Vault 101

Vault 101 is a nuclear fallout shelter located north-west of Washington, D.C. in the Capital Wasteland.

Background
Vault 101 was actually part of an unscrupulous social experiment. All of the other Vaults were intended to be opened at one point or another when the “all clear” signal was sent from Vault-Tec or the appropriate regulatory agency, and this indeed, did transpire, with almost universally horrific results. But Vault 101’s secret plans were different: The doors were never scheduled to open. In fact, the Vault was supplied with just the type of equipment it would need to keep functioning indefinitely—like spare parts for the water processor. But this was just the beginning:

The true experiment was even more devious and cunning. Although Vault 101 was about testing the human condition when a Vault never opened, this was only the first part of the plan. The “actual” experiment went far beyond that, and a select few knew the true nature; that this was to test the role of the Overseer. While the Overseer was able to interact (and even visit) the outside world via radio transmissions, and a secret tunnel from his sealed office, the rest of the inhabitants faced a much more dismal future: As far as they knew, Vault 101 was never sent an “all clear” signal, and faked radio transmissions described a nuclear-ravaged world gone mad, with absolutely no hope of existence outside of a Vault. The radio transmissions were actually recorded before the bombs even fell, and in many cases described a world even more horrible than the reality of the nuclear wasteland. The Vault 101 Overseer, like his counterparts in the other Vaults, was actually a planted Vault-Tec operative whose job it was to control the experiment from the inside.

Aside from keeping up this ruse, the Overseer’s other important role was to reinforce to the dwellers of Vault 101 that the outside world would never be habitable again, and that their only salvation was in the Vault. The Overseer prevented anyone from leaving the Vault, and made sure the Vault dwellers received their regular “transmission” from the outside world. People entered Vault 101 in 2077, just before the bombs fell.

The Overseer died of natural causes 50 years later (in 2127), at the age of 84, after grooming a subordinate to continue the clandestine plan. The new Overseer led his people according to the same isolationist doctrine preached by his predecessor, but also attempted to garner as many senior Vault Dwellers to become complicit in this plan as possible. By 2277, the descendants of the Overseer had an entire generation of Vault Dwellers who were playing along with this plan, keeping the secrets from their children.

The Overseer and his cronies continued to receive periodic information from the outside world, while those not in the know were told that things had gotten so bad that whoever was sending transmissions was no longer able to do so; reinforcing the thought that leaving the Vault was sheer suicide. The final piece of this grand experiment only truly began when the Vault Dwellers living in blissful ignorance finally realized the world outside could be accessed, and there was a possibility of life above ground. The experiment only really commenced when the Vault 101 door first opened, and a young dweller fled into the light.

Layout
Vault 101 is divided into four sections by the game. These sections are Vault 101 Main Entrance, Vault 101 Overseer's Tunnel, Vault 101 Atrium/Upper Level, and Vault 101 Lower Level. The sections are separated by doors, and stairways connect floors and levels within two of the sections. Levels and rooms are identified by signs. There are two paths to the Capital Wasteland: a direct path from the Atrium and a hidden tunnel named the Overseer's Tunnel. The Vault faces east.

It is important to note that the sections are not directly stacked upon each other. They are staggered with each section moving progressively more westward as the Vault burrows deeper into the earth.

Vault 101 Main Entrance
This section connects the Capital Wasteland to the Vault. The rooms in this section are:
 * Natural rock tunnel connecting the Wasteland door to the Vault door
 * Entrance room
 * Control booth
 * Concealed room connecting the Overseer's Tunnel to the main entrance
 * Large generator room
 * Small generator room
 * Storage room

Vault 101 Overseer's Tunnel
This section connects the Overseer's Office (in Atrium/Upper Level) with the Main Entrance

Vault 101 Atrium/Upper Level
This section connects the Main Entrance to the Lower Level. This section is divided into two sub-sections: Admin and Atrium. Admin is short for Administration.

Rooms in Admin are:
 * Overseer's Office
 * Overseer's Terminal
 * Reception Room
 * Jonas Palmer dies ("Escape!")
 * Overseer's Apartment
 * 3 rooms - Dining/Living room, Amata's bedroom, Alphonse's bedroom
 * Operations
 * Computer (inaccessible)
 * Location of Vault's mainframe
 * Security
 * Amata is interrogated ("Escape!")
 * Holding Cell
 * Mr. Brotch is detained ("Trouble on the Homefront")
 * Systems
 * Floyd Lewis dies here ("Escape!")

Systems connects Admin to Atrium. Rooms in Atrium are located on two floors - a upper and a lower floor. Rooms on the upper floor are inaccessible. They are: The lower floor of the Atrium offers access to a Storage room and a Cafeteria on the Lower Level. The rooms on this floor are:
 * Dining/Living room of Mack Apartment
 * Allan Mack is yelling at the Lone Wanderer ("Escape!")
 * Utility (inaccessible)
 * Equipment (inaccessible)
 * Storage Room (inaccessible)
 * Storage Room

''Note: The Fallout 3 Official Game Guide identifies the lower floor of the Atrium as the Vault 101 Sub-Level. This error is later corrected for the Fallout 3 Official Game Guide - Game of the Year edition.''

Vault 101 Lower Level
This is the final section of the Vault. Though named Lower Level, this section actually covers two levels: the Lower and the Reactor.

Rooms in the Lower Level are: The map for the DeLoria and Lone Wanderer's apartments in the official game guide have two beds in the bedroom; whereas, in the game, there is only one bed.
 * Clinic
 * Physician's Office
 * Location of Bobblehead - Medicine, Schematics - Rock-It Launcher and holotape Home Sweet Home
 * Vault 101 Medical Access Database Terminal
 * Beatrice is dead ("Trouble on the Homefront")
 * Classroom
 * GOAT ("Future Imperfect")
 * Cafeteria (aka Diner)
 * Lone Wanderer's tenth birthday ("Growing Up Fast")
 * Grandma Taylor dies ("Escape!")
 * DeLoria Apartment
 * 2 rooms - Dining/Living room, Bedroom
 * Ellen DeLoria is attacked by radroaches ("Escape!")
 * Common Room (inaccessible)
 * Cigar Room (inaccessible)
 * Ladies Restroom
 * Gentlemen's Restroom
 * Lone Wanderer's Apartment
 * Amata talks to the Lone Wanderer after James escapes ("Escape!")
 * Storage Room

Rooms in the Reactor Level are:
 * Generator Room
 * James gives a BB gun to the Lone Wanderer ("Growing Up Fast")
 * Filter Room
 * Location of the Water Purifier and Water Chip
 * Reactor Room
 * Location of the Vault's geo-thermal reactor
 * Storage Room
 * Lone Wanderer kills a radroach ("Growing Up Fast")

Note: The Official Game Guide identifies this level as the Vault 101 Atrium.

Inhabitants

 * Allen Mack
 * Officer Steve “Stevie” Mack
 * Wally Mack
 * Susie Mack
 * Overseer Alphonse Almodovar
 * Amata Almodovar
 * Stanley Armstrong
 * Andy
 * Beatrice Armstrong
 * Butch DeLoria
 * Ellen DeLoria
 * Dad
 * Officer Herman Gomez
 * Pepper Gomez
 * Freddie Gomez
 * Officer John Kendall
 * Christine Kendall
 * Old Lady Palmer
 * Jonas Palmer
 * Edwin Brotch
 * Security Chief Paul Hannon
 * Paul Hannon (II)

Notable loot

 * Bobblehead - Medicine: In James' clinic, on the lower level.
 * Schematics - Rock-It Launcher: In your father's clinic, behind the wall plaque featuring your mother's favorite Bible verse.
 * Grognak the Barbarian: In the diner, from Amata. If you do not use it during your tenth birthday party, it will be in the dresser to the right when you escape the vault.
 * First Aid Box: Near the reactor, on the sublevel.
 * 300 caps, also behind the wall plaque.

Related quests

 * Baby Steps
 * Growing Up Fast
 * Future Imperfect
 * Escape!
 * Trouble on the Homefront
 * Trapped Outside
 * Amata's Fate
 * Tunnel Snakes Forever!

Appearances
Vault 101 only appears in Fallout 3.

Behind the scenes

 * In the cafeteria, there is a reference to the first Fallout game. On the bulletin board above the jukebox it advertises a bingo night in the diner, with the ball chosen being 13 and "First prize being a weeks supply of water rations!".

Bugs

 * Fast-traveling or approaching the Vault entrance will in some cases result in a massive frame-rate drop.
 * Closing the Vault door manually using the outer console will work normally during Escape!. However, approaching the tunnel exit will result in the Vault door reopening behind you exactly when it is supposed to close if you don't tamper with the console.
 * Using the console command on the Vault door or just using the  and simply walk through the door will grant you access at any time after leaving the Vault. However, if the Trouble on the Homefront quest is not in progress or available yet, the Vault will be completely empty of all residents, with the occasional exception of a lone security guard who will have no dialogue options and is prone to frequent and random disappearance. Entering using this method after the quest will allow you to remain there as long as you wish, with some residents having dialogue options available, such as Susie Mack.

Gallery
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