The Commonwealth is littered with remnants of humanity’s last-ditch effort to survive nuclear annihilation, and nowhere is this more apparent than in the vaults scattered across Fallout 4’s wasteland. These massive underground shelters weren’t designed to save lives, they were laboratories for Vault-Tec’s twisted social experiments. Whether you’re a vault dweller who just escaped Vault 111 or a seasoned wastelander tracking down every location, understanding the dark history and secrets behind each vault is essential to mastering Fallout 4.

This guide covers all vaults in Fallout 4, including their exact locations, the horrifying experiments conducted within, unique loot, and how they tie into the main story and side quests. From the cryogenic nightmares of your starting vault to the buildable workshop paradise in the DLC, we’re breaking down everything you need to know about vault locations in Fallout 4.

Understanding Vaults in the Fallout Universe

The Dark Purpose Behind Vault-Tec’s Experiments

Vault-Tec marketed their vaults as salvation from nuclear war, but the reality was far more sinister. Each vault served as a controlled experiment designed to study human behavior under extreme conditions. The Enclave and the U.S. government funded these projects to gather data for deep space colonization and social control.

Most experiments ranged from cruel to outright genocidal. Some vaults tested the effects of isolation, others manipulated social hierarchies, and a few subjected residents to drug addiction or radiation exposure. Only a handful of control vaults, designed to actually protect their residents, ever functioned as advertised. The vaults in Fallout 4 continue this grim tradition, with each facility revealing a different chapter of Vault-Tec’s depravity.

How Vaults Function in Fallout 4 Gameplay

Vaults serve multiple purposes in gameplay. Several are mandatory locations tied to main quests or companion storylines, while others are optional dungeon crawls packed with enemies, loot, and environmental storytelling. Players exploring federal ration stockpiles will find vaults equally rewarding for scavenging materials, unique weapons, and valuable pre-war technology.

Most vaults feature terminals that reveal experiment details through log entries, security footage, and administrative notes. Combat encounters typically include feral ghouls, synths, raiders, or automated security systems. The architectural design is consistent, sterile corridors, atrium spaces, living quarters, and an overseer’s office, but each vault’s condition varies wildly based on what happened after the bombs fell.

Complete List of All Fallout 4 Vaults

How many vaults are in Fallout 4? The base game features five accessible vaults, with two additional vaults available through DLC content. Here’s the complete breakdown:

Base Game Vaults:

• Vault 111 – Sanctuary Hills area (starting location)
• Vault 81 – Southwest Commonwealth, near the Glowing Sea border
• Vault 95 – Deep in the Glowing Sea
• Vault 114 – Below Park Street Station in Boston
• Vault 75 – Beneath Malden Middle School

DLC Vaults:

• Vault 88 – Quincy Quarries area (Vault-Tec Workshop DLC)
• Vault 118 – Far Harbor island (Far Harbor DLC)

Each vault offers distinct challenges, stories, and rewards. Some are one-time exploration dungeons, while Vault 81 and Vault 88 provide ongoing interactions with living residents or settlement-building opportunities. The variety in vault experiences keeps exploration fresh throughout multiple playthroughs.

Vault 111: The Cryogenic Vault

Location and Access

Vault 111 is impossible to miss, it’s where your character’s story begins. Located just south of Sanctuary Hills in the northwest Commonwealth, the vault entrance sits atop a small hill. Players access it during the intro sequence and return briefly during the main quest to retrieve items or revisit the tragedy that started it all.

The vault remains accessible throughout the game, though there’s little reason to return aside from nostalgic value or completionist scavenging. Fast travel to Vault 111 is available once you’ve exited during the prologue.

The Experiment and Story

Vault 111’s experiment tested indefinite cryogenic suspension. Residents believed they were entering a standard shelter, but Vault-Tec had other plans. Everyone was frozen in cryogenic pods, with the staff monitoring life support and waiting for orders from the Institute.

Years later, Institute operatives kill your spouse and kidnap your infant son, Shaun. You witness the murder while frozen, powerless to intervene. This traumatic event drives the entire main questline and your character’s motivation throughout the game. The rest of the vault’s residents died when life support failed, leaving only your character as the Sole Survivor.

Loot and Rewards

Vault 111 doesn’t offer much in terms of unique gear, but it provides:

• Cryolator – A unique cryo damage weapon locked in a Master-level case (accessible early with Dogmeat’s glitch or high Lockpicking)
• Basic supplies scattered throughout the facility
• Your spouse’s wedding ring
• Various junk items useful for crafting success

The Cryolator is the vault’s only standout reward, dealing frost damage that slows or freezes enemies. It’s particularly effective against melee enemies and Deathclaws.

Vault 81: The Living Community

How to Enter Vault 81

Vault 81 is located southwest of the Commonwealth, east of the Glowing Sea. The entrance is built into a cliff face, marked by the distinctive yellow and blue Vault-Tec door. Unlike other vaults, this one is inhabited by living residents who maintain a functioning community.

Gaining entry requires either three fusion cores as payment or passing a moderate speech check. Once inside, residents initially treat you with suspicion but warm up as you complete tasks for them. The vault serves as a trading hub with unique vendors and quest opportunities.

The Secret Section and Curie Companion

The “Hole in the Wall” quest unlocks a secret section of Vault 81 where researchers conducted disease experiments on mole rats. A sick child named Austin triggers the quest, sending players into the quarantined area to retrieve a cure.

This section is infested with mole rats carrying a disease that permanently reduces max HP by 10 points if contracted. There’s only one cure, and players must choose between saving Austin or keeping it for themselves. Most players opt to help the kid, the permanent HP loss isn’t worth the guilt.

Completing the quest earns Curie as a companion. She’s a Miss Nanny robot with a sweet French accent who eventually becomes a synth through a later quest. Curie is one of the most useful companions for combat and carries interesting dialogue throughout the wasteland, making her well worth the HP sacrifice according to gaming community discussions.

Unique Rewards and Trading Opportunities

Vault 81 offers several exclusive items:

• Overseer’s Guardian – A legendary combat rifle with the Two Shot effect (available from Alexis Combes for around 3,000 caps)
• Various unique clothing items
• Regular trading with vault merchants
• Vault 81 Jumpsuit – Provides +1 Perception, +1 Charisma

The Overseer’s Guardian is one of the best weapons in the base game. The Two Shot legendary effect fires an additional projectile, essentially doubling damage output. Combined with rifle perks, it dominates mid-to-late game combat.

Vault 95: The Rehabilitation Vault

Finding Vault 95 in the Glowing Sea

Vault 95 sits in the southwest corner of the map, technically just outside the Glowing Sea’s most irradiated zones. The entrance is built into a rocky hillside, surrounded by hostile wildlife and the occasional radscorpion.

Players typically discover this vault while exploring the area or during the Railroad quest “Tradecraft.” The location can be challenging to reach for low-level characters due to radiation and enemy density, so pack RadAway, Rad-X, and appropriate armor before making the trip.

The Cruel Experiment Revealed

Vault 95’s experiment targeted recovering addicts. Vault-Tec filled the vault with people undergoing rehabilitation from chem addiction, providing support groups, counseling, and a drug-free environment for five years. Residents believed they’d finally overcome their demons.

Then Vault-Tec revealed the twist: a hidden cache of chems was unlocked, and an undercover Vault-Tec employee actively encouraged residents to relapse. The experiment studied how quickly rehabilitated addicts would fall back into addiction when drugs became available. Terminal entries describe the devastating psychological collapse that followed.

By the time you arrive, the vault is occupied by Gunners using it as an outpost. The environmental storytelling through terminals and scattered chem containers paints a grim picture of Vault-Tec’s sadism. It’s one of the darker experiments in Fallout 4, highlighting the company’s complete disregard for human suffering.

Vault 114: The Unfinished Social Experiment

Location Beneath Park Street Station

Vault 114 is located directly beneath Park Street Station in downtown Boston. The metro station entrance is found in the center of the city, surrounded by super mutants, raiders, and other urban hazards. This vault is never fully completed, with construction equipment and incomplete sections visible throughout.

The vault is accessed during the main quest “Unlikely Valentine,” where players rescue detective Nick Valentine from mobsters. It’s impossible to miss if you’re following the critical path.

The Triggermen and Nick Valentine Quest

Vault 114’s experiment intended to study class conflict by appointing an unqualified, working-class individual as Overseer while housing wealthy, educated residents. The idea was to observe how the elite would react to incompetent leadership.

Construction never finished before the bombs fell, leaving the vault abandoned until the Triggermen, a gang of mobster-themed thugs, moved in and kidnapped Nick Valentine. Players fight through several Triggermen encounters in the Art Deco-styled incomplete halls, eventually confronting their leader Skinny Malone and his girlfriend Darla.

The confrontation can end peacefully through dialogue or erupt into gunfire. Either way, rescuing Nick is essential for progressing the main story and unlocks him as a companion. The vault’s incomplete state gives it a unique aesthetic compared to the sterile, finished vaults elsewhere in the Commonwealth.

Vault 75: The Children’s Vault

Accessing Vault 75 Through Malden Middle School

Vault 75 is hidden beneath Malden Middle School in the northeastern Commonwealth. The school itself is occupied by Gunners, requiring players to fight through multiple floors of well-armed mercenaries before accessing the basement vault entrance.

The school’s location is northeast of the main map, making it a mid-game destination for most players. Bringing reliable firepower helps clear the Gunner resistance efficiently.

The Disturbing Eugenics Program

Vault 75 conducted one of the most disturbing experiments in the Fallout universe: a eugenics program targeting children. The vault only accepted families with children, then murdered all parents upon entry. Children were told their parents abandoned them and were raised in a brutal training regimen focused on physical and mental development.

At age 18, children underwent “graduation.” High-performing individuals were harvested for genetic material to create “perfect” specimens. Those who failed expectations were executed. The program sought to breed superior humans through selective genetics and harsh conditioning, masquerading as an educational facility.

Terminal entries reveal the cold, clinical detachment of the scientists running the program. Children’s performance metrics were tracked like lab rats, with detailed notes on which genetic samples to preserve. By the time you arrive, the vault is occupied by Gunners who’ve set up shop among the remains of this nightmare.

The environmental design reinforces the horror, classrooms with propaganda posters, shooting ranges for child soldiers, and sterile medical bays for genetic harvesting create an unsettling atmosphere that lingers long after leaving.

Vault 88: The Workshop Vault (DLC)

Vault-Tec Workshop DLC Requirements

Vault 88 requires the Vault-Tec Workshop DLC, released in July 2016 for all platforms (PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One). The DLC costs $4.99 standalone or is included in the Season Pass. Players must be at least level 20 to trigger the radio signal that begins the questline.

Once activated, a radio broadcast from Vault 88 directs players to Quincy Quarries in the southeast Commonwealth. The vault is massive, spanning multiple cavern sections that players can excavate and build within.

Building Your Own Vault

Vault 88 is the largest settlement workshop in Fallout 4, offering unprecedented building space across four connectable zones. Players can construct a functioning vault from scratch using new building pieces:

• Vault-Tec walls, floors, and doorways
• Residential quarters and facilities
• Power generators and utilities
• Experimental equipment for running tests
• Standard settlement items (beds, water, food, defense)

The building system follows standard settlement mechanics but with vault-specific aesthetics. Players can create living quarters for dozens of settlers, though populating the massive space requires significant recruitment effort. The cavern setting provides a unique underground atmosphere different from surface settlements, and accessing the full catalog of building guides helps maximize the space.

Overseer Barstow’s Experiments

Overseer Barstow, a pre-war ghoul, survived in Vault 88 and enlists your help conducting Vault-Tec experiments on settlers. The questline involves building experimental devices:

• Power Cycle 1000 – An exercise bike that generates power while studying exhaustion
• Phoropter – An eye exam machine that tests subliminal messaging
• Soda Fountain – A beverage dispenser that administers mood-altering chemicals
• Slot Machine – A gambling device studying addictive behavior

Each experiment offers moral choices: run them ethically with minimal harm or push them to dangerous extremes for better data. Barstow encourages the cruel approach, but players can override her recommendations. Completing the questline provides unique settlement items and the satisfaction of either continuing Vault-Tec’s legacy or rejecting their methods entirely.

Other Notable Vault References

Vault 118 (Far Harbor DLC)

Vault 118 appears in the Far Harbor DLC (May 2016, all platforms) on the island of Mount Desert. Located within the Cliff’s Edge Hotel, this vault catered to wealthy pre-war elites who paid premium prices for luxury accommodations during the apocalypse.

The experiment divided residents into rich and poor sections, studying class tensions in an enclosed environment. By 2287, the vault is inhabited by robobrains, robots with human brains preserved in jars, who’ve forgotten their human origins. The quest “Brain Dead” involves solving a murder mystery among these robobrain residents, offering a unique detective story experience similar to Nick Valentine’s cases.

Vault 118 features Art Deco luxury design, fancy furnishings, and a more upscale atmosphere than standard vaults. The murder mystery format and bizarre robobrain characters make it one of the most memorable vault experiences in Fallout 4’s DLC content, and gaming outlets frequently cite it as a Far Harbor highlight.

Mentioned Vaults Without Physical Locations

Several vaults are referenced in Fallout 4’s lore but don’t have explorable locations:

• Vault 101 – Mentioned in dialogue (the Lone Wanderer’s vault from Fallout 3)
• Vault 13 – Referenced as the original vault from Fallout 1
• Vault 112 – Mentioned in connection to pre-war VR experiments

These references serve as connective tissue to the broader Fallout universe, rewarding longtime fans with nods to previous games. They also hint at the vast scope of Vault-Tec’s operations across the wasteland, with hundreds of vaults scattered across former United States territories.

Tips for Exploring Vaults

Essential Gear and Preparation

Before diving into any vault, stock up on supplies:

• Stimpaks and RadAway – Medical emergencies happen, especially in irradiated sections
• Ammunition – Vaults can be lengthy dungeons with sustained combat
• Lockpicks – Many vaults hide their best loot behind locked doors and terminals
• Flashlight or Pip-Boy light – Dark corridors are common: the Pip-Boy light is essential
• Rad-X – Some vaults have irradiated sections requiring radiation protection

Encumbrance management matters in vaults packed with valuable junk. Bring followers with high carry capacity or wear pocketed armor to maximize scavenging efficiency. Strong, MacCready, and Curie make excellent vault companions for their combat support and carrying capacity, though building proper perk optimization matters more than companion choice.

Combat Strategies for Vault Enemies

Vault combat typically involves close-quarters engagements in narrow corridors. Enemy types vary by location:

• Feral Ghouls (Vault 95) – Fast-moving melee attackers that swarm in groups: use automatic weapons or shotguns
• Gunners (Vault 75, Vault 95) – Well-armed enemies with varied loadouts: use cover and pick them off at range
• Triggermen (Vault 114) – Submachine gun users: their low accuracy makes them manageable with basic tactics
• Mole Rats (Vault 81 secret section) – Weak but disease-carrying: keep distance and use ranged weapons
• Synths (various) – Energy-resistant enemies: use ballistic weapons or energy weapons with penetration mods

VATS proves invaluable in vault corridors where enemies emerge from doorways and corners. High Perception and Agility builds excel in vault environments, and according to player strategies, stealth builds can bypass many encounters entirely.

Maximizing Loot and Experience

Vaults reward thorough exploration:

• Read all terminals – Provides backstory, unlocks safes, and disables security
• Check every room – Side offices and storage areas contain the best loot
• Bring companions – Doubles your carrying capacity for hauling valuable junk
• Hack and lockpick everything – Master-level locks often guard unique weapons or valuable chems
• Scrap weapons and armor – Vault security equipment provides useful crafting materials

Don’t rush through vaults. The environmental storytelling and hidden loot make methodical exploration worthwhile, especially for players building settlements or crafting weapon modifications. Vault runs provide excellent steel, circuitry, and fiber optics, essential components for advanced crafting projects.

Conclusion

The fallout 4 vault locations scattered across the Commonwealth represent some of the game’s strongest environmental storytelling and most memorable moments. From your traumatic awakening in Vault 111 to the moral dilemmas of Vault 88’s experiments, each vault reveals another layer of Vault-Tec’s depravity and humanity’s struggle for survival.

Whether you’re tracking down every vault for completion’s sake, hunting unique weapons like the Overseer’s Guardian, or recruiting companions like Curie and Nick Valentine, these underground facilities offer essential content for any playthrough. The experiments range from cruel to genocidal, but they provide context for the wasteland’s current state and the Institute’s origins.

With seven accessible vaults across the base game and DLC, plus numerous references to the broader Fallout universe, Vault-Tec’s legacy permeates every corner of Fallout 4. Now you know where to find them, what horrors await inside, and how to maximize your rewards from each expedition into these pre-war tombs.