Amazon’s hit TV show about Bethesda’s Fallout franchise has recreated some fan-favorite locations from the games so far, showcasing some of the best Fallout vaults we’ve ever seen, and Fallout Season 2 should be no different. Like any good company worth trillions of dollars, Vault-Tec spared no expense in creating dozens and dozens of scientifically advanced underground facilities for people to live in if the worst were to happen, each with their own distinct variables.
These can be as simple as layout and resources, but there are more radical contrasts, like social experiments where the worst people imaginable are brought to live together, or the population is intentionally challenged physically or mentally in order to see what happens. Results vary from vault to vault, as you’ll see, but in general, things haven’t gone well for most of the vault’s inhabitants.
The best Fallout safes so far, starting with…
Safe 4
Appears in: Fallout Season 1 TV Series
A crucial and terrifying part of Fallout’s first season, where Lucy learns that not all Vaults are a buzzing utopia like the one she grew up in. A scientific haven, the human test subjects have finally taken control of the laboratory, driven out their cruel overlords, and now welcome outsiders, however reluctantly. If you ignore their bigoted behavior, they’re actually quite nice, and it’s their outlandish behavior beneath the warm veneer that’s worth mentioning here.
Chest 8
Appears in: Fallout 2
The origin of Vault City. We already had Vault 4; we might as well continue to move forward digitally. This historic bunker is part of Fallout 2 and is a rare indicator of Vault-Tec’s ability to create truly interesting scenarios. According to the franchise’s collective timeline, by the time the show’s characters see it, it will be nothing more than a shared basement for the city above, but if the bustling, medically advanced Vault City is included, then Vault 8 should be too.
Chest 111
Appears in: Fallout 4
The starting point of Fallout 4, where you wake up from cryogenic sleep to find your child has been kidnapped. There’s a good chance it’ll be on the list of future vaults to be included in the Fallout show, since 4 is such a magnificent entry into the games (just read our Fallout 4 review for more). We’ve seen cryogenics in the Amazon series before, creating some connective tissue in how different technologies are harnessed. It is an iconic location that still remains in the minds of many players today.
Chest 29
Appears in: Fallout 76
The rich students of the world, who were very vulnerable to being hit, had to go somewhere, and a number of them ended up here. We only know of its existence through unsolicited mentions in early Fallout and Fallout 76. This leaves the whole thing wide open for narrative use. A single episode might be amazing, but imagine if Lucy, Maximus, or The Ghoul had to repeatedly rely on these spoiled losers for something? The possibilities are high.
Chest 75
Appears in: Fallout 4
No science fiction franchise is complete without a little eugenics somewhere. In Fallout 4, it is revealed that this vault contained an attempt to breed soldiers capable of surviving the wasteland. Increased strength and speed, and violent instincts in an enclosed space. What could go wrong? A lot, and you will discover many sinister details. Not only is what happened here horrific, but it also leaves the question of what other attempts has Vault-Tec made to achieve the same goals? This is probably just the research that was exposed, leaving a strong impression.
Chest 87
Appears: Fallout 3
Human experimentation is generally not a good idea. It’s downright terrible to be trapped underground because of nuclear war. However, Vault 87 exists, as do the Super Mutants. Yeah. It’s not pretty when this one shows up in Fallout 3, nor would it be in the TV show if it was ever included. But Fallout’s showrunners have shown they don’t mind making things a little ugly and scary, and Vault 87 can deliver a heavy dose of both. In terms of safes in games, few are as scary or disturbing as this one. You certainly won’t forget it.
Safe 94
Appears in: Fallout 76
All sorts of things lurk beneath the surface of the Mire, a radioactive swamp deep in the Appalachian Mountains. It’s a filthy place to be, and that’s coming from the fall of Vault 94. Full of pacifist people who refused to take up weapons, the raiders eventually got their hands on the Vault, killing everyone. But a systems meltdown caused a containment breach, infecting the surrounding areas, causing the Mire. It’s dark in all the ways that make Fallout poetic.
Safe 12
Appears in: To fall
Ghouls aren’t strictly undead, but they’re not exactly alive either. In an experiment to see what happens to people gradually poisoned by radiation, the result is the glorious Necropolis, founded by the ghouls who emerge from this hole after the gate was not properly sealed. You don’t have to be a zombie fan to understand why this would be a great addition to the Fallout series if they ever included it, although us The Walking Dead advocates would certainly be thrilled.
Chest 109
Appears in: Fallout: the board game
This one will only seem familiar to people really invested in the universe, coming from Fallout: The Board Game. The five-star hotel equivalent of a Vault, the 109 came with a supply of all the high-end products you’d want to continue living the fanciest life possible after the planet was decimated by nuclear weapons. These products would make you a target for the desperate or the downright gluttonous, and there’s something to be said for seeing the rich get their fair share when they thought they could hide.
Chest 70
Appears in: Fallout Bible
There was a time when Interplay was going to make Fallout 3. Among the ideas for the trio that never saw the light of day was Vault 70, where suits become scarce after just six months, causing a shortage of fresh, clean clothing. The community was going to be largely Mormon, and those facets alone would have made it intriguing to see. I hope that an idea will one day be included in some form of Fallout release, whether on television or in a video game.
Chest 108
Appears in: Fallout 3
Talk about a powder keg: internal systems designed to last only two decades, an abundance of weaponry, and the requirement that overseers be terminally ill when people first move into the Vault. Oh, and a cloning machine creates multiple copies of a single man, named Gary. It’s still Gary, right? An implosion that would make for one hell of a one-off episode if the Amazon TV adaptation were to visit, with a tremendous opportunity for the perfect cameo in the cloned person.
If you can’t wait to catch up on Amazon’s new season, check out our Fallout Season 2 Release Schedule following. Or you can also view our list of best games like Fallout play today if you also want to get away from the Wasteland.
