BackgroundEdit

<img
src="http://vignette3.wikia.nocoo
kie.net/fallout/images/d/df/FOBoSL
ogo.png/revision/latest/scale-toThe following is based on Fallout:
width-down/25?
cb=20131124162342"
Brotherhood of Steel and has not
alt="FOBoSLogo" class="" databeen confirmed by canon sources.
image-key="FOBoSLogo.png"
data-imagename="FOBoSLogo.png"
width="25" height="25" >

Vault-Tec designed and constructed advanced technologies. It was a major

military contractor before the Great War, and as such, developed highly
experimental, advanced and secret technologies. In time, Vault-Tec became
so thoroughly integrated with top-secret military research done by the
Pentagon that it had practically become a department of the U.S.
government. The company still remained in private hands, but because of its
strong connection to the American government, the principal personnel of
Vault-Tec - its executives, top scientists, engineers, and so on - had to be
aware of the true purpose of the vaults and Project Safehouse.
Regardless of the American government's directives, Vault-Tec's high-ranking
personnel had no intention of submitting to a lottery and living underground
with a bunch of human cattle in the intentionally defective vault facilities that
they had constructed. Vault-Tec instead created their own private emergency
shelter facility for their top employees and their families, removed from the
larger vault network, and kept secret from the U.S. government. This facility is
now known as the Secret Vault.
<img
src="http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/fallout/images/8/8b/VaultTec_Logo.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/200?
cb=20080525011327" alt="Vault-Tec Logo" class="thumbimage "
data-image-key="Vault-Tec_Logo.png" data-image-name="Vault-Tec
Logo.png" width="200" height="69" >
A rusty Vault-Tec logo

Vault-Tec did not stop there. This secret, private installation was used to
research new, more advanced technologies that would benefit mankind in the
midst of post-nuclear environment. This initiative included some extensive
research with the "Forced Evolutionary Virus" (FEV), the results of which,

unlike the government-controlled research on the virus' uses at Vault 87, was
also kept secret from the government. It is known that the FEV stored in the
Secret Vault was highly modified in an attempt to achieve its original goals
and also avoid sterility among those subjects infected and mutated by it.
However, this modification proved unsuccessful.
Other Vault-Tec projects that were intended for the corporation's own use
included the development of their own robotic systems, a special biological
weapons program (the results of which were probably the creation of a unique
race of radroaches and a variation of the deathclaw), advanced biomedical
research on the effects of rapid cell regeneration, and even an attempt to
create a model of power armor to be used by Vault-Tec personnel.

<img
src="http://vignette3.wikia.nocoo
kie.net/fallout/images/d/df/FOBoSL
ogo.png/revision/latest/scale-towidth-down/25?
End of information based on Fallout:
cb=20131124162342"
Brotherhood of Steel.
alt="FOBoSLogo" class="" dataimage-key="FOBoSLogo.png"
data-imagename="FOBoSLogo.png"
width="25" height="25" >

Project Safehouse and the Societal Preservation

ProgramEdit
Vault-Tec's most notable product was the vault. Officially, the vaults were part
of Project Safehouse, designed to protect the American population from
nuclear holocaust. In actuality, they had a more sinister purpose, a project
known as the "Societal Preservation Program".
The vaults could not possibly have saved the citizens of the United States
from the ravages of a nuclear war or a viral pandemic. With a population of
almost 400 million by 2077, the U.S. would have needed over 400,000 Vaults
to protect every man, woman and child. Vault-Tec was commissioned by the
American government to build only 122 such vaults.
The true reason for the construction of the vaults was to allow the government
to secretly study pre-selected segments of the American population, observe
how they would react to the stresses of isolation, and how successfully they
would re-colonize the devastated Earth and stars after the vault opened.
In addition, most vaults were designed to conduct often immoral experiments
on live human test subjects. The purposes and experiments carried out in

each vault varied. They included: the use of the FEV on an unwitting test
population (Vault 87), the development of super soldiers (Vault 92), the
creation of an entire population of human clones (Vault 108), Vault 101 was
subject to a "Never to be opened" policy: the inhabitants were never going to
be allowed to leave, the frequent use of psychoactive drugs (Vault 106), the
extended use of a virtual reality simulator on a population (Vault 112), and so
on.
This project was the work of the Enclave, a secret shadow organization of
federal officials and corporate executives that used the Vault-Tec company to
set up this sinister experiment. The Enclave considered themselves prime
candidates for recolonizing the world after a nuclear holocaust and to this end
commissioned the construction of their own shelters, isolated from the vault
network. The results of the vault experiments were intended to help prepare
the Enclave for either re-colonizing Earth or colonizing another planet if Earth
turned out to be uninhabitable.
The experiments were monitored by Vault-Tec researchers in separate
facilities. Sometimes select vault inhabitants (frequently the overseer) were
aware of the nature of the experiment and also gathered data.
The experiment may be considered a success in terms of the data collected:
data that was much more important to the Vault-Tec and Enclave scientists
than a few hundred thousand lives. Perhaps they felt that the trade-off was
mutual, as most of the vault dwellers would have died anyway if not for the
vaults.
Although the vaults were supposedly designed with longevity in mind, many
vaults had insufficient resources and are in dire need of repair. It is uncertain
whether or not the Vault-Tec vaults were actually supposed to malfunction as
many did, or whether they were deliberately ill-constructed. It seems that the
company may have focused its resources primarily on the experimental
vaults, leaving the control vaults with inferior materials and little chance of
survival. This may be why there were recurring problems with water chips. Or
it may be that over time, certain pieces of technology simply wore out and
broke. In many cases, such as Vault 3, the community's fate is decided by a
single malfunction.
The only known vaults to continuously function successfully are Vault 101,
Vault 112 and Vault 81. Their vault experiments were intended to continue
indefinitely.

Fallout Gamepedia:::

List of known Vaults

Jump to: navigation, search
This article lists all known Vault-Tec Industries Vaults. If you would like to
know more about Vaults, please check out this article.
Contents [hide]

List[edit | edit source]

Designation

Description/Fat
Location
e

Los Angeles
Vault

The Vault-Tec
demonstration
vault. It was not
part of the
experiment, and
was the
Master's vault
under the
Cathedral in
Fallout.[1]

Vault 3

A control vault
designed to
open after 20
years, but kept
closed longer
due to the
wishes of the
vault
inhabitants.
However, an
unplanned

Appearances

Southern
California, near
Fallout
Los Angeles
(Cathedral)

Mojave
Wasteland

Fallout: New
Vegas

water leak
forced the
occupants to
open in hopes
of trading with
the outside.
Unfortunately,
all of the vault's
residents were
massacred by a
group of raiders
known as the
Fiends shortly
after they
opened the
vault door.[2]

Vault 8

Vault 11

A control vault,
intended to
open and
recolonize the Northern
surface after 10 Nevada
years with its
(Vault City)
GECK. Vault
City is the
result.[3][4]
This vault was a
social
experiment
designed to test
obedience to
authority and
the ethics of a
large group of
people
subjected to

Mojave
Wasteland

Fallout 2

Fallout: New
Vegas

extraordinary
circumstances.
The dwellers
were informed
that a single
person must
sacrifice their
life for the Vault,
otherwise the
master
computer would
shut down all
life support. In
reality, should
the dwellers
refuse, the Vault
would open.[2]

Vault 12

Vault 13

In order to study
the effects of
radiation on the
selected
population, the
Vault door was
designed not to Bakersfield
close properly. (Necropolis)
This is the
Necropolis vault
and a large
population of
ghouls was the
result.[1][4]
Intended to stay Southern
closed for 200 California
years as a
control group for

Fallout

Fallout
Fallout 2

the Vault
experiment and
simultaneously
a study of
prolonged
isolation.[4]

Vault 15

Intended to stay
closed for 50
years and
include people
of radically
diverse
ideologies. Vault
15 is also the
birthplace of
Southern
three raider
California
groups, the
Khans, Jackals,
and Vipers, and
Shady Sands,
which would
become the
New California
Republic.[4]

Fallout
Fallout 2

Vault 17

The Vault was

raided in 2154
and its
inhabitants
taken prisoner
by the Master's Unknown
Army. The
dwellers were
subsequently
turned into
super mutants.[2]

Fallout: New
Vegas
(mentionedonly)

Vault 19

Vault 21

The vault was

segregated into
two groups,
'Red' and 'Blue'.
The groups
lived in separate
sections of the
vault and was
governed by 2
Overseers.
Subliminal
messages were
routinely sent
over to each
other side
causing mistrust
among and the
inhabitants and
civil war
between the 2
groups ending
in complete
collapse of the
Vault.
Candidates may
have been
chosen due to
pre-existing
paranoia or
other
psychological
impairments.[2]

Mojave
Wasteland

Fallout: New
Vegas

Designed to
study the
evolution of a

Las Vegas,
Mojave
Wasteland

Fallout: New
Vegas

society where
all conflict was
resolved
through pure
chance, i.e.
gambling. The
Vault was taken
over by Robert
House after
winning a game
of blackjack
where the
wager was the
entire Vault. It
was
subsequently
filled with
concrete and
converted into a
novelty hotel by
Sarah
Weintraub.[2]
Vault 22

Vault 22 was
equipped with
the latest in
biological and
agricultural
technologies,
with the
objective of
developing
plants that could
be readily
cultivated in the
absence of

Mojave
Wasteland

Fallout: New
Vegas

natural light.
However, an
experiment with
a parasitic
fungus has
turned on the
scientists,
leading to the
destruction of
the Vault.
Survivors of the
outbreak
abandoned the
Vault and
headed to Zion
Valley,
spreading the
spore across
the wastes.[2]

Vault 27

Vault 29

Vault 27 was
deliberately
overcrowded
with a total of
2000 people
assigned to
Unknown
enter, double
the total
sustainable
amount making
hot bunking
mandatory.[4]
No one in this
vault was over
the age of 15
when they

Colorado

Fallout Bible
only

Fallout Bible
(first mentioned)
Van Buren

entered. Parents
were
intentionally
redirected to
other vaults.
Harold is
believed to have
come from this
vault.[4]
Vault 34

The armory was

deliberately
provided with an
overabundance
of weapons and
ammunition, in
addition to not
being provided
with a proper
locking
mechanism.
The presence of
weapons as well
as lack of
population
control
measures led to
failure in the
23rd centuries.
Social unrest
would do Vault
34 in with
several groups
demanding
access to
weapons. The

Mojave
Wasteland

Fallout Bible
(first mentioned)
Fallout: New
Vegas

Boomers came
from this Vault,
but not all vault
dwellers would
leave the vault
as a riot
damaged the
power reactor
and most had
succumbed to
radiation
poisoning or
ghoulification
with only a
handful of
survivors still in
the vault.[2][4]

Vault 36

Food extruders
were designed
to produce only Unknown
a thin, watery
gruel.[4]

Fallout Bible
only

Vault 42

No light bulbs of
more than 40
Unknown
watts were
provided.[4]

Fallout Bible
only

Vault 43

Populated by
twenty men, ten
Unknown
women, and
one panther.

One Man, and a

Crate of
Puppets[5]

Vault 53

Most of the
Unknown
equipment was
designed to
break down
every few

Fallout Bible
and possibly on
Vault-Tec east
coast computers

months. While
repairable, the
breakdowns
were intended
to stress the
inhabitants
unduly.[4]
Vault 55

Vault 56

All
entertainment
tapes were
removed.[4]

Unknown

All
entertainment
tapes were
removed except
those of one
particularly bad Unknown
comic actor.
Sociologists
predicted failure
before Vault 55.

Fallout Bible
only

Fallout Bible

[4]

Vault 68

Of the one
thousand
people who
entered, there
was only one
woman.[4]

Vault 69

Of the one
thousand
people who
entered, there
was only one
man.[4]

Unknown

Fallout Bible

Unknown

Fallout Bible
(first mentioned)
One Man, and a
Crate of
Puppets
Van Buren
concept art

Vault 70

Vault 75

All jumpsuit
extruders fail
after six
months. Most of
the inhabitants
were Mormons.
The city of New
Canaan was
founded by the
vault dwellers
after they left
the vault.[4]

Salt Lake City,

Utah

Fallout Bible 0
Van Buren

Fallout 4
Human genome
Malden,
improvement
Commonwealth
through a
combination of
selective
breeding,
hormonal
treatments,
genetic
modification,
and an
accelerated
generational
cycle.
Researchers
and science
staff isolated
from test
subjects, who
are disposed of
at 18 years of
age unless
recruited to

replenish
research staff
due to a
combination of
excellent
ratings.[6]

Vault 76

Vault 77

Vault 81

This vault was

designed as a
control group for
the vault
experiment. Like
Vault 8, it was
intended to
open and recolonize the
surface after 20
years.[7]

Capital
Wasteland

Populated by
one man and a
Unknown
crate full of
puppets.

Mentioned in
Fallout 3

One Man and a

Crate of
Puppets. A
Vault 77
jumpsuit is
acquirable at
Paradise Falls.

A Vault
Commonwealth Fallout 4
dedicated to
researching
diseases and
antibodies, with
emphasis on
potential
mutations in
heavy radiation.
The Vault's
residents were

isolated from
the sealed
scientific section
of the Vault and
used as guinea
pigs in Stage III
clinical trials of
the science
staff. The Vault
was not to be
evacuated
unless by a
direct order from
Vault-Tec.
Residents were
considered
expendable and
their incineration
through preinstalled flame
nozzles at the
discretion of the
overseer.[8]

Vault 87

Vault 88

A Forced
Evolutionary
Virus research
facility that was
also provided
with a Garden of
Eden Creation
Kit.[7][9]
An unfinished
Vault designed
to test a variety
of prototype

Capital
Wasteland

Fallout 3

Vault-Tec
Quincy,
Commonwealth Workshop

devices with the

aim of rolling
them out
through the rest
of the Vaults.
Experiments
include a soda
fountain
dispensing
appetitereducing drugs,
electricitygenerating
exercise
bicycles,
subliminal
messaging
integrated in
optometrist
equipment, and
more.[10]

Vault 92

Vault 95

Populated
largely by
renowned
musicians, Vault
92 was a test
bed for a white
Olney, Capital
Fallout 3
noise-based
Wasteland
system for
implanting
combat-oriented
posthypnotic
suggestions.[7][9]
A Vault filled
Commonwealth Fallout 4
with drug abuse

victims, used by
Vault-Tec for
monitoring the
effects of drug
abuse in an
isolated setting.
Activated before
the Great War.[11]

Vault 101

Test the role of

an omnipotent
Overseer in a
community
remaining in
indefinite
isolation from
the outside
world, and study
the reactions of
the dwellers,
should the
isolation be
broken.[12]

Springvale,
Capital
Wasteland

Fallout 3

Vault 106

Psychoactive
drugs were
released into
the air filtration
system 10 days
after the door
was sealed.[4][7][9]

Capital
Wasteland

Fallout Bible
(first mention)
Fallout 3

Vault 108

All initial
positions were
left unfilled,
allowing the
terminally ill
Overseer

Capital
Wasteland

Fallout 3

(estimated to
expire within 40
months of the
Vault's sealing)
to fill them in
according to
Vault protocols,
creating an
unique
experimental
situation.[7]
The Vault failed
as a result of
cloning
experiments
designed to
replicate whole
humans, but
instead created
Garies.[9]
Vault 111

Fallout 4
A portion of the
Concord,
vault occupants Commonwealth
were cryonically
frozen (made up
of citizens),
while another
portion
remained
unfrozen (made
up of scientists,
security and
other staff to
keep the
cryopods
operational).

The experiment
was to observe
the long-term
effects of
suspended
animation on an
unaware human
subjects,
however a revolt
by the security
personnel
caused the
failure of the
Vault 111. The
event lead to
the Sole
Survivor
emerging
roughly 200
years after the
Vault's sealing.
[13]

Vault 112

Vault 114

Vault 112 was

set up as the
personal Vault
of Stanislaus
Braun, utilizing
virtual reality
stasis pods.[9]

Capital
Wasteland

Fallout 3

Fallout 4
Vault 114 was
Boston,
set up as a
Commonwealth
sociological
experiment - the
inhabitants were
described as

"high ranking
local and state
government,
local luminaries,
business
people, and
their families",
however the
luxury living
conditions were
exaggerated to
the inhabitants,
and when they
arrived at the
vault random
families were
chosen to
occupy one
room
apartments and
share minimal
dining and
bathing
facilities. In
addition, the
Overseer was
selected from
the local public
outside the
vault, and the
interview
process favored
those with no
leadership or
governmental
experience and

a strong antiauthority bias.

Vault-Tec staff
were asked not
to undermine
the authority of
the new
overseer "even
(and especially)
if it may cause
physical
discomfort,
embarrassment
or harm to the
inhabitants".[14]
Vault 118

A vault beneath
the Cliff's Edge
Hotel, this vault
was intended to
test the
interactions
between two
groups: a small
ultra-wealthy
group that
would be placed
socially and
legally above a
much larger
population that
was to be kept
in
uncomfortable
quarters.
Instead of a

Mount Desert Far Harbor

Island, Maine

classic
bourgeoisworker
experiement,
funding ran out
when only the
ultra wealthy
were in the
vault. They
implanted their
brains into
robobrains to
outlast the
Great War,
leaving the
overseer as the
only human in
the vault.

Unfinished
Vault

A fenced
construction
area in a small
cave north of
Vaults 13 and
15. It may have
been the first
location of Vault
13 before its
relocation.[3]

Northern
California

Fallout 2

Other installations using Vault-Tec technology[edit | edit source]

John-Caleb Bradberton's private Vault, built underneath Nuka-World. [15]
Securitron vault, built by Robert House to protect and conserve his

Securitron army of damage of the Great War. Walls and reinforcements

are modeled on Vault-Tec vaults.

Vaults outside the main continuity[edit | edit source]

The Vaults in the following list were created for games that were cancelled or

eliminated from the main continuity of the series. It also includes Vaults that
were released in official materials, but were not confirmed to form a part
thereof.
Designation

Vault 0

Description/Fat
Location
e
A special vault
designed to
"monitor and
control" other
vaults, maintain
the geniuses of
the pre-War
United States in
cryogenic
stasis, and
release them
once the outside
parameters
return to normal.

Appearances

Cheyenne
Mountain
(Colorado)

Fallout Tactics

Mount St.
Helens,
Washington

Fallout
Extreme[17]

[16]

Vault 6

The vault's
original purpose
in the Vault
Experiment is
unknown.

Vault 24

Unknown, any
information in
existence is
based on cut
content for a
vault suit.

Vault 39

Unknown.

Vault 74

Experiment

Unknown
(Mojave
Wasteland?)

Fallout: New
Vegas cut
content

Fallout:
Abilene, Texas Brotherhood of
Steel 2[17]
Unknown

Fallout 3

unknown. In the
tutorial, it's a
very small vault
consisting only
(Capital
of the overseer's
Wasteland?)
office, atrium,
clinic, and
quarters
(blocked).

modding
tutorial[18]

Unknown

Mentioned in
Fallout 3 game
files with a
unused Vault
100 jumpsuit
icon.

Vault 730

Unknown

Appears in the
Fallout Shelter
quest The Path Fallout Shelter
of Paula
Plumbkin.

Secret Vault

A secret vault
dedicated to
protect highmembers of
Vault-Tec
Industries and
used to
research the
latest
technologies
(like electrical
laser weapons
and instant
regeneration)
and the Forced

Vault 100

Los Ybanez,
Texas

Fallout 3 cut
content

Fallout:
Brotherhood of
Steel

Evolutionary
Virus.
A small VaultTec facility used
as the base of
Vault Prototype
operations by
the Brotherhood
of Steel

Burkittsville
Vault

An unnamed
vault near
Burkittsville
mentioned in
the Hamilton's
hideaway
terminal entries.
Outside of the
vault, cannibals
wait to ambush
those seeking
refuge in the
vault.

Texas

Burkittsville,
Maryland

Fallout:
Brotherhood of
Steel

Fallout 3 cut
content

References
Jump up to: 1.0 1.1 Fallout events
Jump up to: 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Fallout: New Vegas events.
Jump up to: 3.0 3.1 Fallout 2 events.
Jump up to: 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 4.11 4.12 4.13 4.14 4.15 Fallout Bible 0 Vault list.
Jump up Note that this comic, while official and created in cooperation with Emil
Pagliarulo, has not been stated to be canon (nor non-canon).
6 Jump up Vault 75 terminals: "EXPERIMENTAL ABSTRACT Vault 75 represents an
unprecedented opportunity to test our hypothesis that the human genome can be
improved at a rapid rate through the combination of selective breeding, hormonal
treatments, genetic modification, and an accelerated generational cycle. The
experimental objectives of Vault 75 are detailed in the handbooks which have been
provided to you already. This experiment is intended to be carried out over multiple
generations. As such, there may be unanticipated research opportunities that
present themselves. Such diversions from provisional protocol are permitted at the
discretion of the Chief Scientist."
1
2
3
4
5

7 Jump up to: 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 Citadel Vault-Tec terminal
8 Jump up Vault 81 terminals: "Prime Directive", The mission of Vault 81 is to research
infectious disease s and antibodies, with particular attention paid to potential
mutations in a climate of heavy radiation. Clinical trials are a vital part of Vault 81's
mission. Trials will be performed in three stages. Stage I trials are to be conducted
in petri dish cultures. Stage II trials are to be performed on the colony of
heterocephalus glaber specimens, furnished by Vault-Tec. Stage III trials may be
performed on the residential population of Vault 81. Scientific staff will be restricted
to the hermetically-sealed research area. This measure reduces the chance of
cross-contamination between residential and scientific staff populations. The
Overseer will have communication capabilities, but no other members of the
residential population are to be made aware of the prime directive. Admission
Protocol", As outlined in the Vault-Tec Operations Handbook, all staff members of
Vault 81 will be required to participate in mandatory drills, held on-site at the
discretion of the Overseer and Vault-Tec Administration. Admission drills are a
requirement on all Beta Alert days, as indicated by the Vault-Tec early warning
system. In the event of an actual Alpha Alert, Vault 81 residents will be admitted into
the Vault by Overseer's staff. All scientific staff should report to their workstations
immediately, avoiding contact with general population, especially those whom they
may know personally. (If necessary, Overseer should remind staff of their
confidentiality status.) All residents should be admitted in an orderly fashion, and
given the approved welcome address in the common area atrium by the Overseer.
The Overseer should then use this terminal to confer privately with the head of
Science staff, by now safely sealed in the research area. Evacuation Protocol", Vault
81 is not to be evacuated under any circumstances except a direct all-clear
command from Vault-Tec central HQ. Research reports should be archived on the
primary mainframe. Chemical compounds and other physical materials may be
deposited in the marked receptacle, only by the Overseer, and only after a
successful Stage III trial phase. In the event of a Vault-Tec ordered evacuation,
Overseer must be prepared to dispose of residential population by incineration
(propellant nozzles are pre-installed in all residential living quarters) to avoid
contamination with outside population. This disposal is at the discretion of the
Overseer unless specifically mandated as part of the Vault-Tec evacuation order."
Jump up to: 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4
9
Fallout 3 events.
10
Jump up Vault 88 terminals: "CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL
OVERSEER EYES ONLY | VIOLATION VTP-01011 Vault 88 is designed to test a
variety of prototype devices with the aim of rolling them out through the rest of the
Vaults. Once Vault 88 is fully operational, we expect to roll out new devices every
fiscal quarter. The initial prototypes are admittedly rough, so do the best you can
with them. Unlike other Vaults, we'll send test subjects before any disaster scenario.
Best estimate is early 2078 you'll have your first batch. Use each batch as long as
feasible, but we are prepared to replace personnel if there are complications. Quick

11

12

iteration time is a must. If the Vault goes on lock down, the urgency of the time table
diminishes. So you'll have to keep the test subjects docile and in-line. We have
every faith you're up for the task, Doctor Barstow."
Jump up Cait: "There's supposed to be a vault somewhere out here... a place
called Vault 95. I've heard that Vault-Tec used it for some kinda social experiment...
stuck a bunch of junkies inside to poke and prod. Well, they supposedly had some
special method to clean up those blokes in there... some kind of a machine or
somethin'. If we could get inside, maybe that machine could help me."
Jump up Fallout 3 Official Game Guide Game of the Year Edition p.42: "Vault
DwellersVault 101 was actually part of an unscrupulous social experiment. All of
the other Vaults were intended to be opened at one point or another when the "all
clear" signal was sent from Vault-Tec or the appropriate regulatory agency, and this
indeed, did transpire, with almost universally horrific results. But Vault 101's secret
plans were different: The doors were never scheduled to open. Ever. In fact, the
Vault was supplied with just the type of equipment it would need to keep functioning
indefinitely-like spare parts for the water processor. But this was just the beginning:
The true experiment was even more devious and cunning. Although Vault 101 was
about testing the human condition when a Vault never opened, this was only the first
part of the plan. The "actual" experiment went far beyond that, and a select few
knew the true nature; that this was to test the role of the Overseer. While the
Overseer was able to interact (and even visit) the outside world via radio
transmissions, and a secret tunnel from his sealed office, the rest of the inhabitants
faced a much more dismal future: As far as they knew, Vault 101 was never sent an
"all clear" signal, and faked radio transmissions described a nuclear-ravaged world
gone mad, with absolutely no hope of existence outside of a Vault. The radio
transmissions were actually recorded before the bombs even fell, and in many
cases described a world even more horrible than the reality of the nuclear
wasteland. The Vault 101 Overseer, like his counterparts in the other Vaults, was
actually a planted Vault-Tec operative whose job it was to control the experiment
from the inside.Aside from keeping up this ruse, the Overseer's other important role
was to reinforce to the dwellers of Vault 101 that the outside world would never be
habitable again, and that their only salvation was in the Vault. The Overseer
prevented anyone from leaving the Vault, and made sure the Vault dwellers received
their regular "transmission" from the outside world. People entered Vault 101 in
2077, just before the bombs fell.The Overseer died of natural causes 50 years later
(in 2127), at the age of 84, after grooming a subordinate to continue the clandestine
plan. The new Overseer led his people according to the same isolationist doctrine
preached by his predecessor, but also attempted to garner as many senior Vault
Dwellers to become complicit in this plan as possible. By 2277, the descendants of
the Overseer had an entire generation of Vault Dwellers who were playing along
with this plan, keeping the secrets from their children.The Overseer and his cronies
continued to receive periodic information from the outside world, while those not in

13

14

15
16
17
18

the know were told that things had gotten so bad that whoever was sending
transmissions was no longer able to do so; reinforcing the thought that leaving the
Vault was sheer suicide. The final piece of this grand experiment only truly began
when the Vault Dwellers living in blissful ignorance finally realized the world outside
could be accessed, and there was a possibility of life above ground. The experiment
only really commenced when the Vault 101 door first opened, and a young dweller
fled into the light."(Fallout 3 Official Game Guide faction profiles)
Jump up Vault 111 terminals: "VAULT 111 SECURITY INSTRUCTIONS",
CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL SECURITY EYES ONLY |
VIOLATION VTP-01011 Vault 111 is designed to test the long-term effects of
suspended animation on unaware, human subjects. Security staff are responsible
for maintaining installation integrity and monitoring science staff activity. Under no
circumstances are staff allowed to deviate from assigned duties. Insubordination or
interference with vault operations are capital offenses. Security staff are authorized
to use lethal force.",
Jump up Vault 114 terminals: "'PRIVATE: Science Staff Only", WARNING: This
memorandum is meant for members of the Vault 114 Science Division only, or
those with appropriate security clearance levels (SL-4+). All others must exit this
terminal immediately and report your infraction to the Overseer or a member of
Vault-Tec Security. Thank you. =Social Science Division= As mentioned in your
briefing, Vault 114 will be hosting high ranking members of local and state
government, local luminaries, business people, and their families. Future members
are aware that they will be cohabitating solely with others of Boston's upper class.
However, the "luxury" aspect of this Vault has been highly exaggerated to the future
residents. Multiple families, chosen randomly, will live and sleep in single-room
apartments, dining and bathing will be in shared quarters, and amenities will be
minimal. In addition, we are currently interviewing for the Overseer position from
many candidates. Our goal is to find someone with no supervisory or government
experience, and hopefully with a strong anti-authority bias. Human Resources tells
us that the interview process has vetted many viable candidates. By taking away the
luxury and authority these groups saw in surface life, we hope to study their
reactions in stressful situations. As such, please do not undermine the new
Overseer's authority at all during the experiment, even (and especially) if it may
cause physical discomfort, embarrassment, or harm to residents. Thank you, VaultTec Management"
Jump up Nuka-Town USA terminals
Jump up Fallout Tactics events.
Jump up to: 17.0 17.1 Canceled game
Jump up Vault 74 tutorial in the GECK wiki. The location of this Vault and its
layout is likely not canon.