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Vault-Tec: The first and last name in Vault technology.— Company slogan[3]

The Vault-Tec Corporation, also simply known as Vault-Tec, was a pre-War defense corporation which won the federal government contracts to design and implement a network of bunkers known as Vaults with the stated intent of preserving a small fraction of the U.S. population. By the time of the Great War, it was the largest company in America,[4] valued at an estimated trillion dollars, with stakes in countless industries and businesses. Its wealth gave it immense sway against the United States government, rendered broke by the decade-long Sino-American War.[5]

These political and economic factors caused the company to deem the U.S.A. a failed nation and shift priorities.[6] The lack of confidence in the United States was so great that one executive, Barb Howard, entertained the idea of Vault-Tec instigating the Great War themselves, to wipe the slate clean and usher in a new world free of war. Project Safehouse was redesigned to ensure the survival of the company at all costs, rather than the survival of America, with the vast majority of the Vaults being used to test the development of a perfect society under varying experimental conditions. In the spirit of competition, other corporate leaders were invited to contribute ideas and take control of their own Vaults for post-apocalyptic monopolies.[7] The Enclave was also deeply affiliated with Vault-Tec and its Vault program, and saw the Vault experiments as a key part of the "great plan" for their own survival.[8]

The company itself became defunct due to the nuclear war, with most Vaults failing to safeguard their populations,[9][10] and despised by surface dwellers as retreats for the rich.[11] However, select junior employees of Vault-Tec survived well into the late 23rd century through cryostasis in Vault 31 as part of Bud Askins' personal experiment to conquer the future in Vault-Tec's name; they are currently the only known active remnant of Vault-Tec.[12]

The company is sometimes referred to as Vault-Tek[13][14][15] and VaulTek,[16] though it has consistently been spelled as Vault-Tec since Fallout 3. It is also occasionally written as Vault-Tech, although in both instances of this it is likely to be a typo.[17][18]

Background[]

F76 Vault-Tec University

Vault-Tec University in Morgantown

Origins[]

See also: Vault

America's preeminent nuclear defense corporation existed as early as 2031, when it acquired and re-branded Morgantown's local college as Vault-Tec University, with some of their top executives and scientists either teaching or graduating from there.[19] This investment in cadre would pay off in the early 2050s: When the Euro-Middle Eastern War, the New Plague, and the collapse of the United Nations resulted in a nationwide scare, the government set Project Safehouse[20] in motion in 2054.[Non-game 2] This massive national defense endeavor was intended to create shelters that would protect the population in the event of nuclear wars, famines, pandemics, floodings or asteroid strikes.[Non-game 3] Vault-Tec proclaimed preparedness for any eventuality. Following the success of its demonstration Vault, built near their headquarters in Los Angeles at the time, the company won the bid for the construction of the shelters.[Non-game 4] The tremendous success of the company allowed it to build a new headquarters in Washington, D.C.[21]

The impoverished government financed the project with junk bonds and even then, only commissioned 122 of these shelters nationwide, allowing less than 0.1% of the population to save their life in the event of the holocaust.[Non-game 1] Vault 13's budget was $400 billion dollars, and by the end of its construction the total costs reached $645 billion, well over 150% of the initial figure.[Non-game 5] The staggering cost was further increased by the circumstances: As crucial elements of national defense, much of the project was classified and protected under the New Amended Espionage Act,[Non-game 6] and the corporation received broad privileges in enforcing security, up to and including authorization for its private security to use lethal force if Vaults are activated.[22] Lack of oversight led to consistent mismanagement,[23][24][25] corruption,[26][27] and embezzlement[28] defining Project Safehouse before the War, even before taking the atrocious Vault experiments into account. Yet for all these problems, Vault-Tec was able to create a number of cutting edge technologies and develop shelters that legitimately protected the inhabitants.[Non-game 7]

Some of these miracles manifested as breakthroughs in construction technology, allowing for these gargantuan bunkers to be constructed at a rapid pace.[Non-game 8] Most were completed by 2063, although the construction of several Vaults was delayed, particularly Vault 13 (which only started construction in August 2063) and the network surrounding Washington, D.C.[Non-game 9] Some Vault construction was delayed due to work stoppage.[29] Despite these problems, Vault-Tec began advertising Vaults in newly annexed Canada, though these were in the early stages of completion.[30] Furthermore, partnerships with other corporations followed, such as RobCo Industries, which provided personal information processors for Vault dwellers. Their joint venture was considered the most successful of its kind,[1] licensed by Bud Askins, senior junior vice president and manager for "HR R&D" for Vault-Tec. Integration with admission systems ensured they were a permanent element of Vault infrastructure.[31] Over the course of the Sino-American War, Vault-Tec became the largest company in the United States,[4] and to maintain their power and influence, a group of high-ranking executives took steps to ensure the Resource Wars would continue, such as by acquiring and burying cold fusion research led by Lee Moldaver.[32]

The Societal Preservation Program[]

Headed by Stanislaus Braun, the Societal Preservation Program was Vault-Tec's scientific program for its Vaults, with the goal of studying the survival of humanity under extreme experimental conditions (with some eugenicist elements of finding the humans most fit to survive)[33] and developing new science and technology to help improve post-War society (under Vault-Tec's guidance). Aside from a mere 17 control Vaults,[34] all of the other Vaults were designed to have some sort of experiment to be carried out on its residents. Some experiments were passive or relatively benign -- like Vault 101, which was simply intended never to open. Some of the most benign experiments were even advertised to the public, like those of Vault 4 (advertised on television)[35] and Vault 22 (promoted on a sign outside the Vault).[36] Some were well-intentioned but had unethical or terrible consequences for their residents, like Vault 81's research for a universal cure. The worst were downright sadistic, like Vault 106, where psychoactive drugs were pumped into the air filtration system, to lethal effect.[Non-game 10] Finally, some experiments were simply bizarre,[Non-game 11] such as Vault 43, which held 30 human residents and one panther, or Vault 77, with a population of one man and a crate of puppets.[Non-game 12]

To the program's backers, loss of life was considered meaningless in the face of data that could be acquired.[8] Ethical concerns were dismissed by the researchers as counter-productive and close-minded.[37] Thus far, all known experiments in the Vaults were either designed and administered directly by Stanislaus Braun and his team, or through the proposals of independent Vault-Tec executives like Hugo Stolz and Bud Askins.

Public, private, and secret backers[]

While Project Safehouse itself was funded under contract by the federal government, the government was not the Vault program's only backer. In fact, only one known Vault was designed specifically with the government in mind: Vault 79, built to contain the gold reserves of the United States Bullion Depository.[38] With Vault-Tec itself coming to view the U.S. and its government as a liability, it turned to other sources to collaborate on the less savory parts of the Vault program.

As the Resource Wars dragged on and the risk of total nuclear annihilation increased, members of the Enclave invested into various contingency measures to survive the coming war. Funded by corporate and government money,[39][40] these installations would enable the Enclave to continue waging war even after the United States ceased to exist. The Enclave was involved in Project Safehouse and had access to all the data from the Societal Preservation Program, which they intended to use to facilitate their own survival. While their level of involvement in the Vault design process is unclear, the Enclave did have some level of monitoring and communications access to some if not all Vaults (including a facility called the "Enclave Vault-Research Control"),[41] which they would come to use to exploit the Vaults' populations for their post-War efforts. The Enclave's ultimate plans for this program were grander than restoring or conquering a world devastated by nuclear war: they wanted to use data harvested from the experiment to create a multi-generational starship to resettle on another world.[Non-game 13][Non-game 14][8]

Although Vault-Tec and the Enclave both saw the Vault experiments as a way to study potential human survival, Vault-Tec's own priorities differed from those of its shadow sponsor. For one, Vault-Tec executives such as Barb Howard and Bud Askins saw the imminent nuclear war as an opportunity to wipe the slate clean and redefine mankind in their own vision, with the Vaults used to experimentally determine the perfect conditions for humanity, in what Howard termed a "spirit of competition." The idea was pitched to figures from the largest, potentially like-minded corporations in the U.S.,[42] including Big MT, REPCONN Aerospace, RobCo, and West Tek, who were offered the opportunity to claim a stake in several Vaults and create their own social experiments for their own chance at a post-apocalyptic monopoly.[7] To ensure that the experiments would happen, Howard floated the idea of these megacorporations instigating the nuclear war deliberately, allowing an intentionally designed society to arise from the ashes, configured to eliminate friction, conflict, and ultimately war.[43] Bud himself would carry out a personal contingency plan to ensure Vault-Tec's post-War dominance via the Three Vaults in Los Angeles.

Regardless of her proposal, the corporation acted elsewhere to ensure its own hegemony after the Great War. Vault-Tec facilities such as Vault 63 and Vault 88 were designed with the intentions of creating technologies that would be used by all Vault-Tec Vaults to help establish better post-War society under their guidance, and Vault programs not designed directly by Braun or his team were approved only if their research could benefit Vault-Tec's position.[44][45][46][47] Secret orders were issued to overseers to directly oppose the government, if not the Enclave: the overseer of Vault 76 was instructed to seize control of the Appalachian Automated Launch System and wrest nuclear weapons from the military.[48] Although this varied, some Vaults even rejected the Enclave's claimed authority altogether in favor of their Vault-Tec directives.[49]

Imminent nuclear war[]

Vault-Tec directors

Members at the 2077 Annual Board of Directors Summit, seen in the Vault Seller's Survival Guide episode "Welcome Home!."

Naturally, these plans were not publicized, and Vault-Tec was voted a company with the brightest future in the United States in January 2077,[Non-game 15] Its stock value quickly soared following the Battle of Anchorage, due to the anxiety surrounding a potential nuclear confrontation.[Non-game 16] Vault-Tec capitalized on this, offering single Vault spaces for sale.[Non-game 17] Some Americans realized the gravity of the situation: As a private company to whom the government outsourced the entirety of contingency planning, it had a fiduciary responsibility to its investors to make money. Any peaceful solution to the Resource Wars and especially the Sino-American War would eliminate the specter of nuclear war and wipe out the need for Vaults, hurting the corporation's profits. This perverse incentive resulted in Vault-Tec having every reason to see the war continue or even see nuclear war erupt, especially since the government was broke and powerless in comparison with the company.[5] Indeed, peace talks between the U.S. and China after the Battle of Anchorage significantly hurt Vault-Tec sales projections, which incentivized them to take more direct action.[50][51]

Despite the ongoing popularity of the Vaults, drills in completed Vaults slowly created a cry wolf effect among the population. Turnouts for the drills fell over time, limiting the Vaults' future role in ensuring the survival of humanity irrespective of Vault-Tec's plans.[Non-game 9] Work stoppages, civil unrest, and other problems also affected the implementation of the experiment plans. When the Great War happened on October 23, 2077, several Vaults were yet to be completed, while the cry wolf effect resulted in just a fraction of people going into the Vaults.[Non-game 18] while the Enclave's grand plans were undone by circumstance and interference from within: The heart of the master plan, the Whitespring, was cut off from the network and the plans crippled.[52] Regardless, most of the Vaults populated and sealed as scheduled, with enough personnel to carry out their experimental plans. The Vaults used by Vault-Tec's more independent executives were among this number: Bud Askins' plans largely succeeded, with enough of a population in Vaults 31, 32, and 33 to proceed, while Hugo Stolz's sprawling Vault 63 was unfinished, but successfully protected enough of its population for their work to continue post-War. However, the actual loss of life fell short of the projected 90%,[53] and survivors started resettling on the surface - including Vaults. In 2091, after receiving the all-clear signal, Vault 8 opened and Vault City was founded.[Non-game 19] A year later, the demonstration Vault in the ruins of LA opened. The inhabitants founded Adytum in what became known as the Boneyard.[Non-game 20][Non-game 21]

Vault 31 cryo

Various Vault-Tec employees in suspended animation in Vault 31

As a result, the ambitious plans of executives to use the nuclear war to wipe the slate clean and redefine society never came to pass. Many Vaults failed over the next few centuries (whether due to the total population dying or leaving, or simply due to the experiments being subverted), while facilities of the defunct megacorporation became little more than prime sources of salvage. This led to the Vaults being considered tall tales[9] or luxuries that benefited only the most privileged.[11] As a result, Vault 31 and its junior executives remained sealed underground,[6] while the surface prospered, with the New California Republic becoming the first post-War nation-state. However, the shadow of Vault-Tec did not disappear: After Rose MacLean fled Vault 32, discovering the NCR's existence, she inadvertently set in motion a chain of events that would culminate in the destruction of Shady Sands by her ex-husband, Hank MacLean, sending the Republic into freefall.[54][12]

Corporate model[]

Vault-Tec Industries

Vault-Tec corporate building

The primary focus of Vault-Tec was the development of a line of nuclear war defense installations and the technology necessary for their construction. Although their most recognizable product remains the venerable Vault, the company has also developed cheaper alternatives, like the Series 1000 shelter,[55] and contracted its technologies out to other entities requiring a reliable, proven pipeline for constructing subterranean bunkers.[56] Apart from heavy construction and technologies necessary for sustaining a population underground, Vault-Tec has also developed nuclear reactors,[57] medical devices, such as the organ extractor,[58] motion sensors based on Wattz Electronics' designs,[59] and even the SimTek 5000 virtual reality simulation suite for accustoming Vault dwellers with the outside[Non-game 22] and the Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System for facing any threats.[Non-game 23] Other proprietary inventions were designed to improve the quality of life for a Vault dweller, including SimuSun Lighting, Floorsuck Autocleaner Systems, Culinator 3000 Kitchen Systems, Entertainotron Rooms and Eye-On-You surveillance cameras.[60]

Vault-Tec's technology at its best was generally reliable and of high quality, leading to widespread adoption. However, Vault-Tec outsourced many critical elements of Vault infrastructure, selecting the lowest bidders to maximize profits. The most notorious examples were water chips.[23] Some of this outsourcing led to long-term partnerships: RobCo Industries provided Pip-Boys, forming the most successful joint venture in history,[1] General Atomics supplied nuclear reactors where Vault-Tec couldn't,[Non-game 1] while Radiation King provided TV sets and other appliances for the Vaults.[Non-game 24]

For the majority unable or ineligible to purchase a space in the Vaults, Vault-Tec's Budg-Tec division developed several additional "cost-efficient" alternatives, including the company's "most humane" product: Plan D, banana flavored cyanide.[61]

Divisions[]

F76 Future-Tec

Future-Tec, a division of Vault-Tec

A division of Vault-Tec, Future-Tec, was tasked with developing cutting edge technologies to allow Vault dwellers to brave the horrors of a post-nuclear world. Their crowning achievement was the G.E.C.K.[Non-game 25]

Employee relations[]

However, the reality for Vault-Tec employees was completely different. Employees received the Vault-Tec employee handbook, a monumental publication which outlined everything about the company and its procedures, down to bathroom breaks. The regulations were nothing less than draconian and oppressive: Vault-Tec's human resources and administration division considered 2.25 minutes (135 seconds) to be the reasonable length of a bathroom break. Exploitative and abusive labor practices seemed to be the norm.[74][75] Employees could also be subjected to unethical medical experiments, eg. the aforementioned tests at Nuka-World and other locales, which could lead to severe medical issues including depression and suicides. These were buried as standard practice.[76][77]

As a strategic defense contractor for the government, Vault-Tec's affairs and all related publications (including, for example, the Vault Dweller's Survival Guide) were protected by the New Amended Espionage Act and any whistle blowing attempts would likely hurt the whistle blower more than the corporation.[Non-game 6]

Drills[]

Vault-Tec was authorized to carry out drills for citizens selected for inclusion in the Vaults and operated its own alert system. Beta alert drills were carried out at regular intervals (sometimes as many as five a week) to test admission protocols and prepare the future Vault dwellers for an orderly admission into the Vault, in case of an Alpha Alert. Members of the experimentation staff were expected to participate in the drills each time.[78] Compliance and secrecy were accomplished simply by providing the scientists (frequently graduates or even students) with a hefty paycheck,[79] added by the implied threat of force should they decide to blow the whistle.[80]

Marketing[]

Icon Fo4 side quest

Vault Boy, mascot of Vault-Tec.

FOTV Barb Thomas episode 3 photo

Cooper Howard during his first photoshoot for Vault-Tec.

While Vault-Tec was a strategic defense contractor, the company carefully curated a public image as an all-American corporation guaranteeing the survival of the American way of life. The corporation's mascots, Vault Boy and Vault Girl, became recognizable nationwide, while Cooper Howard, a veteran of the first years of the Sino-American War and a movie superstar, was chosen as the company's spokesperson (after convincing from his wife). Appearing in promotional photoshoots and television advertisements promoting Vaults, he gradually became known as the "pitchman for the end of the world", eventually leading to ostracism in the Hollywood acting community.[81]

AmongTheStars-VaultEntrance-NukaWorld

The Nuka-World attraction, depicting a potential use of Vault-Tec technologies in extraterrestrial colonies, here at the hypothetical Arcturus I outpost.

The most ambitious effort was a large exposition at the Museum of Technology in the capital was designed to promote their shelters and explain their functionality,[60] and the Among the Stars attraction at Nuka-World, highlighting the potential applications of patented Vault-Tec technologies in the colonization of space (which would also rationalize the mass investment in Vaults in the event nuclear war didn't happen).[82] The attraction doubled as a testing area for the so-called Project Consumer Guidance, using electromagnetic radiation, subliminal messaging, airborne toxins, and theta-band radiation to manipulate human behavior. Vault-Tec had limited success, achieving primarily severe headaches in employees (an improvement from depression and suicide in previous iterations), and minor medical complications among visitors.[76][77] Other notable partnerships included one with Galaxy News Network, with a decade-long partnership deal signed around the time Vault 33 was unveiled in January 2077.[Non-game 31]

The company also invested in conventional promotional tours and awarding of prizes like the Pressed Vault Suit Award for preparedness were also used to promote a positive image of the company.[83] Vault 76 was intensely promoted as Vault-Tec's commitment to preserving the American way of life, unveiled on the United States' Tricentennial.[84] A massive merchandise line was created to promote Vaults, including baseball caps, lunchboxes, T-shirts, leather bomber jackets, golf tees, drink cozys, Vault-Tec bobbleheads (and the matching Bobblehead collector's stand), as well as Limited Edition snow globes showcasing landmarks around the nation.[85]

Prospective dwellers could receive information on Vaults and potential postings via Vault-Tec's hotlines: 1-888-4-82858832 (1-888-4-VAULTTEC),[86] 213-258-2858[note 1] (213-25-VAULT),[87] and KL-5743.[88]

Iconography[]

The colors blue and yellow/gold are used prominently in Vault-Tec branding, including Vault-Tec propaganda posters, and branded armor and weapon paints. The symbol for the company is a white circle with three "wing" protrusions on either side, and this symbol is often incorporated into the Vaults, sometimes on their main entrances. Likewise, the gear design of the Vault entrances are used as a major motif. The number of each Vault is also a recurring motif for those Vaults, and each Vault suit is tailored with their Vault's number on the back, fostering a sense of identity.

Mascot[]

Originally, Vault-Tec managed to reach a sponsorship deal with famous Hollywood actor Cooper Howard as the face of their marketing campaign, appearing on posters and doing TV specials on Vault life. However, Cooper Howard parted ways with Vault-Tec upon learning of their horrific experiments and plans to escalate nuclear war, so Vault-Tec instead created the iconic Vault-Boy in his image, including the signature thumbs-up pose, and almost always wearing the standard issue Vault jumpsuit.

Vault Boy is used to represents the company as a whole, as well as the average Vault dweller trying to survive in the Vault and post-apocalyptic wasteland. Characterized as chipper, optimistic, hard-working, and charismatic, but also indifferent to the suffering of others, Vault Boy appears constantly in Vault-Tec advertisements, products, and propaganda. Vault Boy also features in various animated shorts, commercials, promotional, educational, and internal training videos where he is meant to act as the stand-in for the viewer through whatever imagined scenario Vault-Tec is presenting. Frequently, intense bodily harm is either heaped upon, by, or around Vault Boy in cartoonish displays of gore.

Numerous other similar figures show up in Vault-Tec marketing, most notably the female counterpart character Vault Girl, usually simply representing additional Vault dwellers whom Vault Boy interacts with.

Vault suits[]

Barb Howard implies that the blue and yellow color scheming used in the Vault suits was inspired by Cooper Howard's blue-and-gold sheriff's outfit from his western films.[89] Vault suits are primarily blue, with black boots and leather cuffs, with a large yellow/gold stripe around the collar and going down the front, with some variants including integrated black wires and circuitry. These Vault suits are mandatory for all dwellers, and many dwellers continue to wear them even after moving to the surface. Each Vault suit has the number of their Vault stitched on the back.

Vault suits are often very tight to wear, though some of them are much baggier.[citation needed] Variations include a utility jumpsuit often worn by repairmen, and labcoats worn by doctors and scientists (often over top of their jumpsuits). Vault suits provide limited protection against radiation and energy weapons, though this can be upgraded to sizable degrees. The jumpsuits can be worn under leather armor or heavier armor variants by Vault dwellers braving the Wasteland.

Vault security officers often wear security armor and helmets over their Vault suits.

Slogans[]

These slogans are seen on posters used in the Vaults.

  • Better Living Underground!
  • Be prepared for the future today!
  • Hard Work is Happy Work
  • Surface Never, Vault Forever

Ideology[]

On the surface, Vault-Tec presented itself as a typical civic-minded, patriotic capitalist corporation, exemplifying the best of the American system. Much Vault-Tec advertising and propaganda centered on the idea that the American way of life, and its associated economic standards of living, could be preserved in its underground Vaults, and that the Vault-Tec "family" would help to usher in the next chapter of American history with its reconstruction and resettlement.[citation needed]

In actuality, Vault-Tec was entirely dismissive of American values of democracy and equality and was run by what can only be characterized as complete psychopaths and sociopaths who delighted in human suffering, with the ultimate goal of world domination. With the United States' failures during the Great War (having essentially bankrupted them) Vault-Tec deemed America a failed nation, and saw no point in trying to revive it. Instead, they believed that "America's best and brightest" lay in Vault-Tec and were the only thing left worth preserving. While pro-American themes would continue to be used within Vaults, these values were abstracted, and often the values of Vault-Tec were the ones more truly emphasized. Most overseers were granted autocratic power, while many Vaults were designed with undemocratic systems such as a technocracy, or with purposefully designed upper and lower classes. Vault 76 was given secret orders to seize American nuclear silos, while the employees in Vault 31 were given orders to dispose of any surface survivors be they of civic, federal, or military authorities (i.e. still in the control by the American government). References to the Chinese and communism as a threat would also occasionally feature in Vault-Tec propaganda, and be used by some Vault dwellers, though many Vaults had socialistic qualities of their own, such as lacking any known sort of monetary exchange, having free access to healthcare and education, and universal employment to encourage its inhabitants to be active participants in the development of the Vault.

While ostensibly adhering to capitalist competition, Vault-Tec's ultimate goal was a total monopoly on the survival of mankind. They believed that, if they were in control of all surviving humans on the planet, they would have outlived all potential competition, and thus eliminated any conflict. To this end, they were actively trying to escalate the Sino-American War to total nuclear devastation under the assumption that the only potential survivors would be enclosed in Vault-Tec facilities. They failed to account for survivors on the surface, or other factions that were able to seek shelter from the bombs and survive, such as the Enclave. Vault-Tec is known to have taken action to destroy post-War nations -- most notably with the atomic bombing of Shady Sands by Overseer Hank MacLean of Vault 33.

Rather than design the Vaults as advertised as large nuclear bunkers to allow communities to survive, the Vaults were instead designed with horrific social experiments with only a minority of Vaults designed to actually save people (and even then, only for the purpose of acting as control populations for the experiments). Supposedly, these experiments were done to test potential societal models and determine the most superior through a means of competition. However, many were simply designed to fail and observe the consequences of doing so, such as the Bakersfield Vault which was designed to not fully close. It can be seen that more benevolent, straightforward, or harmless experiments that were proposed at Vault-Tec were typically outright dismissed and those that proposed them were characterized as not understanding the corporate culture, so malevolent experiments were prioritized.[citation needed] It was believed that truly bold science needed to cross ethical boundaries. Vault-Tec employees were not at all safe from these experiments; often, they were lied to about the nature of their experiments and Vault-Tec staff were themselves subject to horrific social experiments, with many resulting deaths even in the pre-War era.

Despite this, Vault-Tec was able to foster a sense of reverent loyalty to the company that would persist for centuries after the Great War and without any communication to some existing corporate structure. Very few Vault-Tec overseers, in the face of the Great War and their now limited resources for survival, refused to carry out their experiments in their now isolated Vaults. Consequently, the vast majority of Vaults ultimately failed. Likewise, Vault-Tec actively cultivated a toxic work culture, focused on displays of loyalty through overwork and encouraging abuses through the corporate chain of command.[90]

Products[]

Vault and shelter equipment[]

Vault-Tec water pump

A Vault-Tec water pump

Computers[]

Consumables[]

FalloutS1E2-PlanD

Plan D, a cheap method for people to not have to endure a post-apocalyptic life

Reclaiming the wasteland[]

F76 GECK

A G.E.C.K. (Garden of Eden Creation Kit) to bring back life to the wasteland

Books and manuals[]

VSSG Holy Bible

The Bible: Vault-Tec Edition

Entertainment[]

Merchandise[]

Locations[]

Appearances[]

Vault-Tec Vaults and technology appear in all of the Fallout games, tabletop titles, and the Fallout TV series.

Notes[]

  1. The number is connected in real-life and calling it results in an audio clip of a man screaming played over the phone to the caller.

Behind the scenes[]

  • The Vault experiment was an idea created by Tim Cain during the initial stages of Fallout 2 development.[Non-game 4][Non-game 11]
  • The player character was intended to discover Vault-Tec's complicity in the grand social experiment by unearthing files hidden in the computers at Vault 8 and Vault 13, describing the purposes of the respective Vaults and their history.[Non-game 1][Non-game 36]
  • In Van Buren, the developers intended to showcase that even the Enclave didn't count on the Vaults to save anyone, and tried to make their own contingency plan by seizing Bloomfield Space Center and refit the Hermes-13 to take its elites off-planet.[Non-canon 1]
  • In the abortive Fallout movie, the idea that Vault-Tec deliberately started the war was part of the movie's plot. The idea was resurrected for the 2024 television series, although whether Vault-Tec actually did so was kept ambiguous. Barb Howard floats the idea of deliberately triggering a nuclear event to redefine the world, while Bud Askins says "after we've wiped the surface clean" while speaking to Norm MacLean. The wording is unclear if Askins meant Vault-Tec or humanity in general, or whether they accomplished it through action (dropping the bomb) or inaction (not stopping the war).
  • The Vault-Tec building seen in the Fallout 2 intro is a still from the film, Dick Tracy, resized and slightly modified.[Non-game 37]
  • Outside of the Fallout series, the Vault-Tec logo also appeared in the 2016 reboot of Doom (published by Bethesda Softworks) on certain doors in the UAC facility on Mars. Vault-Tec is also mentioned in RAGE.[Non-game 38]
  • A location referred to as Vault-Tec headquarters is mentioned in the Fallout Bible 3 and rulebook to Fallout: The Roleplaying Game.[Non-game 39][Non-game 4]
  • The "Vault-Tec Documentation Department" is mentioned in the Fallout manual and Fallout 4 manual.[Non-game 40][Non-game 41]

Gallery[]

Fallout 2[]

Fallout 3[]

Fallout: New Vegas[]

Fallout 4[]

Fallout 76[]

Vault Seller's Survival Guide[]

Magic: The Gathering[]

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Vault 101 PA System: "Did you know: the Vault-Tec/RobCo partnership is considered the most successful joint venture in the history of American industry?"
  2. Citadel terminal entries; Vault-Tec terminal, Vault 87
  3. VICENCOM.MSG
  4. 4.0 4.1 Miss Williams: "Vault-Tec is the largest company in America. There's a lot of money in selling the end of the world."
    ("The Radio")
  5. 5.0 5.1 Cooper Howard: "Sorry you couldn't make it to the party the other night, Charlie. Guess you had one of your meetings, huh? One of your Communist meetings? Come on, man. We watched people die together up north fighting against all that horseshit."
    Charles Whiteknife: "Yeah, and for what?"
    Cooper Howard: "What do you mean, for what? For the American dream. We're actors. We make movies, Charlie."
    Charles Whiteknife: "Yeah, the American dream has me getting shot in the ass by you all day."
    Cooper Howard: "You got five acres in Tarzana. I think you're doing all right."
    Charles Whiteknife: "It don't matter, Coop. Vault-Tec's the fucking devil, man."
    Cooper Howard: "My wife works there. You really think Barb's the devil?"
    Charles Whiteknife: "No, no, okay, I... I like Barb, okay? Do you know what "fiduciary responsibility" means?"
    Cooper Howard: "Fiduciary responsibility?"
    Charles Whiteknife: "Yeah."
    Cooper Howard: "No, I have no fucking idea. I play a cowboy for a living."
    Charles Whiteknife: "Okay. So, the U.S. government has outsourced the survival of the human race to Vault-Tec. Vault-Tec is a private corporation that has a fiduciary responsibility to make money for its investors. And how does it make money? By selling vaults."
    Cooper Howard: "That's called capitalism, Charlie."
    Charles Whiteknife: "But they can't sell vaults if these peace negotiations go through. So Vault-Tec has a fiduciary responsibility to make sure that it don't work out."
    Cooper Howard: "Yeah. How they gonna do that?"
    Charles Whiteknife: "I don't know. You remember that movie we did with Johnny Morton... you were the sheriff and I was some generic Indian?"
    Cooper Howard: "Come on, man, don't say that. Tallhand Mudlake could talk to horses. You played him with grace and with dignity. It was a great role for you."
    Charles Whiteknife: "Morton played a rancher who owned half of Missouri. And what happens when the cattle ranchers have more power than the sheriff?"
    Cooper Howard: "The whole town burns down."
    Charles Whiteknife: "The whole town burns down. Right. Vault-Tec is a trillion dollar company that owns half of everything. And after ten years of war, the U.S. government is broker than a joke. The cattle ranchers are in charge, Coop."
    Cooper Howard: "Oh, come on."
    Charles Whiteknife: "Unless the people do something about it."
    Cooper Howard: "I guess everything's a conspiracy, right? Come on, man, you sound like you're in a cult."
    Charles Whiteknife: "And you're sitting here defending a system that's ready to set the world on fire, Cooper. Maybe you're the one in the cult. Look. You should come to a meeting. You should learn the truth about where your wife works. For her sake."
    ("The Trap")
  6. 6.0 6.1 Norm MacLean: "Is this where my dad's from?"
    Bud Askins: "You'll never find out. Oh. He's gonna find out. These are Bud's Buds. My Buds. America outsourced the survival of this country to the private sector. But it would have been insane to keep a failed nation alive. So, we kept Vault-Tec alive instead. A well-trained staff of highly supervised junior executives from my own assistant training program. Because the future of humanity comes down to one word: Management."
    ("The Beginning")
  7. 7.0 7.1 Barb Howard: "When I think about the future, I think about my daughter... Janey. How do I provide her with a better future? That's what we've invited you here to discuss. And how do we design our vault societies so our children have that better future? I suggest we hedge our bets. [...] Bud here has an idea for three interconnected vaults. But we need more ideas. We need your ideas. Because it was the spirit of competition that made our companies great, and I propose we bring that same spirit of competition to our solution. We have over a hundred vaults spread across America. Enough for each of you to claim several, where you can play out your own ideas for how to create the perfect conditions for humanity. Whatever you want to do, no one needs to know. And may the best idea win."
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 Dick Richardson: "{218}{prs33}{Well, no it didn't. But at least it knocked the damn Red menace back into the stone age.}"
    The Chosen One: "{219}{}{And us with it.}"
    Dick Richardson: "{220}{prs34}{Well, no. No... not quite. You see, we had planned ahead. We were ready. }"
    The Chosen One: "{221}{}{What do you mean?}"
    Dick Richardson: "{222}{prs35}{We had a number of sanctuaries that would enable the glorious American civilization to endure. These facilities - the Vaults - were part of the great plan.}"
    The Chosen One: "{223}{}{Those damn Vaults didn't work the way they were supposed to. A lot of people in them died.}"
    Dick Richardson: "{224}{prs36}{Actually, they worked almost exactly the way they were supposed to. You might call it a social experiment on a grand scale. }"
    The Chosen One: "{225}{}{An experiment?}"
    Dick Richardson: "{226}{prs36a}{The Vaults were set up to test humanity. Some had not enough food synthesizers, others had only men in them, yet others were designed to open after only 6 months. They each had a unique set of circumstances designed to test the occupants.}"
    The Chosen One: "{227}{}{What about Vault 13? What was it's purpose?}"
    Dick Richardson: "{228}{prs37}{Ahh. Vault 13 was a special case. It was supposed to remain closed until the subjects were needed. Vault 13 was, in scientific parlance, a control group.}"
    The Chosen One: "{229}{}{But they would all have died if my ancestor didn't get them a replacement water chip. That doesn't seem to fit in with your plan.}"
    Dick Richardson: "{230}{prs38}{An unfortunate, and unforeseen, accident. However, as it turns out, a rather fortuitous one.}"
    The Chosen One: "{231}{}{What do you mean?}"
    Dick Richardson: "{232}{prs39}{As it turns out we needed test subjects from untainted, pre-war, human stock - your ancestors in Vault 13 - and some freshly mutated stock - the villagers from Arroyo.}"
    The Chosen One: "{233}{}{Why?}"
    Dick Richardson: "{234}{prs39a}{For the Project. It's almost ready. Humanity's salvation is almost at hand and the United States of America will be the progenitor of that rebirth.}"
    The Chosen One: "{235}{}{Rebirth? What do you mean?}"
    (Qhprzrch.msg)
  9. 9.0 9.1 The Vault Dweller: ""{126}{}{My name is }" (player name) "{127}{}{. I come from up north.}"
    Killian Darkwater: "{129}{Kill03}{Not much up that way 'cept desert and Shady Sands. You from there?}"
    The Vault Dweller: "{130}{}{No. I come from a Vault, to the west.}"
    Killian Darkwater: "{136}{Kill05}{Oh yeah, sure you do. And when you were a baby, your crib was a safe.}"
    The Vault Dweller: "{137}{}{No, no. It's called a Vault. It protected us from the war. It's been full of people for 80 years!}"
    Killian Darkwater: "{139}{Kill06}{Don't feel bad, ain't the worst story I've been told. So . . . what can I do for ya?}"
    (KILLIAN.MSG)
  10. Cut content Lance: "{116}{}{Hello, stranger. What brings you out in the wastes? Where are you from?}"
    The Vault Dweller: "{120}{}{I'm from a Vault. Lucky Vault 13!}"
    Lance: "{166}{}{Yeah, right. All the Vaults were destroyed, as far as I know. Tell me another one.}"
    (LANCE.MSG) Cut content
  11. 11.0 11.1 Ma June: "And when exactly were you planning on saving America? The vaults were nothing more than a hole in the ground for rich folks to hide in while the rest of the world burned."
    Lucy MacLean: "We vault dwellers recognize, uh, and are grateful for the privileged position we were born into, and..."
    Ma June: "You know what folks up heresay about the vaults?"
    Lucy MacLean: "What?"
    Ma June: "Fuck the vaults."
    ("The Target")
  12. 12.0 12.1 Fallout TV series, Season 1, Episode 8: "The Beginning"
  13. The Chosen One: "{323}{}{Did Vic ever have anything that was labeled ‘Vault-Tek’?}"
    Jenny: "{390}{}{Vault-tek? He might have had something like that. I’m not sure. I know he did have a lot of really old stuff.}"
    (Jenny's dialogue)
  14. DataPlex 2000 SmarTerminal: "{242}{}{Presidential Security Passkey recognized, Good day, Mr. President. Emergency Counter Insurgency Protocol initiated (**Malfunction**) Security link offline on this level. Please submit form FG-I-106-32-0635 to authorize repair services. Thanks for using another fine Vault-Tek product. Good day.}"
    (DataPlex 2000 SmarTerminal's information)
  15. Vault Power Nodes: "These generators are currently offline. Vault-tek apologizes for any problems that may be caused and promise that all systems will be made operational as soon as possible. We are awaiting the supply of parts, which should arrive within the next 2.274 years."
    (MIS 25 Speech.txt)
  16. Master ending Fallout
  17. V. 114 interviews
  18. Vault-Tech supply order
  19. Fallout 76 loading screens: "In 2031, Vault-Tec re-branded Morgantown's local college as Vault-Tec University, and some of their top executives and scientists either taught or graduated from there. Go Fighting Wendigos! "
  20. Woods Estate terminal entries; Woods Estate terminal, Vault Tec - Project Safehouse
  21. Vault-Tec headquarters in Fallout 3.
  22. Vault 76 terminal entries, VAULT 76 SECURITY INSTRUCTIONS
  23. 23.0 23.1 The Vault Dweller: "{105}{}{Do you have a water chip?}"
    Paul: "{134}{}{A Water Chip? The ones from the old Vault-Tec shelters?}"
    The Vault Dweller: "{135}{}{Yes!.. Do you have one?}"
    "{136}{}{No. Those things were junk, they were prone to failure. We don’t deal with purifying our own water here. We have water delivered by caravans from the Hub.}"
    (PAUL.MSG) Note: Water chips were made by the lowest bidder and were prone to breakage, despite dealing with an essential service.
  24. Vault City central computer's information: "{238}{}{According to the archives, there is no GECK currently in stock at Vault City's Amenities Office. The people of Vault City seem to have used the only one they had to help establish the place when they came to the surface.}"
    "{239}{}{Scroll through the remaining information.}"
    "{240}{}{From what you can make out in the archives, two GECKs were part of every Vault's standard inventory package. Only one was shipped to Vault 8, however.}"
    "{241}{}{Cross-reference the GECK shipment information.}"
    "{244}{}{Due to a shipping error, it appears Vault 8 received a box of surplus water chips intended for another Vault. The other Vault most likely received Vault 8's second GECK.}"
    (VICENCOM.MSG) Note: Another major instance of mismanagement, a shipping error related to an essential service.
  25. Vault 88 terminal entries; Security terminal, October 22, 2077
    Note: This shows Vault 88 construction was deliberately faked to appease Valery Barstow and the higher ups, and this was another deliberate fake ("another dog and pony show").
  26. Vault 114 terminal entries, PRIVATE: Science Staff Only
    Shows that Vault-Tec was deliberately misleading and lying to the public and prospective Vault dwellers about its Vaults and capabilities.
  27. Vault locations v34.129
    A deliberately misleading and boastful publication that is completely divorced from the reality of the Vaults (Vault 13 has consistent water supply problems due to junk technology, Vault 12 failed completely, and Vault 15 suffers from multiple cave-ins.
  28. Vault 118 overseer's log
  29. Citadel terminal entries; Vault-Tec terminal, Vault 108
  30. 30.0 30.1 Rejected letter from Vault-Tec
  31. Barb Howard: "Bud Askins... he licensed them from RobCo. We're integrating them with the Vault-Tec admission systems."
    ("The Trap")
  32. Cooper Howard: "How do you know my wife?"
    Lee Moldaver: "My research company was acquired by her division. We were developing this kind of technology that's... difficult to monetize. Cold fusion. Infinite energy. That's what I was on the verge of achieving when Vault-Tec swept in and bought up every company I'd ever worked for."
    Cooper Howard: "Every one of them? So, what are you, a millionaire communist?"
    Lee Moldaver: "Hypocrisy is like violence in your movies. If you only let the bad guys use it, the bad guys win."
    Cooper Howard: "Yeah? I, uh, I got a little showbiz secret for you. A good bad guy doesn't see themselves as the bad guy."
    Lee Moldaver: "America has been locked in a resource war for over a decade. Vault-Tec bought the means to end that war, the same war you fought in, so they could put it on the shelf. All because it didn't fit into their business model."
    ("The Radio")
  33. Overseer's journal, entry 5
  34. Citadel terminal entries; Vault-Tec terminal, Vault 76
  35. Cooper Howard: "Oh. Hello there. Yep, it's me, Cooper Howard, star of stage and screen. But I'm not here today to talk to you about my latest picture. No, today I'm here to show you a vast and wonderful place, not made by God Almighty but by the working man. A veritable Camelot of the nuclear age. Now, how 'bout we turn on some lights. There, that's better. Now, I'm speaking to you from deep inside the fully-livable Model 96JQ1164. And what a beaut she is. And what a song she sings. Now, that right there is Vault 4's three-foot-thick lead casing. Strong enough to keep out the rads and the Reds. Each one of these underground burghs comes with all the modern amenities you've come to expect from our rip-roarin' republic. Now, this corridor here is Sycamore Street, where you'll wave howdy to any one of your 200 neighbors on your way home for an enchanted evening with your loved ones. Mm. Meet the Hawthornes. Now, this isn't just your average all-American family. No, Lloyd and Cassandra here are both scientists, specializing in the effects of radiation on human DNA."
    Lloyd Hawthorne: "That's right. And we'll be living and working right here in Vault 4, leading a community governed entirely by scientists."
    Cooper Howard: "Wait a second, did you say "living down here"? Well, there hasn't been a nuclear incident, has there?"
    Lloyd Hawthorne: "Uh, no, not yet. But, uh, our family and a group of 80 volunteers will be conducting a five-year trial of Vault 4. To demonstrate to the world that, no matter what comes our way, America will be ready."
    Cooper Howard: "Five years. Well, I may play a hero in the movies, but... you all are heroes in real life. And now you can be a hero, too. By purchasing a residence in a Vault-Tec vault today. Because if the worst should happen tomorrow, the world is gonna need Americans just like you to build a better day after."
    ("The Trap")
  36. Pre-War sign near the entrance of Vault 22: "Under the heart of the Mojave desert, Vault 22 provides a fertile laboratory for experimentation on staple crops to maximize their potential. Within the Vault, scientists and horticulturalists continue to innovate our understanding of agricultural possibilities in the fight against the global hunger crisis. The scientists who developed a miracle fertilizer within have made a profound impact on your ordinary life. So take a second to reflect on the hard work of Vault-Tec scientists in improving crop production in arid biomes like the Mojave, and for increasing crops' resistance to insects, drought, and disease."
  37. The Sole Survivor: "So these experiments can be run ethically?"
    Valery Barstow: "If you insist on hobbling the prototypes' potential, yes, you could abide by as many ethical standards you'd like. I suggest being more open-minded, but the choice will be ultimately yours."
    (Valery Barstow's dialogue)
  38. Vault 79 (slideshow)
  39. The Enclave Oil Rig was a Poseidon Energy installation
  40. Intelligence memo - 8/16/77
  41. Reactor Maintenance and Repair Robot control terminal: "{360}{}{Active PoseidoNet Stations: Atomic Powerplant #5, Navarro Refinery, Control Station ENCLAVE, ENCLAVE Vault-Research Control…AccessDenied}"
    (GSTERM.MSG)
  42. Bud Askins: "All of our work, everything that we've accomplished is the result of this fruit-bearing collaboration between like-minded corporations that make America great. On behalf of everyone here at Vault-Tec, welcome."
    ("The Beginning")
  43. Robert House: "It's a fun idea. There's a lot of earning potential with the end of the world. But we're talking about making a significant investment based on a hypothetical. How can you guarantee results?"
    Barb Howard: "By dropping the bomb ourselves. A nuclear event would be a tragedy... but also, an opportunity. Perhaps the greatest opportunity in history. Because when we are the only ones left, there will be no one to fight. A true monopoly. This is our chance to make war obsolete. Because in our current societal configuration, which took shape without intentional guidance, we have friction. We have conflict, and we have war. And war, well... War never changes."
    ("The Beginning")
  44. Vault 88 terminal entries; Vault 88 overseer's desk, Prime Directive
  45. Valery Barstow: "Well. At least that's over. Let's continue. I tried digging my way to the entrance. With that Control Board, I could've changed everything. But there was simply too much rubble for the equipment to handle. But my work, my work kept me going. Here. Among these papers is my life's work. I'd like to share it with you. Doctor Braun tasked me with something vital. A series of prototypes and their related... well, experiments, that could redefine society. But as you can see things did not go according to plan."
    (Valery Barstow's dialogue)
  46. Vault 76 dweller: "What's with all the different research sections?"
    Hugo Stolz: "All a part of my grand plan. I wanted a Vault that wasn't just about preserving the past, but continuing to build a new future. Climate control, increased life expectancy, and the deadliest weapons to ward off would-be survivors of the Apocalypse. This fell through once we were afflicted with this... 'ghoul' phenomenon, With radiation and illness no longer seeming to be a concerning factor. Then much our research became focused on improving our new standards of life.. and preservation against the 'feral' affliction. But... I tire of retracing the past. Our priorities have continued to evolve along with the dangers of the world above."
    (Hugo Stolz's dialogue)
  47. Vault 76 dweller: "So Vault-Tec wanted you to control the world with a storm?"
    Hugo Stolz: "As I said, getting Vault-Tec to sign a check isn't easy. Especially for a project and a Vault of this size. But you make it sound so fantastical! Again, no mind control. Pacification. Tranquility. Peace. Did they place their hopes in this, or was it just one of many in a long list of ideas. It mattered not to me. I gave them the answers they wanted and they provided what I needed in return."
    (Hugo Stolz's dialogue)
  48. Overseer's log - Vault 76
  49. Contact Report: "Enclave"
  50. Bud Askins: "Our sales are fine. Sure, rumors of the peace negotiations have set us back a bit, but we're here to offer you an opportunity. We'd like to collaborate on some of our vaults."
    ("The Beginning")
  51. Party guest: "Negotiations in Anchorage are having a serious impact on presales. We'll have to circle up with D.C. about that. Ideally before our quarterly projection release."
    ("The Trap")
  52. MODUS: "This space was to be the beating heart of the Enclave's master plan. Today, it's storage. So much for the plans of great men."
    (MODUS' dialogue)
  53. Barb Howard: "Every day I go into work and I think about how humanity can survive a nuclear event that will wipe out 90% of life on earth and I come home and you're talking to me about hiding out at a ranch up in Bakersfield."
    ("The Trap")
  54. Lee Moldaver: "Rose was so clever. Like you. Lucy, your mother discovered that something was siphoning the vault's water away. From that one clue, she deduced that maybe... civilization had returned to the surface. When she told her husband, he said it was a ridiculous idea, and that she should tell no one."
    Hank MacLean: "Lucy, let's go. Let's..."
    Lee Moldaver: "And that's when she realized that her husband, the Overseer, was hiding things."
    Hank MacLean: "Lucy, let's go. Let's get out of here."
    Lee Moldaver: "So she ran away. Like you did, Lucy. And took her children. And she found this wonderful city that was everything the vaults had promised to be."
    Hank MacLean: "She is lying!"
    Lee Moldaver: "But then, her husband came after her. And when she decided not to return home, he took the children. And he burned that city to the ground."
    Lucy MacLean: "Shady Sands."
    Hank MacLean: "She's lying, Lucy."
    Lee Moldaver: "That's how Vault-Tec deals with competition. Just like they did 200 years ago."
    ("The Beginning")
  55. 55.0 55.1 Vault 15 map from Fallout 2 is signed as Vault-Tec Series 10001-0649 Vault-Tec Industries.
  56. Appearance of non-Vault installations in the games, including the Securitron Vault.
  57. 57.0 57.1 Power plant operations
  58. Computer terminal: "{103}{}{Welcome to Vault-Tec's state-of-the-art organ extraction apparatus. To operate, please place donor in operating room, turn dial to appropriate species, and select organ to be extracted.}"
    (WSTERM4B.MSG)
  59. The Chosen One: "{349}{}{What is it?}"
    Stark: "{350}{}{It's a Vault-Tec Motion sensor. We were going to strip it for parts, since it's too old for our Pip Boys, but it looks like it's compatible with your model.}"
    The Chosen One: "{351}{}{How does it work?}"
    Stark: "{352}{}{Keep it in your hand and it IDs hostiles in your immediate area when you use it. Or you can call up the Pip Boy automap as normal, then just click the "scanner" button and they're lit up like a neon sign.}"
    (VCSTARK.MSG)
  60. 60.0 60.1 Museum of Technology Vault tour
  61. Siggi Wilzig: "No, you see, I've just taken a cyanide pill."
    Lucy MacLean: "What?"
    Siggi Wilzig: "Vault-Tec Plan D. It was the most humane product that Vault-Tec ever made. It was quick, painless. T-Tasted like banana. I... I was surprised it wasn't more popular."
    ("The Target")
  62. Vault Seller's Survival Guide, "Follow Your Nos!," Timestamp 2:14
  63. Fallout (TV series)
  64. Citadel terminal entries; Vault-Tec terminal, Personnel Assignments
  65. Vault 114 terminal entries; Vault-Tec terminal, PRIVATE: Science Staff Only
  66. Vault 76 animated teaching shorts
  67. Vault-Tec Films presentation in Vault 13
  68. Fallout 4 and Fallout 76 Pip-Boy minigames
  69. Fallout 2 Vault-Tec Industries billboard loading screen.
  70. Fallout 4 Vault-Tec Workshop loading screens: "Before the Great War, it had been widely publicized that Vault-Tec Industries had won the government contract to provide underground fallout shelters to the U.S. population. But the sinister social experiments? Those remained a secret..."
  71. Vault-Tec Maps render of New California
  72. Vault 94 terminal entries; exterior security terminal, Security Log - 10/21/77
  73. Bradberton's office terminal entries; Nuka-World mail system, Outgoing Mail JCB976NWC
  74. Vault-Tec headquarters terminal entries; Vault-Tec employee terminal, Message 0101C Bathroom Breaks
  75. Vault-Tec headquarters terminal entries; Vault-Tec employee terminal, Message 0099D Vending Machines
  76. 76.0 76.1 Project Consumer Guidance
  77. 77.0 77.1 Project lead terminal
  78. Vault 81 terminal entries; old overseers terminal, Admission Protocol
  79. Vault 81 terminal entries; old overseers terminal, Drills, Drills, Drills and What to do?
  80. Vault 81 terminal entries; old overseers terminal, What to do?
  81. Sebastian Leslie: "I think our Hollywood actor friends don't want to be seen celebrating with the pitchman for the end of the world."
    Cooper Howard: "Oh, you don't know the half of it. You hear I lost a movie over these ads? Yeah, showed up to set, the actors wouldn't come out of their trailers. Bonnie Lewis said it was on moral grounds."
    Sebastian Leslie: "Bonnie Lewis? She's done more ads than a fucking billboard."
    ("The Trap")
  82. Vault-Tec: Among the Stars terminal entries
  83. Vault locations v34.129
  84. Fallout 76 intro
  85. Vault-Tec headquarters terminal entries; Vault-Tec employee terminal
  86. Vault-Tec calendar in the Sole Survivor's house
  87. Fallout TV series, Season 1, Episode 7: "The Radio"
  88. Fallout intro
  89. Cooper Howard: "Okay, what's this?"
    Barb Howard: " A bit of a costume change for you, Mr. Howard."
    Cooper: "Ah, okay. Oh, look at that."
    Barb: "They even made it in your color."
    Cooper: " Let's see if it fits."
    ("The Head")
  90. Vault Seller's Survival Guide
  91. 91.0 91.1 Follow Your Nos. Fallout TV Series Extras. Season 1, Ep 0 Timestamp 2:14-2:17. Sign on the Above Ground Shelter reads "Budg-Tec Pop-Up Shelter Plan-B", and a large cardboard box with the Vault Tech stamp reading "Plan-C"
  92. Vault-Tec headquarters terminal entries; Vault-Tec employee terminal; Message 0099D Vending Machines
  93. Vault-Tec headquarters terminal entries; Vault-Tec employee terminal; Message 0101C Bathroom Breaks
  94. Vault Seller's Survival Guide episode 2, "Follow Your Nos!"
  95. Vault-Tec headquarters terminal entries; Company Store; Vault-Tec Baseball Cap
  96. Vault-Tec headquarters terminal entries; Company Store; Vault-Tec Drink Cozy
  97. Vault-Tec bomber jacket
  98. Vault-Tec headquarters terminal entries; Company Store; Vault-Tec Leather Bomber Jacket
  99. Vault-Tec headquarters terminal entries; Company Store; Vault-Tec T-Shirt
  100. Vault-Tec headquarters terminal entries; Company Store; Vault-Tec Vault-Tec Golf Tee

Non-game

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Fallout Bible 0, Vault system
  2. Fallout Bible 0: "2054 In light of the Euro-Middle-Eastern conflict and the plague scare, the United States sets Project Safehouse in motion. The project, financed by junk bonds, is designed to create shelters, called Vaults, for the populace in the event of a nuclear war or deadly plague. Construction begins late in 2054 and proceeds rapidly due to advances in construction technology. "
  3. Vault Dweller's Survival Guide
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 Chris Taylor interview for Vault13.net:
    Saint Proverbius (SP): "Which Vault number was the Master's base?"
    Chris Taylor (CT): "The Master was in the Vault-Tec private Vault. This was the demonstration model built for the federal government, it was also very close to the Vault-Tec headquarters."
  5. Vault Dweller's Survival Guide p.1—1-1—2: "Important Vault statistics
    Vault Number: 13
    Starting construction date :August 2063
    Ending construction date: March 2069
    Starting Budget: $400,000,000,000
    Final Budget, with interest: $645,000,000,000
    Total number of occupants: 1,000 (at capacity)
    Total duration: 10 years (at capacity)
    Number of living quarters: 100 (hot bunking required if at maximum capacity)
    Door thickness: 4 yards, steel
    Earth coverage: 3,200,000 tons of soil, at 200 feet
    Computer control system: Think machine
    Primary power supply: Geo-thermal
    Secondary power supply: General Atomics Nuclear Power backup systems
    Power requirements: 3.98mkw/day
    Stores: Complete construction equipment, hydro-agricultural farms, water purification from underground river, defensive weaponry to equip 10 men, communication, social and entertainment files (for total duration)"
  6. 6.0 6.1 Vault Dweller's Survival Guide inner cover: "NOTICE.––This document contains information affecting the national defense of the United States within the meaning of the New Amended Espionage Act, 50 U.S.C., 31 and 32. Its transmission or the revelation of its contents in any manner to an unauthorized person is prohibited by the law."
  7. Fallout Bible 6, Life with the GECK:
    "1b. What may be suitable for planting in the present may not be suitable in 20 yrs. This is esp true I would think in theFO universe with its rather unstable ecosystem. I mean if one really wanted to be certain that what one was panting would grow the best thing to do would be to collect the seeds, spores etc from already growing food sources - these have a guaranteed fertilization rate. After all those corn seeds that were put in the GECK 50 yrs ago now have not sufficiently mutated to endure the new Wasteland (even in a "normal" ecosystem, the only strains of plant that survive are those that mutate)."
    "You're absolutely right. The GECK builders had no idea what the post-nuclear world would be like, and they had no real way to anticipate it, despite their "thorough tests" (it's doubtful they gave it much thought, to be honest, considering how badly organized the Safehouse project alone was, not to mention the experimental nature of the Vaults) - still, it seems as if the seeds present in the GECK were viable for Vault 8."
  8. Fallout Bible 0: "2054 In light of the Euro-Middle-Eastern conflict and the plague scare, the United States sets Project Safehouse in motion. The project, financed by junk bonds, is designed to create shelters, called Vaults, for the populace in the event of a nuclear war or deadly plague. Construction begins late in 2054 and proceeds rapidly due to advances in construction technology."
  9. 9.0 9.1 Fallout Bible 0: "2063 August The construction of most Vaults completed, except for Vault 13, whose construction finally gets off the ground... heralding a development cycle that seems plagued with problems. Drills begin in the other cities with completed Vaults, but the increasing frequency of the drills has a "cry wolf" effect, and the turnouts for drills trickle off as the years go on."
  10. Fallout Bible 0, Vault system: "Vault 106 Psychoactive drugs were released into the air filtration system 10 days after the Door was sealed."
  11. 11.0 11.1 Fallout Bible 0, #More questions, questions:
    "The Vault experiments were an idea created by Tim Cain, and I don't really know the reason behind them, but I can offer some speculation."
    "First off, thematically, it's pretty creepy, and we all know that developers will pull all sorts of crazy shit to try and mess with players' heads. It's possible that Tim had just finished watching an X-Files episode and had conspiracy theories swimming around in his subconscious. As to your comment about the experiments being a bit over the top, well, yeah. We're guilty as charged."
  12. One Man, and a Crate of Puppets
  13. Cain on Games, The True Purpose of Vaults in Fallout
  14. One Man, and a Crate of Puppets, panel 1: "The Vault Experiments were never designed to rescue the people that lived inside them. They were a vast social experiment designed to study pre-selected segments of the population."
  15. Fallout - A Special LIVE Report from Galaxy News news ticker: Vault-Tec voted American company with brightest future
  16. Fallout - A Special LIVE Report from Galaxy News news ticker: Vault-Tec stocks soar as US economy becomes fear-based
  17. Fallout - A Special LIVE Report from Galaxy News news ticker: Vault-Tec announces newly available single Vault spaces for sale
  18. Fallout Bible 0: "2077 October 23 Great War: Bombs are launched; who struck first is unknown... and it is not even known if the bombs came from China or America. Air raid sirens sound, but very few people go into Vaults, thinking it is a false alarm. The Vaults are sealed."
  19. Fallout Bible 0: "2091 Vault 8 opens, and they use their GECK to create fertile ground for their city. This eventually becomes Vault City."
  20. Fallout Bible 0: "2092 LA Vault opens, the Boneyard is founded and attracts survivors."
  21. Fallout Bible 6, Life with the GECK:
    "1b. What may be suitable for planting in the present may not be suitable in 20 yrs. This is esp true I would think in theFO universe with its rather unstable ecosystem. I mean if one really wanted to be certain that what one was panting would grow the best thing to do would be to collect the seeds, spores etc from already growing food sources - these have a guaranteed fertilization rate. After all those corn seeds that were put in the GECK 50 yrs ago now have not sufficiently mutated to endure the new Wasteland (even in a "normal" ecosystem, the only strains of plant that survive are those that mutate)."
    "You're absolutely right. The GECK builders had no idea what the post-nuclear world would be like, and they had no real way to anticipate it, despite their "thorough tests" (it's doubtful they gave it much thought, to be honest, considering how badly organized the Safehouse project alone was, not to mention the experimental nature of the Vaults) - still, it seems as if the seeds present in the GECK were viable for Vault 8."
  22. Vault Dweller's Survival Guide p.2—1: "SIMTEK OPERATIONS
    The Vault-Tec Research Group has determined that after a long period of security, many Vault-Dwellers will feel “uncomfortable” with the idea of returning to the outside world. The SimTek 5000 will provide a safe and reassuring return to life on the outside world. This chapter will give you a brief walk-through of the operation of the SimTek 5000."
  23. Prepare for the Future, Channel 3: Tomorrow's Technology Today #37
  24. Fallout - A Special LIVE Report from Galaxy News news ticker, 25:25
  25. Vault Dweller's Survival Guide pp. 5—34:
    GECK
  26. Fallout 4 site image
  27. Fallout 4 site image
  28. Fallout 4 site images
  29. 29.0 29.1 Fallout 3 promotional items/Vault Dweller's Survival Guide: Pocket Reference Edition p. 3
  30. Fallout 4 site image
  31. Fallout - A Special LIVE Report from Galaxy News news ticker: Galaxy News signs 10-year partnership deal with Vault-Tec
  32. Fallout: Terrain - Print at Home - Industrial Vehicles (STL): "The Vault-Tec Industrial Megaloader XL-9000 is the ultimate solution for all your heavy-duty lifting needs. Engineered with pre-war precision and durability, this powerful machine is capable of lifting and loading raw material with ease. Whether you’re rebuilding civilization from the ground up or managing the demanding tasks of a thriving vault, the XL-9000’s hydraulic exoskeleton and nuclear-powered drive ensure unmatched power and efficiency. Take control of your world with the Megaloader XL-9000 – because in these times, heavy lifting isn’t just a job, it’s a necessity."
  33. Shop-Tec
  34. Fallout 4 Vault Dweller's Survival Guide Collector's Edition p. 384: "[6.19] Suffolk County Charter School
    The student base of this school consisted mostly of lower-income and disadvantaged students. These children were lucky enough to be chosen for trials of a new food substitute paste developed by Vault-Tec in conjunction with the U.S. government. The paste was intended to provide all necessary nutrition and have a shelf life of over 100 years. Despite some minor side effects, the paste is both nutritious and delicious. Why not try some yourself? You’ll be in the pink!"
    (Fallout 4 Vault Dweller's Survival Guide Map)
  35. Playing cards
  36. Fallout Bible 6, Life with the GECK:
    "1b. What may be suitable for planting in the present may not be suitable in 20 yrs. This is esp true I would think in the FO universe with its rather unstable ecosystem. I mean if one really wanted to be certain that what one was panting would grow the best thing to do would be to collect the seeds, spores etc from already growing food sources - these have a guaranteed fertilization rate. After all those corn seeds that were put in the GECK 50 yrs ago now have not sufficiently mutated to endure the new Wasteland (even in a "normal" ecosystem, the only strains of plant that survive are those that mutate)."
    "You're absolutely right. The GECK builders had no idea what the post-nuclear world would be like, and they had no real way to anticipate it, despite their "thorough tests" (it's doubtful they gave it much thought, to be honest, considering how badly organized the Safehouse project alone was, not to mention the experimental nature of the Vaults) - still, it seems as if the seeds present in the GECK were viable for Vault 8."
  37. The Vault Fallout Facebook
  38. Fallout in other media
  39. Fallout: The Roleplaying Game Rulebook p.250: "After a demo vault was opened to the public in Los Angeles, near the Vault-Tec headquarters, public enthusiasm helped fund the junk bond drive that funded the rest of construction. It was a ray of hope in a profoundly dark time. Those too far from a full vault could buy a Series 1000 shelter, a one-level subterranean mini-vault priced more reasonably for a small corporation or medium-sized community."
  40. Fallout manual: "ISSUED BY VAULT-TEC DOCUMENTATION DEPARTMENT, JANUARY, 2077"
  41. Fallout 4 manual: "ISSUED BY VAULT-TEC DOCUMENTATION DEPARTMENT, APPARATUS DIVISION"

Non-canon

  1. Bloomfield Space Center design document/1: "In November, 2076, the Enclave seized control of Bloomfield Space Center. They knew nuclear war was just around the corner, so they tried to refit the Hermes-13 and convert it into a vehicle that would take selected personnel (mainly themselves) off-planet, destination yet to be determined."