I'm a long-time fan of the Fallout franchise. Super-excited to finally get around to playing NV after all the amazing reviews.

I got the Ultimate Edition, with all the DLC. From what I gather from user reviews, they are mostly extended one-off adventures for higher level players... In which case maybe it makes more sense to activate them later in my playthough.

any thoughts or advice? Favorite/Least-favorite DLC? Should I start with the courier's stash? (I've already decided not to...)

I just want to maximize my first playthough. Light on spoilers if you please...

There's really no harm in activating them, all that'll change is that you'll have unstarted quests in your Pip-Boy and a handful of undiscovered markers on your map.

If you're playing on a PC, there's a mod you can get that will delay the start of the DLCs. They won't activate until you're within a particular range of the areas.


Courier's Stash isn't really a DLC, it's just an equipment add-on that gives you more stuff to start the game with. And no you shouldn't use it. It doesn't make the least bit of sense and makes your character too powerful at the start of the game. If you decide to wait to activate the DLCs, you should least start with the Gun Runner's Arsenal. There's no quests involved, it just adds some extra weapons, ammo and perks to the game.

Definitely activate Gun Runners arsenal.

Other than that it is your choice. The dlc activate just like they did in Fallout 3, where you get a reading on your pip-boy and a quest is added. You are never obliged to actually start the quest.