Vault-Tec promised salvation. "Prepare for the future," their ads said. Americans paid fortunes to secure spots in underground Vaults, believing they'd survive nuclear war in safety and comfort.
The truth was far darker. The Fallout TV series confirmed what games had hinted at for decades: Vault-Tec wasn't in the business of saving lives. They were running experiments.
What Vault-Tec Told People
- Underground shelters to survive nuclear war
- Self-sufficient for generations
- Advanced technology and comfortable living
- Government-backed and scientifically designed
The Price: Vault spots cost enormous sums. Only the wealthy (or lucky lottery winners) could secure placement.
The Reality: Most Vaults were designed to fail or to test their inhabitants in cruel ways. Vault-Tec was never planning to save humanity—they were planning to study its limits.
Vault Experiments
Control Vaults: A few Vaults actually worked as promised. These were "controls" for comparison.
Notable Experiments:
- Vault 11: Residents forced to sacrifice one person annually or everyone dies.
- Vault 13: Water chip designed to fail, forcing emergence.
- Vault 21: Resolved all disputes through gambling.
- Vault 22: Plant-based experiments that went horribly wrong.
- Vault 34: Overstocked with weapons to see what would happen.
- Vault 68/69: Extreme gender imbalances.
- Vault 77: One man and a box of puppets.
- Vault 92: Subliminal messaging to create super soldiers.
- Vault 101: Never meant to open, ever.
- Vault 108: All Gary clones.
- Vault 111: Cryogenic preservation experiment.
- Vault 112: Virtual reality prison.
The Show's Vault System
Vaults 31, 32, and 33: The show features a connected trio of Vaults in Los Angeles.
Vault 33 (Lucy's Home): Functions relatively normally. Residents believe they're surviving and waiting for surface recovery.
Vault 32: Mysteriously destroyed. The investigation drives early plot.
Vault 31: The show's big reveal. Contains cryogenically preserved Vault-Tec executives, designed to repopulate and control post-war America with "superior" genetics.
The Experiment: The three-vault system was designed to create a perfect society through controlled breeding and preserved leadership.
What Was Vault-Tec's Endgame?
Pre-War Planning: The show confirms that Vault-Tec deliberately triggered the Great War to eliminate competition and ensure their plans would proceed.
The Goal: Control the post-war world. The experiments gathered data on human behavior. The preserved executives would emerge to rule.
Corporate Survival: Vault-Tec wasn't just a company—it was a shadow government waiting for the apocalypse to clear the board.
Failed Plan: Like most apocalypse plans, things didn't go perfectly. Many Vaults failed. The surface developed its own civilizations. But Vault-Tec's influence persists.
The Vaults' Lasting Impact
Vault Dwellers in the Wasteland: Many game protagonists emerge from Vaults. They're often naive about the surface world, giving players a discovery experience.
Technology Preservation: Vaults preserved pre-war tech that would otherwise be lost.
Cultural Memory: Vault Boy, the mascot, is recognized across the Wasteland—a dark irony given Vault-Tec's true nature.
The Show's Lucy: Lucy represents a typical Vault Dweller confronting reality. Her optimism meets the Wasteland's brutality.