Fallout : New Vegas FAQ Production and release details . General . What is " Fallout : New Vegas " ? " " is a futuristic post - apocalyptic RPG set in an alternate universe based on 50s sci - fi pulp fiction , as if the world had stopped during the optimistic 50s and found itself in a dystopian post - apocalyptic reality . It makes use of the gameplay style of Bethesda Softworks ' " Fallout 3 " , however , with a brand new story and setting . Is it Fallout 4 ? No , " Fallout 4 " is a separate game developed by Bethesda Game Studios itself . For more information about " Fallout 4 " , see the Fallout 4 FAQ . Is it an MMORPG ? It is a Single - Player only game , like previous " Fallout " games . However , Interplay licensed the rights to a " Fallout " MMORPG from Bethesda in 2007 simply called Fallout Online . Bethesda recently moved to rescind the " Fallout " MMORPG license , claiming that Interplay is in breach of the licensing agreement . Interplay disputes these claims . For more details , see : Fallout Online FAQ . Is it some kind of add - on ? No , unlike the add - on packs , it is a standalone game . Does it feature exclusive add - ons / DLC , like " Fallout 3 " ? Yes . Its first add - on , " Dead Money " was released on the 21st of December , 2010 for the Xbox 360 and on the 22nd of February , 2011 for PS3 and PC . The second add - on , " Honest Hearts " , was released on Xbox 360 and GfWL on the 17th of May , 2011 . Its third add - on , " Old World Blues " , was released simultaneously on all platforms on the 19th of July , 2011 . The fourth and final add - on , " Lonesome Road " , was originally supposed to be released in late August , but was delayed and was released on the 20th September , 2011 for all platforms . Does it use the " Fallout 3 " engine ? Yes . Who made and published " Fallout : New Vegas " ? " " was developed by Obsidian Entertainment and published by Bethesda Softworks . What is " Fallout : New Vegas " rated ? It is rated M ( Mature ) by the ESRB in the United States , 18 in the UK & New Zealand , and MA 15 + in Australia . Release date ( s ) . When was it released ? October 19 , 2010 ( US ) October 22 , 2010 ( EU ) Platforms . What platforms is it released for ? Like " Fallout 3 " , the game is released for the PC , Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 . Does it require Windows 7 ? " Fallout : New Vegas " works on PCs running Windows XP and up , including Windows 7 , 8 , 8 . 1 , and 10 . What DRM does it use ? " Fallout : New Vegas " uses Valve ' s Steamworks for its PC Digital Rights Management ( DRM ) . Development team . Was it made by people who made previous " Fallouts " ? Yes , it was developed by Obsidian Entertainment , which was founded by some of the people who worked on " Fallout " , " Fallout 2 " and " Van Buren " at Interplay / Black Isle Studios . Who is on the team ? J . E . Sawyer , who previously worked on " Van Buren " , is the project director and lead designer . Chris Avellone , who worked on " Fallout 2 " , " Van Buren " and wrote the " Fallout Bible " is a senior designer . For the full list of known developers see : . Other people at Obsidian who worked on previous " Fallout " games include Feargus Urquhart , Chris Jones , Chris Parker and Darren Monahan . At least some of them are likely to be on the " New Vegas " team . Gameplay . SPECIAL . Is the SPECIAL character system used in the game ? Yes , the SPECIAL character system is used in the game . How does character creation look ? The first part of the game is part character creation , and part role - playing . It starts with your character being found almost dead by and Doctor Mitchell , and you pick your stats , skills , etc . through psychological tests . What are the main stats ? The main statistics are the same , since otherwise it couldn ' t be named SPECIAL ( Strength , Perception , Endurance , Charisma , Intelligence , Agility , Luck ) . You have 40 character points to divide among your stats ( all 7 stats start at 5 and you have 5 more points to distribute ) . They can ' t be lower than 1 nor higher than 10 . What are the skills in " Fallout : New Vegas " ? Some of the skills in " Fallout 3 " , like Explosives and Medicine return , while the classic Small Guns and Big Guns have been merged into the Guns skill from " Van Buren " . Melee Weapons has been renamed to Melee , and a skill called Survival has been added as a parallel to the Outdoorsman skill from " Fallout " , " Fallout 2 " , and " Fallout Tactics " . What about perks ? Perks are gained every two levels . For a list of the known perks , see . How about traits ? Yes . During character creation , you have the option to select zero , one , or two traits . Traits include some of the classics and new ones ( such as Four Eyes ) . Is there a level limit ? Yes there is . The level limit has been capped at 30 . But add - ons brought this up to 50 ; 5 levels for each add - on makes for a final level cap of 50 . Does your character in " Fallout 3 " carry over ? No . New Vegas shares no save data with " Fallout 3 " and vice versa . Gameplay . Gameplay works like " Fallout 3 ' s " gameplay on the occasion of slight differences . Combat . Is the combat turn - based or real - time ? Unlike " Fallout " and " Fallout 2 " , which were turn - based , and like " Fallout 3 " , " New Vegas " uses a real time with pause system . There are two combat modes ; real - time first - or third - person combat and V . A . T . S . ( Vault - Tec Assisted Targeting System ) . Real - time combat takes into account factors such as weapon condition and a character ' s skill level in that weapon category , but accuracy depends greatly on the player ' s skill in aiming the targeting reticule . The V . A . T . S . mode uses AP ( Action Points ) , of which a character has a limited supply , depending on a number of factors , and weapons require different quantities of AP per use in V . A . T . S . mode . There are two phases in V . A . T . S . mode ; targeting and execution . In the targeting phase , time freezes and the player can choose which enemy to target , then which body part to target ( except in the case of melee or unarmed attacks ) , with all targets displaying a percentage ' chance to hit ' based solely on the weapon ' s attributes and the character ' s skill level , while the impact of a player ' s skill is seen only in the assessment of tactical options , i . e . which enemy or body part to target . Players can target as many different enemies and / or body parts as they wish , as long as there are sufficient AP . Once the player commits to a choice of targets , the execution phase begins . In slow motion cinematic mode the player witnesses the results of their choices in the targeting phase . During this phase enemies may continue to move and attack , though in slow motion , so they may avoid attacks by moving behind an obstruction or attack the character . Although successful attacks on the character during this phase do considerably less damage than usual , it ' s possible to sustain a crippling injury that will have a detrimental effect on subsequent attacks in the execution queue . When all the actions the player chose in the targeting phase have been executed , time returns to normal , and any AP spent begins to regenerate . What is V . A . T . S . ? The Vault - Tec Assisted Targeting System , or V . A . T . S . is the active pause system . While using V . A . T . S . , the otherwise real - time combat is paused . Various actions cost Action Points , and both the player and enemies can target specific body areas for attacks , inflicting specific injuries . What are the available weapons and armors ? For a list of known " Fallout : New Vegas " weapons and armors , see : Other gameplay questions . Is there a multiplayer mode ? There is no multiplayer mode , like in " Fallout " , " Fallout 2 " and " Fallout 3 " . Is first or third perspective used ? Like " Fallout 3 " , it allows you to use both first and third - person perspective . It was also stated during a video interview that it is now possible to aim firearms properly while in third person ( which wasn ' t entirely possible in " Fallout 3 " , especially for near targets ) . Are there any changes to gameplay mechanics ? There are some minor changes , rebalancing weapon stats and the reintroduction of Damage Threshold . The biggest change is the inclusion of a hardcore mode . What is the hardcore mode ? Aside from the normal gameplay mode , which is similar to how " Fallout 3 " is played , the game includes an optional " hardcore mode " , in which the character needs to drink water , eat food , sleep , to survive , and where stimpaks no longer heal instantly or heal limbs , and ammunition has weight . Hardcore mode has no impact on damage dealt or received . Are there any houses you live in ? Several houses are available for player use , including a penthouse suite in the Lucky 38 casino . Are there any collectibles , like Vault - tec bobbleheads ? Yes , Snowglobes can be collected for profit as well as Sunset Sarsaparilla star bottle cap . Collectibles don ' t seem to provide stat increases like the bobbleheads of " Fallout 3 " however . Story . Setting . When is " Fallout : New Vegas " set ? How long after the previous games ? The game is set in 2281 , exactly 204 years after the Great War , 120 years after the start of " Fallout " , 40 years after " Fallout 2 " and 4 years after " Fallout 3 " . What is the main quest ? Your player character is a courier who was meant to deliver a certain package . However , the protagonist is attacked and left for dead in the desert , and then saved by a robot named and Doctor Mitchell . The courier must now discover who the attackers were and what was in the package they wanted . Where is the game set ? " " is set in the Mojave Desert , mainly in the city of New Vegas and its surroundings . Does the story continue the plot of the previous games ? It is not a direct continuation of any of the previous games , but there will be references to the events of all three previous " Fallout " RPGs . Can I continue playing after finishing the main quest ? No , the game will end after you complete the main quest like in " Fallout " and " Fallout 3 " without the " Broken Steel " add - on . There will be a message that appears before you " pass the point of no return " , so you can consider going back if you wish to continue playing . It should be noted that as of a recent update to all three platforms , the game makes a new save before you start a game - ending quest , using a unique SYS save slot . Canon . Is " Fallout : New Vegas " canon ? Yes , there is no reason for it not to be treated as a canon part of the series . Is Van Buren treated as canon ? While " Van Buren " , the canceled " Fallout 3 " by Black Isle Studios is not treated as fully canon , " Fallout : New Vegas " reused many of its ideas , like Caesar ' s Legion or the Powder Gangs , which was incorporated into the canon as such . Super mutants . Are super mutants in " Fallout : New Vegas " ? s do indeed appear in " " . They look different from the ones in " Fallout " and " Fallout 2 " . Are they from the East Coast ? While the super mutants in " Fallout : New Vegas " do indeed look more similar to the ones in " Fallout 3 " than the ones in previous games , they are meant to be Mariposa super mutant s , not their East Coast counterparts . The models have been reskinned and partially remodeled to more closely resemble Mariposa super mutant s . Ghouls . Do ghouls appear in " Fallout : New Vegas " ? Yes , ghoul s are definitely in " Fallout : New Vegas " . What factions appear in the game ? The main factions are the New California Republic , Caesar ' s Legion and the New Vegas locals . Other , minor factions include the Powder Gangers , Crimson Caravan , and the Brotherhood of Steel . Brotherhood of Steel . Is the Brotherhood of Steel in " Fallout : New Vegas " ? Yes , although it is not one of the main factions . While it plays a minor role , as in " Fallout 2 " , the player is at least required to make contact with the Brotherhood ( however briefly ) as part of any of the main quest paths . Additionally , one of the non - player character companions is a Brotherhood scribe . The Enclave . Does the Enclave appear in " Fallout : New Vegas " ? An Enclave eyebot named ED - E appears in the game as a companion , and a few ex - Enclave survivors from Navarro also exist as a minor faction which may be recruited to the player ' s cause . However , it is possible to complete the main plot without encountering the Enclave at all . Creatures . What creatures from previous games reappear ? The iconic two - headed Brahmin , as well as ghouls , super mutants , mirelurk kings ( as lakelurk s ) , deathclaws , radscorpions , mantises , and " Fallout 2 " ' s Geckos all appear in " Fallout : New Vegas " . What new creatures are going to appear in the game ? New creatures include the bighorner , cazador , and night stalker . Characters . Do any characters from previous games return ? None of the characters from " Fallout 3 " return ; some characters obliquely refer to the occurrences " back east . " Marcus , the friendly super mutant from " Fallout 2 " , makes an appearance in " Fallout : New Vegas " .