Accessing the developer console in Fallout: New Vegas lets you bend the laws of the Mojave Wasteland to your will. Whether you want to test out high-level gear, bypass a broken quest step, or experience total immortality, mastering these inputs gives you total control.
To open the console on a standard US keyboard, press the tilde key (~), which is usually located right below the Escape key and to the left of the number 1. On international keyboards, it's often the backquote key (` key) in the same physical spot. Pressing this key pauses the action and opens a small typing prompt in the bottom-left corner of your screen. Type your command and hit Enter. Keep in mind that using these adjustments will disable Steam achievements for that play session, though restarting the game typically restores them.
Essential Player and God Mode Commands
When you're stuck in a tough firefight or tired of managing inventory weight, a few core commands change how your character interacts with the world instantly.
tgm(Toggle God Mode): Gives you infinite health, unlimited ammunition, zero need to reload, and infinite carry weight. You become completely unkillable.tdm(Toggle Demigod Mode): Grants infinite health and carry weight, but you still have to manage your ammunition and weapon reloads.tcl(Toggle No Clip): Turns off collision detection, letting you float through walls, climb into the sky, and escape awkward terrain traps.tfc(Toggle Free Camera): Detaches the camera from your body so you can fly around the area to capture screenshots. Adding a1after it (tfc 1) freezes everyone else in place.tm(Toggle Menu): Hides your entire head-up display, which is helpful for clean cinematic screenshots.
Altering Stats, Levels, and Character Progression
If you want to fast-forward through character building or fix a botched build, you can modify your attributes directly through the command line. Always prepend player. to target your own character for these specific adjustments.
player.setlevel [X]: Instantly sets your character level to the specified number.player.rewardxp [X]: Grants you a specific amount of experience points right away.player.modav carryweight [X]: Permanently increases or decreases your maximum carrying capacity by the chosen amount.player.setav [skill name] [1-100]: Adjusts any core skill, such as Guns, Lockpick, or Speech, directly to the number you choose.showracemenu: Reopens the character creation screen, letting you change your face, hair, and race without resetting your progress.
Spawning Items, Currency, and Equipment
Getting specific gear requires knowing the item's unique hexadecimal base ID. You can add items directly to your inventory by typing player.additem [Item ID] [Quantity]. For example, typing player.additem 0000000f 1000 drops 1,000 bottle caps into your pockets.
Common item base IDs include:
- Bottle Caps:
0000000f - Stimpaks:
00015169 - Doctor's Bag:
000CB05C - Anti-materiel Rifle:
0008f21c - Fat Man Mini-Nuke Launcher:
0000432c
When dealing with downloadable content items (like Honest Hearts or Old World Blues), the first two digits of the ID are dynamic based on your active mod load order. You must check your current plugin index in your mod manager and replace the xx placeholder with your load order hex digit (for instance, 02 or 03).
Managing NPCs and Factions
Bending the AI to your will can save you from failed quests or hostile town guards. Before typing an NPC-specific command, open the console and click on the target with your mouse so their reference ID appears at the top of the screen.
resurrect: Brings a dead non-player character back to life and restores their inventory.kill: Instantly slays the currently selected target. Use with care around quest-critical figures.tdetect: Toggles AI detection entirely off, giving you absolute stealth so you can steal items right in front of shopkeepers without triggering hostility.tai: Turns off the targeted character's artificial intelligence, freezing them entirely.unlock: Instantly opens any targeted door, terminal, or locked container without requiring a bobby pin or a high skill check.
Faction standing can also be altered manually. The command addreputation [Faction ID] [0 for infamy, 1 for fame] [Amount] adjusts your status, though you should change values in small increments of 5 to avoid breaking script thresholds. You can cross-reference major game mechanics and community patches directly on the Fallout Wiki.
Common Mistakes and Troubleshooting
Using console inputs improperly can lead to broken scripts or corrupted save files. Keep these guidelines in mind to keep your playthrough stable:
- Forgetting to click targets: If an NPC command doesn't work, check the top center of your console screen. If a hexadecimal code isn't visible, you didn't successfully select the character with your crosshairs.
- Over-leveling too fast: Jumping straight to level 50 via console commands can break perk distribution triggers and make leveling up naturally unresponsive.
- Saving during active test states: Never save your game while
tclortgmis active if you're trying to play a clean session, as persistent physics bugs can bake into your save file. Always keep a clean backup save before experimenting heavily.
To check out broader game preservation efforts and community mods that fix foundational bugs, take a look at resources like Nexus Mods.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do console commands permanently disable Steam achievements?
No. Achievements are only disabled for the exact play session in which you input a command. If you save your game, close Fallout completely, and relaunch it, achievements will re-enable on that save file.
Why won't my item spawn command work?
If you are trying to spawn a weapon or armor piece from an add-on pack, your load order index (xx) needs to match your specific mod arrangement. Base game items use standard leading zeros, but DLC items require replacing xx with your active plugin slot number.
How do I get unstuck if I clip into a wall?
Open the console, type tcl, and press Enter. This disables collision, allowing you to walk out of the geometry glitch. Type tcl again once you are standing on solid ground to turn collision back on.
Can I change my character's name using the console?
Yes. Typing shownamemenu brings up the naming prompt from the beginning of the game, letting you rename your Courier on the fly without restarting your entire playthrough.
