The Viva New Vegas modding guide (available online) is the community gold standard. It includes a curated list of patches, fixes, and performance mods.
You can try, but most modern mods (2020–2026) require NVSE, which checks for Steam presence. Workarounds exist but break often. It’s not worth the headache. fallout new vegas patch 140525 download skidrow upd
Mods not working after patching. Solution: Ensure NVSE is loaded (create a text file in game folder called nvse_loader.log after launching). Also, sort load order with LOOT. The Viva New Vegas modding guide (available online)