponent in the air]]''.
* BombThrowingAnarchists: Averted by the Followers of the Apocalypse who, despite being derided as anarchists by some, arguably are the only "truly good" faction in the game, next to the Kings.
** Played straight by Samuel Cooke, the founder of the Powder Gangers, who was imprisoned by the NCR for being a literal example. The other Powder Gangers are aversions, however, as they are little more than another gang of raiders.
** 'Honest Hearts' introduces the 'Fight the Power!' that gives the bonus in combat with members of 'lawful' factions. It is accompanied by the picture of stereotypical rioter with a scarf on his face and holding Molotov cocktail.
* BookEnds: "War. War never changes."
* BoomerangBigot: One line used by Boomers states that they can take care of that robot problem for you. The same line is used by the robots on the base.
* BonusBoss: The four Legendary monsters. The toughest of them, the Legendary Deathclaw, is by far the most powerful thing in the entire game, with almost as much health as the final boss ''and'' an insanely high armor rating (significantly more than a full suit of the best power armor available!). Like all deathclaws, it is also very, very fast. He also [[OneHitKill one hit kills]] pretty much all but the toughest and most heavily armored of characters. [[DeadpanSnarker Nice knowing you.]]
** ''Old World Blues'' has the [[spoiler:[[LethalJokeCharacter Legendary Bloatfly]]. It's harder to kill than the Legendary Deathclaw and fires insanely powerful plasma bolts at you. When it dies it drops over 50 bloatfly meat and 20+ buffout.]]
** Colonel Royez and Gaius Magnus from post-Lonesome Road, [[spoiler: which appear when you nuke NCR or Legion territory respetively.]] They are two ghouls with utterly insane amounts of health (Capable of withstanding about five Holorifle shots to the face on Normal difficulty without dying), and constantly regenerate health as well. To make it worse, they both have high-end unique armor, one of which ''adds even more health regeneration''.
* BonusDungeon: Up to three are added by ''Lonesome Road,'' the Courier's Mile, the NCR Long 15, and the Legion Dry Wells. The latter two are only accessible if [[spoiler: you decided to nuke them.]]
* BoringButPractical: The Marksman Carbine. Powerful. Durable. Versatile. Ammo-efficient. Completely unspectacular and ugly.
** The Recharger Rifle. You're most likely to find this weapon at the beginning of the game, and it does lower damage than many other energy rifles. However, it makes up for this by being rechargeable, rather than using energy ammo. That's right, it's an energy weapon that has INFINITE AMMO. Kinda makes up for the slight shortage of energy ammo in the game, huh? Becomes useless later when you can regularly find and recharge energy rifle ammo, though.
** The Cowboy Repeater. Cheap to repair and uses powerful magnum ammo instead of rifle. Easy to make ammo, low AP cost, and incredible accuracy can make this a viable weapon for most of the game. As with the Marksman Carbine, the only problem is that it's obviously not full auto.
** Most Guns-type weapons really. This is one reason why many players consider [[KineticWeaponsAreJustBetter guns to be superior than the]] [[AwesomeButImpractical more flashy energy weapons,]] [[KineticWeaponsAreJustBetter even after the latter was made more powerful.]]
** Leg shots. Not as impressive or damaging as a head shot, but they slow down melee enemies significantly if you cripple the legs, and will save your life when you enter Deathclaw territory.
** The Strong Back, Educated, and Rapid Reload perks. They don't do anything flashy, but pay off massively in the long run.
** The simpler crafting recipes. Cooking meat into steaks and converting ammo into the type you need is always useful and worthwhile.
** From Dead Money, the Cosmic Knives. Not only are they easy to find, but you can clean one to give it a massive stat boost. Helps out in the first few quests, when you have almost no ammo or items.
** the Police Pistol. All the other weapons are exotic and powerful, and this is just a bog-standard revolver. However, it hits hard enough to easily dismember Ghosts, and the ammo is everywhere.
** From the Lonesome Road DLC comes the flare gun. Doesn't have the greatest damage, but uses a fairly common ammo type only used by a few other weapons in the entire game, and has the distinct power to SCARE DEATHCLAWS.
* BottleFairy: Cass
* BrainInAJar: The Robobrains. There's also the Think Tanks of Old World Blues, who come with monitors for eyes and a mouth. Amazingly enough, [[spoiler:there's YOUR brain, which you can actually talk to (and [[ScrewYourself come onto]]).]]
* BribingYourWayToVictory: The ''Courier's Stash'' and ''Gun Runners' Arsenal'' DLC, the former moreso than the latter. ''Courier's Stash'' is a compilation of several pre-order bonus packs which gives the player four full item sets at the start of the game, including a bottomless water canteen which reduces the amount of water you need to drink. No matter which set of armor you choose, you're a lot better off than in the vanilla game. ''Gun Runners' Arsenal'' adds a ton of new weapons to be purchased from shops, as well as weapon mods for them. At least these you actually have to buy in-game.
* BrokenAesop: The overall theme of the DLC ''Dead Money'' is how greed can make people unable to let go of their own vices. To illustrate this point, the casino vault is filled with dozens of gold bars that are far too heavy for you to carry to escape alive, proving that even the player must set aside their greed in order to move on. ... Except that with a stealthboy and some very precise timing, it's fully possible to make off with all the gold without a scratch. So in the end the moral is 'you need to let go of your greed, unless you're clever enough to get away scott free'.
* BulletTime: VATS of course. Turbo and the Implant GRX perk will also produce this effect.
* BullyingADragon: Keith, a hustler at the Aerotech business park, gets cornered by Captain Parker after you provide Parker with evidence of Keith's misdeeds. Parker tries to arrest Keith, who resists. Keith then starts taunting Parker about how his wife left him. Which prompts Parker to let fly with his service rifle. Taunting a man armed with a military rifle about his estranged wife... [[TooDumbToLive smooth.]]
* ButchLesbian: Corporal Betsy from Camp [=McCarran=]. Just OneOfTheBoys, though she's been hitting on every woman in the Camp after having been [[spoiler:raped by Cook-Cook. One side-quest is getting her to see a psychologist.]]
* ButForMeItWasTuesday: In the ''Lonesome Road'' DLC, [[spoiler:a single unremarkable package the Courier delivered prior to the start of the game accidently caused the destruction of the Divide, robbing Ulysses of his home, teaching him the power certain individuals hold to radically reshape the world, and sparking off some rather dangerous obsessions. When he tells you what that package did, you can respond that the package was so unremarkable to you, you can't even recall it clearly.]]
%% just making a soft alphabetic split here
* TheCakeIsALie: In ''Old World Blues'', [[spoiler:the Think Tank enlist your help in defeating their enemy, Dr. Mobius, on the promise that they'll let you go once you retrieve your brain and get it back in your skull. In truth, they plan on keeping your brain for themselves, because they need it for their own agenda.]]
* CaneFu: A favourite melee weapon for the White Gloves. While that doesn't sound too dangerous, remember that you have to go in bare-fisted unless you have a high enough sneak skill or can rob the cashier's room without getting caught. If your Unarmed skill is crap, you'll have a hell of a time doing the quest for their casino (the right way, at least).
* CannibalismSuperpower: The player character can literally gain cannibalism superpowers through a [[http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Meat_of_Champions hidden perk]]. [[spoiler:If the player takes the Cannibal perk and then kills and eats Caesar, The King, Mr. House and President Kimball, your character absorbs their greatest strengths. Afterward, you receive a boost to four primary stats for a full minute after committing any act of cannibalism. Given that you have to kill and eat the four most powerful people in the Mojave Wasteland (which will naturally alienate their factions) and Kimball only appears in the second-final plot mission of the game this perk is somewhere in between a BraggingRightsReward and AwesomeButImpractical.]]
* CantGetAwayWithNuthin: If you attack any member of a major faction, the rest will know and you will lose reputation with them for it. They {{Handwave}} it with both sides having a "robust network of informants", but that's a shallow justification when you're killing Legion recruits in the middle of the desert. Strangely averted with the Fiends. So long as you do it in one shot, you can kill one ten feet from the rest and they won't notice. You don't even have to sneak.
** Especially egregious with the faction hit squad spawning. Wipe out the Legion Raid Camp? Caesar will instantly know and teleport a hit squad to immediately retaliate.
* TheCaper: What the Dead Money [=DLC=] is all about.
* CatchPhrase: The Yes Man thinks this trope page is absolutely ''great!'' And he's not just saying that because he has to!
* CattlePunk: The closer you get to big cities, the more it becomes like a gangster flick, but the more rural areas have a definite old west feel to them. What do you expect, it's set in Nevada. Let us count the ways: ''Two'' cowboy robots (Victor and Primm Slim), [[RevolversAreJustBetter prominent revolvers]], cattle barons, extra-big bighorn sheep, moody guitar riffs, a Cowboy perk that makes you better at all things Gunslingers ought to be, a chain gang on the run... and these are all just in the first few hours of the game.
* ChainsawGood: As well as the Ripper, a full-sized chainsaw can be found [[spoiler:in Vault 3, wielded by Motor-Runner, or on high-level Legionaries]]. Thanks to its incredibly high-damage VATS attack (high enough to completely ignore a Ranger's DT and kill him in one hit), it is one of the best weapons for Sneak Attacks in the game. Despite whatever common sense may tell you about using a bulky, awkward and loud weapon for stealth work.
* CharacterDevelopment: [[spoiler: The Enclave Remnants really humanize the faction of [[CardCarryingVillain Card-Carrying Villains]] they were in {{Fallout 2}} and {{Fallout 3}}.]]
* ChekhovsGun: As you're poking around your would-be gravesite in Goodsprings, you'll likely come across a bunch of Distinctive Cigarette Butts, as well as a distinctive lighter off a named Great Khan you can kill in Boulder City. Keep these items, they become useful when convincing Swank to turn on Benny.
** In the ''Old World Blues'' expansion, [[spoiler: the injury you sustained at the ''very beginning'' of the game ends up as one of these. It creates a bit of a "wrinkle" in your brain that caused the Auto-Doc responsible for the brain-extraction process to alter its programming, and keep you sane and lucid after it was done.]]
* CherryTapping: One of the challenges added by ''Gun Runner's Arsenal'' is to kill Deathclaws with the weakest weapons in the game. Of course, it only says ''kill''. There's [[LoopholeAbuse nothing saying]] you can't horribly main them with your top shelf guns, first.
* ChronicBackstabbingDisorder: [[spoiler:Benny has betrayed three people before the game even started, can betray you if you are gullible enough to believe him about talking to you in private at the Tops penthouse, and has the audacity to betray you yet again if you free him from the Fort by running away for good instead of helping you.]]
** Also, the Courier has the capability of betraying not one, not two, but all three factions, murdering all three leaders ([[ImAHumanitarian and possibly even devouring them after he kills them]]), then taking over New Vegas in the resulting power vacuum.
*** And those are just the major factions. You can also get in good with EVERY minor faction in the game, provided you're clever enough not to alienate them by accident, and then, before the final battle, go in and wipe out ALL OF THEM. ICanRuleAlone, indeed...
*** There are also plenty of quests that end with the option to slaughter the people you're helping. Help a group of ghouls get to the rockets, then set them to crash into each other. Help restore power to Helios One, then set the defense system to kill everyone unlucky enough to be standing outside. Promise to cut off access to the sulfur mines under the Vault, then set enough explosives to take down the mines ''and'' the Vault. And then there's that self-destruct button in the Brotherhood of Steel bunker...
*** [[spoiler:And now with the Lonesome Road DLC, you can unleash nuclear missiles upon NCR territory, Legion territory or both of them.]]
* ChurchMilitant: The Mormon Church it seems. According to Graham, learning how to handle a .45 auto is a rite of passage for New Canaanites. However, it's more that they're quite capable of defending themselves rather than being aggressively militant (far from actually). Also, one must remember that, AfterTheEnd, you better damn well know how to kill or live around people that do.
* ClassyCatBurglar: The sneak skill '¡La Fantoma!' depicts one of these on it's cover.
* CloudCuckoolander: Played with; No-Bark Noonan is actually pretty perceptive about strange events that are happening around Novac, and good at looking through people with less-than honest intentions. Too bad he blames them on the Chupacabra and the mole people. [[spoiler: Of course, the mole people are actually real, and he sometimes lays blame on exactly what the problem is but obfuscates it behind his choice of words.]]
** The Think Tank and Doctor Mobius.
** Many of the relatively sane nightkin, such as Lily and Tabitha, qualify as this
* ClusterFBomb: Cass has a delightfully foul mouth, and can't help swearing repeatedly. The game plays with this during her side-quest, while [[spoiler: taking revenge for her ruined caravan]], she states that they'll settle accounts with one group, and then go to the leader of the other group and "make that bitch eat her own hair." When you look in the quest menu, that statement is recorded word for word as your goal for this quest. Some characters have a wonderful way of personalizing their own quests, you know?
--> '''Cass:''' [[CrowningMomentOfFunny "The NCR wants their hands on everything they see. Nobody's dick is that long, not even Long Dick Johnson, and he had a fucking long dick, thus the name."]]
--> '''The Courier''' [[CaptainObvious "Yeah, I kinda guessed that."]]
* ColdBloodedTorture: One torture path available when interrogating Silus is to kill him for your personal pleasure.
* ColdOpening: While the first 3 DLCs start with a narrated slideshow, Lonesome Road skips this in favor of dropping you right into The Divide.
* ColdSniper: Boone. He actually tries to keep you away, believing he's too cold to have a spotter and that it'll end in disaster. If he gets killed (or rendered unconscious), he'll [[EvilLaugh creepily chuckle and say the he knew that you'd be the death of him]].
** Corporal Betsy in Camp [=McCarran=] deconstructs the trope by expressing regret over the job requiring such a cold personality.
*** She also subverts it with her [[spoiler:vulnerability and mental trauma after being raped by Cook-cook.]]
** Ranger Ghost is somewhat of a subversion - she's cold and doesn't regret it, but the other NCR personnel think she's a prick and/or trying too hard.
** Sergeant Bitter Root as well. The other 2 First Recon members, [[ShellShockedVeteran Corporal Sterling]] and [[FarmBoy 10 of Spades]] are quite [[FriendlySniper friendly]] however are not [[ColdSniper cold snipers]].
* CollectionSidequest: The longest mission in the game, by logical extension, involves collecting special "star" bottle caps from bottles of Sunset Sarsaparilla and handing them in to an animatronic cowboy named [[{{Gunsmoke}} Festus]]. There is also a snow globe collection game which nets you caps.
* ColonelBadass: Colonel Cassandra Moore. She commands the garrison at Hoover Dam, within spitting distance of the massive Legion buildup at Fortification Hill. She's built up reputation as a hardass and a GeneralRipper (though justifiable due to the proximity to the Fort). She's had four tours against the Brotherhood of Steel during the NCR's war with them.
* CompetitiveBalance: Every character build has a chance to survive and thrive in the Mojave Wasteland, whether he be a [[MightyGlacier power armor-wearing sledgehammer-wielding maniac]], [[GlassCannon a sneaky thief with a sniper rifle]], or a [[GuileHero smooth talker]], Obsidian has made it possible for you to solve everything the game throws at you.
* TheComputerIsACheatingBastard: NPC characters can reload some slow reload weapons such as Cowboy Repeaters and .357 revolvers as though they are reloaded with magazines or speedloaders. Thankfully, this also applies to followers.
** Nowhere is this more apparent than the game's gambling. NPC card dealers will regularly deal themselves 20s and Blackjack several times in a row when your luck stat is below par. Maxing out your Luck stat allows for the game to cheat in your favour as well.
** The Boomers. The artillery barrage you must run through upon approaching their base is a scripted event, and cannot be avoided in any way or gives any third options besides 'duck and cover'. Stealth won't work, even with Stealth Boys. You can't snipe the spotters, because there aren't any. You can't make them run out of ammo. You can't return fire with the Fat Man. All you can do is run and take cover and wait for the reloading breaks (which, given the number of shells they're shooting per barrage, implies they've got a 20-gun battery firing at you).
*** You can, however, use [[BulletTime Turbo]] to run past them.
* ContinuityNod: This game takes place in the same area as the canon but canceled ''Van Buren'', so plenty of characters and elements in ''New Vegas'' are references to events from that game.
** Fans of ''Fallout'' will soon notice the large number of references to towns from [[{{Fallout1}} ''Fallout 1'']] and [[{{Fallout2}} ''2'']], such as Modoc or the Hub; understandable, since those took place in northern California, not far from Nevada, which is where this game takes place.
** The reason the NCR can't torture [=POWs=] can be traced back to the administration of "President Tandi".
** Who is one of the faces on the [[http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/NCR_dollars NCR currency]], along with [[{{Fallout1}} Seth and Aradesh]].
*** Not just that, but the [[{{Fallout2}} Chosen One]] him/herself is repeatedly referenced.
** Remember [[{{Fallout 2}} the crashed vertibird outside Klamath?]] [[CoolOldLady So does its pilot.]]
** Lily's melee weapon is a large sword made out of a propeller blade taken from the same Vertibird.
** A character makes mention of the mildly terrifying Mr. Bishop of New Reno, who seems more at home in the wasteland than the city. This, presumably, is the son a male Chosen One can have by [[ReallyGetsAround either the wife or daughter]] (canonically the latter) of the head of the Bishop family at the time.
** There are also a surprising amount of references to [[{{Fallout3}} ''Fallout 3'']], both explicitly and thematically:
** Veronica wishes the Brotherhood could help the ordinary people and look at changing the philosophy to fit the changing world they live in. This is basically what the Capital Wasteland [=BoS=] did. She even vaguely refers to this, mentioning that the [=BoS=] has had schisms and breakaway groups in the past (although that could refer to the ''Tactics'' [=BoS=] as well).
*** If you're low of intelligence, when asked about what you think about the Brotherhood of Steel, you can reply something along the lines of them being "giant monsters in power armour that shoot lasers from their eyes."...which is pretty much Liberty Prime in a nutshell.
*** The schism and breakaway part likely references both the Midwestern and Capital Wasteland Brotherhoods... but she continues by mentioning that one chapter even had a small civil war over it, which either references the Capital Wasteland Brotherhood/Outcast conflict or some other conflict we haven't heard about before or since.
** ED-E is [[spoiler: an Enclave eyebot from the airbase in the "Broken Steel" DLC. And was headed to Navarro. He was also the only prototype finished because funds were being pulled to create Hellfire Armor, also from Broken Steel.]]
** The [[spoiler: aliens from the Mothership Zeta DLC]] show up if you have the Wild Wasteland perk.
** Copies of Moira's "Wasteland Survival Guide" are skill books that increase your survival skill.
** Yes Man mentions how nice it would be to stomp the Legion and NCR with a giant robot that shoots lasers out if it's eyes. This is a reference to Liberty Prime.
** Doctor Henry in Jacobstown [[{{Fallout2}} really knows his cyberdogs. He also happens to know a thing or two about mutations.]]
** Remember Marcus, the friendly Super Mutant who helped Chosen One and wound up as mayor of Broken Hills in ''Fallout 2''? He's back.
** The Classic Pack gives you the equipment of both the Vault Dweller and the Chosen One.
** Emily Ortal, a Follower and a native of Arroyo, may reward you with medical supplies for completing a small side quest she gives you. She hopes that they are of no use to you... just like Hakunin, the shaman from when it was still a tribal village, from {{Fallout 2}}. Except a little less cryptically.
** Dog from 'Dead Money' seems to always need orders because he had a master as long as he remembers. Starting with ''The'' Master (the BigBad from ''Fallout'').
*** TheMaster is also mentioned by other Super mutants and Nightkin
** You can get the recipe for the delicious Deathclaw omelet from the great niece of its creator, who somehow got a female Deathclaw to provide a steady supply of eggs in Modoc. Until some stranger came along and "[[GoForTheEye shot it in the eye]]," anyway.
* CoolPlane: The Boomers' B-29 bomber.
* CoolVersusAwesome: The central conflict of the game is basically the [=US=] Army versus the Roman Legions versus Howard Hughes and his robot army versus a OneManArmy.
* CorruptCorporateExecutive: [[spoiler:Alice Mc Lafferty. She made a secret deal with the Van Graffs to eliminate the other trade caravans through any means necessary. Buy them out, kill the owners, it's all good.]]
* {{Courier}}: YOU! As well as the various other couriers that work for the Mojave Express.
* [[WizardNeedsFoodBadly Courier Needs Food Badly]]: In Hardcore Mode, you need to eat, drink, and sleep regularly, or suffer the consequences!
* {{Cowboy}}: One of the perks, which makes you better with [[RevolversAreJustBetter Revolvers]], [[TheWestern Lever action weapons]], [[KnifeNut knives]], [[AnAxeToGrind axes]], and [[DynamiteCandle dynamite]].
* CowboyCop: Meyers, one of the (better) options for Primm's new sheriff, was sent to the NCRCF for "taking the law into his own hands one too many times". [[spoiler:If he becomes sheriff, the epilogue reveals he does his job well and Primm prospers under him, but occasionally a body of a suspected criminal is found lying in the gutter.]]
* CrazyPrepared: ''Mr. House''. He not only calculated the exact time and day of the nuclear apocalypse (and was less than a day off), but he also managed to prepare himself that he survived for two hundred years afterwards, as well as being able to remotely disable or shoot down all but eleven of the missiles headed for Vegas. And if he'd had the Platinum Chip, none of them would have hit.
* CrazySurvivalist: Randall Clark, a soldier from the Great War and the former owner of the Desert Ranger Armor in Honest Hearts. He eventually became a god-like figure to the Sorrows, whom he developed a PapaWolf-like mentality towards.
** More like a subversion of this trope. He is pragmatical, usually behaves cowardly (which saves his life on more than one occasion), displays bouts of survivor guilt, plans to commit suicide and tries to help others without risking direct contact. Not your average CrazySurvivalist.
* CreditsGag: If you've got the Wild Wasteland perk, the credits are full of humorous notes, in-jokes, and nicknames.
%% We already have separate pages for Crowning Moments of Awesome, Funny, and Heartwarming for Fallout New Vegas, check at the top of the page for the links.
* CruelAndUnusualDeath: The death animation of some weapons, or if you have [[LudicrousGibs Bloody Mess]] perk.
* CruelMercy: One option in Cass' quest. If you spare [[spoiler:the Van Graffs and Alice [=McLafferty=] ]], and give evidence of their crimes to the NCR, Cass decides that the NCR's bureaucracy and legal procedures will do them more harm than her bullets ever could.
** You can also do the same to [[spoiler: Mr. House, by disconecting his body from the mainframe and putting him back in his capsule. His life support will keep him alive for at least one year before he dies from the contaminants you exposed him to.]]
** In ''Honest Hearts'', with high enough speech skill, you can convince Joshua Graham to do this to Salt-upon Wounds.
* CrushingThePopulace: Caesar's Legion if Legate Lanius comes to rule; he will murder anyone and everyone who he sees as an insult to the Legion, including the Followers of the Apocalypse as he claims they have "dishonored" Caesar's reputation. The Legion also does not treat its citizens well.
* CuteBruiser: Veronica; her WeaponOfChoice is the PowerFist. Give her a [[InfinityPlusOneSword Ballistic Fist]], and she will murder the crap out of just about anything.
* CurbStompBattle: The final battle at Hoover Dam can turn into this, especially if you got all factions to ally with the NCR [[spoiler: including the remnants]], have a powerful companion with you (like Boone with [[PowerArmor power armor]] and an [[{{BFG}} Anti-Materiel Rifle]]), have maxed out energy weapons and have saved all your [[InfinityPlusOneSword alien blaster]] ammo. You can just go around disintegrating squad after squad of the Legion's EliteMooks with no difficulty at all, while your allies just keep coming in and curb stomping the shit out of them in one BigDamnHeroes moment after another, finally culminating in defeating the FinalBoss [[MemeticBadass Legate Lanius]] in a few seconds.
%% just making a soft alphabetic split here
* DamageSpongeBoss: Giant Roboscorpion and Deathclaws.
** DamageSpongeBoss [[BossInMookClothing In Mook's Clothing]]: A way of instituting FakeDifficulty in the higher levels of the DLC.
* DangerousDeserter: You encounter a few in Primm, attempting to start a protection racket and attacking you if try to turn them in. They're survivors from a outpost that was overrun by [[TheEmpire Caesar's Legion]], and think the [=NCR=] will be defeated by them soon.
* DaysOfFuturePast: In addition to the "retro 50s" feel of all surviving pre-war culture typical to the ''{{Fallout}}'' franchise, Caesar's Legion is obviously inspired by the Roman Empire, in-universe and out.
* DeadCharacterWalking: Has a similar bug as Minecraft game. If you save while character just died, there's various bugged things that happen, from floating hollow heads to weird corpses that's still alive. [[http://www.cracked.com/article_19507_the-8-creepiest-glitches-hidden-in-popular-video-games_p2.html Cracked explains it the best...]]
* DeadpanSnarker:
** You, the player character; numerous dialogue options involve it.
** Veronica, a recruitable sarcastic Brotherhood companion. Voiced by FeliciaDay.
--->'''Veronica:''' (on the Boomers) "A bunch of shut-ins who show disdain for outsiders and hold technology above them. Huh. Haven't heard ''that'' one before."
** Ghoul companion Raul also has a sense of humor that's as dry as his skin.
** Arcade Gannon's ex-All-American sense of humor qualifies as well.
** Rene Auberjonois brings a delightful snideness to Mr House. Especially if the Courier tries to get uppity with him.
--->'''Mr. House:''' ''Why'' is it so hard to find good help these days? (unleashes a dozen murder-bots on the Courier)
* DeathByIrony: The Legion camp at Cottonwood Cove is built ''right underneath'' a truck loaded with barrels of radioactive waste, perched perilously halfway over a cliff. It's possible to dump the barrels into the Legion camp, killing all the Legion forces there, resulting in an ironic payback for their dirty bomb attack on Camp Searchlight (the NCR survivors of Camp Searchlight will appreciate the irony if you tell them about it).
** If you opt for traditional Townicide while playing a female character, Sergeant Astor will also comment on the delicious irony of the camp being wiped by a woman, who are [[StayInTheKitchen treated as incapable pieces]] [[NoWomansLand of meat in the Legion]].
** Step one, buy a powerful shotgun. Step two, go meet Caesar. Step three, load the shotgun with Coin Shot (rounds made with coins that are used by Caesar's Legions, and bonus points if these are coins that Caesar himself paid you). Step Four, [[BoomHeadshot Render Unto Caesar That Which Is Caesar's.]] Step Five, [[OhCrap fight your way out of the now angry horde of Legion soldiers.]]
* [[DeathWorld Death City]]: The Sierra Madre Villa is an isolated town choked by a toxic gas, inhabited only by [[HumanoidAbomination Ghost People]] and full of traps. It only gets worse when you find out that not only the Casino itself was [[spoiler: intended as a death trap]] but that the town was [[spoiler: a test lab for some Think Tank experiments]]. Ulysses even refers to it as a "special sort of hell".
* DeceasedFallGuyGambit: The Legion version of the quest "I Put a Spell on You" has you pulling this on [[ThePrankster Pvt. Crenshaw]]
* {{Deconstruction}}: [[spoiler:The Wild Card route is arguably one of StartMyOwn, OmnicidalNeutral, ICanRuleAlone and/or TakeAThirdOption. Even if you do everything ''exactly'' right ([[GuideDangIt which is harder than it sounds]]), there's still going to be a ''lot'' of people unhappy or otherwise having negative reactions, most notably the Followers and the [=BoS=]. This is driven home when, during the final battle, General Oliver and Legate Lanius ''taunt'' you for actually thinking you alone could make everyone happy and peaceful, Oliver in particular demanding to know what makes you more qualified than anyone else to make that kind of decision. Then again, the main theme of the Wild Card ending ''is'' that freedom and independence almost always come at a price...]]
** The Fallout tradition of doing this to the value system of the 50s also continues; there's a great example in the REPCONN Headquarters and it's rather strict security.
** Honest Hearts has some of MightyWhitey; Both Daniel and Joshua are aware that them leading their respective tribes isn't healthy for anyone involved, but they don't know how else to handle it. Daniel's uncertainty is actually hinted as one reason for him [[ItsUpToYou listening to a complete stranger]].
* {{Defictionalization}}: The collector's edition included chips from the major casinos in the game as well as [[MacGuffin the Platinum Chip.]] In a less profitable vein, many fans play Caravan in real life.
* DeliberatelyMonochrome: Camp Forlorn Hope is washed-out and has a heavy brown pallor over everything. Completing the quest "Restoring Hope" restores color to the area.
* DemocracyIsBad: Vault 11. [[spoiler:The computer stated that unless people were sacrificed at regular intervals, everyone would be killed. The citizens decided to choose those sacrifices with elections.]]
-->'''Gus Olson, Ombudsman:''' ''...Choose a [[spoiler:sacrifice]] democratically, in the way that we citizens are accustomed to washing our hands of terrible deeds...''
** Resulting in the rather darkly funny 1950s style campaign posters which say stuff like "Haley is a known adulterer & Communist sympathizer, vote for Haley!" in bold red, white, and blue.
* DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment: All of the Think Tank doctors get into this, with Dr. Mobious's dome-shaped... dome in the FORBIDDEN ZONE (that is... '''YES!'''... forbidden! to you), and the the TESLA COILS... OF NIKOLA TESLA.
* DesperatelyLookingForAPurposeInLife: Raul, if you follow his side-quest.
* {{Determinator}}: The Courier, and Caesar calls attention to it. [[BoomHeadshot You survived being shot in the head]]. Twice. At point blank range. By a guy holding [[InfinityMinusOneSword one of the most powerful unique handguns in the game]]. The doc didn't pull the bullets out of his/her skull, [[MemeticBadass the Courier forced them out THROUGH SHEER WILLPOWER]]. If you have high Luck, the doc will even suggest that this should have happened.
** Raul makes mention, during one of the conversations you unlock by talking to certain elderly people, about how he went on a RoaringRampageOfRevenge when a girl who resembled his deceased sister was kidnapped by raiders. He tracked them for three straight days (they slept, he didn't), and she was dead by the time he got there. In response, he killed all seven of them by himself, soaking up bullets and staying alive on nothing but pure rage. After several days of lying near-dead on the ground, he pulled himself back up and went back home.
*** Also helps that being a ghoul he has a healing factor while near radiation, and this was taking place not long after the bombs felled.
* DickDastardlyStopsToCheat: You can meet a bodyguard for hire who [[spoiler: hires people to pose as thugs so he can pretend to shoot them and scam his customers out of money.]] The problem? [[spoiler: He wears decent armor, is carrying a [[HandCannon powerful Hunting Revolver]], and most thugs he has to fight to protect his clients carry knives or lead pipes. It's much, much cheaper and less complicated for him to just do his job rather than hire 4 other people and split his earnings with them.]] Not played straight, though, as this is still a good way to increase the apparent need for his services and thus drum up business.
** Benny probably would have had an easier time putting his plan into action if he had just let the Platinum Chip reach its destination without a hitch.
* DidIJustSayThatOutLoud: [[spoiler:Mortimer]], upon realizing that he's just admitted to [[spoiler:still being a cannibal]] in front of a banquet of [[spoiler: other (former) cannibals.]]
** Also Karl if the Courier taunts him into [[spoiler: shouting that the Great Khans are nothing compared to the Legion]]. While the [[spoiler:Khan]] leaders are most likely [[TooDumbToLive sitting right next to him.]]
* DidNotDoTheResearch: In-universe example: [=McNamara=] has heard of a tribe with advanced weapons in the Northeast of the Mojave, but assumes that a small Brotherhood scouting patrol with PowerArmor and Laser rifles will be sufficient for a recon mission. Turns out the tribe in question is the [[BadassArmy Boomers]]. Their weapons? Pre-war artillery.
** The fate of Camp Guardian. The notes you uncover from the squad stationed there laments that the scouts who performed recon on the area didn't take the time to realise that they'd chosen a place where its difficult to get a radio signal out, failed to actually ''give them a radio'' and then [[ItGotWorse realise]] that underneath them is a large cave system filled with Radscorpions, Giant Rats and Lakelurks.
* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: Ulysses refers to the Think Tank as "the gods of the Big Empty," and remarks that not even he, or even "a hundred Elijahs" could defeat them. [[spoiler:The Courier can, thanks to a certain gunshot wound to the brain that allows him/her to bypass their pacification field.]]
* DiscOneFinalBoss: Benny serves this role, being the main object of the player's pursuit for the 1st half of the main quest line.
* DiscOneNuke:
** The Ratslayer, a Varmint Rifle with all the mods attached to it and with more damage, and can be obtained early, [[GuideDangIt if you know where to look]]. The catch? It's in a cave filled with the bigger Giant Rats. Thankfully, you can get Boone nearby.
** '[[ICallItVera Lucky]]', a unique and particularly powerful .357 revolver with a 2.5x crit multiplier (in LaymansTerms, it [[CriticalHit critically hits]] a lot). You can find it in Primm, which can be VERY early, if you can manage a buffed 75 lockpicking.
** The Space Suit and Helmet you find at the REPCONN Test Facility is Disc One Armor. It has decent defense, is a Light-type armor, and has the added bonus of having as much Rad Resistance on it as an Advanced Radiation Suit. Also, it looks ''[[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotAwesome awesome]]''.
** A short ways north from the starting town (there's [[BeefGate Cazadores]] about, but it's fairly easy to find a way around), you'll find Chance's grave. Bring a shovel, and you can loot it for Chance's Knife, which is the best melee weapon you can get for a long time.
** Boone is a Disc One Companion. With his outrageously high Guns skill, he can and will headshot anything he gets in his sights. He also makes grabbing other Disc One Nukes that much easier.
** ED-E can also count as this. He's the first companion you can find, and you can repair him with parts from Goodsprings if you loot the town. His Enhanced Sensors perk is the ultimate in enemy spotting, and his laser isn't that bad, either. He can't compare to Boone, of course, but pair him with Boone and you will have a murderous duo that will hunt down and kill anything that might dare to harm you.
** A fairly subtle one is using the oft-overlooked 'drag' button when inside a shop. Using it, you can drag any object -- for example, a Plasma Caster in the Silver Rush -- to a corner of the store where nobody's looking and steal it with ease. You can then either keep that object and make things a ''lot'' easier for you in the early levels, or sell it and earn yourself a boatload of caps. You don't even need to have any points in Sneak for this to work.
** "This Machine", an M1 Garand Rifle that deals incredible damage, has a semi automatic firing rate, has a larger clip size than any other rifle (save the Marksman's Carbine), and reloads very fast.
*** Though you will get the quest normally shortly before or after you get to Benny, and it will take some time, too. So Disc One is pretty much over before you get it.
** Bonnie Springs is host to a small group of Viper gang members, one of which has the unique unarmed weapon "Love and Hate". For an unarmed character only Pushy and the Ballistic Fist have a higher DPS, except in the DLC.
* DisproportionateRetribution: It's implied that [[spoiler:Jeannie May]] sold [[spoiler:Boone's wife, Carla]] to the Legion as a slave because [[spoiler:Carla didn't like Jeannie May's hotel]].
** From ''Dead Money'' Do anything to upset Dean, including behaving like anything other than his snivelling lackey and he'll try and kill you when you get inside the Sierra Madre.
* TheDitz: Any main character with less than 4 in intelligence will often find themselves CompletelyMissingThePoint, and can ask for the LaymansTerms if a conversation is causing them trouble.
--> '''Courier:''' You sell plants here?\\
'''Dr. Usanagi:''' Uh, no. Implants, not plants. They're little machines I can put inside you to make you faster, quicker, or smarter. [[DeadpanSnarker I recommend the smarter implant]]. (She'll offer a discount on it out of pity.)
** Of course, you can evolve your character into a GeniusDitz if you spend your skill points in the right categories like Science or Medicine, resulting in a character that has a very low IQ but is surprisingly talented in his/her fields of interest.
* DoubleEntendre: As a male with the Confirmed Bachelor perk, you can ask Major Knight in the Mojave Outpost if he wants to be [[HoYay "friends."]] He'll get really awkward and explain that he would like to have you as a "friend," and the NCR technically doesn't have rules against guys having "friends," but the outpost has a somewhat conservative climate and he can't afford to have a "friend" while having to get up and work with these people every day, but maybe you can be "friends" when he's transferred somewhere else.
* DownerEnding:
** [[spoiler: If you side with the Legion. Especially if you leave [[CompleteMonster Legate]] [[TheDragon Lanius]] in power. Because [[WellIntentionedExtremist Caesar]] is now dead, the Legion devolves from a evil empire into a band of raping and pillaging marauders, and every single settlement gets either enslaved or destroyed. Or enslaved ''then'' destroyed.]]
** Even the Legion ending is absolutely nothing compared to [[spoiler: siding with Elijah in Dead Money. The ending explains that Elijah proceeded to release the Cloud upon the Mojave, which brought horrible painful death to everything in it's wake, before releasing his army of invincible laser shooting holograms to mop up. No living thing set foot in the Mojave for years after due to rumors of ghosts immune to gunfire and a red cloud that brought death in its wake. All that remained was Elijah and the Courier, waiting in the Sierra Madre for the world to [[ArcWords begin again]].]]
** [[spoiler: No matter what you do, not everyone will be able to have a happy ending at the end. For example, the only way to get a good ending for the Followers of the Apocalypse is by making them cooperate with the NCR and leave the Republic in control of New Vegas. However, doing so will also result in Arcade getting hunted down by the NCR as a war criminal due to his former connections with the Enclave.]]
*** Only if you [[spoiler: tell him to join the Enclave Remnants for the battle, rather than going back to the Followers' camp. He gets a much better ending, only being mildly disappointed that Freeside is no longer independent.]]
** [[spoiler:Lily has nothing but downer endings. Either she dies, stops taking her medicine and goes insane, takes her medicine regularly and forgets her family, or takes it semi-regularly and tries to find her family. That last one may not seem so bad, but you have to remember that she's been around for nearly 200 years. If they're not mutants, they're corpses. And those two aren't even mutually exclusive.]]
* TheDragon:
** You to [[spoiler: Mr. House, if you choose to do so.]]
** Legate Lanius to Caesar.
** Jean-Baptiste Cutting to Gloria Van Graff.
** Yes-Man to Benny and [[spoiler: possibly to the Courier, if you so choose.]]
* DragonTheirFeet: Although it's possible to keep them alive, [[spoiler: both Caesar and President Kimball are likely to be dead by the time the final battle rolls around]]. Regardless, [[spoiler: Legate Lanius and General Oliver are still around to lead Caesar's Legion and NCR against each other for the endgame fight. [[DragonAscendant Lanius even becomes the new Caesar]] if you side with the Legion, kill Caesar during his surgery, and help them win.]]
* DressingAsTheEnemy: Can be done with some factions. Take note that the faction's oppositions will also mistake you for one of their goons and will open fire without warning. So don't go around wearing Powder Ganger armor without good reason since both the NCR and the Legion will try to gun you down.
** Also, security guards and EliteMooks will recognize you as a fake, so the only people that ''won't'' shoot at you are the mooks of that faction. Every other faction will open fire on an apparent enemy, and the guards will open fire on a disguised enemy. Granted, Legion/NCR armour is good enough, and Khan armour is pleasantly tribal.
** [[spoiler:If given the chance, Benny tries to dress as a member of the Legion in an attempt to sneak in the bunker under their stronghold, however, because his well-groomed hair makes him stand out quite a bit amongst the shaggy and dusty legionaries, he is quickly detected and captured]].
* DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler:The previous winner of the Star Cap "prize" did this due to being locked in a room with no food or water, thus avoiding a slow death. His gun is now the new prize.]]
** In the quest "Return to Sender", if [[spoiler: you choose to turn in Chief Hanlon for trying to sabotage the NCR's defences at Hoover Dam. You leave the room to report him to a ranger, and he locks the door behind you. Hanlon then gives a [[TearJerker rather poignant speech over the radio confessing what he did and how he messed up, followed by a gunshot. Going back in the room reveals he had killed himself out of shame]].]]
** Possibly [[spoiler: Elijah, if you choose to lock him the casino vault in ''Dead Money''.]]
** The final five inhabitants of Vault 11 decided that [[spoiler: they had enough with the sacrifices and announced that they would stop sending any more people to die]]. The Vault's automated response [[spoiler: which cheerfully informed them that the whole thing was a test and no one needed to die]] was enough to send four of the five into killing themselves.
** The absolute worst possible ending for [[spoiler: Arcade. If you sell him into Legion slavery as Caesar's personal doctor, he spends a long time as Caesar's intellectual conversation partner. Caesar himself is absolutely giddy to finally have someone in the Legion who understands science and technology (and a Follower of the Apocalypse, no less), but Arcade is absolutely miserable. Eventually, he disembowels himself with a scalpel.]]
* DropTheHammer: The sledgehammer and Super Sledge. Strangely, the tool hammers cannot be used as a weapon. Perhaps the best melee weapon in the game is the unique Super Sledge, Oh, Baby!, which can just about two-shot deathclaws.
* DrunkenMaster: Cass, by extension, you with her companion perk. Normally alcohol boosts your Str at the cost of Int, but with Cass the reduction is removed and addiction is no longer an issue. She also causes whiskey to ''boost your armor''.
* DuctTapeForEverything: Duct Tape is a component for the [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Weapon Repair kit]], which can repair any weapon, from a lead pipe to an Alien Blaster.
** Also: Wonderglue!
** This is somewhat lampshaded with the Jury Rigging Perk. With it, you can repair any weapon with something of its class (Bolt action, Automatic, Melee etc...), rather then an actual copy, so repairing Anti-Tank Rifles with your humble Varmint-rifle is possible. The Perk picture has the Vaultboy duct-tape a gun back together. [[ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve "How did you repair it? No one knows but you..."]]
** One of the conversation options with Doctor 8 in ''Old World Blues'' about masturbation of all things has the Courier explaining the wonders of combining Cram (processed meat) and a roll of Duct Tape.
* DullSurprise: Matthew Perry's [[SoBadItsGood surprisingly bad voice acting for Benny]] means that we don't just get DullSurprise, but a whole range of lukewarm emotions from [[spoiler: a rather hilarious G-rated sex scene]] to [[spoiler: a variety of bland reactions to his [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=naUBwRrpbTk impending death]]]].
* DummiedOut: During the battle of Hoover Dam, in what is assumed to be a developer oversight, [[spoiler:Colonel Moore will tell you about the NCR's victory and her promotion to Brigade General, and that NCR scouts are currently busy with pursuing and harassing the remains of the Legion's army that are hastily retreating back to Arizona, like the dialogue is supposed to be heard after the end of the game]]. This suggests that the game was at one point going to feature a PlayableEpilogue. WordOfGod has stated however that there won't be any DLC to play after the game finishes due to it having so many endings.
** A fully voiced dialogue option to convince House that [[spoiler:the Brotherhood could be useful to him, by having you working as his man on the inside, thereby ultimately talking him out of killing them]], has also been Dummied Out. Thank heaven for mods.
** Apparently, at one point in development, you were supposed to be able to speak to the three Fiends members you hunt for Dahtri. Quite frankly, their dialogue is [[http://tcrf.net/Fallout:_New_Vegas/Unused_Dialog#Fiends hilarious]].
* DumpStat:
** When picking S.P.E.C.I.A.L. scores, Perception is worthless. It doesn't affect your aim, only your ability to detect threats. ED-E's companion perk eliminates that weakness. There are about four or so high Perception checks in the main game, and a few more in the DLC. From a minimum of 1 you can buff yourself to 9 with various drugs and alcohol (7 in ''Dead Money'', since some of the drugs don't exist in that add-on), more than enough to pass any check in the game. Its one, true use is meeting the requirement for Better Criticals (+50% critical damage), which you don't really need to kill effectively.
** As far as skills go, if you're not playing on Hardcore, Survival definitely qualifies. Survival's main benefit is that it makes food far more effective. Food is worthless outside of Hardcore, since you heal instantly and Stimpacks are abundant. It's not checked against very often, and it's usually low when it is. In Hardcore, however, it's a lifesaver. Sneak is next to worthless in both modes. There are next to no checks against it, and those that are tend to be 50 or below. It's main benefit is getting weapons into casinos, which you don't need a high Sneak to manage. There are enough Stealth Boys to get you through whatever sequences actually require stealth, even in ''Dead Money''. Of course, having all the add-ons installed makes this a moot point, since there are more than enough points to cap every skill, provided you collect the skill books in the Mojave region (those in the add-ons aren't necessary).
* DysfunctionJunction: All of the Courier's humanoid companions have some sort of deep personal problem to be sorted out.
** [[BadassBookworm Arcade]] is trying desperately to [[WellDoneSonGuy live up to his father's name]] and to help the wasteland as best as he can.
** [[ColdSniper Boone]] is trying to reconcile with his [[DarkAndTroubledPast memories of Bitter Spring and Carla.]]
** [[BadassGrandpa Raul]] is trying to find [[DesperatelyLookingForAPurposeInLife find meaning in his life]].
** [[FieryRedhead Cass]] is trying to deal with the loss of her caravan.
** [[NeverMessWithGranny Lily]] wants to recover [[MysteriousPast her memories of her past]].
** [[WrenchWench Veronica]] wants to save the Brotherhood since she's the [[OnlySaneMan only person willing to look beyond the bunker's walls.]]
** [[SplitPersonality Dog/God]] is trying to find peace with his [[DumbMuscle dueling]] [[GeniusBruiser selves.]]
** [[GadgeteerGenius Christine]] wants to [[ItsPersonal finally deal with Elijah.]]
** [[GreenEyedMonster Dean]] wants to finally complete his [[TallPoppySyndrome revenge against Sinclair.]]
** [[BadassPreacher Joshua Graham]] wants to avenge his tribe and [[TheAtoner redeem himself]] when he was a Legate.
** In ''Lonesome Road'', [[RobotBuddy ED-E]] wants to find Navarro, fulfilling his creator's last wish.
* EagleLand: The NCR has evolved into a nice blend of Type 1 and 2. It certainly is safer in their territory, and their soldiers are generally well-meaning, but their high command is so bogged down with bureaucracy and carrying out the NCR government's aggressive expansion policies that the rest of the army suffers from being low on supplies and reinforcements. Not to mention that the guys at the top tend to work their own agendas at the expense of those they command. Oh, and they tax heavily.
** And it doesn't help that they dashed into the Southwest with their fully-exposed [[ZeroPunctuation assault-rifle shaped erections]] blazing at anything that opposed them, forgetting that overextension only gets worse when ''the Legion and the Brotherhood of Steel hate you.''
** [[AllThereInTheManual According to the guidebook]], a series of events after Tandi's death led to the hawkish Kimball getting into power, and also resulting in a wave of chauvanism against women in the ranks. Which makes the fact that Cassandra Moore is the colonel in charge of the Hoover Dam garrison makes her even more of a ColonelBadass since she also had to overcome [[StayInTheKitchen inherent sexism that's creeped into the system]]. Unfortunately, she's a jingo like Oliver and Kimball as well.
** Hey, what's left of the Enclave? [[spoiler:They'd like to be left alone, but Arcade Gannon's a Type 1.]]
* EarnYourHappyEnding: Regardless of who ultimately gains control of the Mojave Wasteland, typically the ending has some communities prospering, while others suffer (with much more suffering and less prospering if you sided with the Legion). However, it actually is possible to get a positive outcome for almost every community and character on the NCR and (to a marginally lesser extent) Independent routes. Doing so is ''difficult'', however, as the conditions to bring about a community or character's positive outcome are not always obvious (and in some cases are even counter-intuitive), and often involve difficult speech checks or extensive exploration.
* {{Earworm}}: Just about ''every song on the radio.'' Big Iron, Ain't That A Kick In The Head, Jingle Jangle Jingle, the list goes on...
* {{Egopolis}}: Black Mountain is a borderline version; Tabitha renamed it as the "State of Utobitha".
* ElevatorActionSequence: In a first for the series, ''Lonesome Road'' has you descending a lift platform to a nuke silo, with explosions and Tunnelers popping in and out spontaneously.
* EliteMooks: Each major faction has a couple different types of these guys. Typically, they have high-end weapons and armor, as well as Companion-level health that also scales up with the player's level.
** Caesar's best Elite Mooks are his PraetorianGuard; hand-to-hand masters armed with the best punching weapon in the game. Next are his Centurions, who aren't quite as tough as most of the game's Elite Mooks, but come equipped with the best armor and weapons available to the Legion. Finally, if you really piss the Legion off they'll send a squad of crack assassins to end you.
** NCR has the Veteran Rangers (the guys on the front cover of the game), who have excellent armor, high-caliber weapons, and an innate 30% reduction to any damage they take, making them some of the toughest human characters in the entire game. There's also the NCR Heavy Troopers, clad in salvaged PowerArmor and wielding heavy weapons like miniguns or light machine guns. And don't forget 1st Recon, the NCR Army's elite sniper squad.
** The fighting ranks of the Brotherhood of Steel is composed ''entirely'' of Elite Mooks, considering their standard equipment is PowerArmor and some of the best energy weapons in the game. The drawback is they lack the numerical advantage of the other factions, who have enough normal Mooks to just swarm them into submission.
** You will fight a large amount of these guys in the final battle depending on the side you choose. Thankfully, you will be helped by Securitrons or EliteMooks on your side.
* ElvisImpersonator: A whole gang of them, fronted by The King, one of the [[NeutralGood surprisingly nicest characters in the game.]]
* EmpathicWeapon: ''Old World Blues'' introduces the Stealth Suit Mk II, which has an on-board A.I. that makes idle chatter, lets you know when enemies have spotted you, and injects you with Med-X and Stimpacks if you take too much damage.
** Also, the K9000 Cyberdog Gun. It's a [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin dog's brain housed inside a machine gun]]. It growls when it smells enemies, even at extreme ranges, and whines sadly when you holster it.
* EnemyMine: If you're working for Mr. House or for Yes Man, if you save the NCR president and/or have done some good for the NCR, the NCR troopers will actively help you out in fighting the Legion.
** Also, it's possible to get the Khans, the Brotherhood of Steel and [[spoiler:the Enclave]] to fight for the NCR despite historically being some of their greatest and most hated enemies (especially the Khans, who have been the NCR's enemies since the very beginning).
* EpicTrackingShot: One right in the beginning, from a poster of old Las Vegas, to the current New Vegas, to the less-than-friendly NCR sniper guarding it, to the raider he's sniping, to the Legion spies on the hills nearby, to the graveyard where you get shot at by the mysterious checker-suited gangster.
* [[EverythingsWorseWithBears Everything's Worse With Yao Guais]]: Yao Guai make a comeback in the Honest Hearts DLC and unlike Fallout 3, having the [[FriendToAllLivingThings Animal Friend]] perk won't stop them from coming after you on sight.
** And then there's The Ghost of She. A GIANT Yao Guai. [[InfernalRetaliation On fire.]] Oh, and don't forget that on the quest that sends you after her, the drugs you take [[YourMindMakesItReal make you see multiple and you have to fight]] ''[[MesACrowd all]] '' [[DoppelgangerAttack of them.]]
* [[EverythingsWorseWithBees Everything's Worse With Wasps]]: Cazadores, they hurt a lot, are fast, poison you and attack in swarms of 2-5!
* EvilCounterpart: [[spoiler: Ulysses]]--if the player character is good, down to him being [[spoiler: the original Courier Six, a role he passed to you.]]
* EvilIsEasy: It's very easy to simply steal owned items for supplies rather than buying or looking for free ones, especially if those supplies belong to a faction you just butchered. Of course, doing so will bring your Karma down pretty fast, and earning it back isn't easy in the slightest in the short term. (Once you hit the mid- to end-game, though, you can build it up in no time flat. The Fiends are basically a positive Karma mine.)
* EvilIsPetty: [[spoiler: It's heavily implied through the investigation that the whole reason Jeannie sold Bonne's wife to the Legion was because she critiqued her hotel.]]
* EvilVersusEvil: The entire [[spoiler:''Lonesome Road'' DLC]], if the player character is evil.
* ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin: [[spoiler: The reward for the quest ''The Legend of the Star'' is just Fergus retelling you why the Sunset Sarsaparilla logo exists to begin with. It does lead to another quest with a better reward though.]]
* ExplosiveLeash: Bomb collars make surprisingly frequent appearances throughout the game.
** If one manages to find and enter the Brotherhood of Steel's secret bunker without being accompanied by a certain companion, they'll strip you down and force you to wear a bomb collar until you convince an NCR Ranger stationed nearby to leave (through speech or otherwise).
** As mentioned above, in the ''Dead Money'' DLC, you and your companions are forced to wear these collars to ensure that you will aid Father Elijah in his quest to rob the Sierra Madre casino. Unfortunately, the casino is littered with speakers that interfere with the collar's operation and will cause it to detonate prematurely unless you get out of range or destroy the speaker.
** In ''Old World Blues'', one can find Little Yangtze, a concentration camp for Chinese prisoners from before the War. The ghoulified prisoners there are still wearing working bomb collars, which will detonate if they try to follow you out of the camp. In addition, you can find a few of Father Elijah's encampments, at least one of which is littered with disabled or otherwise broken bomb collars and a detonator.
* ExpositionFairy: Lampshaded -- Doc Mitchell, who patches up your gaping head wounds and [[{{HowManyFingers}} walks you through the character building process]] waves off your gratitude, saying, "It's what I'm here for."
* TheExtremistWasRight: If you're familiar with the [[http://www.nolanchart.com/faq/faq8.php Nolan Chart]], you'll notice that each of the factions is run by one of the corners, insisting that this is the case. [[MultipleEndings And you get to choose who wins.]]
** Caesar's Legion is as conservative as all hell. Harm their subjects and they will crucify you. NotHyperbole. Cass outright states that while she refuses to deal with slavers like the Legion, ''a lot'' of traders work with the Legion because they're ensured safety. Even [[CompleteMonster the Fiends]] are too scared of the Legion to attack caravans under their protection. His methods are harsh, brutal, and more than a little evil, but they've unified Arizona and made it a safe place to live. Even [[NeutralGood Raul]] admits that Caesar transformed Arizona into a much better place than it was before. As per Conservative economic policy, their currency is the strongest in the Mojave: a single Legion gold coin is worth 100 bottle caps.
** The NCR is high-grade liberal. They are the only (known) functional post-war democratic government, and in many cases they greatly improve the standards of living for the common people living in their territory. However, they have elements of Liberal strawmen. Their foreign policy is a good example of Liberal Idealism in that they believe in 'spreading democracy' to foreign lands. Political corruption is high, as organizations with political connections such as [[spoiler:the Van Graffs and the Crimson Caravan]] are running (sometimes even ''gunning'') smaller ones out of business.
** Mr. House, a (ironically) Chinese-style Authoritarian Capitalist, is unquestioningly a hard-core statist. He provides stability, security, and wealth and generally doesn't demand personal worship. As long as you play by his rules and pay his taxes on time, he will offer you a relatively comfortable and safe life surrounded by pre-war glory.
** As for libertarians, they get the Wild Card ending, in which [[spoiler:'''''[[AtlasShrugged YOU ARE JOHN GALT!]]''''' You can waltz into New Vegas, talk to Yes Man and decide that all the jerks fighting over the place desperately need to be taken down a peg. Then you can depose Mr. House, brutalize Caesar's Legion and sucker the NCR. Then you can unleash an army of Securitrons upon the Mojave, turning it into [[{{Utopia}} a paradise of freedom and wealth]], rule over the place as a dictator, or turn the Mojave into a lawless hellhole, depending on your actions up to the ending.]]
* FakeDifficulty: Cazadors have an ever-present bug (no pun intended) that makes targeting their heads in VATS impossible unless it's already targeted when you go into VATS.
* FantasticRacism: On both sides. humans call Ghouls "Zombie" and Ghouls call humans "smoothskin."
** Also, the mercenaries that attack Jacobstown's Super Mutants.
** And in the other direction by the way [[SplitPersonality Rhonda and Best Friend Tabitha]] refer to humans on Black Mountain Radio.
* TheFarmerAndTheViper: With Doc Mitchell as the Farmer and the Courier as the Viper, if the player chooses to side with the Powder Gangers in Ghost Town Gunfight/Run, Goodsprings, Run!
* FateWorseThanDeath: While Ghoulification isn't necessarily bad (it does makes you ugly), losing your mind and becoming a slavering, carnivorous zombie is pretty bad. Which is presumably why you get [[KarmaMeter Good Karma]] [[MercyKill for killing Feral Ghouls.]]
** The [[spoiler: [[ZombieApocalypse inhabitants of Vault 22]].]]
** The [[TechnicallyLivingZombie "Ghosts"]] of Sierra Madre. The hazmat suits did a pretty good job when it came to keeping the guests and residents alive... [[HighOctaneNightmareFuel Well, alive long enough to turn them into whatever they are now.]]
** Life in the Legion, if [[NoWomansLand you're]] [[RapeAsDrama a]] [[SexSlave woman]].
** Having your brain, spine and heart removed and becoming a blood-thirsty 'Lobotomite'.
** According to Ulysses, [[spoiler:the residents of the Mojave, if the Tunnelers beneath the Divide expand their territory...]].
** The "inhabitants" of Y17a Trauma Harnesses. Walking suits created to pick up wounded on the battlefield and walk them out. Somehow they forgot to walk them out so these wounded are kept within a walking suit which does whatever it wants without any chance of getting out.
** The Marked Men found in ''Lonesome Road'' are unfortunates caught in the blast radius when nukes went off in First Battle of Hoover Dam four years ago who had their skin torn off by the force, then survived the intense radiation to become flash-ghoulified. Even though they were from opposite sides, they now work together against all others because their constant, intense pain is the only identity they have left.
* TheFederation: The New California Republic.
* FieryRedhead: Cass
* FightingForSurvival: You can convince Goodsprings citizens to fight with Ringo against the Powder Gangers.
* FiringOneHanded: Unless you're actively aiming down the sight, most handguns are held with just one hand. There's even a perk for one-handed weapons.
* FissionMailed: Collecting all 50 Star Bottle Caps grants you the reward of [[spoiler:a story about how the owner of Sunset Sarsaparilla [[strike:killed a guy for his recipe]] was left a recipe by a stranger who was killed by bandits, told to you by a mechanical toy sheriff]], followed by the "Quest FAILED" message. You then complain to Festus, who triggers a brief second quest to collect your real reward. It's particularly effective since there is an achievement/trophy for completing the original quest, though it's the follow-up that gives you credit.
* FiveManBand
** TheHero: The Courier
** TheLancer: Boone/Raul/Cass
** TheBigGuy: Lily/Boone
** TheSmartGuy: Arcade/Veronica/Raul
** TheChick: Veronica
** TeamPet: Rex/ED-E
* FlamingSword: The Shishkebab from Fallout 3 comes back in New Vegas.
* FluffyTheTerrible: Super Mutants, eight foot tall muscular green monsters, have names like Neil, and Tabitha (and in one case, Cuddles). Though most of them are fairly friendly unless provoked these days. Emphasis on 'most'.
** DeathbringerTheAdorable: Mean Sonofabitch is just there to scare away any wannabe criminals and to bash in the heads of Fiends. He's a pretty nice guy if you get past his inability to talk coherently, actually. (His tongue was cut out.)
* FootnoteFever: The REPCONN museum plaques.[[hottip:*:This statement not admissible in court.]]
* {{Foreshadowing}}: ''All Roads'' dumps a few metric tons into you.
** Right from the start, there's tons of mysterious foreshadowing regarding Victor, the cowboy-bot who apparently dug you up in the beginning after you were left for dead. What exactly is up with him remains mysterious, but it's clear there's more to him than meets the eye.
** When Benny tells you that "the game was rigged from the start" it seems to just be a BondOneLiner. [[spoiler:But when you meet Mr. House, it turns out the game was rigged after all, in Mr. House's favor. And depending on which end path you take (and how), you get to rig the game in yours.]]
** Dead Money heaps a HUGE amount of it in the final act and the end.
** The only way we know about Ulysses is through this. (unless you bought the [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/LimitedSpecialCollectorsUltimateEdition limited special collector's ultimate edition]] and saw Ulysses as the three of clubs)
** In ''Honest Hearts'' The Burned Man mentions Ulysses. [[spoiler: Apparently he's a Legion scout and spy.]]
** Johnston Nash on Ulysses: "Hope a storm from The Divide skins him alive!" [[spoiler:Guess what you can do to him at the end.]]
** The Canyon Wreckage, located west of Primm, oozes this.
*** At first, the Canyon Wreckage just looks like a pile of rusted vehicles with some coyotes denning near them... until you see the graffiti, which mentions "Lonesome Road" (now the confirmed name of the last DLC), the Divide, and the cryptic message, "You can go home now, Courier". And, if you look on the map, you'll see that the canyon the wreckage is blocking is the only path through the western mountains.
** The Northern Passage, though it lacks the graffiti and ominous location of the Canyon Wreckage, is the launch point for the DLC ''Honest Hearts''.
** The Mojave Drive-In seems like the last place to expect a DLC to launch, but nevertheless shows up in the trailer for ''Old World Blues,'' the third DLC. It's just a regular ruined drive-in movie theater... with a rather cryptic train tunnel to the south, that ''also'' shows up in the trailer, only from the other side.
*** The setting of ''Old World Blues'' is also alluded by Christine as she was trapped and experimented on within the Big Empty. She also mentions the aforementioned Ulysses as the courier who rescued her? Sound familiar?
** Before ''Dead Money'' came out, Veronica had this little bit of dialogue regarding Elijah
-->He said he'd be back with one of the greatest treasures of the Old World. Said he'd make the Mojave how it was meant to be... "[[KillEmAll wipe the slate clean]]"
** ''Old World Blues'' is literally dripping with {{Foreshadowing}} for the last add-on, ''Lonesome Road,'' not only with the omnipresent symbol of the Old World America's flag left by Ulysses on several buildings and the holotapes of him but in the X-17 Meteorological Station, mentioned repeatedly to have been visited by Ulysses, is a map of what could very well be [[http://images.wikia.com/fallout/images/f/ff/Nvdlc03dividepleximap.png the Divide,]] the location of ''Lonesome Road.''
* FrickinLaserBeams: Following ''Fallout 3''. Unlike earlier ''Fallout'' games, averted hard here as lasers are THE most accurate weapon in the game, especially outside VATS as the beams hit the target instantly. Still played straight with plasmas, but again, those are not laser weapons.
* FriendlySniper: Pretty much any member of 1st Recon, current or former, that isn't Boone.
* FromNobodyToNightmare: Caesar was originally a member of the Followers of the Apocalypse, the least aggressive, and most humanitarian, faction in the wastes.
** The player character starts out as a low-ranked delivery boy for a small-time courier company. By the end, he or she will generally be a battle-hardened veteran with either [[OneManArmy an arsenal of weapons to humble an army]], [[GuileHero an arsenal of skills sufficient to deal with any challenge]], or possibly [[TheAce both]] with careful skill/perk/trait selection. Oh, and you can also [[spoiler:take over the Mojave for yourself, fitting the trope almost exactly if you do it as an evil character.]]
** The Survivalist in Honest Hearts. [[spoiler: Some sickly Vault 22 survivors wander into the Valley and proceed to slaughter and [[ImAHumanitarian ...dispose]] of a group of mexican survivors he was observing and occasionally secretly helping. Still possessing human dignity, he wages a one-man guerilla war after observing their atrocity and cuts the majority of the group down. The "Vaulters" (as Survivalist called them in his logs) considered him to be no mere man but an evil spirit, since they never could catch him.]]
* FunWithAcronyms: F.I.S.T.O. the SexBot.
* FutureImperfect: Averted. Pre-war books are ''far'' less rare here than they were on the East Coast, civilization is far more organized, and the Followers of the Apocalypse, Brotherhood of Steel and New California Republic have done a pretty good job accurately preserving the knowledge of the past -- Caesar and his officers, for example, know more about the Roman Empire than most people in ''RealLife'' do. Of course, this has the added benefit of Las Vegas only being nuked 11 times - compare that to ''everywhere else.''
* FlunkyBoss: Pretty much every boss in one way or another.
** All the legendary creatures (including the [[BonusBoss Legendary Deathclaw]]) are accompanied by other, non-legendary (but by no means weak) normal creatures.
** [[FinalBoss Legate Lanius]] is accompanied both by his Praetorian Guards and the various Legion soldiers around the camp that will come to attack you (though you can convince him to fight you alone with 80 speech).
** [[AnticlimaxBoss Tabitha]] is in a building that's guarded by about half a dozen Nightkin, and you have to fight your way through a whole village of Super Mutant Masters just to get to her.
** Jean-Baptiste is supported by no less than five heavily armed thugs with full body armor and plasma rifles.
** Elijah in the ''Dead Money'' add-on tries to kill you by turning on a bunch of laser turrets while he hides behind a forcefield. Though, once they're dead, he comes after you with a Gauss Rifle.
** The ghoulifed Vault 34 overseer is in his office with a pair of machine gun turrets on his desk, and a few ghoulified security guards helping him.
** Caesar himself is probably the strongest example. Unlike previous ''Fallout'' [[BigBad Big Bads]], he's just a normal human and only about as tough as a standard [[EliteMooks Elite Mook]]. However, he's surrounded by several extremely tough EliteMooks armed with the best unarmed weapons in the game, all in a relatively enclosed space with no room to dodge or retreat. Attacking him head-on, even with a high-level character, will almost certainly result in you being dogpiled into a corner and beaten to death, especially in Hardcore mode where you can't instant-heal using stimpaks.
** Each of the fiend leaders (although [[AnticlimaxBoss they're really only bosses at lower levels]]) come supported by a gang of four to six fiends. Except Violet, who has around 8 dogs instead.
* GambitPileup: The NCR, Caesar's Legion, and Mr. House are competing in a high-stakes tournament with New Vegas as the prize, and they're all trying to stack the deck in their favor -- and you're the WildCard. [[spoiler:You can even [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder take advantage]] of the fact that everyone's plans rely on you for success to set ''yourself'' up to steal the whole pot]].
** To elaborate; the core conflict is NCR and the Legion both fighting for control of the Dam and New Vegas. Beyond this basic plot, [[spoiler: House has an army of robots waiting to swoop in and steal the land literally right from under the Legion. The NCR and Legion both know this, and potentially have him assassinated. On top of that, Benny is planning to take over New Vegas by overthrowing House, as are the Omertas, except they plan on allying with the Legion first. You, the Courier, can at the same time also be planning to take over New Vegas by overthrowing House and stealing his army with the help of Yes Man, while either aiding or foiling the Omertas. Then the DLC just adds more gambits; Father Elijah of ''Dead Money'' manipulates the Think Tank, Courier, Dean Domino, and Dog/God into helping him obtain experimental pre-war technology in his attempt to conquer the Mojave by [[KillEmAll killing most of post-apocalyptic America's remaining population]], and can potentially succeed in bringing what's left of the world under his control (though unlike other options, this gives a NonStandardGameOver). The Think Tank of ''Old World Blues'' manipulates the Courier and Mobius in hopes that they'll be able to break out of Big MT and cause trouble in the Mojave. And on top of all of this, Ulysses from ''Lonesome Road'' is planning on nuking both the Legion ''and'' the NCR while leaving the Mojave to die.]] That's about nine gambits, all trying to top one another. You decide which one (or combination of them) comes out on top.
* GameMod: As usual, there's an abundance of mods to change the game in minor to significant ways. Extending the game past the final mission is one of the big ones. It's recommended to grab some of the ones that fix obvious bugs, namely the fact that the Followers can't ally with the NCR properly. There's also the one that keeps ED-E from setting off mines, which no flying robot should do. A less important but still useful one is the mod that restores the option to spare the Brotherhood in House's questline.
* GameplayAllyImmortality: In normal mode, companions do not die. [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Hardcore mode]], [[PermaDeath on the other hand...]]
* GameplayAndStoryIntegration:
** Looting some body parts from corpses actually causes the body parts to be ripped off the corpse. It isn't just treated as a random item in the inventory of the corpse.
** Also, having too few skill points in a skill check during dialogue will display an option not as suave/competent as the one with the player having the proper amount of skill points in a given check. Unlike ''Fallout 3'', where the check is a matter of chance and gives the same sentence whether or not the player passed a speech check, passing or failing a speech check is directly tied to skill. Insufficient skill gives the option a different sentence (HulkSpeak or some overly emotional or annoying words when failing speech check for that option). Failing may also open up other options in some cases.
** If you're wearing an [=NCR=] uniform, Lt. Haggerty at Helios One will figure out from the amount of blood on it that you looted it off a dead [=NCR=] soldier and will attack if you fail a speech check to convince her otherwise.
* GameplayAndStorySegregation:
** There's a Ranger outpost where you can find a Legion raid camp nearby, as well as Legion raiding parties spying on it from a nearby ridge. However, even if you're an NCR man, you can't warn the Rangers of the Legion presence or the raiding parties, even if you go up to and chat with the Legion raiders spying on the outpost, and when you come back later as part of a side quest, you'll find... well, suffice to say, it isn't pretty.
** You can only use Empty Soda Bottles to make Cactus Water, and you can't fill these with water from other sources, either.
*** Fixed in ''Old World Blues'', where a highly advanced, sentient sink can (with the proper software upgrades) fill any empty bottle with purified water.
** It is literally impossible, even with a critical hit, for Maria (the gun used by Benny to shoot the Courier in the head) to kill the player in the opening cutscene using the combat damage tables. Even at level 1, Endurance 1, no armor, and assuming Benny has maxed Guns skill (which he doesn't), it does not do enough damage to kill with the critical and headshot bonuses to damage. This is either a bow to realism (this ''is'' a lethal injury) or FridgeBrilliance (those two shots to the head ''don't'' kill The Courier after all…)
** Although that of course assumes the Courier was at full health when the scene begins. He/she is already captured and tied up, it's not a great stretch to imagine he/she may have taken some damage resisting earlier.
** A wrench, which is used to craft a weapon repair kit, mysteriously disappers when the repair kit is used.
** The Gold Bars added by Dead Money are supposedly twenty ounces of .9999 pure gold, they weigh 35 pounds each.
** [[spoiler: Nuking the NCR or Legion home territories]] has no effect on the final battle at Hoover Dam, aside from royally pissing off the factions in question (and both factions will forgive you no-questions asked if you do this before you get their [[GetOutOfJailFreeCard Get Out Of Jail Free Cards]].
* GangOfHats: The Three Families of New Vegas personify different sides of the city
** The Omertas: Personifying the sleazy side of Vegas
** The Chairmen: Personifying the "cool" side of Vegas
** The White Gloves: Personifying the "classy" side of Vegas.
* GasMaskLongcoat: NCR Desert Rangers, as depicted on the box art.
* GeniusDitz: The Think Tank in ''Old World Blues'' are a spectacular example. One of them is named Dr. 0 (the number), but since they can't differentiate, he gets called Dr. O (the letter). Point out that [[CaptainObvious he could draw a line through it]], and you'll be hailed as a visionary.
* GenreShift: ''Dead Money'' strips you of all your equipment and money, and throws you into a hostile, poisonous environment full of deadly gas clouds, enemies that need to be dismembered to be killed, loads of booby traps, untouchable laser-firing holograms that must be outwitted rather than fought, and all with very limited resources. The "limited resources" part especially makes this add-on seem like the game has become a SurvivalHorror title.
* GentleGiant: [[DeathbringerTheAdorable Mean Sonofabitch]], a super mutant living in Westside, is rather amicable and polite. [[TheUnintelligible Good luck understanding what he says.]]
* GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere: All the legendary creatures, especially the Legendary Deathclaw. They're all large monsters who are bigger, stronger, and faster than their normal counterparts because... no real reason.
* GISSyndrome: The very first result for "happy face" is used for [[spoiler:Yes Man's avatar.]]
* GladiatorGames: A male Courier can fight slaves or prisoners in the Legion arena. Also, while you can just bet for the outcome of the fight in The Thorn, you can get better rewards if you come down and fight the monsters alone in the arena.
* GodGuise: Randall Clark, a survivalist living in Zion area helps a group of kids living nearby trying not to be noticed (he drops medicines, food and tools near their camp at night). When he notices that the kids see his help as the gift from God or angels, he doesn't want to break this illusion and show himself as a dying old man. Shortly before his death he leaves the notes stating that he has to depart deep into the mountains but he will always watch for them. The kids were ancestors of the Sorrows tribe and Clark is a Father from the Caves from their legends.
* GolfClubbing: There are 9-iron golf clubs around, with the VATS "Fore" attack that aim for [[GroinAttack one particular region]].
* GoldenPath: Depending on who you care about, the [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEX-d0yuxGk NCR]], Mr. House, and Yes Man paths could be this. Though the implications of the [[spoiler: Yes Man's "upgrade" and Mr. House's iron-fisted methods of government]] may make the latter two a bit questionable.
** Finishing every companion sidequest (all seven), with reasonably good endings, is also a part of it.
* GoldenSaucer: The casinos, of course:
** The Tops, which is basically the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sands Sands Hotel]] AfterTheEnd. [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] by the fact that the main act in their theater calls itself the [[RatPack Rad Pack]], and the ruling family calls itself [[FrankSinatra the Chairmen]].
** Gomorrah, a DenOfIniquity run by [[TheMafia The Omertas]].
** The Ultra-Luxe, which caters to a [[UpperClassTwit more refined clientele]], run by the White Glove Society, which is made up of [[spoiler:former cannibals]].
* {{Gonk}}: Grecks, a ghoul with a lazy eye. In order to achieve this he has a really...odd mesh. [[BerserkButton Just don't comment on it]].
* GoodAllAlong: [[spoiler:Doctor Mobius]].
* GoodIsNotNice: The player, if played as a strictly good character, still kills his share of characters and is generally a badass.
* {{Gorn}}: Bloody Mess; you don't have to have the perk but it makes it happen more often.
* GottaCatchEmAll: Star Caps, Snowglobes, Companions...
** In-universe, even. People are willing to kill for more Sunset Sarsaparilla Star Bottlecaps. Just rumor there's treasure out there, and Gold Fever (or OneHundredPercentCompletion fever) will take hold of people.
*** Hilarious in that the in-universe prize for the Star Caps is [[spoiler: absolutely worthless. You do get a powerful unique laser pistol for finishing, courtesy of your rival collector's suffocated corpse, [[BrokenAesop thus kind of ruining the moral]]]]. It's FridgeBrilliance, actually; [[spoiler:it's AfterTheEnd and people automatically associate treasure with things that are valuable to them, but it's a pre-war treasure and ValuesDissonance is in full swing. The treasure ''is'' something of value... to the people who should be playing the game]].
* GoshHornet: Cazadores
* GrayAndGreyMorality: [[spoiler: NCR and Mr. House both plan to drive each other out of New Vegas.]] Neither of them are any more villainous or altruistic than the other.
* {{Greed}}: The main theme of ''Dead Money.'' All of the characters involved have been consumed by greed of one sort or another, and the mythical treasure of the Sierra Madre drives prospectors insane with it.
* GrenadeTag: Reverse pickpocketing grenades.
* TheGuardsMustBeCrazy: Some of the things you can do with a high enough sneak skill qualify as this. You can, for example, massacre an entire Legion camp without them ever making the connection between the large number of corpses with bullet holes in the back of their skulls and the 'profligate' with the silenced sniper rifle.
* GuideDangIt:
** The companion quests. Let's run down the list, shall we?i
##Arcade's quest, "For Auld Lang Syne", requires you to find certain locations in the game and visit them, at which point he'll speak to you briefly. This one is actually fairly lenient, since the triggers are always there and fairly numerous. You also only need two "points" for it to count, and there are about twenty total based on location and dialogue choices.
##Boone's is similar, but both easier and more difficult. His dialogue isn't automatic most of the time, so you don't really know you're doing it right. The only ones which you can really be sure of are Legion outposts, which are automatic triggers. A plus is that if you take him to Cottonwood Cove and that the Fort (before or after killing Caesar, it still counts), you'll get four of the five points at once.
##Raul's is hands down the worst of the bunch. You have to talk to three specific old people in the wastes with him as your companion, and you cannot have talked to them before. This is really inexcusable because one of the three simply won't talk to you if you don't follow a very specific path of dialogue with him, and you are pretty much guaranteed to meet all three before you get around to murdering a dozen or so Super Mutants to reach Raul. What's worse, the same one who will stop talking to you is also buggy, so even if you do it right it may not be counted. It only seems to work right if you talk to him last, but he's ''the first that you meet''.
##Cass takes a while to even unlock as a companion due to her tie-in quest that requires you to trek all the way to Vegas, but after that she has the easiest one since it's available from the start. However, it will ruin another quest if you complete it.
##Veronica's quest is similar to the first two, except buggy as hell. There are nine places in the wastes where you can bring her in order to trigger dialogue. Of these nine, only four are permanent (the remaining five are lines of dialogue from the first time you meet the NPC). Assuming you even know where to look, Veronica may take days to finally remember she's supposed to say something, so you can't trigger the quest until she finally decides to do it. It seems to work better if you meet her request for a dress first, but that in itself is GuideDangIt because the type of dress she wants is the kind worn by the White Glove Society, and you have to kill or reverse-pickpocket a member to get one if you don't follow a specific line in the quest. In other words, it's three {{Guide Dang It}}s in one!
##Lily's quest is fairly simple. It's not even a quest, really. You just have to stick with her long enough to get to the bottom of her psychosis (it only takes about an in-game day if you get into a fight where she goes berserk), then decide how much medicine she should take.
##ED-E's quest doesn't require you to do anything, but is still annoying. After the first trigger goes off, which conveinently has a waypoint, you have to wait nine days for the second to work. Then you have to find someone who can activate the trigger, and you don't get any clues. The third takes another three days, but is automatic. If you're not playing in hardcore mode (and therefore have no need to sleep 8 hours a day) you could easily finish the game without getting to the final part.
##The final one is Rex, and he's the easiest since his quest is given to you before you even recruit him.
** For something simpler and earlier, there's the quest "I Fought the Law", which most good-inclined players will miss because they're likely to side against the Powder Gangers from the start, and because the inhabitants of the [=NCRCF=] will be hostile to them, making them likely to kill Eddie and immediately fail the quest. Or one might kill him because he's got a plasma pistol. Then again, the quest is bugged and leads to a bad ending even when it should be a good one, so that's for the better, really.
** Are you feeling a little sympathy for Dean [[spoiler: and want him to live]]? Let's just hope you never, ever once questioned him in any of your talks. Insult his fragile ego a ''single'' time? You lose.
*** Dean's case is arguably the worst of the lot. Why? In the '''very first''' conversation with him, you come to a choice between a Barter skill check and a normal dialogue choice. Almost any player will obviously pick the Barter choice if at all possible because skill-requiring answers are (and should be) superior to the ones available to all characters. However, in this case picking this choice will make it [[spoiler:impossible to get him to side with you inside the Sierra Madre]]. Made even more egregious by the fact that the Barter dialogue choice is simply informing Dean that he isn't bargaining from a position of power because your collars (and thus lives) are linked and he basically doesn't have a choice but to work with you... '''which is precisely the truth'''!
** The quest I Put a Spell on You is almost legendary for its unintuitiveness, aside from a plethora of bugs. Long story short, there's a spy somewhere in Camp [= McCarran =], and you've been tasked to single him out. After finding out there have been late-night sightings at the comm tower, you have two mission arrows: one to the comm tower, and another to the man you're workign with, Captain Curtis. [[spoiler: Talking to Curtis and telling him your lead makes the mission unwinnable, since he was the spy. There are absolutely no clues about this before now, there was no hint that doing this was wrong, and there is no way other than using the console to set the winning value back to 0.]] Ergo, by '''following the directions''' you have failed the quest.
* GuileHero: A viable option for the player character.
* GunAccessories: Unlike the previous game, this alone will make you think twice before using the unique versions of some weapons which have better stats but cannot be modded.
** Then again, some like the Ratslayer are more or less fully-modded versions of the base weapon along with a bonus or two tacked on.
* GunPorn: Vault 34.
** The Boomer's Armory
* GuysSmashGirlsShoot: Inverted. In the main game, your male companions are a ColdSniper, TheGunslinger, and a BadassBookworm who, like all fictional smart people [[spoiler:(and former members of the Enclave)]], prefers a high-tech Plasma Defender pistol over the ballistics, blades, and blunt force of the common rabble. Your female companions are a Nightkin with a {{BFS}} and a Brotherhood Scribe who wields a PowerFist. There is also a female companion who uses a shotgun, but [[ShortRangeShotgun unless you give her slug ammo she pretty much has to be in melee range for it to work anyway]]. Of course, everybody has a ranged and a melee weapon that you can order them to use, so you are welcome to have everyone play the trope straight, even if they won't be that good at it.
* HalfTruth: Elijah says that if you help him break into the Sierra Madre he'll let you go, along with all of your partners. [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness He's planning to kill you all]], of course, but he ''is'' letting you go from his control that way, nonetheless.
* HandCannon: The .44 Magnum Revolver, 12.7mm Pistol, the Hunting Revolver and its unique version, the Ranger Sequoia. There are also the energy weapons Plasma Defender and "Pew Pew". (Yes.) Then there's the hand''auto''-cannon, the 12.7mm [[MoreDakka sub-machine gun]].
** ''Old World Blues'' adds the Sonic Emitter. Initially its [[BoringButPractical none too exciting and reasonably useful]], but as you upgrade it with better soundwave samples it gets better and better special effects for critical hits, the ultimate one causing [[StuffBlowingUp explosions]].
* HandWave: The makers of Dead Money must have wristlash. Any element not flat-out [[AssPull contrived]] was explicitly described as "unknown" or "unexplained" in LoadingScreen tips and in-game materials, although the Old World Blues add-on does explain a few things. In particular, how the Sierra Madre casino transports people around in it is totally unexplained (teleportation? robot hands popping out of the ceiling? Who knows?)
** You wanna take all your awesome gear you had with you? Nope, it's been carted away for having "minute traces of radiation". In all likelihood, your Pip-Boy would have accumulated more radiation than any single item of your inventory.
** Played for laughs in ''Old World Blues'': the Think Tank explain that the Courier is able to move, think, and act consciously without a brain because "tesla coils" were inserted into his/her skull. Trying to further the line of questioning just exasperates them.
* HealingFactor: Several perks. Solar Powered makes you heal gradually, but only outdoors during daytime, and not at a rate useful for combat. Monocyte Breeder implants heal all the time, but again not at any rate useful in combat, and at the price tag of 12,000 caps and taking up a spot that you could have used to buy an implant with actual value. Rad Child heals with varying rates dependent on your radiation poisoning level. Highest level heals at an astounding 8 HP/S, but at the cost of pretty hefty hits to your SPECIAL stats.
* HeroicAlbino: Ranger Ghost. [[GoodIsNotNice She's not the most friendly person]], but she's a dedicated ranger
* HeroWithBadPublicity: It's possible to end the game with good karma and ridiculously low reputation with pretty much every faction, including the one you're working for.
* HeyItsThatPlace: Yes, Primm is a real place, and it does have a rollercoaster (attached to the Buffalo Bill hotel -- all three hotels in Primm are much larger, [[RuleOfFun but no one really cares]]), and does have Bonnie and Clyde's death car (not his gun, though, but it does have his jacket, and the car is in a mall attached to the hotels). Hoover Dam, Goodsprings, Black Mountains, Nipton, Nellis Air Force Base, and a lot of other real-world locations are snuck in as well (mostly things only native Nevadans would recognize, like camping sites).
* HideYourChildren: Averted in the main game, where some some (albeit unkillable) children do appear. Invoked in all four DLCs, though this is addressed in the only add-on where their absence is noteworthy. (The Dead Horse and Sorrows tribes of ''Honest Hearts'' have already begun to evacuate, sending the children and elderly first. The other three [=DLCs=] take place in dangerous hellholes that don't have an actual community of humans living in them, thus the lack of children makes sense).
* HistoricalInJoke: The real-life Nipton was primarily important as a place where state lotteries were held during the early 20th century. The Fallout Nipton [[LotteryOfDoom has an important lottery too]]...
** The poster ''I Hate Nate'' in Vault 11 is a pun on the ''I Like Ike'' slogan from 1952 presidential campaign.
* HistoricalVillainUpgrade: In-universe example. One of the first casinos you find, in Primm, is home to a historical gallery of a couple of Bonnie and Clyde knockoffs who were more prone to cashing bad checks than holding up banks and whose greatest claim to fame was being killed accidentally by cops shooting at bank robbers.
* HollywoodSilencer: Guns equipped with silencers make the "fwip" noise and the silencers themselves are, for all intents and purposes, a metal tube stuck onto the end of the gun. Averted in that silencers are specific to different firearms and that none are available for shotguns or revolvers, are all permanent attachments (meaning they cannot be removed once attached), and aren't completely silent (shooting and missing someone may get you noticed). In addition, there are guns in-game that come with integral silencers, like the .22 silenced pistol and SMG.
* HonorBeforeReason: With high enough karma and speech skill you can convince Legate Lanius to call off the other legionnaires and fight you by himself. However, whichever allies and companions you have with you will keep shooting anyway.
** Also [[spoiler:at the end of Veronica's personal quest, when you show [=McNamara=] proof that the Brotherhood is dying/a method of self-sufficiency, etc., he won't change anything. Why? Because the codex says he can't. Judging from his speech and sighing he knows it's stupid, but he has his orders.]]
--->'''Veronica:''' We'll die out.\\
'''[=McNamara=]:''' *sigh* [[spoiler:[[TearJerker I know.]]]]
* [[KickTheSOB Horrifically Mutilate and Torture the Sons of Bitches]]: How Caesar's Legion [[RewardedAsATraitorDeserves rewards]] the [[DyingLikeAnimals people of Nipton]] (mainly the Powder Gangers) for luring NCR troops into a trap, and the townsfolk for agreeing to betray the Powder Gangers. Also, depending on how you look at it, Bitter Springs could be like this.
* HotBlooded: A trait in Old World Blues makes you this, increasing your damage but reducing Perception and Agility while at low health.
* HowWeGotHere: Expect to spend most of the first leg of the story missions just figuring out what the hell led up to you delivering a platinum chip that was worth being ambushed and shot over.
* HoYay:
** There's a panel in All Roads that has a quite a bit of subtext.
** Aside from that, you can actually play a gay/bi character, with the option to have GRatedSex.
*** This is actually enforced by the Confirmed Bachelor/Cherchez La Femme which is just like the Lady Killer/Black Widow perk which is also available... Except that it is effective against people of the same sex rather than the opposite one. Considering how valuable the female counterpart was to the male one in the third game, this can be considered a blessing since males are far more commonly encountered as enemies in the wastes than females.
*** It could even be regarded as GettingCrapPastTheRadar, as this is perhaps the first RPG to confer a measurable benefit to being a male homosexual.
** Manny Vargas; he sounds downright jealous of Boone's wife, not just disdainful of her like the others. ** A female with Black Widow can't get relevant quest information out of him, while a male with Confirmed Bachelor can.
** Arcade Gannon's gay and can be recruited with a bit of flirting from a male Player Character. He claims he's never gotten a guy due to considering himself a [[UnluckyEverydude boring man]]. [[spoiler:Totally not because he's related to the Enclave.]]
** There are eight possible companions in the game. Four don't express much interest in the Courier, being a ghoul, a cyber-dog, an Eyebot, and a grandmotherly Super Mutant. Of the rest, Veronica is a lesbian, Arcade is gay, Cass admits to experimenting when drunk, and Boone has a hard-on for killing Legionnaires.
** Use Confirmed Bachelor to ask Major Knight at the Mojave Outpost whether he wants to be "friends".
** If you play a woman and travel with Cass this can happen.
** Though not really with Veronica (there's some flirtatious remarks but that seems to be her personality more than anything) despite her canonically being a lesbian (ask her about "love"). The female PC just doesn't seem to be her type. Lots of players actually want to romance Veronica so this kind of causes some problems.
** You can do this with Dr. Dala in Old World Blues, too.
* HulkSpeak: Much to the delight of old-school fans, this is back in, if you set your intelligence REALLY low.
* HundredPercentHeroismRating: The karma meter is the same from 3 but is nearly useless. What really matters is your reputation with each faction. Since you can't lose popularity or infamy, people could end up singing your praises for all the {{Fetch Quest}}ing while grudging you over blowing up their outpost last week.
* ICallItVera: Some unique guns, such as Maria, Lucky, Annabelle, and Big Boomer. In addition, Ranger Milo calls his Cowboy Repeater 'Carmine'.
* ICanRuleAlone: [[spoiler: The Wild Card line of quests provides this option. You can [[GondorCallsForAid go to the minor factions and ask for their help in creating a free Vegas]] or you can wipe them all off the face of the earth!]]
* IDieFree: [[spoiler: In Arcade's Legion ending, as long as Caesar lives through the end he becomes Caesar's personal physician. In a moment that he is unguarded he guts himself with a scalpel.]] Though he was well loved by Caesar, and thus probably lived quite nicely, he considered having to serve the Legion (even in comfort) a FateWorseThanDeath.
* IdiotBall: [[spoiler: It could be argued that Caesar is holding one. He knows that his camp at Fortification Hill is sitting on top of a bunker protected by doors that can't be drilled or blasted open. He knows said doors bear the logo of the Lucky 38 and thus must be relevant to Mr. House's interests in some way. He knows the Platinum Chip he just confiscated from Benny fits the disc-shaped console near the doors and suspects it will open them. What does he do? Why, he waits for the Courier to finally decide to make his way to Fortification Hill, hands the Platinum Chip to the Courier when the man might very well have single-handedly destroyed all of his operations west of the Dam by this point (if you want some really funny dialogue, ''do this''), and trust him to deal with whatever is inside the bunker completely unmolested, confident that the Courier will do as asked and destroy it. You even get to keep the chip. Brilliant! The best part is, the Courier doesn't even have to report to Caesar after he is done inside the bunker, and can just walk out of the fortress completely unmolested by the guards! Caesar might be an extremely intelligent person lore-wise, but he sure displays a complete lack of common sense here.]]
** It's actually acknowledged and explained if you discuss it via dialogue choices, though it does display an extreme amount of arrogance when it comes to [[BatmanGambit you and your motivations]]. [[spoiler: Caesar has a worldview where advanced technology in the hands of the masses is actively harmful to their cultural development. Thus, he cannot send Legionaries down to examine the structure without teaching them about technology and disrupting his carefully-constructed culture... but he can send you, a Profligate. His argument relies on you to see the light of his wisdom, but if that doesn't work he's happy to intimidate you into doing his bidding. He won't let you leave the camp with the Chip without trying to kill you, and if you fight back, you're Vilified by the Legion forever.]]
** Even his arrogance is [[FridgeBrilliance perfectly explained]]. After 'killing' Joshua Graham, the only other well-educated and independent man in the Legion, Caesar will be constantly surrounded by obedient subordinates that worship him as a god-figure. He's living inside an echo-chamber where his ideas and opinions are always right and no one will ever consider anything else. The courier is probably the first free agent that he's met in a very long time, and Caesar would naturally assume that you too will bend under his will like so many others. He may even be so far gone into megalomania that the idea that you'd defy him is something he can't even admit to himself anymore.
* IdiotHero: You can play as a 1-INT wasteland wanderer with hilarious moments of RalphWiggum-like stupidity [[JokeCharacter but the skill points you get are considerably less.]]
* IFoundYouLikeThis: After taking a bullet to the head, the courier is dug up by Victor and brought to Doc Mitchel's house. He then [[BeyondTheImpossible brings you back to life]] through surgery and gets you back on your feet.
* IGotBetter: [[spoiler:The Courier, of course. When you confront Benny again in the Tops, this can even be your response to him. With appropriate perk, you can also scare him into running by saying that you [[RiseFromYourGrave came back from the grave]] [[BadassBoast to put him in his.]]]]
** Also when [[spoiler: you confront Jessup. He'll be surprised, scared even maybe, and say "You're supposed to be dead." One of your responses can be exactly, word for word, the line, "I got better."]]
* IHaveThisFriend: Turns out that the [[spoiler: sex-bot Garett is interested in isn't for a customer... though after slips of the tongue, he asserts that it ''is'' for "those sick machine-fetishists".]]
* ILoveNuclearPower: Taking the Rad Child perk gives the Courier a HealingFactor whenever they suffer radiation poisoning, offsetting some of the penalties.
* ImAHumanitarian: The White Glove Society used to be this. [[spoiler:Mortimer however, still is and wants to serve the rest of the White Glove Society human flesh so they have no choice but to go back to the "old ways."]] And, of course, [[PlayerCharacter the Courier]] can be this as well if the player so wishes. A later perk even expands it [[ExtremeOmnivore to super mutants and ghouls.]] [[spoiler:There is even a special perk you can get as a reward for having Caesar, the King, Mr. House, and President Kimball for dinner]].
* ImmodestOrgasm: [[spoiler: Red Lucy]] in The Thorn, [[spoiler: Sarah Weintraub]] in Vault 21, and any prostitute you sleep with. Also, you can hear a few while walking around Gomorrah and Casa Madrid. Dr. Dala in ''Old World Blues'' takes this UpToEleven, despite (or ''because of'') being essentially a brain in a jar.
* ImprobablePowerDiscrepancy: The White Legs in Honest Hearts are basically [[EliteMooks Veteran]] [[BadassArmy Rangers]] disguised as tribals. In addition to having as much health as the Veteran Rangers, they also carry as good or better weapons (like automatic shotguns, anti-tank rifles, Tommy guns, and 12.7 submachine guns) and are the most commonly found enemies in the DLC. The only break in your favor is that White Legs have poor armor and lack the 30% damage resistance that Veteran Rangers have.
** Partly HandWaved in that the White Legs had raided armories in the past.
*** In the vanilla game, Veteran Rangers and Legion Praetorians were originally noticeably more powerful than Brotherhood of Steel Paladins. However, this got corrected after the most recent patch, where all non-named BOS NPCs have had their hit points doubled or more, putting them on par with the game's other EliteMooks (and, with their power armor, giving them the higher edge).
* IncrediblyLamePun: Lots and lots of craploads of them.
** Private Sexton in Camp Forlorn Hope runs a collection quest where you bring him the ear of any Legionaire you kill. Get it? Legion''ear''? You even can call him out for making such a horrible pun.
** The [[ApocalypticLog ''Die''ary]] of [[ReturnOfTheLivingDead Trash]]
** [[spoiler: When you return the Platinum Chip to Mr. House, you can make one by trying to Barter him for more money but not having enough skill points.]]
--> '''The Courier:''' "Better raise the price or... or you're [[IncrediblyLamePun "chip outta luck".]]\\
'''Mr. House:''' [[CrowningMomentOfFunny "... Was that an attempt at humor?"]]
* INeverSaidItWasPoison / SuspiciouslySpecificDenial
-->'''Courier:''' Can you help me find some missing people?\\
'''Slave trader:''' I don't know anything about the refugees going missing from the Aerotech Office Park.
* InfinityMinusOneSword: Several. The regular Gauss Rifle, the Holorifle, the 12.7mm pistol and submachine gun, the hunting revolver, possibly the Anti-Materiel Rifle, the Super Sledge, and the Displacer Glove, just to name a few.
* InfinityPlusOneSword: Whatever weapon you find north of Westside, whether it be the [[TooAwesomeToUse Alien Blaster]] or the YCS/186. They're both incredibly devastating weapons, capable of one or two-shotting all but the toughest enemies.
** There's a suit of Infinity Plus One Armor out there, as well. The Remnants Power Armor, the complete suit having a DT 6 points higher than the T51-b and no faction affiliation. However, like all great ultimate items, you have to work for it: it's on the wrong side of the Colorado river and guarded by a nest of Deathclaws. Good luck getting there! (Or you could do Arcade's loyalty quest. You simply have to talk to 6 people around the Mojave Wasteland.)
** Arm your humanoid companion with the highest weapons in his/her specialty and they become a walking InfinityPlusOneSword.
*** Give [[ColdSniper Boone]] the Anti-Materiel Rifle or the Gobi Campaign Sniper Rifle.
*** Give [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot Lily]] a Thermic Lance or the "Oh Baby!" Super Sledge.
*** Give [[CuteBruiser Veronica]] the Ballistic Fist or the unique displacer glove, Pushy.
*** Give [[CombatMedic Arcade]] the Gauss Rifle or the YCS/186.
*** Give [[BadassSpaniard Raul]] the Ranger Sequoia.
*** Give [[FieryRedhead Cass]] the Riot Shotgun.
** Joshua Graham is the InfinityPlusOneSword of companions. He's ridiculously accurate, carries a default pistol that does more damage (both per shot and per second) than about 90 % of the guns in the game, and has such a large damage threshold (50) that he's practically invincible. Unfortunately, he's only available as a companion during the final battle of Honest Hearts.
* InkSuitActor: Doc Mitchell looks like Michael Hogan with a country doctor mustache.
* InsaneProprietor: [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCKoz_Q2sCE The Wind-Brahmin Salesman]] at ''Brooks Tumbleweed Ranch''.
* InsurmountableWaistHighFence: Example is northwest of ''Brooks Tumbleweed ranch'', where a pileup prevents further movement northwest. Even though you could jump on one of the blockading vehicles, you're blocked from going further.
** {{Lampshaded}} in Old World Blues, if you tell the Think Tank you're leaving and want nothing to do with their plans.
---> Dr Klein: "WELL THEN. WE'LL JUST KEEP YOU HERE WITH OUR MOST POWERFUL OF TECHNOLOGIES. THE FENCE."
* InterfaceScrew: The otherwise pushover Bark Scorpions have this as a really nasty surprise. If they sting you, the poison completely distorts your screen. Not the "crippled head" kind of distortion, but completely warping your entire field of view such that you can't even see the scorpion if it's in your face. They are deadly if you give them the chance.
* InvisibleWall: As a definitive response to players notoriously finding ways to scale terrain intended to be unclimbable in Gamebryo engine games, invisible clip brushes have been added. No clever shortcuts for you.
** If only the players hadn't discovered new ways to scale their own inventories with "armor hopping" and coupon stairs. The Legate Camp is a popular destination.
* IronicEcho: When Benny and the player character first speak, the latter is on his knees and Benny's about to kill him. Guess what happens in Caesar's camp?
* {{Irony}}: Benny notes that the game was rigged from the start...[[spoiler: too bad it wasn't rigged in his favor, as House knew about his scheme all along.]]
** Doctor Henry in Jacobstown was once a member of the Enclave, a group that considered any outsider to be a subhuman fit for execution due to their exposure to radiation (no matter how minute). And what is his current line of work? Researching a cure to help Super Mutants with mental disabilities. [[TheAtoner Because they asked him]].
*** Even more special is the fact that he's working for the Mutant that helped kill Horrigan and bring about the fall of the Enclave.
** As a female character, if you either kill Caesar or help him, there's a delicious lump of irony involved given the status of, well, every other woman even remotely connected to the Legion.
* IsThisThingStillOn?: Though it doesn't have the payoff the trope normally promises, [[spoiler:President Kimball]] does this after his speech, announcing his desire to leave the stage before he gets shot. Given it was a PA system, however, maybe he just didn't care.
-->''Thank you, thank you. [{{Beat}}] All right, let's get the fuck out of here.''
* ItemCrafting: Of three varieties! You can use workbenches to create weapons from spare parts, use reloading benches to make or customize gun ammunition, and use campfires to cook up food or medicine.
* [[ItIsPronouncedTroPAY It Is Pronounced KAI-sarr]]/InsistentTerminology: Caesar's Legion uses the Latin pronunciations.
** In fact, how a character pronounces Caesar is a pretty good indication of how much respect they have for him. Joshua Graham calls him See-ser when you meet him in the Honest Hearts DLC, though J.E. Sawyer states that this has more to do with him being educated enough to have known of the actual Caesar before meeting Edward unlike the other Legionnaires.
** Strangely enough though, Marcus uses the Latin pronunciation.
* ItSeemedLikeAGoodIdeaAtTheTime: The Courier can say this about killing Jeannie May.
* IWasQuiteALooker: Pearl, you can see her younger days depicted as nose art on the B-29 Bomber you recovered once the restoration is well underway. Possibly Old Lady Gibson as well.
* JackBauerInterrogationTechnique: Lieutenant Boyd will be more satisfied if you make Silus talk by repeatedly punching him in the face rather than using speech or intelligence skills. So will Boone, for that matter, but he'd rather Silus just die.
-->'''Silus:''' You're getting nothing from me.
-->'''Boyd:''' I'm getting entertainment. That's something. So what it's gonna be?
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: On the outside, Cass is a [[ClusterFBomb swearing]], [[TheAlcoholic alcoholic]], [[MyGirlIsASlut promiscuous]], [[JerkassFacade foul-tempered]] bitch. [[GoodIsNotNice But she is a good person deep down.]] She's the only companion that will leave you if you have Evil Karma, rather than everyone else who leaves you based on your reputation wth certain factions, and she's extremely loyal to, and protective of, a Good-aligned Courier, and she gets quite riled up after hearing about what Benny did to him/her.
* JustFollowingOrders: Yes Man. Because his programming says so.
** At one point, you can ask him if he should really have just explained the details of Benny's master plan to you; his response is that he was programmed to be helpful and to answer questions, and whoever had reprogrammed him must have forgotten to add in restrictions on whose questions he was supposed to answer.
* KaizoTrap: In the House and Independent ending pathes, [[spoiler: you end up picking a fight with [=NCR=]'s General Oliver after you defeat Legate Lanius]]. Your Securitron allies will gun him down easily, ''but'' they often fail to do so before his 5 Veteran Ranger EliteMooks armed with the best guns in the game mow down your own character.
* KarmaMeter: Along with the karma meter, the reputation meter for each faction from ''{{Fallout 2}}'' makes a return. Karma only seems to dictate perks and some dialogue choices, whereas the reputation meter is the main focus of the gameplay.
** This is a good thing, because karma can behave odd at times. For example, killing Powder Gangers nets you positive karma, whereas taking their stuff strangely counts as stealing and gets you a bit of negative karma. The amount of it is negligible, but it's confusing nonetheless.
** Lonesome Road finally makes good use of the Karma Meter in addition to the Reputation Meter. Depending on your Karma Level and who you're supporting at the time, will radically change how [[TheRival Ulysses]] views you and your actions. At level 50 there's even a karma-based perk.
* KarmicDeath:
** Depending on how you deal with him, Benny can eventually ends up in the same position the player was at the beginning of the game: tied up and completely at the mercy of his captors and yourself. At this point, you can choose to execute him yourself, using either the machete handed to you - or the gun you may have concealed on your person.
*** Gun Runner's Arsenal adds a challenge for killing him with his own gun, Maria. You know, the gun he shot you with?
** Allen Marks, the supposed BigBad in the quest to collect the star bottlecaps, [[spoiler:is found dead in the prize room. A holotape reveals he was trapped inside, and all the people he killed to get the caps only got him a worthless badge and a slow death by asphyxiation]].
** If you commit corporate espionage for Alice [=McLafferty=] and finish Cass' quest peacefully, then [[spoiler:Alice, along with the Van Graffs she hired to put down competing caravaners, will be killed by raiders using "advanced weaponry and military tactics." The Gunrunners, whom she tried to steal from, will deny having any "[[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial public motivation]] behind the attack."]]
** [[spoiler: In ''Dead Money'', Elijah can be trapped forever in the vault. Simply sneak out to the left exit corridor as he's coming down to meet you. He really wants to get in the Sierra Madre casino vault THAT badly? [[PayEvilUntoEvil You can give him all the time in the world]].]]
** [[spoiler: Speaking of ''Dead Money'', YOU can have a KarmicDeath. Haven't been paying attention to the "greed will get you killed" message of Dead Money? [[DeathByMaterialism Trying to take all 37 gold bricks that weigh over 1200 pounds with you?]] Have fun outrunning that explosion! (It can be done, but you either have to exploit the physics engine or time your escape just right so Elijah's scripted trap activates after you've passed through the doors but not prematurely by approaching too soon.)]]
** One of the challenges for Gun Runners' Arsenal is "Historical Propriety", where you re-enact the Ides of March and stab Caesar to death with a knife.
* KatanasAreJustBetter: If you get the Gun Runners' Arsenal DLC, you can have a Katana as a melee weapon. It's got decent attack power, but it also attacks ludicrously fast, effectively turning you into an honourable Japanese meat grinder.
* KickTheSonOfABitch: Caesar's Legions ending for the Mojave is an absolutely brutal DownerEnding... but in their ending they are at least kind enough to take out the [[SmugSnake Great]] [[DrugsAreBad Khans]], the [[AlwaysChaoticEvil Powder]] [[BombThrowingAnarchists Gangers]], and the [[CompleteMonster Fiends.]]
* KillSat: The Archimedes II [[WaveMotionGun orbital laser]]. You can acquire a remote to it. [[spoiler: [[FridgeHorror And that remote is in the hands of an unwitting child.]] The safety was on, at least.]]
* KillThemAll: This is the easiest way to complete some of the main quests. Doesn't work so well when dealing with the Powder Gangers and Legions, but really, who wants to have anything to do with those jerks?
* KineticWeaponsAreJustBetter: Actually semi-justified, as Hoover Dam is the only genuine power source in the Wastelands (unless you get Helios One working) that could recharge energy weapons, thus it'd be far easier to use or manufacture bullets. The game actually intentionally makes pistol ammo be more prevalently dropped.
** Most notably, the laser tommy gun (Laser RCW) is less damaging than the real tommy gun (.45 Auto SMG).
* KingMook: In ''Old World Blues'', each enemy type encountered has a unique, named, "boss" version of it somewhere in the Big MT. Each mini-boss is set at level 50, with matching health.
** The Legendary Bloatfly takes this to an insane (and probably parodic) degree. Regular Bloatflies are perhaps the least threatening thing in the Mojave, second to Giant Mantis Nymphs or Radroaches and easy prey for even a low-level Courier. The Legendary Bloatfy is the second ''strongest'' enemy in the game (no, not Old World Blues. The game. Period). The thing is somehow more dangerous than ''every single Deathclaw you will come across'', outclassed only by the Giant Roboscorpion, which at least appears in a room containing a few defences to turn against it and lots of things to hide behind. The Legendary Bloatfly appears in a small cave surrounded by regular Bloatflies and will likely notice you before you notice it. Generally, the player will round the last corner of its cave, oblivious, and be reduced to glowing goo with a single shot before they have any idea what the hell just happened. Unless they're at the ''absolute peak'' of damage resistance, in which case it might take two shots.
* KitschyLocalCommercial: Load screens are almost entirely poster ads, billboards, and paper paraphernalia of pre-war Nevada. The ads are generally of mediocre quality at best; one shows a 50's style Strongman lifting weights with the caption, "Build Mass With Sass! Sunset Sarsaparilla".
* KleptomaniacHero: You can help yourself to anything that isn't nailed down. The game does dock a few karma points for outright stealing, but the penalty is negligible and karma isn't that important in this game anyway (thanks to the new reputation system). This can lead to the amusing irony of the "Scourge of the Wastes" being one of the most beloved residents of the wasteland.
* KlingonPromotion: You can convince Swank to let you bring in your weapons to kill Benny, and in Gomorrah you can help Cachino to kill Big Sal and Nero. They will take over their respective casinos once you have done that. Benny himself is also head of his casino due to this, having knocked off his boss when Mr. House first set up the Strip.
** Furthermore, you can knock off [[spoiler:Mr. House and take over New Vegas yourself]].
* KnightInSourArmor: Chief Hanlon and Dr. Henry.
* LargeHam: The Think Tanks.
** Especially Dr. Klein. Even his subtitles are in all caps. It's lampshaded as well, with him constantly complaining that the volume control of his loudpspeaker is awry.
** The Tick, Dr. Venture, and Captain Quark are 3 of the 6 scientists. Case closed.
* LampshadeHanging: [[spoiler: Yes Man hangs one on the fact he has been programmed so that he CannotTellALie... to ''anybody''. Period. Benny, you are TooDumbToLive.]]
* LeeroyJenkins: The Kamikaze trait apparently.
* LegitimateBusinessmensSocialClub: Club Zoara, inside the Gomorrah Casino.
* LethalJokeItem: The Abeline Kid LE BB Gun is the ''Fallout New Vegas'' equivalent of the [[{{Fallout 2}} Red Ryder Limited BB Gun]], which gives a bonus critical damage and bonus critical chance.
** Boxing gloves, or the unique Golden Gloves. Very low damage indeed, but you will find out that even a character with low Unarmed skill can KO a deathclaw with it, allowing you to take your time dismembering it with a chainsaw.
** Euclid's C-Finder, which looks like a child's toy, is actually used as a target painter for [[KillSat ARCHIMEDES II]].
* LightningBruiser:
** Deathclaws can run faster than you can, do a lot of damage, and have very long melee reach. Thankfully, a couple of bullets to the legs willl gimp them.
** Legate Lanius plays this even straighter. [[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard The man is straight-up faster than any human should be]], continues to be faster than you even if you cripple both his legs, hits ''really'' hard, and has nearly as much health as the Legendary Deathclaw.
** Any super mutant. Look at how fast they run, and how powerful their running stride looks.
** Any Level 45+ player with high Strength, Agility and Endurance is this, especially if you have the best weapons and armor in the game.
* LightningGun: The Tesla cannon, and the unique Tesla-Beaton prototype.
** The LAER (Laser Assisted Electrical Rifle) in ''Old World Blues''
** The Arc Welder in ''Lonesome Road''
* LipstickLesbian: Veronica. She even gives you a quest to find her a pretty dress, complete with audible {{squee}} if you find one and give it to her.
** A subversion at the same time, since she shows you her gratitude for finding her the dress by [[CuteBruiser teaching you a new way to punch people]] - in her words, "the gift that keeps giving".
* LiteralGenie: [[spoiler: Yes Man.]]
* TheLoad: Waking Cloud, a companion from ''Honest Hearts.'' Her only combat skill is Unarmed, the only combat skill in the game with no ranged attacks whatsoever (Melee Weapons has a handful of thrown weapons), but her hit points are so low she literally loses fights to plants with distressing regularity. Giving her a ranged weapon means she'll live an extra 2 seconds because now the monster she's fighting has to walk to her ''without'' her charging right up to it.
* LoadsAndLoadsOfLoading: Probably one of this game's biggest flaws. The load times themselves aren't that long, but there's lots of them.
** The load redundancy makes this especially eg-- For example, fast traveling places the player outside a location, without preloading the interior, which is the primary reason for traveling there in the first place. There's rarely a fast travel mark directly to commonly visited characters, some of which are instead ''two to four maps deep'' from arrival. It's almost as if they were relying on design shortsightedness to inflate the playing time.
** One of the worst examples would probably be wanting to buy stuff from Sergeant Contreras. Fast travel to Camp Mc Carran (load), enter it (load), run a minute or two, to reach the terminal building (load) and now you can either go through the airfield (load, run a minute, load) or the terminal hallways (load, run a minute, load) to get to his shack. At least, after buying you can just exit the shack and fast travel away, since the airfield counts as an outside location.
* LoopholeAbuse: Katherine Stone, the Overseer in Vault 11. [[spoiler:Since the Justice Bloc in the Vault used their majority to control who became Overseer and thus was sacrificed, she was forced to perform sexual favors to save her husband. When they nominated him anyway, she murdered several of them, because she knew she would be elected Overseer due to her crimes. Upon her nomination, she changed the voting process to selection by random number generation, effectively destroying the Justice Bloc's power. There wasn't any rule preventing her from changing the rules.]]
* LostForever: While it has improved a lot since launch, the game is still quite unstable, and odd glitches may still manifest that will prevent even the most able player from obtaining unique items and party members.
* LoveDodecahedron: The employees of H&H Tools spent nine minutes out of ten planning romantic trysts. You can use terminals and read personal e-mails between them planning some horizontal mambo after-hours. In fact, a couple (as in married) make up excuses to not be away from each other so they can have a tryst [[LoveTriangle WITH THE SAME GUY.]]
** NoodleImplements: They were also very... interesting in their choice of love toys. Amongst those mentioned in the e-mails are an accordion, a riding crop, a stovepipe, souvenir moon rocks, rubber sheets and a souvenir elephant-foot trashcan.
* LuckStat: A Fallout trope in general, but {{Deconstructed}} in this game. It's actually an ability to [[TheChessmaster calculate probabilities]] and [[WindsOfDestinyChange know how to nudge them in your favor]]. The luckiest individual in the Wasteland, [[spoiler: Mr. House, who has a Luck state of 10]], can in fact [[XanatosRoulette predict the future]] with his ability. Not that it helps him to any extent should the player decide to cross him - and you can't see the NPC stats directly without console commands either. A better example of DoingInTheWizard on the matter of luck is that one of the implants you may obtain - a probability processing unit of sorts - actually increases your luck.
** Vault 21's [[PlanetOfHats hat]] was that everyone was equal and conflicts were solved with games of chance, essentially an in-game deconstruction of luck. Unlike most of the other Vaults, 21 did pretty well for itself...until House showed up and won the whole place in a game of blackjack.
* LudicrousGibs: The Anti-Materiel Rifle. What do you expect when you use a gun made primarily against tanks and vehicles on [[NoKillLikeOverkill those poor, poor people?]]
** Or when you use a weapon that flings projectiles at several times the speed of sound with [[MagneticWeapons magnets]]?
** Don't forget about the Bloody Mess perk, which lets you make a splatter house on anyone or anything by coughing at them (just so long as it's the killing hit).
** What's truly amusing about this is that it's not just showy, but practical. Is there a body hanging just out of reach? Gib it, and you can loot it through whatever pieces of it happened to fall in your direction.
* {{MacGuffin Location}}: Hoover Dam, source of clean water and free power to the Mojave, is being fought over by both the Legion and the NCR.
** To the extent that the NCR has holed up most of its troops there, leaving the rest of the border poorly defended, and the Legion - despite the poorly defended border and the success of their raiding parties across the Colorado - will not attempt to invade the Mojave without first capturing the Dam.
* MacheteMayhem: One of the more powerful and reliable melee weapons in the game is the humble machete. This is a staple weapon of low-level Legionnaires in Caesar's Legion, and there's even an advanced version called a machete gladius and the unique Liberator.
* [[MagikarpPower Magikarp Skill]]: Explosives, arguably. It's a near-useless skill on a normal playthough, as even a number less than 10 is sufficient to disarm proximity mines, i.e. the only mines that matter. However, get it high enough and take the right perks (Demolition Expert and Splash Damage), and the blast radius and damage of any explosive is significantly increased. This turns weapons like the missile launcher, grenade machinegun, and the Fat Man into THE MOST damaging weapons in the game. The only problem is ammo, about which this game is not kind.
** This trope is taken UpToEleven with the new Gun Runner's DLC. Mini nukes and missiles that fragment into 9 cluster bombs, plasma and pulse grenades for grenade launchers, the return of the Nuka Grenade, and extremely easy-to-craft explosives made from microfusion cells and pistol powder.
* MadeOfIron: Most notably there's Legate Lanius. A lesser example would be Jean-Baptiste Cutting, TheDragon to Gloria Van Graff, and of course high-level monsters such as deathclaws and sentry bots.
** A character can be specced to become this. If you have Remnants power armor, both ranks of the Toughness perk, the big brained and reinforced spine perks from the Old World Blues DLC, and the sub-dermal plating implant, you can have a DT of 53! If you have Cass as a active companion and drink Whiskey, you'll have a DT of [[UpToEleven 57!]] Also, if you have Endurance 10 and Life Giver at level 30 (45 if you have the three DLCs), [[StoneWall your HP will be a whopping 620 (770)!]]
*** The Whiskey boost can reach 6 DT with enough Survival skill. It stacks with two kinds of tequila, which count as whiskey. "In Shining Armor" is literally [[IncrediblyLamePun made of iron]] against beam weapons. Basically, there are so many defense tweaks you're unlikely to fit them all on one character.
** [[PlayerCharacter The Courier]] being MadeOfIron is pretty much required. Over the course of the game, the Courier is shot in the head (twice. At point blank range. ''Before the game even starts''), knocked unconscious and dragged for miles (''Dead Money''), survives having his heart, spine, and brain removed, eventually swapping them and their prosthesis out at will (''Old World Blues''), and can optionally waltz through ''three separate ground zeroes'' within hours of their creation. And that's without all the decision-dependent beatings he/she takes and survives. Two of the three highest-level Perks lampshade the fact that the Courier shouldn't be alive (they're called "I'm Lucky to Be Alive," and "I Thought You Died").
** The backstory of the game also has Joshua Graham. In fact, a few Legion characters will mention that while Legate Lanius is a more intelligent tactician and strategist, ''Legate Graham was an even more powerful warrior than Lanius''. It's worth noting that the seven foot tall heavily armored killing machine that fights by swinging a huge blade around was the ''brains'' relative to Joshua Graham.
*** They're not kidding. Joshua Graham was covered in pitch, set on fire, and thrown over the edge of the ''Grand freakin' Canyon''. Not only did he live, he climbed out again and walked all the way back to his home in Utah.
* MadScientist: The Think Tanks of the Big Empty.
* MamaBear: The Mother ''Deathclaw''. [[BerserkButton Shoot one of her little babies]] and prepare for '''pain'''.
* ManInTheMachine: [[spoiler: Mr. House, and potentially the player, if the Mr. House ending is chosen.]]
* MatterReplicator: The Sierra Madre vending machines, which uses Sierra Madre chips as both a form of currency and base matter.
* TheManBehindTheCurtain: Mr. House, the perpetually sequestered leader, face of New Vegas, and leader of a [[BadassArmy vast army of killbots]], is [[spoiler: really nothing more a shriveled, 261-year-old Howard Hughes {{Expy}} who's immune system is so weak, he'll die from numerous viral infections in a matter of months if you so much as open his stasis tank.]]
* MatchMakerQuest: Jack and Janet, another way to increase your reputation with the Boomers.
* MeaningfulName: Jason Bright, leader of a religious cult for ghouls, is a Glowing One - a ghoul so dosed up on radiation that he emits a radioactive glow. Lampshaded if you ask him about his name.
** The name ''Lanius'' means "butcher," a word that certainly describes the Legate's approach to battle.
** The man in charge of New Vegas, playing the NCR and the Legion against one another for his own gain? Robert ''House'', as in "''the'' House."
** In the cases of Bright and House, those were the names they were born with a good 200 years previously. Foreshadowing indeed.
** Each of the scientists in the Big MT has a name referring to an endless loop. Dr. Klein refers to the Klein bottle, Dr. Borous refers to the Ouroboros (and with a high enough INT, you can point out it's spelled wrong), Dr. Dala comes from "Mandala", a Sanskrit word meaning circle, Dr. 0 is obviously a loop, Dr. 8 is an infinity symbol turned on its side, and Dr. Mobius is named for the Mobius strip.
* MedievalStasis: A higher-tech version than usual, but consider, it's been 200 years since the bombs fell and the Brotherhood of Steel (in particular, the Nevada chapter you deal with) is falling into a ''serious'' rut. [[spoiler: It's stated that the Mojave Brotherhood chapter is trying to get in touch with the Brotherhood of Steel headquarters far to the west, but isn't getting responses. Given that the Brotherhood of Steel and the NCR have just been at war, it's possible that all other Brotherhood chapters in NCR territory have been wiped out and the Mojave chapter may be one of the few Brotherhood chapters left.]]
* MeetTheNewBoss: Caesar's manifesto will seem pretty familiar to those who've played the original ''Fallout'' and faced down TheMaster. In many ways the Legion is simply the Unity all over again. You can even talk to Marcus about Caesar, and while he doesn't make an obvious direct comparison you definitely get the vibe that he's seen it before and knows it can never lead to anything good.
* MegaCorp: The Crimson Caravan Company is the closest thing to a Mega Corp that you can get in a post-apocalyptic world. They dominate most of the commercial activities on the west coast, have offices and trading outpost all the way from California to Utah, and have lot of influence in the NCR government.
** The Mojave Wasteland under the control of Mr. House is basically a [[OneNationUnderCopyright Mega Corp in the form of a nation state]].
* MegaManning: The super-secret hidden perk Meat of Champions [[spoiler: If you use the Cannibal perk to eat President Kimball, Caesar, Mr. House, and The King, you temporarily gain their abilities (Kimball's strength, Caesar's intelligence, House's luck, and The King's charisma) whenever you feed from a human corpse.]]
* MercyKill: [[spoiler: Boone gives one to his wife.]]
** [[spoiler:You can also give one to mutilated NCR troops while exploring a minefield. It's a good thing.]]
** [[spoiler:Boone repeatedly voices his distaste towards mercy kills and often stresses that you should only be done as a last resort. Of course, there are only two situations (and a few scattered ones if you're on the side of NCR, notably before assaulting a Legion stronghold) where it isn't, so it's a moot point.]]
** [[spoiler:You get an option to inflict a MercyKill upon Benny when you find him captured in Caesar's camp -- otherwise he'll meet a far more gruesome death at the hands of the Legion.]]
** At Nipton, [[spoiler: you can give these to the [[AssholeVictim crucified Powder Gangers]].]]
* MightyWhitey: Played with ''a lot'' in Honest Hearts; both Daniel and Joshua are Mormons who have become leaders of tribal societies. Neither is terribly happy that they're interfering to such a massive degree, but they don't have/know any other way to help. Daniel in particular is incredibly indecisive, worrying about whether he's doing the right thing, and both of them [[ItsUpToYou put major decisions at your feet]] because [[JustifiedTrope they're uncomfortable]] with their [[DeconstructedTrope level of involvement]] in everyone's lives. Joshua even says this to you outright about Follows-Chalk (paraphrased).
--> '''Courier:''' Why don't you talk to him? You know I'm just going to tell him to leave, right?\\
'''Joshua:''' Perhaps, but I think he's learned too much from me already.
** The Courier may complicate this even further depending on the skin tone you chose for him/her at character creation.
* MindScrew: The Lonesome Drifter's [[spoiler:father may very well be the Mysterious Stranger. Made even screwier by the fact that "Lonesome" and "Drifter" are synonyms of "Lone" and "Wanderer." Make of that what you will.]]
* AMillionIsAStatistic: A strange meta-example with the Mr. House quest to [[spoiler:wipe out the Brotherhood bunker]]. Of the available options[[hottip:*:A peaceful solution existed, but was DummiedOut.]] are going in, guns blazing, and killing them all, or sneaking in, and [[StuffBlowingUp blowing the whole place up]]. Of the two options, both give negative Karma, but the latter significantly less-so, because it's one large karma hit, instead of many smaller (but still reasonably large) hits.
* MismatchedEyes: Some dogs (e.g. ones at Gibson scrap yard) have one brown and one blue eye.
* MixAndMatchCritters: Nightstalkers are coyote/rattlesnake hybrids. Yao Guai are some kinda quasi-furry part-bear thing.
* MoodLighting: Camp Forelorn Hope gets a [[RealIsBrown brown color wash]], but not when you play on a low detail setting. In this case, the color is much more desaturated than normal.
* MolotovCocktail: The firebomb from ''Honest Hearts'' gives off this vibe, as it is made from a beer bottle and uses a lit rag as a fuse. In gameplay, it's more of a weaker, craftable Incendiary Grenade.
* MoneyToBurn: Legion Coins may not be exchangeable as currency in many places, but you can use them as ''ammunition'' if you're playing a particularly creative character who's good at tinkering with ammo.
** Of course, the perennial favorite "Bottlecap Mine" (an IED made with Caps, the region's popular currency, as shrapnel) makes a return in this game. The head of Crimson Caravan even lampshades it.
* MontyHaul: The Dead Money DLC is named quite appropriately. After the very frustrating and aggravating campaign, you are rewarded with Gold Bars which are worth 10000 caps each, the very high tier weapons and armor from the campaign, and over 10000 Sierra Madre chips if you gambled at the casino. Also, every three days, you get 1100 Sierra Madre chips at the Abandoned Bunker. Think they're useless now? There's a vending machine in Elijah's room. That means a practically infinite supplies of chems, stimpacks, and weapon repair kits!
* {{Mordor}}: The Divide.
* MoreDakka: The iconic minigun, of course, but also the light machine gun, the assault carbine (which can burn through its 24-round magazine in less than three seconds), and the many variations on the theme of submachine gun. Old World Blues includes the K9000, a Cyberdog Gatling Gun that fires magnum rounds.
* MuggingTheMonster: Freeside Thugs bring this trope to [[SuicidalOverconfidence untold heights of absurdity.]]
** Terrifying Presence allows your dialogue options to occasionally lampshade this.
* MultipleEndings: Four proper endings, plus a variety of "segmented endings" for different communities and characters that all depend on the choices you make.
* MushroomSamba: one quest in Honest Hearts has YOU go on one.
* MusicalThemeNaming: Almost every quest is named after a classic song, along with an IncrediblyLamePun or two ("Ant Misbehavin'").
* MyCountryRightOrWrong: Cass believes this about the NCR. While she loves her country, she just wishes that the leadership of the NCR would get their heads out of their asses. Boone has hints of it as well.
** Elder [=MacNamara=] also has this attitude.
* MyGreatestFailure: This attitude is commonly held of [[spoiler: The Bitter Springs Massacre]] by those who were there.
* MysteriousProtector: Two of them, Mysterious Stranger and Miss Fortune, the latter simply knocking people out instead of killing them. You can get both.
** The Lonesome Drifter is an NPC you can find along the road to Vegas. If you ask for his story it's heavily implied that he is the Mysterious Stranger's son.
** And a step further, you can get his Mysterious Magnum. It even plays the Stranger's theme when you draw and holster it.
* MythologyGag: "[[{{Fallout 3}} I'm looking for a man in a checkered coat. Have you seen anyone like that?]]"
** A side-quest for the Kings will have one suspect identified by the name "Lou Tennant," the name the dumber Super Mutants called TheDragon in the original ''{{Fallout}}.''
*** The friend of the witness who provides that little gem even calls him "dumb as a mutant."
** Cannibal Johnson remembers [[DrillSergeantNasty Sergeant Dornan]] giving [[{{Fallout 2}} a private that had wandered into Navarro without a uniform the most blistering rant known to mankind.]]
** Near Novac you can find [[{{Fallout 2}} a busted old Highwayman]]. Moreover, its trunk is filled with various energy weapon ammo, hearkening back to players storing such items in the trunk as spare Highwayman fuel.
** Does Julie Farkas's hairdo remind you of anyone? Say... Nicole, the founder of the Followers of The Apocalypse?
** Several characters, including Yes Man and Caesar, speculate that the secret weapon Mr. House has stored in the secret bunker underneath Fortification Hill is a [[{{Fallout 3}} giant war robot he's going to use to curbstomp everything]]. Yes Man even massages the Courier's ego by telling him that he's such a badass [[TakeThat he doesn't need a giant robot to do all his work for him]].
* MythArc: The [=DLCs=] all hint towards the Courier's confrontation with Ulysses, which is settled at the Divide in Lonesome Road.
* NationalWeapon: The tribes in the Honest Hearts DLC each have a signature weapon. The Whitelegs use Submachine Guns, the Dead Horses use War Clubs, the Sorrows use Yao Guai Gauntlets, and the New Canaanites use .45 pistols.
* {{Nerf}}: Many of the low-level energy weapons were practically useless before the 1.2.31X patch, doing far too little damage to be of any worth. Also, the Hunting Rifle in ''Fallout 3'' had low damage mitigating its usefulness despite its plentiful ammunition; something that was rectified in ''New Vegas'', that being both the damage and the ammo supply. Also, the Sniper Rifle, with its 5x [[CriticalHit crit chance multiplier]] all but guaranteeing crits outside of sneak attacks, was toned down in the same patch that de-nerfed the low-tier energy weapons. Not to mention That Gun, the .223 pistol from ''BladeRunner''. It was by far the best pistol in the 1st and 2nd games. Now it's not even as strong as the default 10mm pistol you get an hour into the game (but what it lacks in raw damage it makes up by being able to load the best armor-piercing pistol ammunition in the game).
** On the flip side, the missile launcher now does hellacious damage since the patch, making it a true BFG.
** On the recent patch, the minigun, service rifle, and assault carbine are de-nerfed as well, with the default armor piercing nature of the 5mm ammo and the Grunt perk in Honest Hearts. However, the Varmint Rifle got nerfed hard since it gets the damage decrease of the Service Rifle without the rate of fire boost, that it is almost impossible to kill anything with it in a single VATS round.
** The Feral Ghoul Reavers got nerfed massively as well. In Broken Steel, they were one of the nastiest enemies in the game, with health to rival a Super Mutant Overlord and a deadly ranged attack. Now, their health got cut significantly and they lost the ranged attack. They're still extremely dangerous, but not as ridiculous as they were.
* NeverFoundTheBody: [[spoiler: Joshua Graham, the previous Legate of Caesar's Legion, whom Caesar ordered to be set on fire and cast into the Grand Canyon after losing the first battle of Hoover Dam]]. He is so widely speculated to be alive that Caesar has forbidden his name to be spoken, mostly due to his reputation as the ultimate [[ImplacableMan Implacable Man]] who miraculously survived fatal wounds on an almost regular basis.
* NeverMessWithGranny: Lily, a Nightkin supermutant who is roughly 250 years old and alternates between talking about her grandchildren and chopping enemies in half with a [[{{BFS}} helicopter blade]]. And she has [[FunnySchizophrenia a split personality where she blames all her violent tendencies on "Leo".]]
* NeverTrustATrailer: The [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epFupigyIN8 Blue Moon trailer]] features a gorgeous view of a fully illuminated New Vegas in the background. In the actual game, however, only the four casinos are actually lit up. The trailer, as well as some bits in the intro narration, suggest that Obsidian might have intended New Vegas to be a completely pristine pre-war city. In the actual game, it is revealed that the city had undergone centuries of dilapidation until Mr. House decided to repair the casinos as a means of welcoming the NCR.
** The Limits of the game engine might have something to do with this, as the game's intro also shows Vegas as a near pristine pre-war city.
* NewMeat - 10 of Spades. He's called that, because he's too green to earn Ace of Spades as his callsign.
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: The game gets rather {{Anvilicious}} in this respect if you [[spoiler:kill or incapacitate Mr. House. You even receive a message saying "A great tragedy has befallen mankind" '''and''' take a large karma hit, despite the fact that Mr. House's actions are no less morally dubious than those of the NCR.]] Arguably, however, this might be intentional. [[spoiler:Mr. House has very little modesty and obviously arranged this prior to his death. It's essentially some post-mortem ego-stroking]]. Also consider that Mr. House is [[TheExtremistWasRight largely responsible]] for most of Nevada ''not'' being hit with Chinese nukes, and thus, much of it being a safe haven for non-Vault inhabitants.
** Also gets rather ham-fisted in Lonesome Road, where it's made clear, in no uncertain terms, [[spoiler:that YOU are the reason The Divide, touted as humanity's best chance at recovery, is now nothing more than an Irradiated crack in the ground, thanks to the EarthShatteringKaboom you set off. [[YouBastard Thanks a lot, asshole.]]]]
* NighInvulnerable - With the Stealth suit Mk II (A suit of sentient PoweredArmour} you get in Old World Blues, when you hit relatively low (about 40%) health, you have a stimpak and Med-x administered. And the rate of it is insane - about 1 dose of Stim per second. This renders you almost invincible in Casual, as long as you're not being wailed upon by about eight enemies at once, or fighting the Giant Robo-Scorpion with it's near insta-kill laser.
* NinjaPirateZombieRobot: This game loves playing with this.
** First, there's Victor, the cowboy robot unicycle.
*** Primm has Primm Slim, who is another robot cowboy. Amusingly, there's a bit of dialogue where you have to clarify ''which'' robot cowboy you're talking about.
** There's also Raul Tejada, the [[BadassGrandpa 230 year old]] ghoul vaquero mechanic.
** And let's not forget cowboy-ghoul-mercenary-dominatrix Beatrix Russel.
** And of course, any given player could become a martial-artist-cannibal-sniper-radioactive-birdslaying-courier..
** There are plenty of implants and mutations for the player to pick up.
** In ''Old World Blues'', there are robot radscorpions with laser in the place of the stinger
* NintendoHard: The game gives you the option of ''Hardcore Mode'', which simulates the post-apocalyptic experience. What does this mean? You have to [[ThisIsReality eat, drink, and sleep regularly to survive]]. Ammo has weight. Stimpacks heal over time instead of instantly. They also can't heal limbs any more; you need a doctor's bag or and actual doctor for that. That said, doing this is at best a minor annoyance for a decent player: there is more than enough food, water, and beds to cover your needs. The only thing in short supply is doctor's bags, which can be supplemented cheaply by actual doctors.
** Then there's the DLC ''Dead Money'', which was apparently written by a KillerGameMaster: You lose all your gear at start and are given low-condition, barely protective junk in return. There's toxic gas clouds all over causing a constant HP drain. The puzzles are a tad harder. There are traps ''everywhere''. The good supplies are hard to come by at first. The Ghost People within can't just be beaten to death without a huge health drain (because they level with you). The whole thing is in a dark, terrible tint that will make you want to punch the screen. It also helps with not seeing the freakin' bear traps. [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment Which are everywhere]]. And to top it off, there are speakers and radios which set off your explosive collar; SaveScumming is the way to find and deactivate (or outrun) them. [[SchmuckBait At least you're warned.]]
** Whereas ''Dead Money'' was Nintendo Hard in terms of dungeon exploration, all the DLC is Nintendo Hard in terms of straight-out combat. All the enemies level with you, which actually makes being at high levels a ''disadvantage'', since ''every single normal enemy'' is tough enough that they'd be considered a major boss character in the vanilla game. And you'll often have to fight several at once. This is especially bad in ''Dead Money'', though, because you don't get your high damage weapons and the Ghost People don't take extra damage from headshots.
* [[NoCampaignForTheWicked No Campaign or Companions For the Wicked]]: The game prides itself on making certain that none of the factions are straight out "good" or "evil," with reminders like NCR being ineffective at defending its interests in stark contrast to the Legion inspiring such strict order that even the [[CompleteMonster Fiends]] won't attack their territory, but...of the companions for the Courier, nearly all fall under either pro-NCR or neutral, and two will even abandon you outright for supporting the Legion. Couple that with ''a lot'' of doors being closed to players for throwing their lot in with the Legion...yeah. There aren't a lot of incentives for siding with the Legion for anything but the different story missions.
** ''Honest Hearts'' also plays this straight--despite your ability to side with the Legion in the main game, you can't side with the White Legs in Zion, who are attempting to join the Legion. There are numerous potential Justifications/Hand Waves available, but none are brought up.
** WordOfGod also alluded to this concerning Joshua Graham--his FalloutVanBuren counterpart, The Hanged Man, was a TokenEvilTeammate played quite straight, with great stats, but severe social consequences for bringing him along. For his appearance in ''Honest Hearts'', this was deemed too bland a character, and wouldn't be interesting. Considering how conflicted he is when you meet him, this was clearly the correct move.
** Ironically, when programming a character along the lines stated above (powerful, but antagonizing), the end result was Boone, who is essentially the "[[GoodIsNotNice good]]" counterpart to the above character: very powerful, but attacks Legion on sight, essentially creating instant enemies for otherwise neutral player characters.
** Ulysses was also a TokenEvilTeammate, however according to the developers he can persuaded to serve a different cause completely.
* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: Mr. House basically ''is'' Howard Hughes. WordOfGod even lampshaded it.
** His securitron friend Jane is based on Jane Russell.
** Several casinos and landmarks were given this treatment, such as Bison Steve = Buffalo Bill's, Dinky the T-Rex = Dinny the Dinosaur/Mr Rex, and The Tops = The Sands.
** Despite this being the future, Benny is based on mobster [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bugsy_Siegel Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel]], right down to the tacky suit.
** Mr. New Vegas is Wayne Newton, famous announcer known as "Mr. Las Vegas". And literally so as the character is actually voiced by Newton.
* NoFairCheating: Have the PC version and used the console? ''No achievements for you!''
** [[EpicFail Even if you do it to fix a]] {{game breaking bug}}. Achievements can re-enabled by saving and quitting, then going back to the game.
** If you are in a casino, saving the game also shuts down all the gambling options for a minute as an "anti-cheat" measure to prevent save-scumming.
** Similarly, you cannot click through the type-up sequence for the hacking minigame if you just exited and re-entered the computer terminal.
* NonStandardGameOver: In Dead Money [[spoiler: if you access Sinclair's personal account in the Sierra Madre Vault [[TooDumbToLive even though a previous text clearly says doing so will permanently and irreversibly lock the vault door]], you get a message (addressed to Domino) saying you are [[FateWorseThanDeath trapped in the vault]] [[AndIMustScream with absolutely no way to get out]], and an ending slide plays saying the Courier died inside the vault and was turned into a hologram.]]
** Also in Dead Money, [[spoiler: you can join Father Elijah and unleash the cloud upon the Mojave Wasteland, killing everyone.]]
* NoodleIncident: You can find a computer log in ''Old World Blues'' which says steps are being taken to avoid a repeat of [=Incident:PLAYTIME=]. There were cyberdogs involved, and fixing it took up a good portion of the research budget.
** Hinted to cyberdogs in heat and measures taken to sterilize the place after the dogs had their mating season.
* NotQuiteTheRightThing: [[spoiler:Solving "Heartache By the Number" the [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge Cass way]] certainly seems viable, as the targets completely deserve it for their crimes...but then the epilogue reveals that you and Cass have effectively crippled both the NCR and the Wasteland's only major trade industry. OOPS!]]
* NonActionGuy: The idea behind the Good Natured trait. Your combat skills take a hit, but a whole bunch of non-combat skills get a boost, and since you have the option of getting a couple of party members to do the fighting for you, you can still survive when violence becomes necessary. That also does not prevent you from [[TookALevelInBadass taking a level in badass]] by putting skill points appropriately.
** What's funny is that this trait actually has the opposite intended effect. Since you can't max out skills like in ''Fallout 3'', you have to decide which skills you want to build up. This trait takes points away from the combat skills you will never use (depending on how you like to play, you'll only ever use one or two combat skills, maybe three at most) and puts them into skills you will, almost certainly resulting in a net gain. By putting skill points into combat skills anyway, [[TheAce your character can deal with practically any situation.]]
** Even better, the ''Old World Blues'' DLC has the [[TheAce Skilled]] trait, which gives you +5 to all skills at the cost of a -10% exp gain. Combined with the Good Natured Trait, this is a net gain of +10 to a lot of skills while also removing the -5 penalty to your combat skills. The experience loss can be negated by a perk which you can get at second level.
*** Sort of. The 10% penalty is applied first, then the 10% bonus is applied to the intermediate calculation, giving a net loss of 1% XP (1*.9*1.1=.99).
* NoOneShouldSurviveThat: The response you will get when you catch up with the people who shot you in the head and buried you alive at the start of the game.
* NoOSHACompliance: Standard for the course in the Fallout verse. Though the Bison Steve hotel gets kudos. Pre-War there was a platform that led directly to the tracks for the Roller Coaster. Not to the loading[=/=]unloading platform, just in the middle of the tracks.
** Subverted with the Hoover Dam. There are guard rails and there is a fence to block anything going into the intake valves. [[TheDevTeamThinksOfEverything including stray players trying to sequence break.]]
*** Followed through in many other cases where toxic waste is dumped in places such as a fire station. The REPCONN headquarters' tour guide also lampshades this by constantly reassuring you that no safety measures are required for toxic waste dumps because "nothing bad will ever happen."
* NoTellMotel: Bison Steve was this BEFORE the war. You find a ransom note. A skeleton on the bed next to a blood stain that's at chest level then another skeleton in the tub with a knife and surrounded by drugs. Murder-suicide, anyone?
** Maybe it's a StealthPun, since the real-world equivalent is "[[TheSilenceOfTheLambs Buffalo Bill's]]".
* NotSoDifferent: [[spoiler:Caesar and Arcade Gannon]] are extremely similar. Both are or were members of [[spoiler:the Followers of Apocalypse]]. Both lost their fathers at a young age. Both are well educated [[spoiler:to the point of knowing Latin]]. Both believe in the greater good, even if it is at the expense of the individual good ([[spoiler:although Arcade doesn't take it to the same extremes]]). Both prove to be [[spoiler:remarkably effective military leaders as soon as they put their mind to do so. Arcade is openly gay, while Caesar (along with the entire Legion) is implied to be gay (though this might just be slander). If you get a very specific ending, the trope is more apparent, as well, due to Caesar's interactions with Arcade]].
** Veronica also points out that both the Boomers and the Brotherhood of Steel are quite similar, both being aggressively xenophobic hoarders of technology.
* NotStayingForBreakfast: If Benny survives his night with a black widow Courier, he leaves a note that manages to be infuriating and endearing at the same time.
* OffModel: Strafing to the left as a female Courier causes your left arm to suddenly gain a new joint. Pre-patch, there were [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToKIkw3LIoQ some]] that were unintentionally hilarious.
* OffscreenTeleportation: Both of the Mysterious Protectors. Victor seems to always be one step ahead of you, but it turns out he's got a justification for that.
* OhCrap:
** [[spoiler:Benny's reaction when he sees how [[IGotBetter you got better]] after that little incident up near Goodsprings.]]
** Probably the best OhCrap to come from Benny is if [[spoiler: you go up to the penthouse at The Tops at his request. Of course, he betrays you and sends 4 of his bouncers to do you in. Kill them, and then go over to the intercom and interact with it.]]
--> [[spoiler: '''Benny:''' The cleaners will knock twice. Make sure they do a thorough job.]]\\
[[spoiler: '''The Courier:''' [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome Yeah... There's quite a mess up here. Four bodies.]]]]\\
[[spoiler: '''Benny:''' [[OhCrap What... the... fuck!?]]]]
*** [[spoiler: It's also heavily implied in dialogue with The Tops members that after this exchange, Benny fled from the casino in pure unbridled ''terror''.]]
** If you tell the lone NCR Ranger attempting to use a bunker as a safehouse that the Brotherhood of Steel have you hostage - "Ha, ha, not a slaver collar... hey, what's that noise?" [[spoiler:Three angry paladins in T-51b armor, that's what.]]
** In the WildCard ending, [[spoiler:General Oliver shows up after blasting down the doors to congratulate you. Then you point out you had help. Cue the dust settling and a very unhealthy number of Securitrons suddenly holding him at gunpoint]].
** Jessup gets one in Boulder City when he recognises the Courier, remarking that he saw you get shot in the head by Benny in Goodsprings and you're ''supposed'' to be dead.
---> '''Courier:''' [[IGotBetter I got better]].
* OneHitPointWonder: The Cloud in ''Dead Money'' can turn ''you'' into this in Hardcore more if you don't have the stims to keep your health up, especially in the early game. Half the time you'll be throwing your companions at enemies to avoid using your precious healing items.
* OneManArmy: The pro-NCR path more or less requires you to be this. Even if you aren't following that path, a high-level character with the right equipment can literally be this.
** Ranger Stella, one of the possible opponent in the arena. She apparently refused to be given a machete in the arena, prefering to fight with just her bare hands, and she wasted just about anyone thrown at her, from slaves and recruit legionaries up to veteran legionaries and an elite centurion. When you fight her, she can cripple limbs with one hit.
** Randall Clark, the Survivalist, wiped out most of the cannibalistic Vault 22 dwellers who killed the Spanish refugees he was watching over, at first by guerilla warfare which led him being called the [[RedBaron Evil Spirit]] by them.
* OneStatToRuleThemAll:
** Like all ''Fallout'' games, Intelligence is the most important stat. Period. It determines how many skill points you get each level up and figures into several speech checks. Following close, but not strictly necessary, is Luck. Luck allows you to win the casino games, specifically blackjack. A minimum Luck of 7 (which is easy enough to get thanks to the Luck implant, Naughty Nightwear, and the Lucky Shades if you can manage the Legion rep) will ensure that you win almost every hand. You'll be able to clean out every casino on and off the Strip. The combined payout for every casino comes out to about 40000 caps, which means you're set for life.[[hottip:*:And in the Sierra Madre Casino in ''Dead Money'', the 10,000-chip jackpot limit can be cashed in for Pre-War Money, one-to-one, which can equate to over ''100,000'' caps with a good Barter skill.]] Luck also provides the most skill points, since it grants a +1 boost to every skill for every two points invested.
** Repair and Barter are useful skills if you want to make a LOT of money. You can sell higher and buy lower with the Barter skill, and repairing items significantly increases the value of it. For example, having 90 repair and Jury Rigging will allow you to repair a near broken super sledge with a shovel, increasing its value by over 2000 caps. It's dozens of times more lucrative than Luck if you keep everything you loot and wait until you have the perk.
** Speech and Science are unquestionably necessary to achieve the best endings in the game, and they need to be really high at that. You need to manage 90 in both to get the best endings, and a full 100 to talk down the bosses.
* OneTimeDungeon:
** The Securitron Vault was intended to be such, with the player being unable to re-enter once it is completed, and the guard's dialogue not permitting you to leave until you complete the task. However, the actual implementation permits you to leave (using dialog or killing the guards) as long as you don't complete the section.
** The ''Dead Money'' DLC cannot be visited after it is completed, unlike the Old World Blues and Honest Hearts add-ons. In said DLC, the vault of the Sierra Madre is also closed off after you leave.
* OnlyOneFemaleMold: Even the old wrinkle faced women have young shaped bodies.
* OohMeAccentsSlipping: Sort of. One minor Frumentarius that you meet greets you for the first time with "Hail Caesar" (hard C) and the very next sentence says it again, this time with a soft C.
** Cachino speaks with an Italian accent when you first meets you, but then drops it after you show him his journal. Justified because, like all Strip families, the accent and attitude is part of his family's "character" (mafia), which he doesn't need in personal conversation.
** Santiago also loses his accent when you reveal that you were sent to settle his debts with the Garretts. He even admits its an act so he can charm his way out of this sort of thing.
* OptionalSexualEncounter: Let's see. There are the hookers in New Vegas, Freeside, and Westside, [[spoiler: Red Lucy]] in the Thorn, Sarah Weintraub in the Vault 21 hotel if you bring her enough Vault Suits, and [[spoiler: Benny]] with the Black Widow perk. Finally, there's Fisto, who, as the name implies, is a robot that performs special services.
** "Numbness will subside in several minutes."
* OracularUrchin: The Forecaster.
* OurWeaponsWillBeBoxyInTheFuture: The 12.7mm submachine gun is one of the few weapons in the Guns category with no real-world counterpart or inspiration. It looks like a brick. Add the silencer mod to it (which is ''far'' larger than the [[HollywoodSilencer silencers]] other guns get), and it looks like a brick with a piece of pipe on the end. Also, the laser pistol and laser rifle retain their rectangular appearance from ''Fallout 3'', but the rifle can be made to be ''even more'' boxy by attaching the scope to it. The result is a box with another box suspended several inches above it. A scoped laser rifle actually takes up so much of the screen in first person mode, it can make seeing things to your right difficult.
* OutlawCouple: Vikki and Vance, who, according to the claims of the robot that works as a tour guide in their museum, were not copycats of the former {{Trope Namer}}s, as they began their own "crime spree" two days before Bonnie and Clyde began theirs. The pair's crimes were, however, pretty low key, and consisted mostly of shoplifting and con artistry. Their story still ends in a tragedy as they were unfortunate enough to caught in the massive crossfire between the police and a bunch of bank robbers, which resulted in them getting shot to pieces.
** A couple of idiots try to emulate them by stealing their clothes and gun, but it's pretty easy to convince them how badly this will go.
* OutscareTheEnemy: This can work against Caesar's legion on one occasion. [[spoiler:There's a quest where you can be hired by the NCR to help interrogate a Legion officer they've captured. If your character has a high enough intelligence or charisma, then the best solution is to convince him you're a Legion assassin sent to punish him for allowing himself to be captured. He's obviously more afraid of the Legion than the NCR, and in his panic and indignation he lists everything he'd done for the Legion lately, which is exactly what the NCR wanted to know.]]
** With the Terrifying Presence perk, you can intimidate hardened badasses in cowering like children. Of note, you can scare the crap out of Caesar himself, turn Jean-Baptiste Cutting (a murderous psychopath who vaped a dude for ''fun'') into whimpering wuss, and scare an entire team of Brotherhood soldiers into submission when they both ''outnumber and outgun you''. It may be a largely useless perk, but it's easily the funniest.
---> '''Courier:''' [[MuggingTheMonster Raise that gun and I will kill everyone in this room.]]
** Terrifying Presence is essentially made of [[OhCrap pants-shittingly terrifying]] speech checks. Like scaring the dog-helmeted '''[[CompleteMonster Vulpes Inculta]]''', right after he ''slaughtered the entirety of Nipton''.
---> '''Courier:''' "I'll wear your heads like you do that dog's."\\
'''Vulpes''': [[ThisIsGonnaSuck "Legionnaires! We have a problem!"]]
** Also of note is convincing some mercs to leave quaint, idyllic, [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking Super Mutant owned]] Jacobstown alone, because if they don't, instead of dealing with a village of pissed off Super Mutants, they'll have to deal '''with you.'''
* OutWithABang: Killing [[spoiler:Benny]] is easy with the Black Widow perk.
* PacifistRun: [[NintendoHard It's possible!]] It may be easier if you [[TechnicalPacifist get someone else to do the killing for you]].
* PaintingTheFourthWall: Obsidian addressed complaints about ''Dead Money'' in regards to personal item whereabouts and the ability to return in the newest DLC, among others:
--> '''In-Game Warning:''' You get the premonition that while you'll be unable to return to the Mojave until you solve the mysteries of the Big Empty, you '''WILL''' be able to take anything you can carry with you, and you '''WILL''' be able to return to the Big Empty any time after completing this adventure.\\
'''Courier:''' If you stole my brain, then how the hell am I still functioning?\\
'''Dr. Klein:''' WE HAVE NO IDEA! THIS LINE OF QUESTIONING ISN'T IMPORTANT TO US NOW! WHY MUST YOU ASK THESE TANGIENTAL QUESTIONS! STOP IT!
** OWB's epilogue actually calls the player out if they rush through the main quest.
* PaperThinDisguise: Partially averted with the faction disguises. Coming near enough to interact with members will reveal you to any, even to the lowliest mooks if your infamy is high enough. But still, you're wearing the same hat, tailed by the same companions, and they don't seem to take notice of a female wearing legionnaire armor.
* ThePasswordIsAlwaysSwordfish: Every password you steal is always something very silly or at least words that can be found in a dictionary. Such as 123456789 for Raul's cell. All hackable terminals all have passwords in the form of words which can be found in most dictionaries.
** Seemingly averted on the HELIOS ONE terminal passwords, where the two terminals have super long passwords with seemingly random letters and numbers, until you find out that the number sequences can be converted from hexadecimal into ASCII, producing the phrases "My voice is my passport" and "Too many secrets"—both encoded phrases from the movie {{Sneakers}}.
** It is implied the reason the passwords are so simple is because of your own hacking skills essentially resetting the password into a guessing game.
** In the latter case, it was Raul himself who programmed it, thinking that no one will ever bother reading the terminal where he writes down the password. He is SurroundedByIdiots up in Black Mountain, after all.
** You can get past the REPPCON HQ security on the top floor by guessing the password, 'Ice Cream', by being lucky or stupid enough.
** Many passwords set by technicians are good (even if they are common words they at least have non-standard capitalization or elements of 1337 sp34k) and common passwords are more than likely a reference to RealLife practices. The hacking minigame can be also considered a StoryAndGameplaySegregation designed to convey the 'vintage' feeling of the hex editor.
* PayEvilUntoEvil: The 'best' path for the 'Eye for an Eye' quest (which gives you the best NCR rep boost) involves [[spoiler: showering Cottonwood Cove with radioactive waste, to give the unfortunate Legion personnel there the KarmicDeath for what they did in Camp Searchlight]]. Before doing this though, hopefully you remembered to get the family in the slave pen out first. The strung-up Great Khan on the outskirts of town will live through it just fine.
* PercussiveMaintenance: When a low-condition gun jams, the Courier smacks it once or twice during the reloading animation.
* PleaOfPersonalNecessity: [[spoiler: Mr. House]]
* PoisonedWeapon: A Courier with a decent survival skill is able to concoct poisons of varying lethality, then apply them to melee weapons. It's more of AwesomeButImpractical as the poison is removed after one strike, but it's worth it to stealthily toss a throwing knife at a deathclaw and watch its health bar drain completely.
* PointOfNoReturn: Once you choose to undertake the [[spoiler:attack on the Hoover Dam]] mission there's no turning back, though the game does at least warn you about this, unlike the corresponding situation in ''Fallout 3''. Strangely enough, it doesn't seem as if Obsidian took on-board the criticism of the fact that you couldn't play past the final level of ''Fallout 3'' (at least not until the "Broken Steel" DLC was released), as the game ends once you defeat the final boss(es).
** However unlike ''Fallout 3'' there are four ending paths to ''New Vegas'' and each ending montage varies greatly depending on your actions throughout the game. Trying to program a PlayableEpilogue that takes all of these factors into account would be an entire game in itself.
** There's also a lesser Point of No Return in the form of which faction quest you choose to pursue. There's a lockout point in each questline which alienates you from the other three. The only two questlines that can be played concurrently are Yes Man and Mr. House, and you still have to choose one prior to the final mission.
** Once you complete the ''Dead Money'' DLC, you may stay as long as you like, but you can't return to the Sierra Madre casino once you do leave. Might be worth going back and getting everything you want.
* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: Caesar's Legion makes no pretense about it: they think women are inferior to men physically and mentally, and should StayInTheKitchen. Also, [[FantasticRacism they think of Ghouls and Super Mutants as nothing more than savage beasts]], even though the majority of them actually aren't so bad. Just one more reason to remember they represent sociological ''regression'', not progress. This is arguably part of the idea, though. Caesar is trying to turn back the clock, and values have to come with that package.
* PostMortemOneLiner: Boone gives us a very good one after [[spoiler:you kill Caesar with him in the party]]:
--> '''Boone:''' *smug tone* Thumbs down, you son of a bitch.
* PowerFist: The [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Power Fist]] makes a comeback, but the big daddy of them in the game is the Ballistic Fist: a glove with a [[MoreDakka SHOTGUN]] attached to it which triggers on contact. [[RuleOfCool AWESOME!]]
** It's Veronica's WeaponOfChoice.
* PowerPerversionPotential: A memo describing a shipment of Stealth Boys with some missing is followed by another memo alluding to regulations regarding sexual harassment and the unauthorized use of military hardware.
* PraetorianGuard: Caesar's personal guards; they are even called that in the game.
** The Centurions, Caesar's elite, wear armor made from pieces scavenged from defeated enemies. This armor includes pieces scavenged off of Brotherhood soldiers and Super Mutants. BadassArmy indeed...
** The Desert Rangers serve in this capacity for President Kimball and General Oliver.
* ThePrankster: Private Davey Crenshaw
* PrecisionFStrike:
** This exchange:
--->[[spoiler:'''Benny:''' "The cleaners will knock twice. Tell them to be thorough."]]\\
[[spoiler:'''[[{{Determinator}} The Courier]]:''' (paraphrased) [[BondOneLiner "They better... there's four bodies."]]]]\\
[[spoiler:'''Benny:''' [[OhCrap "...what the fuck!?"]]]]
** Also:
--->[[spoiler:'''Benny:''']] Don't do that, baby. Not crucifixion. I could be up there for days with those twisted creeps laughing and pointing.\\
'''The Courier:''' Pass the time thinking over your mistakes.\\
[[spoiler:'''Benny:''']] You sick, vindictive fuck!
** Let President Kimball finish his speech at Hoover Dam for a classic IsThisThingStillOn Moment.
* PrepareToDie: Done as a joke by [[spoiler:Caesar]], of all people. [[spoiler:After either recovering the Platinum Chip from Benny or being duped and having him run off with it, you will receive an invitation to meet Caesar in person. It's quite possible that you will have made his life difficult in any number of ways before this, from digging out his moles to slaughtering his garrisons. He will ask you why, despite all this, you still chose to accept the offer to meet him in person. The conversation proceeds like this:]]
-->[[spoiler:'''Courier:''' You guaranteed my safety.]]\\
[[spoiler:'''Caesar:''' And you fell for that? Really? Because I'm going to have you killed now.]]\\
[[spoiler:'''beat''']]\\
[[spoiler:'''Caesar:''' [[EvilHasABadSenseOfHumor ... relax, I'm fucking with you.]]]]
* ProperlyParanoid: Mr. House believes that it is only a matter of time before the NCR betrays him and use military force to annex New Vegas. The NCR on the other hand thinks that Mr. House will use his robot army to betray the Republic and drive them out of the region after they defeat the Legion at Hoover Dam. They were both correct.
** [[spoiler: In this case it was a self-fulfilling prophecy since both side's mutual paranoia is what led to the events that led to them betraying each other.]]
** One of the Vaults has its citizens sectioned off into "red" and "blue" factions and is filled with HAL-9000-looking security cameras. Most of their journal entries display paranoia towards the people on the other side, but one person believes that the entire Vault is part of a psychological experiment, and they've all been drugged to forget that they used to be patients in a mental institution. He seems to be right, but he can't trust himself, because he now knows that he's insane.
* PropRecycling: Lots from {{Fallout 3}}.
** Consequently, there is also some from Oblivion, since {{Fallout 3}} recycled some Oblivion props; this is most obvious in the caves.
** If you listen closely you will hear some Oblivion soundtrack recycling. Less than in {{Fallout 3}} but still.
* PstandardPsychicPstance: The holograms in Dead Money will do this before attacking.
* PsychopathicManchild: If you read the [[AllThereInTheManual fluff text in the back of the collectors edition guide]], it's revealed that Caesar is pretty much this.
** He also has a pretty impressive moment if you bluntly refuse to serve him.
* PunchedAcrossTheRoom: If you have high enough Unarmed skill, this can be one of the death animations. Veronica frequently does it as well. If you're using the Power Fist or Ballistic Glove, this will happen to everything you punch to death.
* PunchClockVillain: It seems every Vault Overseer loyally went ahead with their experiment protocols, despite knowing full well that the world had ended and they were on their own, even in cases where it should have been obvious to anyone with any common sense that the experiment would not only kill the Vault inhabitants, but likely result in the Overseer's own death as well.
** For Vault 34 though this is the case of the inherent flaw (there were just too many guns around and the vault was overpopulated), and even when the Overseer has no interest in the vault experiments, not much could be done. The game was rigged from the start.
*** Funny enough the Vault was doing well, until the Overseer started taking away their gun rights.
* PyroManiac: Cook-Cook, one of the Fiend Bosses.
* PsychoForHire: Jean-Baptiste Cutting.
* TheQuisling: [[spoiler:Papa Khan to the Legion. You can show him how that's a bad idea.]]
** [[spoiler:Regis as well, if you think about it. He takes leadership of the Khans if you assassinate Papa, agrees to a truce with the hated NCR and aids them against the Legion.]]
* RagnarokProofing: An integral part of the ''Fallout'' universe, but the example that truly shines is the Lady. This universe's WW2-era engineers must have been remarkable, [[spoiler: since a B-29 can sit on the bottom of Lake Mead for ''300 years'' and not only be raised intact, but made to fly again by repairing her with spare parts from a museum piece.]]
** [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1948_B-29_Lake_Mead_crash A B-29 really did crash into Lake Mead on July 21, 1948.]] And given the report recently done, is still mostly intact.
*** There are numerous wrecks at the bottom of freshwater lakes and some rivers. Due to low corrosion and few animals living that deep, they do tend remain in fairly good shape.
* RainbowPimpGear: As usual, a possibility.
* RapeAsComedy: FISTO, initially. "'''ASSUME THE POSITION.'''"
** The Biological Station in Old World Blues threatens to seed the ''shit'' out of you, and has seeded Muggy before.
** In the cut audio files for Cook-Cook (who could be approached as friendly), he will constantly hit on you and make veiled threats at rape. Talking to Driver Nephi as a female will have him repeatedly warn you not to talk to him.
* RapeAsDrama: [[spoiler: Corporal Betsy.]]
** Cook-Cook is a notorious rapist, so much so that a ''male'' bounty hunter and even a lot of NCR soldiers are afraid of him. [[spoiler: Killing him will earn you the thanks of some of his victims, some of which only regret that they weren't there to see him die.]]
* RapidFireFisticuffs: The Greased Lightning power fist from the ''Gun Runners' Arsenal'' DLC has a ridiculous attack rate at the cost of reduced damage. With the right perks, you can hit roughly three times ''per second''.
* RealIsBrown: ''New Vegas'' plays around with this; there's a surprising amount of color in the Mojave Wasteland, especially New Vegas itself but as you approach Camp Forlorn Hope the color is leached out of the setting, making everything appear in shades of dull brown.
* RecycledINSPACE: Caesar's Legion is the Romans [-IN POST APOCALYPTIC NEVADA-]!
** [[InsultToRocks The Romans take offense to this horrible slur.]]
* RedOniBlueOni: For the NCR, Colonels Cassandra Moore and James Hsu are red and blue, respectively. For example, Colonel Hsu prefers to resolve the problem with the Kings peacefully by providing supply for The Kings, while Colonel Moore just prefer to [[KillEmAll kill them all.]]
** In ''Honest Hearts'', [[TechnicalPacifist Daniel]] is the blue while [[BadassPreacher Joshua Graham]] is the red.
** Veronica calls attention to this between the Followers of the Apocalypse and the Brotherhood of Steel, though it can be difficult to tell which is red and which blue. The Followers have a good cause but a woeful lack of resources, while the Brotherhood is practically second only to the Enclave in resources, but lacks any legitimately good cause.
* RefugeInAudacity: You, Boone, and ED-E storming Caesar's fort and killing everyone inside, Caesar included. Boone even comments on it.
** Lampshaded by Mr New Vegas later, though he was rather surprised on how the assassins evade heavy security even though the truth is you just storm your way in, killing anyone that gets in the way.
* TheRemnant: The remnants of the Master's Super Mutant army, which has split into the State of Utobitha and Jacobstown. In addition to them, there is the [[spoiler: Enclave remnant]], composed of the scattered handful of remaining members. [[spoiler: Play your cards right, and you can get them back together and fighting with you.]] The Brotherhood of Steel chapter you find hiding in Nevada is also a Remnant and a shadow of their former power.
* ReportsOfMyDeathWereGreatlyExaggerated: The "Thought You Died" perk from ''Lonesome Road''.
* {{Retcon}}: Used to explain the significant departure from the plasma rifle as seen in previous games to Fallout 3. The classic Plasma Rifle is now the "Plasma Caster", while the new truly rifle-shaped plasma rifle is a format encouraged by a Colonel Moretti. You see the name turn up on the "Future Weapons Today" cover on a loading screen: "Colonel Moretti slams the venerable P-94!" And in several terminals in the Repconn HQ you find a weapons project that was authorized by the same Colonel Moretti and resulted in the [[SuperPrototype Q-35 Matter]] [[FlawedPrototype Modulator]], which appears to be the first functional prototype iteration of the Plasma Rifle as seen in Fallout 3 and as a low-mid tier energy weapon in New Vegas. The explanation for why it shows up on the east coast is easy: The Enclave refined it to field-deployable status it and produced it over there. The reason for its apperance on the West Coast since Fallout 2 could be explained by the Van Graffs or other energy weapon manufacturers salvaging the field-ready plasma rifle design from ruined Enclave bases.
* RetiredBadass: You can recruit a squad of them to aid you in the final battle. [[spoiler:They're ex-Enclave, so they're also [[RetiredMonster Retired]] [[PunchClockVillain Employees of a]] Complete Monster.]]
* RetiredBadassRoundup: The entire quest of "For Auld Lang Syre".
* RetroUniverse: It wouldn't be Fallout without it. Though it manages to not only have a 1950's vibe in it, but also combines that with a late 19th Century Western feeling in the more rural areas outside the Vegas Strip itself.
** A late 19th Century Western where one can easily find [[AnachronismStew HK 416 carbines with ACOGs on their MIL-STD-1913 rails and digital camouflage]], anyway.
** It's less like the real 19th Century American West, and more like the [[FridgeBrilliance Western movies popular during the 1950s.]]
* RevolversAreJustBetter: When an old cowboy-style revolver badly outclasses a plasma pistol that was cutting edge before the Great War, you know this trope was overplayed.
* RewardedAsATraitorDeserves: [[spoiler:The Mayor of Nipton. According to Vulpes, he really had it coming; if you read his personal terminal, it turns out [[PayEvilUntoEvil Vulpes was right]].]]
* RideOfTheValkyries: Plays during the launch at the end of "Come Fly With Me"
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: The Courier, if they so choose, and Boone, in two of his endings. Ulysses, as well, though most of it occurs off-screen.
* RobotBuddy: ED-E. Flies, allows you to spot enemies from ''really'' far away... And kick some ass with his laser while playing a bugle sound.
* RomanticismVersusEnlightenment: Caesar's Legion (Romanticism) versus NCR (Enlightenment)
* {{Robosexual}}: [[CrowningMomentOfFunny The owner of the Atomic Wranger.]]
** You as well, if you decide to test it out before delivering it to the Atomic Wrangler.
** '''ASSUME THE POSITION.'''
* RousseauWasRight: Vault 11. The mainframe requires one resident to sacrifice themselves each year, or all life support will be turned off, dooming the others. As it turns out, [[spoiler:the designers believed this to be utterly inhumane, and once the residents refused to play along, they would be congratulated for their conscience and the vault would be opened. The population kept on sacrificing each other for years until only a handful was left and decided to try breaking out instead. Most committed suicide when they found out the truth.]]
** Though given the nature of vaults and their designers, it's almost certain Vault 11 was simply a social experiment and the people behind it knew very well how it was going to end up.
* RuleOfThree: Quest-givers give three tasks, with few exceptions.
* SadisticChoice: The player get to make one at the end of ''Lonesome Road'' [[spoiler: either allow a barrage of nuclear ICBM'S to be launched, destroying either/both the only usuble path into the mojave from the West, or/and obliterating most of Arizona, or asking ED-E to sacrifice himself to stop the missles.]]
* SamusIsAGirl: Nightkin, like other Super Mutants, have no secondary sexual characteristics, so the ladies sound just like the men chewing gravel. This is used as a point of humor a few times with some plot-relevant Nightkin.
* SanitySlippage: [[spoiler:Mr. House, more specifically the Mr. House that is the half-brother to the one in the Lucky 38, during his reign at H&H Tools.]]
* SarcasticConfession: If you ask Arcade Gannon about his past, he will originally be evasive. If you ask him why he is dodging the question, he will jokingly reply "Only to obfuscate my previous association with a fascist paramilitary organization." [[spoiler: You can later find out that he used to be a member of the Enclave.]]
* SavedFromDevelopmentHell: Caesar's Legion was going to be part of the stillborn ''Van Buren'' game following ''Fallout 2''. Some [=NPCs=] from Van Buren were also recycled and given slightly different roles (Alice [=McLafferty=] and Arcade Gannon for example). The setting of ''Old World Blues'', the Big Empty, came from the original design concepts of ''Van Buren'''s opening location, the Tibbets prison facility.
* SaveScumming: this plus a Slots Machine equals easy but boring money-making... [[TheDevTeamThinksOfEverything until the casino kicks you out.]]
** When doing this, trying to use the slot machines (or the Black Jack or Roulette tables) within 60 seconds of reloading produces a message stating that it seems to be resetting itself [[LampshadeHanging as an anti-cheating measure.]]
* SawedOffShotgun: In addition, there is also the laser version (Tri Beam Laser Rifle).
* SceneryGorn: Camp Searchlight.
** [[DeathWorld The]] [[EverythingTryingToKillYou Divide]].
* SceneryPorn: Lake Mead Cave.
** Jacobstown. You've been traipsing around the RealIsBrown wasteland, and then you go up that long road. The trees are green and lively, the mountaintops are white with snow, and it's gorgeous.
** New Vegas itself. Being hit with all that color after going through Freeside and outer Vegas is pretty amazing.
** Zion Valley from ''Honest Hearts''.
* ScarsAreForever[=/=]WoundThatWillNotHeal: The Marked Men get their skin ripped straight off of their flesh by the searing winds of The Divide, but because The Divide is so full of radiation, the Ghoulified soldiers are kept alive through it all, [[AndIMustScream and are unable to die as their skinless bodies are put through mind-breaking agony year after year after year]].
* SchmuckBait: Vault 11 is deliberately designed like this. Really, when there's an option to open the [[spoiler:sacrifical chamber]] on a terminal, you just know the end result will be bad. But you'll do it, because you've come this far and you need to know (and have to in order to complete the unmarked quest). Curiosity demands it!
** The radio which starts the Dead Money DLC. "Oh look, a radio, let's go touch--*choke*"
** At the end of the Dead Money DLC, [[spoiler:when you access the vault, you get a message from Sinclair warning you not to open his personal files, which will seal the vault if you read them. Normally, you would use this to [[LaserGuidedKarma trap Father Elijah in]], but [[TooDumbToLive you can activate it]] [[PressXToDie yourself]]. [[HaveANiceDeath The game ends and tells you how you slowly starved to death.]]]]
** You can find the Thump-Thump, a variant of the regular Grenade Rifle during the quest Ant Misbehaivin'. Said Ants have been eating gunpowder, and you were told in advance of fighting them that they'll pretty much explode if you look at them the wrong way. The chances that this is a coincidence are extremely small.
* ScratchDamage: Sufficent [=BBs=] will take down a Paladin.
* ScreensAreCameras: The members of the Think Tank in ''Old World Blues'' each have three mounted screens displaying their eyes and mouth separately, and are capable of seeing through their "eye screens".
* ScrewYourself: It's possible to flirt with your own brain in ''Old World Blues''.
* SealedArmyInACan: [[spoiler: The Securitron army at Fortification Hill.]]
* SecretTestOfCharacter: [[spoiler:Vault 11.]]
** Vulpes claims the lottery in Nipton was this. He relates how no one fought back when their loved ones were killed or crucified with each drawing, and he mentions that he was amazed that the townsfolk were so cowardly as to not fight back against the half-dozen Frumentarii under his command. It seems that the people of Nipton had several opportunities to impress Vulpes, at least one of which would have saved them, and they failed every time. However, it is shown that at least a few fought back, with some success at that. Unless Vulpes dismissed a large portion of his invading army then held the lottery, it's unlikely they ever really stood a chance. [[YouFailLogicForever And some people still think it's unreasonable for people to be scared to paralysis under the threat of death.]]
* SelfImposedChallenge: The in-game challenges. They range from normal things (heal 10,000 damage with Stimpacks or do 10,000 unarmed damage, for example) to more specific ones (cripple right arms, blow off limbs). ''Gun Runners' Arsenal'' adds some truly absurd challenges, most of which involve killing specific things with specific weapons. The three-star challenges are the worst, like having to kill Deathclaws with (among other, slightly more reasonable things) ''switchblades and boxing tape''.
* SequelDifficultyDrop: The DLC have done this so far--Dead Money is NintendoHard, not least because you can't bring [[InfinityPlusOneSword your stuff]]. Honest Hearts lets you bring some items based on weight (the good stuff is generally heavy), but hands you quite a lot of good equipment along the course of the story. Old World Blues doesn't restrict what you can carry at all, and even hands you three free perks near the beginning (with different versions available to replace them at the end).
** There are two ways in which Old World Blues does not follow this: there are no companions at all, and the enemies in the Big Empty scale to your level and are spawned by a script system that drops them more frequently than the standardized system.
* SequelHook: You can go home now, Courier...
* SexyDiscretionShot
* ShapedLikeItself: Doctor Mobius of ''Old World Blues'' breathes this.
---> [[AC: Doctor Mobius]]: It is I, Doctor Mobius, transmitting from my dome-shaped... dome in the forbidden zone. A zone that is... yes... FORBIDDEN to you!
** And don't forget [[LargeHam the Tesla coils! The coils of Nikola Tesla!]]
* ShortRangeShotgun: The Sawed-off Shotgun returns to affirm this trope, but every other shotgun in the game has a tighter spread, making them actually useful for medium range combat. Ballsy players may choose to use a modified Hunting Shotgun to snipe. In addition, there are also Slug shells, which makes the shotgun otherwise behave like rifles. Higher tier shotguns are also superior weapons to submachine guns and most handguns in medium range combat even with just buckshot shells.
** Two of the laser rifle's mods are one that gives it a mid-range scope, and one that turns it into a laser shotgun. Some players see it as [[SchmuckBait an invitation to use both]], but most see them as mutually exclusive.
** As of patch 1.3.0/1.5, all shotguns are now decent weapons at medium range due to vastly reduced spread, including the sawed-off.
* ShotgunsAreJustBetter: The Shotgun Surgeon perk, along with other things (see ShortRangeShotgun), allow shotguns to become viable all-situation weapons.
** The Multiplas Rifle is topped only by the Gauss Rifle and Anti-Materiel Rifle in damage per shot. Granted, the damage is split up between three projectiles, but it's still a lot of damage for a mid-tier weapon. Its main disadvantage is its ammo consumption.
* ShoutOut: Being ReferenceOverdosed is standard for the ''Fallout'' series. There's so much {{Shout Out}}s in this game that it demanded [[ShoutOut/FalloutNewVegas its own page]].
* SortingAlgorithmOfWeaponEffectiveness: Being an RPG, this obviously isn't played very straight, but most weapon types have a noticeable pattern, about 4-6 weapons in rough order of power. Keep in mind they don't necessarily have to be found in order:
** Semi Automatic Pistols: Silenced .22 --> 9mm pistol --> 10mm pistol --> .45 Auto Pistol (in Honest Hearts)--> 12.7mm pistol --> A Light Shining in Darkness (.45 pistol from Honest Hearts)
** Energy pistols: Laser pistol --> plasma pistol --> Recharger pistol --> Plasma defender --> Pew Pew --> Alien blaster
** Revolvers: .357 magnum revolver --> Police pistol (Dead Money) --> .44 Magnum revolver --> That Gun (post 4/25/11 patch) --> Hunting revolver --> Ranger Sequoia
** Lever action rifles: BB Gun --> Cowboy repeater --> Trail carbine --> Brush gun
** Bolt action/semi automatic rifles: Varmint rifle --> Service Rifle (post 4/25/11 patch) --> Hunting rifle --> Sniper rifle --> This Machine/Anti-materiel Rifle/Marksman Carbine
** Automatic guns: 9mm submachine gun --> 10mm sub machine gun --> Assault carbine --> Light Machine Gun/12.7mm submachine Gun/.45 Auto submachine gun (in Honest Hearts) --> Minigun/Automatic Rifle
** Energy rifles: Recharger rifle --> Laser/Plasma rifle --> Multiplas/Tribeam rifle --> Gauss rifle (or YCS/186) --> Holorifle
** Shotguns: Single shotgun --> Caravan shotgun --> Lever action shotgun/Sawed-Off Shotgun --> Hunting shotgun --> Riot shotgun
** Explosive launchers: Grenade Rifle --- > Grenade Launcher --- > Rocket Launcher --> Grenade Machine Gun --> Fat Man
** Hand-thrown Explosives: Dynamite --> Frag Grenade --> Pulse Grenade/Incendiary Grenade --> Plasma Grenade --> Holy Frag Grenade
** Proximity/Remote Explosives: Powder Charge --> Frag Mine --> Pulse Mine --> Plasma Mine/C4 Explosives
* ShownTheirWork: "Caesar" is pronounced "kye-zar" and "ave" is pronounced "a-weh", reflecting prevailing academic opinion of ancient Roman pronunciation as opposed to the medieval "Church Latin" pronunciations used today.
** The fluff about the Legion fits both in-universe and in the meta. The Legion features far too many accurate reflections of the Roman Empire's nature to be cooincidental.
*** Most notably the Frumentarii, who play an important role in the plot. They were rather obscure group, virtually nonexistent in any popular media (and even many historical textbooks).
** As mentioned above, the vast number of towns and landmarks that appear in this game (even the starting town) that are closely based off those in real life, if a bit space-compressed.
*** For instance, the Goodsprings General Store and the Prospector Saloon do exist and look exactly as they do in-game (except that it's the Pioneer Saloon). Not exactly general tourist knowledge.
** On the [=AER14=] Prototype Laser Rifle (a unique variant of the basic laser rifle), there is a sticky note on the back: "Focus: 1064nm, 532 nm (SHG), 8.18 pm!!!". It means that it has a primary wavelength of 1064nm (infra-red range), a "[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second-harmonic_generation second harmoinic generation]]" (SHG) that doubles the frequency to a green-wavelength 532 nm., and the 8.18 pm is beam divergence, or how wide the beam gets as it leaves the laser (usually measured in picometers per meter).
* SidetrackedByTheGoldenSaucer:
** The minigame "Caravan", which you can play with other travelers and some merchants. Sure, it may not look like much at first, but in no time you'll be buying every card you see (it's dirt cheap to do so) and swindling people out of absurd amounts of money before you even get to the meat of the main quest. It may look difficult at first, but it's actually fairly easy to win every single game on almost any hand, provided you have a decent-sized deck or a lot of high-number cards.
** "Caravan" is really easy without ever buying additional cards past the default set you are given. Make a deck of the minimum size (30 cards) with 4 each of 6's, 7's, 8's, 9's, 10's, Jacks, Kings, and 2 Queens. Then proceed to win every game assuming you understand the rules. It is also helpful that the AI doesn't seem to understand that face cards can be used to really mess with your opponent's stacks.
*** The last issue has been addressed by a patch. Still easy to win but not as easy as it was.
** DAMN YOU STAR CAPS! I WANT THAT PRIZE! (*Cue stealing every bottle of Sunset Sarsaparilla you can get your hands on*)
** And, of course, you can go to any of the casinos of New Vegas and blow all your money trying to "get lucky" at the slots, the roulette wheel, or the blackjack table - just like in RealLife.
*** Not if you have a half decent luck. If you have a luck of 6 or 7 and are able to increase this through the Naughty Nightwear or Lucky Shades (the latter not being highly recomended), and then hit the blackjack tables, the dealer will be handing out kings, queens, jacks and aces like its going out of style. It'll take you maybe 10 minutes to break all three casinos.
* SillinessSwitch: The "Wild Wasteland" perk adds a number of silly gags and bonus encounters.
* SirSwearsALot: Boxcars is among the most foul-mouthed people in the wasteland. Justifed, because he's been through a lot.
** [[FieryRedhead Cass]] as well.
* SitcomArchNemesis: Depending on how you play the game, [[AffablyEvil Benny]] could be one.
* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism: Idealistic, but less so than previous Fallout games. On the grand scale, civilization is mostly rebuilt. However, the two largest nations are the corrupt and inefficient if progressive New California Republic and the brutal and repressive, yet efficient, Caesar's Legion. Within the city, the Kings and Followers of the Apocalypse are working to help Freeside, while all those with real power are ignoring or exploiting the horrific conditions. The Brotherhood of Steel, present in every Fallout game thus far, are finally dying out as a result of their xenophobia, a stark contrast to the stretched-but-altruistic Brotherhood of Fallout 3.
** In defense of New Vegas' relative idealism, this is the first Fallout game where no one is planning genocide of the human population in general. So there's that.
*** [[spoiler: Or not, as indicated by a NonStandardGameOver in ''Dead Money''.]]
* SmartPeopleKnowLatin: Your character can use Latin phrases in certain trees provided their intelligence is 8 out of 10. The lower ranks of Caesar's Legion seem only to know "vale" and "ave", while a centurion POW you meet seems to be fluent.
* SniperPistol: The [[RevolversAreJustBetter Hunting Revolver]] comes with a scope attatched and is accurate to boot. The .44 magnum and 9mm can also be modded to have a scope.
* SnuffFilm: [[spoiler: Clanden, one of the members of the Omerta faction]] does these, though they're audio tapes rather than video.
* SoLongAndThanksForAllTheGear: A companion exiting the party takes the gear with them. In case of the ED-E retrofit, the gear is lost forever. The only exception is if you complete Arcade Gannon's quest, where he gives you all the gear he was carrying.
* SophisticatedAsHell: Dean Domino.
* SpaceCompression: The RealLife area covered by the Mojave Wasteland is about 10,000 square miles. The in-game version is much smaller. This is most noticable around Hoover Dam and the Colorado, which look alright in-game, but grow by several orders of magnitude when overlaid over the real area.
* SpinAttack: Can be done with some melee weapons, though some requires sufficient melee weapons skill.
** The Ranger Takedown. When used in third-person view, to preform a leg sweep.
* {{Squee}}: Veronica has this reaction when you give her a formal dress.
* TheStarscream: It seems this happens ''a lot'' in the Mojave Wasteland. Cachino wants your help to take over the Omertas, Head Paladin Hardin wants you to help him overthrow Elder [=McNamara=], and while Pacer doesn't particularly want to lead The Kings, he does try to overthrow The King if you succeed in negotiating a peace treaty between The King and NCR. And of course, [[spoiler: there's Benny and his plot to overthrow Mr. House and take over New Vegas. Heck, YOU can be TheStarscream if you work for Mr. House and then starting following the Yes Man questline.]]
* STDImmunity: Averted. Benny remarks at one point that he "doesn't need another 'social disease'.
* TheStoic: Boone.
* StopHelpingMe: Played straight and spoofed with the Stealth Suit Mk II. The suit's AI will remind you, quite often, that your Pip-Boy light is on if you use it. Spoofed when it warns you of incoming hostiles then retracts it as a joke.
* StraightGay: Arcade Gannon, Veronica, and the Courier if the player so desires.
* StuffBlowingUp: The Powder Gangers' WeaponOfChoice is sticks of Dynamite and power charges. Cranked UpToEleven with the Boomers, who venerate anything that goes... well, ''[[ShapedLikeItself boom]]''.
* StupidCrooks: The Freeside Thugs, they seemingly do not understand the stupidity of luring someone in Power Armor and carrying a Machine Gun into a 'trap' they set, when all they have is just pool cues and meat cleavers.
* SuicidalOverconfidence: Tying in with the above, some people are just too self-confident for their own good. Special mention goes to [=Caleb McCaffery=], who you have to find for the Debt Collector quest. He is easily the most unjustifiably arrogant man in the entire Mojave Wasteland. Yeah buddy, you're really such a bad-ass that you can take the Power Armor-wearing, Plasma Caster-packing celebrity who people publically know [[spoiler:killed Caesar himself]] armed with only a low-level shotgun. Even pacifist players will have a hard time fighting the urge to paint the sidewalk with this guy's brains.
** The Fiends, Powder Gangers, Vipers, and Jackals, just like the raiders of Fallout 3, seemingly do not understand that the OneManArmy with the [[PoweredArmor Power Armor]] and [[GatlingGood Minigun]] is not the best person to mug. Justified with the [[StupidEvil Fiends]], who are all insane drug addicts, and NCR military police (provided you massacred one of the casinos) due to, er, having some pull with the NCR, but the Powder Gangers have no excuse.
** This is actually built into New Vegas and Fallout 3's game engine; every enemy has a "confidence" attribute as part of their programming- the highest level means an enemy will never avoid a fight, with the ones right below that not offering them much better chances.
* SuicidePact: [[spoiler:How the last surviving inhabitants of Vault 11 decided to go out after discovering the very uncomfortable truth about their vault. Interestingly enough, despite the security recording of the suicide has five voices speaking, only four skeletons are found near the entrance, suggesting that the person holding the gun had second thoughts.]]
* SuperPrototype: The Q-35 Matter Modulator has several superiorities in comparison to its more production-rate plasma rifle brethren: a higher crit chance, higher crit damage, faster rate of fire, less ammo used per shot, and faster projectiles.
* SurvivalHorror: The ''Dead Money'' DLC in spades. You go around travelling with companions solving puzzles and fighting abominations in hazmat suits and gas masks that wield knives, spears and bombs. Ammo is limited, you have to search hard to find the best weapons, and medical supplies are very scarce, so you have to not lose a lot of health. The "climax" of the first portion of the DLC is this - you must fight your way, badly wounded, through hordes of Ghost People, to the Casino.
* SuspiciouslySpecificDenial: After Arcade gives you his opinion on where to direct the power from Helios One, you can agree with him straight off. He evidently doesn't expect it.
-->'''Arcade:''' Great. Glad we're on the same page. I mean, I didn't expect that you'd want to... activate the [[KillSat super weapon]] or anything. Heh.
* TakeThat: When you are researching weird NCR broadcasts, you can ask one ranger station about reports of [[FalloutTactics domesticated Deathclaws]] and they reject it out of hand as impossible.
** A response to a rather inbred question asker in J.E. Sawyer's talk page:
--->''Who's the homo that insisted on being so heavy handed with the gay dialogue and references in the game?''\\
''Alarm at the presence of homosexual dialogue topics is pretty interesting considering [[DiggingYourselfDeeper the majority of them only appear if you voluntarily take a perk that identifies your character as homosexual.]]''
** In-game example in Old World Blues. Dr. 0 made Muggy, a tiny, neurotic Securitron obsessed with coffee mugs as a cheap joke at the expense of Mr. House, who he hates.
* TakeAThirdOption:
** Don't like NCR or the Legion? Go to work for Mr. House, or anyone ''not'' those three! Or, if you don't like them either, take over, yourself! [[spoiler: Warning: Side-effects may include future backstabbing. Consult your doctor before use.]]
** In ''Honest Hearts'', [[spoiler:you are faced with the choice of either evacuating Zion or brutally eradicating the White Legs. Both options lead to {{Bittersweet Ending}}s. However, if you choose to eradicate the White Legs and convince Joshua to spare Salt-Upon-Wounds, you get a slightly happier (albeit still quite bittersweet) ending.]]
* TakeYourTime: No matter how urgent the quest giver's language, you can leave and circle the map a few times and pick up where you left off. The only exception is the President's visit, which will run according to scripted schedule.
* TalkingTheMonsterToDeath: Diplomacy (and judicious use of seductive perks like Black Widow or Confirmed Bachelor) can open as many doors for you as a lock pick or a hacked computer terminal. The speech stat still reigns king, however - if you're lucky, you can pass a speech check that doesn't require speech ''or'' barter, such as using your intelligence, explosives, et cetera rating instead. Passing speech checks is no longer percentive, either.
** ''New Vegas'' continues the ''Fallout'' tradition of [[spoiler: giving a high Speech character the opportunity to win the inevitable endgame confrontation with diplomacy rather than firepower.]]
*** It then turns this option into the ultimate InfinityPlusOneSword in story terms. [[spoiler: Killing Caesar and Lanius simply sends Caesar's Legion into mayhem, fracturing the group and pretty much ensuring that their methods get adopted by dozens of Caesar-wannabes. If Caesar dies or is allowed to die, and Lanius is defeated but talked into leaving, a much different ending occurs. Lanius has been foreshadowed to be a brutal warrior and capable general, but no politician, and without Caesar's charisma backing him, his plan to retake Hoover leaves him oblivious to the fact he lacks Caesar's leadership ability. The Legion still causes problems in the short term, but gradually dissolves as individual outposts realize it never could have lasted without Caesar or someone like him at its head.]]
* TalkingToHimself: Pretty much inevitable in a game where all dialogue is voiced, and there is a huge cast of generic [=NPCs=]. It becomes especially noticeable, however, when the actor in question has a distinctive "neutral" voice. Take the four male Remnants, for example, as three of them are voiced by Peter Renaday.
* TechnicalPacifist: O'Hanrahan, one of the misfits. His squadmates think he is a coward, though if you did follow his advice on squad improvements, he has no problem kicking legionaries' asses in the final battle. According to him, the behavior is because of his upbringing: he was always very phsyically strong, and his mother told him something to the extent of "with great power comes great responsibility," which he readily took to heart.
** Daniel in 'Honest Hearts', though he is close to being an ActualPacifist. He has no desire to attack the White Legs (nor does he), but is fully capable and willing to kill any that try and sneak into the Sorrows encampment.
* TeleportingKeycardSquad: Used in some areas, most notably Vault 34. All of the DLC use this a lot - reaching an objective site or picking up supplies will often spawn a formidable ambush behind you.
* TemptingFate: One too-proud-for-his-own-good NPC just doesn't know how to take the hint.
-->'''[[spoiler:General Oliver]]:''' If our situations were reversed, [[WhatAnIdiot I'd see you hang.]]\\
'''Courier:''' [[spoiler: I see. Yes Man, would you please throw the General off of the Hoover Dam?]]
* ThereAreNoTherapists: Thoroughly averted. Standard medical training seems to include psychiatry in the Mojave - Doc Mitchell gives you a mental health examination, the Followers of the Apocalypse help with the mental health of the people they care for (one of their biggest jobs in Freeside is helping addicts), Lt. Markland at Bitter Springs asks you to find psychology textbooks to help him help the refugees, and your character's own medical skill allows some dialogue options in which you diagnose mental trauma or disease. The Auto-Doc in ''Old World Blues'' can also give you a one time psych exam (read: A second chance to pick your traits).
* ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill: One of the ''GRA'' challenges takes this to its logical conclusion. You are tasked with killing twenty non-mutated animals (dogs, coyotes) with ''mini-nukes''. This is the only challenge where killing yourself by mistake is more of a concern than the threat your enemy poses (which is to say, none whatsoever).
* TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon: The Divide acts as this for the {{DLC}}. It's an uninhabitable (even by wasteland standards) stretch of ruin, filled with radiation, windstorms, and scattered nuclear warheads. It's populated by [[DemonicSpiders Deathclaws]], Tunnelers (innumerable subterranean creatures ''that can kill Deathclaws''), and crazed [[BodyHorror skinless]] Marked Men armed with the various military weapons scattered all over the place. And worst of all, [[spoiler:it is home to [=ICBMs=] that are still alive and about to be launched]].
* TitleDrop: Three out of four [=DLCs=] have them.
** The Dead Money Jumpsuit and Dead Money Collar from ''Dead Money.''
** ''Old World Blues'' has a quest of that name, and the jukebox in your room is willing to explain the expression (focusing on the glory lost during the apocalypse, rather than hope for the future).
** The Lonesome Road Perk granted at the end of ''Lonesome Road.''
* TokenGoodTeammate: A good karma Courier can be this if working for the Legion.
* TooAwesomeToUse: The Fatman, which has less than 20 mini nukes to use in the ENTIRE game, at least until GRA came out and added more to purchase and new variants. The three Holy Frag Grenades which are even more powerful than the Fatman can only be obtained in a special encounter. And the Alien Blaster, a ridiculously powerful energy pistol that comes with a limited supply of ammo that you only get once. And any weapon that uses the devastating yet rare .44 magnum rounds.
** [[AvertedTrope With the addition of ammo crafting at sufficiently high levels, you can make your own .44 magnum rounds by breaking down your less useful bullets]]. Not so with the alien energy ammo or the mini nukes, though.
** Turbo. It puts everything around you into BulletTime, causing enemies to move and attack ridiculously slowly while you continue to fight at normal speed, rendering even the Legendary Deathclaw a sitting duck for its duration. Unfortunately, there's only a handful that can be found or bought right off the bat, and to get any more than that you have to learn an extremely rare crafting recipe that requires you to hunt Cazadores (one of the hardest enemies in the game) for ingredients. The only other option is the Implant GRX perk in ''Old World Blues''.
** Nuka-Cola Quartz and Nuka-Cola Victory; they're about as close to Infinity Plus One Food as you can get (The former gives you night vision and a DT boost, the latter gives you extra action points, and neither have a chance of addiction), but there are only a handful of each scattered about. However, the Nuka Chemist perk lets you craft them both using regular Nuka-Cola, which is plentiful.
** The Proton Inversal Throwing Axes in ''Old World Blues''. There are, at best, around thirty total with random spawning on corpses. You're lucky if you find ten. They are the single most-damaging thrown melee weapon in the game, but there's no way to get more.
* TooDumbToLive: There are a lot of people in this game that would earn a [[DarwinAwards Darwin Award]].
** Mister [=RADical=], who found himself a radiation suit and assumed it made him totally immune to radiation because he couldn't "feel" any radiation in a highly radioactive area. Just in case you don't know how radiation works, you ''don't'' feel it, only its after-effects. Radiation poisoning takes time to develop fully, which incidentally it did for Mister Radical, who passed it off as food poisoning. You find the idiot dead near a radioactive dump site, probably either been killed by his radiation poisoning or by the Golden Geckos inhabiting the place (which is itself TooDumbToLive), and according to a log he had on him, he was preparing to drench himself in a fluid that was so horribly radioactive that, had he done so, it would have killed him and turned everything within a hundred feet of him nightmarishly radioactive in seconds.
** Then there's [[ReturnOfTheLivingDead Trash]], a girl who decided that life as a human sucks, so she'd become a ghoul. How? By exposing herself to excessive amounts of radiation, naturally. She lives in a shack on the southern edge of the map, in an old nuclear test site. How she even got there is a mystery considering it's surrounded by tough-as-nails feral ghouls. Of course, the odds of ghoulification are roughly one in one million, but she assumes its a sure thing, and when you reach the shack where she's staying, she's usually dead (she may spawn alive as a bug). Basically, mixing radiation and idiots are a fatal combination, at least for the idiot.
** Freeside Thugs. They're armed with knives and lead pipes, maybe a sledgehammer at best. They aren't even a threat to you when you enter the city, much less later when you're walking along in PoweredArmor with a sniper rifle that can punch a hole in a tank. To wit, they will attack you and your companions despite the fact that said selection can include a robot attack dog and a Nightkin with a {{BFS}}, among other friends who may not look as threatening but are every bit as dangerous. Not to mention the fact that ''the entire freaking city'' is hostile to them on sight.
** Any of a number of female characters in the game who openly support Caesar's Legion. It's not as if it's a secret what they do to women. Though at least one of said characters was lied to.
** At Goodsprings Source you can find a man named [[spoiler: Barton Thorn]] who claims that his girlfriend is nearby just beyond a nest of Geckos. After you get done massacring them for him it turns out that there is no girlfriend, just corpses and a cache of food and supplies. [[spoiler: Thorn]] then approaches, apologizes for tricking you into clearing the way to the cache, and then tries to kill you because [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness you're of no use anymore.]] It is a severe case of [[TooDumbToLive Darwinitis]] on his part since you have not only just survived being shot - point blank - in the head, you have also just killed a bunch of [[http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Gecko_(Fallout:_New_Vegas) Geckos]]. Vicious, speedy, mutated lizards which generally swarm you in packs of 5-8.
* TookALevelInBadass: The Courier takes several levels of badass over the course of the game, both game levels and in-story levels.
** Do you remember those poor Deathclaws in ''{{Fallout 3}}'' and how easily you could slaughter them after a few levels? Try it with a Deathclaw in THIS game and see how that works out for you.
*** Lampshaded in a player dialog response to someone warning you of the problem. [[TooDumbToLive "I'm not afraid of Deathclaws."]]
* TortureAlwaysWorks: An interrogator constrained by NCR regulations asks the player to rough up a captive for her. The man allowed himself to be captured rather than dying because he was confident that he could withstand any torture, a pride he could only take if he believed TortureAlwaysWorks in the first place. Of course, he cracks under sufficient brutality. Averted, however, if you opt for psychology rather than punching.
* ToThePain: The Terrifying Presence perk is pretty much based around this. It causes NPCs to flee for a little while after you make scary threats like "I'll carve myself a knife out of your bones."
* TrainingThePeacefulVillagers: One of the options at the end of the Honest Hearts DLC. [[spoiler: It's Deconstructed; having learned to fight, they're not peaceful anymore, so they spend the next couple decades warring with former allies. However, sparing Salt-Upon-Wounds leads to them being more merciful.]]
* TrialBalloonQuestion: Veronica.
* TribalFacePaint: In the Honest Hearts DLC, one of the two tribes of Zion Canyon, known as the Dead Horses, has a custom where members earn a facial or body tattoo for every major achievement they accomplish.
* TropersDoItWithoutNotability: One of the graffito on the loading screen says, "Powder Gangers do it with a BANG!" [[StuffBlowingUp They ain't lying]].
* TheUnintelligible:
** [[GentleGiant Mean]] [[NonindicativeName Sonofabitch]], on account of having his tongue cut out. Even his voice actor doesn't know what he's saying. One line has him mention "Wesibe" (Westside), and he pronounces it "wes-see-bay".
** Dr. 8 from ''Old World Blues'' can only speak in static and scrambled audio.
* UndefeatableLittleVillage: Goodsprings is one of these, if you decide to help them drive away the Powder Gangers.
* UniversalPoison: Played straight in the main game, as the generic item "antivemom" will cure you instantly, whether it be a simple radscorpion sting or a nasty Cazador attack. Averted in the ''Honest Hearts'' DLC, where the local poisonous plants have their own type of antivenom.
** On the other hand, the effects themselves differ wildly by toxin source.
* VendorTrash: Much of the Misc Item category is this. None are immediately useful like ammo, weapons, apparel, or aid items. Many can be used as crafting items. You can even make your own vendor trash in the form of tanned hides, which makes them much more valuable (especially the tanned golden gecko hide).
** The ''Old World Blues'' DLC does its level best to subvert this. The personality constructs in the Sink can break down completely worthless items and turn them into incredibly useful crafting material. The Book Chute can turn pencils and clipboards into scrap metal and duct tape weighing ''twice'' as much as the materials you recycled, Muggy turns worthless dishes into valuable gun materials, and the Biological Research Station turns plants you don't use into a generic slop which can be converted into the kinds of plants you do. The whole place is a hoarder's wet dream.
* VideoGameCaringPotential: [[spoiler:Benny, the man that shot you in the head and left you for dead in Goodsprings is captured by Caesar's Legion. You can order his brutal death, [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming or you can help him escape his predicament, even after everything he's done to you...]]]]
* VideoGameCrueltyPotential: [[spoiler:...But if you want to kill him, there's always a nice cross you can strap him to. You can also smuggle a pistol into Caesar's tent and shoot him in the head for PoeticJustice, but it takes around 15 shots and he keeps yelling "Damn!" while all the guards become antsy at your having produced a gun.]]
** Those Deathclaws mentioned earlier, and how terrible they are? [[spoiler: They can't figure out how to jump and climb. The quarry you find them in has cranes and conveyer inclines you can climb on, and the deathclaws will literally run around like headless chickens. You will feel terrible killing the babies.]]
** If you'd like to blast at your comrades' kneecaps so they have to limp on broken legs across the Wasteland, sell them to cannibals, sell them to slavers, or bring them along and make them watch as you usher those they hate to new heights of power and influence over the helpless people of the wastes, New Vegas has you covered. There is plenty of opportunity for depravity, if that's your thing...
* VideoGameCrueltyPunishment: ...until you find out exactly what happens if the people of the wasteland decide you're too cruel.
* VillainWithGoodPublicity: The Courier can be one if you decide to work for Caesar's Legion while simultaneously keeping the NCR (and most of the other neutral and good factions) happy and unaware of your plans to stab them in the back when the time comes. In fact, it's probably for the best to play the game this way if you decide to work for Caesar since a good chunk of the quests in this game come from the NCR.
* [[VivaLasVegas Viva New Vegas]]
* TheVoiceless: Christine from the Dead Money DLC, due an Auto-Doc [[HighOctaneNightmareFuel malfunctioning and cutting her vocal chords out.]] [[spoiler: [[IGotBetter She gets better]] near the end, though.]]
** [[spoiler: Not so much voiceless and not so much a malfunction. [[HighOctaneNightmareFuel Which only makes it worse.]] ]]
* VomitIndiscretionShot: A few NCR soldiers on leave in the Strip can display these.
* WalkingTechbane: Dr. 0 of the Think Tank takes pride in his ability to [[ExpospeakGag nullify, deconstruct or otherwise neutralise]] any machine. Extra ironic, considering that he himself is a cyborg. Unsurprisingly, he despises Mr. House.
* WarriorTherapist: The Courier's companions all have baggage that he can help unload.
** Alternately, the Courier may often end up [[IncrediblyLamePun unloading]] [[VendorTrash baggage]] onto them.
* WeaksauceWeakness: The Pulse Gun and 'Paladin Toaster' fist weapon will OneHitKill almost any robots or anyone in power armor. The Securitron robots, while tough and powerful, have a major weakness in the wheels.
** This aspect of the Pulse Gun being a WeaksauceWeakness is used as an attempt by Veronica to attempt to convince the Elder of the folly of the Brotherhood's slowly self-destructive dogma. It doesn't work...
** Cazadores and Deathclaws, the deadliest monsters in the game, can be easily circle-strafed to death after crippling one of their wings/legs, respectively.
* WeirdnessMagnet: The effect of the "Wild Wasteland" trait. Chris Avellone outright used the title of this trope to describe it.
* WelcomeToCorneria: Patrolling the Mojave almost makes you wish for a Nuclear Winter.
** When I got this assignment, I thought there'd be more gambling...
** If you were enlisted, you'd be halfway to General by now.
** Ave, true to Caesar.
** "MURDERER!!!": Shouted by an NPC if you kill another NPC of the same faction nearby. Which in most cases is perfectly appropriate, but in the case of the [[ForTheEvulz Powder Gangers]], it just sounds ironic.
** '''RETRIBUTION!'''
* WhamEpisode: Vault 11. [[PennyArcade The Vaults were never meant to save anyone]], [[{{Tearjerker}} and this is the Vault that proves it...]]
* [[WhatHappenedToTheMouse What Happened To The Abominations]]: Lonesome Road features the Tunnelers, mutated humanoids that can tear apart Deathclaws. Ulysses mentions that they're slowly tunneling their way towards the Mojave, which would be utterly screwed when packs of super-strong abominations pop out of the ground without warning. And yet you can do absolutely nothing about this, and its never mentioned again.
* WhatMeasureIsANonHuman: Aside from the ghoul and mutant companions in game, you also have Victor, [[NinjaPirateRobotZombie a robot who think he's a cowboy.]]
* WhatTheHellHero: You will get a small one from the narrator if you get the Legion ending with good karma, or the NCR ending with evil karma.
** The Great Khans will not shy away to tell the player that you're traveling with a fucking murderer if Boone is your companion.
** [[spoiler: Mr. House]] certainly tries this on you when you kill him, and [[spoiler:the obituary he leaves in your notes]] just rubs it in further. Whether or not [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone you agree]] or [[ShutUpHannibal not]] depends on your personal beliefs, of course.
*** And whether or not you finish reading the obituary [[IsThisThingStillOn to the very end]].
** If you go through the pains and labors of convincing Boone to reconcile with his past only to bail on him at the last second, he will give you one of these.
* WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue: As per the tradition of the original Fallout games, you get an epilogue informing you what happened to all the settlements you visited and the companions that you had depending on your actions. Some are [[EarnYourHappyEnding nice]], some are [[BittersweetEnding bittersweet]], and some are [[DownerEnding just nasty]].
* WhiteHairedPrettyGirl: Ranger Ghost under her hat.
* WhiteMaskOfDoom: The White Gloves Society. Of course this is obviously also [[DressingAsTheEnemy their weakness]].
* WholePlotReference: To ''TheTreasureOfTheSierraMadre'' in ''Dead Money.''
* WickedCultured: Caesar, the Legion's intelligent and charismatic leader. He is a talented anthropologist, linguists, and historian that speaks fluent Latin and knows all about both pre-war and post-war history. In his free time he like to read and debate about political science and philosophy with other educated people. Did we forgot to mention that he is also the founder and leader of a faction of imperialistic slavers that kills the weak, enslaves woman and children, and engages in war crimes?
* WildCard: You. Potentially you could side with the Legion, NCR, Mr. House or with nobody but yourself. The game lampshades this by labeling a specific set of quests "Wild Card."
* WolverinePublicity: The Ranger Combat Armor, which is featured on the cover, title screen, and intro, and can otherwise hardly be found anywhere in-game until near the end. Recent patches, however, have aleviated this somewhat and made it available earlier and more easily.
* TheWorfEffect:
** The Powder Gangers are a major enemy in the area of the Mojave where you start. At Nipton, you learn that they are no match for the Legion.
** In ''Lonesome Road'', the first Tunneler you see kills a deathclaw.
*** Admittedly, with the Living Anatomy perk and a quick hand in V.A.T.S., you can see it only has 35 HP... but it's the thought that counts.
* AWorldHalfFull: Unlike the Capital Wasteland, the Mojave Wasteland has very few abandoned or destroyed buildings in it, with most of them being just outside the New Vegas strip. Even then, most of them are boarded up and inaccessible. Civilization is firmly in control at this point and most peoples' lives don't revolve around struggling to survive. The Mojave feels more like it has returned to the wild west and less like a hopeless irrecoverable hellhole. (Then again, the Wild West is still a wasteland, and even the good endings are going to lead to someone suffering.)
** Though the further away you get from Legion or NCR areas the more violence and despair there really is. Most of Utah is considered a horrible place to live, and Raul even says how before the Legion took over Arizona that the the whole state was overrun by raiders and warring towns.
* WorldOfHam: Old World Blues. By Oppenheimer, Old World Blues.
* WorstAid: Sleeping to cure crippled limbs. Possibly [[AcceptableBreakFromReality for convenience]], since Hardcore Mode disables it.
* WorthlessYellowRocks: Inverted: Bottlecaps, once worthless, are now the currency of the wasteland, so when you find a cache full of them, it's an unexpected good reward.
** The most valuable (currency-wise) item in the game are gold bars from the ''Dead Money'' DLC. However, they weigh 35 pounds and most vendors don't have over 10000 caps on them at a time. On the plus side, if you can manage to drag out the entire set, you could purchase the entire inventories of the Gun Runners and Van Graffs and still have leftover change.
* YesButWhatDoesZataproximetacineDO: Sunset Sarssparilla apparently has a long list of "side effects". You have to ask Festus three times before he'll even tell you them.
* YouAndWhatArmy: [[spoiler: Two of the four endings (Mr. House and Wild Card) play out in this manner.]]
** One of the quests even lampshades it in the title.
* YouBastard: Cass is one of the few who calls the Courier out for consistent enough bastardry to earn bad karma.
* YouHaveFailedMe: The story behind the Burned Man.
* YouHaveResearchedBreathing:
** The Great Khans can teach you how to throw a handful of sand in an opponent's face.
** You need training from the Brotherhood [[spoiler:or the Enclave]] in order to figure out how to wear PowerArmor. The courier is the only character in the game who requires this training.
** Old World Blues requires you to find two holotapes in order to fill a bottle of water from a sink.
* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: [[spoiler: Barton Thorn]] in Goodsprings Source, he should know better. [[spoiler: Logan, a mercenary, tries to pull this off on you after you help him and his crew find a few items at Camp Searchlight. It doesn't go well for them.]]
** Caesar's Legion is ''really'' fond of this trope, to the point that with a high enough Speech skill you can convince some of the Legion's allies to abandon them by pointing out the FridgeLogic of working for someone who's obviously going to kill or enslave you as soon as they win.
** The leadership of the Omertas comes down to those who drug and enslave prostitutes, or those who "only" physically abuse them. Or you can [[TakeAThirdOption wait until they turn their backs after they trust you.]]
** Logan and his group of prospectors. They enlist you to help them acquire some radiation suits and scavenge Camp Searchlight. Once everything of value has been found, they then try to kill you.
** Elijah in ''Dead Money''. Though he leaves the decision of whether your former comrades live or not up to you, he encourages you to kill them once they become of no further use.
* YourHeadAsplode: Often if you always aim for the head. Subverted in one quest where you are instructed to score no headshots on the bounties since their heads are required as a proof. The First Recon squad that are sent to help you kill Driver Nephi seemingly does not listen to this and occasionally headshots him.
** In ''Dead Money'', if you hear a beeping coming from your collar, '''''move it'''''.
* YourMoneyIsNoGoodHere: There are four types of currencies: standard caps, NCR money, Pre-War Money and Caesar's Legion coins. The trope is subverted, however, because everyone, even the Legion, generally pay you in caps because it's the only currency the Mojave actually cares about. Vendors have set exchange rates for the non-standard currencies, but everything is measured in caps.
** Another case of ShownTheirWork. During the American Civil War, the western territories typically disdained paper money, since it was backed by one of three nations that wasn't guaranteed to survive much longer (and indeed, the Confederacy and Mexican governments did not).
** Although the NCR claims they're trying to introduce their currency to supersede the Bottle Cap, [[AdamSmithHatesYourGuts their own damn merchants won't let you use them as tender!]] You learn the reason why later: the Brotherhood of Steel blew up their gold deposits, which not only makes distribution of coinage impossible but also severely devalues their recently-introduced paper currency. Also likely further exacerbated by the fact that the war with the Legion isn't going well, and that the NCR is running out of money and resources.
** Pre-War Money ''should'' be worthless by now, as the United States government [[MythBusters went away]]. It's still in limited use throughout the Mojave; this is probably a mix of value as a collector's item, the fact that it was very hard to counterfeit pre-war and impossible post-war, and the fact that Mr. House - and therefore New Vegas - still accepts it.
*** And it makes good toilet paper...
** Legion money, on the other hand, is actually valued higher than caps because it's made of precious metals. It can also be combined with shotgun shells to form coin shot, which [[BallisticDiscount is a currency accepted ''everywhere''.]]
*** One unit (coin) has more worth than any other currency's base unit but that doesn't make the currency more valuable per se. It suffers from the same "drawback" as NCR$ : you cannot use it directly, only exchange it for caps at a price. Of course, they exchange it freely, meaning you don't lose money exchanging currency.
** In Dead Money, you can't get any caps; instead, you use Sierra Madre chips (for vending machines) and Pre-War Money (for holographic vendors). Justified in that the Sierra Madre runs on old world equipment, and that the chips themselves are [[MatterReplicator actually transmuted by the vending machine]] into the goods that you purchase.
* YourPrincessIsInAnotherCastle: [[spoiler:Well done! You've finally tracked down Benny and recovered the Platinum Chip! Now all that's left is to deliver it to House and...wait, is that an NCR Trooper? Huh? The NCR Ambassador wants to talk to you? Well, ok, but...OhCrap, Vulpes Inculta?! Wait, he's not hostile, but he says ''Caesar'' wants to talk to you. And what's with the Securitron with the goofy face in Benny's suite who seems to want to talk to you...?]]
* {{Zeerust}}: Obviously.
* ZombieApocalypse: [[spoiler:Vault 22: turns out, they were using a fungus that infected vermin and pests and forced it to kill its own before dying, as pest control. Unfortunately, it spread to the human population.]]
** And Vault 34, a vault that, only a short time ago, experienced a critical reactor leak, turning more than half the residents into feral ghouls and promptly killed anyone who wasn't killed by the radiation [[spoiler: or haven't already left to the Nellis Air Force Base]].
** The Ghost People were all residents or guests in the area of the Sierra Madre Casino. [[GoneHorriblyRight It turns out those Hazmat suits worked too well...]]
** The Marked Men are what's left of the Legionaries and Troopers who were stationed in the Divide. [[CameBackWrong They changed.]]
----each'')
* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: Legate Lanius is a MadeOfIron murder machine [[spoiler:and serves as the game's "final boss" for every non-Legion ending path.]] Averted with the NCR President Kimball and General Oliver, and even Caesar himself, who are all bog standard humans that go down after a couple decent headshots. Also a case of AsskickingEqualsAuthority, as Lanius got the job as Caesar's right hand man by singlehandedly killing off his entire former tribe in combat.
** ''Marcus!''. He has as much health as a [[KingMook deathclaw alpha]], and his punches do as much damage as one too!
** [[LargeHamRadio Tabitha]], [[EverythingsDeaderWithZombies the Vault 34 Overseer]], [[HumanoidAliens the Alien Captain]], and [[CompleteMonster Jean-Baptiste Cutting]] are all quite tough, each of them being a fairly worthy boss encounter.
** Joshua Graham, the legendary Burned Man, is equipped with a [[CoolGuns powerful customized Colt .45 pistol]] and, despite only wearing a light kevlar vest for armor, has a DT of 50! For comparison, a full suit of the best PoweredArmor in the game grants a total DT of 36. He pretty much laughs off anything short of direct headshots from the best firearms in the game.
** Salt-Upon-Wounds, the leader of the White Legs and "final boss" of the DLC, is no slouch himself. He has more health and armor than a Deathclaw Alpha, and is armed with a custom Power Fist. Graham pretty much curbstomps him, though.
* AnAxeToGrind: A few of them, especially the fire axe.
** Throw in some RuleOfCool and technobabble, and you get the Protonic Inversal Axe.
%% just making a soft alphabetic split here
* {{Badass}}: This is Fallout. There's... [[WorldOfBadass quite a few]]. Aside from the main characters, the main factions' top-tier [=NPCs=] get a special mention:
** NCR Veteran Rangers wear dusters over riot gear, and are armed with either a revolver that shoots rifle rounds, the best lever-rifle in the game, or a .50 sniper rifle.
** Legion praetorians, meanwhile, [[RuleOfCool sport sunglasses and shotgun fists]].
** A single MK II Securitron essentially has more firepower than an entire platoon of NCR troopers. Armed to the teeth with an SMG, Gatling Laser, missiles, Grenade Machine Gun, self-repair, AND the kitchen sink.
** Legate Lanius. In the G.E.C.K he even has the unique class "Legionary Bad Ass."
** The Courier before the game even starts. His journey started at the Mojave Express in Primm, South of Goodsprings. Most people who have been working as couriers for a while should notice the local wildlife, and as many people discovered, there are Cazadores north of Goodsprings. The Courier's route would have led straight through the swarm if he/she hadn't been shot. Planning to go through a swarm of Cazadores is either badass or TooDumbToLive.
*** Especially when we consider that unless the player not only preordered, but preordered from one of the four retailers whose copies came with an exclusive content pack, said courier was planning on walking through a swarm of Cazadores and close to a group of raiders armed with nothing but a 9mm pistol or laser pistol (if Doc Mitchell truly returned everything he found on you).
** Ulysses braved the entirety of the Divide, on foot, alone, just to lay an elaborate trap.
* BadassBoast: The Terrifying Presence perk gives you a few of these. Sometimes they're just something cool to say before you kill someone, other times they're [[ToThePain vivid descriptions of what you're going to do]] to your enemies. But they're all so invariably badass that you can say them unarmed in your underwear, and they'll make fully equipped Brotherhood Of Steel Paladins run screaming from you.
* BadassBystander: The entire town of [[WretchedHive Nipton]] fell to the Legion with hardly any resistance... then you come across this one solitary house complete with landmines, rigged shotguns, a cage ''full of man-eating scorpions'' and in which every single drawer and cabinet is locked - making him smarter that about 90% of the Mojave residents. If the corpses littering the floor are any indication, this guy did ''not'' come quietly. Read some of his documents and you will find that he was a severely paranoid guy, who was convinced that everybody in the town was trying to sniff out and [[ShoutOut steal his]] [[DrStrangelove "Vital Essence"]].
* BadassGrandpa: "Cannibal" Johnson got his nickname from an incident where, outnumbered by Raiders and with his back to the wall, he ''tore out a Raider's heart and took a bite out of it,'' hoping to scare the others off. It worked. Incidentally, the Raiders in question were half his age.
* BadassLongcoat: The NCR Ranger combat armor; it's the armor shown on the cover, also worn by the sniper at the wall around the Strip in the intro. Later [=DLCs=] add the Desert Ranger Combat Armor and the Elite Riot Gear, each Longcoat more Badass than the last.
** The Lonesome Road graces us with, not only the Courier's Duster, but [[spoiler: Ulysses' unique variant, with the tattered flag of the USA on the back]], which you naturally receive after the big finish. Goes quite nicely with Old Glory, a wooden staff capped with a golden metal eagle.
* BallisticDiscount: Can be done of course, but many traders and shopkeepers are usually heavily armed themselves as well as having guards and the risk of making the whole town hostile. The Silver Rush is the epitome of this, as they have half-a-dozen guards and one boss character guarding the shopkeeper. Keep in mind that the merchants' inventory and money gets replenished every few days, so killing may be a bad idea for a different reason.
** The Gun Runners take particular precautions in this regard - they built their reinforced, permanent sales booth ''around'' the Protectron who serves as their sales clerk.
* BastardUnderstudy: Benny tries to be this to Mr. House. [[spoiler:You can be one to House as well, and succeed where Benny failed]]
* BeamSpam: Gatling Laser (again), and the smaller Laser RCW, which is basically a WorldWar2 Thompson submachine gun that shoots FrickinLaserBeams.
* TheBeastmaster: The Animal Friend perk is upgraded again from ''Fallout 3''; this time it will also cause domesticated animals to fight with you, or even turn against their masters to help you.
* BeefGate: Used liberally in the beginning. The two north roads to Vegas lead you right into Cazadores and Deathclaws, the latter of which has twice as much health as a standard Deathclaw. To the south, straying from the road is a good way to get giant Radscorpions on your tail, and those things are hard to kill in the early game. It's a good sign that if something manages to kill you in two hits while anything you currently have can't inflict a single scratch in return, you should probably not be in that area yet. On the plus side, limiting specific monsters to specific ecological regions avoids the "anything can pop up anywhere" problem seen in ''Fallout 3'', where you'd have Deathclaws showing up just outside the walls of major settlements once your character reached a high-enough level.
** Also, the final battle. To be user-friendly, most action games with open-world or RPG elements (including ''{{Fallout 3}}'') have a final boss that is killable by the weakest possible player character that can reach the end of the game. This is not one of those games.
* BeingGoodSucks: Almost all of the Followers of the Apocalypse endings [[spoiler: has them taking on more responsibility than they can handle or being screwed outright. One of the only ''"good"'' endings, ironically enough, is an ending which Caesar lives. [[PetTheDog He spares their lives and lets them leave the Mojave Wasteland peacefully out of respect, as they had taught him as a boy]].]]
** In another ending, [[spoiler: if Followers support the NCR and you choose to end the game by siding with the NCR, Old Mormon Fort expanded its services and is able to aid more people, becoming a refuge for the less fortunate citizens of New Vegas.]] It is not as bad as the other endings for the Followers.
** Subverted with the Courier; even though EvilIsEasy, so much good karma is rewarded for winning unavoidable fights with evil enemies that no matter how much you [[HeroicSociopath kill]] and [[KleptomaniacHero steal]], you'll almost always be seen as a saint.
** Also played straight in the Honest Hearts DLC. [[spoiler: No matter which ending you choose, Daniel will still get the short end of the stick.]] Sure, sometimes it's only as bad as missing the paradise-that-could-have-been Zion, but it's ''very'' easy to make "good" decisions that cause him trouble.
* BerserkButton: [[{{Badass}} Boone]] ''hates'' the Legion, and for very good reason. It's impossible to get the Legion ending with him as a companion because he murders every single Legionnaire you come across.
** Technically, you CAN get the Legion ending if you have him as a companion... As long as you only kill legionaries ''before'' entering the Tops casino and getting the Mark of Caesar. As to this, it is perfectly possible to get him as a companion, complete his companion quest (which itself involves killing legionaries and is obtained similarily) and then dump him afterward to support Caesar right after getting the Mark from Vulpes. Boone has specific legion endings programmed into the game for a reason.
* BestServedCold: [[spoiler:Dean Domino]] of ''Dead Money'' is a firm believer in this. If you try to get the better of him in your first meeting (by beating him in a Barter check,) he'll patiently wait until the circumstances favour him again before stabbing you in the back.
* BettingMiniGame: As expected of a game with [[VivaLasVegas Vegas]] in the title; the game has a grand total of five casinos you can play in (and a few more you can't), each with their own theme and win limit. You can also play the Mojave's very own card game, "Caravan," if you're willing to learn the rules.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: The game's most powerful NPC is none other than Primm Slim, the Protectron sheriff robot in the Vikki and Vance Casino, who has more than 2,000 HP at level 30. That's just health, of course. It may take you a while, but he's a dolled-up Protectron and couldn't kill you if he wanted to.
** Yes Man. Oh, how nice and helpful is he. He also has a sadistic streak that comes out in a few lines.
* {{BFG}}: The Heavy Incinerator, Tesla Cannon, Grenade Machinegun, Minigun, Gatling Laser, Plasma Caster, Gauss Rifle, Light Machine Gun (note that 'Light' is a strictly relative term), and Anti-Materiel Rifle. All of them leave nice, chunky messes.
* {{BFS}}:
** The Bumper Sword.
** Lily carries a {{BFS}} made from a Vertibird propeller blade.
** Legate Lanius' {{BFS}}, the Blade of the East. It hurts. A lot.
** Marked Men in the ''Lonesome Road'' DLC may carry imitations of the above weapon called Blades of the West. They hurt. A lot.
* BigDamnGunship: You can see up to two of them in the final battle, provided you do their prerequisites. First one is the Boomers in their B-29 Bomber, the other is the [[spoiler: [[RetiredBadass Enclave]] [[TheAtoner Remnants]] arriving in a Vertibird to kick the ass of your choosing]]. It's even stated that the second one reminded everyone in the Mojave why they had feared the [[spoiler: Enclave]].
* BitchInSheepsClothing: [[spoiler:Jeannie May Crawford]] in Novac.
* BiTheWay: In one of her lines of dialogue, Cass says that once she is drunk enough, she doesn't care who she ends up in bed with whether they be male or female.
** If you try to invite her into your party when it's occupied by someone else (male or female), she says "I'm not in the mood for a threesome...today".
* BittersweetEnding: The best ending you can hope for in ''Honest Hearts'' is [[spoiler:The Sorrows and Dead Horses are safely evacuated from Zion and the White Legs' threat is neutralized [[TalkingTheMonsterToDeath one way]] [[KillEmAll or another]], And Joshua Graham finally makes peace with his inner demons, but Zion itself is lost forever, and Daniel spends the rest of his days wondering if abandoning it was the right decision after all...]]
** The "best case scenarios" for Arcade and Lily qualify big time. For Arcade, [[spoiler:the only endings where he ends up in a somewhat good position are the NCR and Wild Card endings, and even then he ends up somewhat disappointing with the negative aspects of each outcome, but nevertheless resolves to continue helping the Wasteland any way he can]]. As for Lily, her "good" endings either have her [[spoiler:go off to find her grandchildren, who are almost assuredly dead by now, or finally having her mental state stabilized at the cost of the memories of her past.]]
* BlackAndGreyMorality and GreyAndGreyMorality with some occasional [[EvilVersusEvil Black And Black Morality]]: There are no totally, completely good factions in the Fallout universe. There are plenty of pretty much outright evil factions, a ''lot'' of neutral ones, and a few that really are out to make the world a better place, [[WellIntentionedExtremist but even they tend to use rather questionable methods at times.]] The closest you'll probably get to a "good guy" in this game is a Good-aligned PlayerCharacter.
* BlatantLies: Those radioactive barrels you see both here and in Fallout 3? In the REPCONN headquarters, they're "safety barrels", and being buried in the ground is supposed to be totally safe! Some extremist hippy whackos are just lying to you about their radioactivity!
** Quite a few with the Think Tank in ''Old World Blues''.
--> '''Dr. Klein:''' How ''dare'' you! Branial beam ocilation was solely ''my'' discovery! I expressly told you that and deleted all evidence to the contrary!
* BlessedWithSuck[=/=]CursedWithAwesome: The positive and negative effect of the trait ''Wild Wasteland'' is described as "Adds wackier versions of current content."
** There's an example of this [[spoiler: if Arcade gives you his father's Enclave armor]]. He's really proud of it and brags that it will stop almost anything short of a plasma bolt. But due to its associations, wearing it could get you hunted down and killed, or if you're lucky, just thrown in an [=NCR=] jail for a long, long, long time. (Which [[spoiler: is what happens if ''Arcade'' wears it during some of his endings.]]) Uh ... thanks, man? What a ''blessing''. Luckily, StoryAndGameplaySegregation is in full effect if you decide to wear it.
* BlindWithoutEm: The ''Four Eyes'' trait, which gives a bonus to Perception so long as you're wearing glasses. Without them, it's a decrease to Perception. Will become useless later on, since power armor helmets, for obvious reasons, require you to take off your glasses. Again, this is assuming a character is even capable of / willing to wearing power armor helmets.
** Of course, this also poses serious problems; mechanically it reduces your base Perception by 1 and makes every pair of glasses give +2 Perception. Fairly nifty, except that certain perks require moderately high Perception to get, which this perk will more or less lock you out of.
* BlingBlingBang: All of the unique handguns.
* BlownAcrossTheRoom:
** The Gauss Rifle often send the opponent flying for considerable distance. Anyone who's heard the spiel from the drill instructor on the Citadel in MassEffect2 will understand why.
*** Which is a case of DidNotDoResearch in itself. Gauss guns in Fallout shoot micro-caliber ammunition that usually pass through the soft flesh. It is the tremendous hydrostatic shock that makes them so efficient.
** Averted, however, with Armor Piercing rounds...which do a little LESS damage on unarmored opponents than regular rounds BECAUSE of their overpenetration, which is actually TruthInTelevision.
** The Anti-Materiel Rifle can send ''Deathclaws'' flying back with a chest shot. It is not a gun that messes around.
** [[MeaningfulName Pushy]]. If your killing blow is an uppercut, you could easily send them 20 feet up and 30 feet away. If your unarmed is high enough, you can punch them with the force a football player punts a ball.
** Dead Money perk "And Stay Back" grants 10% chance per shotgun shot of throwing the target back. The sawed-off fires 14 buckshot per blast, practically guaranteeing an airborne ragdoll if fired at close range.
** The Fire Axe's special has a knockback effect; chaining the special lets you ''[[BeyondTheImpossible juggle an opponent in the air]]''.
* BombThrowingAnarchists: Averted by the Followers of the Apocalypse who, despite being derided as anarchists by some, arguably are the only "truly good" faction in the game, next to the Kings.
** Played straight by Samuel Cooke, the founder of the Powder Gangers, who was imprisoned by the NCR for being a literal example. The other Powder Gangers are aversions, however, as they are little more than another gang of raiders.
** 'Honest Hearts' introduces the 'Fight the Power!' that gives the bonus in combat with members of 'lawful' factions. It is accompanied by the picture of stereotypical rioter with a scarf on his face and holding Molotov cocktail.
* BookEnds: "War. War never changes."
* BoomerangBigot: One line used by Boomers states that they can take care of that robot problem for you. The same line is used by the robots on the base.
* BonusBoss: The four Legendary monsters. The toughest of them, the Legendary Deathclaw, is by far the most powerful thing in the entire game, with almost as much health as the final boss ''and'' an insanely high armor rating (significantly more than a full suit of the best power armor available!). Like all deathclaws, it is also very, very fast. He also [[OneHitKill one hit kills]] pretty much all but the toughest and most heavily armored of characters. [[DeadpanSnarker Nice knowing you.]]
** ''Old World Blues'' has the [[spoiler:[[LethalJokeCharacter Legendary Bloatfly]]. It's harder to kill than the Legendary Deathclaw and fires insanely powerful plasma bolts at you. When it dies it drops over 50 bloatfly meat and 20+ buffout.]]
** Colonel Royez and Gaius Magnus from post-Lonesome Road, [[spoiler: which appear when you nuke NCR or Legion territory respetively.]] They are two ghouls with utterly insane amounts of health (Capable of withstanding about five Holorifle shots to the face on Normal difficulty without dying), and constantly regenerate health as well. To make it worse, they both have high-end unique armor, one of which ''adds even more health regeneration''.
* BonusDungeon: Up to three are added by ''Lonesome Road,'' the Courier's Mile, the NCR Long 15, and the Legion Dry Wells. The latter two are only accessible if [[spoiler: you decided to nuke them.]]
* BoringButPractical: The Marksman Carbine. Powerful. Durable. Versatile. Ammo-efficient. Completely unspectacular and ugly.
** The Recharger Rifle. You're most likely to find this weapon at the beginning of the game, and it does lower damage than many other energy rifles. However, it makes up for this by being rechargeable, rather than using energy ammo. That's right, it's an energy weapon that has INFINITE AMMO. Kinda makes up for the slight shortage of energy ammo in the game, huh? Becomes useless later when you can regularly find and recharge energy rifle ammo, though.
** The Cowboy Repeater. Cheap to repair and uses powerful magnum ammo instead of rifle. Easy to make ammo, low AP cost, and incredible accuracy can make this a viable weapon for most of the game. As with the Marksman Carbine, the only problem is that it's obviously not full auto.
** Most Guns-type weapons really. This is one reason why many players consider [[KineticWeaponsAreJustBetter guns to be superior than the]] [[AwesomeButImpractical more flashy energy weapons,]] [[KineticWeaponsAreJustBetter even after the latter was made more powerful.]]
** Leg shots. Not as impressive or damaging as a head shot, but they slow down melee enemies significantly if you cripple the legs, and will save your life when you enter Deathclaw territory.
** The Strong Back, Educated, and Rapid Reload perks. They don't do anything flashy, but pay off massively in the long run.
** The simpler crafting recipes. Cooking meat into steaks and converting ammo into the type you need is always useful and worthwhile.
** From Dead Money, the Cosmic Knives. Not only are they easy to find, but you can clean one to give it a massive stat boost. Helps out in the first few quests, when you have almost no ammo or items.
** the Police Pistol. All the other weapons are exotic and powerful, and this is just a bog-standard revolver. However, it hits hard enough to easily dismember Ghosts, and the ammo is everywhere.
** From the Lonesome Road DLC comes the flare gun. Doesn't have the greatest damage, but uses a fairly common ammo type only used by a few other weapons in the entire game, and has the distinct power to SCARE DEATHCLAWS.
* BottleFairy: Cass
* BrainInAJar: The Robobrains. There's also the Think Tanks of Old World Blues, who come with monitors for eyes and a mouth. Amazingly enough, [[spoiler:there's YOUR brain, which you can actually talk to (and [[ScrewYourself come onto]]).]]
* BribingYourWayToVictory: The ''Courier's Stash'' and ''Gun Runners' Arsenal'' DLC, the former moreso than the latter. ''Courier's Stash'' is a compilation of several pre-order bonus packs which gives the player four full item sets at the start of the game, including a bottomless water canteen which reduces the amount of water you need to drink. No matter which set of armor you choose, you're a lot better off than in the vanilla game. ''Gun Runners' Arsenal'' adds a ton of new weapons to be purchased from shops, as well as weapon mods for them. At least these you actually have to buy in-game.
* BrokenAesop: The overall theme of the DLC ''Dead Money'' is how greed can make people unable to let go of their own vices. To illustrate this point, the casino vault is filled with dozens of gold bars that are far too heavy for you to carry to escape alive, proving that even the player must set aside their greed in order to move on. ... Except that with a stealthboy and some very precise timing, it's fully possible to make off with all the gold without a scratch. So in the end the moral is 'you need to let go of your greed, unless you're clever enough to get away scott free'.
* BulletTime: VATS of course. Turbo and the Implant GRX perk will also produce this effect.
* BullyingADragon: Keith, a hustler at the Aerotech business park, gets cornered by Captain Parker after you provide Parker with evidence of Keith's misdeeds. Parker tries to arrest Keith, who resists. Keith then starts taunting Parker about how his wife left him. Which prompts Parker to let fly with his service rifle. Taunting a man armed with a military rifle about his estranged wife... [[TooDumbToLive smooth.]]
* ButchLesbian: Corporal Betsy from Camp [=McCarran=]. Just OneOfTheBoys, though she's been hitting on every woman in the Camp after having been [[spoiler:raped by Cook-Cook. One side-quest is getting her to see a psychologist.]]
* ButForMeItWasTuesday: In the ''Lonesome Road'' DLC, [[spoiler:a single unremarkable package the Courier delivered prior to the start of the game accidently caused the destruction of the Divide, robbing Ulysses of his home, teaching him the power certain individuals hold to radically reshape the world, and sparking off some rather dangerous obsessions. When he tells you what that package did, you can respond that the package was so unremarkable to you, you can't even recall it clearly.]]
%% just making a soft alphabetic split here
* TheCakeIsALie: In ''Old World Blues'', [[spoiler:the Think Tank enlist your help in defeating their enemy, Dr. Mobius, on the promise that they'll let you go once you retrieve your brain and get it back in your skull. In truth, they plan on keeping your brain for themselves, because they need it for their own agenda.]]
* CaneFu: A favourite melee weapon for the White Gloves. While that doesn't sound too dangerous, remember that you have to go in bare-fisted unless you have a high enough sneak skill or can rob the cashier's room without getting caught. If your Unarmed skill is crap, you'll have a hell of a time doing the quest for their casino (the right way, at least).
* CannibalismSuperpower: The player character can literally gain cannibalism superpowers through a [[http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Meat_of_Champions hidden perk]]. [[spoiler:If the player takes the Cannibal perk and then kills and eats Caesar, The King, Mr. House and President Kimball, your character absorbs their greatest strengths. Afterward, you receive a boost to four primary stats for a full minute after committing any act of cannibalism. Given that you have to kill and eat the four most powerful people in the Mojave Wasteland (which will naturally alienate their factions) and Kimball only appears in the second-final plot mission of the game this perk is somewhere in between a BraggingRightsReward and AwesomeButImpractical.]]
* CantGetAwayWithNuthin: If you attack any member of a major faction, the rest will know and you will lose reputation with them for it. They {{Handwave}} it with both sides having a "robust network of informants", but that's a shallow justification when you're killing Legion recruits in the middle of the desert. Strangely averted with the Fiends. So long as you do it in one shot, you can kill one ten feet from the rest and they won't notice. You don't even have to sneak.
** Especially egregious with the faction hit squad spawning. Wipe out the Legion Raid Camp? Caesar will instantly know and teleport a hit squad to immediately retaliate.
* TheCaper: What the Dead Money [=DLC=] is all about.
* CatchPhrase: The Yes Man thinks this trope page is absolutely ''great!'' And he's not just saying that because he has to!
* CattlePunk: The closer you get to big cities, the more it becomes like a gangster flick, but the more rural areas have a definite old west feel to them. What do you expect, it's set in Nevada. Let us count the ways: ''Two'' cowboy robots (Victor and Primm Slim), [[RevolversAreJustBetter prominent revolvers]], cattle barons, extra-big bighorn sheep, moody guitar riffs, a Cowboy perk that makes you better at all things Gunslingers ought to be, a chain gang on the run... and these are all just in the first few hours of the game.
* ChainsawGood: As well as the Ripper, a full-sized chainsaw can be found [[spoiler:in Vault 3, wielded by Motor-Runner, or on high-level Legionaries]]. Thanks to its incredibly high-damage VATS attack (high enough to completely ignore a Ranger's DT and kill him in one hit), it is one of the best weapons for Sneak Attacks in the game. Despite whatever common sense may tell you about using a bulky, awkward and loud weapon for stealth work.
* CharacterDevelopment: [[spoiler: The Enclave Remnants really humanize the faction of [[CardCarryingVillain Card-Carrying Villains]] they were in {{Fallout 2}} and {{Fallout 3}}.]]
* ChekhovsGun: As you're poking around your would-be gravesite in Goodsprings, you'll likely come across a bunch of Distinctive Cigarette Butts, as well as a distinctive lighter off a named Great Khan you can kill in Boulder City. Keep these items, they become useful when convincing Swank to turn on Benny.
** In the ''Old World Blues'' expansion, [[spoiler: the injury you sustained at the ''very beginning'' of the game ends up as one of these. It creates a bit of a "wrinkle" in your brain that caused the Auto-Doc responsible for the brain-extraction process to alter its programming, and keep you sane and lucid after it was done.]]
* CherryTapping: One of the challenges added by ''Gun Runner's Arsenal'' is to kill Deathclaws with the weakest weapons in the game. Of course, it only says ''kill''. There's [[LoopholeAbuse nothing saying]] you can't horribly main them with your top shelf guns, first.
* ChronicBackstabbingDisorder: [[spoiler:Benny has betrayed three people before the game even started, can betray you if you are gullible enough to believe him about talking to you in private at the Tops penthouse, and has the audacity to betray you yet again if you free him from the Fort by running away for good instead of helping you.]]
** Also, the Courier has the capability of betraying not one, not two, but all three factions, murdering all three leaders ([[ImAHumanitarian and possibly even devouring them after he kills them]]), then taking over New Vegas in the resulting power vacuum.
*** And those are just the major factions. You can also get in good with EVERY minor faction in the game, provided you're clever enough not to alienate them by accident, and then, before the final battle, go in and wipe out ALL OF THEM. ICanRuleAlone, indeed...
*** There are also plenty of quests that end with the option to slaughter the people you're helping. Help a group of ghouls get to the rockets, then set them to crash into each other. Help restore power to Helios One, then set the defense system to kill everyone unlucky enough to be standing outside. Promise to cut off access to the sulfur mines under the Vault, then set enough explosives to take down the mines ''and'' the Vault. And then there's that self-destruct button in the Brotherhood of Steel bunker...
*** [[spoiler:And now with the Lonesome Road DLC, you can unleash nuclear missiles upon NCR territory, Legion territory or both of them.]]
* ChurchMilitant: The Mormon Church it seems. According to Graham, learning how to handle a .45 auto is a rite of passage for New Canaanites. However, it's more that they're quite capable of defending themselves rather than being aggressively militant (far from actually). Also, one must remember that, AfterTheEnd, you better damn well know how to kill or live around people that do.
* ClassyCatBurglar: The sneak skill '¡La Fantoma!' depicts one of these on it's cover.
* CloudCuckoolander: Played with; No-Bark Noonan is actually pretty perceptive about strange events that are happening around Novac, and good at looking through people with less-than honest intentions. Too bad he blames them on the Chupacabra and the mole people. [[spoiler: Of course, the mole people are actually real, and he sometimes lays blame on exactly what the problem is but obfuscates it behind his choice of words.]]
** The Think Tank and Doctor Mobius.
** Many of the relatively sane nightkin, such as Lily and Tabitha, qualify as this
* ClusterFBomb: Cass has a delightfully foul mouth, and can't help swearing repeatedly. The game plays with this during her side-quest, while [[spoiler: taking revenge for her ruined caravan]], she states that they'll settle accounts with one group, and then go to the leader of the other group and "make that bitch eat her own hair." When you look in the quest menu, that statement is recorded word for word as your goal for this quest. Some characters have a wonderful way of personalizing their own quests, you know?
--> '''Cass:''' [[CrowningMomentOfFunny "The NCR wants their hands on everything they see. Nobody's dick is that long, not even Long Dick Johnson, and he had a fucking long dick, thus the name."]]
--> '''The Courier''' [[CaptainObvious "Yeah, I kinda guessed that."]]
* ColdBloodedTorture: One torture path available when interrogating Silus is to kill him for your personal pleasure.
* ColdOpening: While the first 3 DLCs start with a narrated slideshow, Lonesome Road skips this in favor of dropping you right into The Divide.
* ColdSniper: Boone. He actually tries to keep you away, believing he's too cold to have a spotter and that it'll end in disaster. If he gets killed (or rendered unconscious), he'll [[EvilLaugh creepily chuckle and say the he knew that you'd be the death of him]].
** Corporal Betsy in Camp [=McCarran=] deconstructs the trope by expressing regret over the job requiring such a cold personality.
*** She also subverts it with her [[spoiler:vulnerability and mental trauma after being raped by Cook-cook.]]
** Ranger Ghost is somewhat of a subversion - she's cold and doesn't regret it, but the other NCR personnel think she's a prick and/or trying too hard.
** Sergeant Bitter Root as well. The other 2 First Recon members, [[ShellShockedVeteran Corporal Sterling]] and [[FarmBoy 10 of Spades]] are quite [[FriendlySniper friendly]] however are not [[ColdSniper cold snipers]].
* CollectionSidequest: The longest mission in the game, by logical extension, involves collecting special "star" bottle caps from bottles of Sunset Sarsaparilla and handing them in to an animatronic cowboy named [[{{Gunsmoke}} Festus]]. There is also a snow globe collection game which nets you caps.
* ColonelBadass: Colonel Cassandra Moore. She commands the garrison at Hoover Dam, within spitting distance of the massive Legion buildup at Fortification Hill. She's built up reputation as a hardass and a GeneralRipper (though justifiable due to the proximity to the Fort). She's had four tours against the Brotherhood of Steel during the NCR's war with them.
* CompetitiveBalance: Every character build has a chance to survive and thrive in the Mojave Wasteland, whether he be a [[MightyGlacier power armor-wearing sledgehammer-wielding maniac]], [[GlassCannon a sneaky thief with a sniper rifle]], or a [[GuileHero smooth talker]], Obsidian has made it possible for you to solve everything the game throws at you.
* TheComputerIsACheatingBastard: NPC characters can reload some slow reload weapons such as Cowboy Repeaters and .357 revolvers as though they are reloaded with magazines or speedloaders. Thankfully, this also applies to followers.
** Nowhere is this more apparent than the game's gambling. NPC card dealers will regularly deal themselves 20s and Blackjack several times in a row when your luck stat is below par. Maxing out your Luck stat allows for the game to cheat in your favour as well.
** The Boomers. The artillery barrage you must run through upon approaching their base is a scripted event, and cannot be avoided in any way or gives any third options besides 'duck and cover'. Stealth won't work, even with Stealth Boys. You can't snipe the spotters, because there aren't any. You can't make them run out of ammo. You can't return fire with the Fat Man. All you can do is run and take cover and wait for the reloading breaks (which, given the number of shells they're shooting per barrage, implies they've got a 20-gun battery firing at you).
*** You can, however, use [[BulletTime Turbo]] to run past them.
* ContinuityNod: This game takes place in the same area as the canon but canceled ''Van Buren'', so plenty of characters and elements in ''New Vegas'' are references to events from that game.
** Fans of ''Fallout'' will soon notice the large number of references to towns from [[{{Fallout1}} ''Fallout 1'']] and [[{{Fallout2}} ''2'']], such as Modoc or the Hub; understandable, since those took place in northern California, not far from Nevada, which is where this game takes place.
** The reason the NCR can't torture [=POWs=] can be traced back to the administration of "President Tandi".
** Who is one of the faces on the [[http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/NCR_dollars NCR currency]], along with [[{{Fallout1}} Seth and Aradesh]].
*** Not just that, but the [[{{Fallout2}} Chosen One]] him/herself is repeatedly referenced.
** Remember [[{{Fallout 2}} the crashed vertibird outside Klamath?]] [[CoolOldLady So does its pilot.]]
** Lily's melee weapon is a large sword made out of a propeller blade taken from the same Vertibird.
** A character makes mention of the mildly terrifying Mr. Bishop of New Reno, who seems more at home in the wasteland than the city. This, presumably, is the son a male Chosen One can have by [[ReallyGetsAround either the wife or daughter]] (canonically the latter) of the head of the Bishop family at the time.
** There are also a surprising amount of references to [[{{Fallout3}} ''Fallout 3'']], both explicitly and thematically:
** Veronica wishes the Brotherhood could help the ordinary people and look at changing the philosophy to fit the changing world they live in. This is basically what the Capital Wasteland [=BoS=] did. She even vaguely refers to this, mentioning that the [=BoS=] has had schisms and breakaway groups in the past (although that could refer to the ''Tactics'' [=BoS=] as well).
*** If you're low of intelligence, when asked about what you think about the Brotherhood of Steel, you can reply something along the lines of them being "giant monsters in power armour that shoot lasers from their eyes."...which is pretty much Liberty Prime in a nutshell.
*** The schism and breakaway part likely references both the Midwestern and Capital Wasteland Brotherhoods... but she continues by mentioning that one chapter even had a small civil war over it, which either references the Capital Wasteland Brotherhood/Outcast conflict or some other conflict we haven't heard about before or since.
** ED-E is [[spoiler: an Enclave eyebot from the airbase in the "Broken Steel" DLC. And was headed to Navarro. He was also the only prototype finished because funds were being pulled to create Hellfire Armor, also from Broken Steel.]]
** The [[spoiler: aliens from the Mothership Zeta DLC]] show up if you have the Wild Wasteland perk.
** Copies of Moira's "Wasteland Survival Guide" are skill books that increase your survival skill.
** Yes Man mentions how nice it would be to stomp the Legion and NCR with a giant robot that shoots lasers out if it's eyes. This is a reference to Liberty Prime.
** Doctor Henry in Jacobstown [[{{Fallout2}} really knows his cyberdogs. He also happens to know a thing or two about mutations.]]
** Remember Marcus, the friendly Super Mutant who helped Chosen One and wound up as mayor of Broken Hills in ''Fallout 2''? He's back.
** The Classic Pack gives you the equipment of both the Vault Dweller and the Chosen One.
** Emily Ortal, a Follower and a native of Arroyo, may reward you with medical supplies for completing a small side quest she gives you. She hopes that they are of no use to you... just like Hakunin, the shaman from when it was still a tribal village, from {{Fallout 2}}. Except a little less cryptically.
** Dog from 'Dead Money' seems to always need orders because he had a master as long as he remembers. Starting with ''The'' Master (the BigBad from ''Fallout'').
*** TheMaster is also mentioned by other Super mutants and Nightkin
** You can get the recipe for the delicious Deathclaw omelet from the great niece of its creator, who somehow got a female Deathclaw to provide a steady supply of eggs in Modoc. Until some stranger came along and "[[GoForTheEye shot it in the eye]]," anyway.
* CoolPlane: The Boomers' B-29 bomber.
* CoolVersusAwesome: The central conflict of the game is basically the [=US=] Army versus the Roman Legions versus Howard Hughes and his robot army versus a OneManArmy.
* CorruptCorporateExecutive: [[spoiler:Alice Mc Lafferty. She made a secret deal with the Van Graffs to eliminate the other trade caravans through any means necessary. Buy them out, kill the owners, it's all good.]]
* {{Courier}}: YOU! As well as the various other couriers that work for the Mojave Express.
* [[WizardNeedsFoodBadly Courier Needs Food Badly]]: In Hardcore Mode, you need to eat, drink, and sleep regularly, or suffer the consequences!
* {{Cowboy}}: One of the perks, which makes you better with [[RevolversAreJustBetter Revolvers]], [[TheWestern Lever action weapons]], [[KnifeNut knives]], [[AnAxeToGrind axes]], and [[DynamiteCandle dynamite]].
* CowboyCop: Meyers, one of the (better) options for Primm's new sheriff, was sent to the NCRCF for "taking the law into his own hands one too many times". [[spoiler:If he becomes sheriff, the epilogue reveals he does his job well and Primm prospers under him, but occasionally a body of a suspected criminal is found lying in the gutter.]]
* CrazyPrepared: ''Mr. House''. He not only calculated the exact time and day of the nuclear apocalypse (and was less than a day off), but he also managed to prepare himself that he survived for two hundred years afterwards, as well as being able to remotely disable or shoot down all but eleven of the missiles headed for Vegas. And if he'd had the Platinum Chip, none of them would have hit.
* CrazySurvivalist: Randall Clark, a soldier from the Great War and the former owner of the Desert Ranger Armor in Honest Hearts. He eventually became a god-like figure to the Sorrows, whom he developed a PapaWolf-like mentality towards.
** More like a subversion of this trope. He is pragmatical, usually behaves cowardly (which saves his life on more than one occasion), displays bouts of survivor guilt, plans to commit suicide and tries to help others without risking direct contact. Not your average CrazySurvivalist.
* CreditsGag: If you've got the Wild Wasteland perk, the credits are full of humorous notes, in-jokes, and nicknames.
%% We already have separate pages for Crowning Moments of Awesome, Funny, and Heartwarming for Fallout New Vegas, check at the top of the page for the links.
* CruelAndUnusualDeath: The death animation of some weapons, or if you have [[LudicrousGibs Bloody Mess]] perk.
* CruelMercy: One option in Cass' quest. If you spare [[spoiler:the Van Graffs and Alice [=McLafferty=] ]], and give evidence of their crimes to the NCR, Cass decides that the NCR's bureaucracy and legal procedures will do them more harm than her bullets ever could.
** You can also do the same to [[spoiler: Mr. House, by disconecting his body from the mainframe and putting him back in his capsule. His life support will keep him alive for at least one year before he dies from the contaminants you exposed him to.]]
** In ''Honest Hearts'', with high enough speech skill, you can convince Joshua Graham to do this to Salt-upon Wounds.
* CrushingThePopulace: Caesar's Legion if Legate Lanius comes to rule; he will murder anyone and everyone who he sees as an insult to the Legion, including the Followers of the Apocalypse as he claims they have "dishonored" Caesar's reputation. The Legion also does not treat its citizens well.
* CuteBruiser: Veronica; her WeaponOfChoice is the PowerFist. Give her a [[InfinityPlusOneSword Ballistic Fist]], and she will murder the crap out of just about anything.
* CurbStompBattle: The final battle at Hoover Dam can turn into this, especially if you got all factions to ally with the NCR [[spoiler: including the remnants]], have a powerful companion with you (like Boone with [[PowerArmor power armor]] and an [[{{BFG}} Anti-Materiel Rifle]]), have maxed out energy weapons and have saved all your [[InfinityPlusOneSword alien blaster]] ammo. You can just go around disintegrating squad after squad of the Legion's EliteMooks with no difficulty at all, while your allies just keep coming in and curb stomping the shit out of them in one BigDamnHeroes moment after another, finally culminating in defeating the FinalBoss [[MemeticBadass Legate Lanius]] in a few seconds.
%% just making a soft alphabetic split here
* DamageSpongeBoss: Giant Roboscorpion and Deathclaws.
** DamageSpongeBoss [[BossInMookClothing In Mook's Clothing]]: A way of instituting FakeDifficulty in the higher levels of the DLC.
* DangerousDeserter: You encounter a few in Primm, attempting to start a protection racket and attacking you if try to turn them in. They're survivors from a outpost that was overrun by [[TheEmpire Caesar's Legion]], and think the [=NCR=] will be defeated by them soon.
* DaysOfFuturePast: In addition to the "retro 50s" feel of all surviving pre-war culture typical to the ''{{Fallout}}'' franchise, Caesar's Legion is obviously inspired by the Roman Empire, in-universe and out.
* DeadCharacterWalking: Has a similar bug as Minecraft game. If you save while character just died, there's various bugged things that happen, from floating hollow heads to weird corpses that's still alive. [[http://www.cracked.com/article_19507_the-8-creepiest-glitches-hidden-in-popular-video-games_p2.html Cracked explains it the best...]]
* DeadpanSnarker:
** You, the player character; numerous dialogue options involve it.
** Veronica, a recruitable sarcastic Brotherhood companion. Voiced by FeliciaDay.
--->'''Veronica:''' (on the Boomers) "A bunch of shut-ins who show disdain for outsiders and hold technology above them. Huh. Haven't heard ''that'' one before."
** Ghoul companion Raul also has a sense of humor that's as dry as his skin.
** Arcade Gannon's ex-All-American sense of humor qualifies as well.
** Rene Auberjonois brings a delightful snideness to Mr House. Especially if the Courier tries to get uppity with him.
--->'''Mr. House:''' ''Why'' is it so hard to find good help these days? (unleashes a dozen murder-bots on the Courier)
* DeathByIrony: The Legion camp at Cottonwood Cove is built ''right underneath'' a truck loaded with barrels of radioactive waste, perched perilously halfway over a cliff. It's possible to dump the barrels into the Legion camp, killing all the Legion forces there, resulting in an ironic payback for their dirty bomb attack on Camp Searchlight (the NCR survivors of Camp Searchlight will appreciate the irony if you tell them about it).
** If you opt for traditional Townicide while playing a female character, Sergeant Astor will also comment on the delicious irony of the camp being wiped by a woman, who are [[StayInTheKitchen treated as incapable pieces]] [[NoWomansLand of meat in the Legion]].
** Step one, buy a powerful shotgun. Step two, go meet Caesar. Step three, load the shotgun with Coin Shot (rounds made with coins that are used by Caesar's Legions, and bonus points if these are coins that Caesar himself paid you). Step Four, [[BoomHeadshot Render Unto Caesar That Which Is Caesar's.]] Step Five, [[OhCrap fight your way out of the now angry horde of Legion soldiers.]]
* [[DeathWorld Death City]]: The Sierra Madre Villa is an isolated town choked by a toxic gas, inhabited only by [[HumanoidAbomination Ghost People]] and full of traps. It only gets worse when you find out that not only the Casino itself was [[spoiler: intended as a death trap]] but that the town was [[spoiler: a test lab for some Think Tank experiments]]. Ulysses even refers to it as a "special sort of hell".
* DeceasedFallGuyGambit: The Legion version of the quest "I Put a Spell on You" has you pulling this on [[ThePrankster Pvt. Crenshaw]]
* {{Deconstruction}}: [[spoiler:The Wild Card route is arguably one of StartMyOwn, OmnicidalNeutral, ICanRuleAlone and/or TakeAThirdOption. Even if you do everything ''exactly'' right ([[GuideDangIt which is harder than it sounds]]), there's still going to be a ''lot'' of people unhappy or otherwise having negative reactions, most notably the Followers and the [=BoS=]. This is driven home when, during the final battle, General Oliver and Legate Lanius ''taunt'' you for actually thinking you alone could make everyone happy and peaceful, Oliver in particular demanding to know what makes you more qualified than anyone else to make that kind of decision. Then again, the main theme of the Wild Card ending ''is'' that freedom and independence almost always come at a price...]]
** The Fallout tradition of doing this to the value system of the 50s also continues; there's a great example in the REPCONN Headquarters and it's rather strict security.
** Honest Hearts has some of MightyWhitey; Both Daniel and Joshua are aware that them leading their respective tribes isn't healthy for anyone involved, but they don't know how else to handle it. Daniel's uncertainty is actually hinted as one reason for him [[ItsUpToYou listening to a complete stranger]].
* {{Defictionalization}}: The collector's edition included chips from the major casinos in the game as well as [[MacGuffin the Platinum Chip.]] In a less profitable vein, many fans play Caravan in real life.
* DeliberatelyMonochrome: Camp Forlorn Hope is washed-out and has a heavy brown pallor over everything. Completing the quest "Restoring Hope" restores color to the area.
* DemocracyIsBad: Vault 11. [[spoiler:The computer stated that unless people were sacrificed at regular intervals, everyone would be killed. The citizens decided to choose those sacrifices with elections.]]
-->'''Gus Olson, Ombudsman:''' ''...Choose a [[spoiler:sacrifice]] democratically, in the way that we citizens are accustomed to washing our hands of terrible deeds...''
** Resulting in the rather darkly funny 1950s style campaign posters which say stuff like "Haley is a known adulterer & Communist sympathizer, vote for Haley!" in bold red, white, and blue.
* DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment: All of the Think Tank doctors get into this, with Dr. Mobious's dome-shaped... dome in the FORBIDDEN ZONE (that is... '''YES!'''... forbidden! to you), and the the TESLA COILS... OF NIKOLA TESLA.
* DesperatelyLookingForAPurposeInLife: Raul, if you follow his side-quest.
* {{Determinator}}: The Courier, and Caesar calls attention to it. [[BoomHeadshot You survived being shot in the head]]. Twice. At point blank range. By a guy holding [[InfinityMinusOneSword one of the most powerful unique handguns in the game]]. The doc didn't pull the bullets out of his/her skull, [[MemeticBadass the Courier forced them out THROUGH SHEER WILLPOWER]]. If you have high Luck, the doc will even suggest that this should have happened.
** Raul makes mention, during one of the conversations you unlock by talking to certain elderly people, about how he went on a RoaringRampageOfRevenge when a girl who resembled his deceased sister was kidnapped by raiders. He tracked them for three straight days (they slept, he didn't), and she was dead by the time he got there. In response, he killed all seven of them by himself, soaking up bullets and staying alive on nothing but pure rage. After several days of lying near-dead on the ground, he pulled himself back up and went back home.
*** Also helps that being a ghoul he has a healing factor while near radiation, and this was taking place not long after the bombs felled.
* DickDastardlyStopsToCheat: You can meet a bodyguard for hire who [[spoiler: hires people to pose as thugs so he can pretend to shoot them and scam his customers out of money.]] The problem? [[spoiler: He wears decent armor, is carrying a [[HandCannon powerful Hunting Revolver]], and most thugs he has to fight to protect his clients carry knives or lead pipes. It's much, much cheaper and less complicated for him to just do his job rather than hire 4 other people and split his earnings with them.]] Not played straight, though, as this is still a good way to increase the apparent need for his services and thus drum up business.
** Benny probably would have had an easier time putting his plan into action if he had just let the Platinum Chip reach its destination without a hitch.
* DidIJustSayThatOutLoud: [[spoiler:Mortimer]], upon realizing that he's just admitted to [[spoiler:still being a cannibal]] in front of a banquet of [[spoiler: other (former) cannibals.]]
** Also Karl if the Courier taunts him into [[spoiler: shouting that the Great Khans are nothing compared to the Legion]]. While the [[spoiler:Khan]] leaders are most likely [[TooDumbToLive sitting right next to him.]]
* DidNotDoTheResearch: In-universe example: [=McNamara=] has heard of a tribe with advanced weapons in the Northeast of the Mojave, but assumes that a small Brotherhood scouting patrol with PowerArmor and Laser rifles will be sufficient for a recon mission. Turns out the tribe in question is the [[BadassArmy Boomers]]. Their weapons? Pre-war artillery.
** The fate of Camp Guardian. The notes you uncover from the squad stationed there laments that the scouts who performed recon on the area didn't take the time to realise that they'd chosen a place where its difficult to get a radio signal out, failed to actually ''give them a radio'' and then [[ItGotWorse realise]] that underneath them is a large cave system filled with Radscorpions, Giant Rats and Lakelurks.
* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: Ulysses refers to the Think Tank as "the gods of the Big Empty," and remarks that not even he, or even "a hundred Elijahs" could defeat them. [[spoiler:The Courier can, thanks to a certain gunshot wound to the brain that allows him/her to bypass their pacification field.]]
* DiscOneFinalBoss: Benny serves this role, being the main object of the player's pursuit for the 1st half of the main quest line.
* DiscOneNuke:
** The Ratslayer, a Varmint Rifle with all the mods attached to it and with more damage, and can be obtained early, [[GuideDangIt if you know where to look]]. The catch? It's in a cave filled with the bigger Giant Rats. Thankfully, you can get Boone nearby.
** '[[ICallItVera Lucky]]', a unique and particularly powerful .357 revolver with a 2.5x crit multiplier (in LaymansTerms, it [[CriticalHit critically hits]] a lot). You can find it in Primm, which can be VERY early, if you can manage a buffed 75 lockpicking.
** The Space Suit and Helmet you find at the REPCONN Test Facility is Disc One Armor. It has decent defense, is a Light-type armor, and has the added bonus of having as much Rad Resistance on it as an Advanced Radiation Suit. Also, it looks ''[[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotAwesome awesome]]''.
** A short ways north from the starting town (there's [[BeefGate Cazadores]] about, but it's fairly easy to find a way around), you'll find Chance's grave. Bring a shovel, and you can loot it for Chance's Knife, which is the best melee weapon you can get for a long time.
** Boone is a Disc One Companion. With his outrageously high Guns skill, he can and will headshot anything he gets in his sights. He also makes grabbing other Disc One Nukes that much easier.
** ED-E can also count as this. He's the first companion you can find, and you can repair him with parts from Goodsprings if you loot the town. His Enhanced Sensors perk is the ultimate in enemy spotting, and his laser isn't that bad, either. He can't compare to Boone, of course, but pair him with Boone and you will have a murderous duo that will hunt down and kill anything that might dare to harm you.
** A fairly subtle one is using the oft-overlooked 'drag' button when inside a shop. Using it, you can drag any object -- for example, a Plasma Caster in the Silver Rush -- to a corner of the store where nobody's looking and steal it with ease. You can then either keep that object and make things a ''lot'' easier for you in the early levels, or sell it and earn yourself a boatload of caps. You don't even need to have any points in Sneak for this to work.
** "This Machine", an M1 Garand Rifle that deals incredible damage, has a semi automatic firing rate, has a larger clip size than any other rifle (save the Marksman's Carbine), and reloads very fast.
*** Though you will get the quest normally shortly before or after you get to Benny, and it will take some time, too. So Disc One is pretty much over before you get it.
** Bonnie Springs is host to a small group of Viper gang members, one of which has the unique unarmed weapon "Love and Hate". For an unarmed character only Pushy and the Ballistic Fist have a higher DPS, except in the DLC.
* DisproportionateRetribution: It's implied that [[spoiler:Jeannie May]] sold [[spoiler:Boone's wife, Carla]] to the Legion as a slave because [[spoiler:Carla didn't like Jeannie May's hotel]].
** From ''Dead Money'' Do anything to upset Dean, including behaving like anything other than his snivelling lackey and he'll try and kill you when you get inside the Sierra Madre.
* TheDitz: Any main character with less than 4 in intelligence will often find themselves CompletelyMissingThePoint, and can ask for the LaymansTerms if a conversation is causing them trouble.
--> '''Courier:''' You sell plants here?\\
'''Dr. Usanagi:''' Uh, no. Implants, not plants. They're little machines I can put inside you to make you faster, quicker, or smarter. [[DeadpanSnarker I recommend the smarter implant]]. (She'll offer a discount on it out of pity.)
** Of course, you can evolve your character into a GeniusDitz if you spend your skill points in the right categories like Science or Medicine, resulting in a character that has a very low IQ but is surprisingly talented in his/her fields of interest.
* DoubleEntendre: As a male with the Confirmed Bachelor perk, you can ask Major Knight in the Mojave Outpost if he wants to be [[HoYay "friends."]] He'll get really awkward and explain that he would like to have you as a "friend," and the NCR technically doesn't have rules against guys having "friends," but the outpost has a somewhat conservative climate and he can't afford to have a "friend" while having to get up and work with these people every day, but maybe you can be "friends" when he's transferred somewhere else.
* DownerEnding:
** [[spoiler: If you side with the Legion. Especially if you leave [[CompleteMonster Legate]] [[TheDragon Lanius]] in power. Because [[WellIntentionedExtremist Caesar]] is now dead, the Legion devolves from a evil empire into a band of raping and pillaging marauders, and every single settlement gets either enslaved or destroyed. Or enslaved ''then'' destroyed.]]
** Even the Legion ending is absolutely nothing compared to [[spoiler: siding with Elijah in Dead Money. The ending explains that Elijah proceeded to release the Cloud upon the Mojave, which brought horrible painful death to everything in it's wake, before releasing his army of invincible laser shooting holograms to mop up. No living thing set foot in the Mojave for years after due to rumors of ghosts immune to gunfire and a red cloud that brought death in its wake. All that remained was Elijah and the Courier, waiting in the Sierra Madre for the world to [[ArcWords begin again]].]]
** [[spoiler: No matter what you do, not everyone will be able to have a happy ending at the end. For example, the only way to get a good ending for the Followers of the Apocalypse is by making them cooperate with the NCR and leave the Republic in control of New Vegas. However, doing so will also result in Arcade getting hunted down by the NCR as a war criminal due to his former connections with the Enclave.]]
*** Only if you [[spoiler: tell him to join the Enclave Remnants for the battle, rather than going back to the Followers' camp. He gets a much better ending, only being mildly disappointed that Freeside is no longer independent.]]
** [[spoiler:Lily has nothing but downer endings. Either she dies, stops taking her medicine and goes insane, takes her medicine regularly and forgets her family, or takes it semi-regularly and tries to find her family. That last one may not seem so bad, but you have to remember that she's been around for nearly 200 years. If they're not mutants, they're corpses. And those two aren't even mutually exclusive.]]
* TheDragon:
** You to [[spoiler: Mr. House, if you choose to do so.]]
** Legate Lanius to Caesar.
** Jean-Baptiste Cutting to Gloria Van Graff.
** Yes-Man to Benny and [[spoiler: possibly to the Courier, if you so choose.]]
* DragonTheirFeet: Although it's possible to keep them alive, [[spoiler: both Caesar and President Kimball are likely to be dead by the time the final battle rolls around]]. Regardless, [[spoiler: Legate Lanius and General Oliver are still around to lead Caesar's Legion and NCR against each other for the endgame fight. [[DragonAscendant Lanius even becomes the new Caesar]] if you side with the Legion, kill Caesar during his surgery, and help them win.]]
* DressingAsTheEnemy: Can be done with some factions. Take note that the faction's oppositions will also mistake you for one of their goons and will open fire without warning. So don't go around wearing Powder Ganger armor without good reason since both the NCR and the Legion will try to gun you down.
** Also, security guards and EliteMooks will recognize you as a fake, so the only people that ''won't'' shoot at you are the mooks of that faction. Every other faction will open fire on an apparent enemy, and the guards will open fire on a disguised enemy. Granted, Legion/NCR armour is good enough, and Khan armour is pleasantly tribal.
** [[spoiler:If given the chance, Benny tries to dress as a member of the Legion in an attempt to sneak in the bunker under their stronghold, however, because his well-groomed hair makes him stand out quite a bit amongst the shaggy and dusty legionaries, he is quickly detected and captured]].
* DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler:The previous winner of the Star Cap "prize" did this due to being locked in a room with no food or water, thus avoiding a slow death. His gun is now the new prize.]]
** In the quest "Return to Sender", if [[spoiler: you choose to turn in Chief Hanlon for trying to sabotage the NCR's defences at Hoover Dam. You leave the room to report him to a ranger, and he locks the door behind you. Hanlon then gives a [[TearJerker rather poignant speech over the radio confessing what he did and how he messed up, followed by a gunshot. Going back in the room reveals he had killed himself out of shame]].]]
** Possibly [[spoiler: Elijah, if you choose to lock him the casino vault in ''Dead Money''.]]
** The final five inhabitants of Vault 11 decided that [[spoiler: they had enough with the sacrifices and announced that they would stop sending any more people to die]]. The Vault's automated response [[spoiler: which cheerfully informed them that the whole thing was a test and no one needed to die]] was enough to send four of the five into killing themselves.
** The absolute worst possible ending for [[spoiler: Arcade. If you sell him into Legion slavery as Caesar's personal doctor, he spends a long time as Caesar's intellectual conversation partner. Caesar himself is absolutely giddy to finally have someone in the Legion who understands science and technology (and a Follower of the Apocalypse, no less), but Arcade is absolutely miserable. Eventually, he disembowels himself with a scalpel.]]
* DropTheHammer: The sledgehammer and Super Sledge. Strangely, the tool hammers cannot be used as a weapon. Perhaps the best melee weapon in the game is the unique Super Sledge, Oh, Baby!, which can just about two-shot deathclaws.
* DrunkenMaster: Cass, by extension, you with her companion perk. Normally alcohol boosts your Str at the cost of Int, but with Cass the reduction is removed and addiction is no longer an issue. She also causes whiskey to ''boost your armor''.
* DuctTapeForEverything: Duct Tape is a component for the [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Weapon Repair kit]], which can repair any weapon, from a lead pipe to an Alien Blaster.
** Also: Wonderglue!
** This is somewhat lampshaded with the Jury Rigging Perk. With it, you can repair any weapon with something of its class (Bolt action, Automatic, Melee etc...), rather then an actual copy, so repairing Anti-Tank Rifles with your humble Varmint-rifle is possible. The Perk picture has the Vaultboy duct-tape a gun back together. [[ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve "How did you repair it? No one knows but you..."]]
** One of the conversation options with Doctor 8 in ''Old World Blues'' about masturbation of all things has the Courier explaining the wonders of combining Cram (processed meat) and a roll of Duct Tape.
* DullSurprise: Matthew Perry's [[SoBadItsGood surprisingly bad voice acting for Benny]] means that we don't just get DullSurprise, but a whole range of lukewarm emotions from [[spoiler: a rather hilarious G-rated sex scene]] to [[spoiler: a variety of bland reactions to his [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=naUBwRrpbTk impending death]]]].
* DummiedOut: During the battle of Hoover Dam, in what is assumed to be a developer oversight, [[spoiler:Colonel Moore will tell you about the NCR's victory and her promotion to Brigade General, and that NCR scouts are currently busy with pursuing and harassing the remains of the Legion's army that are hastily retreating back to Arizona, like the dialogue is supposed to be heard after the end of the game]]. This suggests that the game was at one point going to feature a PlayableEpilogue. WordOfGod has stated however that there won't be any DLC to play after the game finishes due to it having so many endings.
** A fully voiced dialogue option to convince House that [[spoiler:the Brotherhood could be useful to him, by having you working as his man on the inside, thereby ultimately talking him out of killing them]], has also been Dummied Out. Thank heaven for mods.
** Apparently, at one point in development, you were supposed to be able to speak to the three Fiends members you hunt for Dahtri. Quite frankly, their dialogue is [[http://tcrf.net/Fallout:_New_Vegas/Unused_Dialog#Fiends hilarious]].
* DumpStat:
** When picking S.P.E.C.I.A.L. scores, Perception is worthless. It doesn't affect your aim, only your ability to detect threats. ED-E's companion perk eliminates that weakness. There are about four or so high Perception checks in the main game, and a few more in the DLC. From a minimum of 1 you can buff yourself to 9 with various drugs and alcohol (7 in ''Dead Money'', since some of the drugs don't exist in that add-on), more than enough to pass any check in the game. Its one, true use is meeting the requirement for Better Criticals (+50% critical damage), which you don't really need to kill effectively.
** As far as skills go, if you're not playing on Hardcore, Survival definitely qualifies. Survival's main benefit is that it makes food far more effective. Food is worthless outside of Hardcore, since you heal instantly and Stimpacks are abundant. It's not checked against very often, and it's usually low when it is. In Hardcore, however, it's a lifesaver. Sneak is next to worthless in both modes. There are next to no checks against it, and those that are tend to be 50 or below. It's main benefit is getting weapons into casinos, which you don't need a high Sneak to manage. There are enough Stealth Boys to get you through whatever sequences actually require stealth, even in ''Dead Money''. Of course, having all the add-ons installed makes this a moot point, since there are more than enough points to cap every skill, provided you collect the skill books in the Mojave region (those in the add-ons aren't necessary).
* DysfunctionJunction: All of the Courier's humanoid companions have some sort of deep personal problem to be sorted out.
** [[BadassBookworm Arcade]] is trying desperately to [[WellDoneSonGuy live up to his father's name]] and to help the wasteland as best as he can.
** [[ColdSniper Boone]] is trying to reconcile with his [[DarkAndTroubledPast memories of Bitter Spring and Carla.]]
** [[BadassGrandpa Raul]] is trying to find [[DesperatelyLookingForAPurposeInLife find meaning in his life]].
** [[FieryRedhead Cass]] is trying to deal with the loss of her caravan.
** [[NeverMessWithGranny Lily]] wants to recover [[MysteriousPast her memories of her past]].
** [[WrenchWench Veronica]] wants to save the Brotherhood since she's the [[OnlySaneMan only person willing to look beyond the bunker's walls.]]
** [[SplitPersonality Dog/God]] is trying to find peace with his [[DumbMuscle dueling]] [[GeniusBruiser selves.]]
** [[GadgeteerGenius Christine]] wants to [[ItsPersonal finally deal with Elijah.]]
** [[GreenEyedMonster Dean]] wants to finally complete his [[TallPoppySyndrome revenge against Sinclair.]]
** [[BadassPreacher Joshua Graham]] wants to avenge his tribe and [[TheAtoner redeem himself]] when he was a Legate.
** In ''Lonesome Road'', [[RobotBuddy ED-E]] wants to find Navarro, fulfilling his creator's last wish.
* EagleLand: The NCR has evolved into a nice blend of Type 1 and 2. It certainly is safer in their territory, and their soldiers are generally well-meaning, but their high command is so bogged down with bureaucracy and carrying out the NCR government's aggressive expansion policies that the rest of the army suffers from being low on supplies and reinforcements. Not to mention that the guys at the top tend to work their own agendas at the expense of those they command. Oh, and they tax heavily.
** And it doesn't help that they dashed into the Southwest with their fully-exposed [[ZeroPunctuation assault-rifle shaped erections]] blazing at anything that opposed them, forgetting that overextension only gets worse when ''the Legion and the Brotherhood of Steel hate you.''
** [[AllThereInTheManual According to the guidebook]], a series of events after Tandi's death led to the hawkish Kimball getting into power, and also resulting in a wave of chauvanism against women in the ranks. Which makes the fact that Cassandra Moore is the colonel in charge of the Hoover Dam garrison makes her even more of a ColonelBadass since she also had to overcome [[StayInTheKitchen inherent sexism that's creeped into the system]]. Unfortunately, she's a jingo like Oliver and Kimball as well.
** Hey, what's left of the Enclave? [[spoiler:They'd like to be left alone, but Arcade Gannon's a Type 1.]]
* EarnYourHappyEnding: Regardless of who ultimately gains control of the Mojave Wasteland, typically the ending has some communities prospering, while others suffer (with much more suffering and less prospering if you sided with the Legion). However, it actually is possible to get a positive outcome for almost every community and character on the NCR and (to a marginally lesser extent) Independent routes. Doing so is ''difficult'', however, as the conditions to bring about a community or character's positive outcome are not always obvious (and in some cases are even counter-intuitive), and often involve difficult speech checks or extensive exploration.
* {{Earworm}}: Just about ''every song on the radio.'' Big Iron, Ain't That A Kick In The Head, Jingle Jangle Jingle, the list goes on...
* {{Egopolis}}: Black Mountain is a borderline version; Tabitha renamed it as the "State of Utobitha".
* ElevatorActionSequence: In a first for the series, ''Lonesome Road'' has you descending a lift platform to a nuke silo, with explosions and Tunnelers popping in and out spontaneously.
* EliteMooks: Each major faction has a couple different types of these guys. Typically, they have high-end weapons and armor, as well as Companion-level health that also scales up with the player's level.
** Caesar's best Elite Mooks are his PraetorianGuard; hand-to-hand masters armed with the best punching weapon in the game. Next are his Centurions, who aren't quite as tough as most of the game's Elite Mooks, but come equipped with the best armor and weapons available to the Legion. Finally, if you really piss the Legion off they'll send a squad of crack assassins to end you.
** NCR has the Veteran Rangers (the guys on the front cover of the game), who have excellent armor, high-caliber weapons, and an innate 30% reduction to any damage they take, making them some of the toughest human characters in the entire game. There's also the NCR Heavy Troopers, clad in salvaged PowerArmor and wielding heavy weapons like miniguns or light machine guns. And don't forget 1st Recon, the NCR Army's elite sniper squad.
** The fighting ranks of the Brotherhood of Steel is composed ''entirely'' of Elite Mooks, considering their standard equipment is PowerArmor and some of the best energy weapons in the game. The drawback is they lack the numerical advantage of the other factions, who have enough normal Mooks to just swarm them into submission.
** You will fight a large amount of these guys in the final battle depending on the side you choose. Thankfully, you will be helped by Securitrons or EliteMooks on your side.
* ElvisImpersonator: A whole gang of them, fronted by The King, one of the [[NeutralGood surprisingly nicest characters in the game.]]
* EmpathicWeapon: ''Old World Blues'' introduces the Stealth Suit Mk II, which has an on-board A.I. that makes idle chatter, lets you know when enemies have spotted you, and injects you with Med-X and Stimpacks if you take too much damage.
** Also, the K9000 Cyberdog Gun. It's a [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin dog's brain housed inside a machine gun]]. It growls when it smells enemies, even at extreme ranges, and whines sadly when you holster it.
* EnemyMine: If you're working for Mr. House or for Yes Man, if you save the NCR president and/or have done some good for the NCR, the NCR troopers will actively help you out in fighting the Legion.
** Also, it's possible to get the Khans, the Brotherhood of Steel and [[spoiler:the Enclave]] to fight for the NCR despite historically being some of their greatest and most hated enemies (especially the Khans, who have been the NCR's enemies since the very beginning).
* EpicTrackingShot: One right in the beginning, from a poster of old Las Vegas, to the current New Vegas, to the less-than-friendly NCR sniper guarding it, to the raider he's sniping, to the Legion spies on the hills nearby, to the graveyard where you get shot at by the mysterious checker-suited gangster.
* [[EverythingsWorseWithBears Everything's Worse With Yao Guais]]: Yao Guai make a comeback in the Honest Hearts DLC and unlike Fallout 3, having the [[FriendToAllLivingThings Animal Friend]] perk won't stop them from coming after you on sight.
** And then there's The Ghost of She. A GIANT Yao Guai. [[InfernalRetaliation On fire.]] Oh, and don't forget that on the quest that sends you after her, the drugs you take [[YourMindMakesItReal make you see multiple and you have to fight]] ''[[MesACrowd all]] '' [[DoppelgangerAttack of them.]]
* [[EverythingsWorseWithBees Everything's Worse With Wasps]]: Cazadores, they hurt a lot, are fast, poison you and attack in swarms of 2-5!
* EvilCounterpart: [[spoiler: Ulysses]]--if the player character is good, down to him being [[spoiler: the original Courier Six, a role he passed to you.]]
* EvilIsEasy: It's very easy to simply steal owned items for supplies rather than buying or looking for free ones, especially if those supplies belong to a faction you just butchered. Of course, doing so will bring your Karma down pretty fast, and earning it back isn't easy in the slightest in the short term. (Once you hit the mid- to end-game, though, you can build it up in no time flat. The Fiends are basically a positive Karma mine.)
* EvilIsPetty: [[spoiler: It's heavily implied through the investigation that the whole reason Jeannie sold Bonne's wife to the Legion was because she critiqued her hotel.]]
* EvilVersusEvil: The entire [[spoiler:''Lonesome Road'' DLC]], if the player character is evil.
* ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin: [[spoiler: The reward for the quest ''The Legend of the Star'' is just Fergus retelling you why the Sunset Sarsaparilla logo exists to begin with. It does lead to another quest with a better reward though.]]
* ExplosiveLeash: Bomb collars make surprisingly frequent appearances throughout the game.
** If one manages to find and enter the Brotherhood of Steel's secret bunker without being accompanied by a certain companion, they'll strip you down and force you to wear a bomb collar until you convince an NCR Ranger stationed nearby to leave (through speech or otherwise).
** As mentioned above, in the ''Dead Money'' DLC, you and your companions are forced to wear these collars to ensure that you will aid Father Elijah in his quest to rob the Sierra Madre casino. Unfortunately, the casino is littered with speakers that interfere with the collar's operation and will cause it to detonate prematurely unless you get out of range or destroy the speaker.
** In ''Old World Blues'', one can find Little Yangtze, a concentration camp for Chinese prisoners from before the War. The ghoulified prisoners there are still wearing working bomb collars, which will detonate if they try to follow you out of the camp. In addition, you can find a few of Father Elijah's encampments, at least one of which is littered with disabled or otherwise broken bomb collars and a detonator.
* ExpositionFairy: Lampshaded -- Doc Mitchell, who patches up your gaping head wounds and [[{{HowManyFingers}} walks you through the character building process]] waves off your gratitude, saying, "It's what I'm here for."
* TheExtremistWasRight: If you're familiar with the [[http://www.nolanchart.com/faq/faq8.php Nolan Chart]], you'll notice that each of the factions is run by one of the corners, insisting that this is the case. [[MultipleEndings And you get to choose who wins.]]
** Caesar's Legion is as conservative as all hell. Harm their subjects and they will crucify you. NotHyperbole. Cass outright states that while she refuses to deal with slavers like the Legion, ''a lot'' of traders work with the Legion because they're ensured safety. Even [[CompleteMonster the Fiends]] are too scared of the Legion to attack caravans under their protection. His methods are harsh, brutal, and more than a little evil, but they've unified Arizona and made it a safe place to live. Even [[NeutralGood Raul]] admits that Caesar transformed Arizona into a much better place than it was before. As per Conservative economic policy, their currency is the strongest in the Mojave: a single Legion gold coin is worth 100 bottle caps.
** The NCR is high-grade liberal. They are the only (known) functional post-war democratic government, and in many cases they greatly improve the standards of living for the common people living in their territory. However, they have elements of Liberal strawmen. Their foreign policy is a good example of Liberal Idealism in that they believe in 'spreading democracy' to foreign lands. Political corruption is high, as organizations with political connections such as [[spoiler:the Van Graffs and the Crimson Caravan]] are running (sometimes even ''gunning'') smaller ones out of business.
** Mr. House, a (ironically) Chinese-style Authoritarian Capitalist, is unquestioningly a hard-core statist. He provides stability, security, and wealth and generally doesn't demand personal worship. As long as you play by his rules and pay his taxes on time, he will offer you a relatively comfortable and safe life surrounded by pre-war glory.
** As for libertarians, they get the Wild Card ending, in which [[spoiler:'''''[[AtlasShrugged YOU ARE JOHN GALT!]]''''' You can waltz into New Vegas, talk to Yes Man and decide that all the jerks fighting over the place desperately need to be taken down a peg. Then you can depose Mr. House, brutalize Caesar's Legion and sucker the NCR. Then you can unleash an army of Securitrons upon the Mojave, turning it into [[{{Utopia}} a paradise of freedom and wealth]], rule over the place as a dictator, or turn the Mojave into a lawless hellhole, depending on your actions up to the ending.]]
* FakeDifficulty: Cazadors have an ever-present bug (no pun intended) that makes targeting their heads in VATS impossible unless it's already targeted when you go into VATS.
* FantasticRacism: On both sides. humans call Ghouls "Zombie" and Ghouls call humans "smoothskin."
** Also, the mercenaries that attack Jacobstown's Super Mutants.
** And in the other direction by the way [[SplitPersonality Rhonda and Best Friend Tabitha]] refer to humans on Black Mountain Radio.
* TheFarmerAndTheViper: With Doc Mitchell as the Farmer and the Courier as the Viper, if the player chooses to side with the Powder Gangers in Ghost Town Gunfight/Run, Goodsprings, Run!
* FateWorseThanDeath: While Ghoulification isn't necessarily bad (it does makes you ugly), losing your mind and becoming a slavering, carnivorous zombie is pretty bad. Which is presumably why you get [[KarmaMeter Good Karma]] [[MercyKill for killing Feral Ghouls.]]
** The [[spoiler: [[ZombieApocalypse inhabitants of Vault 22]].]]
** The [[TechnicallyLivingZombie "Ghosts"]] of Sierra Madre. The hazmat suits did a pretty good job when it came to keeping the guests and residents alive... [[HighOctaneNightmareFuel Well, alive long enough to turn them into whatever they are now.]]
** Life in the Legion, if [[NoWomansLand you're]] [[RapeAsDrama a]] [[SexSlave woman]].
** Having your brain, spine and heart removed and becoming a blood-thirsty 'Lobotomite'.
** According to Ulysses, [[spoiler:the residents of the Mojave, if the Tunnelers beneath the Divide expand their territory...]].
** The "inhabitants" of Y17a Trauma Harnesses. Walking suits created to pick up wounded on the battlefield and walk them out. Somehow they forgot to walk them out so these wounded are kept within a walking suit which does whatever it wants without any chance of getting out.
** The Marked Men found in ''Lonesome Road'' are unfortunates caught in the blast radius when nukes went off in First Battle of Hoover Dam four years ago who had their skin torn off by the force, then survived the intense radiation to become flash-ghoulified. Even though they were from opposite sides, they now work together against all others because their constant, intense pain is the only identity they have left.
* TheFederation: The New California Republic.
* FieryRedhead: Cass
* FightingForSurvival: You can convince Goodsprings citizens to fight with Ringo against the Powder Gangers.
* FiringOneHanded: Unless you're actively aiming down the sight, most handguns are held with just one hand. There's even a perk for one-handed weapons.
* FissionMailed: Collecting all 50 Star Bottle Caps grants you the reward of [[spoiler:a story about how the owner of Sunset Sarsaparilla [[strike:killed a guy for his recipe]] was left a recipe by a stranger who was killed by bandits, told to you by a mechanical toy sheriff]], followed by the "Quest FAILED" message. You then complain to Festus, who triggers a brief second quest to collect your real reward. It's particularly effective since there is an achievement/trophy for completing the original quest, though it's the follow-up that gives you credit.
* FiveManBand
** TheHero: The Courier
** TheLancer: Boone/Raul/Cass
** TheBigGuy: Lily/Boone
** TheSmartGuy: Arcade/Veronica/Raul
** TheChick: Veronica
** TeamPet: Rex/ED-E
* FlamingSword: The Shishkebab from Fallout 3 comes back in New Vegas.
* FluffyTheTerrible: Super Mutants, eight foot tall muscular green monsters, have names like Neil, and Tabitha (and in one case, Cuddles). Though most of them are fairly friendly unless provoked these days. Emphasis on 'most'.
** DeathbringerTheAdorable: Mean Sonofabitch is just there to scare away any wannabe criminals and to bash in the heads of Fiends. He's a pretty nice guy if you get past his inability to talk coherently, actually. (His tongue was cut out.)
* FootnoteFever: The REPCONN museum plaques.[[hottip:*:This statement not admissible in court.]]
* {{Foreshadowing}}: ''All Roads'' dumps a few metric tons into you.
** Right from the start, there's tons of mysterious foreshadowing regarding Victor, the cowboy-bot who apparently dug you up in the beginning after you were left for dead. What exactly is up with him remains mysterious, but it's clear there's more to him than meets the eye.
** When Benny tells you that "the game was rigged from the start" it seems to just be a BondOneLiner. [[spoiler:But when you meet Mr. House, it turns out the game was rigged after all, in Mr. House's favor. And depending on which end path you take (and how), you get to rig the game in yours.]]
** Dead Money heaps a HUGE amount of it in the final act and the end.
** The only way we know about Ulysses is through this. (unless you bought the [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/LimitedSpecialCollectorsUltimateEdition limited special collector's ultimate edition]] and saw Ulysses as the three of clubs)
** In ''Honest Hearts'' The Burned Man mentions Ulysses. [[spoiler: Apparently he's a Legion scout and spy.]]
** Johnston Nash on Ulysses: "Hope a storm from The Divide skins him alive!" [[spoiler:Guess what you can do to him at the end.]]
** The Canyon Wreckage, located west of Primm, oozes this.
*** At first, the Canyon Wreckage just looks like a pile of rusted vehicles with some coyotes denning near them... until you see the graffiti, which mentions "Lonesome Road" (now the confirmed name of the last DLC), the Divide, and the cryptic message, "You can go home now, Courier". And, if you look on the map, you'll see that the canyon the wreckage is blocking is the only path through the western mountains.
** The Northern Passage, though it lacks the graffiti and ominous location of the Canyon Wreckage, is the launch point for the DLC ''Honest Hearts''.
** The Mojave Drive-In seems like the last place to expect a DLC to launch, but nevertheless shows up in the trailer for ''Old World Blues,'' the third DLC. It's just a regular ruined drive-in movie theater... with a rather cryptic train tunnel to the south, that ''also'' shows up in the trailer, only from the other side.
*** The setting of ''Old World Blues'' is also alluded by Christine as she was trapped and experimented on within the Big Empty. She also mentions the aforementioned Ulysses as the courier who rescued her? Sound familiar?
** Before ''Dead Money'' came out, Veronica had this little bit of dialogue regarding Elijah
-->He said he'd be back with one of the greatest treasures of the Old World. Said he'd make the Mojave how it was meant to be... "[[KillEmAll wipe the slate clean]]"
** ''Old World Blues'' is literally dripping with {{Foreshadowing}} for the last add-on, ''Lonesome Road,'' not only with the omnipresent symbol of the Old World America's flag left by Ulysses on several buildings and the holotapes of him but in the X-17 Meteorological Station, mentioned repeatedly to have been visited by Ulysses, is a map of what could very well be [[http://images.wikia.com/fallout/images/f/ff/Nvdlc03dividepleximap.png the Divide,]] the location of ''Lonesome Road.''
* FrickinLaserBeams: Following ''Fallout 3''. Unlike earlier ''Fallout'' games, averted hard here as lasers are THE most accurate weapon in the game, especially outside VATS as the beams hit the target instantly. Still played straight with plasmas, but again, those are not laser weapons.
* FriendlySniper: Pretty much any member of 1st Recon, current or former, that isn't Boone.
* FromNobodyToNightmare: Caesar was originally a member of the Followers of the Apocalypse, the least aggressive, and most humanitarian, faction in the wastes.
** The player character starts out as a low-ranked delivery boy for a small-time courier company. By the end, he or she will generally be a battle-hardened veteran with either [[OneManArmy an arsenal of weapons to humble an army]], [[GuileHero an arsenal of skills sufficient to deal with any challenge]], or possibly [[TheAce both]] with careful skill/perk/trait selection. Oh, and you can also [[spoiler:take over the Mojave for yourself, fitting the trope almost exactly if you do it as an evil character.]]
** The Survivalist in Honest Hearts. [[spoiler: Some sickly Vault 22 survivors wander into the Valley and proceed to slaughter and [[ImAHumanitarian ...dispose]] of a group of mexican survivors he was observing and occasionally secretly helping. Still possessing human dignity, he wages a one-man guerilla war after observing their atrocity and cuts the majority of the group down. The "Vaulters" (as Survivalist called them in his logs) considered him to be no mere man but an evil spirit, since they never could catch him.]]
* FunWithAcronyms: F.I.S.T.O. the SexBot.
* FutureImperfect: Averted. Pre-war books are ''far'' less rare here than they were on the East Coast, civilization is far more organized, and the Followers of the Apocalypse, Brotherhood of Steel and New California Republic have done a pretty good job accurately preserving the knowledge of the past -- Caesar and his officers, for example, know more about the Roman Empire than most people in ''RealLife'' do. Of course, this has the added benefit of Las Vegas only being nuked 11 times - compare that to ''everywhere else.''
* FlunkyBoss: Pretty much every boss in one way or another.
** All the legendary creatures (including the [[BonusBoss Legendary Deathclaw]]) are accompanied by other, non-legendary (but by no means weak) normal creatures.
** [[FinalBoss Legate Lanius]] is accompanied both by his Praetorian Guards and the various Legion soldiers around the camp that will come to attack you (though you can convince him to fight you alone with 80 speech).
** [[AnticlimaxBoss Tabitha]] is in a building that's guarded by about half a dozen Nightkin, and you have to fight your way through a whole village of Super Mutant Masters just to get to her.
** Jean-Baptiste is supported by no less than five heavily armed thugs with full body armor and plasma rifles.
** Elijah in the ''Dead Money'' add-on tries to kill you by turning on a bunch of laser turrets while he hides behind a forcefield. Though, once they're dead, he comes after you with a Gauss Rifle.
** The ghoulifed Vault 34 overseer is in his office with a pair of machine gun turrets on his desk, and a few ghoulified security guards helping him.
** Caesar himself is probably the strongest example. Unlike previous ''Fallout'' [[BigBad Big Bads]], he's just a normal human and only about as tough as a standard [[EliteMooks Elite Mook]]. However, he's surrounded by several extremely tough EliteMooks armed with the best unarmed weapons in the game, all in a relatively enclosed space with no room to dodge or retreat. Attacking him head-on, even with a high-level character, will almost certainly result in you being dogpiled into a corner and beaten to death, especially in Hardcore mode where you can't instant-heal using stimpaks.
** Each of the fiend leaders (although [[AnticlimaxBoss they're really only bosses at lower levels]]) come supported by a gang of four to six fiends. Except Violet, who has around 8 dogs instead.
* GambitPileup: The NCR, Caesar's Legion, and Mr. House are competing in a high-stakes tournament with New Vegas as the prize, and they're all trying to stack the deck in their favor -- and you're the WildCard. [[spoiler:You can even [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder take advantage]] of the fact that everyone's plans rely on you for success to set ''yourself'' up to steal the whole pot]].
** To elaborate; the core conflict is NCR and the Legion both fighting for control of the Dam and New Vegas. Beyond this basic plot, [[spoiler: House has an army of robots waiting to swoop in and steal the land literally right from under the Legion. The NCR and Legion both know this, and potentially have him assassinated. On top of that, Benny is planning to take over New Vegas by overthrowing House, as are the Omertas, except they plan on allying with the Legion first. You, the Courier, can at the same time also be planning to take over New Vegas by overthrowing House and stealing his army with the help of Yes Man, while either aiding or foiling the Omertas. Then the DLC just adds more gambits; Father Elijah of ''Dead Money'' manipulates the Think Tank, Courier, Dean Domino, and Dog/God into helping him obtain experimental pre-war technology in his attempt to conquer the Mojave by [[KillEmAll killing most of post-apocalyptic America's remaining population]], and can potentially succeed in bringing what's left of the world under his control (though unlike other options, this gives a NonStandardGameOver). The Think Tank of ''Old World Blues'' manipulates the Courier and Mobius in hopes that they'll be able to break out of Big MT and cause trouble in the Mojave. And on top of all of this, Ulysses from ''Lonesome Road'' is planning on nuking both the Legion ''and'' the NCR while leaving the Mojave to die.]] That's about nine gambits, all trying to top one another. You decide which one (or combination of them) comes out on top.
* GameMod: As usual, there's an abundance of mods to change the game in minor to significant ways. Extending the game past the final mission is one of the big ones. It's recommended to grab some of the ones that fix obvious bugs, namely the fact that the Followers can't ally with the NCR properly. There's also the one that keeps ED-E from setting off mines, which no flying robot should do. A less important but still useful one is the mod that restores the option to spare the Brotherhood in House's questline.
* GameplayAllyImmortality: In normal mode, companions do not die. [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Hardcore mode]], [[PermaDeath on the other hand...]]
* GameplayAndStoryIntegration:
** Looting some body parts from corpses actually causes the body parts to be ripped off the corpse. It isn't just treated as a random item in the inventory of the corpse.
** Also, having too few skill points in a skill check during dialogue will display an option not as suave/competent as the one with the player having the proper amount of skill points in a given check. Unlike ''Fallout 3'', where the check is a matter of chance and gives the same sentence whether or not the player passed a speech check, passing or failing a speech check is directly tied to skill. Insufficient skill gives the option a different sentence (HulkSpeak or some overly emotional or annoying words when failing speech check for that option). Failing may also open up other options in some cases.
** If you're wearing an [=NCR=] uniform, Lt. Haggerty at Helios One will figure out from the amount of blood on it that you looted it off a dead [=NCR=] soldier and will attack if you fail a speech check to convince her otherwise.
* GameplayAndStorySegregation:
** There's a Ranger outpost where you can find a Legion raid camp nearby, as well as Legion raiding parties spying on it from a nearby ridge. However, even if you're an NCR man, you can't warn the Rangers of the Legion presence or the raiding parties, even if you go up to and chat with the Legion raiders spying on the outpost, and when you come back later as part of a side quest, you'll find... well, suffice to say, it isn't pretty.
** You can only use Empty Soda Bottles to make Cactus Water, and you can't fill these with water from other sources, either.
*** Fixed in ''Old World Blues'', where a highly advanced, sentient sink can (with the proper software upgrades) fill any empty bottle with purified water.
** It is literally impossible, even with a critical hit, for Maria (the gun used by Benny to shoot the Courier in the head) to kill the player in the opening cutscene using the combat damage tables. Even at level 1, Endurance 1, no armor, and assuming Benny has maxed Guns skill (which he doesn't), it does not do enough damage to kill with the critical and headshot bonuses to damage. This is either a bow to realism (this ''is'' a lethal injury) or FridgeBrilliance (those two shots to the head ''don't'' kill The Courier after all…)
** Although that of course assumes the Courier was at full health when the scene begins. He/she is already captured and tied up, it's not a great stretch to imagine he/she may have taken some damage resisting earlier.
** A wrench, which is used to craft a weapon repair kit, mysteriously disappers when the repair kit is used.
** The Gold Bars added by Dead Money are supposedly twenty ounces of .9999 pure gold, they weigh 35 pounds each.
** [[spoiler: Nuking the NCR or Legion home territories]] has no effect on the final battle at Hoover Dam, aside from royally pissing off the factions in question (and both factions will forgive you no-questions asked if you do this before you get their [[GetOutOfJailFreeCard Get Out Of Jail Free Cards]].
* GangOfHats: The Three Families of New Vegas personify different sides of the city
** The Omertas: Personifying the sleazy side of Vegas
** The Chairmen: Personifying the "cool" side of Vegas
** The White Gloves: Personifying the "classy" side of Vegas.
* GasMaskLongcoat: NCR Desert Rangers, as depicted on the box art.
* GeniusDitz: The Think Tank in ''Old World Blues'' are a spectacular example. One of them is named Dr. 0 (the number), but since they can't differentiate, he gets called Dr. O (the letter). Point out that [[CaptainObvious he could draw a line through it]], and you'll be hailed as a visionary.
* GenreShift: ''Dead Money'' strips you of all your equipment and money, and throws you into a hostile, poisonous environment full of deadly gas clouds, enemies that need to be dismembered to be killed, loads of booby traps, untouchable laser-firing holograms that must be outwitted rather than fought, and all with very limited resources. The "limited resources" part especially makes this add-on seem like the game has become a SurvivalHorror title.
* GentleGiant: [[DeathbringerTheAdorable Mean Sonofabitch]], a super mutant living in Westside, is rather amicable and polite. [[TheUnintelligible Good luck understanding what he says.]]
* GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere: All the legendary creatures, especially the Legendary Deathclaw. They're all large monsters who are bigger, stronger, and faster than their normal counterparts because... no real reason.
* GISSyndrome: The very first result for "happy face" is used for [[spoiler:Yes Man's avatar.]]
* GladiatorGames: A male Courier can fight slaves or prisoners in the Legion arena. Also, while you can just bet for the outcome of the fight in The Thorn, you can get better rewards if you come down and fight the monsters alone in the arena.
* GodGuise: Randall Clark, a survivalist living in Zion area helps a group of kids living nearby trying not to be noticed (he drops medicines, food and tools near their camp at night). When he notices that the kids see his help as the gift from God or angels, he doesn't want to break this illusion and show himself as a dying old man. Shortly before his death he leaves the notes stating that he has to depart deep into the mountains but he will always watch for them. The kids were ancestors of the Sorrows tribe and Clark is a Father from the Caves from their legends.
* GolfClubbing: There are 9-iron golf clubs around, with the VATS "Fore" attack that aim for [[GroinAttack one particular region]].
* GoldenPath: Depending on who you care about, the [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEX-d0yuxGk NCR]], Mr. House, and Yes Man paths could be this. Though the implications of the [[spoiler: Yes Man's "upgrade" and Mr. House's iron-fisted methods of government]] may make the latter two a bit questionable.
** Finishing every companion sidequest (all seven), with reasonably good endings, is also a part of it.
* GoldenSaucer: The casinos, of course:
** The Tops, which is basically the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sands Sands Hotel]] AfterTheEnd. [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] by the fact that the main act in their theater calls itself the [[RatPack Rad Pack]], and the ruling family calls itself [[FrankSinatra the Chairmen]].
** Gomorrah, a DenOfIniquity run by [[TheMafia The Omertas]].
** The Ultra-Luxe, which caters to a [[UpperClassTwit more refined clientele]], run by the White Glove Society, which is made up of [[spoiler:former cannibals]].
* {{Gonk}}: Grecks, a ghoul with a lazy eye. In order to achieve this he has a really...odd mesh. [[BerserkButton Just don't comment on it]].
* GoodAllAlong: [[spoiler:Doctor Mobius]].
* GoodIsNotNice: The player, if played as a strictly good character, still kills his share of characters and is generally a badass.
* {{Gorn}}: Bloody Mess; you don't have to have the perk but it makes it happen more often.
* GottaCatchEmAll: Star Caps, Snowglobes, Companions...
** In-universe, even. People are willing to kill for more Sunset Sarsaparilla Star Bottlecaps. Just rumor there's treasure out there, and Gold Fever (or OneHundredPercentCompletion fever) will take hold of people.
*** Hilarious in that the in-universe prize for the Star Caps is [[spoiler: absolutely worthless. You do get a powerful unique laser pistol for finishing, courtesy of your rival collector's suffocated corpse, [[BrokenAesop thus kind of ruining the moral]]]]. It's FridgeBrilliance, actually; [[spoiler:it's AfterTheEnd and people automatically associate treasure with things that are valuable to them, but it's a pre-war treasure and ValuesDissonance is in full swing. The treasure ''is'' something of value... to the people who should be playing the game]].
* GoshHornet: Cazadores
* GrayAndGreyMorality: [[spoiler: NCR and Mr. House both plan to drive each other out of New Vegas.]] Neither of them are any more villainous or altruistic than the other.
* {{Greed}}: The main theme of ''Dead Money.'' All of the characters involved have been consumed by greed of one sort or another, and the mythical treasure of the Sierra Madre drives prospectors insane with it.
* GrenadeTag: Reverse pickpocketing grenades.
* TheGuardsMustBeCrazy: Some of the things you can do with a high enough sneak skill qualify as this. You can, for example, massacre an entire Legion camp without them ever making the connection between the large number of corpses with bullet holes in the back of their skulls and the 'profligate' with the silenced sniper rifle.
* GuideDangIt:
** The companion quests. Let's run down the list, shall we?i
##Arcade's quest, "For Auld Lang Syne", requires you to find certain locations in the game and visit them, at which point he'll speak to you briefly. This one is actually fairly lenient, since the triggers are always there and fairly numerous. You also only need two "points" for it to count, and there are about twenty total based on location and dialogue choices.
##Boone's is similar, but both easier and more difficult. His dialogue isn't automatic most of the time, so you don't really know you're doing it right. The only ones which you can really be sure of are Legion outposts, which are automatic triggers. A plus is that if you take him to Cottonwood Cove and that the Fort (before or after killing Caesar, it still counts), you'll get four of the five points at once.
##Raul's is hands down the worst of the bunch. You have to talk to three specific old people in the wastes with him as your companion, and you cannot have talked to them before. This is really inexcusable because one of the three simply won't talk to you if you don't follow a very specific path of dialogue with him, and you are pretty much guaranteed to meet all three before you get around to murdering a dozen or so Super Mutants to reach Raul. What's worse, the same one who will stop talking to you is also buggy, so even if you do it right it may not be counted. It only seems to work right if you talk to him last, but he's ''the first that you meet''.
##Cass takes a while to even unlock as a companion due to her tie-in quest that requires you to trek all the way to Vegas, but after that she has the easiest one since it's available from the start. However, it will ruin another quest if you complete it.
##Veronica's quest is similar to the first two, except buggy as hell. There are nine places in the wastes where you can bring her in order to trigger dialogue. Of these nine, only four are permanent (the remaining five are lines of dialogue from the first time you meet the NPC). Assuming you even know where to look, Veronica may take days to finally remember she's supposed to say something, so you can't trigger the quest until she finally decides to do it. It seems to work better if you meet her request for a dress first, but that in itself is GuideDangIt because the type of dress she wants is the kind worn by the White Glove Society, and you have to kill or reverse-pickpocket a member to get one if you don't follow a specific line in the quest. In other words, it's three {{Guide Dang It}}s in one!
##Lily's quest is fairly simple. It's not even a quest, really. You just have to stick with her long enough to get to the bottom of her psychosis (it only takes about an in-game day if you get into a fight where she goes berserk), then decide how much medicine she should take.
##ED-E's quest doesn't require you to do anything, but is still annoying. After the first trigger goes off, which conveinently has a waypoint, you have to wait nine days for the second to work. Then you have to find someone who can activate the trigger, and you don't get any clues. The third takes another three days, but is automatic. If you're not playing in hardcore mode (and therefore have no need to sleep 8 hours a day) you could easily finish the game without getting to the final part.
##The final one is Rex, and he's the easiest since his quest is given to you before you even recruit him.
** For something simpler and earlier, there's the quest "I Fought the Law", which most good-inclined players will miss because they're likely to side against the Powder Gangers from the start, and because the inhabitants of the [=NCRCF=] will be hostile to them, making them likely to kill Eddie and immediately fail the quest. Or one might kill him because he's got a plasma pistol. Then again, the quest is bugged and leads to a bad ending even when it should be a good one, so that's for the better, really.
** Are you feeling a little sympathy for Dean [[spoiler: and want him to live]]? Let's just hope you never, ever once questioned him in any of your talks. Insult his fragile ego a ''single'' time? You lose.
*** Dean's case is arguably the worst of the lot. Why? In the '''very first''' conversation with him, you come to a choice between a Barter skill check and a normal dialogue choice. Almost any player will obviously pick the Barter choice if at all possible because skill-requiring answers are (and should be) superior to the ones available to all characters. However, in this case picking this choice will make it [[spoiler:impossible to get him to side with you inside the Sierra Madre]]. Made even more egregious by the fact that the Barter dialogue choice is simply informing Dean that he isn't bargaining from a position of power because your collars (and thus lives) are linked and he basically doesn't have a choice but to work with you... '''which is precisely the truth'''!
** The quest I Put a Spell on You is almost legendary for its unintuitiveness, aside from a plethora of bugs. Long story short, there's a spy somewhere in Camp [= McCarran =], and you've been tasked to single him out. After finding out there have been late-night sightings at the comm tower, you have two mission arrows: one to the comm tower, and another to the man you're workign with, Captain Curtis. [[spoiler: Talking to Curtis and telling him your lead makes the mission unwinnable, since he was the spy. There are absolutely no clues about this before now, there was no hint that doing this was wrong, and there is no way other than using the console to set the winning value back to 0.]] Ergo, by '''following the directions''' you have failed the quest.
* GuileHero: A viable option for the player character.
* GunAccessories: Unlike the previous game, this alone will make you think twice before using the unique versions of some weapons which have better stats but cannot be modded.
** Then again, some like the Ratslayer are more or less fully-modded versions of the base weapon along with a bonus or two tacked on.
* GunPorn: Vault 34.
** The Boomer's Armory
* GuysSmashGirlsShoot: Inverted. In the main game, your male companions are a ColdSniper, TheGunslinger, and a BadassBookworm who, like all fictional smart people [[spoiler:(and former members of the Enclave)]], prefers a high-tech Plasma Defender pistol over the ballistics, blades, and blunt force of the common rabble. Your female companions are a Nightkin with a {{BFS}} and a Brotherhood Scribe who wields a PowerFist. There is also a female companion who uses a shotgun, but [[ShortRangeShotgun unless you give her slug ammo she pretty much has to be in melee range for it to work anyway]]. Of course, everybody has a ranged and a melee weapon that you can order them to use, so you are welcome to have everyone play the trope straight, even if they won't be that good at it.
* HalfTruth: Elijah says that if you help him break into the Sierra Madre he'll let you go, along with all of your partners. [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness He's planning to kill you all]], of course, but he ''is'' letting you go from his control that way, nonetheless.
* HandCannon: The .44 Magnum Revolver, 12.7mm Pistol, the Hunting Revolver and its unique version, the Ranger Sequoia. There are also the energy weapons Plasma Defender and "Pew Pew". (Yes.) Then there's the hand''auto''-cannon, the 12.7mm [[MoreDakka sub-machine gun]].
** ''Old World Blues'' adds the Sonic Emitter. Initially its [[BoringButPractical none too exciting and reasonably useful]], but as you upgrade it with better soundwave samples it gets better and better special effects for critical hits, the ultimate one causing [[StuffBlowingUp explosions]].
* HandWave: The makers of Dead Money must have wristlash. Any element not flat-out [[AssPull contrived]] was explicitly described as "unknown" or "unexplained" in LoadingScreen tips and in-game materials, although the Old World Blues add-on does explain a few things. In particular, how the Sierra Madre casino transports people around in it is totally unexplained (teleportation? robot hands popping out of the ceiling? Who knows?)
** You wanna take all your awesome gear you had with you? Nope, it's been carted away for having "minute traces of radiation". In all likelihood, your Pip-Boy would have accumulated more radiation than any single item of your inventory.
** Played for laughs in ''Old World Blues'': the Think Tank explain that the Courier is able to move, think, and act consciously without a brain because "tesla coils" were inserted into his/her skull. Trying to further the line of questioning just exasperates them.
* HealingFactor: Several perks. Solar Powered makes you heal gradually, but only outdoors during daytime, and not at a rate useful for combat. Monocyte Breeder implants heal all the time, but again not at any rate useful in combat, and at the price tag of 12,000 caps and taking up a spot that you could have used to buy an implant with actual value. Rad Child heals with varying rates dependent on your radiation poisoning level. Highest level heals at an astounding 8 HP/S, but at the cost of pretty hefty hits to your SPECIAL stats.
* HeroicAlbino: Ranger Ghost. [[GoodIsNotNice She's not the most friendly person]], but she's a dedicated ranger
* HeroWithBadPublicity: It's possible to end the game with good karma and ridiculously low reputation with pretty much every faction, including the one you're working for.
* HeyItsThatPlace: Yes, Primm is a real place, and it does have a rollercoaster (attached to the Buffalo Bill hotel -- all three hotels in Primm are much larger, [[RuleOfFun but no one really cares]]), and does have Bonnie and Clyde's death car (not his gun, though, but it does have his jacket, and the car is in a mall attached to the hotels). Hoover Dam, Goodsprings, Black Mountains, Nipton, Nellis Air Force Base, and a lot of other real-world locations are snuck in as well (mostly things only native Nevadans would recognize, like camping sites).
* HideYourChildren: Averted in the main game, where some some (albeit unkillable) children do appear. Invoked in all four DLCs, though this is addressed in the only add-on where their absence is noteworthy. (The Dead Horse and Sorrows tribes of ''Honest Hearts'' have already begun to evacuate, sending the children and elderly first. The other three [=DLCs=] take place in dangerous hellholes that don't have an actual community of humans living in them, thus the lack of children makes sense).
* HistoricalInJoke: The real-life Nipton was primarily important as a place where state lotteries were held during the early 20th century. The Fallout Nipton [[LotteryOfDoom has an important lottery too]]...
** The poster ''I Hate Nate'' in Vault 11 is a pun on the ''I Like Ike'' slogan from 1952 presidential campaign.
* HistoricalVillainUpgrade: In-universe example. One of the first casinos you find, in Primm, is home to a historical gallery of a couple of Bonnie and Clyde knockoffs who were more prone to cashing bad checks than holding up banks and whose greatest claim to fame was being killed accidentally by cops shooting at bank robbers.
* HollywoodSilencer: Guns equipped with silencers make the "fwip" noise and the silencers themselves are, for all intents and purposes, a metal tube stuck onto the end of the gun. Averted in that silencers are specific to different firearms and that none are available for shotguns or revolvers, are all permanent attachments (meaning they cannot be removed once attached), and aren't completely silent (shooting and missing someone may get you noticed). In addition, there are guns in-game that come with integral silencers, like the .22 silenced pistol and SMG.
* HonorBeforeReason: With high enough karma and speech skill you can convince Legate Lanius to call off the other legionnaires and fight you by himself. However, whichever allies and companions you have with you will keep shooting anyway.
** Also [[spoiler:at the end of Veronica's personal quest, when you show [=McNamara=] proof that the Brotherhood is dying/a method of self-sufficiency, etc., he won't change anything. Why? Because the codex says he can't. Judging from his speech and sighing he knows it's stupid, but he has his orders.]]
--->'''Veronica:''' We'll die out.\\
'''[=McNamara=]:''' *sigh* [[spoiler:[[TearJerker I know.]]]]
* [[KickTheSOB Horrifically Mutilate and Torture the Sons of Bitches]]: How Caesar's Legion [[RewardedAsATraitorDeserves rewards]] the [[DyingLikeAnimals people of Nipton]] (mainly the Powder Gangers) for luring NCR troops into a trap, and the townsfolk for agreeing to betray the Powder Gangers. Also, depending on how you look at it, Bitter Springs could be like this.
* HotBlooded: A trait in Old World Blues makes you this, increasing your damage but reducing Perception and Agility while at low health.
* HowWeGotHere: Expect to spend most of the first leg of the story missions just figuring out what the hell led up to you delivering a platinum chip that was worth being ambushed and shot over.
* HoYay:
** There's a panel in All Roads that has a quite a bit of subtext.
** Aside from that, you can actually play a gay/bi character, with the option to have GRatedSex.
*** This is actually enforced by the Confirmed Bachelor/Cherchez La Femme which is just like the Lady Killer/Black Widow perk which is also available... Except that it is effective against people of the same sex rather than the opposite one. Considering how valuable the female counterpart was to the male one in the third game, this can be considered a blessing since males are far more commonly encountered as enemies in the wastes than females.
*** It could even be regarded as GettingCrapPastTheRadar, as this is perhaps the first RPG to confer a measurable benefit to being a male homosexual.
** Manny Vargas; he sounds downright jealous of Boone's wife, not just disdainful of her like the others. ** A female with Black Widow can't get relevant quest information out of him, while a male with Confirmed Bachelor can.
** Arcade Gannon's gay and can be recruited with a bit of flirting from a male Player Character. He claims he's never gotten a guy due to considering himself a [[UnluckyEverydude boring man]]. [[spoiler:Totally not because he's related to the Enclave.]]
** There are eight possible companions in the game. Four don't express much interest in the Courier, being a ghoul, a cyber-dog, an Eyebot, and a grandmotherly Super Mutant. Of the rest, Veronica is a lesbian, Arcade is gay, Cass admits to experimenting when drunk, and Boone has a hard-on for killing Legionnaires.
** Use Confirmed Bachelor to ask Major Knight at the Mojave Outpost whether he wants to be "friends".
** If you play a woman and travel with Cass this can happen.
** Though not really with Veronica (there's some flirtatious remarks but that seems to be her personality more than anything) despite her canonically being a lesbian (ask her about "love"). The female PC just doesn't seem to be her type. Lots of players actually want to romance Veronica so this kind of causes some problems.
** You can do this with Dr. Dala in Old World Blues, too.
* HulkSpeak: Much to the delight of old-school fans, this is back in, if you set your intelligence REALLY low.
* HundredPercentHeroismRating: The karma meter is the same from 3 but is nearly useless. What really matters is your reputation with each faction. Since you can't lose popularity or infamy, people could end up singing your praises for all the {{Fetch Quest}}ing while grudging you over blowing up their outpost last week.
* ICallItVera: Some unique guns, such as Maria, Lucky, Annabelle, and Big Boomer. In addition, Ranger Milo calls his Cowboy Repeater 'Carmine'.
* ICanRuleAlone: [[spoiler: The Wild Card line of quests provides this option. You can [[GondorCallsForAid go to the minor factions and ask for their help in creating a free Vegas]] or you can wipe them all off the face of the earth!]]
* IDieFree: [[spoiler: In Arcade's Legion ending, as long as Caesar lives through the end he becomes Caesar's personal physician. In a moment that he is unguarded he guts himself with a scalpel.]] Though he was well loved by Caesar, and thus probably lived quite nicely, he considered having to serve the Legion (even in comfort) a FateWorseThanDeath.
* IdiotBall: [[spoiler: It could be argued that Caesar is holding one. He knows that his camp at Fortification Hill is sitting on top of a bunker protected by doors that can't be drilled or blasted open. He knows said doors bear the logo of the Lucky 38 and thus must be relevant to Mr. House's interests in some way. He knows the Platinum Chip he just confiscated from Benny fits the disc-shaped console near the doors and suspects it will open them. What does he do? Why, he waits for the Courier to finally decide to make his way to Fortification Hill, hands the Platinum Chip to the Courier when the man might very well have single-handedly destroyed all of his operations west of the Dam by this point (if you want some really funny dialogue, ''do this''), and trust him to deal with whatever is inside the bunker completely unmolested, confident that the Courier will do as asked and destroy it. You even get to keep the chip. Brilliant! The best part is, the Courier doesn't even have to report to Caesar after he is done inside the bunker, and can just walk out of the fortress completely unmolested by the guards! Caesar might be an extremely intelligent person lore-wise, but he sure displays a complete lack of common sense here.]]
** It's actually acknowledged and explained if you discuss it via dialogue choices, though it does display an extreme amount of arrogance when it comes to [[BatmanGambit you and your motivations]]. [[spoiler: Caesar has a worldview where advanced technology in the hands of the masses is actively harmful to their cultural development. Thus, he cannot send Legionaries down to examine the structure without teaching them about technology and disrupting his carefully-constructed culture... but he can send you, a Profligate. His argument relies on you to see the light of his wisdom, but if that doesn't work he's happy to intimidate you into doing his bidding. He won't let you leave the camp with the Chip without trying to kill you, and if you fight back, you're Vilified by the Legion forever.]]
** Even his arrogance is [[FridgeBrilliance perfectly explained]]. After 'killing' Joshua Graham, the only other well-educated and independent man in the Legion, Caesar will be constantly surrounded by obedient subordinates that worship him as a god-figure. He's living inside an echo-chamber where his ideas and opinions are always right and no one will ever consider anything else. The courier is probably the first free agent that he's met in a very long time, and Caesar would naturally assume that you too will bend under his will like so many others. He may even be so far gone into megalomania that the idea that you'd defy him is something he can't even admit to himself anymore.
* IdiotHero: You can play as a 1-INT wasteland wanderer with hilarious moments of RalphWiggum-like stupidity [[JokeCharacter but the skill points you get are considerably less.]]
* IFoundYouLikeThis: After taking a bullet to the head, the courier is dug up by Victor and brought to Doc Mitchel's house. He then [[BeyondTheImpossible brings you back to life]] through surgery and gets you back on your feet.
* IGotBetter: [[spoiler:The Courier, of course. When you confront Benny again in the Tops, this can even be your response to him. With appropriate perk, you can also scare him into running by saying that you [[RiseFromYourGrave came back from the grave]] [[BadassBoast to put him in his.]]]]
** Also when [[spoiler: you confront Jessup. He'll be surprised, scared even maybe, and say "You're supposed to be dead." One of your responses can be exactly, word for word, the line, "I got better."]]
* IHaveThisFriend: Turns out that the [[spoiler: sex-bot Garett is interested in isn't for a customer... though after slips of the tongue, he asserts that it ''is'' for "those sick machine-fetishists".]]
* ILoveNuclearPower: Taking the Rad Child perk gives the Courier a HealingFactor whenever they suffer radiation poisoning, offsetting some of the penalties.
* ImAHumanitarian: The White Glove Society used to be this. [[spoiler:Mortimer however, still is and wants to serve the rest of the White Glove Society human flesh so they have no choice but to go back to the "old ways."]] And, of course, [[PlayerCharacter the Courier]] can be this as well if the player so wishes. A later perk even expands it [[ExtremeOmnivore to super mutants and ghouls.]] [[spoiler:There is even a special perk you can get as a reward for having Caesar, the King, Mr. House, and President Kimball for dinner]].
* ImmodestOrgasm: [[spoiler: Red Lucy]] in The Thorn, [[spoiler: Sarah Weintraub]] in Vault 21, and any prostitute you sleep with. Also, you can hear a few while walking around Gomorrah and Casa Madrid. Dr. Dala in ''Old World Blues'' takes this UpToEleven, despite (or ''because of'') being essentially a brain in a jar.
* ImprobablePowerDiscrepancy: The White Legs in Honest Hearts are basically [[EliteMooks Veteran]] [[BadassArmy Rangers]] disguised as tribals. In addition to having as much health as the Veteran Rangers, they also carry as good or better weapons (like automatic shotguns, anti-tank rifles, Tommy guns, and 12.7 submachine guns) and are the most commonly found enemies in the DLC. The only break in your favor is that White Legs have poor armor and lack the 30% damage resistance that Veteran Rangers have.
** Partly HandWaved in that the White Legs had raided armories in the past.
*** In the vanilla game, Veteran Rangers and Legion Praetorians were originally noticeably more powerful than Brotherhood of Steel Paladins. However, this got corrected after the most recent patch, where all non-named BOS NPCs have had their hit points doubled or more, putting them on par with the game's other EliteMooks (and, with their power armor, giving them the higher edge).
* IncrediblyLamePun: Lots and lots of craploads of them.
** Private Sexton in Camp Forlorn Hope runs a collection quest where you bring him the ear of any Legionaire you kill. Get it? Legion''ear''? You even can call him out for making such a horrible pun.
** The [[ApocalypticLog ''Die''ary]] of [[ReturnOfTheLivingDead Trash]]
** [[spoiler: When you return the Platinum Chip to Mr. House, you can make one by trying to Barter him for more money but not having enough skill points.]]
--> '''The Courier:''' "Better raise the price or... or you're [[IncrediblyLamePun "chip outta luck".]]\\
'''Mr. House:''' [[CrowningMomentOfFunny "... Was that an attempt at humor?"]]
* INeverSaidItWasPoison / SuspiciouslySpecificDenial
-->'''Courier:''' Can you help me find some missing people?\\
'''Slave trader:''' I don't know anything about the refugees going missing from the Aerotech Office Park.
* InfinityMinusOneSword: Several. The regular Gauss Rifle, the Holorifle, the 12.7mm pistol and submachine gun, the hunting revolver, possibly the Anti-Materiel Rifle, the Super Sledge, and the Displacer Glove, just to name a few.
* InfinityPlusOneSword: Whatever weapon you find north of Westside, whether it be the [[TooAwesomeToUse Alien Blaster]] or the YCS/186. They're both incredibly devastating weapons, capable of one or two-shotting all but the toughest enemies.
** There's a suit of Infinity Plus One Armor out there, as well. The Remnants Power Armor, the complete suit having a DT 6 points higher than the T51-b and no faction affiliation. However, like all great ultimate items, you have to work for it: it's on the wrong side of the Colorado river and guarded by a nest of Deathclaws. Good luck getting there! (Or you could do Arcade's loyalty quest. You simply have to talk to 6 people around the Mojave Wasteland.)
** Arm your humanoid companion with the highest weapons in his/her specialty and they become a walking InfinityPlusOneSword.
*** Give [[ColdSniper Boone]] the Anti-Materiel Rifle or the Gobi Campaign Sniper Rifle.
*** Give [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot Lily]] a Thermic Lance or the "Oh Baby!" Super Sledge.
*** Give [[CuteBruiser Veronica]] the Ballistic Fist or the unique displacer glove, Pushy.
*** Give [[CombatMedic Arcade]] the Gauss Rifle or the YCS/186.
*** Give [[BadassSpaniard Raul]] the Ranger Sequoia.
*** Give [[FieryRedhead Cass]] the Riot Shotgun.
** Joshua Graham is the InfinityPlusOneSword of companions. He's ridiculously accurate, carries a default pistol that does more damage (both per shot and per second) than about 90 % of the guns in the game, and has such a large damage threshold (50) that he's practically invincible. Unfortunately, he's only available as a companion during the final battle of Honest Hearts.
* InkSuitActor: Doc Mitchell looks like Michael Hogan with a country doctor mustache.
* InsaneProprietor: [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCKoz_Q2sCE The Wind-Brahmin Salesman]] at ''Brooks Tumbleweed Ranch''.
* InsurmountableWaistHighFence: Example is northwest of ''Brooks Tumbleweed ranch'', where a pileup prevents further movement northwest. Even though you could jump on one of the blockading vehicles, you're blocked from going further.
** {{Lampshaded}} in Old World Blues, if you tell the Think Tank you're leaving and want nothing to do with their plans.
---> Dr Klein: "WELL THEN. WE'LL JUST KEEP YOU HERE WITH OUR MOST POWERFUL OF TECHNOLOGIES. THE FENCE."
* InterfaceScrew: The otherwise pushover Bark Scorpions have this as a really nasty surprise. If they sting you, the poison completely distorts your screen. Not the "crippled head" kind of distortion, but completely warping your entire field of view such that you can't even see the scorpion if it's in your face. They are deadly if you give them the chance.
* InvisibleWall: As a definitive response to players notoriously finding ways to scale terrain intended to be unclimbable in Gamebryo engine games, invisible clip brushes have been added. No clever shortcuts for you.
** If only the players hadn't discovered new ways to scale their own inventories with "armor hopping" and coupon stairs. The Legate Camp is a popular destination.
* IronicEcho: When Benny and the player character first speak, the latter is on his knees and Benny's about to kill him. Guess what happens in Caesar's camp?
* {{Irony}}: Benny notes that the game was rigged from the start...[[spoiler: too bad it wasn't rigged in his favor, as House knew about his scheme all along.]]
** Doctor Henry in Jacobstown was once a member of the Enclave, a group that considered any outsider to be a subhuman fit for execution due to their exposure to radiation (no matter how minute). And what is his current line of work? Researching a cure to help Super Mutants with mental disabilities. [[TheAtoner Because they asked him]].
*** Even more special is the fact that he's working for the Mutant that helped kill Horrigan and bring about the fall of the Enclave.
** As a female character, if you either kill Caesar or help him, there's a delicious lump of irony involved given the status of, well, every other woman even remotely connected to the Legion.
* IsThisThingStillOn?: Though it doesn't have the payoff the trope normally promises, [[spoiler:President Kimball]] does this after his speech, announcing his desire to leave the stage before he gets shot. Given it was a PA system, however, maybe he just didn't care.
-->''Thank you, thank you. [{{Beat}}] All right, let's get the fuck out of here.''
* ItemCrafting: Of three varieties! You can use workbenches to create weapons from spare parts, use reloading benches to make or customize gun ammunition, and use campfires to cook up food or medicine.
* [[ItIsPronouncedTroPAY It Is Pronounced KAI-sarr]]/InsistentTerminology: Caesar's Legion uses the Latin pronunciations.
** In fact, how a character pronounces Caesar is a pretty good indication of how much respect they have for him. Joshua Graham calls him See-ser when you meet him in the Honest Hearts DLC, though J.E. Sawyer states that this has more to do with him being educated enough to have known of the actual Caesar before meeting Edward unlike the other Legionnaires.
** Strangely enough though, Marcus uses the Latin pronunciation.
* ItSeemedLikeAGoodIdeaAtTheTime: The Courier can say this about killing Jeannie May.
* IWasQuiteALooker: Pearl, you can see her younger days depicted as nose art on the B-29 Bomber you recovered once the restoration is well underway. Possibly Old Lady Gibson as well.
* JackBauerInterrogationTechnique: Lieutenant Boyd will be more satisfied if you make Silus talk by repeatedly punching him in the face rather than using speech or intelligence skills. So will Boone, for that matter, but he'd rather Silus just die.
-->'''Silus:''' You're getting nothing from me.
-->'''Boyd:''' I'm getting entertainment. That's something. So what it's gonna be?
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: On the outside, Cass is a [[ClusterFBomb swearing]], [[TheAlcoholic alcoholic]], [[MyGirlIsASlut promiscuous]], [[JerkassFacade foul-tempered]] bitch. [[GoodIsNotNice But she is a good person deep down.]] She's the only companion that will leave you if you have Evil Karma, rather than everyone else who leaves you based on your reputation wth certain factions, and she's extremely loyal to, and protective of, a Good-aligned Courier, and she gets quite riled up after hearing about what Benny did to him/her.
* JustFollowingOrders: Yes Man. Because his programming says so.
** At one point, you can ask him if he should really have just explained the details of Benny's master plan to you; his response is that he was programmed to be helpful and to answer questions, and whoever had reprogrammed him must have forgotten to add in restrictions on whose questions he was supposed to answer.
* KaizoTrap: In the House and Independent ending pathes, [[spoiler: you end up picking a fight with [=NCR=]'s General Oliver after you defeat Legate Lanius]]. Your Securitron allies will gun him down easily, ''but'' they often fail to do so before his 5 Veteran Ranger EliteMooks armed with the best guns in the game mow down your own character.
* KarmaMeter: Along with the karma meter, the reputation meter for each faction from ''{{Fallout 2}}'' makes a return. Karma only seems to dictate perks and some dialogue choices, whereas the reputation meter is the main focus of the gameplay.
** This is a good thing, because karma can behave odd at times. For example, killing Powder Gangers nets you positive karma, whereas taking their stuff strangely counts as stealing and gets you a bit of negative karma. The amount of it is negligible, but it's confusing nonetheless.
** Lonesome Road finally makes good use of the Karma Meter in addition to the Reputation Meter. Depending on your Karma Level and who you're supporting at the time, will radically change how [[TheRival Ulysses]] views you and your actions. At level 50 there's even a karma-based perk.
* KarmicDeath:
** Depending on how you deal with him, Benny can eventually ends up in the same position the player was at the beginning of the game: tied up and completely at the mercy of his captors and yourself. At this point, you can choose to execute him yourself, using either the machete handed to you - or the gun you may have concealed on your person.
*** Gun Runner's Arsenal adds a challenge for killing him with his own gun, Maria. You know, the gun he shot you with?
** Allen Marks, the supposed BigBad in the quest to collect the star bottlecaps, [[spoiler:is found dead in the prize room. A holotape reveals he was trapped inside, and all the people he killed to get the caps only got him a worthless badge and a slow death by asphyxiation]].
** If you commit corporate espionage for Alice [=McLafferty=] and finish Cass' quest peacefully, then [[spoiler:Alice, along with the Van Graffs she hired to put down competing caravaners, will be killed by raiders using "advanced weaponry and military tactics." The Gunrunners, whom she tried to steal from, will deny having any "[[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial public motivation]] behind the attack."]]
** [[spoiler: In ''Dead Money'', Elijah can be trapped forever in the vault. Simply sneak out to the left exit corridor as he's coming down to meet you. He really wants to get in the Sierra Madre casino vault THAT badly? [[PayEvilUntoEvil You can give him all the time in the world]].]]
** [[spoiler: Speaking of ''Dead Money'', YOU can have a KarmicDeath. Haven't been paying attention to the "greed will get you killed" message of Dead Money? [[DeathByMaterialism Trying to take all 37 gold bricks that weigh over 1200 pounds with you?]] Have fun outrunning that explosion! (It can be done, but you either have to exploit the physics engine or time your escape just right so Elijah's scripted trap activates after you've passed through the doors but not prematurely by approaching too soon.)]]
** One of the challenges for Gun Runners' Arsenal is "Historical Propriety", where you re-enact the Ides of March and stab Caesar to death with a knife.
* KatanasAreJustBetter: If you get the Gun Runners' Arsenal DLC, you can have a Katana as a melee weapon. It's got decent attack power, but it also attacks ludicrously fast, effectively turning you into an honourable Japanese meat grinder.
* KickTheSonOfABitch: Caesar's Legions ending for the Mojave is an absolutely brutal DownerEnding... but in their ending they are at least kind enough to take out the [[SmugSnake Great]] [[DrugsAreBad Khans]], the [[AlwaysChaoticEvil Powder]] [[BombThrowingAnarchists Gangers]], and the [[CompleteMonster Fiends.]]
* KillSat: The Archimedes II [[WaveMotionGun orbital laser]]. You can acquire a remote to it. [[spoiler: [[FridgeHorror And that remote is in the hands of an unwitting child.]] The safety was on, at least.]]
* KillThemAll: This is the easiest way to complete some of the main quests. Doesn't work so well when dealing with the Powder Gangers and Legions, but really, who wants to have anything to do with those jerks?
* KineticWeaponsAreJustBetter: Actually semi-justified, as Hoover Dam is the only genuine power source in the Wastelands (unless you get Helios One working) that could recharge energy weapons, thus it'd be far easier to use or manufacture bullets. The game actually intentionally makes pistol ammo be more prevalently dropped.
** Most notably, the laser tommy gun (Laser RCW) is less damaging than the real tommy gun (.45 Auto SMG).
* KingMook: In ''Old World Blues'', each enemy type encountered has a unique, named, "boss" version of it somewhere in the Big MT. Each mini-boss is set at level 50, with matching health.
** The Legendary Bloatfly takes this to an insane (and probably parodic) degree. Regular Bloatflies are perhaps the least threatening thing in the Mojave, second to Giant Mantis Nymphs or Radroaches and easy prey for even a low-level Courier. The Legendary Bloatfy is the second ''strongest'' enemy in the game (no, not Old World Blues. The game. Period). The thing is somehow more dangerous than ''every single Deathclaw you will come across'', outclassed only by the Giant Roboscorpion, which at least appears in a room containing a few defences to turn against it and lots of things to hide behind. The Legendary Bloatfly appears in a small cave surrounded by regular Bloatflies and will likely notice you before you notice it. Generally, the player will round the last corner of its cave, oblivious, and be reduced to glowing goo with a single shot before they have any idea what the hell just happened. Unless they're at the ''absolute peak'' of damage resistance, in which case it might take two shots.
* KitschyLocalCommercial: Load screens are almost entirely poster ads, billboards, and paper paraphernalia of pre-war Nevada. The ads are generally of mediocre quality at best; one shows a 50's style Strongman lifting weights with the caption, "Build Mass With Sass! Sunset Sarsaparilla".
* KleptomaniacHero: You can help yourself to anything that isn't nailed down. The game does dock a few karma points for outright stealing, but the penalty is negligible and karma isn't that important in this game anyway (thanks to the new reputation system). This can lead to the amusing irony of the "Scourge of the Wastes" being one of the most beloved residents of the wasteland.
* KlingonPromotion: You can convince Swank to let you bring in your weapons to kill Benny, and in Gomorrah you can help Cachino to kill Big Sal and Nero. They will take over their respective casinos once you have done that. Benny himself is also head of his casino due to this, having knocked off his boss when Mr. House first set up the Strip.
** Furthermore, you can knock off [[spoiler:Mr. House and take over New Vegas yourself]].
* KnightInSourArmor: Chief Hanlon and Dr. Henry.
* LargeHam: The Think Tanks.
** Especially Dr. Klein. Even his subtitles are in all caps. It's lampshaded as well, with him constantly complaining that the volume control of his loudpspeaker is awry.
** The Tick, Dr. Venture, and Captain Quark are 3 of the 6 scientists. Case closed.
* LampshadeHanging: [[spoiler: Yes Man hangs one on the fact he has been programmed so that he CannotTellALie... to ''anybody''. Period. Benny, you are TooDumbToLive.]]
* LeeroyJenkins: The Kamikaze trait apparently.
* LegitimateBusinessmensSocialClub: Club Zoara, inside the Gomorrah Casino.
* LethalJokeItem: The Abeline Kid LE BB Gun is the ''Fallout New Vegas'' equivalent of the [[{{Fallout 2}} Red Ryder Limited BB Gun]], which gives a bonus critical damage and bonus critical chance.
** Boxing gloves, or the unique Golden Gloves. Very low damage indeed, but you will find out that even a character with low Unarmed skill can KO a deathclaw with it, allowing you to take your time dismembering it with a chainsaw.
** Euclid's C-Finder, which looks like a child's toy, is actually used as a target painter for [[KillSat ARCHIMEDES II]].
* LightningBruiser:
** Deathclaws can run faster than you can, do a lot of damage, and have very long melee reach. Thankfully, a couple of bullets to the legs willl gimp them.
** Legate Lanius plays this even straighter. [[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard The man is straight-up faster than any human should be]], continues to be faster than you even if you cripple both his legs, hits ''really'' hard, and has nearly as much health as the Legendary Deathclaw.
** Any super mutant. Look at how fast they run, and how powerful their running stride looks.
** Any Level 45+ player with high Strength, Agility and Endurance is this, especially if you have the best weapons and armor in the game.
* LightningGun: The Tesla cannon, and the unique Tesla-Beaton prototype.
** The LAER (Laser Assisted Electrical Rifle) in ''Old World Blues''
** The Arc Welder in ''Lonesome Road''
* LipstickLesbian: Veronica. She even gives you a quest to find her a pretty dress, complete with audible {{squee}} if you find one and give it to her.
** A subversion at the same time, since she shows you her gratitude for finding her the dress by [[CuteBruiser teaching you a new way to punch people]] - in her words, "the gift that keeps giving".
* LiteralGenie: [[spoiler: Yes Man.]]
* TheLoad: Waking Cloud, a companion from ''Honest Hearts.'' Her only combat skill is Unarmed, the only combat skill in the game with no ranged attacks whatsoever (Melee Weapons has a handful of thrown weapons), but her hit points are so low she literally loses fights to plants with distressing regularity. Giving her a ranged weapon means she'll live an extra 2 seconds because now the monster she's fighting has to walk to her ''without'' her charging right up to it.
* LoadsAndLoadsOfLoading: Probably one of this game's biggest flaws. The load times themselves aren't that long, but there's lots of them.
** The load redundancy makes this especially eg-- For example, fast traveling places the player outside a location, without preloading the interior, which is the primary reason for traveling there in the first place. There's rarely a fast travel mark directly to commonly visited characters, some of which are instead ''two to four maps deep'' from arrival. It's almost as if they were relying on design shortsightedness to inflate the playing time.
** One of the worst examples would probably be wanting to buy stuff from Sergeant Contreras. Fast travel to Camp Mc Carran (load), enter it (load), run a minute or two, to reach the terminal building (load) and now you can either go through the airfield (load, run a minute, load) or the terminal hallways (load, run a minute, load) to get to his shack. At least, after buying you can just exit the shack and fast travel away, since the airfield counts as an outside location.
* LoopholeAbuse: Katherine Stone, the Overseer in Vault 11. [[spoiler:Since the Justice Bloc in the Vault used their majority to control who became Overseer and thus was sacrificed, she was forced to perform sexual favors to save her husband. When they nominated him anyway, she murdered several of them, because she knew she would be elected Overseer due to her crimes. Upon her nomination, she changed the voting process to selection by random number generation, effectively destroying the Justice Bloc's power. There wasn't any rule preventing her from changing the rules.]]
* LostForever: While it has improved a lot since launch, the game is still quite unstable, and odd glitches may still manifest that will prevent even the most able player from obtaining unique items and party members.
* LoveDodecahedron: The employees of H&H Tools spent nine minutes out of ten planning romantic trysts. You can use terminals and read personal e-mails between them planning some horizontal mambo after-hours. In fact, a couple (as in married) make up excuses to not be away from each other so they can have a tryst [[LoveTriangle WITH THE SAME GUY.]]
** NoodleImplements: They were also very... interesting in their choice of love toys. Amongst those mentioned in the e-mails are an accordion, a riding crop, a stovepipe, souvenir moon rocks, rubber sheets and a souvenir elephant-foot trashcan.
* LuckStat: A Fallout trope in general, but {{Deconstructed}} in this game. It's actually an ability to [[TheChessmaster calculate probabilities]] and [[WindsOfDestinyChange know how to nudge them in your favor]]. The luckiest individual in the Wasteland, [[spoiler: Mr. House, who has a Luck state of 10]], can in fact [[XanatosRoulette predict the future]] with his ability. Not that it helps him to any extent should the player decide to cross him - and you can't see the NPC stats directly without console commands either. A better example of DoingInTheWizard on the matter of luck is that one of the implants you may obtain - a probability processing unit of sorts - actually increases your luck.
** Vault 21's [[PlanetOfHats hat]] was that everyone was equal and conflicts were solved with games of chance, essentially an in-game deconstruction of luck. Unlike most of the other Vaults, 21 did pretty well for itself...until House showed up and won the whole place in a game of blackjack.
* LudicrousGibs: The Anti-Materiel Rifle. What do you expect when you use a gun made primarily against tanks and vehicles on [[NoKillLikeOverkill those poor, poor people?]]
** Or when you use a weapon that flings projectiles at several times the speed of sound with [[MagneticWeapons magnets]]?
** Don't forget about the Bloody Mess perk, which lets you make a splatter house on anyone or anything by coughing at them (just so long as it's the killing hit).
** What's truly amusing about this is that it's not just showy, but practical. Is there a body hanging just out of reach? Gib it, and you can loot it through whatever pieces of it happened to fall in your direction.
* {{MacGuffin Location}}: Hoover Dam, source of clean water and free power to the Mojave, is being fought over by both the Legion and the NCR.
** To the extent that the NCR has holed up most of its troops there, leaving the rest of the border poorly defended, and the Legion - despite the poorly defended border and the success of their raiding parties across the Colorado - will not attempt to invade the Mojave without first capturing the Dam.
* MacheteMayhem: One of the more powerful and reliable melee weapons in the game is the humble machete. This is a staple weapon of low-level Legionnaires in Caesar's Legion, and there's even an advanced version called a machete gladius and the unique Liberator.
* [[MagikarpPower Magikarp Skill]]: Explosives, arguably. It's a near-useless skill on a normal playthough, as even a number less than 10 is sufficient to disarm proximity mines, i.e. the only mines that matter. However, get it high enough and take the right perks (Demolition Expert and Splash Damage), and the blast radius and damage of any explosive is significantly increased. This turns weapons like the missile launcher, grenade machinegun, and the Fat Man into THE MOST damaging weapons in the game. The only problem is ammo, about which this game is not kind.
** This trope is taken UpToEleven with the new Gun Runner's DLC. Mini nukes and missiles that fragment into 9 cluster bombs, plasma and pulse grenades for grenade launchers, the return of the Nuka Grenade, and extremely easy-to-craft explosives made from microfusion cells and pistol powder.
* MadeOfIron: Most notably there's Legate Lanius. A lesser example would be Jean-Baptiste Cutting, TheDragon to Gloria Van Graff, and of course high-level monsters such as deathclaws and sentry bots.
** A character can be specced to become this. If you have Remnants power armor, both ranks of the Toughness perk, the big brained and reinforced spine perks from the Old World Blues DLC, and the sub-dermal plating implant, you can have a DT of 53! If you have Cass as a active companion and drink Whiskey, you'll have a DT of [[UpToEleven 57!]] Also, if you have Endurance 10 and Life Giver at level 30 (45 if you have the three DLCs), [[StoneWall your HP will be a whopping 620 (770)!]]
*** The Whiskey boost can reach 6 DT with enough Survival skill. It stacks with two kinds of tequila, which count as whiskey. "In Shining Armor" is literally [[IncrediblyLamePun made of iron]] against beam weapons. Basically, there are so many defense tweaks you're unlikely to fit them all on one character.
** [[PlayerCharacter The Courier]] being MadeOfIron is pretty much required. Over the course of the game, the Courier is shot in the head (twice. At point blank range. ''Before the game even starts''), knocked unconscious and dragged for miles (''Dead Money''), survives having his heart, spine, and brain removed, eventually swapping them and their prosthesis out at will (''Old World Blues''), and can optionally waltz through ''three separate ground zeroes'' within hours of their creation. And that's without all the decision-dependent beatings he/she takes and survives. Two of the three highest-level Perks lampshade the fact that the Courier shouldn't be alive (they're called "I'm Lucky to Be Alive," and "I Thought You Died").
** The backstory of the game also has Joshua Graham. In fact, a few Legion characters will mention that while Legate Lanius is a more intelligent tactician and strategist, ''Legate Graham was an even more powerful warrior than Lanius''. It's worth noting that the seven foot tall heavily armored killing machine that fights by swinging a huge blade around was the ''brains'' relative to Joshua Graham.
*** They're not kidding. Joshua Graham was covered in pitch, set on fire, and thrown over the edge of the ''Grand freakin' Canyon''. Not only did he live, he climbed out again and walked all the way back to his home in Utah.
* MadScientist: The Think Tanks of the Big Empty.
* MamaBear: The Mother ''Deathclaw''. [[BerserkButton Shoot one of her little babies]] and prepare for '''pain'''.
* ManInTheMachine: [[spoiler: Mr. House, and potentially the player, if the Mr. House ending is chosen.]]
* MatterReplicator: The Sierra Madre vending machines, which uses Sierra Madre chips as both a form of currency and base matter.
* TheManBehindTheCurtain: Mr. House, the perpetually sequestered leader, face of New Vegas, and leader of a [[BadassArmy vast army of killbots]], is [[spoiler: really nothing more a shriveled, 261-year-old Howard Hughes {{Expy}} who's immune system is so weak, he'll die from numerous viral infections in a matter of months if you so much as open his stasis tank.]]
* MatchMakerQuest: Jack and Janet, another way to increase your reputation with the Boomers.
* MeaningfulName: Jason Bright, leader of a religious cult for ghouls, is a Glowing One - a ghoul so dosed up on radiation that he emits a radioactive glow. Lampshaded if you ask him about his name.
** The name ''Lanius'' means "butcher," a word that certainly describes the Legate's approach to battle.
** The man in charge of New Vegas, playing the NCR and the Legion against one another for his own gain? Robert ''House'', as in "''the'' House."
** In the cases of Bright and House, those were the names they were born with a good 200 years previously. Foreshadowing indeed.
** Each of the scientists in the Big MT has a name referring to an endless loop. Dr. Klein refers to the Klein bottle, Dr. Borous refers to the Ouroboros (and with a high enough INT, you can point out it's spelled wrong), Dr. Dala comes from "Mandala", a Sanskrit word meaning circle, Dr. 0 is obviously a loop, Dr. 8 is an infinity symbol turned on its side, and Dr. Mobius is named for the Mobius strip.
* MedievalStasis: A higher-tech version than usual, but consider, it's been 200 years since the bombs fell and the Brotherhood of Steel (in particular, the Nevada chapter you deal with) is falling into a ''serious'' rut. [[spoiler: It's stated that the Mojave Brotherhood chapter is trying to get in touch with the Brotherhood of Steel headquarters far to the west, but isn't getting responses. Given that the Brotherhood of Steel and the NCR have just been at war, it's possible that all other Brotherhood chapters in NCR territory have been wiped out and the Mojave chapter may be one of the few Brotherhood chapters left.]]
* MeetTheNewBoss: Caesar's manifesto will seem pretty familiar to those who've played the original ''Fallout'' and faced down TheMaster. In many ways the Legion is simply the Unity all over again. You can even talk to Marcus about Caesar, and while he doesn't make an obvious direct comparison you definitely get the vibe that he's seen it before and knows it can never lead to anything good.
* MegaCorp: The Crimson Caravan Company is the closest thing to a Mega Corp that you can get in a post-apocalyptic world. They dominate most of the commercial activities on the west coast, have offices and trading outpost all the way from California to Utah, and have lot of influence in the NCR government.
** The Mojave Wasteland under the control of Mr. House is basically a [[OneNationUnderCopyright Mega Corp in the form of a nation state]].
* MegaManning: The super-secret hidden perk Meat of Champions [[spoiler: If you use the Cannibal perk to eat President Kimball, Caesar, Mr. House, and The King, you temporarily gain their abilities (Kimball's strength, Caesar's intelligence, House's luck, and The King's charisma) whenever you feed from a human corpse.]]
* MercyKill: [[spoiler: Boone gives one to his wife.]]
** [[spoiler:You can also give one to mutilated NCR troops while exploring a minefield. It's a good thing.]]
** [[spoiler:Boone repeatedly voices his distaste towards mercy kills and often stresses that you should only be done as a last resort. Of course, there are only two situations (and a few scattered ones if you're on the side of NCR, notably before assaulting a Legion stronghold) where it isn't, so it's a moot point.]]
** [[spoiler:You get an option to inflict a MercyKill upon Benny when you find him captured in Caesar's camp -- otherwise he'll meet a far more gruesome death at the hands of the Legion.]]
** At Nipton, [[spoiler: you can give these to the [[AssholeVictim crucified Powder Gangers]].]]
* MightyWhitey: Played with ''a lot'' in Honest Hearts; both Daniel and Joshua are Mormons who have become leaders of tribal societies. Neither is terribly happy that they're interfering to such a massive degree, but they don't have/know any other way to help. Daniel in particular is incredibly indecisive, worrying about whether he's doing the right thing, and both of them [[ItsUpToYou put major decisions at your feet]] because [[JustifiedTrope they're uncomfortable]] with their [[DeconstructedTrope level of involvement]] in everyone's lives. Joshua even says this to you outright about Follows-Chalk (paraphrased).
--> '''Courier:''' Why don't you talk to him? You know I'm just going to tell him to leave, right?\\
'''Joshua:''' Perhaps, but I think he's learned too much from me already.
** The Courier may complicate this even further depending on the skin tone you chose for him/her at character creation.
* MindScrew: The Lonesome Drifter's [[spoiler:father may very well be the Mysterious Stranger. Made even screwier by the fact that "Lonesome" and "Drifter" are synonyms of "Lone" and "Wanderer." Make of that what you will.]]
* AMillionIsAStatistic: A strange meta-example with the Mr. House quest to [[spoiler:wipe out the Brotherhood bunker]]. Of the available options[[hottip:*:A peaceful solution existed, but was DummiedOut.]] are going in, guns blazing, and killing them all, or sneaking in, and [[StuffBlowingUp blowing the whole place up]]. Of the two options, both give negative Karma, but the latter significantly less-so, because it's one large karma hit, instead of many smaller (but still reasonably large) hits.
* MismatchedEyes: Some dogs (e.g. ones at Gibson scrap yard) have one brown and one blue eye.
* MixAndMatchCritters: Nightstalkers are coyote/rattlesnake hybrids. Yao Guai are some kinda quasi-furry part-bear thing.
* MoodLighting: Camp Forelorn Hope gets a [[RealIsBrown brown color wash]], but not when you play on a low detail setting. In this case, the color is much more desaturated than normal.
* MolotovCocktail: The firebomb from ''Honest Hearts'' gives off this vibe, as it is made from a beer bottle and uses a lit rag as a fuse. In gameplay, it's more of a weaker, craftable Incendiary Grenade.
* MoneyToBurn: Legion Coins may not be exchangeable as currency in many places, but you can use them as ''ammunition'' if you're playing a particularly creative character who's good at tinkering with ammo.
** Of course, the perennial favorite "Bottlecap Mine" (an IED made with Caps, the region's popular currency, as shrapnel) makes a return in this game. The head of Crimson Caravan even lampshades it.
* MontyHaul: The Dead Money DLC is named quite appropriately. After the very frustrating and aggravating campaign, you are rewarded with Gold Bars which are worth 10000 caps each, the very high tier weapons and armor from the campaign, and over 10000 Sierra Madre chips if you gambled at the casino. Also, every three days, you get 1100 Sierra Madre chips at the Abandoned Bunker. Think they're useless now? There's a vending machine in Elijah's room. That means a practically infinite supplies of chems, stimpacks, and weapon repair kits!
* {{Mordor}}: The Divide.
* MoreDakka: The iconic minigun, of course, but also the light machine gun, the assault carbine (which can burn through its 24-round magazine in less than three seconds), and the many variations on the theme of submachine gun. Old World Blues includes the K9000, a Cyberdog Gatling Gun that fires magnum rounds.
* MuggingTheMonster: Freeside Thugs bring this trope to [[SuicidalOverconfidence untold heights of absurdity.]]
** Terrifying Presence allows your dialogue options to occasionally lampshade this.
* MultipleEndings: Four proper endings, plus a variety of "segmented endings" for different communities and characters that all depend on the choices you make.
* MushroomSamba: one quest in Honest Hearts has YOU go on one.
* MusicalThemeNaming: Almost every quest is named after a classic song, along with an IncrediblyLamePun or two ("Ant Misbehavin'").
* MyCountryRightOrWrong: Cass believes this about the NCR. While she loves her country, she just wishes that the leadership of the NCR would get their heads out of their asses. Boone has hints of it as well.
** Elder [=MacNamara=] also has this attitude.
* MyGreatestFailure: This attitude is commonly held of [[spoiler: The Bitter Springs Massacre]] by those who were there.
* MysteriousProtector: Two of them, Mysterious Stranger and Miss Fortune, the latter simply knocking people out instead of killing them. You can get both.
** The Lonesome Drifter is an NPC you can find along the road to Vegas. If you ask for his story it's heavily implied that he is the Mysterious Stranger's son.
** And a step further, you can get his Mysterious Magnum. It even plays the Stranger's theme when you draw and holster it.
* MythologyGag: "[[{{Fallout 3}} I'm looking for a man in a checkered coat. Have you seen anyone like that?]]"
** A side-quest for the Kings will have one suspect identified by the name "Lou Tennant," the name the dumber Super Mutants called TheDragon in the original ''{{Fallout}}.''
*** The friend of the witness who provides that little gem even calls him "dumb as a mutant."
** Cannibal Johnson remembers [[DrillSergeantNasty Sergeant Dornan]] giving [[{{Fallout 2}} a private that had wandered into Navarro without a uniform the most blistering rant known to mankind.]]
** Near Novac you can find [[{{Fallout 2}} a busted old Highwayman]]. Moreover, its trunk is filled with various energy weapon ammo, hearkening back to players storing such items in the trunk as spare Highwayman fuel.
** Does Julie Farkas's hairdo remind you of anyone? Say... Nicole, the founder of the Followers of The Apocalypse?
** Several characters, including Yes Man and Caesar, speculate that the secret weapon Mr. House has stored in the secret bunker underneath Fortification Hill is a [[{{Fallout 3}} giant war robot he's going to use to curbstomp everything]]. Yes Man even massages the Courier's ego by telling him that he's such a badass [[TakeThat he doesn't need a giant robot to do all his work for him]].
* MythArc: The [=DLCs=] all hint towards the Courier's confrontation with Ulysses, which is settled at the Divide in Lonesome Road.
* NationalWeapon: The tribes in the Honest Hearts DLC each have a signature weapon. The Whitelegs use Submachine Guns, the Dead Horses use War Clubs, the Sorrows use Yao Guai Gauntlets, and the New Canaanites use .45 pistols.
* {{Nerf}}: Many of the low-level energy weapons were practically useless before the 1.2.31X patch, doing far too little damage to be of any worth. Also, the Hunting Rifle in ''Fallout 3'' had low damage mitigating its usefulness despite its plentiful ammunition; something that was rectified in ''New Vegas'', that being both the damage and the ammo supply. Also, the Sniper Rifle, with its 5x [[CriticalHit crit chance multiplier]] all but guaranteeing crits outside of sneak attacks, was toned down in the same patch that de-nerfed the low-tier energy weapons. Not to mention That Gun, the .223 pistol from ''BladeRunner''. It was by far the best pistol in the 1st and 2nd games. Now it's not even as strong as the default 10mm pistol you get an hour into the game (but what it lacks in raw damage it makes up by being able to load the best armor-piercing pistol ammunition in the game).
** On the flip side, the missile launcher now does hellacious damage since the patch, making it a true BFG.
** On the recent patch, the minigun, service rifle, and assault carbine are de-nerfed as well, with the default armor piercing nature of the 5mm ammo and the Grunt perk in Honest Hearts. However, the Varmint Rifle got nerfed hard since it gets the damage decrease of the Service Rifle without the rate of fire boost, that it is almost impossible to kill anything with it in a single VATS round.
** The Feral Ghoul Reavers got nerfed massively as well. In Broken Steel, they were one of the nastiest enemies in the game, with health to rival a Super Mutant Overlord and a deadly ranged attack. Now, their health got cut significantly and they lost the ranged attack. They're still extremely dangerous, but not as ridiculous as they were.
* NeverFoundTheBody: [[spoiler: Joshua Graham, the previous Legate of Caesar's Legion, whom Caesar ordered to be set on fire and cast into the Grand Canyon after losing the first battle of Hoover Dam]]. He is so widely speculated to be alive that Caesar has forbidden his name to be spoken, mostly due to his reputation as the ultimate [[ImplacableMan Implacable Man]] who miraculously survived fatal wounds on an almost regular basis.
* NeverMessWithGranny: Lily, a Nightkin supermutant who is roughly 250 years old and alternates between talking about her grandchildren and chopping enemies in half with a [[{{BFS}} helicopter blade]]. And she has [[FunnySchizophrenia a split personality where she blames all her violent tendencies on "Leo".]]
* NeverTrustATrailer: The [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epFupigyIN8 Blue Moon trailer]] features a gorgeous view of a fully illuminated New Vegas in the background. In the actual game, however, only the four casinos are actually lit up. The trailer, as well as some bits in the intro narration, suggest that Obsidian might have intended New Vegas to be a completely pristine pre-war city. In the actual game, it is revealed that the city had undergone centuries of dilapidation until Mr. House decided to repair the casinos as a means of welcoming the NCR.
** The Limits of the game engine might have something to do with this, as the game's intro also shows Vegas as a near pristine pre-war city.
* NewMeat - 10 of Spades. He's called that, because he's too green to earn Ace of Spades as his callsign.
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: The game gets rather {{Anvilicious}} in this respect if you [[spoiler:kill or incapacitate Mr. House. You even receive a message saying "A great tragedy has befallen mankind" '''and''' take a large karma hit, despite the fact that Mr. House's actions are no less morally dubious than those of the NCR.]] Arguably, however, this might be intentional. [[spoiler:Mr. House has very little modesty and obviously arranged this prior to his death. It's essentially some post-mortem ego-stroking]]. Also consider that Mr. House is [[TheExtremistWasRight largely responsible]] for most of Nevada ''not'' being hit with Chinese nukes, and thus, much of it being a safe haven for non-Vault inhabitants.
** Also gets rather ham-fisted in Lonesome Road, where it's made clear, in no uncertain terms, [[spoiler:that YOU are the reason The Divide, touted as humanity's best chance at recovery, is now nothing more than an Irradiated crack in the ground, thanks to the EarthShatteringKaboom you set off. [[YouBastard Thanks a lot, asshole.]]]]
* NighInvulnerable - With the Stealth suit Mk II (A suit of sentient PoweredArmour} you get in Old World Blues, when you hit relatively low (about 40%) health, you have a stimpak and Med-x administered. And the rate of it is insane - about 1 dose of Stim per second. This renders you almost invincible in Casual, as long as you're not being wailed upon by about eight enemies at once, or fighting the Giant Robo-Scorpion with it's near insta-kill laser.
* NinjaPirateZombieRobot: This game loves playing with this.
** First, there's Victor, the cowboy robot unicycle.
*** Primm has Primm Slim, who is another robot cowboy. Amusingly, there's a bit of dialogue where you have to clarify ''which'' robot cowboy you're talking about.
** There's also Raul Tejada, the [[BadassGrandpa 230 year old]] ghoul vaquero mechanic.
** And let's not forget cowboy-ghoul-mercenary-dominatrix Beatrix Russel.
** And of course, any given player could become a martial-artist-cannibal-sniper-radioactive-birdslaying-courier..
** There are plenty of implants and mutations for the player to pick up.
** In ''Old World Blues'', there are robot radscorpions with laser in the place of the stinger
* NintendoHard: The game gives you the option of ''Hardcore Mode'', which simulates the post-apocalyptic experience. What does this mean? You have to [[ThisIsReality eat, drink, and sleep regularly to survive]]. Ammo has weight. Stimpacks heal over time instead of instantly. They also can't heal limbs any more; you need a doctor's bag or and actual doctor for that. That said, doing this is at best a minor annoyance for a decent player: there is more than enough food, water, and beds to cover your needs. The only thing in short supply is doctor's bags, which can be supplemented cheaply by actual doctors.
** Then there's the DLC ''Dead Money'', which was apparently written by a KillerGameMaster: You lose all your gear at start and are given low-condition, barely protective junk in return. There's toxic gas clouds all over causing a constant HP drain. The puzzles are a tad harder. There are traps ''everywhere''. The good supplies are hard to come by at first. The Ghost People within can't just be beaten to death without a huge health drain (because they level with you). The whole thing is in a dark, terrible tint that will make you want to punch the screen. It also helps with not seeing the freakin' bear traps. [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment Which are everywhere]]. And to top it off, there are speakers and radios which set off your explosive collar; SaveScumming is the way to find and deactivate (or outrun) them. [[SchmuckBait At least you're warned.]]
** Whereas ''Dead Money'' was Nintendo Hard in terms of dungeon exploration, all the DLC is Nintendo Hard in terms of straight-out combat. All the enemies level with you, which actually makes being at high levels a ''disadvantage'', since ''every single normal enemy'' is tough enough that they'd be considered a major boss character in the vanilla game. And you'll often have to fight several at once. This is especially bad in ''Dead Money'', though, because you don't get your high damage weapons and the Ghost People don't take extra damage from headshots.
* [[NoCampaignForTheWicked No Campaign or Companions For the Wicked]]: The game prides itself on making certain that none of the factions are straight out "good" or "evil," with reminders like NCR being ineffective at defending its interests in stark contrast to the Legion inspiring such strict order that even the [[CompleteMonster Fiends]] won't attack their territory, but...of the companions for the Courier, nearly all fall under either pro-NCR or neutral, and two will even abandon you outright for supporting the Legion. Couple that with ''a lot'' of doors being closed to players for throwing their lot in with the Legion...yeah. There aren't a lot of incentives for siding with the Legion for anything but the different story missions.
** ''Honest Hearts'' also plays this straight--despite your ability to side with the Legion in the main game, you can't side with the White Legs in Zion, who are attempting to join the Legion. There are numerous potential Justifications/Hand Waves available, but none are brought up.
** WordOfGod also alluded to this concerning Joshua Graham--his FalloutVanBuren counterpart, The Hanged Man, was a TokenEvilTeammate played quite straight, with great stats, but severe social consequences for bringing him along. For his appearance in ''Honest Hearts'', this was deemed too bland a character, and wouldn't be interesting. Considering how conflicted he is when you meet him, this was clearly the correct move.
** Ironically, when programming a character along the lines stated above (powerful, but antagonizing), the end result was Boone, who is essentially the "[[GoodIsNotNice good]]" counterpart to the above character: very powerful, but attacks Legion on sight, essentially creating instant enemies for otherwise neutral player characters.
** Ulysses was also a TokenEvilTeammate, however according to the developers he can persuaded to serve a different cause completely.
* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: Mr. House basically ''is'' Howard Hughes. WordOfGod even lampshaded it.
** His securitron friend Jane is based on Jane Russell.
** Several casinos and landmarks were given this treatment, such as Bison Steve = Buffalo Bill's, Dinky the T-Rex = Dinny the Dinosaur/Mr Rex, and The Tops = The Sands.
** Despite this being the future, Benny is based on mobster [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bugsy_Siegel Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel]], right down to the tacky suit.
** Mr. New Vegas is Wayne Newton, famous announcer known as "Mr. Las Vegas". And literally so as the character is actually voiced by Newton.
* NoFairCheating: Have the PC version and used the console? ''No achievements for you!''
** [[EpicFail Even if you do it to fix a]] {{game breaking bug}}. Achievements can re-enabled by saving and quitting, then going back to the game.
** If you are in a casino, saving the game also shuts down all the gambling options for a minute as an "anti-cheat" measure to prevent save-scumming.
** Similarly, you cannot click through the type-up sequence for the hacking minigame if you just exited and re-entered the computer terminal.
* NonStandardGameOver: In Dead Money [[spoiler: if you access Sinclair's personal account in the Sierra Madre Vault [[TooDumbToLive even though a previous text clearly says doing so will permanently and irreversibly lock the vault door]], you get a message (addressed to Domino) saying you are [[FateWorseThanDeath trapped in the vault]] [[AndIMustScream with absolutely no way to get out]], and an ending slide plays saying the Courier died inside the vault and was turned into a hologram.]]
** Also in Dead Money, [[spoiler: you can join Father Elijah and unleash the cloud upon the Mojave Wasteland, killing everyone.]]
* NoodleIncident: You can find a computer log in ''Old World Blues'' which says steps are being taken to avoid a repeat of [=Incident:PLAYTIME=]. There were cyberdogs involved, and fixing it took up a good portion of the research budget.
** Hinted to cyberdogs in heat and measures taken to sterilize the place after the dogs had their mating season.
* NotQuiteTheRightThing: [[spoiler:Solving "Heartache By the Number" the [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge Cass way]] certainly seems viable, as the targets completely deserve it for their crimes...but then the epilogue reveals that you and Cass have effectively crippled both the NCR and the Wasteland's only major trade industry. OOPS!]]
* NonActionGuy: The idea behind the Good Natured trait. Your combat skills take a hit, but a whole bunch of non-combat skills get a boost, and since you have the option of getting a couple of party members to do the fighting for you, you can still survive when violence becomes necessary. That also does not prevent you from [[TookALevelInBadass taking a level in badass]] by putting skill points appropriately.
** What's funny is that this trait actually has the opposite intended effect. Since you can't max out skills like in ''Fallout 3'', you have to decide which skills you want to build up. This trait takes points away from the combat skills you will never use (depending on how you like to play, you'll only ever use one or two combat skills, maybe three at most) and puts them into skills you will, almost certainly resulting in a net gain. By putting skill points into combat skills anyway, [[TheAce your character can deal with practically any situation.]]
** Even better, the ''Old World Blues'' DLC has the [[TheAce Skilled]] trait, which gives you +5 to all skills at the cost of a -10% exp gain. Combined with the Good Natured Trait, this is a net gain of +10 to a lot of skills while also removing the -5 penalty to your combat skills. The experience loss can be negated by a perk which you can get at second level.
*** Sort of. The 10% penalty is applied first, then the 10% bonus is applied to the intermediate calculation, giving a net loss of 1% XP (1*.9*1.1=.99).
* NoOneShouldSurviveThat: The response you will get when you catch up with the people who shot you in the head and buried you alive at the start of the game.
* NoOSHACompliance: Standard for the course in the Fallout verse. Though the Bison Steve hotel gets kudos. Pre-War there was a platform that led directly to the tracks for the Roller Coaster. Not to the loading[=/=]unloading platform, just in the middle of the tracks.
** Subverted with the Hoover Dam. There are guard rails and there is a fence to block anything going into the intake valves. [[TheDevTeamThinksOfEverything including stray players trying to sequence break.]]
*** Followed through in many other cases where toxic waste is dumped in places such as a fire station. The REPCONN headquarters' tour guide also lampshades this by constantly reassuring you that no safety measures are required for toxic waste dumps because "nothing bad will ever happen."
* NoTellMotel: Bison Steve was this BEFORE the war. You find a ransom note. A skeleton on the bed next to a blood stain that's at chest level then another skeleton in the tub with a knife and surrounded by drugs. Murder-suicide, anyone?
** Maybe it's a StealthPun, since the real-world equivalent is "[[TheSilenceOfTheLambs Buffalo Bill's]]".
* NotSoDifferent: [[spoiler:Caesar and Arcade Gannon]] are extremely similar. Both are or were members of [[spoiler:the Followers of Apocalypse]]. Both lost their fathers at a young age. Both are well educated [[spoiler:to the point of knowing Latin]]. Both believe in the greater good, even if it is at the expense of the individual good ([[spoiler:although Arcade doesn't take it to the same extremes]]). Both prove to be [[spoiler:remarkably effective military leaders as soon as they put their mind to do so. Arcade is openly gay, while Caesar (along with the entire Legion) is implied to be gay (though this might just be slander). If you get a very specific ending, the trope is more apparent, as well, due to Caesar's interactions with Arcade]].
** Veronica also points out that both the Boomers and the Brotherhood of Steel are quite similar, both being aggressively xenophobic hoarders of technology.
* NotStayingForBreakfast: If Benny survives his night with a black widow Courier, he leaves a note that manages to be infuriating and endearing at the same time.
* OffModel: Strafing to the left as a female Courier causes your left arm to suddenly gain a new joint. Pre-patch, there were [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToKIkw3LIoQ some]] that were unintentionally hilarious.
* OffscreenTeleportation: Both of the Mysterious Protectors. Victor seems to always be one step ahead of you, but it turns out he's got a justification for that.
* OhCrap:
** [[spoiler:Benny's reaction when he sees how [[IGotBetter you got better]] after that little incident up near Goodsprings.]]
** Probably the best OhCrap to come from Benny is if [[spoiler: you go up to the penthouse at The Tops at his request. Of course, he betrays you and sends 4 of his bouncers to do you in. Kill them, and then go over to the intercom and interact with it.]]
--> [[spoiler: '''Benny:''' The cleaners will knock twice. Make sure they do a thorough job.]]\\
[[spoiler: '''The Courier:''' [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome Yeah... There's quite a mess up here. Four bodies.]]]]\\
[[spoiler: '''Benny:''' [[OhCrap What... the... fuck!?]]]]
*** [[spoiler: It's also heavily implied in dialogue with The Tops members that after this exchange, Benny fled from the casino in pure unbridled ''terror''.]]
** If you tell the lone NCR Ranger attempting to use a bunker as a safehouse that the Brotherhood of Steel have you hostage - "Ha, ha, not a slaver collar... hey, what's that noise?" [[spoiler:Three angry paladins in T-51b armor, that's what.]]
** In the WildCard ending, [[spoiler:General Oliver shows up after blasting down the doors to congratulate you. Then you point out you had help. Cue the dust settling and a very unhealthy number of Securitrons suddenly holding him at gunpoint]].
** Jessup gets one in Boulder City when he recognises the Courier, remarking that he saw you get shot in the head by Benny in Goodsprings and you're ''supposed'' to be dead.
---> '''Courier:''' [[IGotBetter I got better]].
* OneHitPointWonder: The Cloud in ''Dead Money'' can turn ''you'' into this in Hardcore more if you don't have the stims to keep your health up, especially in the early game. Half the time you'll be throwing your companions at enemies to avoid using your precious healing items.
* OneManArmy: The pro-NCR path more or less requires you to be this. Even if you aren't following that path, a high-level character with the right equipment can literally be this.
** Ranger Stella, one of the possible opponent in the arena. She apparently refused to be given a machete in the arena, prefering to fight with just her bare hands, and she wasted just about anyone thrown at her, from slaves and recruit legionaries up to veteran legionaries and an elite centurion. When you fight her, she can cripple limbs with one hit.
** Randall Clark, the Survivalist, wiped out most of the cannibalistic Vault 22 dwellers who killed the Spanish refugees he was watching over, at first by guerilla warfare which led him being called the [[RedBaron Evil Spirit]] by them.
* OneStatToRuleThemAll:
** Like all ''Fallout'' games, Intelligence is the most important stat. Period. It determines how many skill points you get each level up and figures into several speech checks. Following close, but not strictly necessary, is Luck. Luck allows you to win the casino games, specifically blackjack. A minimum Luck of 7 (which is easy enough to get thanks to the Luck implant, Naughty Nightwear, and the Lucky Shades if you can manage the Legion rep) will ensure that you win almost every hand. You'll be able to clean out every casino on and off the Strip. The combined payout for every casino comes out to about 40000 caps, which means you're set for life.[[hottip:*:And in the Sierra Madre Casino in ''Dead Money'', the 10,000-chip jackpot limit can be cashed in for Pre-War Money, one-to-one, which can equate to over ''100,000'' caps with a good Barter skill.]] Luck also provides the most skill points, since it grants a +1 boost to every skill for every two points invested.
** Repair and Barter are useful skills if you want to make a LOT of money. You can sell higher and buy lower with the Barter skill, and repairing items significantly increases the value of it. For example, having 90 repair and Jury Rigging will allow you to repair a near broken super sledge with a shovel, increasing its value by over 2000 caps. It's dozens of times more lucrative than Luck if you keep everything you loot and wait until you have the perk.
** Speech and Science are unquestionably necessary to achieve the best endings in the game, and they need to be really high at that. You need to manage 90 in both to get the best endings, and a full 100 to talk down the bosses.
* OneTimeDungeon:
** The Securitron Vault was intended to be such, with the player being unable to re-enter once it is completed, and the guard's dialogue not permitting you to leave until you complete the task. However, the actual implementation permits you to leave (using dialog or killing the guards) as long as you don't complete the section.
** The ''Dead Money'' DLC cannot be visited after it is completed, unlike the Old World Blues and Honest Hearts add-ons. In said DLC, the vault of the Sierra Madre is also closed off after you leave.
* OnlyOneFemaleMold: Even the old wrinkle faced women have young shaped bodies.
* OohMeAccentsSlipping: Sort of. One minor Frumentarius that you meet greets you for the first time with "Hail Caesar" (hard C) and the very next sentence says it again, this time with a soft C.
** Cachino speaks with an Italian accent when you first meets you, but then drops it after you show him his journal. Justified because, like all Strip families, the accent and attitude is part of his family's "character" (mafia), which he doesn't need in personal conversation.
** Santiago also loses his accent when you reveal that you were sent to settle his debts with the Garretts. He even admits its an act so he can charm his way out of this sort of thing.
* OptionalSexualEncounter: Let's see. There are the hookers in New Vegas, Freeside, and Westside, [[spoiler: Red Lucy]] in the Thorn, Sarah Weintraub in the Vault 21 hotel if you bring her enough Vault Suits, and [[spoiler: Benny]] with the Black Widow perk. Finally, there's Fisto, who, as the name implies, is a robot that performs special services.
** "Numbness will subside in several minutes."
* OracularUrchin: The Forecaster.
* OurWeaponsWillBeBoxyInTheFuture: The 12.7mm submachine gun is one of the few weapons in the Guns category with no real-world counterpart or inspiration. It looks like a brick. Add the silencer mod to it (which is ''far'' larger than the [[HollywoodSilencer silencers]] other guns get), and it looks like a brick with a piece of pipe on the end. Also, the laser pistol and laser rifle retain their rectangular appearance from ''Fallout 3'', but the rifle can be made to be ''even more'' boxy by attaching the scope to it. The result is a box with another box suspended several inches above it. A scoped laser rifle actually takes up so much of the screen in first person mode, it can make seeing things to your right difficult.
* OutlawCouple: Vikki and Vance, who, according to the claims of the robot that works as a tour guide in their museum, were not copycats of the former {{Trope Namer}}s, as they began their own "crime spree" two days before Bonnie and Clyde began theirs. The pair's crimes were, however, pretty low key, and consisted mostly of shoplifting and con artistry. Their story still ends in a tragedy as they were unfortunate enough to caught in the massive crossfire between the police and a bunch of bank robbers, which resulted in them getting shot to pieces.
** A couple of idiots try to emulate them by stealing their clothes and gun, but it's pretty easy to convince them how badly this will go.
* OutscareTheEnemy: This can work against Caesar's legion on one occasion. [[spoiler:There's a quest where you can be hired by the NCR to help interrogate a Legion officer they've captured. If your character has a high enough intelligence or charisma, then the best solution is to convince him you're a Legion assassin sent to punish him for allowing himself to be captured. He's obviously more afraid of the Legion than the NCR, and in his panic and indignation he lists everything he'd done for the Legion lately, which is exactly what the NCR wanted to know.]]
** With the Terrifying Presence perk, you can intimidate hardened badasses in cowering like children. Of note, you can scare the crap out of Caesar himself, turn Jean-Baptiste Cutting (a murderous psychopath who vaped a dude for ''fun'') into whimpering wuss, and scare an entire team of Brotherhood soldiers into submission when they both ''outnumber and outgun you''. It may be a largely useless perk, but it's easily the funniest.
---> '''Courier:''' [[MuggingTheMonster Raise that gun and I will kill everyone in this room.]]
** Terrifying Presence is essentially made of [[OhCrap pants-shittingly terrifying]] speech checks. Like scaring the dog-helmeted '''[[CompleteMonster Vulpes Inculta]]''', right after he ''slaughtered the entirety of Nipton''.
---> '''Courier:''' "I'll wear your heads like you do that dog's."\\
'''Vulpes''': [[ThisIsGonnaSuck "Legionnaires! We have a problem!"]]
** Also of note is convincing some mercs to leave quaint, idyllic, [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking Super Mutant owned]] Jacobstown alone, because if they don't, instead of dealing with a village of pissed off Super Mutants, they'll have to deal '''with you.'''
* OutWithABang: Killing [[spoiler:Benny]] is easy with the Black Widow perk.
* PacifistRun: [[NintendoHard It's possible!]] It may be easier if you [[TechnicalPacifist get someone else to do the killing for you]].
* PaintingTheFourthWall: Obsidian addressed complaints about ''Dead Money'' in regards to personal item whereabouts and the ability to return in the newest DLC, among others:
--> '''In-Game Warning:''' You get the premonition that while you'll be unable to return to the Mojave until you solve the mysteries of the Big Empty, you '''WILL''' be able to take anything you can carry with you, and you '''WILL''' be able to return to the Big Empty any time after completing this adventure.\\
'''Courier:''' If you stole my brain, then how the hell am I still functioning?\\
'''Dr. Klein:''' WE HAVE NO IDEA! THIS LINE OF QUESTIONING ISN'T IMPORTANT TO US NOW! WHY MUST YOU ASK THESE TANGIENTAL QUESTIONS! STOP IT!
** OWB's epilogue actually calls the player out if they rush through the main quest.
* PaperThinDisguise: Partially averted with the faction disguises. Coming near enough to interact with members will reveal you to any, even to the lowliest mooks if your infamy is high enough. But still, you're wearing the same hat, tailed by the same companions, and they don't seem to take notice of a female wearing legionnaire armor.
* ThePasswordIsAlwaysSwordfish: Every password you steal is always something very silly or at least words that can be found in a dictionary. Such as 123456789 for Raul's cell. All hackable terminals all have passwords in the form of words which can be found in most dictionaries.
** Seemingly averted on the HELIOS ONE terminal passwords, where the two terminals have super long passwords with seemingly random letters and numbers, until you find out that the number sequences can be converted from hexadecimal into ASCII, producing the phrases "My voice is my passport" and "Too many secrets"—both encoded phrases from the movie {{Sneakers}}.
** It is implied the reason the passwords are so simple is because of your own hacking skills essentially resetting the password into a guessing game.
** In the latter case, it was Raul himself who programmed it, thinking that no one will ever bother reading the terminal where he writes down the password. He is SurroundedByIdiots up in Black Mountain, after all.
** You can get past the REPPCON HQ security on the top floor by guessing the password, 'Ice Cream', by being lucky or stupid enough.
** Many passwords set by technicians are good (even if they are common words they at least have non-standard capitalization or elements of 1337 sp34k) and common passwords are more than likely a reference to RealLife practices. The hacking minigame can be also considered a StoryAndGameplaySegregation designed to convey the 'vintage' feeling of the hex editor.
* PayEvilUntoEvil: The 'best' path for the 'Eye for an Eye' quest (which gives you the best NCR rep boost) involves [[spoiler: showering Cottonwood Cove with radioactive waste, to give the unfortunate Legion personnel there the KarmicDeath for what they did in Camp Searchlight]]. Before doing this though, hopefully you remembered to get the family in the slave pen out first. The strung-up Great Khan on the outskirts of town will live through it just fine.
* PercussiveMaintenance: When a low-condition gun jams, the Courier smacks it once or twice during the reloading animation.
* PleaOfPersonalNecessity: [[spoiler: Mr. House]]
* PoisonedWeapon: A Courier with a decent survival skill is able to concoct poisons of varying lethality, then apply them to melee weapons. It's more of AwesomeButImpractical as the poison is removed after one strike, but it's worth it to stealthily toss a throwing knife at a deathclaw and watch its health bar drain completely.
* PointOfNoReturn: Once you choose to undertake the [[spoiler:attack on the Hoover Dam]] mission there's no turning back, though the game does at least warn you about this, unlike the corresponding situation in ''Fallout 3''. Strangely enough, it doesn't seem as if Obsidian took on-board the criticism of the fact that you couldn't play past the final level of ''Fallout 3'' (at least not until the "Broken Steel" DLC was released), as the game ends once you defeat the final boss(es).
** However unlike ''Fallout 3'' there are four ending paths to ''New Vegas'' and each ending montage varies greatly depending on your actions throughout the game. Trying to program a PlayableEpilogue that takes all of these factors into account would be an entire game in itself.
** There's also a lesser Point of No Return in the form of which faction quest you choose to pursue. There's a lockout point in each questline which alienates you from the other three. The only two questlines that can be played concurrently are Yes Man and Mr. House, and you still have to choose one prior to the final mission.
** Once you complete the ''Dead Money'' DLC, you may stay as long as you like, but you can't return to the Sierra Madre casino once you do leave. Might be worth going back and getting everything you want.
* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: Caesar's Legion makes no pretense about it: they think women are inferior to men physically and mentally, and should StayInTheKitchen. Also, [[FantasticRacism they think of Ghouls and Super Mutants as nothing more than savage beasts]], even though the majority of them actually aren't so bad. Just one more reason to remember they represent sociological ''regression'', not progress. This is arguably part of the idea, though. Caesar is trying to turn back the clock, and values have to come with that package.
* PostMortemOneLiner: Boone gives us a very good one after [[spoiler:you kill Caesar with him in the party]]:
--> '''Boone:''' *smug tone* Thumbs down, you son of a bitch.
* PowerFist: The [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Power Fist]] makes a comeback, but the big daddy of them in the game is the Ballistic Fist: a glove with a [[MoreDakka SHOTGUN]] attached to it which triggers on contact. [[RuleOfCool AWESOME!]]
** It's Veronica's WeaponOfChoice.
* PowerPerversionPotential: A memo describing a shipment of Stealth Boys with some missing is followed by another memo alluding to regulations regarding sexual harassment and the unauthorized use of military hardware.
* PraetorianGuard: Caesar's personal guards; they are even called that in the game.
** The Centurions, Caesar's elite, wear armor made from pieces scavenged from defeated enemies. This armor includes pieces scavenged off of Brotherhood soldiers and Super Mutants. BadassArmy indeed...
** The Desert Rangers serve in this capacity for President Kimball and General Oliver.
* ThePrankster: Private Davey Crenshaw
* PrecisionFStrike:
** This exchange:
--->[[spoiler:'''Benny:''' "The cleaners will knock twice. Tell them to be thorough."]]\\
[[spoiler:'''[[{{Determinator}} The Courier]]:''' (paraphrased) [[BondOneLiner "They better... there's four bodies."]]]]\\
[[spoiler:'''Benny:''' [[OhCrap "...what the fuck!?"]]]]
** Also:
--->[[spoiler:'''Benny:''']] Don't do that, baby. Not crucifixion. I could be up there for days with those twisted creeps laughing and pointing.\\
'''The Courier:''' Pass the time thinking over your mistakes.\\
[[spoiler:'''Benny:''']] You sick, vindictive fuck!
** Let President Kimball finish his speech at Hoover Dam for a classic IsThisThingStillOn Moment.
* PrepareToDie: Done as a joke by [[spoiler:Caesar]], of all people. [[spoiler:After either recovering the Platinum Chip from Benny or being duped and having him run off with it, you will receive an invitation to meet Caesar in person. It's quite possible that you will have made his life difficult in any number of ways before this, from digging out his moles to slaughtering his garrisons. He will ask you why, despite all this, you still chose to accept the offer to meet him in person. The conversation proceeds like this:]]
-->[[spoiler:'''Courier:''' You guaranteed my safety.]]\\
[[spoiler:'''Caesar:''' And you fell for that? Really? Because I'm going to have you killed now.]]\\
[[spoiler:'''beat''']]\\
[[spoiler:'''Caesar:''' [[EvilHasABadSenseOfHumor ... relax, I'm fucking with you.]]]]
* ProperlyParanoid: Mr. House believes that it is only a matter of time before the NCR betrays him and use military force to annex New Vegas. The NCR on the other hand thinks that Mr. House will use his robot army to betray the Republic and drive them out of the region after they defeat the Legion at Hoover Dam. They were both correct.
** [[spoiler: In this case it was a self-fulfilling prophecy since both side's mutual paranoia is what led to the events that led to them betraying each other.]]
** One of the Vaults has its citizens sectioned off into "red" and "blue" factions and is filled with HAL-9000-looking security cameras. Most of their journal entries display paranoia towards the people on the other side, but one person believes that the entire Vault is part of a psychological experiment, and they've all been drugged to forget that they used to be patients in a mental institution. He seems to be right, but he can't trust himself, because he now knows that he's insane.
* PropRecycling: Lots from {{Fallout 3}}.
** Consequently, there is also some from Oblivion, since {{Fallout 3}} recycled some Oblivion props; this is most obvious in the caves.
** If you listen closely you will hear some Oblivion soundtrack recycling. Less than in {{Fallout 3}} but still.
* PstandardPsychicPstance: The holograms in Dead Money will do this before attacking.
* PsychopathicManchild: If you read the [[AllThereInTheManual fluff text in the back of the collectors edition guide]], it's revealed that Caesar is pretty much this.
** He also has a pretty impressive moment if you bluntly refuse to serve him.
* PunchedAcrossTheRoom: If you have high enough Unarmed skill, this can be one of the death animations. Veronica frequently does it as well. If you're using the Power Fist or Ballistic Glove, this will happen to everything you punch to death.
* PunchClockVillain: It seems every Vault Overseer loyally went ahead with their experiment protocols, despite knowing full well that the world had ended and they were on their own, even in cases where it should have been obvious to anyone with any common sense that the experiment would not only kill the Vault inhabitants, but likely result in the Overseer's own death as well.
** For Vault 34 though this is the case of the inherent flaw (there were just too many guns around and the vault was overpopulated), and even when the Overseer has no interest in the vault experiments, not much could be done. The game was rigged from the start.
*** Funny enough the Vault was doing well, until the Overseer started taking away their gun rights.
* PyroManiac: Cook-Cook, one of the Fiend Bosses.
* PsychoForHire: Jean-Baptiste Cutting.
* TheQuisling: [[spoiler:Papa Khan to the Legion. You can show him how that's a bad idea.]]
** [[spoiler:Regis as well, if you think about it. He takes leadership of the Khans if you assassinate Papa, agrees to a truce with the hated NCR and aids them against the Legion.]]
* RagnarokProofing: An integral part of the ''Fallout'' universe, but the example that truly shines is the Lady. This universe's WW2-era engineers must have been remarkable, [[spoiler: since a B-29 can sit on the bottom of Lake Mead for ''300 years'' and not only be raised intact, but made to fly again by repairing her with spare parts from a museum piece.]]
** [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1948_B-29_Lake_Mead_crash A B-29 really did crash into Lake Mead on July 21, 1948.]] And given the report recently done, is still mostly intact.
*** There are numerous wrecks at the bottom of freshwater lakes and some rivers. Due to low corrosion and few animals living that deep, they do tend remain in fairly good shape.
* RainbowPimpGear: As usual, a possibility.
* RapeAsComedy: FISTO, initially. "'''ASSUME THE POSITION.'''"
** The Biological Station in Old World Blues threatens to seed the ''shit'' out of you, and has seeded Muggy before.
** In the cut audio files for Cook-Cook (who could be approached as friendly), he will constantly hit on you and make veiled threats at rape. Talking to Driver Nephi as a female will have him repeatedly warn you not to talk to him.
* RapeAsDrama: [[spoiler: Corporal Betsy.]]
** Cook-Cook is a notorious rapist, so much so that a ''male'' bounty hunter and even a lot of NCR soldiers are afraid of him. [[spoiler: Killing him will earn you the thanks of some of his victims, some of which only regret that they weren't there to see him die.]]
* RapidFireFisticuffs: The Greased Lightning power fist from the ''Gun Runners' Arsenal'' DLC has a ridiculous attack rate at the cost of reduced damage. With the right perks, you can hit roughly three times ''per second''.
* RealIsBrown: ''New Vegas'' plays around with this; there's a surprising amount of color in the Mojave Wasteland, especially New Vegas itself but as you approach Camp Forlorn Hope the color is leached out of the setting, making everything appear in shades of dull brown.
* RecycledINSPACE: Caesar's Legion is the Romans [-IN POST APOCALYPTIC NEVADA-]!
** [[InsultToRocks The Romans take offense to this horrible slur.]]
* RedOniBlueOni: For the NCR, Colonels Cassandra Moore and James Hsu are red and blue, respectively. For example, Colonel Hsu prefers to resolve the problem with the Kings peacefully by providing supply for The Kings, while Colonel Moore just prefer to [[KillEmAll kill them all.]]
** In ''Honest Hearts'', [[TechnicalPacifist Daniel]] is the blue while [[BadassPreacher Joshua Graham]] is the red.
** Veronica calls attention to this between the Followers of the Apocalypse and the Brotherhood of Steel, though it can be difficult to tell which is red and which blue. The Followers have a good cause but a woeful lack of resources, while the Brotherhood is practically second only to the Enclave in resources, but lacks any legitimately good cause.
* RefugeInAudacity: You, Boone, and ED-E storming Caesar's fort and killing everyone inside, Caesar included. Boone even comments on it.
** Lampshaded by Mr New Vegas later, though he was rather surprised on how the assassins evade heavy security even though the truth is you just storm your way in, killing anyone that gets in the way.
* TheRemnant: The remnants of the Master's Super Mutant army, which has split into the State of Utobitha and Jacobstown. In addition to them, there is the [[spoiler: Enclave remnant]], composed of the scattered handful of remaining members. [[spoiler: Play your cards right, and you can get them back together and fighting with you.]] The Brotherhood of Steel chapter you find hiding in Nevada is also a Remnant and a shadow of their former power.
* ReportsOfMyDeathWereGreatlyExaggerated: The "Thought You Died" perk from ''Lonesome Road''.
* {{Retcon}}: Used to explain the significant departure from the plasma rifle as seen in previous games to Fallout 3. The classic Plasma Rifle is now the "Plasma Caster", while the new truly rifle-shaped plasma rifle is a format encouraged by a Colonel Moretti. You see the name turn up on the "Future Weapons Today" cover on a loading screen: "Colonel Moretti slams the venerable P-94!" And in several terminals in the Repconn HQ you find a weapons project that was authorized by the same Colonel Moretti and resulted in the [[SuperPrototype Q-35 Matter]] [[FlawedPrototype Modulator]], which appears to be the first functional prototype iteration of the Plasma Rifle as seen in Fallout 3 and as a low-mid tier energy weapon in New Vegas. The explanation for why it shows up on the east coast is easy: The Enclave refined it to field-deployable status it and produced it over there. The reason for its apperance on the West Coast since Fallout 2 could be explained by the Van Graffs or other energy weapon manufacturers salvaging the field-ready plasma rifle design from ruined Enclave bases.
* RetiredBadass: You can recruit a squad of them to aid you in the final battle. [[spoiler:They're ex-Enclave, so they're also [[RetiredMonster Retired]] [[PunchClockVillain Employees of a]] Complete Monster.]]
* RetiredBadassRoundup: The entire quest of "For Auld Lang Syre".
* RetroUniverse: It wouldn't be Fallout without it. Though it manages to not only have a 1950's vibe in it, but also combines that with a late 19th Century Western feeling in the more rural areas outside the Vegas Strip itself.
** A late 19th Century Western where one can easily find [[AnachronismStew HK 416 carbines with ACOGs on their MIL-STD-1913 rails and digital camouflage]], anyway.
** It's less like the real 19th Century American West, and more like the [[FridgeBrilliance Western movies popular during the 1950s.]]
* RevolversAreJustBetter: When an old cowboy-style revolver badly outclasses a plasma pistol that was cutting edge before the Great War, you know this trope was overplayed.
* RewardedAsATraitorDeserves: [[spoiler:The Mayor of Nipton. According to Vulpes, he really had it coming; if you read his personal terminal, it turns out [[PayEvilUntoEvil Vulpes was right]].]]
* RideOfTheValkyries: Plays during the launch at the end of "Come Fly With Me"
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: The Courier, if they so choose, and Boone, in two of his endings. Ulysses, as well, though most of it occurs off-screen.
* RobotBuddy: ED-E. Flies, allows you to spot enemies from ''really'' far away... And kick some ass with his laser while playing a bugle sound.
* RomanticismVersusEnlightenment: Caesar's Legion (Romanticism) versus NCR (Enlightenment)
* {{Robosexual}}: [[CrowningMomentOfFunny The owner of the Atomic Wranger.]]
** You as well, if you decide to test it out before delivering it to the Atomic Wrangler.
** '''ASSUME THE POSITION.'''
* RousseauWasRight: Vault 11. The mainframe requires one resident to sacrifice themselves each year, or all life support will be turned off, dooming the others. As it turns out, [[spoiler:the designers believed this to be utterly inhumane, and once the residents refused to play along, they would be congratulated for their conscience and the vault would be opened. The population kept on sacrificing each other for years until only a handful was left and decided to try breaking out instead. Most committed suicide when they found out the truth.]]
** Though given the nature of vaults and their designers, it's almost certain Vault 11 was simply a social experiment and the people behind it knew very well how it was going to end up.
* RuleOfThree: Quest-givers give three tasks, with few exceptions.
* SadisticChoice: The player get to make one at the end of ''Lonesome Road'' [[spoiler: either allow a barrage of nuclear ICBM'S to be launched, destroying either/both the only usuble path into the mojave from the West, or/and obliterating most of Arizona, or asking ED-E to sacrifice himself to stop the missles.]]
* SamusIsAGirl: Nightkin, like other Super Mutants, have no secondary sexual characteristics, so the ladies sound just like the men chewing gravel. This is used as a point of humor a few times with some plot-relevant Nightkin.
* SanitySlippage: [[spoiler:Mr. House, more specifically the Mr. House that is the half-brother to the one in the Lucky 38, during his reign at H&H Tools.]]
* SarcasticConfession: If you ask Arcade Gannon about his past, he will originally be evasive. If you ask him why he is dodging the question, he will jokingly reply "Only to obfuscate my previous association with a fascist paramilitary organization." [[spoiler: You can later find out that he used to be a member of the Enclave.]]
* SavedFromDevelopmentHell: Caesar's Legion was going to be part of the stillborn ''Van Buren'' game following ''Fallout 2''. Some [=NPCs=] from Van Buren were also recycled and given slightly different roles (Alice [=McLafferty=] and Arcade Gannon for example). The setting of ''Old World Blues'', the Big Empty, came from the original design concepts of ''Van Buren'''s opening location, the Tibbets prison facility.
* SaveScumming: this plus a Slots Machine equals easy but boring money-making... [[TheDevTeamThinksOfEverything until the casino kicks you out.]]
** When doing this, trying to use the slot machines (or the Black Jack or Roulette tables) within 60 seconds of reloading produces a message stating that it seems to be resetting itself [[LampshadeHanging as an anti-cheating measure.]]
* SawedOffShotgun: In addition, there is also the laser version (Tri Beam Laser Rifle).
* SceneryGorn: Camp Searchlight.
** [[DeathWorld The]] [[EverythingTryingToKillYou Divide]].
* SceneryPorn: Lake Mead Cave.
** Jacobstown. You've been traipsing around the RealIsBrown wasteland, and then you go up that long road. The trees are green and lively, the mountaintops are white with snow, and it's gorgeous.
** New Vegas itself. Being hit with all that color after going through Freeside and outer Vegas is pretty amazing.
** Zion Valley from ''Honest Hearts''.
* ScarsAreForever[=/=]WoundThatWillNotHeal: The Marked Men get their skin ripped straight off of their flesh by the searing winds of The Divide, but because The Divide is so full of radiation, the Ghoulified soldiers are kept alive through it all, [[AndIMustScream and are unable to die as their skinless bodies are put through mind-breaking agony year after year after year]].
* SchmuckBait: Vault 11 is deliberately designed like this. Really, when there's an option to open the [[spoiler:sacrifical chamber]] on a terminal, you just know the end result will be bad. But you'll do it, because you've come this far and you need to know (and have to in order to complete the unmarked quest). Curiosity demands it!
** The radio which starts the Dead Money DLC. "Oh look, a radio, let's go touch--*choke*"
** At the end of the Dead Money DLC, [[spoiler:when you access the vault, you get a message from Sinclair warning you not to open his personal files, which will seal the vault if you read them. Normally, you would use this to [[LaserGuidedKarma trap Father Elijah in]], but [[TooDumbToLive you can activate it]] [[PressXToDie yourself]]. [[HaveANiceDeath The game ends and tells you how you slowly starved to death.]]]]
** You can find the Thump-Thump, a variant of the regular Grenade Rifle during the quest Ant Misbehaivin'. Said Ants have been eating gunpowder, and you were told in advance of fighting them that they'll pretty much explode if you look at them the wrong way. The chances that this is a coincidence are extremely small.
* ScratchDamage: Sufficent [=BBs=] will take down a Paladin.
* ScreensAreCameras: The members of the Think Tank in ''Old World Blues'' each have three mounted screens displaying their eyes and mouth separately, and are capable of seeing through their "eye screens".
* ScrewYourself: It's possible to flirt with your own brain in ''Old World Blues''.
* SealedArmyInACan: [[spoiler: The Securitron army at Fortification Hill.]]
* SecretTestOfCharacter: [[spoiler:Vault 11.]]
** Vulpes claims the lottery in Nipton was this. He relates how no one fought back when their loved ones were killed or crucified with each drawing, and he mentions that he was amazed that the townsfolk were so cowardly as to not fight back against the half-dozen Frumentarii under his command. It seems that the people of Nipton had several opportunities to impress Vulpes, at least one of which would have saved them, and they failed every time. However, it is shown that at least a few fought back, with some success at that. Unless Vulpes dismissed a large portion of his invading army then held the lottery, it's unlikely they ever really stood a chance. [[YouFailLogicForever And some people still think it's unreasonable for people to be scared to paralysis under the threat of death.]]
* SelfImposedChallenge: The in-game challenges. They range from normal things (heal 10,000 damage with Stimpacks or do 10,000 unarmed damage, for example) to more specific ones (cripple right arms, blow off limbs). ''Gun Runners' Arsenal'' adds some truly absurd challenges, most of which involve killing specific things with specific weapons. The three-star challenges are the worst, like having to kill Deathclaws with (among other, slightly more reasonable things) ''switchblades and boxing tape''.
* SequelDifficultyDrop: The DLC have done this so far--Dead Money is NintendoHard, not least because you can't bring [[InfinityPlusOneSword your stuff]]. Honest Hearts lets you bring some items based on weight (the good stuff is generally heavy), but hands you quite a lot of good equipment along the course of the story. Old World Blues doesn't restrict what you can carry at all, and even hands you three free perks near the beginning (with different versions available to replace them at the end).
** There are two ways in which Old World Blues does not follow this: there are no companions at all, and the enemies in the Big Empty scale to your level and are spawned by a script system that drops them more frequently than the standardized system.
* SequelHook: You can go home now, Courier...
* SexyDiscretionShot
* ShapedLikeItself: Doctor Mobius of ''Old World Blues'' breathes this.
---> [[AC: Doctor Mobius]]: It is I, Doctor Mobius, transmitting from my dome-shaped... dome in the forbidden zone. A zone that is... yes... FORBIDDEN to you!
** And don't forget [[LargeHam the Tesla coils! The coils of Nikola Tesla!]]
* ShortRangeShotgun: The Sawed-off Shotgun returns to affirm this trope, but every other shotgun in the game has a tighter spread, making them actually useful for medium range combat. Ballsy players may choose to use a modified Hunting Shotgun to snipe. In addition, there are also Slug shells, which makes the shotgun otherwise behave like rifles. Higher tier shotguns are also superior weapons to submachine guns and most handguns in medium range combat even with just buckshot shells.
** Two of the laser rifle's mods are one that gives it a mid-range scope, and one that turns it into a laser shotgun. Some players see it as [[SchmuckBait an invitation to use both]], but most see them as mutually exclusive.
** As of patch 1.3.0/1.5, all shotguns are now decent weapons at medium range due to vastly reduced spread, including the sawed-off.
* ShotgunsAreJustBetter: The Shotgun Surgeon perk, along with other things (see ShortRangeShotgun), allow shotguns to become viable all-situation weapons.
** The Multiplas Rifle is topped only by the Gauss Rifle and Anti-Materiel Rifle in damage per shot. Granted, the damage is split up between three projectiles, but it's still a lot of damage for a mid-tier weapon. Its main disadvantage is its ammo consumption.
* ShoutOut: Being ReferenceOverdosed is standard for the ''Fallout'' series. There's so much {{Shout Out}}s in this game that it demanded [[ShoutOut/FalloutNewVegas its own page]].
* SortingAlgorithmOfWeaponEffectiveness: Being an RPG, this obviously isn't played very straight, but most weapon types have a noticeable pattern, about 4-6 weapons in rough order of power. Keep in mind they don't necessarily have to be found in order:
** Semi Automatic Pistols: Silenced .22 --> 9mm pistol --> 10mm pistol --> .45 Auto Pistol (in Honest Hearts)--> 12.7mm pistol --> A Light Shining in Darkness (.45 pistol from Honest Hearts)
** Energy pistols: Laser pistol --> plasma pistol --> Recharger pistol --> Plasma defender --> Pew Pew --> Alien blaster
** Revolvers: .357 magnum revolver --> Police pistol (Dead Money) --> .44 Magnum revolver --> That Gun (post 4/25/11 patch) --> Hunting revolver --> Ranger Sequoia
** Lever action rifles: BB Gun --> Cowboy repeater --> Trail carbine --> Brush gun
** Bolt action/semi automatic rifles: Varmint rifle --> Service Rifle (post 4/25/11 patch) --> Hunting rifle --> Sniper rifle --> This Machine/Anti-materiel Rifle/Marksman Carbine
** Automatic guns: 9mm submachine gun --> 10mm sub machine gun --> Assault carbine --> Light Machine Gun/12.7mm submachine Gun/.45 Auto submachine gun (in Honest Hearts) --> Minigun/Automatic Rifle
** Energy rifles: Recharger rifle --> Laser/Plasma rifle --> Multiplas/Tribeam rifle --> Gauss rifle (or YCS/186) --> Holorifle
** Shotguns: Single shotgun --> Caravan shotgun --> Lever action shotgun/Sawed-Off Shotgun --> Hunting shotgun --> Riot shotgun
** Explosive launchers: Grenade Rifle --- > Grenade Launcher --- > Rocket Launcher --> Grenade Machine Gun --> Fat Man
** Hand-thrown Explosives: Dynamite --> Frag Grenade --> Pulse Grenade/Incendiary Grenade --> Plasma Grenade --> Holy Frag Grenade
** Proximity/Remote Explosives: Powder Charge --> Frag Mine --> Pulse Mine --> Plasma Mine/C4 Explosives
* ShownTheirWork: "Caesar" is pronounced "kye-zar" and "ave" is pronounced "a-weh", reflecting prevailing academic opinion of ancient Roman pronunciation as opposed to the medieval "Church Latin" pronunciations used today.
** The fluff about the Legion fits both in-universe and in the meta. The Legion features far too many accurate reflections of the Roman Empire's nature to be cooincidental.
*** Most notably the Frumentarii, who play an important role in the plot. They were rather obscure group, virtually nonexistent in any popular media (and even many historical textbooks).
** As mentioned above, the vast number of towns and landmarks that appear in this game (even the starting town) that are closely based off those in real life, if a bit space-compressed.
*** For instance, the Goodsprings General Store and the Prospector Saloon do exist and look exactly as they do in-game (except that it's the Pioneer Saloon). Not exactly general tourist knowledge.
** On the [=AER14=] Prototype Laser Rifle (a unique variant of the basic laser rifle), there is a sticky note on the back: "Focus: 1064nm, 532 nm (SHG), 8.18 pm!!!". It means that it has a primary wavelength of 1064nm (infra-red range), a "[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second-harmonic_generation second harmoinic generation]]" (SHG) that doubles the frequency to a green-wavelength 532 nm., and the 8.18 pm is beam divergence, or how wide the beam gets as it leaves the laser (usually measured in picometers per meter).
* SidetrackedByTheGoldenSaucer:
** The minigame "Caravan", which you can play with other travelers and some merchants. Sure, it may not look like much at first, but in no time you'll be buying every card you see (it's dirt cheap to do so) and swindling people out of absurd amounts of money before you even get to the meat of the main quest. It may look difficult at first, but it's actually fairly easy to win every single game on almost any hand, provided you have a decent-sized deck or a lot of high-number cards.
** "Caravan" is really easy without ever buying additional cards past the default set you are given. Make a deck of the minimum size (30 cards) with 4 each of 6's, 7's, 8's, 9's, 10's, Jacks, Kings, and 2 Queens. Then proceed to win every game assuming you understand the rules. It is also helpful that the AI doesn't seem to understand that face cards can be used to really mess with your opponent's stacks.
*** The last issue has been addressed by a patch. Still easy to win but not as easy as it was.
** DAMN YOU STAR CAPS! I WANT THAT PRIZE! (*Cue stealing every bottle of Sunset Sarsaparilla you can get your hands on*)
** And, of course, you can go to any of the casinos of New Vegas and blow all your money trying to "get lucky" at the slots, the roulette wheel, or the blackjack table - just like in RealLife.
*** Not if you have a half decent luck. If you have a luck of 6 or 7 and are able to increase this through the Naughty Nightwear or Lucky Shades (the latter not being highly recomended), and then hit the blackjack tables, the dealer will be handing out kings, queens, jacks and aces like its going out of style. It'll take you maybe 10 minutes to break all three casinos.
* SillinessSwitch: The "Wild Wasteland" perk adds a number of silly gags and bonus encounters.
* SirSwearsALot: Boxcars is among the most foul-mouthed people in the wasteland. Justifed, because he's been through a lot.
** [[FieryRedhead Cass]] as well.
* SitcomArchNemesis: Depending on how you play the game, [[AffablyEvil Benny]] could be one.
* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism: Idealistic, but less so than previous Fallout games. On the grand scale, civilization is mostly rebuilt. However, the two largest nations are the corrupt and inefficient if progressive New California Republic and the brutal and repressive, yet efficient, Caesar's Legion. Within the city, the Kings and Followers of the Apocalypse are working to help Freeside, while all those with real power are ignoring or exploiting the horrific conditions. The Brotherhood of Steel, present in every Fallout game thus far, are finally dying out as a result of their xenophobia, a stark contrast to the stretched-but-altruistic Brotherhood of Fallout 3.
** In defense of New Vegas' relative idealism, this is the first Fallout game where no one is planning genocide of the human population in general. So there's that.
*** [[spoiler: Or not, as indicated by a NonStandardGameOver in ''Dead Money''.]]
* SmartPeopleKnowLatin: Your character can use Latin phrases in certain trees provided their intelligence is 8 out of 10. The lower ranks of Caesar's Legion seem only to know "vale" and "ave", while a centurion POW you meet seems to be fluent.
* SniperPistol: The [[RevolversAreJustBetter Hunting Revolver]] comes with a scope attatched and is accurate to boot. The .44 magnum and 9mm can also be modded to have a scope.
* SnuffFilm: [[spoiler: Clanden, one of the members of the Omerta faction]] does these, though they're audio tapes rather than video.
* SoLongAndThanksForAllTheGear: A companion exiting the party takes the gear with them. In case of the ED-E retrofit, the gear is lost forever. The only exception is if you complete Arcade Gannon's quest, where he gives you all the gear he was carrying.
* SophisticatedAsHell: Dean Domino.
* SpaceCompression: The RealLife area covered by the Mojave Wasteland is about 10,000 square miles. The in-game version is much smaller. This is most noticable around Hoover Dam and the Colorado, which look alright in-game, but grow by several orders of magnitude when overlaid over the real area.
* SpinAttack: Can be done with some melee weapons, though some requires sufficient melee weapons skill.
** The Ranger Takedown. When used in third-person view, to preform a leg sweep.
* {{Squee}}: Veronica has this reaction when you give her a formal dress.
* TheStarscream: It seems this happens ''a lot'' in the Mojave Wasteland. Cachino wants your help to take over the Omertas, Head Paladin Hardin wants you to help him overthrow Elder [=McNamara=], and while Pacer doesn't particularly want to lead The Kings, he does try to overthrow The King if you succeed in negotiating a peace treaty between The King and NCR. And of course, [[spoiler: there's Benny and his plot to overthrow Mr. House and take over New Vegas. Heck, YOU can be TheStarscream if you work for Mr. House and then starting following the Yes Man questline.]]
* STDImmunity: Averted. Benny remarks at one point that he "doesn't need another 'social disease'.
* TheStoic: Boone.
* StopHelpingMe: Played straight and spoofed with the Stealth Suit Mk II. The suit's AI will remind you, quite often, that your Pip-Boy light is on if you use it. Spoofed when it warns you of incoming hostiles then retracts it as a joke.
* StraightGay: Arcade Gannon, Veronica, and the Courier if the player so desires.
* StuffBlowingUp: The Powder Gangers' WeaponOfChoice is sticks of Dynamite and power charges. Cranked UpToEleven with the Boomers, who venerate anything that goes... well, ''[[ShapedLikeItself boom]]''.
* StupidCrooks: The Freeside Thugs, they seemingly do not understand the stupidity of luring someone in Power Armor and carrying a Machine Gun into a 'trap' they set, when all they have is just pool cues and meat cleavers.
* SuicidalOverconfidence: Tying in with the above, some people are just too self-confident for their own good. Special mention goes to [=Caleb McCaffery=], who you have to find for the Debt Collector quest. He is easily the most unjustifiably arrogant man in the entire Mojave Wasteland. Yeah buddy, you're really such a bad-ass that you can take the Power Armor-wearing, Plasma Caster-packing celebrity who people publically know [[spoiler:killed Caesar himself]] armed with only a low-level shotgun. Even pacifist players will have a hard time fighting the urge to paint the sidewalk with this guy's brains.
** The Fiends, Powder Gangers, Vipers, and Jackals, just like the raiders of Fallout 3, seemingly do not understand that the OneManArmy with the [[PoweredArmor Power Armor]] and [[GatlingGood Minigun]] is not the best person to mug. Justified with the [[StupidEvil Fiends]], who are all insane drug addicts, and NCR military police (provided you massacred one of the casinos) due to, er, having some pull with the NCR, but the Powder Gangers have no excuse.
** This is actually built into New Vegas and Fallout 3's game engine; every enemy has a "confidence" attribute as part of their programming- the highest level means an enemy will never avoid a fight, with the ones right below that not offering them much better chances.
* SuicidePact: [[spoiler:How the last surviving inhabitants of Vault 11 decided to go out after discovering the very uncomfortable truth about their vault. Interestingly enough, despite the security recording of the suicide has five voices speaking, only four skeletons are found near the entrance, suggesting that the person holding the gun had second thoughts.]]
* SuperPrototype: The Q-35 Matter Modulator has several superiorities in comparison to its more production-rate plasma rifle brethren: a higher crit chance, higher crit damage, faster rate of fire, less ammo used per shot, and faster projectiles.
* SurvivalHorror: The ''Dead Money'' DLC in spades. You go around travelling with companions solving puzzles and fighting abominations in hazmat suits and gas masks that wield knives, spears and bombs. Ammo is limited, you have to search hard to find the best weapons, and medical supplies are very scarce, so you have to not lose a lot of health. The "climax" of the first portion of the DLC is this - you must fight your way, badly wounded, through hordes of Ghost People, to the Casino.
* SuspiciouslySpecificDenial: After Arcade gives you his opinion on where to direct the power from Helios One, you can agree with him straight off. He evidently doesn't expect it.
-->'''Arcade:''' Great. Glad we're on the same page. I mean, I didn't expect that you'd want to... activate the [[KillSat super weapon]] or anything. Heh.
* TakeThat: When you are researching weird NCR broadcasts, you can ask one ranger station about reports of [[FalloutTactics domesticated Deathclaws]] and they reject it out of hand as impossible.
** A response to a rather inbred question asker in J.E. Sawyer's talk page:
--->''Who's the homo that insisted on being so heavy handed with the gay dialogue and references in the game?''\\
''Alarm at the presence of homosexual dialogue topics is pretty interesting considering [[DiggingYourselfDeeper the majority of them only appear if you voluntarily take a perk that identifies your character as homosexual.]]''
** In-game example in Old World Blues. Dr. 0 made Muggy, a tiny, neurotic Securitron obsessed with coffee mugs as a cheap joke at the expense of Mr. House, who he hates.
* TakeAThirdOption:
** Don't like NCR or the Legion? Go to work for Mr. House, or anyone ''not'' those three! Or, if you don't like them either, take over, yourself! [[spoiler: Warning: Side-effects may include future backstabbing. Consult your doctor before use.]]
** In ''Honest Hearts'', [[spoiler:you are faced with the choice of either evacuating Zion or brutally eradicating the White Legs. Both options lead to {{Bittersweet Ending}}s. However, if you choose to eradicate the White Legs and convince Joshua to spare Salt-Upon-Wounds, you get a slightly happier (albeit still quite bittersweet) ending.]]
* TakeYourTime: No matter how urgent the quest giver's language, you can leave and circle the map a few times and pick up where you left off. The only exception is the President's visit, which will run according to scripted schedule.
* TalkingTheMonsterToDeath: Diplomacy (and judicious use of seductive perks like Black Widow or Confirmed Bachelor) can open as many doors for you as a lock pick or a hacked computer terminal. The speech stat still reigns king, however - if you're lucky, you can pass a speech check that doesn't require speech ''or'' barter, such as using your intelligence, explosives, et cetera rating instead. Passing speech checks is no longer percentive, either.
** ''New Vegas'' continues the ''Fallout'' tradition of [[spoiler: giving a high Speech character the opportunity to win the inevitable endgame confrontation with diplomacy rather than firepower.]]
*** It then turns this option into the ultimate InfinityPlusOneSword in story terms. [[spoiler: Killing Caesar and Lanius simply sends Caesar's Legion into mayhem, fracturing the group and pretty much ensuring that their methods get adopted by dozens of Caesar-wannabes. If Caesar dies or is allowed to die, and Lanius is defeated but talked into leaving, a much different ending occurs. Lanius has been foreshadowed to be a brutal warrior and capable general, but no politician, and without Caesar's charisma backing him, his plan to retake Hoover leaves him oblivious to the fact he lacks Caesar's leadership ability. The Legion still causes problems in the short term, but gradually dissolves as individual outposts realize it never could have lasted without Caesar or someone like him at its head.]]
* TalkingToHimself: Pretty much inevitable in a game where all dialogue is voiced, and there is a huge cast of generic [=NPCs=]. It becomes especially noticeable, however, when the actor in question has a distinctive "neutral" voice. Take the four male Remnants, for example, as three of them are voiced by Peter Renaday.
* TechnicalPacifist: O'Hanrahan, one of the misfits. His squadmates think he is a coward, though if you did follow his advice on squad improvements, he has no problem kicking legionaries' asses in the final battle. According to him, the behavior is because of his upbringing: he was always very phsyically strong, and his mother told him something to the extent of "with great power comes great responsibility," which he readily took to heart.
** Daniel in 'Honest Hearts', though he is close to being an ActualPacifist. He has no desire to attack the White Legs (nor does he), but is fully capable and willing to kill any that try and sneak into the Sorrows encampment.
* TeleportingKeycardSquad: Used in some areas, most notably Vault 34. All of the DLC use this a lot - reaching an objective site or picking up supplies will often spawn a formidable ambush behind you.
* TemptingFate: One too-proud-for-his-own-good NPC just doesn't know how to take the hint.
-->'''[[spoiler:General Oliver]]:''' If our situations were reversed, [[WhatAnIdiot I'd see you hang.]]\\
'''Courier:''' [[spoiler: I see. Yes Man, would you please throw the General off of the Hoover Dam?]]
* ThereAreNoTherapists: Thoroughly averted. Standard medical training seems to include psychiatry in the Mojave - Doc Mitchell gives you a mental health examination, the Followers of the Apocalypse help with the mental health of the people they care for (one of their biggest jobs in Freeside is helping addicts), Lt. Markland at Bitter Springs asks you to find psychology textbooks to help him help the refugees, and your character's own medical skill allows some dialogue options in which you diagnose mental trauma or disease. The Auto-Doc in ''Old World Blues'' can also give you a one time psych exam (read: A second chance to pick your traits).
* ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill: One of the ''GRA'' challenges takes this to its logical conclusion. You are tasked with killing twenty non-mutated animals (dogs, coyotes) with ''mini-nukes''. This is the only challenge where killing yourself by mistake is more of a concern than the threat your enemy poses (which is to say, none whatsoever).
* TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon: The Divide acts as this for the {{DLC}}. It's an uninhabitable (even by wasteland standards) stretch of ruin, filled with radiation, windstorms, and scattered nuclear warheads. It's populated by [[DemonicSpiders Deathclaws]], Tunnelers (innumerable subterranean creatures ''that can kill Deathclaws''), and crazed [[BodyHorror skinless]] Marked Men armed with the various military weapons scattered all over the place. And worst of all, [[spoiler:it is home to [=ICBMs=] that are still alive and about to be launched]].
* TitleDrop: Three out of four [=DLCs=] have them.
** The Dead Money Jumpsuit and Dead Money Collar from ''Dead Money.''
** ''Old World Blues'' has a quest of that name, and the jukebox in your room is willing to explain the expression (focusing on the glory lost during the apocalypse, rather than hope for the future).
** The Lonesome Road Perk granted at the end of ''Lonesome Road.''
* TokenGoodTeammate: A good karma Courier can be this if working for the Legion.
* TooAwesomeToUse: The Fatman, which has less than 20 mini nukes to use in the ENTIRE game, at least until GRA came out and added more to purchase and new variants. The three Holy Frag Grenades which are even more powerful than the Fatman can only be obtained in a special encounter. And the Alien Blaster, a ridiculously powerful energy pistol that comes with a limited supply of ammo that you only get once. And any weapon that uses the devastating yet rare .44 magnum rounds.
** [[AvertedTrope With the addition of ammo crafting at sufficiently high levels, you can make your own .44 magnum rounds by breaking down your less useful bullets]]. Not so with the alien energy ammo or the mini nukes, though.
** Turbo. It puts everything around you into BulletTime, causing enemies to move and attack ridiculously slowly while you continue to fight at normal speed, rendering even the Legendary Deathclaw a sitting duck for its duration. Unfortunately, there's only a handful that can be found or bought right off the bat, and to get any more than that you have to learn an extremely rare crafting recipe that requires you to hunt Cazadores (one of the hardest enemies in the game) for ingredients. The only other option is the Implant GRX perk in ''Old World Blues''.
** Nuka-Cola Quartz and Nuka-Cola Victory; they're about as close to Infinity Plus One Food as you can get (The former gives you night vision and a DT boost, the latter gives you extra action points, and neither have a chance of addiction), but there are only a handful of each scattered about. However, the Nuka Chemist perk lets you craft them both using regular Nuka-Cola, which is plentiful.
** The Proton Inversal Throwing Axes in ''Old World Blues''. There are, at best, around thirty total with random spawning on corpses. You're lucky if you find ten. They are the single most-damaging thrown melee weapon in the game, but there's no way to get more.
* TooDumbToLive: There are a lot of people in this game that would earn a [[DarwinAwards Darwin Award]].
** Mister [=RADical=], who found himself a radiation suit and assumed it made him totally immune to radiation because he couldn't "feel" any radiation in a highly radioactive area. Just in case you don't know how radiation works, you ''don't'' feel it, only its after-effects. Radiation poisoning takes time to develop fully, which incidentally it did for Mister Radical, who passed it off as food poisoning. You find the idiot dead near a radioactive dump site, probably either been killed by his radiation poisoning or by the Golden Geckos inhabiting the place (which is itself TooDumbToLive), and according to a log he had on him, he was preparing to drench himself in a fluid that was so horribly radioactive that, had he done so, it would have killed him and turned everything within a hundred feet of him nightmarishly radioactive in seconds.
** Then there's [[ReturnOfTheLivingDead Trash]], a girl who decided that life as a human sucks, so she'd become a ghoul. How? By exposing herself to excessive amounts of radiation, naturally. She lives in a shack on the southern edge of the map, in an old nuclear test site. How she even got there is a mystery considering it's surrounded by tough-as-nails feral ghouls. Of course, the odds of ghoulification are roughly one in one million, but she assumes its a sure thing, and when you reach the shack where she's staying, she's usually dead (she may spawn alive as a bug). Basically, mixing radiation and idiots are a fatal combination, at least for the idiot.
** Freeside Thugs. They're armed with knives and lead pipes, maybe a sledgehammer at best. They aren't even a threat to you when you enter the city, much less later when you're walking along in PoweredArmor with a sniper rifle that can punch a hole in a tank. To wit, they will attack you and your companions despite the fact that said selection can include a robot attack dog and a Nightkin with a {{BFS}}, among other friends who may not look as threatening but are every bit as dangerous. Not to mention the fact that ''the entire freaking city'' is hostile to them on sight.
** Any of a number of female characters in the game who openly support Caesar's Legion. It's not as if it's a secret what they do to women. Though at least one of said characters was lied to.
** At Goodsprings Source you can find a man named [[spoiler: Barton Thorn]] who claims that his girlfriend is nearby just beyond a nest of Geckos. After you get done massacring them for him it turns out that there is no girlfriend, just corpses and a cache of food and supplies. [[spoiler: Thorn]] then approaches, apologizes for tricking you into clearing the way to the cache, and then tries to kill you because [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness you're of no use anymore.]] It is a severe case of [[TooDumbToLive Darwinitis]] on his part since you have not only just survived being shot - point blank - in the head, you have also just killed a bunch of [[http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Gecko_(Fallout:_New_Vegas) Geckos]]. Vicious, speedy, mutated lizards which generally swarm you in packs of 5-8.
* TookALevelInBadass: The Courier takes several levels of badass over the course of the game, both game levels and in-story levels.
** Do you remember those poor Deathclaws in ''{{Fallout 3}}'' and how easily you could slaughter them after a few levels? Try it with a Deathclaw in THIS game and see how that works out for you.
*** Lampshaded in a player dialog response to someone warning you of the problem. [[TooDumbToLive "I'm not afraid of Deathclaws."]]
* TortureAlwaysWorks: An interrogator constrained by NCR regulations asks the player to rough up a captive for her. The man allowed himself to be captured rather than dying because he was confident that he could withstand any torture, a pride he could only take if he believed TortureAlwaysWorks in the first place. Of course, he cracks under sufficient brutality. Averted, however, if you opt for psychology rather than punching.
* ToThePain: The Terrifying Presence perk is pretty much based around this. It causes NPCs to flee for a little while after you make scary threats like "I'll carve myself a knife out of your bones."
* TrainingThePeacefulVillagers: One of the options at the end of the Honest Hearts DLC. [[spoiler: It's Deconstructed; having learned to fight, they're not peaceful anymore, so they spend the next couple decades warring with former allies. However, sparing Salt-Upon-Wounds leads to them being more merciful.]]
* TrialBalloonQuestion: Veronica.
* TribalFacePaint: In the Honest Hearts DLC, one of the two tribes of Zion Canyon, known as the Dead Horses, has a custom where members earn a facial or body tattoo for every major achievement they accomplish.
* TropersDoItWithoutNotability: One of the graffito on the loading screen says, "Powder Gangers do it with a BANG!" [[StuffBlowingUp They ain't lying]].
* TheUnintelligible:
** [[GentleGiant Mean]] [[NonindicativeName Sonofabitch]], on account of having his tongue cut out. Even his voice actor doesn't know what he's saying. One line has him mention "Wesibe" (Westside), and he pronounces it "wes-see-bay".
** Dr. 8 from ''Old World Blues'' can only speak in static and scrambled audio.
* UndefeatableLittleVillage: Goodsprings is one of these, if you decide to help them drive away the Powder Gangers.
* UniversalPoison: Played straight in the main game, as the generic item "antivemom" will cure you instantly, whether it be a simple radscorpion sting or a nasty Cazador attack. Averted in the ''Honest Hearts'' DLC, where the local poisonous plants have their own type of antivenom.
** On the other hand, the effects themselves differ wildly by toxin source.
* VendorTrash: Much of the Misc Item category is this. None are immediately useful like ammo, weapons, apparel, or aid items. Many can be used as crafting items. You can even make your own vendor trash in the form of tanned hides, which makes them much more valuable (especially the tanned golden gecko hide).
** The ''Old World Blues'' DLC does its level best to subvert this. The personality constructs in the Sink can break down completely worthless items and turn them into incredibly useful crafting material. The Book Chute can turn pencils and clipboards into scrap metal and duct tape weighing ''twice'' as much as the materials you recycled, Muggy turns worthless dishes into valuable gun materials, and the Biological Research Station turns plants you don't use into a generic slop which can be converted into the kinds of plants you do. The whole place is a hoarder's wet dream.
* VideoGameCaringPotential: [[spoiler:Benny, the man that shot you in the head and left you for dead in Goodsprings is captured by Caesar's Legion. You can order his brutal death, [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming or you can help him escape his predicament, even after everything he's done to you...]]]]
* VideoGameCrueltyPotential: [[spoiler:...But if you want to kill him, there's always a nice cross you can strap him to. You can also smuggle a pistol into Caesar's tent and shoot him in the head for PoeticJustice, but it takes around 15 shots and he keeps yelling "Damn!" while all the guards become antsy at your having produced a gun.]]
** Those Deathclaws mentioned earlier, and how terrible they are? [[spoiler: They can't figure out how to jump and climb. The quarry you find them in has cranes and conveyer inclines you can climb on, and the deathclaws will literally run around like headless chickens. You will feel terrible killing the babies.]]
** If you'd like to blast at your comrades' kneecaps so they have to limp on broken legs across the Wasteland, sell them to cannibals, sell them to slavers, or bring them along and make them watch as you usher those they hate to new heights of power and influence over the helpless people of the wastes, New Vegas has you covered. There is plenty of opportunity for depravity, if that's your thing...
* VideoGameCrueltyPunishment: ...until you find out exactly what happens if the people of the wasteland decide you're too cruel.
* VillainWithGoodPublicity: The Courier can be one if you decide to work for Caesar's Legion while simultaneously keeping the NCR (and most of the other neutral and good factions) happy and unaware of your plans to stab them in the back when the time comes. In fact, it's probably for the best to play the game this way if you decide to work for Caesar since a good chunk of the quests in this game come from the NCR.
* [[VivaLasVegas Viva New Vegas]]
* TheVoiceless: Christine from the Dead Money DLC, due an Auto-Doc [[HighOctaneNightmareFuel malfunctioning and cutting her vocal chords out.]] [[spoiler: [[IGotBetter She gets better]] near the end, though.]]
** [[spoiler: Not so much voiceless and not so much a malfunction. [[HighOctaneNightmareFuel Which only makes it worse.]] ]]
* VomitIndiscretionShot: A few NCR soldiers on leave in the Strip can display these.
* WalkingTechbane: Dr. 0 of the Think Tank takes pride in his ability to [[ExpospeakGag nullify, deconstruct or otherwise neutralise]] any machine. Extra ironic, considering that he himself is a cyborg. Unsurprisingly, he despises Mr. House.
* WarriorTherapist: The Courier's companions all have baggage that he can help unload.
** Alternately, the Courier may often end up [[IncrediblyLamePun unloading]] [[VendorTrash baggage]] onto them.
* WeaksauceWeakness: The Pulse Gun and 'Paladin Toaster' fist weapon will OneHitKill almost any robots or anyone in power armor. The Securitron robots, while tough and powerful, have a major weakness in the wheels.
** This aspect of the Pulse Gun being a WeaksauceWeakness is used as an attempt by Veronica to attempt to convince the Elder of the folly of the Brotherhood's slowly self-destructive dogma. It doesn't work...
** Cazadores and Deathclaws, the deadliest monsters in the game, can be easily circle-strafed to death after crippling one of their wings/legs, respectively.
* WeirdnessMagnet: The effect of the "Wild Wasteland" trait. Chris Avellone outright used the title of this trope to describe it.
* WelcomeToCorneria: Patrolling the Mojave almost makes you wish for a Nuclear Winter.
** When I got this assignment, I thought there'd be more gambling...
** If you were enlisted, you'd be halfway to General by now.
** Ave, true to Caesar.
** "MURDERER!!!": Shouted by an NPC if you kill another NPC of the same faction nearby. Which in most cases is perfectly appropriate, but in the case of the [[ForTheEvulz Powder Gangers]], it just sounds ironic.
** '''RETRIBUTION!'''
* WhamEpisode: Vault 11. [[PennyArcade The Vaults were never meant to save anyone]], [[{{Tearjerker}} and this is the Vault that proves it...]]
* [[WhatHappenedToTheMouse What Happened To The Abominations]]: Lonesome Road features the Tunnelers, mutated humanoids that can tear apart Deathclaws. Ulysses mentions that they're slowly tunneling their way towards the Mojave, which would be utterly screwed when packs of super-strong abominations pop out of the ground without warning. And yet you can do absolutely nothing about this, and its never mentioned again.
* WhatMeasureIsANonHuman: Aside from the ghoul and mutant companions in game, you also have Victor, [[NinjaPirateRobotZombie a robot who think he's a cowboy.]]
* WhatTheHellHero: You will get a small one from the narrator if you get the Legion ending with good karma, or the NCR ending with evil karma.
** The Great Khans will not shy away to tell the player that you're traveling with a fucking murderer if Boone is your companion.
** [[spoiler: Mr. House]] certainly tries this on you when you kill him, and [[spoiler:the obituary he leaves in your notes]] just rubs it in further. Whether or not [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone you agree]] or [[ShutUpHannibal not]] depends on your personal beliefs, of course.
*** And whether or not you finish reading the obituary [[IsThisThingStillOn to the very end]].
** If you go through the pains and labors of convincing Boone to reconcile with his past only to bail on him at the last second, he will give you one of these.
* WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue: As per the tradition of the original Fallout games, you get an epilogue informing you what happened to all the settlements you visited and the companions that you had depending on your actions. Some are [[EarnYourHappyEnding nice]], some are [[BittersweetEnding bittersweet]], and some are [[DownerEnding just nasty]].
* WhiteHairedPrettyGirl: Ranger Ghost under her hat.
* WhiteMaskOfDoom: The White Gloves Society. Of course this is obviously also [[DressingAsTheEnemy their weakness]].
* WholePlotReference: To ''TheTreasureOfTheSierraMadre'' in ''Dead Money.''
* WickedCultured: Caesar, the Legion's intelligent and charismatic leader. He is a talented anthropologist, linguists, and historian that speaks fluent Latin and knows all about both pre-war and post-war history. In his free time he like to read and debate about political science and philosophy with other educated people. Did we forgot to mention that he is also the founder and leader of a faction of imperialistic slavers that kills the weak, enslaves woman and children, and engages in war crimes?
* WildCard: You. Potentially you could side with the Legion, NCR, Mr. House or with nobody but yourself. The game lampshades this by labeling a specific set of quests "Wild Card."
* WolverinePublicity: The Ranger Combat Armor, which is featured on the cover, title screen, and intro, and can otherwise hardly be found anywhere in-game until near the end. Recent patches, however, have aleviated this somewhat and made it available earlier and more easily.
* TheWorfEffect:
** The Powder Gangers are a major enemy in the area of the Mojave where you start. At Nipton, you learn that they are no match for the Legion.
** In ''Lonesome Road'', the first Tunneler you see kills a deathclaw.
*** Admittedly, with the Living Anatomy perk and a quick hand in V.A.T.S., you can see it only has 35 HP... but it's the thought that counts.
* AWorldHalfFull: Unlike the Capital Wasteland, the Mojave Wasteland has very few abandoned or destroyed buildings in it, with most of them being just outside the New Vegas strip. Even then, most of them are boarded up and inaccessible. Civilization is firmly in control at this point and most peoples' lives don't revolve around struggling to survive. The Mojave feels more like it has returned to the wild west and less like a hopeless irrecoverable hellhole. (Then again, the Wild West is still a wasteland, and even the good endings are going to lead to someone suffering.)
** Though the further away you get from Legion or NCR areas the more violence and despair there really is. Most of Utah is considered a horrible place to live, and Raul even says how before the Legion took over Arizona that the the whole state was overrun by raiders and warring towns.
* WorldOfHam: Old World Blues. By Oppenheimer, Old World Blues.
* WorstAid: Sleeping to cure crippled limbs. Possibly [[AcceptableBreakFromReality for convenience]], since Hardcore Mode disables it.
* WorthlessYellowRocks: Inverted: Bottlecaps, once worthless, are now the currency of the wasteland, so when you find a cache full of them, it's an unexpected good reward.
** The most valuable (currency-wise) item in the game are gold bars from the ''Dead Money'' DLC. However, they weigh 35 pounds and most vendors don't have over 10000 caps on them at a time. On the plus side, if you can manage to drag out the entire set, you could purchase the entire inventories of the Gun Runners and Van Graffs and still have leftover change.
* YesButWhatDoesZataproximetacineDO: Sunset Sarssparilla apparently has a long list of "side effects". You have to ask Festus three times before he'll even tell you them.
* YouAndWhatArmy: [[spoiler: Two of the four endings (Mr. House and Wild Card) play out in this manner.]]
** One of the quests even lampshades it in the title.
* YouBastard: Cass is one of the few who calls the Courier out for consistent enough bastardry to earn bad karma.
* YouHaveFailedMe: The story behind the Burned Man.
* YouHaveResearchedBreathing:
** The Great Khans can teach you how to throw a handful of sand in an opponent's face.
** You need training from the Brotherhood [[spoiler:or the Enclave]] in order to figure out how to wear PowerArmor. The courier is the only character in the game who requires this training.
** Old World Blues requires you to find two holotapes in order to fill a bottle of water from a sink.
* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: [[spoiler: Barton Thorn]] in Goodsprings Source, he should know better. [[spoiler: Logan, a mercenary, tries to pull this off on you after you help him and his crew find a few items at Camp Searchlight. It doesn't go well for them.]]
** Caesar's Legion is ''really'' fond of this trope, to the point that with a high enough Speech skill you can convince some of the Legion's allies to abandon them by pointing out the FridgeLogic of working for someone who's obviously going to kill or enslave you as soon as they win.
** The leadership of the Omertas comes down to those who drug and enslave prostitutes, or those who "only" physically abuse them. Or you can [[TakeAThirdOption wait until they turn their backs after they trust you.]]
** Logan and his group of prospectors. They enlist you to help them acquire some radiation suits and scavenge Camp Searchlight. Once everything of value has been found, they then try to kill you.
** Elijah in ''Dead Money''. Though he leaves the decision of whether your former comrades live or not up to you, he encourages you to kill them once they become of no further use.
* YourHeadAsplode: Often if you always aim for the head. Subverted in one quest where you are instructed to score no headshots on the bounties since their heads are required as a proof. The First Recon squad that are sent to help you kill Driver Nephi seemingly does not listen to this and occasionally headshots him.
** In ''Dead Money'', if you hear a beeping coming from your collar, '''''move it'''''.
* YourMoneyIsNoGoodHere: There are four types of currencies: standard caps, NCR money, Pre-War Money and Caesar's Legion coins. The trope is subverted, however, because everyone, even the Legion, generally pay you in caps because it's the only currency the Mojave actually cares about. Vendors have set exchange rates for the non-standard currencies, but everything is measured in caps.
** Another case of ShownTheirWork. During the American Civil War, the western territories typically disdained paper money, since it was backed by one of three nations that wasn't guaranteed to survive much longer (and indeed, the Confederacy and Mexican governments did not).
** Although the NCR claims they're trying to introduce their currency to supersede the Bottle Cap, [[AdamSmithHatesYourGuts their own damn merchants won't let you use them as tender!]] You learn the reason why later: the Brotherhood of Steel blew up their gold deposits, which not only makes distribution of coinage impossible but also severely devalues their recently-introduced paper currency. Also likely further exacerbated by the fact that the war with the Legion isn't going well, and that the NCR is running out of money and resources.
** Pre-War Money ''should'' be worthless by now, as the United States government [[MythBusters went away]]. It's still in limited use throughout the Mojave; this is probably a mix of value as a collector's item, the fact that it was very hard to counterfeit pre-war and impossible post-war, and the fact that Mr. House - and therefore New Vegas - still accepts it.
*** And it makes good toilet paper...
** Legion money, on the other hand, is actually valued higher than caps because it's made of precious metals. It can also be combined with shotgun shells to form coin shot, which [[BallisticDiscount is a currency accepted ''everywhere''.]]
*** One unit (coin) has more worth than any other currency's base unit but that doesn't make the currency more valuable per se. It suffers from the same "drawback" as NCR$ : you cannot use it directly, only exchange it for caps at a price. Of course, they exchange it freely, meaning you don't lose money exchanging currency.
** In Dead Money, you can't get any caps; instead, you use Sierra Madre chips (for vending machines) and Pre-War Money (for holographic vendors). Justified in that the Sierra Madre runs on old world equipment, and that the chips themselves are [[MatterReplicator actually transmuted by the vending machine]] into the goods that you purchase.
* YourPrincessIsInAnotherCastle: [[spoiler:Well done! You've finally tracked down Benny and recovered the Platinum Chip! Now all that's left is to deliver it to House and...wait, is that an NCR Trooper? Huh? The NCR Ambassador wants to talk to you? Well, ok, but...OhCrap, Vulpes Inculta?! Wait, he's not hostile, but he says ''Caesar'' wants to talk to you. And what's with the Securitron with the goofy face in Benny's suite who seems to want to talk to you...?]]
* {{Zeerust}}: Obviously.
* ZombieApocalypse: [[spoiler:Vault 22: turns out, they were using a fungus that infected vermin and pests and forced it to kill its own before dying, as pest control. Unfortunately, it spread to the human population.]]
** And Vault 34, a vault that, only a short time ago, experienced a critical reactor leak, turning more than half the residents into feral ghouls and promptly killed anyone who wasn't killed by the radiation [[spoiler: or haven't already left to the Nellis Air Force Base]].
** The Ghost People were all residents or guests in the area of the Sierra Madre Casino. [[GoneHorriblyRight It turns out those Hazmat suits worked too well...]]
** The Marked Men are what's left of the Legionaries and Troopers who were stationed in the Divide. [[CameBackWrong They changed.]]
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* GenreShift: ''Dead Money'' strips you of all your equipment and money, and throws you into a hostile, poisonous environment full of deadly gas clouds, enemies that need to be dismembered to be killed, loads of booby traps, untouchable laser-firing holograms that must be outwitted rather than fought, and all with very limited resources. The "limited resources" part especially makes this add-on seem like the game has become a SurvivalHorror title.
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* HandWave: The makers of Dead Money must have wristlash. Any element not flat-out [[AssPull contrived]] was explicitly described as "unknown" or "unexplained" in LoadingScreen tips and in-game materials, although the Old World Blues add-on does explain a few things.
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* HandWave: The makers of Dead Money must have wristlash. Any element not flat-out [[AssPull contrived]] was explicitly described as "unknown" or "unexplained" in LoadingScreen tips and in-game materials, although the Old World Blues add-on does explain a few things. In particular, how the Sierra Madre casino transports people around in it is totally unexplained (teleportation? robot hands popping out of the ceiling? Who knows?)
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* HeyItsThatPlace: Yes, Primm is a real place, and it does have a rollercoaster (attached to the Buffalo Bill hotel -- all three hotels in Primm are much larger, [[RuleOfFun but no one really cares]]), and does have Bonnie and Clyde's death car (not his gun, though, but it does have his jacket, and the car is in a mall attached to the hotels). Hoover Dam, Goodsprings, Black Mountains, Nipton, Nellis Air Force Base, and a few other real-world locations are snuck in as well.
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* HeyItsThatPlace: Yes, Primm is a real place, and it does have a rollercoaster (attached to the Buffalo Bill hotel -- all three hotels in Primm are much larger, [[RuleOfFun but no one really cares]]), and does have Bonnie and Clyde's death car (not his gun, though, but it does have his jacket, and the car is in a mall attached to the hotels). Hoover Dam, Goodsprings, Black Mountains, Nipton, Nellis Air Force Base, and a few lot of other real-world locations are snuck in as well.well (mostly things only native Nevadans would recognize, like camping sites).
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** None of the above. The correct pronunciation is "Ki-sar", rhyming with "sky-car"
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** Honest Hearts has some of MightyWhitey; Both Daniel and Joshua are aware that them leading their respective tribes isn't healthy for anyone involved, but they don't how else to handle it. Daniel's uncertainty is actually hinted as one reason for him [[ItsUpToYou listening to a complete stranger]].
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** Honest Hearts has some of MightyWhitey; Both Daniel and Joshua are aware that them leading their respective tribes isn't healthy for anyone involved, but they don't know how else to handle it. Daniel's uncertainty is actually hinted as one reason for him [[ItsUpToYou listening to a complete stranger]].
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** There are also a surprising amount of references to ''Fallout 3'', both explicitly and thematically:
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** There are also a surprising amount of references to [[{{Fallout3}} ''Fallout 3'', 3'']], both explicitly and thematically:
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** Fans of ''Fallout'' will soon notice the large number of references to towns from [[{{Fallout1}} ''Fallout 1'']] and [[{{Fallout}} ''2'']], such as Modoc or the Hub; understandable, since those took place in northern California, not far from Nevada, which is where this game takes place.
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** Fans of ''Fallout'' will soon notice the large number of references to towns from [[{{Fallout1}} ''Fallout 1'']] and [[{{Fallout}} [[{{Fallout2}} ''2'']], such as Modoc or the Hub; understandable, since those took place in northern California, not far from Nevada, which is where this game takes place.
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*** Not just that, but the Chosen One him/herself is repeatedly referenced.
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*** Not just that, but the [[{{Fallout2}} Chosen One One]] him/herself is repeatedly referenced.
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** Fans of ''Fallout'' will soon notice the large number of references to towns from ''Fallout 1'' and ''2'', such as Modoc or the Hub; understandable, since those took place in northern California, not far from Nevada, which is where this game takes place.
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** Fans of ''Fallout'' will soon notice the large number of references to towns from [[{{Fallout1}} ''Fallout 1'' 1'']] and ''2'', [[{{Fallout}} ''2'']], such as Modoc or the Hub; understandable, since those took place in northern California, not far from Nevada, which is where this game takes place.
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** To elaborate; the core conflict is NCR and the Legion both fighting for control of the Dam and New Vegas. Beyond this basic plot, [[spoiler: House has an army of robots waiting to swoop in and steal the land literally right from under the Legion. The NCR and Legion both know this, and potentially have him assassinated. On top of that, Benny is planning to take over New Vegas by overthrowing House, as are the Omertas, except they plan on allying with the Legion first. You, the Courier, can at the same time also be planning to take over New Vegas by overthrowing House and stealing his army with the help of Yes Man, while either aiding or foiling the Omertas. Then the DLC just adds more gambits; Father Elijah of ''Dead Money'' manipulates the Think Tank, Courier, Dean Domino, and Dog/God into helping him obtain experimental pre-war technology in his attempt to conquer the Mojave by [[KillEmAll killing most of post-apocalyptic America's remaining population]], and can potentially succeed in bringing what's left of the world under his control (though unlike other options, this gives a NonStandardGameOver). The Think Tank of ''Old World Blues'' manipulates the Courier and Mobius in hopes that they'll be able to break out of Big MT and cause trouble in the Mojave. And on top of all of this, Ulysses from ''Lonesome Road'' is planning on nuking both the Legion ''and'' the NCR while leaving the Mojave to die.]] That's about nine gambits, all trying to top one another. You decide which one (or combination of them) comes out on top.
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* NintendoHard: The game gives you the option of ''Hardcore Mode'', which simulates the post-apocalyptic experience. What does this mean? You have to [[ThisIsReality eat, drink, and sleep regularly to survive]]. Ammo has weight. Stimpacks heal over time instead of instantly. They also can't heal limbs any more; you need a doctor's bag or and actual doctor for that.
** It's not nearly as difficult as the game itself makes it out to be. You can steal enough water and food from the first town to survive all the way to Vegas, especially if you ignore most of the side quests in favor of getting a permanent room at the Lucky 38. Water is basically unnecessary once you have a free tap in the hotel, so you only have to carry a trivial amount of bottles. Food is still a problem, but that is terribly cheap. The Survival skill both allows you make food at a fire AND actually makes some food even better than stimpacks for healing, not to mention that they'll erase your hunger in a single sitting. Also, with the exception of missiles and grenades, carrying enough ammo for an entire army is likely going to be about a tenth of your carrying capacity.
** It's a issue that many people fail to differentiate between "Hardcore" mode (which is referring to the level of role-playing involved using that mode) and the actual difficulty setting, despite the two very specifically being different options.
** If you pre-ordered from Gamestop, you got the Vault 13 canteen, which is basically a bottomless water bottle that you swig from at regular intervals, reducing dehydration and restoring a little hp, making this mode a bit easier. However, you can't use it manually, so you'd best take a bottle or two along, just in case you fast travel and reach your destination thirsty.
** Hardcore mode is rather poorly named, considering you can have it turned on and have the difficulty still set to Easy, making it more like [[SarcasmMode "Annoyance Mode."]]
** Then there's the DLC ''Dead Money'', which was apparently written by a KillerGameMaster: You lose all your gear at start. There's toxic gas clouds all over. The puzzles are a tad harder. There are traps ''everywhere''. The whole thing is in a dark, terrible tint that will make you want to punch the screen. Also helps with not seeing the freakin' bear traps. [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment Which are everywhere]]. And to top it off, there are speakers and radios which set off your explosive collar; SaveScumming is the way to find and deactivate (or outrun) them. [[SchmuckBait At least you're warned.]]
** Whereas ''Dead Money'' was Nintendo Hard in terms of dungeon exploration, ''Old World Blues'' is Nintendo Hard in terms of straight out combat. At high levels, ''every single normal enemy'' is tough enough that they'd be considered a major boss character in the vanilla game. And you'll often have to fight several at once.
** It's not nearly as difficult as the game itself makes it out to be. You can steal enough water and food from the first town to survive all the way to Vegas, especially if you ignore most of the side quests in favor of getting a permanent room at the Lucky 38. Water is basically unnecessary once you have a free tap in the hotel, so you only have to carry a trivial amount of bottles. Food is still a problem, but that is terribly cheap. The Survival skill both allows you make food at a fire AND actually makes some food even better than stimpacks for healing, not to mention that they'll erase your hunger in a single sitting. Also, with the exception of missiles and grenades, carrying enough ammo for an entire army is likely going to be about a tenth of your carrying capacity.
** It's a issue that many people fail to differentiate between "Hardcore" mode (which is referring to the level of role-playing involved using that mode) and the actual difficulty setting, despite the two very specifically being different options.
** If you pre-ordered from Gamestop, you got the Vault 13 canteen, which is basically a bottomless water bottle that you swig from at regular intervals, reducing dehydration and restoring a little hp, making this mode a bit easier. However, you can't use it manually, so you'd best take a bottle or two along, just in case you fast travel and reach your destination thirsty.
** Hardcore mode is rather poorly named, considering you can have it turned on and have the difficulty still set to Easy, making it more like [[SarcasmMode "Annoyance Mode."]]
** Then there's the DLC ''Dead Money'', which was apparently written by a KillerGameMaster: You lose all your gear at start. There's toxic gas clouds all over. The puzzles are a tad harder. There are traps ''everywhere''. The whole thing is in a dark, terrible tint that will make you want to punch the screen. Also helps with not seeing the freakin' bear traps. [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment Which are everywhere]]. And to top it off, there are speakers and radios which set off your explosive collar; SaveScumming is the way to find and deactivate (or outrun) them. [[SchmuckBait At least you're warned.]]
** Whereas ''Dead Money'' was Nintendo Hard in terms of dungeon exploration, ''Old World Blues'' is Nintendo Hard in terms of straight out combat. At high levels, ''every single normal enemy'' is tough enough that they'd be considered a major boss character in the vanilla game. And you'll often have to fight several at once.
to:
* NintendoHard: The game gives you the option of ''Hardcore Mode'', which simulates the post-apocalyptic experience. What does this mean? You have to [[ThisIsReality eat, drink, and sleep regularly to survive]]. Ammo has weight. Stimpacks heal over time instead of instantly. They also can't heal limbs any more; you need a doctor's bag or and actual doctor for that.
** It's not nearly as difficult as the game itself makes it out to be. You can stealthat. That said, doing this is at best a minor annoyance for a decent player: there is more than enough water food, water, and food from the first town beds to survive all the way to Vegas, especially if you ignore most of the side quests in favor of getting a permanent room at the Lucky 38. Water is basically unnecessary once you have a free tap in the hotel, so you cover your needs. The only have to carry a trivial amount of bottles. Food thing in short supply is still a problem, but that is terribly cheap. The Survival skill both allows you make food at a fire AND actually makes some food even better than stimpacks for healing, not to mention that they'll erase your hunger in a single sitting. Also, with the exception of missiles and grenades, carrying enough ammo for an entire army is likely going to doctor's bags, which can be about a tenth of your carrying capacity.
** It's a issue that many people fail to differentiate between "Hardcore" mode (which is referring to the level of role-playing involved using that mode) and thesupplemented cheaply by actual difficulty setting, despite the two very specifically being different options.
** If you pre-ordered from Gamestop, you got the Vault 13 canteen, which is basically a bottomless water bottle that you swig from at regular intervals, reducing dehydration and restoring a little hp, making this mode a bit easier. However, you can't use it manually, so you'd best take a bottle or two along, just in case you fast travel and reach your destination thirsty.
** Hardcore mode is rather poorly named, considering you can have it turned on and have the difficulty still set to Easy, making it more like [[SarcasmMode "Annoyance Mode."]]
doctors.
** Then there's the DLC ''Dead Money'', which was apparently written by a KillerGameMaster: You lose all your gear atstart. start and are given low-condition, barely protective junk in return. There's toxic gas clouds all over.over causing a constant HP drain. The puzzles are a tad harder. There are traps ''everywhere''. The good supplies are hard to come by at first. The Ghost People within can't just be beaten to death without a huge health drain (because they level with you). The whole thing is in a dark, terrible tint that will make you want to punch the screen. Also It also helps with not seeing the freakin' bear traps. [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment Which are everywhere]]. And to top it off, there are speakers and radios which set off your explosive collar; SaveScumming is the way to find and deactivate (or outrun) them. [[SchmuckBait At least you're warned.]]
** Whereas ''Dead Money'' was Nintendo Hard in terms of dungeon exploration,''Old World Blues'' all the DLC is Nintendo Hard in terms of straight out straight-out combat. At All the enemies level with you, which actually makes being at high levels, levels a ''disadvantage'', since ''every single normal enemy'' is tough enough that they'd be considered a major boss character in the vanilla game. And you'll often have to fight several at once. This is especially bad in ''Dead Money'', though, because you don't get your high damage weapons and the Ghost People don't take extra damage from headshots.
** It's not nearly as difficult as the game itself makes it out to be. You can steal
** It's a issue that many people fail to differentiate between "Hardcore" mode (which is referring to the level of role-playing involved using that mode) and the
** If you pre-ordered from Gamestop, you got the Vault 13 canteen, which is basically a bottomless water bottle that you swig from at regular intervals, reducing dehydration and restoring a little hp, making this mode a bit easier. However, you can't use it manually, so you'd best take a bottle or two along, just in case you fast travel and reach your destination thirsty.
** Hardcore mode is rather poorly named, considering you can have it turned on and have the difficulty still set to Easy, making it more like [[SarcasmMode "Annoyance Mode."]]
** Then there's the DLC ''Dead Money'', which was apparently written by a KillerGameMaster: You lose all your gear at
** Whereas ''Dead Money'' was Nintendo Hard in terms of dungeon exploration,
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** Honest Hearts also plays this straight- despite your ability to side with the Legion in the main game, you can't side with the White Legs in Zion, who are attempting to join the Legion. There are numerous potential Justifications/Hand Waves available, but none are brought up.
** WordOfGod also alluded to this concerning Joshua Graham- His FalloutVanBuren counterpart, The Hanged Man, was a TokenEvilTeammate played quite straight, with great stats, but severe social consequences for bringing him along. For his appearance in Honest Hearts, this was deemed too bland a character, and wouldn't be interesting. Considering how conflicted he is when you meet him, this was clearly the correct move.
** WordOfGod also alluded to this concerning Joshua Graham- His FalloutVanBuren counterpart, The Hanged Man, was a TokenEvilTeammate played quite straight, with great stats, but severe social consequences for bringing him along. For his appearance in Honest Hearts, this was deemed too bland a character, and wouldn't be interesting. Considering how conflicted he is when you meet him, this was clearly the correct move.
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** Honest Hearts ''Honest Hearts'' also plays this straight- despite straight--despite your ability to side with the Legion in the main game, you can't side with the White Legs in Zion, who are attempting to join the Legion. There are numerous potential Justifications/Hand Waves available, but none are brought up.
** WordOfGod also alluded to this concerning JoshuaGraham- His Graham--his FalloutVanBuren counterpart, The Hanged Man, was a TokenEvilTeammate played quite straight, with great stats, but severe social consequences for bringing him along. For his appearance in Honest Hearts, ''Honest Hearts'', this was deemed too bland a character, and wouldn't be interesting. Considering how conflicted he is when you meet him, this was clearly the correct move.
** WordOfGod also alluded to this concerning Joshua
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** His securitron friend Jane is based on Jane Russell
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** His securitron friend Jane is based on Jane RussellRussell.
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* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism: Idealistic, but less so than previous Fallout games. On the grand scale, civilization is mostly rebuilt. However, the two largest nations are the corrupt and inefficient if progressive New California Republic and the brutal and repressive, yet efficient, Caesar's Legion. Within the city, the Kings and Followers of the Apocalypse are working to help Freeside, while all those with real power are ignoring or exploiting the horrific conditions. The Brotherhood of Steel, players in every Fallout game thus far, are finally dying out as a result of their Xenophobia, a stark contrast to the stretched-but-altruistic Brother of Fallout 3.
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* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism: Idealistic, but less so than previous Fallout games. On the grand scale, civilization is mostly rebuilt. However, the two largest nations are the corrupt and inefficient if progressive New California Republic and the brutal and repressive, yet efficient, Caesar's Legion. Within the city, the Kings and Followers of the Apocalypse are working to help Freeside, while all those with real power are ignoring or exploiting the horrific conditions. The Brotherhood of Steel, players present in every Fallout game thus far, are finally dying out as a result of their Xenophobia, xenophobia, a stark contrast to the stretched-but-altruistic Brother Brotherhood of Fallout 3.
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*** [[spoiler: Or not, as indicated by a NonStandardGameOver in ''Dead Money''.]]
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* RapidFireFisticuffs: The Greased Lightning power fist from the ''Gun Runners' Arsenal'' DLC has a ridiculous attack rate at the cost of reduced damage. With the right perks, you can hit roughly three times ''per second''.
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*** The ''Gun Runner's Arsenal'' pack adds in two more: a (not-so-custom) custom Fat Man and Esther, a unique Fat Man. Both of which are the only Fat Man models that can fire the new sub-types of mini-nukes added in the pack. Of course, the ammo is sold in small bundles and relatively pricey.
**** Esther also comes with a blast shield that boosts your armor and rad resistance while equipped, to help with the Fat Man's tendency to blow up its wielder.
**** Esther also comes with a blast shield that boosts your armor and rad resistance while equipped, to help with the Fat Man's tendency to blow up its wielder.
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*** The ''Gun Runner's Arsenal'' pack adds in two more: a (not-so-custom) custom Fat Man and Esther, a unique Fat Man. Both of which are the only Fat Man models that can fire the new sub-types of mini-nukes added in the pack. Of course, the ammo is sold in small bundles and relatively pricey.
****pricey. Esther also comes with a blast shield that boosts your armor and rad resistance while equipped, to help with the Fat Man's tendency to blow up its wielder.
****
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** In ''Old World Blues'', the Think Tank explain that the Courier is able to move, think, and act conscously without a brain because "Tesla coils" were inserted into his skull. Trying to further question this just exasperates them.
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** In Played for laughs in ''Old World Blues'', Blues'': the Think Tank explain that the Courier is able to move, think, and act conscously consciously without a brain because "Tesla "tesla coils" were inserted into his his/her skull. Trying to further question this the line of questioning just exasperates them.
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**** That and the fact that it is far from impossible to hit the level cap, it just takes a bit longer.
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** For Vault 34 though this is the case of the inherent flaw (there are just too many guns around), and even when the Overseer has no interest with the vault experiments, not much can be done.
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** For Vault 34 though this is the case of the inherent flaw (there are were just too many guns around), around and the vault was overpopulated), and even when the Overseer has no interest with in the vault experiments, not much can could be done.done. The game was rigged from the start.
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**** The vault was overpopulated. Which is also exactly why the residents wanted guns to defend themselves. The game was rigged from the start.
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*** Strangely, the Assault Carbine and the Service Rifle/Marksman Carbine don't use the same ammo.
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**** That and the fact that it is far from impossible to hit the level cap, it just takes a bit longer.
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** In ''Old World Blues'', the Think Tank explain that the Courier is able to move, think, and act conscously without a brain because "Tesla coils" were inserted into his skull. Trying to further question this just exasperates them.
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If You Know What I Mean cleanup
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** Hinted to cyberdogs in heat and measures taken to sterilize the place after the dogs [[IfYouKnowWhatIMean had their mating seasonn]]
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** Hinted to cyberdogs in heat and measures taken to sterilize the place after the dogs [[IfYouKnowWhatIMean had their mating seasonn]]season.
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** Hinted to cyberdogs in heat and measures taken to sterilize the place after the dogs [[IfYouKnowWhatIMean had their mating seasonn]]
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** Caesar's Legion is an interesting example in that they're fleshed out, their leader is given an understandable motive, and you're allowed to join their side. However, they still match all the criteria of the trope: they're impossible to negotiate with in the long term (as a local mob boss puts it, "Caesar has no allies, only slaves"), they're hostile towards any other independent civilization, and the [[DefectorFromDecadence defection rate]] among Legionaries is virtually zero due to the ruthless nature of their society. In the end they're a rare example of making an AlwaysChaoticEvil faction without turning them into GoddamnOrks.
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** Caesar's Legion is an interesting example in that they're fleshed out, their leader is given an understandable motive, and you're allowed to join their side. However, they still match all the criteria of the trope: they're impossible to negotiate with in the long term (as a local mob boss puts it, "Caesar has no allies, only slaves"), they're hostile towards any other independent civilization, and the [[DefectorFromDecadence defection rate]] among Legionaries is virtually zero due to the ruthless nature of their society. In the end they're a rare example of making an AlwaysChaoticEvil faction without turning them into GoddamnOrks.
TheUsualAdversaries.
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** To illustrate just how prevalent this trope is, the exact number of characters who cannot die throughout the entire game and all of its DLC is one, Yes Man, and even he can be killed, though he just respawns later. This is justified by his status as an AI that can apparently jump from Securitron to Securitron. This is so that no matter how much of the game you screw up or how many characters you kill, you can always end the game with the Wild Card ending.
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** To illustrate just how prevalent this trope is, the exact number of characters who cannot die throughout the entire game and all of its DLC DLC(excluding children) is two. Yes Man is one, Yes Man, and even he can be killed, though he just respawns later. This is justified by his status as an AI that can apparently jump from Securitron to Securitron. This is so that no matter how much of the game you screw up or how many characters you kill, you can always end the game with the Wild Card ending.ending.
** The other is a Vendortron used by the Gun Runners. It's flagged as essential, but in-game it's a perfectly ordinary Protectron-type robot. A perfectly ordinary robot around which an indestructible, impenetrable security kiosk has been built to discourage theft.
** The other is a Vendortron used by the Gun Runners. It's flagged as essential, but in-game it's a perfectly ordinary Protectron-type robot. A perfectly ordinary robot around which an indestructible, impenetrable security kiosk has been built to discourage theft.
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The third add-on, ''Old World Blues'' was released for all platforms (but not on all continents) on July 19, 2011. The Courier gets kidnapped to the mysterious Big Mt. Research and Development Center, known throughout the wasteland as the "Big Empty" by its mysterious caretakers, the Think Tanks, a group of pre-war {{Mad Scientist}}s. They need The Courier's help in dealing with Mobius, a rogue scientist along with the several experiments of theirs that have gone amuck. At the same time, The Courier must also recover their brain, heart and spine (which have been surgically removed). A former companion from ''Dead Money,'' Christine, along with the mysterious Ulysses have brief audio cameos.
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The third add-on, ''Old World Blues'' was released for all platforms (but ([[NoExportForYou but not on all continents) continents]]) on July 19, 2011. The Courier gets kidnapped to the mysterious Big Mt. Research and Development Center, known throughout the wasteland as the "Big Empty" by its mysterious caretakers, the Think Tanks, a group of pre-war {{Mad Scientist}}s. They need The Courier's help in dealing with Mobius, a rogue scientist along with the several experiments of theirs that have gone amuck. At the same time, The Courier must also recover their brain, heart and spine (which have been surgically removed). A former companion from ''Dead Money,'' Christine, along with the mysterious Ulysses have brief audio cameos.
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The Mojave Wasteland is an okay place to live. It doesn't have as many problems as most places do, what with it being relatively radiation-free with lots of creature comforts. There's a bit of a gambling problem, but that's fine. Stimulates the economy, hey? And then there's Mr. House, a businessman with a lucky streak, who's got the Lucky 38 casino under his thumb, along with New Vegas, a city with lights shining bright like the blue moonlight, thanks to the power from the Hoover Dam. Well, Caesar's Legion ''is'' a bit annoying, what with their rampant slavery and near-insane following of what they know of ancient Rome; and the extremely persistent New California Republic isn't much better, with their obvious intentions of making the technologically gifted New Vegas part of their nation, whether through political means or forceful annexation.
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[[RunningGag The Mojave Wasteland is an okay place to live. live.]] It doesn't have as many problems as most places do, what with it being relatively radiation-free with lots of creature comforts. There's a bit of a gambling problem, but that's fine. Stimulates the economy, hey? And then there's Mr. House, a businessman with a lucky streak, who's got the Lucky 38 casino under his thumb, along with New Vegas, a city with lights shining bright like the blue moonlight, thanks to the power from the Hoover Dam. Well, Caesar's Legion ''is'' a bit annoying, what with their rampant slavery and near-insane following of what they know of ancient Rome; and the extremely persistent New California Republic isn't much better, with their obvious intentions of making the technologically gifted New Vegas part of their nation, whether through political means or forceful annexation.
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While Browning designed the M1911, it is a gun made by Colt.
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** The ".45 Auto Pistol" in ''Honest Hearts'' is the Browning [=M1911=].
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** The ".45 Auto Pistol" in ''Honest Hearts'' is the Browning Colt [=M1911=].
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** Technically, you CAN get the Legion ending if you have him as a companion... As long as you only kill legionaries ''before'' entering the Tops casino and getting the Mark of Caesar. As to this, it is perfectly possible to get him as a companion, complete his companion quest (which itself involves killing legionaries and is obtained similarily) and then dump him afterward to support Caesar right after getting the Mark from Vulpes. Boone has specific legion endings programmed into the game for a reason.
