Complete guide to all Fallout 4 Vault locations with expert strategies and hidden rewards
Introduction to Fallout 4 Vaults
Vaults represent the most distinctive landmarks within the Fallout universe, and Fallout 4 continues this tradition with exceptional depth. Here’s your comprehensive roadmap to discovering every hidden shelter.
While bobbleheads and bottlecaps capture attention, nothing defines Fallout’s identity like the mysterious Vault network. This guide reveals all Vault positions and prepares you for what awaits inside each unique location.
Originally constructed by Vault-Tec as nuclear shelters, these facilities served darker experimental purposes beyond their public safety mandate. Scattered throughout the Commonwealth, they conceal disturbing histories and valuable resources for prepared explorers.
Navigating the Wasteland’s dangers becomes significantly more rewarding when you master Vault exploration. These locations offer not just loot but crucial narrative insights into Fallout’s post-apocalyptic world.
Vault 111: The Starting Point
Vault 111 occupies the northwest map extremity, positioned just beyond Sanctuary Hills along the northern roadway. Serving as Fallout 4’s introductory Vault, this location shelters your character’s family when nuclear devastation strikes.
While less overtly malicious than other Vault-Tec facilities, its deceptive practices indirectly cause your spouse’s death and your child’s abduction. The narrative foundation established here drives your entire journey through the Commonwealth.
After narrowly escaping the surface detonation, your family receives Vault suits and enters what appear to be decontamination chambers. These pods actually function as cryogenic suspension units meant to preserve inhabitants until Vault-Tec declares surface safety (initially projected at 180 days).
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The anticipated signal never transmits, leading to security personnel rebelling against scientific staff. The conflict’s ultimate resolution remains ambiguous, though casualties undoubtedly occurred during the confrontation.
Your primary discovery target upon awakening is the Cryolator weapon secured in the Overseer’s office. Despite its Master-level lock, determined players can acquire this powerful tool early.
Simply visit Red Rocket settlement to recruit Dogmeat, then return to the office and command him to search for valuable objects. The canine companion miraculously retrieves the weapon from its secure container without difficulty.
Vault 81: The Functional Community
Vault 81 sits immediately south of Oberland Station settlement, concealed within a rocky escarpment. Identify the substantial cavern entrance to locate the Vault interior.
This facility represents a Commonwealth anomaly as the sole operational shelter revealed to players during standard gameplay.
Vault-Tec conceived Vault 81 as a human testing ground specifically engineered to develop universal disease cures. In an unusual ethical deviation, the intended outcome never materialized.
After uncovering the true agenda, inaugural Overseer Dr. Olivette resolved to disclose corporate schemes. Discovering governmental complicity prompted her to mitigate the experiment’s severity rather than enable its full implementation.
She prevented her team from deliberately infecting residents with various pathogens while still achieving panacea development. She confined the three other scientists within a concealed Vault section equipped with ample provisions to thwart Vault-Tec objectives.
Contemporary gameplay involves an unforgettable quest chain where a Mole Rat infection triggers moral dilemmas. Players ultimately choose between compassion and self-interest, making this among the Commonwealth’s most compelling narrative locations.
The robotic companion Curie resides here alongside numerous collectibles and practical items. The hidden vault sector also contains the Medicine bobblehead for completionists.
Vault 75: The School Experiment
Vault 75 lies beneath the partially ruined Malden Middle School, positioned southwest of Greentop Nursery Settlement. Most school access points remain blocked, so approach the collapsed wall section and scan leftward. A basement doorway delivers direct Vault entry.
Among known Fallout 4 Vaults, Vault 75 presents perhaps the most unsettling premise. Deliberately constructed under an educational institution, it marketed itself as secure accommodation for local children and families during nuclear catastrophe. Reality involved systematic child experimentation.
Complete families and community educators safely entered the Vault only to undergo immediate security separation. Children relocated to the Atrium while adults faced execution in a designated chamber.
Thereafter commenced years of genetic perfection testing. Children received indoctrination about surface dangers with promises of training for eventual Vault evacuation and external survival.
Unfortunately, this represented deception, as scientists never intended release. The most capable children underwent genetic material extraction upon reaching eighteen years, while average specimens faced execution at adulthood.
Vault 95: The Addiction Study
Vault 95 positions itself almost due south of the Glowing Sea boundary marker. Simply traverse the roadway downward and identify the massive structure integrated into an enormous concrete fortress. The Vault hosts substantial Gunner forces alongside multiple Assaultrons, necessitating combat readiness.
Vault 95 accommodated individuals struggling with chemical dependencies. A legitimate rehabilitation initiative operated effectively, with residents generally maintaining compliance and sobriety.
After approximately five years, Vault-Tec’s authentic scheme emerged. A corporate operative disguised as resident waited until others slept before exposing a concealed drug stockpile. Discovery triggered immediate relapse among many while intervention attempts provoked severe violence.
Some recognized deliberate manipulation, though realization arrived too late. The experiment proves especially tragic since Vault-Tec documentation acknowledges the program’s success and resident adaptation to subterranean existence.
The Big Guns bobblehead awaits discovery atop the residential quarters radio. An additional Stealth Boy hides in the storage area, secured behind an Advanced-locked door.
Vault 114: The Social Experiment
Vault 114 resides directly below Park Street Station, accessible via brief tunnel navigation. The entire perimeter guards itself with mafia-modeled Triggermen who engage immediately, though they pose minimal threat even during early gameplay.
Vault 114 marketed itself to Boston’s elite as luxurious family sanctuary. Unfortunately, advertised opulence proved exaggerated, with most families occupying single-room accommodations.
In peculiar deviation, Vault-Tec sought an Overseer exhibiting pronounced anti-authoritarian tendencies to govern formerly powerful residents. Selection ultimately favored a homeless individual called Soup Can Harry.
All Vault staff received instructions to obey Harry’s directives precisely, regardless of personal discomfort or resident complications. The concept involved observing how previously affluent individuals responded to authority figures of Harry’s social standing.
Presently, the Vault operates under Skinny Malone and his formally attired criminal organization armed with Tommy guns. Main storyline progression designates this location as Nick Valentine’s captivity site, awaiting player rescue.
Vault 88: The Workshop DLC Vault
Vault 88 situates itself southeast of the submerged Hyde Park territory introduced via Vault-Tec Workshop DLC. Entry restricts itself to a narrow passage within Quincy Quarries, defended by particularly resilient raiders. Eliminate them, proceed inward, then utilize your Pip-Boy for Vault access.
Vault 88 remained under construction during initial nuclear detonations across America. The Vault sealed to protect interior occupants. Its incomplete condition sufficiently shielded against blast damage, though radioactive infiltration soon commenced.
Trapped individuals rapidly transformed into Feral Ghouls except the Overseer, who retained cognitive function despite Ghoulification by concentrating on Vault-Tec objectives. She never received rescue, though players enable pursuit of her original goals.
Vault 88’s original purpose involved testing various innovative devices for eventual distribution to other Vaults following refinement. The Overseer desires new residents to initiate testing, leaving players to determine their support level for these endeavors.
Vault 118: The Far Harbor Mystery
Vault 118 joined Fallout 4 through the Far Harbor expansion; access requires traveling westward from Far Harbor until reaching Cliff’s Edge Hotel.
After crossing the primary entrance, proceed rightward and ascend to the hotel’s uppermost level. From this position, cross the hotel’s breadth and descend staircases. Potent Ghoul variants complicate navigation, ensuring adequate weapon preparation.
Upon entering a corridor containing a Glowing One and additional Ghouls, locate the functional elevator and descend to bottom levels. Advance directly forward to reach Vault 118’s entrance.
Similar to Vault 88, Vault 118 remained incomplete and advertised ultra-luxurious subterranean living. This ensured attraction of exceptionally notable, privileged, and wealthy residents.
This strategy originated from Vault-Tec’s intention to separate the Vault into dual sections. The first would indulge ten affluent guests while the second offered confined quarters for 300 working-class individuals. The objective enabled wealthy residents to establish rules and determine violations penalties, supported by robot enforcers programmed to implement collective decisions.
This vision never materialized, however, as financial constraints halted construction after completing the initial wing. Nuclear detonations eventually triggered Vault sealing with only the Overseer inside.
The Brain Dead quest naturally guides players to this Vault after Pearl or Maxwell hires the Sole Survivor to examine a recent homicide.
Advanced Exploration Strategies
Mastering Vault exploration requires strategic preparation beyond basic navigation. Experienced players recommend carrying multiple lockpicking tools and hacking devices, as most Vaults contain Advanced or Master-level security measures protecting valuable loot.
Radiation resistance proves crucial for several Vault locations, particularly Vaults 88 and 118 where environmental hazards compound enemy threats. Equip appropriate armor or consume Rad-X before entry to maintain exploration efficiency.
Companion selection dramatically impacts Vault success rates. Nick Valentine excels at terminal hacking, while Cait’s lockpicking proficiency complements technological skills. Dogmeat remains uniquely valuable for retrieving otherwise inaccessible items like the Cryolator.
Common exploration mistakes include underestimating Vault enemy concentrations and neglecting environmental storytelling. Take time to read terminal entries and examine skeletal positioning—these details reveal crucial narrative context about each Vault’s tragic history.
For optimized loot collection, methodically search living quarters, overseer offices, and medical bays. These areas typically contain bobbleheads, magazines, unique weapons, and crafting materials that significantly enhance character capabilities.
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