Vault 19

Vault 19 is one of the Vault-Tec Vaults in the Mojave Wasteland. This Vault is located between Bonnie Springs and Whittaker Farmstead, North-east from Goodsprings. The top floor is mostly intact but most of the lower levels have been cut off by collapsed corridors.

Background
The purpose of Vault 19 in the Vault Experiment was a "social experiment". This involved the segregation of the vault dwellers into two different colored sections, red and blue, with limited contact.

The main purpose of the experiment, as explained in notes found on terminals scattered throughout the vault, was to cause paranoia through non-chemical and non-violent means. Subliminal messaging was almost certainly a factor, as a child states on his terminal that he was hearing high-pitched screams, and so were his friends. Other terminal entries written by adults state that they were feeling different, such as being more aggressive, etc. Ironically, they blamed this on the opposing color group, instead of the true culprits, the Overseers (Vault 19 was unique in having two Overseers, one for Red Sector, one for Blue Sector).

Eventually, it seems as though all of the inhabitants abandoned the Vault, most likely due to the paranoia of the opposite color, as well as the sulfuric fumes leaking in from below the vault. It seems that the dwellers were accusing the opposing color of flooding the vault with poison, which was actually accidental, as it seems Vault-Tec knew nothing about the sulfur caves beneath the vault. (Or, on the contrary, knew full well of the sulfur deposits and incorporated them into the experiment.)

Main area
This contains the small vault entry tunnel and vault door, as well as the two Overseer's offices. On the left from the entrance is the cafeteria, with a First aid box under the counter and vending machines in a corner. Continuing in a clockwise path around the first area of the local map, one will find two restrooms, both with first aid boxes on the wall near the sinks, and the clinic. This is a two room affair with a large supply of chems and doctor's bags, along with a few patient logs and a copy of Today's Physician.

Also note that there are 5 Patient Logs in clinic 2 under the desk as you walk into the second room, one on that desk, 1 to the top left corner of the room under the shelving unit, and 1 to the right behind the screen-top right of the room, underneath the medical trolley.

Blue sector
This can be accessed with a blue sector keycard, which Philip Lem will give to the player if he/she offers to help him. You can also find a blue sector keycard near a terminal in a room inside the red quarter. Alternatively, one may wait for one of the convicts to open the door, and take the keycard from a desk in one of the rooms. It is a horseshoe shaped hallway with many rooms on the sides filled with convicts, with a great deal of bottle caps and Vault 19 Jumpsuits in the dressers. At the end of the hallway is the elevator to the fire gecko infested living quarters.

Red sector
This section can only be accessed with a red sector keycard, which will be given to the player when he/she offers to help Samuel Cooke (Note that this will not affect Philip Lem or vice versa, it only opens up a new objective.). This is a small "L" shaped hallway, and is much smaller than the Blue Sector, with similar loot in the dressers and lockers.

Blue sector
This area can be accessed through elevators on either the red or blue sectors, or the sulfur caves. Assuming that the Courier comes down from blue sector, the room on the left in the collapsed hallway opens onto an apartment and one or more fire geckos and a large hole in the ceiling. Further down the elevator hall is a small room with double beds, a floor safe, two dressers and a single Vault 19 jumpsuit on one of the dressers. Strangely, this jumpsuit will not disappear when picked up. This room also has the star bottle cap on the desk near the terminal. Finally here is a large room with many beds and lockers at the end of the hallway. The atrium must be opened with a blue sector keycard. The atrium itself contains more fire geckos and the entrance to the sulfur caves on the floor. The upper level can be reached by crouching under the doorway, but there is little of value there. There is one first aid box behind the bar.

Red sector
This area is smaller than the blue sector, with only one collapsed room and the elevator. This is guarded by one fire gecko.

Sulfur caves
This level of the vault is the most damaged by far, and is comprised mainly of yellow caves made entirely of sulfur, and the vault's operations, reactor, and utility rooms. It is also infested with many fire geckos and nightstalkers.

The cave itself is a separate vault. To get to the objective for Lem, if coming from the vault, take the first right, and it's the giant "Microcline Rock" formation on the left - You will need an explosives skill of at least 50 to destroy the vault, or 60 if you want to destroy the caves but not the vault and a skill of 40 in Science. You will also need five packs of C4.

The hole in the ceiling ahead opens onto the vault's reactor room, and from there is a hallway with access to the systems room, which has no loot whatsoever, and the upper area including a hard locked elevator to the left Overseer's tunnel. The password to this computer may be gained from the terminal in the office itself. Otherwise there is a small break room with two vending machines and stairs down into the nightstalker portion of the caves. This area also has a ladder to the Mojave Wasteland, which will end you up north-west of the Whittaker Farmstead.

Notable loot

 * Medical supplies in the clinic including 3 doctor's bags, and some stimpaks (2 on the top floor in the Clinic, One down in the first floor living quarters main room in a first aid box behind a serving/bar area).
 * Sunset Sarsaparilla star bottle cap in the abandoned living quarters of the blue sector, next to a terminal inside the second dorm on a desk.
 * Almost every dresser in this vault contains 10+ Bottle Caps.
 * There is a Programmer's Digest under the desk with the terminal in the first room on the left after entering the Blue Sector and another in the clinic on the desk.
 * Metal armor and a metal helmet in the sulfur caves.
 * In the clinic there is a Today's Physician on the desk next to the destroyed computer.
 * Tortoiseshell Glasses, the only pair in the game, are being worn by Philip Lem.
 * There are four C-4 plastic explosives in this vault.
 * one is between filing cabinets in the clinic, behind the front desk.
 * one is located between the two vending machines in the cafeteria.
 * one is outside the underground entrance to the Overseer's office near the doorway with the fire hose box, when facing the fire hose box turn left towards the junk pile, the C4 is on the left side of the junk pile.
 * one is located under a couch in the Blue Sector living quarters (not the first floor). The couch in question is located on the second room to the right and is on the far side of the room. The C-4 should be next to the right front leg of the couch. However, it may be completely invisible or disappear when the player approaches it.
 * When you enter the Living Quarters, there's a room on your left in front of you. In the room is a big pile. If you walk over the pile you see a footlocker containing a BB Gun with ammo.(Confirmed. It is located in a toy box in the same location, you must enter the living quarters through the elevator to find it.)

Related quests

 * Why Can't We Be Friends?

Behind the scenes
Vault 19 was designed by Sydney Wolfram.

Bugs

 * When entering the vault through the overseer’s office, it is possible that any companions you have with you may be unable to follow you up the stairs into the actual office.
 * It is possible to become stuck between the generator and the railing if trying to walk along the rails next to the vault door.
 * When the vault door is opening you can walk through it even if not open.
 * Sometimes, the floor safe in the blue section of the living quarters may not appear. However, you may still open it. The safe will reappear after opening it.
 * In the cafeteria, there may be an escaped convict floating in a sitting position eating food, which is also floating, next to a booth.
 * Sometimes when firing the Missile Launcher in the vaults main area, all convicts might disappear, making the quest Why Can't We Be Friends? impossible to complete

Appearances
Vault 19 appears in Fallout: New Vegas.

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