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The Vault-Tec lunchbox is an activator object and miscellaneous item in Fallout 4. When interacted with, it spawns a random item and becomes collectible.

Characteristics[]

A Vault-Tec branded kids' lunchbox with depictions of Vault Boy. The inside of the lunchbox has faint drawings of children's faces on the front and rear of the box. When activated, or hit by any weapon enough to receive 1 Hit Point worth of damage,[1] a lunchbox will open, releasing confetti, making a short party horn noise, and dropping one of several possible consumables or junk items at random, like a fork or plastic knife. Some lunchboxes have additional Vault Girl or Nuka-Cola stickers and/or the name of a child on the front or back.(Note 1) These lunchboxes have a larger pool of possible loot drops, mainly a rarer tier of Nuka-Cola variants, collectible robot models, and also economy wonderglue. See below for the full list of potential drops from both normal and rare lunchboxes.

All lunchboxes found naturally in the worldspace, normal or rare, can be opened via simple interaction (on hover, they read "Open" instead of "Take"), have 100 Hit Points, and can be collected as a miscellaneous item after being opened as long as they did not receive 100 or more points of damage; if this happens, the lunchbox will break and become uncollectible.[1]

The collectible open lunchbox that is left behind is a separate miscellaneous item that has 1 Hit Point worth of health, so if hit again, it will also be destroyed. The collectible lunchbox will always be a normal lunchbox, even if it was obtained from a rare lunchbox (one with stickers). In fact, the collectible lunchbox can also be obtained unopened from other places, namely from some merchants and from the builder workshop object in the Contraptions Workshop add-on. The only way to open these lunchboxes is to hit them, which means they will always be destroyed after being opened. Furthermore, they are considered normal lunchboxes, so they only have the standard pool of loot drops when opened.[2]

This also means it is possible to get two items from a single lunchbox, but only for ones that are naturally placed in the worldspace. After opening the lunchbox once, pick up the opened collectible lunchbox and then drop it from the inventory. This will reset the opened lunchbox into an unopened one, which can then be hit with any weapon to drop a second item. However, this also means the lunchbox will be destroyed.

A Vault-Tec lunchbox is one of the required items to craft the bottlecap mine at the chemistry station.

Locations[]

Both normal and rare Vault-Tec lunchboxes can be found all over the Commonwealth, but are most commonly found in Vault-Tec locations, Vaults, and schools. Normal Vault-Tec lunchboxes are also sold by Myrna/Percy in Diamond City and Daisy at Goodneighbor. Alternatively, with the Contraptions Workshop add-on, it is possible to use the builder to produce normal Vault-Tec lunchboxes at the cost of 3 pieces of steel.(Note 2)

The tables below list locations where Vault-Tec lunchboxes are guaranteed to be found, in alphabetical order. They are split between normal (stickerless) and rare (stickered) lunchboxes, so the same location can appear in both tables; this is not an error.

Normal lunchboxes[]

Note: Most of these lunchboxes in base game locations are the activatable ones, but a few of them (namely ones found in the add-ons) are the misc item lunchboxes that must be hit to be opened. These are denoted by the "(MISC)" symbol.

Location Description Number
Atom Cats garage
  • At the end of the catwalk leading from the roof of the hardware warehouse where the Unarmed bobblehead is found.
1
Beantown Brewery
  • At the bottom of a support beam behind the two large vats on the ground level. There's a teddy bear in a trilby hat next to it.
1
Beaver Creek Lanes
Far Harbor_(add-on)
  • Outside, in a cabin on the road. (MISC)
  • Outside, nearby on a picnic table. (MISC)
2
Bradberton
Nuka-World (add-on)
  • In a red truck to the northeast. (MISC)
1
Cliff's Edge Hotel
Far Harbor_(add-on)
  • On the first floor, in an Advanced-locked storage closet behind the reception desk. (MISC)
1
Concord Civic Access
  • One in the sewer area, across the water from a raider corpse near a large pipe.
1
Copley station
  • One on the east side of the platform, near the southern end in a stroller.
1
D.B. Technical High School
  • One is in the basement, in the auto shop area in the "child seat" of a shopping cart.
  • Five are on the first floor: one is on a shelf in the library, one is in a locker in the central hallway just outside the library, one is on a table in the cafeteria (a rare lunchbox is also nearby), and two are on the floor in the cafeteria.
  • Two are on the second floor: one is in a locker near the southern end of the central hallway, and one is on the floor near the skeleton draped over the top of a ladder in the southwest.
8
East Boston Preparatory School
  • In classrooms, on desks, on the floor, or in lockers.
7
Fringe Cove docks
Far Harbor_(add-on)
  • In the southeast building on a row boat. (MISC)
1
Hangman's Alley
  • Southeast in a Deli Mart on one of the shelves.
1
Mass Bay Medical Center
  • On a couch the third floor on a couch next to a baby stroller.
1
MS Azalea
Far Harbor_(add-on)
  • In the pilothouse, on the console. (MISC)
  • To the northwest, at the coast on a picnic table. (MISC)
2
Nahant Oceanological Society
  • In the kitchen inside the house.
1
NH&M Freight Depot 1
Nuka-World Red Rocket
Nuka-World (add-on)
1
Nuka-station
Nuka-World (add-on)
  • To the northeast, under a bench in a circular waiting area. (MISC)
1
Nuka-World transit center
Nuka-World (add-on)
  • In a bus, near the large Nuka-Cola sign. (MISC)
1
Pickman Gallery
  • One is in the eastern room of the third floor on top of the bed headboard shelf (it is likely to be displaced due to a raider triggering a missile tripwire).
  • A second is in the northwest corner of the basement's first room held by a skeleton.
2
Plumber's Secret
  • Under a cash register near the safe (watch out for bottlecap mines).
1
Sandy Coves Convalescent Home
  • One in the cafeteria, on the ground next to a toppled-over skeleton in a yellow dress.
1
Shaw High School
  • There are five in the cafeteria in the center of the building, and three on the second floor: two in classrooms on the east and west sides, and one in a broken locker by the eastern classrooms.
8
South Boston High School
  • One on the ground in the pile of mud just to the right of the entrance on the first floor.
  • A second is on the ground outside the men's restroom, around the corner to the right of the entrance on the first floor.
  • A third is in a rubble pile near open lockers in the northwest corner of the first floor, under the collapsed flooring leading up to the second floor; a rare lunchbox is also nearby.
3
Suffolk County Charter School
  • In classrooms, on desks, on the floor, or in lockers. Seven are on the first floor, while three are on the second floor.
10
Super Duper Mart
  • In the cafeteria on top of a shelf.
1
Underwater POI near the Island
Far Harbor_(add-on)
1
Valenti station
  • On a table to the right of a posed teddy bear.
1
Vault-Tec Regional HQ
  • One is in the basement on a shelf.
  • One is on the third floor on the desk in the office to the south.
2
Warwick homestead
  • One is sitting on a shelf in the small service room attached to the processing tank on the elevated walkway.
1
Wilson Atomatoys corporate HQ
  • In the office with the Giddyup Buttercup that stands in the middle of the room on the large desk below the broken terminal.
1

Rare lunchboxes[]

Collected? Location Description Number

Aldersea Day Spa
Far Harbor_(add-on)
  • Near the swimming pool.
1

Andrew station
  • One on a nightstand in the small "room" with a green door near the first part of the subway platform.
  • One inside a box in a subway train in the first part of the subway platform.
  • One in another subway car near a small raider shack further into the station.
  • One inside a bathtub in the small raider shack that must be passed through before reaching the tunnels up to the speakeasy.
  • One inside the locked room in the speakeasy underneath the Joe's Spuckies sandwich shop, at the end of the subway tunnels.
  • One outside the Joe's Spuckies sandwich shop, inside the bus that's crashed onto the top of the nearby yellow house.
5

Anna's Cafe
  • One on the upper level under a desk.
1

Back Street Apparel 1

Beaver Creek Lanes
Far Harbor_(add-on)
  • Inside, to the left of the front desk terminal, on the bottom shelf.
1

Boston Bugle building
  • On the upper floor, in a blue crate.
1

Boston Public Library
  • In the southwest room with the book return terminal by the main entrance on a table.
1

Brookline building
  • On a shelf in the deli mart across the road from the Brookline building.
1

Bunker Hill
  • In the utility basement, small room at the end, in a crate on a shelf.
1

Cambridge Polymer Labs
  • Inside the lobby, behind a dividing wall just past the reception desk.
1

C.I.T. ruins 1

Coast Guard pier
  • Amidst the woods to the east, in a baby carriage near a tree and bushes.
1

Coastal hideout
  • In a small cell behind a Novice-locked door.
1

College Square 2

College Square station Tucked underneath a shelf in the maintenance tunnel adjacent to the subway tracks in the northeast corner of the map. 1

Collegiate administration building
  • Underneath the stairs.
1

Concord Civic Access
  • One in the room near the stairs toward the entrance where the deathclaw nest is.
1

Concord Speakeasy
  • One in an unlocked upstairs bedroom underneath the bed.
1

Cutler Bend
  • One in the treehouse on the small island to the northwest.
1

D.B. Technical High School
  • One is on the first floor, on a table in the school cafeteria (several normal lunchboxes can be found nearby).
  • One is on the second floor, on a table at the top of the ramp from the cafeteria.
2

Destroyed house near railroad between Tenpines Bluff and Outpost Zimonja
  • On the ground beside the table with the picture and handcuffs on it, behind the teddy bear.
1

East Boston Preparatory School
  • One under the stairs just inside from the side entrance door, amidst rubble and several school desks.
  • In the classroom with armed frag mine traps on the second floor.
2

Faneuil Hall
  • In the main hall on the upper southeast balcony by the door.
1

Federal Surveillance Center K-21B
  • One is on the bottom floor, on a table behind the power armor frame.
  • A second is on top of the main control center near the Novice locked terminal (accessed by jumping down from above).
2

Fens Street sewer
  • One can be found at the opposite end of the tunnel from the skeleton with a fishing rod, in the water near rubble and several blue crates just past the metal ramp; it may be pushed underwater during combat.
  • A second is in one of several baby strollers near the "XXXX" on the wall.
2

Fens Way station
  • One in the subway train.
1

Fort Hagen
  • Outside the fort, on a table on the second floor of the ruined building to the south (the building with several bottlecap mine traps).
1

Fort Hagen hangar
Automatron (add-on)
  • Hidden in an orange trolley in the corner of the room with radioactive waste barrels on shelves.
1

Four Leaf Fishpacking plant
  • One can be found on a cabinet in a small room at the top of the catwalk.
  • A second is at the southern edge behind the construction vehicle, near a Nuka-Cola and a blue crate.
2

Fraternal Post 115
  • One is on the table outside and to the right of the back door.
  • A second is directly south of the post nearby in an alleyway on top of a wood crate near a kid's chalk drawing and a destroyed van. It can be easily reached from the first lunchbox by heading further southeast as the building curves.
2

Fringe Cove docks
Far Harbor_(add-on)
  • In the collapsed southeast warehouse building, inside the highest of the three row boats.
1

Greenetech Genetics
  • Outside, on the roof of the building to the east with the Mister Handy billboard (one of the buildings of Camp Kendall). It cannot be reached without a jet pack.
1

Harbor Grand Hotel
Far Harbor_(add-on)
  • On the second floor, in a drawer on the ground at the far end of the hallway.
1

Hoarder's apartment
  • On a shelf near the kitchen sink.
1

Holy Mission Congregation 1

Hyde Park
  • Behind an empty bookshelf in a room with green interior walls in a brick house along the southern side of the town. This building is the one that has a wooden bridge crossing the flooded street, and the room is located one floor below the bridge.
1

Jamaica Plain
  • On a picnic table to the left of the town hall.
1

Lexington
  • One on the second floor of the building just south of the Nuka-Cola billboard walkway where the raider with a Fat Man is patrolling.
  • One in the parking garage near the Super Duper Mart, inside a car wreck near the Protectron terminal.
2

Mass Fusion containment shed
  • In the hidden subterranean reactor level where the automated radio alarm signal originates, on the desk next to a broken terminal.
1


Mass Pike Tunnel 1

Massachusetts State House
  • On the fourth floor, on a wooden crate east of the table with three chairs and several loose caps in the room before the raider leader.
1

Med-Tek Research 1

Medford Memorial Hospital 1

Museum of Witchcraft
  • In the basement underneath a table.
1

Natick Banks
  • In the partially destroyed red brick building with the steamer trunk in the northeast of town, on the second floor, under a table that has a baseball glove on top.
1

National Guard training yard 2

Northwood Ridge Quarry
Far Harbor_(add-on)
1

Old Gullet sinkhole In a pipe near the bottom, where the water flows to. 1

Park Street station
  • One is in the second platform area, on the ground between the tracks next to a large blue cargo container and a small white Vault-Tec cargo container.
  • The other is northeast, in the platform area adjacent to the Vault 114 entrance, on the ground near an overturned cigarette machine against the southeastern wall.
2

Parkview Apartments
  • One can be found in the apartment building, in a first floor refrigerator.
  • A second can be found on the top floor of the Parkview Lounge, inside of a filing cabinet drawer in the office.
2

Parsons State Insane Asylum
  • One is in Parsons State Administration, on a bench in the hallway northeast of the main entrance.
  • One is in the Parsons State basement, on a cardboard box on a shelf in the room just before the control room.
2

Poseidon Energy
  • One is in the flooded sublevel, at the end of an underwater pipe next to a dead raider and a caps stash.
  • A second is on the eastern corner of the factory floor, on a cart under the ramp leading down to the large brown corner pipe.
2

Public works maintenence area
  • In the generator room with a fusion core in the east, at the end of the sewer tunnels. It is hidden inside a broken counter cabinet in between a hole in the wall leading from the tunnels and a broken fusion generator.
1

Quincy Quarries In a trailer to the southeast, next to the marble blocks underneath the highway overpass. It is within sight of the Red Rocket to the south. 1

Rocky cave
  • One is on a shelving unit downstairs next to a steamer trunk (taking the contents is counted as theft before completing Virgil's Cure, but one can open and take the box itself).
1

Safari Adventure
Nuka-World (add-on)
  • On a table in the picnic area in the northeastern corner of the zone. Nuka-Cola lunchboxes can be found nearby.
1

Sandy Coves Convalescent Home One in the game room on the second floor, in a small cardboard box. 1

Saugus Ironworks
  • On the top floor in a room off the corridor adjacent to an Advanced terminal which opens a set of doors.
1

Sentinel site
  • One is under a bunk bed in the barracks in the middle of the tunnels leading to the nuclear warhead stockpile.
  • A second is in the lower hallway right after exiting the barracks room, hidden amidst the rocks in a tiny cave area from which several feral ghouls emerge.
  • A third is in the flooded room found through the tunnels after the previous hallway (immediately before the elevator to the exit), behind the warhead box to the right from the entrance.
3

South Boston High School
  • One in an open locker in the northwest corner of the first floor, under the collapsed flooring leading up to the second floor; a normal lunchbox is in some rubble nearby.
1

Suffolk County Charter School
  • One on a bench in the main hall (first floor), outside of the two restrooms.
  • One on a pair of desks near the end of a hallway on the second floor, around the corner from the library.
2

The Mechanist's lair
Automatron_(add-on)
  • One is by a skeleton at the end of the robot storage area underneath a yellow eye protection poster.
  • A second is located behind the generators at power substation B on a red stepladder.
2

The Shamrock Taphouse 1

Ticker Tape Lounge
  • In one of the refrigerators in the kitchen.
1

Ticonderoga
  • About two floors downstairs from the entrance elevator, in a room with Protectron pods.
1

Trinity Church
  • Sitting on a dresser in the ruins of the basement.
1


Underwater POI in the Commonwealth
  • Found inside the lower level of a sunken ship, next to a full Giddyup Buttercup, a wheelchair, and a headless skeleton. To find the ship, swim due east from Nordhagen Beach to reach a capsized ship and wooden platform floating on the ocean surface, then dive straight down.
1

Bugged Underwater POI near the Island
Far Harbor_(add-on)
1

Bugged Unmarked landmass northwest of Eagle's Cove Tannery
Far Harbor_(add-on)
  • Location is on an unmarked landmass roughly due west of Eagle's Cove Tannery. The lunchbox is on a barbeque grill near a green house on this landmass. The entire landmass is inaccessible in normal gameplay, as it is located outside of the map boundaries; it does not even appear on the map. The closest accessible area is a small island with a shipwreck northwest of the tannery.
1

University Point
  • Outside behind Sedgwick Hall, but part of the same building: On a toilet at sea level in the northeast corner of the collapsed part of the building.
1

University Point: Sedgwick Hall
  • On the third floor inside Sedgwick Hall, behind a toppled bench in a corner to the right of the eastern exit.
1

USAF Satellite Station Olivia 1

Vault 75
  • On the lower level held by a soldier skeleton wearing glasses. After exiting the elevator, look left at the intersection behind the blue container to see it.
1

Vault-Tec Regional HQ
  • One is on the first floor, on the countertop in the breakroom/kitchen.
1

Walden Pond
  • In the basement, near where the unique pipe wrench Big Jim can be found.
1

Warwick homestead
  • One is on the stranded, partially sunken red fishing boat leaning on a sandbar just to the west.
1

Water Street apartments
  • On the first floor, in the southeast corner room on the shelves near the TV.
1

Weatherby Savings & Loan
  • In the building just to the south, on the upper level in a corner.
1

West Everett Estates
  • In the house next to the backyard bunker, at the fireplace in the living room.
  • Inside the backyard bunker, on the sink countertop.
2

Wilson Atomatoys factory
  • On the east side of the building outside, next to a skeleton by the yellow dumpster.
1

Yangtze
  • In the gallery on the table in the southeast corner.
1


Item pool[]

Normal lunchboxes[]

Normal (stickerless) lunchboxes only carry the normal lunchbox loot pool. The drop rate here is the total drop rate of any individual item from a lunchbox.

Item Item type Drop rate
Gum drops Aid 6.67%
Bubblegum Aid 6.67%
Noodle cup Aid 6.67%
Nuka-Cola Aid 6.67%
Dandy Boy Apples Aid 6.67%
Pen Junk 6.67%
Pencil Junk 6.67%
Baseball Junk 6.67%
Chalk Junk 6.67%
Plastic fork Junk 6.67%
Dinner fork Junk 6.67%
Plastic knife Junk 6.67%
Table knife Junk 6.67%
Plastic spoon Junk 6.67%
Table spoon Junk 6.67%

Rare lunchboxes[]

Rare (stickered) lunchboxes carry the normal lunchbox loot pool, but also have the rare lunchbox loot pool and, with the Nuka-World add-on installed, the Nuka-World junk item loot pool as well. The lunchbox will select one of these three pools with a equal probability (1/3) and then pick an item from within the selected pool (generally, each item has an equal probability of selection within the pool unless it appears twice in the pool, which simply doubles its drop rate).

The tables below list three drop rates for each item: one within the individual loot pool, one for the overall drop rate from the lunchbox without Nuka-World installed, and one for the overall drop rate with Nuka-World installed.

Do not refer to the in-pool drop rate if you are looking for the drop rate of an item when opening a lunchbox.

Item Item type Loot pool Drop rate (in pool) Drop rate (overall, without Nuka-World) Drop rate (overall, with Nuka-World)
Gum drops Aid Normal 6.67% 3.33% 2.22%
Bubblegum Aid Normal 6.67% 3.33% 2.22%
Noodle cup Aid Normal 6.67% 3.33% 2.22%
Nuka-Cola Aid Normal 6.67% 3.33% 2.22%
Dandy Boy Apples Aid Normal 6.67% 3.33% 2.22%
Pen Junk Normal 6.67% 3.33% 2.22%
Pencil Junk Normal 6.67% 3.33% 2.22%
Baseball Junk Normal 6.67% 3.33% 2.22%
Chalk Junk Normal 6.67% 3.33% 2.22%
Plastic fork Junk Normal 6.67% 3.33% 2.22%
Dinner fork Junk Normal 6.67% 3.33% 2.22%
Plastic knife Junk Normal 6.67% 3.33% 2.22%
Table knife Junk Normal 6.67% 3.33% 2.22%
Plastic spoon Junk Normal 6.67% 3.33% 2.22%
Table spoon Junk Normal 6.67% 3.33% 2.22%
Nuka-Cherry Aid Rare 8.33% 4.17% 2.77%
Nuka-Cola Quantum Aid Rare 16.66% 8.33% 5.55%
Ice cold Nuka-Cola Quantum Aid Rare 16.66% 8.33% 5.55%
Economy Wonderglue Junk Rare 16.66% 8.33% 5.55%
Eyebot model Misc Rare 8.33% 4.17% 2.77%
Sentry bot model Misc Rare 8.33% 4.17% 2.77%
Mr. Handy model Misc Rare 8.33% 4.17% 2.77%
Protectron model Misc Rare 8.33% 4.17% 2.77%
Mr. Gutsy model Misc Rare 8.33% 4.17% 2.77%
Atomic Roller ball Nuka-World (add-on) Misc Nuka-World 7.14% - 2.38%
Nuka-Cade ticket Nuka-World (add-on) Misc Nuka-World 7.14% - 2.38%
Nuka-Cade token Nuka-World (add-on) Misc Nuka-World 7.14% - 2.38%
Souvenir plastic bowl Nuka-World (add-on) Junk Nuka-World 7.14% - 2.38%
Souvenir coffee cup Nuka-World (add-on) Junk Nuka-World 7.14% - 2.38%
Souvenir drinking glass Nuka-World (add-on) Junk Nuka-World 7.14% - 2.38%
Souvenir magnet cow Nuka-World (add-on) Junk Nuka-World 7.14% - 2.38%
Souvenir magnet badge Nuka-World (add-on) Junk Nuka-World 7.14% - 2.38%
Souvenir magnet flower Nuka-World (add-on) Junk Nuka-World 7.14% - 2.38%
Souvenir magnet frog Nuka-World (add-on) Junk Nuka-World 7.14% - 2.38%
Souvenir magnet cat Nuka-World (add-on) Junk Nuka-World 7.14% - 2.38%
Souvenir sloth toy Nuka-World (add-on) Junk Nuka-World 7.14% - 2.38%
Souvenir teddy bear (version 1) Nuka-World (add-on) Junk Nuka-World 7.14% - 2.38%
Souvenir teddy bear (version 2) Nuka-World (add-on) Junk Nuka-World 7.14% - 2.38%

Technical information[]

This section simply explains where the above numbers come from.

  • The normal lunchbox loot pool is the LeveledItem LLI_LunchBoxKidsDrops (Form ID 001DF283), with 15 items, for an individual and overall drop rate of 6.66% per item.
  • The rare lunchbox loot pool is the LeveledItem LLI_LunchBoxKidsDropsRare (Form ID 00210B67) which contains three lists for an individual selection rate of 33% per list:
    • LLI_LunchBoxKidsDrops, already listed;
    • LLI_LunchBoxKids_RareSource (Form ID 00249624), which contains 12 items for an individual drop rate of 8.33%, or 16.66% for duplicated items;
    • DLC04LLI_LunchBoxKidsDrops (Form ID xx043AAB), which contains 14 items for an individual drop rate of 7.14%. Nuka-World (add-on)

Notes[]

  • ^ (Note 1) The names that can be found on rare-tier lunchboxes are Acadia, Adriana, Anna, Becky, Cole, Connor, Dona, Greesha, Jack, Jade, June, Nic, Sage, Simon, Stan, Zane and Ziggy. The two decals are a Nuka-Cola bottle and Vault Girl.
  • Many possible items are larger than the lunchbox itself.
  • ^ (Note 2) Lunchboxes sold by vendors or created in a builder can only be opened by shooting them or hitting them with a melee/unarmed weapon while dropped from the inventory.
    • Contraptions Workshop Lunchboxes that were opened this way, even if they are no longer collectible, can be placed on a conveyor belt. If they enter into a hopper or the conveyor storage, they will be restored to their original, unopened state. This allows for an unlimited supply of lunchboxes.

Behind the scenes[]

When a Vault-Tec lunchbox is opened, there are two drawings of childrens' faces on the inside. These are drawings of Ziggy and Simon, the two children of Bethesda Game Studios artist Mark Teare. His wife Dona made the drawings. These are the explanations for the names Dona, Ziggy, and Simon which are found on some lunchboxes. The other names on the lunchboxes are the names of other developers' children.[Non-game 1]

Gallery[]

Locations[]

Item images and renders[]

See also[]

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 Destruction data for all Activator lunchbox variants: all Activator lunchbox forms have 100 HP and trigger either the KidsLunchboxExplosion or KidsLunchboxExplosionRare effects (depending on the variant) when reduced to 99% of HP.
  2. Destruction data for the misc item lunchbox: the misc item lunchbox (LunchBoxKids01) has 1 HP and triggers the KidsLunchboxExplosion effect when reduced to 0% of HP.

Non-game