Vault 87

Vault 87 is one of the vault series of fallout shelters developed by Vault-Tec. It is located northwest of Little Lamplight and southwest of Broadcast tower KT8. It is the birthplace of the super mutants and centaurs in the Capital Wasteland.

Background
In 2077, the original inhabitants of Vault 87 were taken to airtight chambers and exposed to a concentrated form of Forced Evolutionary Virus (FEV).

Evidence suggests that the overseer and his security guards were not aware of the Forced Evolutionary Virus' true nature, but were simply following orders from Vault-Tec. When the first vault dwellers were turned into super mutants, they in turn forcibly mutated the others, until the remaining population were either mutated or killed.

The Vault 87 super mutants are obsessed with the preservation of their brand new species. Since they are all sterile, they kidnap humans from all over the Capital Wasteland and bring them to the vault to be mutated. They had been doing so for nearly 200 years, until their source of FEV started to run out. Because of the shortage of the "green stuff," there are now super mutant bands searching all over the Capital Wasteland for a new source of the virus.

The Vault entrance
The radiation near the above ground entrance to Vault 87 is the highest in the game (as well as the entire Fallout series), peaking at well over 3,500 rads/second, which is fatal in a third of a second.

The Overseer's terminal states, "I'm quite sad to report that due to a direct hit from what I presume to be a nuclear weapon on the entry area of Vault 87, we will be unable to provide the Scouting Reports as outlined in Vault-Tec's Operations Manual. The main door to Vault 87 is damaged beyond repair and we are detecting extremely high levels of lethal radiation outside and in the entry tunnel."

It is possible to reach the entrance through the extensive use of RadAway in combination with clothing providing radiation resistance and Rad-X. However, as the Overseer's message states, the door is inaccessible, making the Vault impossible to enter from above ground. The map marker will activate near the entrance. There is a dead scientist in a radiation suit that can be found near the Vault door, as well as RadAway and Rad-X, presumably carried by the scientist, but apparently not enough to prevent her death by massive radiation exposure.

The entrance can also be found from within. The test labs section of the Vault has a key-locked door near where you're captured to Raven Rock at the end of the quest. Going in there will reveal the vault door, though nothing is behind it.

Super mutants have built a barricade of broken girders and wrecked cars around the entrance. If you do decide to venture into this one-way death trap, be sure to defeat them before going in. Remember that super mutants can be exposed to intense radiation without suffering any effects, like the possible companion Fawkes.

Strangely, you can fast travel from the vault's entrance despite the heavy radiation which normally prevents fast travel. Though, almost always, you will arrive dead.

An Enclave eyebot is usually seen patrolling south of the entrance.

Accessing Vault 87
Before you can access Vault 87, you must complete The Waters of Life, a part of the main quest line, by speaking with Scribe Rothchild in the Citadel. You will then be sent there to recover the Garden of Eden Creation Kit, also known as the G.E.C.K.

Vault 87 can only be accessed through Little Lamplight. The player will have the option of questioning Mayor MacCready about how to access it. The mayor will suggest taking Murder Pass. However, he will also inform the player that there is a broken computer terminal in Little Lamplight that will allow direct access to the Vault via a different, safer route. If you have the ability to access this route, it is highly recommended to take it, as Murder Pass is difficult to traverse without injury and will result in significant ammunition usage.

To access the terminal, the player must speak to Joseph (as directed by MacCready). Joseph can fix the broken terminal, allowing it to be hacked, but he will only do so if the player has rescued Penny from Paradise Falls, if the player has a high enough Science or Speech skill, or through the Child at Heart perk. Joseph can be found in the Little Lamplight schoolhouse in the morning. The player must have a Science skill of 50 to actually hack the terminal to get into the Vault.

If Penny is not rescued, or if Joseph becomes upset through dialogue, entrance through Murder Pass will be the only option to get to Vault 87. Located north of the souvenir building, Murder Pass houses several super mutants armed with heavy weaponry like missile launchers and miniguns. There are also a number of traps, so a careful approach is recommended. Mayor MacCready will open the gate for you if asked. Murder Pass is a good choice for earning experience. It also contains several First Aid Boxes, a decent amount of ammunition, and a Nuka-Cola Quantum.

Traveling through the Vault
Vault 87 is very similar to all the other vaults a player may visit during the game, with narrow, confusing corridors and small rooms connected by the main lobby. Once inside the dimly lit Vault, the player will encounter super mutants, centaurs, super mutant brutes, masters, and, if Broken Steel is installed, super mutant overlords. Super mutants take pride in mutilating the corpses of humans they kill in combat, hence the many skeletons and gore bags found throughout the vault. The Lone Wanderer can also find the remains of failed FEV subjects. Eventually, the player will encounter a friendly super mutant named Fawkes, who was sealed in a test chamber and left there decades before. Fawkes, via the intercom, will offer his services in acquiring the G.E.C.K. in return for the player freeing him from his cell. Though the player need not free Fawkes, the super mutant (if freed) will indeed honor this bargain, and will help the player acquire the G.E.C.K. by serving as a guide, as well as attacking any future enemies encountered, and finally, retrieving the device itself from its highly irradiated resting place. Further, if the player has good Karma, Fawkes can be recruited as a follower later on, after The American Dream.

There are two methods to free Fawkes. First, in the room at the end of the right hallway, you can set off the fire alarm in a room inhabited by two super mutant variants, which will open all five isolation rooms. However, this is not recommended, as in the process, two centaurs and a hostile non-player character will also be freed. It is advisable that the player instead should hack the average-rated terminal located next to the fire alarm to unlock an individual chamber, of which Fawkes' cell is the fifth.

Inhabitants

 * Super mutants
 * Fawkes
 * Sid

Related quests

 * Finding the Garden of Eden

Appearances
Vault 87 appears only in Fallout 3.

Bugs

 * If you go to the door in Little Lamplight that requires the broken terminal to be repaired, you may find it is already open and you can get into Vault 87 with no problems.
 * Upon re-entering the Vault with Fawkes after completing the quest, if you select the "Kill subject" option on the terminal outside of Fawkes' old cell, he will instantly die if he enters it, even if he is not in the room when the fire is released.
 * Exiting the Test Labs area, Charon might randomly "die". Highlighting him will say "Talk Charon", but pressing A will open up his inventory.
 * Exiting the Test Labs area, Star Paladin Cross will "die". She drops dead on the floor at the other side of the doors. Her body will follow you at every door. If you asked her to wait for you before exiting, she will drop on the floor where you left her. In any case, highlighting her will say "Talk Star Paladin Cross", but pressing the dialogue button will open up her inventory.
 * Exiting the Test Labs area, Dogmeat will "die". Highlighting him will say "Talk Dogmeat", but pressing X will open up his inventory.