The Whitespring Bunker

The Whitespring Congressional Bunker (code name CB_002) is a location underneath the Whitespring grounds in the Savage Divide. It is the primary headquarters of the Enclave in Appalachia.

Background
At first, the player character can only access it through the bunker entrance on the world map. Once they are a member of the Enclave, they can enter the bunker through either the resort, via a secret entrance on the third floor in a small hall with the elevators in the southeastern wing upstairs from the governors' hall, or by using the Whitespring service entrance. All of these entrance routes lead directly inside the bunker, in the military and production wings respectively.

The Congressional Bunker was built beneath the Whitespring Resort to ensure continuity of the US government by providing protection and shelter for members of Congress, the president, and the Cabinet in the case of a nuclear strike. In order to ensure its habitability even without human workers, it was designed to be a fully automated, machine-managed refuge from nuclear war. The support AI, MODUS, was a custom-built system designed to oversee the habitat, which could hold up to 200 dwellers. The Enclave subverted the project early on, adapting it for their own needs. The bunker's construction was financed by the Department of Agriculture, led by Secretary of Agriculture Thomas Eckhart, a member of the Enclave. The facility was connected to Enclave hubs across the United States - Raven Rock, the Presidential Rig, and others - with the intention of using it as a nucleus of all Enclave operations. For support, the bunker was provided with the Kovac-Muldoon, a secret satellite in geostationary orbit above Appalachia.

The bunker was activated right before the Great War, when the early warning came, and the government officials that remained nearby rushed to shelter. Secretary of Agriculture Eckhart, the Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary of the Treasury, and a select few other Enclave and non-Enclave members alike made it to safety, together with a number of high-ranking officers. The rest were left to fend for themselves. Despite all the people present in the bunker, all non-Enclave personnel who arrived were executed, including members of Congress. Immediately after the bombs dropped, the survivors were horrified to discover that hard-line connections to Raven Rock and the oil rig had been lost, leaving them isolated, as impossible as that seemed. Following the deaths of both the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of the Treasury, the Secretary of Agriculture Thomas Eckhart was next in line for command of the Whitespring bunker. Established succession and the severance of communications gave him the opportunity he had planned for.

After gathering survivors in the conference room above Bunker Operations, Eckhart informed them of the isolation and the death of the Secretary of the Treasury due to "radiation sickness," then announced himself as the new leader of their "little enclave," as per pre-War rules of succession. He then offered them a choice: use the Whitespring to continue the war or oppose his plans. Those who opposed using the facility and the Appalachian resources were summarily executed once they revealed themselves.

Eckhart's rule
Although the purges entrenched Eckhart's control, he only had 48 people left to "save" democracy. He wasted no time and focused on his driving obsession: the eradication of communism by any means necessary, with no moral or ethical constraints. It was all-out-war and no option was off-limits, even another nuclear strike. Eckhart sought to gain control of the three automated nuclear silos in Appalachia - Site Alpha, Site Bravo, and Site Charlie - in order to launch a final strike against China. The bunker's extensive scientific, medical, and production facilities were essential to the project, sustaining the Enclave for the next several years.

In 2082, the bunker's ranks grew tremendously with the inclusion of survivors from Colonel Ellen Santiago's unit, who arrived there after leaving the smoldering ruins of Washington, D.C. behind them. With an influx of veterans, the work towards the eradication of communism advanced at a rapid pace. The experiments with mutations continued in parallel with work on accessing the nuclear arsenal, resulting in many working serums and the first scorchbeasts, accidentally created when Enclave scientists exposed irradiated bats to biochemical experiments the previous year. Eckhart ordered further study of the creatures in controlled habitats at the abandoned AMS mining complexes while keeping the officer corps in the dark. In the meantime, to further secure his own authority, Eckhart had Enclave personnel hack into Appalachia's automated election systems in order to run for President of the United States; he won handily, as his Enclave soldiers cast the only votes in January of 2083.

As Eckhart's attempts to bypass the DEFCON system escalated, however, the Enclave started to split apart. The system prevented launching nuclear strikes from the region's automated nuclear silos unless DEFCON 1 was reached and in the years since the Great War, DEFCON dropped to low levels. Eckhart planned to fool the system by unleashing ever more horrifying dangers on Appalachia, up to, and including scorchbeasts. Disgusted by these machinations, Santiago threatened to quit in 2084. Now a general thanks to the automated promotion system at Camp McClintock, she held the keys to the nuclear arsenal, and Eckhart could not go ahead without her. Realizing that, the self-declared president had her knocked unconscious and kept under lock and key in the bunker's brig.

Without anyone to stand in his way, Thomas Eckhart proceeded with the plan and unleashed his scorchbeasts in the region. As the DEFCON system plunged to 1, the organization split apart into two factions: Eckhart's hardliners and Santiago's loyalists, who openly rebelled in mid-2086. Led by Captain Jackson and Major Ragnarsdottir, the rebels fought the hardliners across the bunker. Although they successfully managed to retrieve General Santiago and restore her command, they failed to account for MODUS' interference or the ferocious fighting across the science wing. In order to save Appalachia, Santiago ordered all landline connections severed and the destruction of the biological weapons research records, contained in MODUS' data banks. The plan backfired when the AI turned on all human members of the Enclave. After an explosion tore out a large part of MODUS' memory, the damaged AI retaliated, killing General Santiago and rupturing a toxin tank that leaked into the air circulation system. MODUS promptly sealed the bunker, dooming all within - including President Thomas Eckhart.

Rebuilding
After the events, MODUS immediately set out to restore the facility to its former glory, even though the damage caused by the fighting - and its effective lobotomization in the ill-fated destruction attempt by Santiago - made progress slow. Sanitizing and decontaminating the bunker of the biotoxin was among the biggest challenges, especially if the blinded and deafened MODUS was to have any chance of regaining a connection to the outside.

In the years afterward, MODUS regained some stability and used the bunker's robots to repair the damage. By the time the Vault Dwellers of Vault 76 entered the bunker, much of the location had been restored to its earlier splendor, arranged with robotic precision. However, sections of the facility were still sealed away by cave-ins and structural failures. MODUS remained unable to contact Control Station ENCLAVE for further instructions. It patiently waited for a prospective assistant to arrive from outside to help it restore communications.

Exterior
The Whitespring Bunker has two exterior entrances, including the main entrance consisting of a blast door built into a hillside a short distance from the Whitespring Resort with a parking lot that is accessed by a side road, and a secondary entrance can be found near the Whitespring service entrance. A third entry in the form of an elevator is accessible within the Whitespring Resort's main building and is concealed behind a sliding wall panel. All three entrances are protected by laser grids that prevent unauthorized individuals from passing through them; these can be deactivated with Sam Blackwell's congressional access card, which is obtained from the abandoned waste dump, or rather, Sam Blackwell's bunker, during Bunker Buster. Beyond the laser grid at the main entrance is an additional layer of security: an unmarked cog-shaped blast door, courtesy of Vault-Tec. MODUS will greet the player character and open the bunker for them, inviting them in as a potential human agent. On subsequent visits, the door must be opened manually.

Entrance and orientation
Inside, the bunker is a high-quality Vault, with the concrete replaced with wood paneling, a fully automated staff, and an incredible level of opulence. Before heading deeper into the bunker, following MODUS' lure, the player character can examine the storage pit underneath the catwalk that leads into the entrance area. Among Vault-Tec containers lies a destroyed Assaultron, which can be repaired with Intelligence 7+.

Those that enter the bunker must first be photographed and then led through a decontamination apparatus to remove any traces of radiation. The road to MODUS is linear, as the elevators leading to the lower levels are not unlocked until orientation is completed. Down the right-hand side lies the locker room where those with access to the bunker disrobed. Down a decontamination arch is the processing station, where MODUS will require a photo of the player character (its comment depends on the current Charisma score) and reward them with a Forest Operative underarmor from the dispenser.

Moving down, the player character will be encouraged to collect refreshments from the stations near the billiards table (the right-hand corridor is buried under rubble, hinting at what transpired), and then they are permitted to meet MODUS in person, which explains who it is, what the Enclave was (or is), and encourages the player character to join.

Next is the admittance floor, where new residents must register themselves and optionally take a questionnaire about pre-War U.S. history. To the right of admittance are two elevators that lead back to the orientation floor. The questionnaire prompts a variety of responses from MODUS, none of which actually affect the player character's opportunities. To access the facility beyond this point, the player character needs to finish One of Us.

Science, Medical, Military and Production wings
These three wings are available after completing the uplink to Kovac-Muldoon during One of Us. The player character will be recognized as a member of the Enclave and be given free rein to explore the bunker. The lower level contains the facility's communications hall and support wings: Science, Medical, and Production.

The central area of the level is the foyer, which contains an old derelict restaurant and connects to the elevator in the lobby of the bunker. East of the foyer is the Production Wing, which contains MODUS training terminals as well as every crafting station in the game. The Production Wing also leads to a side exit from the facility, which allows the player characters to directly come and go through the Whitespring service entrance. From the Production Wing, the main chamber housing the MODUS core is accessible through the robotics facility, flanked on either side by an Enclave Annihilator Sentry Bot Mk.II.

On a balcony overlooking the communications section is an area denoted as Operations. It consists of two rooms on the balcony, the first being the Cabinet Meeting Room with a long table and a wall-mounted terminal. The second room is the Executive Suite, originally meant for the president, though it is blocked off by a door and several layers of laser grids. Access to the Executive Suite would have been a reward for completing the cut event Race for the Presidency, and it is currently inaccessible.

From the lowest level of the communications room, the Medical Wing and Science Wing are located to the east. These rooms contain crafting stations and treatment terminals. Player characters have access to medical supplies, miscellaneous science supplies, and mutation serums. On the opposite side are the Military Wing and an exit to the resort, which leads player characters to the southeastern corner of the resort, near the governors' hall. The Military Wing once served the highest military officers, providing them with a commanding view of Appalachian territories and access to nuclear codes. Following the rebellion of General Santiago, much of the section was destroyed. Parts of the level have been restored, but as the heaviest fighting took place here, it was impossible to restore to full functionality.

At first, the player character will only be able to access the communication section of the Military Wing, containing workstations and a map. To gain access to the areas beyond they will need to complete basic training at Camp McClintock and attain the rank of private in the United States Army. This will unlock the section, which contains run-down cells, the brig/torture chamber, and an execution room, all of which have not been restored by the AI. It's mostly of historic interest, as this is where the Enclave executed all non-members after the bunker was sealed and where General Santiago was imprisoned by President Eckhart.

Command Center
To gain access to the Command Center, the player character will have to reach the rank of general by completing Enclave events, killing legendary creatures, and dispatching scorchbeasts. Overlooking the Communications Room, the Command Center consists of the War Room, including the automated nuclear launch training for newly minted generals, decryption machinery for nuclear codes, and the adjacent armory with crafting stations, an automated armory trade terminal that gives access to Enclave clothes and weapons, and an archival terminal.

The main room of the Command Center contains machines that track decoded keywords for each nuclear silo around the Appalachia, used to unscramble Appalachian launch codes, view information relating on how to launch nuclear weapons and access surveillance terminals. The terminals grant the ability to start a radiant quest allowing player characters to track down launch code pieces for Site Alpha, Site Bravo or Site Charlie or nuclear keycards carried by the Strategic Air Command Cargobots.

The bunker's Armory offers a wider variety of products and specializes in high-end weapons and armor. Archives relating to the previous human inhabitants of the bunker can be viewed in the archive terminals, found to the far side of the armory. They also allow the player character to download the crafting schematics for the X-01 terminal.

Executive Suite
There is an Executive Suite by the Cabinet Room in the Operations Center, which is currently locked and officially inaccessible. It can be accessed by exploiting wall-clipping glitches. Beyond the laser grid lies a single corridor leading up to the main office, with two robotic assembly pods just opposite the entrance. Another corridor leads away from the office to the Archives Room (with an unusable safe), armory (with the presidential gear dispenser, requiring inaccessible seals to dispense currently unobtainable unique T-60 power armor, Gauss rifle, and Presidential "power" suit), and living quarters with a reading corner just outside the room.

Holotapes and notes

 * The Sam Blackwell interview - Note, on a table in the security room just inside the bunker.
 * System access tape - Holotape, in the dispenser next to MODUS in the room with the questionnaire, during One of Us.
 * Missile silo state holotape - Holotape, purchasable from the command center terminal during Officer on Deck.
 * Fujiniya facility password - Holotape, in the armory, obtained by accessing the archival terminal computer. Unlocks the Fujiniya Intelligence Base.
 * Mutated flora: Flux {cobalt} - Note, in the armory of the command center, on the top left of the archival terminal.
 * Mutated flora: Flux {crimson} - Note, in the armory of the command center, on the red Vault-Tec storage box across from the MODUS armory terminal and between the power armor station.
 * Mutated flora: Flux {fluorescent} - Note, in the armory of the command center, on top of the archival terminal.
 * Mutated flora: Flux {violet} - Note, in the armory of the command center, on top of the blue Vault-Tec container next to the storage shelf, near the power armor station.
 * Mutated flora: Flux {yellowcake} - Note, in the armory of the command center, on the metal table across from the MODUS armory terminal and between the power armor station.

Plans

 * Prototype X-01 power armor plans - Mod schematics can be purchased from the bunker's vendors, base schematics are downloaded from a command center terminal if the rank of general has been achieved.
 * Plan: Gatling laser - The plan for the Gatling laser weapon can be purchased from any one of the three MODUS Armory Terminals.
 * Plan: Gatling plasma - The plan for the Gatling plasma weapon can be purchased from any one of the three MODUS Armory Terminals.
 * Plan: Gauss rifle - The plan for the Gauss rifle weapon can be purchased from any one of the three MODUS Armory Terminals.

Weapons and armor

 * Plasma gun - Can be purchased from the bunker's armory.
 * Enclave officer uniform - Can be purchased from the bunker's armory.
 * Enclave plasma gun - Can be purchased from the bunker's production wing.
 * Forest / Urban Scout armor - Can be purchased from the bunker's production wing.
 * Forest Operative underarmor / Urban Operative underarmor - Can be purchased from the bunker's production wing.
 * Hunting rifle or combat rifle - On a shelf or on the floor, in the brig of the military wing.

Other

 * Uplink module - Quest item, obtained during the quest One of Us.
 * Nuka-Cola Quantum - Can be found on one of the sideboards of a large mainframe console in the communications wing.
 * Technical data - The desks in the Military Wing can spawn technical data and there is a high likelihood of finding at least one, due to the 20+ desks.

Appearances
The Whitespring Bunker appears

Behind the scenes

 * The Whitespring Bunker is based on the Greenbrier bunker, underneath the Greenbrier in West Virginia.
 * The small topographic map, seen underneath the world map on the left screen in the Communications Room, shows the central regions of China, and the marked area is found centered in the Gansu province.
 * The Science Wing has signs that include most of the Fallout 76 creature enemies (see below). The game files also include three creature signs which are not present in the wing: the Scorched, the scorchbeasts, and aliens.

Gallery
Exterior