Level Scaling Disabler - ESPless Mod

Level scaling overhaul - disable level scaling, enhance difficulty, improve gameplay progression, high customizability.

Level Scaling Sucks

Level scaling is pretty much objectively bad design, especially in RPGs. One of the most enjoyable aspects of RPGs is choosing how you progress. Be it following the intended path at a steady pace, grinding levels and heading back to earlier areas to crush everything, or challenging yourself to face higher level content when you're not ready. And it's this delicate little dance that makes the genre infinitely replayable. Having level scaling lessens the joy of progression and sometimes, it just makes it feel like nothing matters anymore, because it's the same note from beginning to finish.

Now, level scaling in New Vegas is nowhere near as awful as Oblivion, but it's still there enough that you feel its presence. In the code, the game is fully entrenched in level scaling, and nothing short of a full redesign of every spawn list and encounter is going to remove it completely and maintain a cohesive game at the same time. But, a lot can still be done to minimize the worst of the mechanic and accentuate the good.

This mod was originally a part of a bigger gameplay mod but I think it's also good on its own. It should fit in just about any setup.

Level Scaling Disabler - Leveled Lists

There are two types of leveled objects in the game:

1. Random Leveled Lists - All objects with levels below or at the player level will have an equal chance of spawning.
2. Closest Leveled Lists - The object with the level closest to the player level will spawn. Multiple objects with the same level are chosen to spawn randomly.

LSD offers 5 different options to modify/disable the level scaling of leveled lists:

1. Unleveled - All objects will have an equal chance of spawning regardless of player level.
2. Max Leveled - Only the highest level objects will spawn.
3. Thresholded Unleveled - Same as Unleveled, but the objects with levels lower than (player level - MinThreshold) or higher than (player level + MaxThreshold) will not spawn, as long as they are not the only spawnable ones left. Player level is modified by LevelOffset.
4. Chanced Max Leveled - Same as Max Leveled, but instead of lower level objects being removed altogether, they will have a lower chance of spawning. The lower level the object is relative to the highest level one, the less likely it will spawn.
5. Chanced Unleveled - Same as Unleveled, but the objects that are further away from the player level will have a lesser chance of spawning. Player level is modified by LevelOffset.

Let's look at an example to see how these options work.

EncFeralGhoul - A Random Leveled List

1. Level 1 - Feral Ghoul
2. Level 7 - Feral Ghoul Roamer
3. Level 16 - Glowing One

Here are the outcomes with a Level 7 Player (with MinThreshold = 10, MaxThreshold = 5, and LevelOffset = 0):

1. Vanilla - 50% Feral Ghoul, 50% Roamer, 0% Glowing One
2. Unleveled - 33% Feral Ghoul, 33% Roamer, 33% Glowing One
3. Max Leveled - 0% Feral Ghoul, 0% Roamer, 100% Glowing One
4. Thresholded Unleveled - 50% Feral Ghoul, 50% Roamer, 0% Glowing One
5. Chanced Max Leveled - 17% Feral Ghoul, 33% Roamer, 50% Glowing One
6. Chanced Unleveled - 25% Feral Ghoul, 50% Roamer, 25% Glowing One

Now the outcomes with a Level 16 Player:

1. Vanilla - 33% Feral Ghoul, 33% Roamer, 33% Glowing One
2. Unleveled - 33% Feral Ghoul, 33% Roamer, 33% Glowing One
3. Max Leveled - 0% Feral Ghoul, 0% Roamer, 100% Glowing One
4. Thresholded Unleveled - 0% Feral Ghoul, 50% Roamer, 50% Glowing One
5. Chanced Max Leveled - 17% Feral Ghoul, 33% Roamer, 50% Glowing One
6. Chanced Unleveled - 17% Feral Ghoul, 33% Roamer, 50% Glowing One

There are separate settings for Random and Closest Lists, as well as for NPCs, Creatures, and Items. So mix and match.

This should offer full control over the gameplay difficulty. Whether one wants it to be fully random with Unleveled, or going for the most challenge with Max Leveled, or having weaker enemies gradually be phased out while stronger ones show up more and more with the Thresholded or Chanced Unleveled options, or even a just good mixture of high challenge from the start yet still maintain a level of enemy variety with Chanced Max Leveled.

The default settings are geared toward enhancing difficulty and opening up leveling:

1. Random NPCs - Chanced Unleveled
2. Closest NPCs - Max Leveled
3. Random Creatures - Chanced Unleveled
4. Closest Creatures - Max Leveled
5. Random Items - Unleveled
6. Closest Items - Thresholded Unleveled

Chanced Unleveled for Random NPCs and Creatures so the higher level enemies can spawn at anytime, but less so in the beginning. As the player levels up, the opposite occurs. Stronger ones will spawn more and more while weaker ones become more rare. Variety is maintained throughout.

Max Leveled for Closest NPCs and Creatures. In the Vanilla game, these spawns were picked based on which is the closest to the player level. So this means that the highest level or most difficult option will always spawn without being level gated.

Unleveled for Random Items means loot and enemy equipment will have full variety from the beginning. No level gate.

Thresholded Unleveled for Closest Items so things like Faction Squads would have varied equipment early on. This is then phased out eventually, leaving only the best items as the player levels past the content.

Level Scaling Disabler - DLC Scaling

The level scaling in New Vegas DLCs is notoriously bad, so it uses a different system. Here, level scaling is fully disabled, and a static level is set for each DLC.

The default settings are level 15 for Dead Money, 21 for Honest Hearts, 15 for Old World Blues, and 25 for Lonesome Road. This means, even if you enter any of the DLCs at level 40, they will all remain at those levels, ensuring enemies do not become bullet sponges nor cause hyper damage. For example, the only difference between a level 5 Dead Money Ghost and a level 50 one is literally just 600HP. This adds nothing to the difficulty except making the content uncharacteristically tedious compared to the rest of the game.

Additionally, the mod revises DLC weapon lists so that they will always spawn higher end weapons at the start, without completely eliminating weaker ones. In the Vanilla game for instance, Honest Hearts White Legs at max level will always spawn with top end guns like Anti-Material Rifles, 12.7mm SMGs, Riot Shotguns, etc, and this can very quickly become obnoxious and silly, as I'm sure many are already familiar with. Entering the DLC underleveled is equally bad, because they would just spawn with a bunch of Varmint Rifles instead. With LSD, their earlier level weapons like Cowboy Repeaters, Hunting Rifles, Trail Carbine, etc, are made to be included as part of their arsenal still, so their weapon selection is much more varied and balanced.

Level Scaling Disabler - Vendor Scaling

LSD by default disables the level scaling of vendor caps and stocks, so the all merchandise is available from the get go.

Let's look at the Gun Runner's Vendortron for one. In the Vanilla game, he would start off with just 1000 caps and a weak weapon selection in the beginning, with perhaps the Service Rifle being the best non-GRA weapon available. To unlock his best stock, the player would have to get to at least level 16.

There are a multitude of reasons that I can get into as to why this is a bad design for New Vegas, but I digress. The one thing I want to point to is the fact that the GRA weapons are all available at level 1, and moreover, many of them are arguably better versions of the base weapon, so the level gating mechanic is completely void and self defeating.

Level Scaling Disabler - Misc

Lastly, there are settings for adjusting the level scaling of regular, non-leveled list NPCs and Creatures that aren't companions.

For example, Legate Lanius has a minimum calculated level of 15 and a maximum of 30. Setting the MaxLevelPercentage to 100 will set his level to 30. Or 80 to set to level 27. Etc. By default, all regular NPCs and Creatures that have a PC level multiplier are set to their max possible level.

There is also an option set the level of DLC bosses like Elijah, Joshua Graham, etc, and one to disable Flare Guns on Marked Men Scouts because they don't do anything against the player.

Requirements

New Vegas Script Extender (NVSE xNVSE)

JIP LN NVSE Plugin

ShowOff xNVSE Plugin

How To Config

Edit the file "Level Scaling Disabler - ESPless\Config\LevelScalingDisabler.ini".

Compatibility

Anything. Safe to install/uninstall at anytime. Load order does not matter.

If it's installed mid-game, you may have to rest for 3 days for the spawns and items to reset to make everything take effect. Same thing when uninstalling.

Mod Recommendations

For disabling the level scaling of quest XP rewards, check out Quest XP Overhaul ESPless.