Even 200 years after a post-apocalyptic war, there’s still money to be made. Hardly anyone living in New Vegas is willing to do anything for free, after all. Making profits and using money wisely is essential.

Getting rich is a surefire way of ensuring the Courier’s survival in Fallout: New Vegas. The good thing is that there are plenty of routes and tactics one can use, ranging from cheesing through the casinos to making a living as a purveyor and seller of delicious sausages of unknown origins to make a mint and line one’s pockets with glorious cash.

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Updated May 12, 2024, by Ritwik Mitra:New Vegas is considered by many to be the greatest Fallout game ever made, combining the best of old and new Fallout in an addictive combination. Now, with mods and updates, this game is more than playable and is one of the best titles to jump into if players want to check out a masterful action role-playing game. Players who jump into this game will want to attain a ton of bottlecaps in no time to break the economy. Thankfully, the ways to achieve this goal are simpler than most people would assume.

1 Steal Everything In Sight

Stolen Loot Can Be Sold To Gain A Lot Of Caps In No Time

Stealing in Fallout New Vegas

Players who love to hoard things in games will love to grab as many items in sight as possible. Some of the items in New Vegas are owned by others, making it challenging to try and steal these items from under the noses of their owners. However, players who are adamant about grabbing everything in sight should sneak around as much as possible to hoard a ton of loot in no time.

As long as players don't mind their karma going for a toss, they'll become adept at thievery in no time and own a ton of loot that can be sold for a hefty profit. This is one of the easiest ways to build up a fortune, and will let players obtain high-level weapons and gear in no time.

2 Explore The World As Much As Possible

Every Nook And Cranny Hides Valuables

Fallout New Vegas: gameplay

A huge part of what makes New Vegas such a blast to play through is exploration, with players loving the idea of role-playing as the Courier and trying to hunt down the man who shot them in the head, only to uncover a bigger conspiracy with the future of New Vegas as stake. During their adventures, players will come across various extra locations in New Vegas that they're encouraged to explore.

Not only is this a great way to be immersed in the varying landscapes of the Mojave Wasteland, but players will also find a ton of valuable loot. This process is totally organic and lets players amass a fortune without even worrying about their caps, which is the best way for the Courier to become rich and respected in no time.

3 Roam With A Companion That Can Hoard Loot

Makes Looting More Efficient And Rewarding

rose of sharon cassidy with a whisky bottle fallout new vegas

There are a ton of well-written companions in Fallout: New Vegas, and players should make an effort to roam around with them. Not only does this unlock a unique questline that fleshes out the story of these characters, but players are always more than elated to enjoy the additional firepower of another person as they explore the brutal Mojave Wasteland.

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One of the most underrated advantages of roaming with a companion is that players can always shift some of the heavier items they have to their companion if they don't want to stop looting. It's a simple yet welcome benefit that makes looting more efficient. When they're ready, players can cash out to receive massive payouts, and benefit from a ton of funds in no time.

4 Sell Blood Sausages and Pastes

Available Via A Perk, These Sell For Great Prices In Bulk

Fallout New Vegas - Them's Good Eatin's

The perk Them's Good Eatin' (first introduced in the Old World Blues DLC) gives players a 50% chance of finding Blood Sausages and Thin Red Pastes on any defeated enemy, be they human or creature. It’s a swell perk to have, not only for its healing properties but also its value.

These dollops of food that will appear on enemies’ corpses with no explanation whatsoever weigh nothing, and can sell between 125 and 175 caps a portion. After cooking them on a campfire with the necessary ingredients and a Survival skill of 50 or higher, they can be turned into rare Black Blood Sausages and Thick Red Pastes, effectively doubling their value.

5 Loot The Sierra Madre Vault

Find Over 30 Bars Of Gold Here

Dead Money Bad Ending

The Dead Money DLC has a delicious trap wrapped within its hard-hitting narrative. "Letting go" is the hard part? Well, one could "let go" of all their poverty by clearing out the entire stash of gold bars in the Sierra Madre vault!

Getting the full amount is tricky. There are over 1,200 pounds of weight from over 30 gold bars weighing the player down, and defeating the antagonist will trigger a self-destruct sequence. The trick is to convince Elijah to come to the vault to negotiate. Immediately stroll behind one of the nearby podiums and wait until he gets closer to the terminal outside the door. It requires excellent timing, but there will be a pause before he reaches it. It’s best to save around this point, and while it may take a lot of tries, it’s possible to slip out before the force field closes again.

6 Steal And Sell A Weapons Shipment

A Shipment Worth 5,000 Caps Can Be Stolen Back From Fiends And Sold

Energy weapons in Fallout New Vegas

In the side-quest "How Little We Know" (chat with the titular store clerks at Mick & Ralph’s to start it), one can acquire a very lucrative item: a disassembled weapons shipment. This needs to be acquired while the quest is active, as finding it either before or after completion will glue the item into one’s inventory permanently. Plus, this tactic isn’t recommended for those hoping to help out the goons at the Gomorrah casino.

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Anyway, after starting the quest, head to the Sunset Sarsaparilla headquarters (southwest of the Gun Runners’ HQ) and kill the Fiends present there. They’ll be guarding said weapons shipment, which has a base value of 5,000 caps!

7 Gamble With 10 Points Of Luck

Gambling Becomes Profitable With Maximum Luck

New Vegas at night in the intro of Fallout: New Vegas

Take Benny’s advice and rig the game from the start by maxing out one’s Luck. One doesn’t have to sink the full 10 points in, as items like the Lucky Shades from Caesar's Legion safehouse and Naughty Nightwear will both raise the skill by a point each. Plus, a Luck-based implant will be available from the Boneyard for 4,000 caps.

Whichever way one does it, so long as that skill is pushed to its very maximum, it’ll be an effortless task to rake in a wealth of funds from the casinos of New Vegas… before being banned from each one for winning too much. At least they come with consolation prizes to sell alongside.

8 Loot The Lucky 38

Lots Of Goods Can Be Taken Without Consequence

Atmospheric Lighting Tweaks mod for Fallout New Vegas

The doors to the Lucky 38 will be opened when Mr. House wants an audience with the Courier, and that’ll not only give the player a hideout for their goods and companions but also oodles of things to loot without consequence.

In it are a ton of bottles of alcohol, 40 portions of Pre-War Money at 10 caps each, the unique Golden Gloves valued at 250 caps, and C4 explosives in a locked suitcase in the cocktail lounge with a base value of 1,000 caps. In the cocktail lounge is a snow globe behind one of the cash registers that can be donated to Mr. House’s secretary for a sweet 2,000 to top it all off, too. That’s about 4,000 caps’ worth of goods.

9 Battle In Red Lucy’s Arena

Grind In Battles Against Wildlife For Easy Caps

Fallout New Vegas battle

Heading to The Thorn on the outskirts of New Vegas will offer the player a chance to fight a trio of Giant Radscorpions in the arena. It can feel monotonous, but the great thing here is that the defeated mutated creatures can have their corpses looted for their venom glands.

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So, 120 caps per completed match combined with 90 caps’ worth of glands isn’t enough to break the bank, but it’s the best option available for those who have not completed any of the egg-collecting tasks for the quest "Bleed Me Dry." It’s much quicker to do it this way than participating in numerous fetch quests to fight higher-end critters for bigger payouts. Besides, Giant Radscorpions aren’t too difficult to dispatch for a skilled enough Courier as it is.

10 Smuggle The Van Graffs’ Merchandise Into The Bathroom

Merchandise On Display Can Be Carried To The Toilet And Looted Out Of Sight

Stealing in Fallout New Vegas

It’s a peculiar exploit, but one can carry all the inventory from the Van Graffs’ Freeside-based weapons store, the Silver Rush, to the bathroom. Out of sight from the guards and owners, all those lovely energy weapons can be stolen and resold. However, this will result in negative karma, and they will open fire when caught.

Alternatively, picking a fight with the owners or reporting them to the NCR will make them hostile anyway. While it will remove one merchant from the game, an incredible wealth of goods is available to harvest, not to mention the guards’ armor and weapons.

11 Visit Merchants With The Biggest Payouts

Some Merchants Regenerate Their Caps Weekly

Brahmin steak item

Shops won’t have an unlimited supply of cash. So, it’s important to memorize which characters have the most money when going on a shopping spree. A handful of figures can be visited to drop goods and whatnot.

The Arms merchant (118 Trading Post), Old Lady Gibson (Gibson's Scrap Yard), Calamity (Jacobstown), Doc Mitchell (Goodsprings), Doc Sawbones (Camp Golf), and Kemp (Camp McCarran) all have a generous amount of caps, even though some won’t buy and sell items of every kind. Otherwise, the Vendortron at the Gun Runners’ HQ can potentially carry as many as 8,000 caps in its inventory when selling and will have its finances restocked twice a week.

fallout new vegas
Fallout: New Vegas

Platform(s)
PS3 , Xbox 360 , PC
Released
October 19, 2010
Genre(s)
RPG