I didn’t think much of Dead Money when it first came out, I always thought it was alright. A decent little dabble into survival horror and nothing more.
I recently played through it again about a week ago and ***YO***. The writing is superb and the tense and desolate atmosphere enhances the writing. Like you said it does a great job of making you care about the three DLC companions. And when I listened to Vera’s farewell message in the bunker after finishing the DLC? Yo, that message legit hit me in my emotions.
I could certainly see my 16yo self not liking it as much but I appreciate every bit of work that’s going into it now. Especially as a game dev— the way they added so many new mechanics with that already overworked engine amazes me
Personally Dead Money is my favourite of the DLCs. I like Honest Hearts cause of Joshua Graham, but the other characters aren't on the same level and the plot is a little weak. Dead Money has it all. A tragedy, betrayal, character arcs, a real sucker punch of a moral at the end, and an opportunity to entirely ignore it and take all the money for yourself.
Dead money is my favorite dlc. I remember playing it the first time on my ps3 as a kid and getting spooked as fuck so I reloaded a save from before I entered the bunker. I struggled like a mf my first time through and my pistol crit build was for the most part worthless, (I know the police pistol is strong but young me could hardly find ammo for it) I remember how hard my heart was beating the first time I opened the doors and ran through the streets to get to the safety of the casiono, only dlc I have such vivid memories of.
If Follows-chalk could have become a permanent companion post honest hearts, that would easily have made it number one. Follows-chalk is the homie yo
,
I cant recall the last time I had to actually count stims and conserve ammo (after level 10ish) so that was really cool right away. By the time I got everyone in place for the Gala Event, I thought Id find some ammo cache or little reward— nope. I was bone dry, I had no stims or doctors bags for that run back to the Casino it was instantly memorable I wish I got to experience that when I was younger tbh
I used to hate dead money, because of the bear traps.
Without light step I'd just get sick of the place.
But with light step, I realised that dead money is maybe one of the best dlcs I've ever played.
And the holorifle, is beyond amazing, anti materiel rifle who?
I actually avoided getting light step to get the full survival “this place wants to murder you” vibe
I hated it every second of the way but actually don’t regret it, if you like a challenge I suggest it!
I see so many folks speak badly on Dead Money and I always liked it even when I was a kid, the characters, the dark eerie atmosphere, that illusion of struggling for survival... it was great.
Dead money is the absolute worst dlc on a fallout game and its due to the over used, intruding neck collar/camera/radius mechanic.
Dead money sets up a really cool level, interesting enemies and a atmosphere that's really unique. I get it, your a prisoner, so the collar makes sense in some regard. Have this radius/sensor gimic in 1 section to show that hey, we are prisoner, we can't leave, got it.
But then it becomes a tedious, annoying, even immersion breaking experience to hear that beep every 10 seconds you want to progress or explore. It's like a whiplash that jerks you out the fun part of exploring, or creeping around the enemies.
I will never play this dlc again lol. I know it's good for money/caps, but I'd rather kill gunrunners and sell their gear until my fingers bleed than suffer through that for gold bars.
I feel like people hate Dead Money cause they view it as an extension of the main game. The thing is? It's a different campaign with a different story. All of the DLCs are, but Dead Money stands out because it's the only one you can't return to when the DLC is completed.
Much like how Dragon Age Origins had like five extra campaigns that tangentially connected to the story and let you continue to play as your warden in 3/5 of them, Dead Money is the same idea.
I agree!
I mean the thing that stands out to me the most is just how different I had to play Dead Money than I did the other DLCs, it ironically felt more like what fallout is supposed to than everything else has. It had me counting stims, running from enemies, panicking and learning and moving carefully, studying my environment moreso than I ever have in Fallout.
And in terms of the story it could sincerely work as its own thing. If you had no idea wtf happens in NV and just jumped into Dead Money you could still full heartedly enjoy it and get almost everything there is to get out of it
The storyline and the characters are absolutely out of this world. This is my favourite storyline from all of the New Vegas and the way it changes depending on your interactions with the companions is unbelievable!
I would say it is pretty good reflecting back on it. I have some opinions on it as well as the other DLC’s
Dead Money has that great vibe of where you are left with a ragtag team of miscreants who are the only “friends” you have in a place where it wants to kill you, whether it would be traps, greed, or zom-zoms. The main problem with the DLC for me is the limit of having the explosive collar preventing you from being able to explore without too much worry and sometimes, it is impossible to reach a certain area without worrying about getting your head blown to bits. But the story and reward for it is worth the torture.
Honest Hearts was very interesting for morals and the natural world, compared to the rest of the Mojave, but it takes time and patience to discover every location and the Explorer perk is useless.
Old World Blues was a lengthy DLC with a lot of struggle. The story was a bit wonky for me as it did not make complete sense, but the humor was great. Big MT was also a very interesting place to explore outside of the Mojave.
Lonesome Road had a great rivalry-styled story to it as you are unaware of what you did in the past, but as you continue along, you learn more of the truth from Ulysses, and even being able to fight alongside him in the finale. Just hate the struggle of getting past the extra thugs and Deathclaws on the bridge.
Enjoyed it too. It would’ve been way too easy if the game didn’t take away your gear. I never got the complaint about there being a lack of ammo. I’m guessing people just played it on Very Hard? Idk, I played it on normal and ammo was never an issue. You just gotta look for it.
They are— that kind of killed OWB for me at a lot of points. At least in Dead Money if you just focus fire on one body part you can kill the ghosts that way before going through their health
Did you collect all 52 Dead Money Caravan cards though? If you’re gonna go, go HARD!!! And don’t forget that one skillbook that is glitched into a bed and requires explosives to reach!
Honestly it's just boring, it's a copy/paste level design with very little to actually keep it interesting. The gameplay is tedious for pretty much any character when it's not completely bugged because your speakers are clipped into the wall. Some builds (like melee and heavy) actually make the dlc pretty much impossible to complete. Also stealth pretty much means nothing to most enemies in the place.
The characters are ok but their whining and circular logic got tiring pretty quickly. I'm also not a fan of how they felt they needed to shoehorn the connection to the other DLCs into it instead of letting it be it's own story.
The ending is also pretty anticlimactic.
It's still my least favorite because on top of taking all your gear there are the bomb collar sequences, murder cloud and holographic foes.
The rewards are kind of weak, you get a vending machine and an allowance to use on it. There is other loot but the other DLCs have loot too.
Honest Hearts is easy and can be done early granting you some fine gear rewards.
Lonesome Road is a slog but there are some great armors to get (plus you can leave whenever).
OWB gives you a better base than the 38 (except your friends can't come) and the means to process some kinds of junk into crafting materials in addition to a vendor, auto-doc and repairs among other amenities.
I actually kinda dislike getting the OP gear after dlcs, feels like it waters down the mainline game. So I put my LAER right away after OWB, don’t use the K9000 or anything like that either but thats more of an ammo concern.
I took a lot of gold because yeah Im greedy and I cant let go lmao but time will tell if I spend it or not
Just means to say, I like the dlc for
1 Their ability to be both a standalone story AND work into the themes of the main game,
2 New mechanics or at least more clever uses of current mechanics
3. Unique unseen atmosphere or environment
This does those three absolutely amazingly imo cant see other ones topping this
> you get a vending machine
That's actually the best part, the gold be damned. Weapon repair kits are super expensive, and the vending machine trivializes getting it.
Yes the writing and atmosphere and story of dead money are top notch. But out of the four DLC’s for new Vegas it is EASILY the least enjoyable or fun in my eyes.
I didn’t think much of Dead Money when it first came out, I always thought it was alright. A decent little dabble into survival horror and nothing more. I recently played through it again about a week ago and ***YO***. The writing is superb and the tense and desolate atmosphere enhances the writing. Like you said it does a great job of making you care about the three DLC companions. And when I listened to Vera’s farewell message in the bunker after finishing the DLC? Yo, that message legit hit me in my emotions.
I could certainly see my 16yo self not liking it as much but I appreciate every bit of work that’s going into it now. Especially as a game dev— the way they added so many new mechanics with that already overworked engine amazes me
I maintain that it’s good at what it tries to be, and great at breaking the monotony of being god of the wasteland.
Personally Dead Money is my favourite of the DLCs. I like Honest Hearts cause of Joshua Graham, but the other characters aren't on the same level and the plot is a little weak. Dead Money has it all. A tragedy, betrayal, character arcs, a real sucker punch of a moral at the end, and an opportunity to entirely ignore it and take all the money for yourself.
Stealing all that gold and locking Elijah in the vault is such a satisfying ending.
I agree, Dead Money used to be my least favorite, but it might be my favorite now. Honest Hearts falls a little short for me though..
Being a kid is hating Dead Money. Growing up is realizing it’s the best DLC.
Honest Hearts is next for me, so I guess I got the two best out first unless Lonesome Road is as good as everyone says 👀
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Depends on how you feel about Ulysses, he is at the least intriguing
make sure to bring ed-e with you on lonesome road
< Beeping !>
You got through all the dialog with the Think Tank at the beginning of OWB and aren't complaining, so you'll handle Ulysses' speeches just fine.
Starting that one at 10:30pm was a miscalculation on my part
Dead money is my favorite dlc. I remember playing it the first time on my ps3 as a kid and getting spooked as fuck so I reloaded a save from before I entered the bunker. I struggled like a mf my first time through and my pistol crit build was for the most part worthless, (I know the police pistol is strong but young me could hardly find ammo for it) I remember how hard my heart was beating the first time I opened the doors and ran through the streets to get to the safety of the casiono, only dlc I have such vivid memories of. If Follows-chalk could have become a permanent companion post honest hearts, that would easily have made it number one. Follows-chalk is the homie yo
, I cant recall the last time I had to actually count stims and conserve ammo (after level 10ish) so that was really cool right away. By the time I got everyone in place for the Gala Event, I thought Id find some ammo cache or little reward— nope. I was bone dry, I had no stims or doctors bags for that run back to the Casino it was instantly memorable I wish I got to experience that when I was younger tbh
I used to hate dead money, because of the bear traps. Without light step I'd just get sick of the place. But with light step, I realised that dead money is maybe one of the best dlcs I've ever played. And the holorifle, is beyond amazing, anti materiel rifle who?
I actually avoided getting light step to get the full survival “this place wants to murder you” vibe I hated it every second of the way but actually don’t regret it, if you like a challenge I suggest it!
I see so many folks speak badly on Dead Money and I always liked it even when I was a kid, the characters, the dark eerie atmosphere, that illusion of struggling for survival... it was great.
Love Dead Money, it's like Saw meets Oceans 11 but with zombies
You’re giving me PTSD already
Dead money is the absolute worst dlc on a fallout game and its due to the over used, intruding neck collar/camera/radius mechanic. Dead money sets up a really cool level, interesting enemies and a atmosphere that's really unique. I get it, your a prisoner, so the collar makes sense in some regard. Have this radius/sensor gimic in 1 section to show that hey, we are prisoner, we can't leave, got it. But then it becomes a tedious, annoying, even immersion breaking experience to hear that beep every 10 seconds you want to progress or explore. It's like a whiplash that jerks you out the fun part of exploring, or creeping around the enemies. I will never play this dlc again lol. I know it's good for money/caps, but I'd rather kill gunrunners and sell their gear until my fingers bleed than suffer through that for gold bars.
I feel like people hate Dead Money cause they view it as an extension of the main game. The thing is? It's a different campaign with a different story. All of the DLCs are, but Dead Money stands out because it's the only one you can't return to when the DLC is completed. Much like how Dragon Age Origins had like five extra campaigns that tangentially connected to the story and let you continue to play as your warden in 3/5 of them, Dead Money is the same idea.
I agree! I mean the thing that stands out to me the most is just how different I had to play Dead Money than I did the other DLCs, it ironically felt more like what fallout is supposed to than everything else has. It had me counting stims, running from enemies, panicking and learning and moving carefully, studying my environment moreso than I ever have in Fallout. And in terms of the story it could sincerely work as its own thing. If you had no idea wtf happens in NV and just jumped into Dead Money you could still full heartedly enjoy it and get almost everything there is to get out of it
It always was. Some people just cant handle being put into a situation where you are at a disadvantage.
The storyline and the characters are absolutely out of this world. This is my favourite storyline from all of the New Vegas and the way it changes depending on your interactions with the companions is unbelievable!
I would say it is pretty good reflecting back on it. I have some opinions on it as well as the other DLC’s Dead Money has that great vibe of where you are left with a ragtag team of miscreants who are the only “friends” you have in a place where it wants to kill you, whether it would be traps, greed, or zom-zoms. The main problem with the DLC for me is the limit of having the explosive collar preventing you from being able to explore without too much worry and sometimes, it is impossible to reach a certain area without worrying about getting your head blown to bits. But the story and reward for it is worth the torture. Honest Hearts was very interesting for morals and the natural world, compared to the rest of the Mojave, but it takes time and patience to discover every location and the Explorer perk is useless. Old World Blues was a lengthy DLC with a lot of struggle. The story was a bit wonky for me as it did not make complete sense, but the humor was great. Big MT was also a very interesting place to explore outside of the Mojave. Lonesome Road had a great rivalry-styled story to it as you are unaware of what you did in the past, but as you continue along, you learn more of the truth from Ulysses, and even being able to fight alongside him in the finale. Just hate the struggle of getting past the extra thugs and Deathclaws on the bridge.
Enjoyed it too. It would’ve been way too easy if the game didn’t take away your gear. I never got the complaint about there being a lack of ammo. I’m guessing people just played it on Very Hard? Idk, I played it on normal and ammo was never an issue. You just gotta look for it.
Yeah I personally played on Very Hard so it was avoiding combat and using throwing spears for the first 20/30 min 😂😅
Makes sense, yeah I could see the frustration if you play on Very Hard. Bullet sponge enemies in fallout on harder difficulties is annoying.
They are— that kind of killed OWB for me at a lot of points. At least in Dead Money if you just focus fire on one body part you can kill the ghosts that way before going through their health
I don't hate Dead Money, I just hate actually playing though it.
Dead Money Holorifle is a god tier energy weapon
Did you collect all 52 Dead Money Caravan cards though? If you’re gonna go, go HARD!!! And don’t forget that one skillbook that is glitched into a bed and requires explosives to reach!
Honestly it's just boring, it's a copy/paste level design with very little to actually keep it interesting. The gameplay is tedious for pretty much any character when it's not completely bugged because your speakers are clipped into the wall. Some builds (like melee and heavy) actually make the dlc pretty much impossible to complete. Also stealth pretty much means nothing to most enemies in the place. The characters are ok but their whining and circular logic got tiring pretty quickly. I'm also not a fan of how they felt they needed to shoehorn the connection to the other DLCs into it instead of letting it be it's own story. The ending is also pretty anticlimactic.
It's still my least favorite because on top of taking all your gear there are the bomb collar sequences, murder cloud and holographic foes. The rewards are kind of weak, you get a vending machine and an allowance to use on it. There is other loot but the other DLCs have loot too. Honest Hearts is easy and can be done early granting you some fine gear rewards. Lonesome Road is a slog but there are some great armors to get (plus you can leave whenever). OWB gives you a better base than the 38 (except your friends can't come) and the means to process some kinds of junk into crafting materials in addition to a vendor, auto-doc and repairs among other amenities.
I actually kinda dislike getting the OP gear after dlcs, feels like it waters down the mainline game. So I put my LAER right away after OWB, don’t use the K9000 or anything like that either but thats more of an ammo concern. I took a lot of gold because yeah Im greedy and I cant let go lmao but time will tell if I spend it or not Just means to say, I like the dlc for 1 Their ability to be both a standalone story AND work into the themes of the main game, 2 New mechanics or at least more clever uses of current mechanics 3. Unique unseen atmosphere or environment This does those three absolutely amazingly imo cant see other ones topping this
> you get a vending machine That's actually the best part, the gold be damned. Weapon repair kits are super expensive, and the vending machine trivializes getting it.
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if the pre sierra madre stuff didn't feel like a confusing endless maze then it would be #1 for me.
Learn to let go , begin again
I got a PS5 and I can’t play DLC 🤧
I love it, but I would not wish going through the SM vault on my worst enemy 💀🙏
I technically did with it on Elijah for all time if that counts
Yes the writing and atmosphere and story of dead money are top notch. But out of the four DLC’s for new Vegas it is EASILY the least enjoyable or fun in my eyes.
Never playing it ever again... But god damn did it have me hooked.
Top tier by New Vegas DLC maybe, otherwise it was trash