War Never Changes War Never Changes is the prologue , a main story quest and an achievement / trophy in " Fallout 4 " . The quest takes place on October 23 , 2077 , in the Sole Survivor ' s pre - War home in suburban Sanctuary Hills . It begins immediately after the game is started . Detailed walkthrough . The Sole Survivor begins in front of the bathroom mirror , preparing to go out for a Veterans Hall meeting alongside their spouse . Upon finishing character aesthetic customization at the mirror , the player character leaves the bathroom to answer the door . Within the house , one can interact with a variety of objects and goods , such as bottles of Nuka - Cola , boxes of Salisbury Steak , their infant son Shaun and the house ' s resident Mister Handy named Codsworth . Opening the door , the player character encounters a Vault - Tec rep , who states that they have been selected to enter the nearby Vault 111 . During this speech sequence , the character ' s name and S . P . E . C . I . A . L . points can be customized . Once this customization is done , the Sole Survivor returns to find that Shaun is still crying , despite Codsworth ' s attempts to clean him up . Enter Shaun ' s room and tries to calm him down by spinning the mobile . Upon activation of the mobile , the Survivor ' s spouse will enter Shaun ' s room and engage in conversation . Once this discussion ends , Codsworth rushes in and urges both Nate and Nora to the television . The reporter on the television , in a distressed manner , proclaims that nuclear detonations have hit New York and Pennsylvania and that one warhead is inbound for Boston , before abruptly signing off . The player character , with their spouse and son , then rush toward Vault 111 , alongside other Sanctuary Hills residents as U . S . Army vehicles block the streets . Upon reaching the vault gate , they find the Vault - Tec rep , who is refused entry and threatened by the U . S . Army officer on duty . The Survivor then approaches the officer , who checks their credentials - - " one male , one female and one infant son " and is then granted clearance to enter Vault 111 and is instructed to step on a platform that will take them into the vault . Just moments before the platform begins to lower , a bright flash is seen , followed by a loud noise and a blast of smoke . A nuclear detonation has occurred within the Boston area and the platform rapidly lowers just in time as the blast hits Sanctuary Hills . The platform further lowers into Vault 111 ' s entrance , where the player character and a few other Sanctuary Hills residents pass through . Once inside the vault , the player character and the rest of the Sanctuary Hills survivors are screened by the vault overseer and Vault - Tec staff . The player character is given a Vault 111 jumpsuit and is directed through a passageway . Within the vault , other residents seem anxious and afraid of their new home , as Vault - Tec staff try to reassure them with the features of Vault 111 ' s amenities . The player character continues along the passageway to a room filled with several chambers , where a Vault - Tec doctor is standing . The doctor claims that the chambers are for decontamination purposes and the player character is instructed to enter one of the cryo pods , with the spouse and Shaun taking another . Inside the cryo pods the doors seal shut and an automated voice begins a countdown as they activate , with the player character ' s vision going white . The player character is then jostled awake by the automated voice . The room outside is dark , with the other Sanctuary Hills residents still inside their chambers . It is revealed that these are cryochambers , another part of Vault - Tec ' s myriad societal experiments as part of " Project Safehouse " . Three unknown figures , a mercenary and two scientists , enter the room . They open the chamber holding the player character ' s spouse and Shaun and the spouse suddenly wakes from cryosleep . Confused , the spouse asks what the two individuals are doing there , and they demand to have Shaun . The spouse refuses and holds onto Shaun but in an instant , then the mysterious man shoots the spouse with his pistol and takes Shaun from their lifeless arms . The player character suddenly re - enters cryosleep as everything fades to white once more . Waking again as the automated PA system announces a malfunction , the player character falls out of the chamber and stands up , shivering , beginning act one of the story with the quest Out of Time .