Where to get into fallout series?

[Errorname]

I think ultimately, the "misdirection" is meant to allow the reconciliation between what a character wants vs what a character needs.

In New Vegas, the Courier wants to recover the Chip/Revenge on Benny. But what the Courier needs is build a network of partners and allies to help him reshape the face of the Mojave.

The initial "want" is but a mirage thrown in your face, a pretext to adventure informed by your inexperience.

I don't really see a conflict between want and need in New Vegas. That's partially because what the Courier actually wants is player determined so maybe you really hate Benny's guts, maybe you're just a professional, hell maybe you didn't actually try to track him down and you just ran into him in Vegas coincidentally, but it's also because there's never a moment where you have to realize "I don't need to get revenge, I need to be the kingmaker in the battle for Hoover Dam".

The way the story is structured, tracking down and dealing with Benny is the thing that puts the courier on the map and makes them a serious player on the field.