I am a Fallout fan from the first one on, played Fallout 3 but not any ot the DLC, I guess I got a bit burned out before all the DLC was released. Fallout 1 and 2 are on my all time top games list.

I've heard good things about F:NV (feeling of 1 and 2, etc...) and it's DLC, I have the game and all the DLC and I'm for sure playing on my PC, which is high end enough.

Question 1: Are there any mods I "need" to get right off the bat to enjoy the game and all it's DLC. Honestly I will probably only have time for 1 complete play through (most side quests, take my time, explore, etc, rp in my head ...), Change the FoV, PC UI stuff?

Question 2: Any in-game settings I should be aware of? Difficulty, etc... ?

I am very familiar with modding and modding Bethesda games. But, I don't want to get bogged down with modding Fallout:NV. I generally don't feel the Fallout games have needed it the way say, Oblivion or even Skyrim do. For this one I'd rather play than mod if possible.

Thanks for any advice and recommendations!!!

There are no mods that you absolutely need (I haven't used any, and the game is still very playable).

Set the difficulty to hard, and use the hardcoe mode. It ain't insanely hard, but can still offer a bit of a challenge (unless you wander off and meet enemies that are far over your level).

I'd say "no" to both questions. My suggestion is to first play the game 'nilla so you get a feel of how the game play works. Then after your first run you will havea better Idea of where the areas you like and don't like are. That way when you go looking for mods you will know what you want better.

Well I'm on xbox so I can't really say about mods, but as far as your second question goes if its your first playthrough then I'd just do it on normal/hardcoe to start with. Normal because imo anything above that just makes the enemies bullet sponges and hardcoe just because it adds a lot to the game, really makes it feel more real.

The only mod that I would consider a needed one is the one that unlocks the TPP camera to allow it to pull back farther than six feet. When I first started NV I could not stand it and I immediately went searching for a mod to correct it.

No mods neccesary.

Try very hard/hardcoe mode. To me, this feels the most realistic. For example, with a headshot crit from an AMR (the big honking Sniper rifle you see in all the advertisemants) on your character will deal 440 damage, which while deadly, you can survive it. This to me, always felt "unfair" because such a hit is GOING to kill any NPC (save maybe three boss-like NPCs) you encounter. Very Hard tips that to 880 damage, which will kill you in one hit, while still not hindering you from headshotting that AMR-wielding NPC back. Another reason is that, to my knowledge, on normal difficulty you can take 3-4 hits from a deathclaw before dying. On Very Hard, it's always 1-2, which to me, does the creature more justice. This is why I prefer Very Hard difficulty.
hardcoe mode, you just have to do it once and then you'll never go back. Ammo weight, healing over time instead of instantly...makes normal mode feel like cheat and completely unrealistic.

it's hard to suggest mods to others especially if they haven't played the game yet. like the poster above, it's best to play the base game first to find out what you like and don't like. if i was forced to suggest a mod to you, there is one that increases the amount of enemies (it's called increased wasteland spawns or something very similar). for me, that was the only thing i found lacking in FNV.

for my own preferences, i always play on hard/hardcoe. i find normal to be too easy and very hard a little to bullet sponge-y. hard is a nice middle point where the enemies hit hard, but so do you.

hardcoe forces the player to eat, sleep, and drink water. i found it to be pretty well balanced and not tedious. ammo has weight (a nice nod to the originals), healing items are not instant, and doctor's bags or a doctor are required to fix broken limbs.

if you are looking for a real challenge, josh sawyer (one of the developers of FNV) has released his own mod. i would not recommend using it on a first playthrough. it makes some very crucial fundamental changes to drastically increase difficulty. but i think it is great he made his own mod.

Thanks for all the advice, totally appreciated!

I am thinking I would try Hard/hardcoe because I remember Fallout3 on normal being ridiculously easy, just head shot kill over and over and over, unless FNV is way harder? I like my games a bit challenging but I am more into immersion, I don't enjoy every combat being kill, die, reload, over and over because that totally breaks the "groove" of the game for me, but so does every fight being a cakewalk.

Also, I was checking over a Nexus and shouldn't I use at least one of these bug fix mods before I start playing and if so which one?

http://newvegas.nexusmods.com/downloads/file.php?id=45104
or
http://newvegas.nexusmods.com/downloads/file.php?id=44204

I've been playing it for over a year and I've never felt the need to download any mods.

It may, however, be a good idea to look up the console commands on Wiki for fixing an occasional broken quest or for adding that special item that fell through the floor or got knocked out of reach by an explosion (often happens to a set of unique Spiked Knuckles wielded by a raider NPC). Also, the game has so many crafting recipes that I suggest printing them out for easier planning.

Think twice before choosing hardcoe mode. It isn't what it sounds like. It's more of an enhanced realism mode, and it is something of an acquired taste. Some people love it because it creates greater immersion; others hate it because it detracts from the game's FPS-like dynamism and makes it more tedious. Other than that, it's the usual: harder settings turn enemies into bullet sponges.

hardcoe mode sounds like more my kind of game, considering I loved the originals the best. As for Hard, do you feel it is too over the top on enemy difficulty? I don't like the idea of shooting enemies a zillion times, that definitely can kill the immersion factor.

Any advice on using these bug fix mods?

http://newvegas.nexusmods.com/downloads/file.php?id=45104
or
http://newvegas.nexusmods.com/downloads/file.php?id=44204

I'm using NVEC and it works pretty well, but I suggest you play the game first to see what, if any, problems you have.

After some homework my understanding it that http://newvegas.nexusmods.com/downloads/file.php?id=45104 is just bug fixes, so it seems like I should start a new game using only that with the in-game hardcoe setting and go from there. Normal or Hard? hmmm, I remember Fallout 3 being over the top easy on Normal so perhaps Hard is the way?

Although NVEC seems very cool I think its intent is to go beyond Vanilla bug fixes which I feel is a bit overwhelming for me at this point because this is a new game for me.

I only really use the texture addons, but you need to have a pretty good computer to use those.

I am thinking of going Hard/hardcoe and installing: http://newvegas.nexusmods.com/downloads/file.php?id=45104 and then http://www.falloutwiki.com/JSawyer. If it gets too hard I'll knock it down to Normal. After this I am only gonna use: http://newvegas.nexusmods.com/downloads/file.php?id=36343 and http://newvegas.nexusmods.com/downloads/file.php?id=35807 because they seems like a very mini-mods that will help my guy look "right". After that I will check out any cosmetic mods along the way if things bother me. For my first and probably only full play through I'm not interested in big game changing overhauls or anything. I am kind of looking for the best/ultimate "vanlilla" run through I can get.

http://newvegas.nexusmods.com/downloads/file.php?id=44204 seems go beyond the scope of what I am looking for.

NVEC is really for people that have finished the game, now that I think of it, and want to fix some annoying things like the Crimson Caravan trader outside of Mcarran not trading with you and allowing you to drop quest items. Its more of an unofficial patch then just bug fixes. I agree that Mission Mojave would probably be better for you.

Has anyone used http://twofoldsilence.diogenes-lamp.info/2012/01/jsawyeresp-v3.html I was thinking of using it over http://newvegas.nexusmods.com/downloads/file.php?id=45104 and playing in hardcoe mode. The bugs still in V3 concern me as well as wondering if it will be too tough using his mod and hardcoe mode. Using Mission Mojave under Sawyer's mod is supposed to be ok according to the authors of the mod.

http://newvegas.nexusmods.com/downloads/file.php?id=35335

I use this when I play, makes firefights intense. Also it makes you feel like less of a tank when you play on hardcoe, since your broken limbs aren't easily healed.