Vault

For a list of specific Vaults across the Fallout series, see List of known Vaults.

The surface-level entrance to Vault 76 in Appalachia.

“A Vault-Tec Vault is a vast wonderful place, not made by God almighty but by the working man. A veritable Camelot of the nuclear age! Residents are safe underground behind three-foot thick lead casing — strong enough to keep out the rads and the reds! And best of all, each underground burg comes with all the modern amenities you come to expect from our rip-roaring Republic. No matter what comes our way, America will be ready.”— Fallout Season 1 overview description

The Vaults™ are a series of subterranean shelters designed and constructed by the Vault-Tec Corporation under a joint operation contract with the United States government (codenamed Project Safehouse) to create hard-sealed fallout shelters outwardly intended to protect a selected portion of the American population from impending nuclear holocaust in the 21st century, so that the survivors could eventually repopulate post-apocalypse America. Unknown to the public at large, outside a minority of control Vaults, the main purpose of the Vaults was to conduct social experiments on the inhabitants, often involving mental, psychological, and physical torture for the purpose of scientific research into various, often unethical fields of study. The Vaults have appeared in every installment as an iconic element of the Fallout series.

Although the term "vault" has many meanings, e.g. a bank vault, it was trademarked by Vault-Tec to specifically refer to their particular brand of fallout shelter and thus is always capitalized when referenced.

Vault-Tec Vaults are not to be confused with the Series 1000 shelter or the C.A.M.P. system's shelters which are similar in function, but different in goal: short-term vs long-term survival.

Background

Project Safehouse

A Vault-Tec advertisement for Vault 13.

A Vault-Tec poster

A Vault-Tec propaganda poster which hides the reality that many Vaults were sites of civil unrest and mental/physical torture

The origins of the Vault network date back to the early 2050s, when the Euro-Middle Eastern War, the New Plague, and the collapse of the United Nations resulted in a nation-wide scare. In response, the government set Project Safehouse in motion in 2054. This massive national defense endeavor was intended to create shelters that would protect the population in the event of a nuclear war or plague. Breakthroughs in construction techniques allow for these gargantuan bunkers to be constructed at a rapid pace.

The impoverished government was forced to finance the project with junk bonds and even then, only 122 Vaults were ever commissioned, allowing less than 0.1% of the population to save their life in the event of the holocaust. The sheer costs of a single Vault are staggering. For example, the intended budget for Vault 13 was $400 billion dollars, and by the end of its construction the total costs reached $645 billion, well over 150% of the initial figure.

As a crucial element of national defense, much of the project was classified and protected under the New Amended Espionage Act, encouraging embezzlement and corruption. Installations built as part of the Vault-Tec Societal Preservation Program commonly claimed to have a chance to fail equal to 1,763,497 to 1; however, the reality was a far cry from this bold claim.

Following the success of Vault-Tec Corporation's demonstration Vault built near their headquarters in Los Angeles at the time, the company won the bid for constructing the shelters. The building of the shelters proceeded rapidly and most were completed by 2063. The construction of several Vaults was delayed, particularly Vault 13 (which only started construction in August 2063) and the network surrounding Washington, D.C. Some were delayed due to work stoppage. Ongoing drills in completed shelters slowly created a "cry wolf" effect. Turnouts for the drills fell as the years went on, further limiting the Vaults' role in ensuring the survival of humanity.

Additional problems were caused by consistent mismanagement, corruption, and embezzlement that seemed to define Project Safehouse before the war. Yet for all these problems, Vault-Tec was able to create a number of miracle technologies and develop shelters that really protected the inhabitants, as long as they worked properly. Vault-Tec even advertised Vaults in newly annexed Canada, though these were in the early stages of completion. It was also a tremendous success for the company, allowing it to expand its headquarters to Washington, D.C. and even sponsor a large exposition at the Museum of Technology in the capital, designed to promote their shelters and explain their functionality. Promotional tours and awarding of prizes like the Pressed Vault Suit Award were also used to promote a positive image of the company, regardless of the numerous problems associated with it.

Vault construction timetable
Number	Construction begins	Construction ends
Vault 13	August 2063	March 2069
Vault 76	2065	2069 (planned) 2076 (actual)
Vault 87	May 2066	May 2071
Vault 92	May 2062	May 2068
Vault 106	May 2064	December 2069
Vault 108	March 2061	December 2069
Vault 112	November 2068	June 2074

True purpose

Contrary to what its demonstration Vaults would claim, the Vaults were not meant to save humanity in general. The entire program was hijacked by a national conspiracy involving human experimentation overseen by what would become the Enclave. Project Safehouse was subverted for its own ends. Rather than act to save humanity directly, Vaults were built to test their population as part of the Societal Preservation Program. The Program was basically a vast data gathering exercise, to provide the Enclave with the information necessary to construct a multi-generational starship that would take a select group of people ("the best and brightest") off world to colonize new worlds, rather than try to restore the Earth: Enclave projections assumed the worst possible outcome: Global thermonuclear war renders Earth completely uninhabitable. Outside of the Enclave, this information was privy to only select Vault-Tec personnel (mostly overseers) and high ranking members of the military-industrial complex, such as the leadership of Big MT.

As such, all Vaults were designed to feed data to the Enclave. Of the 122 known public Vaults, 17 were designed to work more or less properly, as control Vaults. The 105 other Vaults were presented with a variety of scenarios, ranging from annoying to downright lethal, to gauge how humans would react and how they would survive them (if at all): Some were not provided with enough food synthesizers for their population, others had only men in them, or were designed to open prematurely. Each of these unique circumstances would provide vital data for the spaceship construction, helping the Enclave to figure out how to sustain people for hundreds of years in cryonic suspension and generations of the crew necessary to maintain the ship, how to create sustainable, closed ecosystems to grow food, purify water, and maintain breathable air, and in the case of control Vaults like Vault 8, to test how recolonization of the surface using a Vault as base could work. Even Vault 13, ostensibly a control group, was intended to find out the theoretical lifespan limitations of Vault-Tec technologies.

Vault-Tec itself didn't simply act as intermediary: It used the shelters to create technologies that could be used to redefine society even if the starship project fell through. An entire Vault was set aside to act as proving grounds intended to test a variety of prototype devices with the aim of rolling them out through the rest of the Vaults. Once Vault 88 was fully operational, the company expected to roll out new devices every fiscal quarter. Unlike other Vaults, Vault-Tec would send test subjects before any disaster scenario, starting in early 2078. Human lives were considered irrelevant, with quick iteration time given a priority. The prototypes were meant to convert "useless" exercise into a socially-useful activity, manipulate the moods of the dwellers, or even develop crude forms of mind control. Ethical concerns were dismissed as counter-productive and close-minded.

The Great War

Residents of Sanctuary Hills, Massachusetts after rushing to Vault 111

On October 23, 2077, the Great War came. The Vault-Tec air raid sirens blared, but the "cry wolf" effect resulted in few people going into the shelters. They were sealed and the experiments entered their decisive phase. The control Vaults functioned as intended and protected their populations. Others were not so lucky.

Within the next few decades, many shelters would fail as a result of their experiments. The few that did survive would often prosper. In 2091, after receiving the all-clear signal, Vault 8 opened and Vault City was founded. A year later, the demonstration Vault in the ruins of Los Angeles opened. The inhabitants founded Adytum in what became known as the Boneyard. Years later, Vault 15 opened. While a large portion of the Vault inhabitants that left the overcrowded Vault would band into raider tribes by the winter of 2097 (marking the beginning of the Khans, Vipers, and Jackals), the remaining Vault dwellers would found Shady Sands in spring. The town used its G.E.C.K. well. No one expected that these humble beginning would eventually culminate in the formation of the mighty New California Republic.

There was a darker side to the Vaults. As protective as they were, they would also ensure that the population within would be kept put for whatever purpose someone with less-than-ethical intentions might have for them. Such was the case in 2155, when the Master's forces captured a caravan of Vault dwellers from the L.A. Vault. He learned the location of the Vault and moved his base of operations there. Learning of other Vaults in the area, he realized their occupants were perfect subjects for his project. The super mutants began to scour the region for the Vaults, boosting the output of the Mariposa vats tremendously.

Eighty years later, Vaults would serve another nefarious purpose, as the Enclave, the architects of the original experimentation program, raided Vault 13 on March 16, 2242; the inhabitants were taken to the oil rig, so that the inoculation rendering humans immune to the FEV-based toxin could be tested.

By the late 23rd century, very few functional Vault-series shelters remain. The only known Vaults that still maintain societies comprised of the original dwellers and/or their descendants are Vault 101 (circa 2277), Vault 81 and Vault 118 (2287), and Vault 4 and Vault 33 (2296). Some other Vaults have kept their original experimental functions ongoing, such as Vault 112 (2277) and Vault 31 (2296), while many Vaults have been repurposed by outside factions as strongholds or, in the case of Vault 21, a hotel.

Construction

Vault 88's primary construction site, demonstrating typical late model construction efforts: Railway deliveries, heavy equipment, prefabricated elements, and large caverns shored up to withstand intense construction.

A typical Vault is built deep underground in a geologically stable area (typical choices include mountain ranges and remote areas away from population centers), but such shelters have also been built below the foundations of modern cities in order to survive the effects of a nuclear blast. Vault-Tec's method was patented as the Triple-S Technology (Safety, Survivability and Sanitation), to provide a maximum of comfort to the inhabitants without compromising their safety. Vaults were typically built using reinforced concrete and solid metal sheeting to ensure durability and longevity of the shelter construction. The primary protection came in the sheer amount of earth covering: Vault 13 was shielded by 3,200,000 tons of soil, at 200 feet (60m) of thickness, while Vault 88 was sheltered by granite deposits common to Quincy.

The entrance was controlled by a Vault blast door and an airlock. The Vault doors had a projected 2% failure rate in case of a direct hit by a nuclear missile. The only shelter hit by a nuclear weapon is Vault 87 and the blast damaged the door beyond repair. Some featured additional protective measures, such as an additional external blast door and reinforced access corridor, like Vault 8, or were accessed vertically through an elevator inside a protective dome that caused to blast wave to sweep over the dome and leave the Vault door intact, as is the case with Vault 111. Regardless of the presence of these measures, all entry points into a shelter were overpressurized to keep contaminants out.

The precise method of constructing Vaults evolved greatly as Vault-Tec accumulated experience in constructing these vast underground shelters. The first shelters were built using contemporary technologies, combining prefabricated elements with poured concrete and modular machines and electronics. The demonstration Vault built in Los Angeles set the standard for this first generation of Vaults built in California, which used the same kind of technology used for military and industrial construction, such as nuclear reactors, military bunkers, or corporate research facilities. Vault-Tec quickly started implementing its own, purpose-built technologies. Vaults started becoming more and more modular, using entire prefabricated sections built to spec on the factory floor and assembled on site. Many second-generation shelters exhibited a combination of both old and new technologies, with the only fully next-generation Vaults built on the East Coast, in Boston and Appalachia. These were built entirely using prefabricated sections complete with all the necessary infrastructure, fixtures, and fittings, greatly reducing construction times.

By 2077, Vault-Tec could rapidly construct Vaults, especially in areas where natural or artificial features such as stable cave networks or underground tunnels permitted it. For example, the stability of Quincy's granite quarries and the ground allowed extensive excavation operations, creating a network of natural and artificial caves. After reinforcement, these caves were connected to a temporary railroad that rapidly delivered all the necessary prefabricates, construction equipment, and other necessities.

Infrastructure

In order to power the entire installation, Vaults were provided with a variety of power sources, depending on local geology and the actual size of the Vault (with the average being approximately 220 dwellers). The largest of them, like Vault 13, required nearly 3.98 MWh/day for continued operations for its 1000 occupants (housed in a hot-bunking system). In order to meet the demand, the shelter used a geothermal power plant as a primary source, with General Atomics nuclear power as backup. Infrastructure is designed for durability, but also for convenience. Critical elements are usually hidden behind wall panels so as to keep them out of harm's way.

The usual go-to solution was geothermal power, in areas where it was practical. If not, the usual fallback option was the aforementioned General Atomics nuclear power plant, often used as the primary power source due to its reliability and scalability. Concrete, steel reinforcements, and SimuSun lighting were also utilized. Vaults can hold double the number of occupants under a hot bunking system. Vaults are known to use the systems listed below.

Vault	Number of occupants	Primary power supply	Secondary power supply
Vault 4	200 (at construction), later unknown	Vault-Tec reactor powered by a fusion core	Unknown
Vault 8	Unknown, estimated at 100-200	Nuclear reactor	None
Vault 13	500 (1000 with hot bunking)	Geothermal	General Atomics nuclear power
Vault 33	220, later reduced to at least 47	Unknown	Unknown
Vault 51	52 (at sealing)	Vault Star super-reactor	None
Vault 75	88	Unknown	Unknown
Vault 76	500, later reduced to 88	LightLife geothermal Dual Vault Star super reactors	General Atomics nuclear power
Vault 81	96 (plus unknown number of researchers)	Nuclear reactor	None
Vault 87	Unknown	General Atomics nuclear power	Versicorps fusion power
Vault 88	Construction unfinished, none given	Vault-Tec super reactor	None
Vault 92	245	General Atomics nuclear power	None
Vault 94	Unknown	Class-VI fusion reactor	Class-VIb fusion reactor Two Class-VIII reactors servicing G.E.C.K. containment and control
Vault 95	72	Unknown	Unknown
Vault 106	107	Rok-Solid Brand geothermal	General Atomics nuclear power
Vault 108	475	General Atomics nuclear power (designed to fail after 240 months or 20 years)	Steam Whistle mini geothermal
Vault 112	85	Sure Power geothermal	X-Tra Sure Power geothermal
Vault 114	120	Unknown	Unknown

All of that power was necessary to power the facilities necessary to sustain the people living within. Apart from air filtration systems required to keep the air breathable, which was already an issue without toxic contaminants leaking in, Vaults also included hydro-agricultural farms and food synthesizers to provide sustenance, water purification systems (able to take even sewer waste and convert it into up to 15,000 gallons of drinkable water each day with no loss of output for 250,000 hours of operation), and other necessary amenities, like a Vault-wide intranet allowing instant access to any entertainment, social, and educational files from any terminal in the Vault. Vaults were also equipped with incinerators for disposal of the dead and likely other waste products. Security was provided by heavy duty doors (which could be sealed by security in case of disturbances) and an extensive network of Eye-On-You surveillance cameras. The entire Vault was typically managed by a single, centralized computer system, the most advanced of which is the ZAX series of supercomputers, currently known to have only been used in Vault 51. The most common brands were Brainpower and Think Machine.

All of the systems were reported to function without failure for nearly 900 years, though the uneven quality of components would prove this claim untrue. For example, the water chips were manufactured by a low-bid contractor, resulting in poor quality and a high failure rate. Such was the case with Vault 13 in 2161, exacerbated by the fact that the process was too complicated for a workaround system. For the resettlement of the surface, the shelters were provided with complete construction equipment and preselected installations received one or two G.E.C.K.s, intended to help the inhabitants create a viable civilization in the post-nuclear world after the "all clear" signal is sent.

A typical corridor in a Vault

Vents provide breathable air throughout the Vault

Easily accessible pipework for maintenance

A storage room, the thick bulletproof windows are obscured with folding blinders

A typical technical and maintenance tunnel in a Vault

A typical Vault reactor

Vault dwellers

A group of Vault dwellers wearing their blue-and-yellow jumpsuits

The total number of inhabitants could be as high as 500 (1,000 with hot bunking) in installations like Vault 13 and Vault 76 and as low as 100. As the government only commissioned 122 Vaults as part of Project Safehouse, only a fraction of the 400 million U.S. citizens would actually be accepted into the Vaults. The duration of stay varied. Some shelters were only intended to stay sealed for ten years (Vault 13, though this directive was overridden), while others were designed for 38 years and more, like Vault 108.

Since the Enclave never really intended for the Vaults to save anyone, they used Project Safehouse and Vault-Tec's network of shelters for a grand social experiment, to test the occupants in unique circumstances. The Enclave eventually abandoned their goal of settling on another planet and decided to resettle the one they already had. Vault monitoring and research continued as the Vault Behavioral Project. In order to monitor the populations being experimented upon, the Enclave's oil rig possessed a great deal of equipment that allowed them to observe and control the Vaults. For example, the Enclave sent the all clear signal to Vault 8 shortly after the war, prompting them to leave the shelter and build their city. These monitoring tools also let the Enclave see that the population of Vault 13 was largely intact, although this wouldn't become important until much later.

Pre-selected segments of the population accepted into Vault-Tec's shelters would enjoy a very high quality of life, though it would be completely different from the free market capitalist consumerism experienced on the surface - a planned socialist utopia underground (giving China the last laugh). As a closed system, the Vaults were designed to recycle and reuse as much as possible and implement a completely planned economy that would maintain the system for the planned duration of the Vault. Every inhabitant would be registered with a unique 11 digit Vault identification number (or VID) and provided with clothing, bedding, and other accommodations necessary for their life within the Vault.

The only exception was food and water, as these could only be procured with the proper ration coupons (at least in some Vaults). Luxury, non-essential goods were available for purchase in exchange for work credits, a form of currency earned through performing work for the Vault. The aforementioned ration coupons would sometimes also be used as a form of currency. Nourishment would be provided by a combination of food grown in hydroponic farms, like in Vault 13, or food synthesizers, capable of creating a variety of foodstuffs. Water would be provided by purifying liquid drawn from the local water table.

Vault dwellers would be unable to use their own clothing in the long term. While dwellers could arrange to have their belongings sent to their quarters in advance, there was a strict policy disallowing bringing baggage along in case of an emergency entrance. The uniform Vault jumpsuit would replace regular clothes. Manufactured inside the Vault, it was designed for utility and comfort. Enterprising dwellers could, however, customize theirs to add a bit of individuality to the generally conformist design. Planning and conformity also extended to other areas. For example, trash disposal would only be permitted in designated receptacles on pre-set trash burning days. These receptacles would also be used for the disposal of corpses, as there was no space for proper burial in the confined environment of the Vault. Children would also be assigned their first work duties starting with the day after their tenth birthday.

In exchange for these sacrifices in lifestyle, dwellers would receive private quarters provided with the latest in home appliances, including Floorsuck Autocleaner Systems to minimize sweeping, Culinator 3000 Kitchen Systems for cooking, and access to complete libraries of social and entertainment files together with the public Entertainotron room. A standardized education would be received by all Vault dwellers, including schooling in arithmetic, chemistry, biology, history, and other sciences. Tertiary education would also be provided and Vault-trained specialists would be highly sought after the apocalypse and count on a stable career in their chosen field, like Doc Mitchell from Vault 21, who opened a practice in Goodsprings after the Vault was opened.

Their health would be assured by well-educated doctors with access to the latest in medical technologies. Auto-Docs capable of performing a broad variety of procedures and manufacturing medical drugs were the standard issue of the Emergency Medical Labs (which were equipped well enough to rival clinics). Some Vaults were also equipped with facilities for cloning replacement tissue and organs. To avoid the development of medical problems, shelters were lit using a Simu-Sun lighting system simulating natural sunlight. It was estimated that living in a properly maintained Vault would result in an average lifespan of 92.3 years. Prolonged isolation, even in generations born after entry, took its toll. Vault depressive syndrome was a common problem, manifesting as intense depression that could be debilitating. The usual recourse was to prescribe and treat it with anti-anxiety medication. Furthermore, those who exited successful Vaults seem to have a heightened chance of suffering from xenophobia (fear of strangers) and/or agoraphobia (fear of open places).

Security inside the Vault was provided by its dedicated security force, usually hand-picked by the overseer. A typical Vault was provided with enough firearms and armor to arm ten men. Surface monitors and communications systems were designed to facilitate connecting with other Vaults, though this functionality was either never implemented or failed soon afterwards.

Layout

See also: List of known Vaults

Due to the nature of the project, Vaults were provided with standardized facilities and layouts. Some Vaults were built according to a uniform design plan (like Vaults 8, 12, 13, and 15), while others had to be adapted to local geological features. The following section attempts to summarize the most common design features.

Common schematic of Vault design used in mountainous areas.
1 - Natural bedrock
2 - Reinforced concrete that creates the outer shell of a Vault
3 - Entrance area
4 - Living quarters
5 - Command center

Entrance

Main article: Vault door

A Vault was designed to provide the best possible protection from nuclear fallout, indirect blast effects, and any unrest that might occur following a global thermonuclear war. Protected by a massive Vault blast door available in several different variants, from the basic Seal-N-Safe Model No. 343, through fortified doors, all the way to the high tech fortified Vault entrances, the entrance area would double as an overpressurized airlock. There future dwellers would undergo decontamination and processing by Vault-Tec personnel, then change into Vault jumpsuits provided in sealed packages before entering the Vault. Vault doors would be operated either remotely or from control pods located near the door (both outside and inside the Vault). Specific access codes would be necessary to operate the door. Some Vaults were provided with an external blast door, providing additional protection against the blast.

Several layouts were developed for entrance areas. The earliest designs, derived from the demonstration Vault, had a simple airlock, terminating in a security door fitted with additional armored plating to deter attackers and protect against radiation. This airlock would typically contain a status terminal and a locker for emergency supplies.

Later, more advanced layouts greatly expanded the airlock into a fully-featured processing and decontamination station. Advanced Vault doors and airlocks would funnel prospective Vault dwellers into a decontamination shower and then to a separate area for disrobing and changing into jumpsuits (which would later double as a staging area for excursions), before allowing them to enter the shelter. A separate room to the side would be used for monitoring purposes.

The latest, fortified airlocks seen only in high-tech areas such as the Commonwealth further iterate on the system. The entry door connects to a retractable catwalk leading into the Vault, monitored by security officers and staff during processing. The entrance area, painted in warm colors with a reassuring corporate slogan prominently displayed (Welcome Home), would typically include a security station and an array of radiation scanners that would analyze people entering the Vault proper.

East and West Coast (nine-cog model)

Nine-cog blast door

Airlock/decontamination area

Airlock/decontamination control station

Entrance hall

Massachusetts and West Virginia (fortified model)

Fortified blast door

Blast door seen from the inside

Airlock/processing area

Rad scanners flanking the entrance deeper into the Vault

Living quarters

Living quarters were typically located deeper into the Vault and their design varied by the installation. A standard level had 20,000 square feet of usable area. The standard approach was to provide discrete apartments to Vault couples, provided with a private sanitary compartment, terminal, and a bed, on top of any additional amenities they may require.

Different philosophies were implemented depending on the designer and the intended purpose. Some did away with apartments in favor of separate dormitories for genders, where multiple dwellers would occupy the same room, or for apartment blocks composed of a bedroom (with one or two beds, the former typically utilized under hot bunking) and living space, with common lavatories accessible in the corridors. Other facilities typically located in living quarters include diners, cafeterias, classrooms, laundry rooms, and even cigar lounges.

Standard living quarters layout

A typical apartment block

A typical living room

A typical bedroom

Late model apartment

A smaller apartment

A dormitory

Amazon preview

Amazon preview

Amazon preview

Amazon preview

A public lavatory

A diner

A cafeteria

A classroom, prepared for the G.O.A.T.

Late model classroom

Amazon preview classroom

Entrance to a cigar lounge

Emergency medical lab

Typically found on the entrance level, the EML is one of the most important places in the shelter. Despite its name, a typical EML is a fully-featured medical clinic allowing dwellers to undergo medical procedures in a safe and sterile environment. A medic is expected to be present on site 24 hours a day, to respond to any emergencies immediately. The EML typically varies in size between Vaults. Some installations abandon the moniker entirely and simply refer to it as the clinic.

A typical EML

Late model EML

An operating theater

Clinicians office

Command center

The command center is the nexus of Vault activity, where all the computers necessary to maintain the Vault's various functions. Centered around the overseer's office, it typically incorporates the security station, armory, computer core, meeting room, and library, although many variations of the layout have been developed.

The oldest Vault designs usually dedicated an entire floor of the Vault for these purposes, owing to the multiple functions it was supposed to fulfill. One wing of the level would incorporate the overseer's office, a vaulted chamber with a command post equipped with a pair of CZ-53 5mm miniguns designed to defend the overseer, connected to the main processing computers (including the water purification controls) and the security post with the Vault's main armory. A Vault security guard would be posted in the area on watch around the clock.

Later designs would forgo the inclusion of a discrete command post and hall, in favor of a more modest office. The workplace of the overseer would typically be located in an area overlooking the atrium - the center of activity within the Vault, where dwellers would spend their leisure time, socialize, and even engage in sports. The office would typically connect to necessary administrative and security facilities, such as the computer core, security station and armory, laboratories and the personal quarters of the overseer and their family.

A standard command center design

Command post

Corporate Vault command post

Overseer's office

An integrated escape tunnel

A Vault status screen in the office

View of atrium from the office

Overseer's quarters

Auxiliary quarters of the overseer

Overseer's living room

Overseer's office reception area

Operations room

Systems room

Security station

Interior of the security station

Security station holding cell

Late model reception area

Late model office

Late model personal quarters of the overseer

Notes

A map of the Vaults

• In the TV series, a map of the intended Vaults is shown with only 115 dots, although it is possible some dots are hidden behind the presenters. If one overlays a map over it, it seems all states have Vaults except New Hampshire and Indiana. It also suggests there is a Vault in Canada, either in Saskatchewan or Manitoba, as well as at least one in Mexico.
• Vault 51 was outfitted with a ZAX AI, which sought out an overseer.
• Vault 12 had its overseer's room sealed due to the fact that the main door of the Vault was doomed never to close.
• East Coast Vaults and Mojave Vaults (3, 11, 19, 21, 22, 34, 51, 63, 75, 76, 81, 87, 88, 92, 94, 95, 96, 101, 106, 108, 111, 112, 114, 118) use a different door mechanism than on the West Coast/California. These Vaults employ an opening mechanism that is contained entirely within the Vault itself, pulling the door inwards and simply rolling it to one side. The doors seen on West Coast/California Vaults, however, pull the seal outwards and use an external clamp to slide it aside (with the exception of Vaults 4 and 33, which use a similar design to that of 76).
• East Coast and Mojave Vaults lack storage rooms in the overseer's office; they are instead located near the atrium.
• Vault 0 (Fallout Tactics) and the Corporate Vault (Fallout Brotherhood of Steel) had an entirely different layout than other Vaults.
• Vault 76 has a unique Vault door exterior design, having a prominent plaza with Vault 76 signage around it, rather than the concealed entrances seen on most other Vaults. Vault 33 also uses this door design, but with minor alterations.
• Vault 81 has an entire wing that is cut off from the rest of the Vault.
• Vault 111 and Vault 118 both have an elevator exit leading to the surface just outside the airlock.
• Vault 114 can be found inside Park Street station.
• Vault 118 has a parking garage and is under Cliff's Edge Hotel.
• The Commonwealth, Appalachia, and Maine Vaults are painted in a yellow and blue shade, while Washington D.C., California and Mojave Vaults are a dull metallic gray. Also, the Commonwealth, Appalachia, and Maine Vaults' hue is the same as the traditional Vault jumpsuit, compared to the lighter blue seen in D.C. and the Mojave.
  • Again, Vaults 4 and 33 seem to be exempt from the trends of the other West Coast Vaults, and use the same style aesthetics and vault suits as the Commonwealth, Appalachia, and Maine Vaults.
• Thus far, all known Vaults with a number lower than Vault 34 have been on the western half of the U.S., while all known Vaults numbered 51 and over have been located on the east half.

Appearances

Vaults appear in all Fallout games to date.

Behind the scenes

“We didn't have a definitive list of Vaults during development of the original game, and the creation of new Vaults in southern California for the TV show 25ish years later is way outside of the scope of any of our planning.

The Vaults encountered over the course of the many games imply that there's somewhere below 200 Vaults, although it's also possible that the number is even lower and that some Vaults were just never completed (leaving gaps in the numeric list). California has a big population so it presumably might have a large number of Vaults-but it also might not; since forces behind the scenes turned the Vaults into labs for sociological experiments, their purpose was not to save large quantities of people, but to draw people from a local town into an unwitting experiment. You don't need to place a huge number of Vaults in the places with lots of people if your true goal isn't saving as many people as possible.

Once the bombs drop, communication infrastructure collapses. There are any number of reasons that the Master might not have any record of a Vault right under their noses, since there is no guarantee that the Master has access to an actual and complete listing of every Vault, the Master's "help" isn't always the most competent, and some Vaults may take more rigorous steps than others to protect themselves from the outside world.”— Jesse Heinig, Modiphius Discord

• As per original Fallout developer Jesse Heinig above, the original development team never had a definitive list of Vaults created or a hard number while Fallout was worked on. Heinig suggests that there are under 200 Vaults based on the numbers of Vaults seen in the Fallout series thus far, with gaps in numbering due to a lack of completion and/or straight-up corruption.
• The visual identity of the Vaults from Fallout 3 onwards was defined by the late Adam Adamowicz. His work would continue to influence developers, as their look in Fallout 4 was inspired by his concept art and many details not featured earlier made their way into the next generation game, for example, the angled lamp in living quarters modeled by Josh Jay.
• A trailer for Fallout 76 states Vault 76 was the first to be opened after the Great War. This is not actually true, even in the context of Fallout 76:
  • Vault 94 — reopened on October 23, 2078, and eventually led to the creation of The Mire.
  • Vault 87 — the Fallout 3 guide mentions, "The dwellers of Vault 87 were turned into Super Mutants in 2078, and have been a presence in the Capital Wasteland ever since" which suggests they did manage to leave the Vault.
  • Vault 29 — Harold is said to have left in 2090 according to the Fallout Bible
  • Vault 8 — was opened in 2091 according to Fallout Bible
  • Los Angeles Vault - was opened in 2092 according to Fallout Bible
  • Vault 15 — was opened in 2097 according to Fallout Bible
  • Vault 22 — Sylvie is said to be out of Vault 22 by 2097 according to Year: 2097

Experiment

• The Vault experiment was an idea created by Tim Cain and Leonard Boyarsky during the initial stages of Fallout 2 development. While the introduction of this idea was established in the Bible in 2002, it took a further 21 (!) years for Tim Cain to reveal The True Purpose of Vaults in Fallout. Coined at the end of the development cycle of Fallout, Cain was inspired by a conversation with Chris Taylor, who pointed out that even with a thousand Vaults the size of Vault 13, Vault-Tec could only preserve a million US citizens at most, out of a population of hundreds of millions. Cain agreed, and reflecting upon the 1950s projections for human survival in the wake of a global thermonuclear war - which consistently foresaw an uninhabitable, irradiated hellscape - realized that this could be the point of the Vaults: The Enclave assumed that the Earth would be uninhabitable and decided to build a multi-generational starship to colonize another planet and begin again. However, lacking the know-how on how to build such a vessel (apart from mastering nuclear fission to power it for centuries), it would need data. From there, it was a simple step to have the Vault-Tec director suggest using Vaults as giant social experiments to gather data on building the vessel, testing technologies, and addressing contingencies. Vaults in Fallout 2 were (re)designed with that purpose in mind, and retroactive continuity made it easier to explain the Vault Dweller's banishment in Fallout. Cain noted that while he isn't aware of the design specifics in subsequent games, he always interprets them through the "starship lens" and sees how the even strangest experiments could provide data useful to making a generation ship.
• The developers actually intended for the player to first encounter information about the Vault experiment as they read the Vault 8 records in Fallout 2. They could discover a classified file (opened with a successful Science skill roll) explaining the purpose of Vault 8 was to be a "control Vault," designed to hold 1000 people and open at a designated time. This file was intended to foreshadow the discovery of the true and sinister purpose of the Vaults. The player character could also apply their Science skill to the central computer in Vault 13 to obtain a history of Vault 13, the overseer's involvement in the Vault Dweller's expulsion, and even worse, the true purposes of the Vaults. The overseer was conscious of the true purpose of the Vaults as social experiments on a grand scale, and consequently drove out the Vault Dweller because of fear they would ruin the experiment or uncover it.
• Vault 29 and Vault 70 were to appear in Van Buren, the canceled Fallout 3 project by Black Isle Studios. Van Buren was also the first game to directly elaborate on the starship idea via the location of Bloomfield Space Center, but the idea never manifested and wasn't explored in depth in design documents.
• A Vault 69 advertisement appears in Van Buren concept art.

Vaults from media

For Vaults not seen in the game, see List of known Vaults.

Fallout

Vault 12, an experiment Vault to test radiation on people with a door that does not close properly

Vault 13, the beginning Vault which is a special case "control group" Vault to stay closed until subjects were needed by the Enclave

Vault 15, an experiment Vault for diverse people to clash cultures

Los Angeles Vault, a demonstration Vault which actually helped people survive

Fallout 2

Vault 8, a control Vault

Vault 13, now with intelligent deathclaws

Vault 15, a bit different compared to the first Fallout

Fallout: Tactics

Vault 0, a control Vault in Colorado meant to act as the hub for the Vault network

Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel

Vault prototype, the Brotherhood's base in Texas

Corporate Vault in Los, Texas, for Vault-Tec employees to survive the Great War and continue research

Fallout 3

Vault 87, an experiment Vault meant to test the Forced Evolutionary Virus on people

Vault 92, an experiment Vault claimed to preserve the best musicians, but white noise was used for mind control

Vault 101, the beginning Vault, an experiment for residents to never leave

Vault 106, an experiment Vault to drug people via the air system

Vault 108, an experiment Vault to test conflicts in leadership

Vault 112, an experiment Vault where residents are trapped in a virtual simulation

Museum of Technology exhibit Vault, simply meant to advertise the Vaults

Concept art

Fallout: New Vegas

Vault 3, a control Vault where residents agreed not to leave until a water leak occurred

Vault 11, an experiment Vault where people, to avoid dying, voted others to be overseer

Vault 19, an experiment Vault to see if paranoia can be induced through non-chemical/non-violent means

Vault 21, an experiment Vault to study a society where conflict is resolved through chance (i.e. gambling)

Vault 22, a Vault meant to research agriculture

Vault 34, a Vault filled with weapons to see if people will attack others

Securitron vault used exclusively by Mr. House for storage of his securitron army, located under The Fort

Fallout 4

Vault 75, an experiment Vault to refine human genetics where children are raised and "unfit" teens are killed upon reaching age 18

Vault 81, an experiment Vault to create a cure to humanity's illnesses, but its residents would have been test subjects; one of the few still operating Vaults in the wasteland

Vault 88, a Vault meant to test prototype devices to put in other Vaults

Vault 95, an experiment Vault to see if chem addicts can successfully recover from addictions

Vault 111, the beginning experiment Vault where residents are cryogenically frozen and studied

Vault 114, an experiment Vault to see how rich people deal with their wealth being taken away

Vault 118, an experiment Vault to see how rich people and poor people will co-exist

Vault-Tec: Among the Stars, a display Vault at Nuka-World to advertise Vaults

Textures

Fallout 76

Makeshift vault, a work-in-progress vault made by Vault-Tec employees after learning the company would not allow them into other Vaults

Vault 51, an experiment Vault to see how a computer will manage its residents

Vault 63, a Vault for developing technologies to establish a post-War society (e.g. weather manipulation and robotics)

Vault 76, a control Vault where only America's "best" and "brightest" were allowed in

Vault 79, a secret Vault meant to hold the country's gold reserves

Vault 94, an experiment Vault to see how non-violent groups fare when presented with post-apocalyptic societies

Vault 96, an experiment Vault to conduct genetic experiments on people to research mutated fauna

Vault-Tec University, a Vault meant to educate people studying to become overseers and learn about Vault-Tec

The Whitespring bunker, a secret Vault meant for American government officials to survive the Great War

Map of all Vaults in Appalachia + Vault 101

Maps

Fallout TV series

Vault 4, an experiment Vault where its scientists brought in surface refugees to experiment on them

Vault 31, an experiment Vault meant to preserve Vault-Tec employees but also breed super Vault-Tec managers

Vault 32, a sister experiment Vault for Vault 31's residents to have a healthy breeding pool

Vault 33, a sister experiment Vault for Vault 31's residents to have a healthy breeding pool

Map of every Vault's location

Videos

E3 2008 - Fallout 3 Trailer

See also

• Vault depressive syndrome
• Vault jumpsuit

References

Non-game

Merchandise

Vault-Tec Vaults List of known Vaults Vaults 3 · 4 · 8 · 11 · 12 · 13 · 15 · 17 · 19 · 21 · 22 · 29 · Three Vaults (31 · 32 · 33) · 34 · 51 · 63 · 75 · 76 · 77 · 79 · 81 · 87 · 88 · 92 · 94 · 95 · 96 · 101 · 106 · 108 · 111 · 112 · 114 · 118 Other Vaults Demonstration Vault · Fake Vault 13 · Los Angeles Vault · Makeshift vault · Vault-Tec: Among the Stars · VTU Training Vault · Whitespring Congressional Bunker Non-canon Vaults Non-canon 0 · 27 · 29 (Van Buren) · 36 · 42 · 43 · 53 · 55 · 56 · 68 · 69 · 70 · Corporate Vault · Vault prototype Unreleased 1 · 6 · 10 · 24 · 39 · 65 · 70 · 74 · 100 · 113 · 117 · 120 · 121 · Burkittsville Vault Miscellaneous Fictional Vaults 1 · 2 Fallout: The Board Game 7 · 44 · 84 · 109 Fallout Shelter 31 · 93 · 120 · 144 · 177 · 189 · 199 · 226 · 232 · 233 · 242 · 261 · 314 · 315 · 317 · 322 · 333 · 390 · 404 · 428 · 450 · 505 · 512 · 525 · 666 · 700 · 711 · 730 · 778 · 789 · 813 · 819 · 840 · 850 · 899 · 909 · 923 · R41D