Vault 13

Vault 13 is a Vault-Tec Vault located in southern California. Its precise location is west of Shady Sands and Vault 15, and east of Mariposa Military Base. It was the home of the Vault Dweller.

Construction and purpose
Construction of Vault 13 started in August 2063 and was completed in March 2069, which was the last Vault on the West Coast to be completed, covering 3,200,000 tons of soil at 200 feet. The starting budget for Vault 13 was $400 billion, although it eventually totaled to $645 billion. It was planned to operate for a duration of 10 years.

The Vault supported up to 1,000 occupants in its 100 designated living quarters. At maximum capacity, ten people would be assigned to a single living quarter, practicing a hot bunking system. Control of Vault 13 was operated by a think-machine supercomputer system and was powered by geothermal and nuclear energy, requiring 3.98 gigawatts per day to operate properly.

Vault-Tec assigned the dwellers the Pip-Boy 2000 and also equipped the Vault with a Solar Scorcher, an experimental photo-electric weapon harnessing sunlight as an energy source. In addition, Vault 13 housed heavy-machinery for construction projects, sustainable hydro-agricultural farms and a water purification system sourced from an subterranean river. Dwellers enjoyed equipment for social gatherings and enough entertainment material to last the projected duration. Communication equipment kept Vault security effective despite their limited armory. Vault 13 was also supplied with an extra Garden of Eden Creation Kit (which, when added to the Vault standard complement of two, makes three kits in total), instead of the extra water chips that made their way to Vault 8. Due to its late completion, the "cry wolf" effect that hurt the other Vaults is not as pronounced in Vault 13.

Vault 13 was a control group for the Societal Preservation Program, intended to be sealed until the subjects were needed by the Enclave, according to Dick Richardson. According to the Fallout Bible, however, the purpose of Vault 13 was to remain closed for 200 years, as a study of prolonged isolation.

Water problems and the Master
Sometime prior to December 5, 2161, Vault 13's water purification chip began to malfunction. The overseer, Jacoren began to send out Vault 13 dwellers into the wasteland to find a replacement chip.

Amongst those sent out to search for a replacement chip was Talius. Supplied with a Winchester Widowmaker and some 12 gauge shotgun shells, he searched unsuccessfully for the water chip for some time before hearing of Necropolis' water pump. With the help of the Necropolis ghoul leader Set, he was able to kill some of the super mutants before being knocked unconscious by nightkin, and promptly taken to the Mariposa Military Base. He was dipped in the FEV vats, which led to a rare transformation into a ghoul-like mutant similar to Harold, and was later rescued under ambiguous circumstances by the Followers of the Apocalypse. He joined them as a full-fledged member shortly afterward and remained in the Boneyard Library in the Boneyard, abandoning his initial mission.

It is possible that Ed, who lies dead outside of the Vault, was also sent out from the Vault to search for the water chip.

The last known Vault 13 dweller selected by Jacoren was a man later known as the Vault Dweller. On December 5, 2161 at 07:21, Jacoren gave the Vault Dweller a 10mm pistol, some ammunition, and the location of Vault 15 and sent him out into the wastes to find a new water chip, a task finally completed ​​by him in February 2162. The replacement chip was eventually found in Necropolis in Vault 12.

Jacoren was happy to see the Vault Dweller return alive and with the vital water chip, but was concerned or frightened by the Vault Dweller's report, particularly the description of the super mutants encountered in Necropolis. After doing some calculations, he came to the conclusion that the super mutant population was far greater than could be expected by natural growth or mutations and that someone must be producing new mutants at a startling rate. This posed a new threat to Vault 13. Due to the Vault Dweller's proven ability and knowledge of the outside world, Jacoren tasked the Vault Dweller with a new mission: find and destroy the danger of the mutants. He suggested that the Vault Dweller begin their search to the west. Once again, the Vault Dweller left the Vault.

Vault Dweller's exile
Jacoren was right, and the Vault Dweller soon found and killed the source of the mutant army, the Master, and destroyed his base, the Cathedral in March 2162. On April 20, 2162, he found the Master's second in command, the Lieutenant. He killed him and destroyed the Mariposa Military Base containing the FEV vats used to create the Unity. After the defeat of the Master and the Unity, the Vault Dweller returned to Vault 13 on May 10, 2162. Calling to the Vault 13 communicator and announcing his victory, the Vault door opened and Jacoren appeared, confronted the Vault Dweller, and told him that he saved the Vault, and he was a hero, but he had to leave (thinking he would ruin the Vault experiments by convincing people to leave the Vault).

It's not clear what happens to Jacoren after the exile of the Vault Dweller. Eventually, he was tried and sentenced to death for committing a great crime. Martin Frobisher, the leader of Vault 13 in 2241 claims this, but he did not see Jacoren executed personally, and his information comes from the Vault 13 records passed down by his ancestors. Jacoren can also be killed by the hand of the Vault Dweller after his goodbye speech to him (if one has the Bloody Mess trait).

After this event, many people chose to follow the Vault Dweller into the wasteland. Those people who had not left Vault 13 were wary to appoint a new overseer. To replace the overseer, they built a mainframe computer, a fully-automated mainframe to control and regulate Vault 13. As for the Vault Dweller and the people who followed him, they trekked north and founded a small village called Arroyo. Over the ensuing generations, the people of Arroyo developed a tribal culture and revered Vault 13 as the "Holy Thirteen". Eventually, the grandchild of the Vault Dweller, known as the Chosen One, was sent to find Vault 13 and bring the G.E.C.K. to Arroyo, to save his dying village.

Intelligent deathclaws
On May 15, 2241, the Enclave sent a coded sequence to Vault 13, activating its central computer and declaring that it is time to leave the Vault. Martin Frobisher, the leader of Vault 13, gathered the Vault dwellers for the "Leaving The Vault" video, a tutorial movie from Vault-Tec about the rules to follow when Vault dwellers left their Vault. On May 16, 2241, Vault 13 was opened and greeted by two Enclave squads with Vertibirds. The squads killed three of the Vault dwellers who were "resisting capture" and stormed the Vault, kidnapping all the inhabitants. On May 17, 2241, the Enclave dropped an intelligent deathclaw unit into Vault 13 from a safe distance to kill anyone investigating Vault 13 and cloak the Enclave's presence. Other intelligent deathclaws were sent into the desert surrounding Vault 13 to check for any escapees or witnesses.

The intelligent deathclaws, led by Gruthar, began to make their home in Vault 13. Unlike their objectives given by the Enclave, the intelligent deathclaws allowed many humans to live in relative comfort and safety with them in the confines of the Vault, displaying a strong pack mentality. After the visit of the Chosen One and before the destruction of the Oil Rig, the intelligent deathclaws were wiped out by the Enclave and Frank Horrigan, leaving the Vault empty. However, this may not be the case since there is a bugged 'good' ending where Gruthar and his pack survive and continue to peacefully expand out into the wastes. When the Enclave Oil Rig was destroyed in Fall of 2242 by the Chosen One, the survivors from Arroyo and Vault 13 re-founded Arroyo with the G.E.C.K.

Pre-War advertising
An exerpt from Vault locations v34.129:

Layout
Fallout 1=

Cavern entrance


The link between Vault 13 and outer world. Remains of Ed are a good warning. There are 20 rats in the cave.

Entrance


The link between the Vault 13 and the outside. Here Vault Dwellers can find medical treatment.

Living quarters
The Vault Dwellers sleep here (around 19:00 to 8:00). Also, some are using the rooms for private meetings, like the rebel faction.

Command center
The command center where the overseer, Jacoren, is located, as well as the Vault library. It is where the overseer maintains the Vault. Nearby is the library, armory, and water supplies room. However, the water guard gives the supplies because there is a thief who steals water. One can "spend some time researching important information" using the Science skill on the westernmost computer.

Fallout 2=

Cavern entrance
The link between Vault 13 and outer world. Nothing is here.

Entrance
Intelligent deathclaws have moved in. However, they allow humans (whom they found in the wasteland) to live here. They are being first brought to Joseph, the herbalist for medical treatment.

Living quarters
The Living Quarters serve now more as a prison for those who disturb the law in Vault 13. Also, a shrine to Vault 13's champion is being built here and it is being tended by Gordon.

Command center
The Command Center is now a place where the deathclaw matriarch lays her eggs. The main computer is broken and a computer voice module is needed to repair it.

Appearances
Vault 13 appears in Fallout and Fallout 2. A rusted Vault 13 flask can be found and given to the Vault Dweller in Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel, mentioning after Vault 13 - "the old vault colors haven't even faded that much." Vault 13 is mentioned by a missionary in Fallout: New Vegas during G.I. Blues and in the challenge Vault 13's Revenge added in the add-on Gun Runners' Arsenal. A Vault 13 flask and the armored Vault 13 jumpsuit of the Vault Dweller appear in the pre-order items pack Classic Pack of Fallout: New Vegas.