Shelters in the Commonwealth hide a lot of secrets, and this Fallout 4 guide will tell you all the vault locations and where to find them.
The nuclear shelter vaults in the Fallout series were marketed in-universe by the Vault-Tec corporation as a way to safely shelter a segment of the American population from nuclear war and the fallout from bombs. However, the actual purpose of these shelters wasn’t always so simple and sincere. In reality, the Vault-Tec corporation was using the vaults scattered across the nation to conduct a variety of experiments on the unsuspecting inhabitants. The ultimate goal was to find a way for American civilization to endure, but the callous nature of these experiments sacrificed thousands.
As the protagonist of Fallout 4, you’ve been lucky (or unlucky) enough to survive being frozen in a cryogenic sleep for over 200 years. As you search the Commonwealth for your son Shaun, you’re likely to find the remains of other vaults. This guide will explain where you can find every vault locations in Fallout 4, where to find them, and any secrets you should be sure to investigate inside.
All Vault Locations in Fallout 4
There are a total of five vaults in the base game of Fallout 4, along with two more that were added later as part of two DLC expansions. Although not all of the vaults are integral to the main narrative quest in Fallout 4, they all have their own story. Moreover, they each have secrets to discover and loot to find!
Here is a list of all the Vaults in Fallout 4:
- Vault 111 – Starting vault, part of base game
- Vault 114 – Park Street Station, part of base game
- Vault 75 – Malden Middle School, part of base game
- Vault 81 – West of Diamond City Market, part of base game
- Vault 95 – Southeast of Edge of the Glowing Sea, part of base game
- Vault 118 – Cliff’s Edge Hotel, requires Far Harbor DLC
- Vault 88 – Quincy Quarries, requires Vault-Tec Workshop DLC
Where to Find Vault 111 in Fallout 4
Fallout 4 Vault 111 Summary Information:
- Location: Far Northwestern corner of the map, just northwest of Sanctuary
- Notable Loot:
- Cryolator – Unique Heavy Weapon, Master-locked in a display case in the Overseer’s office.
- Vault 111 Jumpsuit – On a table to the right in the second cryo pod room
- 10mm pistol – On the desk near the overseer’s terminal
There is no need to find Vault 111 because it is where you will start the game, as your character wakes up from their cryogenic sleep. Once you exit the pod, take the time to explore and read through the entries on the terminal if you’re interested in more of the lore. Inside the only enemies you’ll find are some oversized roaches, which you can defeat with your bare fists.
As you make your way to the Overseer’s office be sure to grab the Vault 111 Jumpsuit, which you can find on a table to the right in the second cryo pod room. Additionally, once you reach the Overseer’s office you can find a nice starter 10mm pistol sitting on his desk. The Cryolater is a unique heavy weapon that packs a punch, but it’s in a display case sealed with a Master lock. You likely can’t open it right now, but don’t forget to come back for it later.
Where to Find Vault 114 in Fallout 4
Fallout 4 Vault 114 Summary Information:
- Location: Accessed Underneath Park Street Station
- Notable Loot:
- Speech Bobblehead – In the overseer’s room, get the password for the door terminal from Dino.
- Astoundingly Awesome Tales Issue #7 – In the residential quarters, next to some burning candles on a white Vault-Tec crate.
Vault 114 is part of a main story quest called Unlikely Valentine, and you will locate it during your mission to save Nick Valentine. Additionally, this will happen early on in the game, as Unlikely Valentine is just the third main story quest you’ll receive during Act 1.
Inside you’ll have to fight through Triggermen, who are armed with submachine guns and 10mm pistols. The named Triggerman NPC Dino will be guarding a trapped Valentine in the overseer’s office and if you kill him you can get the password for the door.
Finally, don’t forget to grab the Speech Bobblehead. And also Astoundingly Awesome Tales Issue #7, which will grant you +5 Action Points.
Where to Find Vault 75 in Fallout 4
Fallout 4 Vault 75 Summary Information:
- Location: Accessed Underneath Malden Middle School
- Notable Loot:
- Science Bobblehead – Sitting on one of the desks overlooking the underground training area.
- Grognak the Barbarian Issue #5 – In the room next to the overseer’s room, behind an Expert-level door lock.
The quest associated with this shelter is fittingly called ‘Vault 75’, but it’s a side quest that you won’t receive until you locate and search through Malden Middle School. You can find Malden Middle School east of the Museum of Freedom or west of Saugus Ironworks.
Inside this vault, you’ll be fighting Gunner enemies and discovering the sordid details of an experiment focused on using children to enhance the gene pool. Moreover, you’ll want to be on the lookout for the Science Bobblehead, along with the Grognak the Barbarian Issue #5. This magazine issue will increase the critical damage of your unarmed or melee attacks by 5%.
Where to Find Vault 81 in Fallout 4
Fallout 4 Vault 81 Summary Information:
- Location: West of Diamond City Market
- Notable Loot:
- Overseer’s Guardian Rifle- Purchase from merchant Alexis Combes at the Depot.
- Syringer Rifle – Reward for Hole in the Wall Quest.
- Grognak the Barbarian issue #5 – In the classroom, as a reward for the side quest
- Taboo Tattoos issue #16 – In Horatio’s barbershop.
- Medicine Bobblehead – In Curie’s laboratory.
In Fallout 4, Vault 81 is a shelter that still has some non-aggressive inhabitants living inside. When you first arrive and use your Pip-Boy to attempt to open the door, you’ll be contacted by overseer Gwen McNamara. Consequently, she will tell you that in exchange for entry, you need to bring her three fusion cores as payment.
Once you’ve gained entry, there are several quests you can pick up in there. Significantly, the most rewarding of these is called Hole in the Wall, which you can start by speaking to Dr. Penske after donating blood to Dr. Forsythe, then leaving the vault and waiting a day. Hole in the Wall will eventually lead you to ‘Secret Vault 81’, where you can meet potential companion Curie.
Finally, after finding and speaking to Curie don’t forget to grab the Medicine Bobblehead in her laboratory. Additionally, you can find the Tabbo Tattoos Issue #16, which will unlock the upside-down horseshoe, “bad luck” tat on the forehead.
Where to Find Vault 95 in Fallout 4
Fallout 4 Vault 95 Summary Information:
- Location: Southeast of Edge of the Glowing Sea
- Notable Loot:
- Big Guns Bobblehead – In the residential/living quarters, sitting on top of a radio in the northern room.
Vault 95 is located southeast of the Edge of the Glowing Sea, and this location shouldn’t be taken lightly by any players. The enemies in this region of the map are generally some of the strongest in the game, so don’t explore here when you’re under-leveled. Moreover, Vault 95 itself is full of Gunner enemies you can either fight your way through or attempt to run past on your way to the Big Guns Bobblehead.
Additionally, there are a handful of quests that are related to Vault 95. This includes Benign Intervention, which is a companion quest for Cait. As well as a couple of radiant quests for the Brotherhood of Steel.
Where to Find Vault 118 in Fallout 4
Fallout 4 Vault 118 Summary Information:
- Location: Accessed Underneath Cliff’s Edge Hotel, on The Island (Requires Far Harbor DLC)
- Notable Loot:
- Vault 118 Jumpsuit – On the receptionist’s desk, at the entrance.
- Fencebuster – Unique melee weapon, found in a corner of the atrium.
The first DLC-locked shelter in our Fallout 4: All Vault Locations and Where to Find Them guide is Vault 118. You can find the entrance to Vault 118 by taking the elevator in the basement of the Cliff’s Edge Hotel. You can find the hotel in the northeastern area of The Island, which is the setting for the Far Harbor DLC. Attempting to use the vault door controls will trigger a conversation with Maxwell, and to gain access you should confirm to him that you are the detective he requested. This should begin the quest called Brain Dead, where you will be attempting to solve a murder in Vault 118.
Unfortunately, there isn’t much else of value to find in this vault. The Fencebuster is a unique melee weapon with the Penetrating legendary effect. This perk will ignore the target’s resistances by 30% when you’re attacking an enemy with this bat.
Where to Find Vault 88 in Fallout 4
Fallout 4 Vault 88 Summary Information:
- Location: Accessed Underneath Quincy Quarries, requires Vault-Tec Workshop DLC
- Notable Loot:
- X-cell – Behind the head of a partially-buried statue wearing a sea captain’s hat.
- Legend of Vault 88 – Unique variant of the Vault 88 Jumpsuit, reward from Overseer Barstow after completing all quests.
To get into Vault 88 you’ll first need to visit Quincy Quarries. You can locate it on the southeast portion of the map, just southwest of Atom Cats Garage. However, you’ll need to have the Vault-Tec Workshop DLC to access this location. At the Quarries, you’ll be looking for a door on the lower left side of the area, facing north. Be cautious as you approach because there will be several raiders trying to break through.
After you clean the raiders, use your Pip-Boy to get inside Vault 88. Next, you will meet Overseer Barstow who will ask you to assist him with several different tasks. Generally, these will have to do with finding various control boards which will then open up additional spaces in the vault.
Again, this vault doesn’t have a lot of special loot, but keep out an eye for the very rare X-cell item, which is a consumable that boosts all of your SPECIAL attributes by two points for two minutes.
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