Vault 81

Vaults & Shelters · Source: Fallout 4 (2015), Bethesda Game Studios — in-game world, terminals, and dialogue

Overview

Vault 81 is a functioning, largely successful vault in the Commonwealth, featured in Fallout 4, whose dwellers have maintained a working society for over 200 years. It was designed as a control vault — with a secret.

History & Background

On paper, Vault 81 was a normal control vault, but a hidden research wing was built to test diseases and pathogens on unaware residents. The covert experiment killed much of the vault's population in outbreaks before being sealed. By 2287 the survivors, led by Overseer McNamara, cautiously trade with the surface while keeping their history secret; the Sole Survivor can help cure a sick child, earning the trust of the vault and the robotic scientist Curie.

Geography & Layout

The vault is accessible through a cave system in the wastes; its inhabited upper levels are clean and orderly, while the sealed lower research wing holds the ruins of the medical experiments.

Wasteland Significance

Vault 81 shows what a successful vault looks like — and the secret rot beneath its success — making it one of the most nuanced vault stories in the series.

Notable Appearances

Fallout 4 (2015).

Tags: vault-81, control-vault, fallout-4, secret-experiment, disease-research, curie, overseer-mcnamara, cure, functioning-vault, medical-experiments