Vending Machine (Fallout 3)

Nuka-Cola vending machines (called vending machine in-game) are large containers that dispense Nuka-Cola.

They appear in Fallout and Fallout 2 as a world object and in Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas as a container. It would have also appeared in Van Buren.

Fallout and Fallout 2
Nuka-Cola machines are commonly found throughout the wasteland, and in Fallout 2 they're usable. Just right click on the machine and put money into it. This will initiate a Luck and a Agility test which will see if:
 * Your character catches the bottle.
 * If you can't catch it, he/she will be able to dodge it with the bottle flying a few yards away. If you aren't able to dodge it, the player will get hit by the bottle in the groin area (With the player saying "Uff!" and a small HP loss).

Each bottle costs only $1 each from a machine, but are worth $3 when sold to a merchant. Since the bottles are weightless, this can be used as a (very slow) way of making money. Each machine holds about 10-20 bottles, and (oddly) restocks every 2–3 weeks.

Fallout 3
In Fallout 3 there are 152 of them located throughout the Capital Wasteland, in Metro stations and various buildings. The contents of a vending machine is randomly set the first time the player enters a map cell and remain that way for the rest of the game. In all other respects, it is a standard container and can be used for long term storage throughout the game.

A fully stocked vending machine contains 9 bottle caps, 3 Nuka-Colas and a Nuka-Cola Quantum, but it is an extremely rare occurrence. The minimum a vending machine will contain is a single Nuka-Cola with the rest being random. There are two chances (75%) for an additional Nuka-Cola. There is a chance (10%) for bottle caps (probably 11% for 9) and a chance (10%) for a Nuka-Cola Quantum. The odds (based on the above figures) for a fully stocked machine are 1 in 1,600 or 0.0625%. That works out to 1 fully stocked machine in 10 1/2 complete games (visiting every machine on the map).

Since the contents of a vending machine are set the first time the player enters a map cell, it is possible to "roll" for Quantums (save, enter cell, check for Quantums, reload) but this can quickly become tedious. In a map cell containing 2 vending machines, the odds are 1 in 100 of finding a Quantum in both of them. For 3 machines, it is 1 in 1,000 and so on.

A pristine Nuka-Cola machine can be bought for your house in Megaton or suite in Tenpenny Tower from Moira Brown and Lydia Montenegro, respectively. Putting a regular Nuka-Cola into the pristine vending machine converts it into an ice cold Nuka-Cola, improving the health benefits (+20HP/+1RAD vs. +10HP/+2RAD). Once converted, they are no longer available for the Quantum Chemist perk. As with all other vending machines, the one in the house/suite is a regular container and can be used to store anything else in the game.

According to Ronald Laren Nuka Cola vending machines have a label on them reading "Warning: If you tamper with this unit you will have to answer to the Nuka-Cola Corporation."

Fallout 4
Nuka-Cola machines are not storage containers as in Fallout 3 and New Vegas. You open the door, and you will see one or two Nuka-Colas available on the shelf. There can be any number of three varieties: empty Nuka-Cola bottle, Nuka Cola, or Nuka Cola Quantum. In (Fallout 4), if the machine does not contain any bottles, carefully look beneath or around the machine, as bottles can sometimes be scattered everywhere.

It is possible to craft and place a Nuka-Cola machine inside any of your settlements (requires: 2x steel, 1x rubber, and 2x plastic. However, as with many craftable items, the hit box does not seem to allow placement flush against a wall. One can place the machine and then an object against the back of it without issue, but re-selecting the machine will not allow it to be placed back in the same place that it was just picked up from. This workaround obviously cannot work with pre-existing structures that can't be moved. They can be scrapped for a yield of 2x steel.

Fallout: New Vegas
In Fallout: New Vegas there are 43 located throughout the Mojave Wasteland, in various buildings. The contents of a vending machine is randomly set the first time the player enters a map cell and remain that way for the rest of the game. In all other respects, it is a standard container and can be used for long term storage throughout the game.

A fully stocked vending machine contains 9 bottle caps and 3 Nuka-Cola. The minimum a vending machine will contain is a single Nuka-Cola with the rest being random.

Van Buren
It would have also appeared in the canceled Van Buren, but whether it would have been usable to the player is unknown.