Vault 96

"Vault has been contaminated with outside genetic abberations of unknown origin. Pristine live samples have de-iced and are under immediate threat of catastrophic loss. Emergency Maintence Team requested to bring genetic samples of matching fauna from the surrounding area, clear the vault of contaminants, and preserve as many remaining core fauna as possible.

The Genetic samples you gather from previous re-population releases will be used to generate syringer ammuniution once inside the vault, keyed to genotype signatures of the endagered fauna. We have a limited time window, as automated systems will completely sterilize the vault, sacrificing de-iced core fauna to preserve remaining samples."

- Vault 76 terminals

Vault 96 is a Vault-Tec vault in the Savage Divide region of Appalachia in 2102. It is located to the south of Spruce Knob and R&G Station, at the end of a gravel road designated 103.

In the add-on Nuclear Winter, the party will be able to visit Vault 96 and 94, which will feature vault raids.

Background
Constructed by Vault-Tec as a genetic ark intended for ecosystem restoration, Vault 96 was supposed to attempt to force nature back into equilibrium after a catastrophic event. This was based around two key components: An almost inexhaustible number of frozen embryos ready to be artificially gestated to full maturity and automated keeper robots to protect them when they leave the Vault. Embryos constituted a carefully chosen, fully complete ecosystem referred to as "core fauna". The Vault had enough material for 112 releases, until the system stabilized itself or the outside world turned out to be simply uninhabitable. Releases were timed to coincide with Vault Exoduses. In ideal conditions, the corporation planned for 5 full ecosystem releases before a human Vault opened, to provide a more habitable region to re-develop. Vault 96 was designed to run on a skeleton crew of just six highly trained people: Randall Evola (Overseer), Ryan Harvey (Cryogenics), Nina Valaya (Biology), Jeanette Higgins (Robotics), and Orrin Cantwell with Jasper Fry (Maintenence).

Although established with good intentions in mind, robotic surveys performed outside the Vault quickly demonstrated that the world outside was a lot more hostile than expected. Rampant mutations were quickly turning the new world into a place where the old systems stored in Vault 96 were no longer viable. However, the team continued on schedule, attempting to release the wildlife as per their mission. Strong genetic and physical differences made their chances for success tenuous - but it was still better than just abandoning the Vault.

The pattern continued until the underlying flaws in the Vault's design and infrastructure revealed themselves: Generator 1 started experiencing intermittent failures, leading to the Vault door failing and letting mutated creatures from the outside (as they were a relatively near match for the animals contained within). Although robotic security managed to fend the mutated creatures off, the situation steadily deteriorated due to a limited supply of spare parts and equipment - with nothing to repair Generator 1 with.

The staff of the Vault managed to perform five manual releases before the automated ecosystem release system took over. All of the systems switched to automatic mode when the skeleton crew became real skeletons, together with the failing Generator I.

Layout
Vault 63, 94 and 96 are associated with Vault raids, a team quest where there is an emergency in the Vault that must be fixed. Player characters are notified through an emergency radio beacon. These are instanced dungeons, where groups of 1-4 can enter and attempt to complete the raid for the chance at unique rewards.

The Vault's exterior consists of a raised platform featuring a helipad, which is accessible from the ground using a staircase. A blue freight elevator adjacent to the staircase is inoperable, and the carriage has stalled between ground level and the platform. Four derelict vehicles are scattered around the area beneath the platform. Atop the platform lie various construction materials and pieces of machinery, along with a small booth containing only a pair of black-rim glasses and some junk items. There are no apparent means of communicating with the vault's residents or opening it from the outside.

Judging by the localization files, there are two types of events planned for inclusion:
 * One where the player has to save the frozen embryos by repairing the failing generator responsible for maintaining the power to the cryonic sections.
 * Another one where the player has to wipe out the mutants that invaded the Vault and are threatening the de-iced core fauna, since the Vault will sterilize the interior should active mutations persist.

Residents

 * Randall Evola - Overseer
 * Ryan Harvey - Cryogenics
 * Nina Valaya - Biology
 * Jeanette Higgins - Robotics
 * Orrin Cantwell - Maintenence I
 * Jasper Fry - Maintenence II

Notable loot

 * Vault 96 databank
 * Vault 96 ID card

Appearances
Vault 96 appears only in Fallout 76.