Vault Dweller

In a general sense, a vault dweller is any person who lives in one of the Vault-Tec vaults. When capitalized as a proper noun, the Vault Dweller is the player character in Fallout. One of the most pivotal figures in wasteland history, the Vault Dweller is most famous for defeating the Master and his super mutant army, helping Shady Sands grow into the New California Republic, founding the small village of Arroyo, and as the parent of the elder and grandparent of the "Chosen One." In-game, the player is free to choose their gender, age between 16 and 35, as well their skills.

Water chip
The Vault Dweller was one of hundreds of inhabitants of Vault 13. Born in 2141, he was raised by the community and robotic caretakers, leading an unremarkable life in the vault. His journey began when the water-purification chip the vault relied on to create fresh water broke down. Without spare parts or the possibility of a workaround system, the overseer had to send an individual outside the vault to seek a new one out. With no alternative, Overseer Jacoren gathered everyone between certain ages, healthy enough to venture out, and made them draw straws. The Vault Dweller pulled out the short one and was sent out to find a replacement chip. He left the vault the next day, on December 5, 2161.

The Vault Dweller struggled for the first few days, fighting off rats and the elements. With only the location of Vault 15 to guide them, he started out eastwards. On his way, he happened upon the small settlement of Shady Sands. The Vault Dweller aided them and earned their trust. Tandi and Aradesh in turned helped him, sharing their knowledge. After hiring Ian, the Vault Dweller continued on to the buried Vault. Exploring the ruins, he realized that it would not help as the control room and the water chip were buried under tons of rock, so he moved on.

After fighting and saving Tandi from the Khans (inadvertently paving the way for the New California Republic's rise), his travels took him to Junktown, where he met Dogmeat, the loyal mutt who would be his most trusted friend for the time they were together.

The Vault Dweller continued on to the Hub, the largest city of New California. Bigger than both Junktown and Shady Sands combined, it was the most prosperous place he had seen outside the vault, yet he felt that the citizens of the metropolis had no life, leading a desolate existence under the shadow of the powerful merchant companies. These same companies would help the Vault Dweller, however, providing water to the vault and extending the deadline for finding the water chip.

A clue they acquired in the city led him to the Necropolis, the city of ghouls. There, he fought the super mutants and the Vault Dweller was devastated to lose Ian, killed by a mutant's flamethrower, burning him to death. The memory of his burning flesh would forever be etched into their mind. However, Ian's sacrifice was not in vain, as the Vault Dweller found the water chip and returned with it to Vault 13.

Mutant threat
The happiness of his return was marred by the report he logged with the archives. The Overseer ran calculations and determined that the mutations witnessed by the Vault Dweller at Necropolis were too regular to be the product of random chance. He also berated him for sending the water caravans to the vault, in doing so, revealing the location of the shelter to the wasteland. Combined with his knowledge of the mutants, the Overseer sent the Vault Dweller out again.

This time, he was tasked with wiping out the super mutant threat. In hindsight, the situation was revealed to be exploitative of the Vault Dweller, but at the time he soldiered on, loyal to the vault. He picked up the trail, heading to the Hub. In the process of unearthing clues, he met Decker and discovered the shady Underground he led. Though they tried to manipulate the Vault Dweller, the hero of the vault managed to turn the tables and use the criminals instead. In the process, the Vault Dweller also saved Brother Jonathan from Decker's goons in the city's old town.

After leaving the town, he journeyed to the Brotherhood of Steel. Figuring they would have the knowledge needed, the Vault Dweller tried to join them, only to be sent on a fool's errand to the Glow. Faced with the horror of the atomic devastation, he refused to break and recovered the ancient Brotherhood disk sought by the reclusive order. Shocked to see him returning alive and well, the Brotherhood shared their knowledge and technology with him. He proceeded with the information from the Brotherhood, onward to the Boneyard, making a short stop at Necropolis to visit old friends. As soon as he entered the city, he realized that something went wrong. The super mutants had attacked the city shortly after they left. A single ghoul survivor revealed that they were looking for the Vault Dweller, right before he died.

The ruins of Los Angeles stretched forever, skeletons of buildings baking in the hot desert sun. Within the city, he found many enemies and a few friends, learning more about the nature of the super mutants and the true foes. On March 3, 2162, he entered the Cathedral. Stealing the robes of one of the Master's servants, he penetrated the depth beneath the monumental building. In the old Vault, walking among the misshapen ones, he confronted the most terrifying sight yet: The Master. He killed him in open combat. All evidence of the Master and his plan was incinerated shortly afterward in nuclear fire.

Only one target remained, the vats. On April 20, 2162, The Vault Dweller invaded the Mariposa Military Base with support from the Brotherhood and Dogmeat, fighting his way to the heart of the facility. Though one of the forcefields claimed the life of Dogmeat, the Vault Dweller managed to trigger the self-destruct sequence, destroying the vats along with the facility. With their destruction and the fall of the Lieutenant, the Unity was no more and they could return to Vault 13 a hero.

Return to the vault
On May 10, he returned, and the Overseer met him outside the vault door, thanking him for his service, but then exiling them indefinitely. The overseer claimed it was all in the name of protecting the vault. Bitter and angry, the Vault Dweller turned his back on the vault and never looked back. A group of Vault Dwellers, disgusted with the Overseer's decision, also left, led by Lydia, Theresa, and Lyle. He was never heard from again, leading the remaining dwellers to remove Jacoren from power and abolish the position of Overseer.

Exile
Stricken with grief, the Vault Dweller wandered the desert surrounding the vault. He lashed out for a time, but slowly came to terms with the exile, admitting he may have made the right choice, but never forgave the overseer for his betrayal. They cut all ties to the vault, removing their jumpsuit on May 12 and never wearing it again. Soon after, he came upon the group of dwellers that left Vault 13. The Vault Dweller helped them survive in the harsh wasteland, saving their lives in the process.

Arroyo
On July 10, the Vault Dweller and his group, which was now comprised of regular wastelanders that had joined along the way, headed north. In the inaccessible canyons of southwest Oregon, they founded a village. The Vault Dweller deliberately chose a location beyond a dry valley, surrounded by barren lands that would deter visitors. Scouts were sent at first towards the old Vault, but gradually, that stopped in favor of strengthening the village.

On August 18, 2167, the village was completed and named Arroyo. The Vault Dweller, now the elder of a tribe, taught his followers the basics of hunting, farming, and other skills. He also taught them the basics of engineering and science, so that they could maintain their homes and craft more to survive. And in addition, he found love: Pat. On October 2, 2188, he was blessed with a daughter, the future village elder. Twenty years later, on January 16, 2208, the Vault Dweller left Arroyo, leaving behind his Vault suit, folded on the bed, and his memoirs.

Legacy
The Vault Dweller was 67 years old by the time he left the village. The villagers presumed their leader had perished, but others say he was "taken by the sky spirits," while others say that the Vault Dweller knew it was time to allow the new elders to come into their own.

His legacy would live on in Arroyo and in the form of the New California Republic. President Tandi explains to the Chosen One that the statue is to honor the Vault Dweller for his role in scaring off nearby raiders, allowing the town to be properly established. She mentions that at the time, she did not believe his origins of Vault 13, and subsequently her father and friend died attempting to find it.

Appearances
The Vault Dweller appears as the the player character in Fallout and is mentioned in Fallout 2, Fallout 3, and Fallout: New Vegas.

Behind the scenes

 * Tim Cain described the situation where the vault dwellers drew straws to determine who had to search for the water chip as the overseer's idea. He explained that the overseer would demand everyone draw a straw in order to be truly fair. However, the overseer himself would be exempt from the process.
 * In the early stages of the development of Fallout 2, it was planned that the main character would again be the Vault Dweller. However, this idea was abandoned due to being difficult for developers to explain the loss of equipment and skills of the hero of the original game. The developers decided to create a new character, a descendant of the Vault Dweller.
 * In an interview, Leonard Boyarsky mentioned seeing promotional artwork of the Vault Dweller which was outsourced by Interplay's marketing team that dev team never approved of.
 * In Fallout Tactics, Latham references them in one of his journals.
 * The Vault Dweller makes an appearance as an unlockable player character in Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel.