Vault 3

Vault 3 is one of the Vault-Tec Vaults. The Vault is still completely intact in 2281, occupied by the Fiends, who killed the Vault's original occupants.

Background
The original Vault 3 inhabitants opened their doors to trade with people outside the vault. For a time, it went well and the inhabitants made a good living. However, this also brought the vault to the attention of the Fiends. The inhabitants hadn't set up any security, so the Fiends found little difficulty in raiding the Vault. It is not known if any of the original residents survived. The purpose of this Vault in the Vault Experiment was to stay shut and never open. It is suspected that the dwellers were having a mechanical breakdown due to the floods like every other Vault in the area (except Vault 21.) The breakdown probably pushed them to open up to the outside world in hopes of finding help and additional parts to fix the water leak. Unfortunately for them, Fiends found them instead.

Fiends

 * Motor-Runner - leader of the Fiends
 * Daniel

Vault Dwellers

 * George Stault - last Overseer
 * Lincoln Davis - Former Overseer
 * Michelle Dallian - Leader of scouting team
 * Janet Kimper
 * Michael Robinson
 * Vincent Vanmiller - Maintenance Chief
 * Jennifer Lawson
 * William Hayson

Layout
Vault 3 consists of 3 areas: a Recreation Area, Living Quarters, and a Maintenance Wing.

It is located under a building in the South Vegas Ruins and is the base of operations for a gang known as the Fiends. Its location can be gained from the colonel at Camp McCarran after volunteering to help with the gang problem, from Elder Mcnamara of the Brotherhood of Steel during the quest Still in the Dark, from Diane during the quest Aba Daba Honeymoon, or from Private Ortega in the Barracks at NCR Sharecropper Farms.

Vault 3 - Living Quarters
On the main floor of the Living Quarters there is a cage holding 3 captives: Rick Lancer, Rachael and Dennis. The cage also holds the body of the 4th captive, Carter, who managed to escape to search the vault for weapons before being caught and subsequently killed.

Daniel the Fiend who holds the key to the cage can be found in one of the most Southern rooms of the Living Quarters.

Vault 3 - Maintenance Wing
The leader of the fiends in the vault, Motor-Runner can be found in his throne room in the Northern part of the Maintenance Wing along with his two guard dogs, BoneGnash and GhashBone.

Notable loot
You can find 2 shelves full of Pool Cues, which is fantastic for Melee Weapons characters with Jury Rigging
 * A Chinese Army: Special Ops Training Manual in Living Quarters in the large, carpeted bedroom behind an average terminal locked door immediately opposite an entrance to the Recreation area. The book is on a shelf immediately to the right as you enter.  Also in this room: 3 magazines - Locksmith's Reader, Meeting People and Today's Physician - on a bedside nightstand.
 * A Chainsaw carried by Motor-Runner in the Maintenance Wing.
 * Vault 3 Utility Jumpsuit (Lockpick +5, Repair +5) can be found here as well. One for sure in lockers on south side of the Living Quarters right before the flooded area.
 * Sunset Sarsaparilla star bottle cap on desk in a room next to a bottle of Sarsaparilla in a south room of the Living Quarters one floor up from the flooded area. It's across the hall from the Terminal that says "Hello Billy boy!" when you open it. A Vault 3 Utility Jumpsuit is also in the locker here.
 * 3 magazines - Fixin' Things, Locksmith's Reader and Milsurp Review - in the Living Quarters' flooded area in the southwest. Also in this room: the two gun lockers mentioned on the Overseer's terminal.
 * On the bottom floor of the Atrium, behind a locked door (very easy), is a Nuka-Cola Quartz, a Nuka-Cola Victory, several Nuka-Colas, 24 Pool Cues and other minor loot.
 * A Locksmith's Reader in Maintenance Wing, behind a locked door (average) on the desk, and in the flooded section in the shelf.
 * A Today's Physician in the southern part of the Recreation Area's second floor, behind a locked door (hard).
 * The Reverse Pulse Cleaner for the Brotherhood of Steel quest Still in the Dark can be found in a locker inside Motor-Runner's throne room, on the 2nd floor.
 * In general, there are lots of chems, scrap metal and crafting materials everywhere in Vault 3.
 * The Overseer's Office has a Hunting Rifle mounted by the observation window. (About 50% Condition).
 * Large piles of Bobby pins on the floor near almost every locked door.
 * All around the vault are Stimpacks.
 * Found 5 Locksmith's Reader by the end of this vault. Excellent for getting to those hard safe's a little earlier, even better if you took the perk Comprehension.
 * 1 Fixin' Things in the average locked room past the throne room.

Related quests

 * Still in the Dark
 * Aba Daba Honeymoon
 * Bounty Killer

Bugs
(Update 3 fixes corrupt save issue on PC)
 * The entry on the Overseer's terminal that unlocks the two submerged storerooms doesn't always work, and sometimes leaves both doors locked with a Hard lock. The PC version still has this bug (confirmed), (Patched on 360)
 * Merely entering Vault 3 may corrupt your save and not allow you to load any save created within the vault or after exiting the vault.
 * When entering the Vault the Fiend will talk to you. If you pass the speech check she will tell the fiends not to attack you. Regardless of that happening the fiends in the diner area (down the hall from the vault entrance) may still attack you.
 * The Powder Ganger Carter may be found in a room in Vault 3, dead. Carter is usually found at the NCRCF
 * If you tell your companions to leave or head to the Lucky 38 while in Vault 3, they may become hostile and be killed by the Fiends on the way out (even in regular mode). Both Boone and Rex died when I tried this, and I can assume most companions will die as well upon telling them to leave. I have confirmed this on the 360 December 03, 2010.
 * If you talk to the Ranger, tell him to stay put and then leave the Vault, Anders sometimes triggers his own mines and dies on the stairs leading to his hiding place.
 * Sometimes, while in the Maintanace Wing, if you simply walk into the main corridor, the game will crash.
 * If you previously entered Vault 3 during Aba Daba Honeymoon, rendering the Fiends friendly, returning on a separate quest or for exploration will make them hostile again, but only partially. After a few minutes in the Vault killing hostile fiends, the remaining fiends will once again become friendly, for no apparent reason, even if Aba Daba Honeymoon was completed.

Behind the scenes

 * One of the rooms in the vault contains graffiti of the name "Germaine" crossed out with the name "Bret" written above. This may be a reference to the musical comedy act, "The Flight of Conchords", who's band members' names are Bret and Germaine.

Appearances
Vault 3 appears in Fallout: New Vegas.

Krypta 3 Убежище 3