Vault-Tec Vaults; Game Origin & Location
Hi I'm going to back to my "Fallout Blog" roots. Here is a summary of all of the vaults and experiments (starting with a timeline) because I'm insane ^_^ I had to add a weird break bc I literally hit the tumblr character limit, but I used it to section off the major spoilers for the TV series :)
Timeline
The Great War: October 23rd, 2077
Fallout Bible: Compendium of added lore by the creators.
Fallout 76: 2102
Fallout 1: 2161
Fallout Tactics: 2197
Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel: 2208
Fallout 2: 2241
Fallout 3: 2277
Fallout: New Vegas: 2281
Fallout 4: 2287
Fallout TV Series: 2296
Corporate Vault - Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel - Texas
A control group vault meant for Vault-Tec employees to continue research, primarily on FEV (Forced Evolutionary Virus) during the war.
Vault 0 - Fallout Tactics - Colorado
A control group vault with geniuses kept in cryogenic stasis, with their minds interlinked into an entity called The Calculator.
Vault 3 - Fallout: New Vegas - Nevada
A control vault. Residents ended up opening the vault doors when the lower levels flooded. Eventually the vault was overrun by Fiends.
Vault 4 - Fallout TV series - California
A test vault that was filled with residents prior to the bombs dropping. Experimentation on human subjects led to most of the original residents being killed in a revolt. In 2296 the vault is still thriving, while kidnapping surface survivors and continuing to experiment on them. The vault offered refuge for many inhabitants of Shady Sands.
Vault 8 (Vault City) - Fallout 2 - Nevada
A control group vault that remained closed until 2241. Instead of receiving two G.E.C.K. (Garden of Eden Creation Kit) devices, Vault 8 received just one and a replacement water chip that was supposed to go to Vault 13.
Vault 11 - Fallout: New Vegas - Nevada
Every year the residents were told to sacrifice a fellow resident, with the threat of everyone's death if they did not. In reality, the system would praise them for NOT sacrificing an individual and the vault door would be unlocked. This message finally played after only five residents remained.
Vault 12 - Fallout 1 - California
A seemingly normal, safe vault with an ulterior motive to study the effects of radiation on the inhabitants. The door never fully sealed, and in 2083 the ghoul residents left to found Necropolis.
Vault 13 - Fallout 1 & Fallout 2- California
Your home vault as the Vault Dweller. A rather normal vault, however due to a shipping mishap Vault 13 received an additional G.E.C.K. device (that was supposed to go to Vault 8) instead of a replacement water chip. Thus, leaving the Vault Dweller to leave the vault in search for a replacement when their only water chip breaks.
Vault 15 - Fallout 1 & Fallout 2 - California
A vault that experimented with incredibly diverse ideologies and backgrounds. The vault became severely overpopulated in 2097 and the dwellers decided to open the door. Shady Sands was created using Vault 15's G.E.C.K. and the local raider gangs all have origins from this vault.
Vault 17 - Fallout: New Vegas - Mention Only
Inhabitants were kidnapped and transformed into Super Mutants. Lily originates from this vault.
Vault 19 - Fallout: New Vegas - Somewhere in CA/NV/AZ/UT
Paranoia was induced by noises, lights, and segregation. The vault was divided into two sections, Red and Blue, with a separate overseer for each sector.
Vault 21 - Fallout: New Vegas - Nevada
An almost normal vault, with the exception of a culture and society built around gambling. All major decisions were made through gambling, with the decision to open the doors and become part of New Vegas being "won" in a game of Blackjack.
Vault 22 - Fallout: New Vegas - Somewhere in CA/NV/AZ/UT
A vault dedicated to studying agriculture. A fungus designed to kill pests on plants became capable of infected human hosts. Vault 22 is curiously green on the outside by the time The Courier arrives at the location.
Vault 24 - Fallout: New Vegas - Mention Only
Remnants of a Vault 24 jumpsuit are found in the FNV game files.
Vault 27 - Fallout Bible - Mention Only
A vault designed to be deliberately overcrowded with not enough means to sustain the inhabitants.
Vault 29 - Fallout 76 - Mention Only
Only children younger than 15 were allowed in this vault, with their parents being sent to other vaults. Harold is believed to originate from this vault.
//TV SHOW SPOILERS//
Vault 31 - Fallout TV Series - California
Part of 3 interconnected vaults, serving as cryogenic home for the managers and higher ups of Vault-Tec.
Vault 32 - Fallout TV Series - California
Part of 3 interconnected vaults, serving as a healthy breeding pool for Vault 31 and 33. Somewhere around 2294, Vault 32 failed and the residents resorted to murder, cannibalism, or suicide.
Vault 33 - Fallout TV Series - California
Lucy MacLean's home vault. Part of 3 interconnected vaults, serving as a healthy breeding pool for Vault 31 and 32.
//END OF TV SHOW SPOILERS//
Vault 36 - Fallout Bible - Mention Only
The only food in this vault consisted of thin, watery gruel.
Vault 34 - Fallout: New Vegas - Somewhere in CA/NV/AZ/UT
The vault was purposefully overstocked with guns with the overseer being able to give/deny access to residents. This inevitably led to it's downfall, and those who revolted and raided the armory relocated above as The Boomers in 2231.
Vault 42 - Fallout Bible - Mention Only
No lightbulbs over 40W were provided.
Vault 43 - Fallout Bible - Mention Only
A vault containing 20 men, 10 women, and one panther.
Vault 51 - Fallout 76 - West Virginia
A vault with a supercomputer as the overseer. Interference from the computer led to most of the residents being murdered by other residents.
Vault 53 - Fallout Bible - Mention Only
Most equipment was designed to break down every few months in order to stress out inhabitants.
Vault 55 - Fallout Bible - Mention Only
No entertainment tapes were provided.
Vault 56 - Fallout Bible - Mention Only
The only entertainment tapes provided were of one terrible comedian.
Vault 63 - Fallout 76 - West Virginia
The inside of the vault remains sealed, with the outside door being all that is accessible to the player character. Other parts of the vault are revealed through cut content.
Vault 65 - Fallout 76 - Mention Only
Remnants of the vault remain in Fallout 76 cut content.
Vault 68 - Fallout Bible - Mention Only
The vault contained 999 men and 1 woman.
Vault 69 - Fallout Bible - Mention Only
The vault contained 999 women and 1 man.
Vault 75 - Fallout 4 - Massachusetts
A secret experimenting in refining human genetics through selective breeding, genetic modification, and hormonal treatments. The vault's concept was made by Stanislaus Braun.
Vault 76 - Fallout 76 - West Virginia
The home vault of the player character in 76. It was a control vault, set to open after 25 years. This is when the player character leaves the vault.
Vault 77 - Fallout 3 - Mention Only
Mentioned by slavers in Paradise Falls, this vault was rumored to only contain one man and a box of puppets.
Vault 79 - Fallout 76 - West Virginia
A vault dedicated to hoarding the country's gold reserves.
Vault 81 - Fallout 4 - Massachusetts
Designed to develop a cure for every possible sickness or ailment. Residents were unknowingly sprayed with diseases by nozzles hidden in their rooms. The first vault overseer had thought this to be cruel, cut off the scientists from the rest of the vault and cut the nozzles from spraying residents before the experiments could begin.
Vault 87 - Fallout 3 - Somewhere in VA/PA/MD
The original vault experiment for 87 was scrapped, and it became a research center for FEV, leaving the vault wildly radioactive and inhabited only by super mutants by the time you access it as the Lone Wanderer.
Vault 88 - Fallout 4 - Massachusetts
An unfinished vault inhabited by ghouls.
Vault 92 - Fallout 3 - Somewhere in VA/PA/MD
The best musicians were sent to this vault to "preserve musical talent", but truthfully residents were subjected to subliminal messages mixed into white noise. Eventually some of the musicians went into random, murderous, psychotic rages that led to the end of the experiment.
Vault 94 - Fallout 76 - West Virginia
A vault with non-violent faith-centric inhabitants. The vault opened one year later to search for survivors. The vault became overrun by wastelanders and raiders that destroyed their G.E.C.K. and their nuclear reactor. The vault was swarmed with radiation and is now overrun by mirelurks.
Vault 95 - Fallout 4 - Massachusetts
A vault designed to get people clean and sober. After a successful 5 years, a Vault-Tec agent brought out a hidden stash of drugs for other residents to find.
Vault 96 - Fallout 76 - West Virginia
A vault with a focus on agriculture, animals, genetics, and mutations. The original residents were killed in a failed escape attempt, and the vault was then used by West-Tek scientist Edgar Blackburn to continue research on FEV.
Vault 100 - Fallout 3 - Mention Only
Remnants of Vault 100 can be found in game files and cut content.
Vault 101 - Fallout 3 - Somewhere in VA/PA/MD
The home vault for the Lone Wanderer. This vault was meant to never open and Vault 101 did not receive a G.E.C.K. However, the overseer of the vault pretty quickly broke this rule and occasional survey teams were sent to the surface. Several residents of Megaton are the result of these survey teams. Daddy James found the vault after the birth of the Lone Wanderer and negotiated his doctoral services in exchange for shelter.
Vault 106 - Fallout 3 - Somewhere in VA/PA/MD
Psychoactive drugs slowly released into the air of Vault 106, causing the vault to be filled with psychotic survivors by the time the Lone Wanderer visits.
Vault 108 - Fallout 3 - Somewhere in VA/PA/MD
A slew of experiments occurred in this vault. The elected overseer was dying of cancer, the primary power supply of the vault was scheduled to fail after 20 years, the backup power supply would not be enough to power ALL of the vault, the vault was given three times the normal amount of weapons, and the vault was not given entertainment. With a majority of scientists, one of the inner experiments involved repeatedly cloning the same man... Gary.
Vault 111 - Fallout 4 - Massachusetts
Your home vault as the Sole Survivor. All residents were meant to unknowingly stay in cryostasis, with scientists overlooking them. However, conflicts arose among those unfrozen, leading to the vault door eventually being opened.
Vault 112 - Fallout 3 - Somewhere in VA/PA/MD
Residents lived in a virtual reality simulation to create their "perfect life" with their overseer, Stanislaus Braun, a scientist who proceeded to use the residents as playthings. Braun continuously murdered residents, then wiped their memories and reset the simulation.
Vault 114 - Fallout 4 - Massachusetts
An unfinished vault meant for only the wealthy. Vault-Tec exaggerated the luxury of the vault, gave residents very small rooms, communal bathing and dining areas, and a homeless drug-addicted overseer named Soup Can Harry.
Vault 118 - Fallout 4 - Maine
An Unfinished Vault meant to house both a handful of ultra-rich and hundreds of working class individuals to observe how they would interact within the same space.
Vault 120 - Fallout 4 & Fallout 76 - Mention Only
The vault itself was meant to mimic the underwater atmosphere of Bioshock. The game was cut from Fallout 4, but remnants can be found in Fallout 76 game files.
