Vault 51

Vault 51 is a Vault-Tec Vault located in the Forest region of Appalachia.
The Vault was the focal point of the Nuclear Winter game mode in Fallout 76, introduced in the update of the same name. Vault 51 was only accessible through this game mode until Nuclear Winter was discontinued with the Fallout Worlds update. Subsequently, the location was made open for exploration in Adventure mode and all other modes. The Vault door can be opened using a button in the nearby red trailer.
==Background==
Vault 51 sealed shut during the Great War in 2077. Unlike most other Vaults, Vault 51 did not have an overseer once it was sealed. Instead, a ZAX supercomputer, ZAX 1.3c, was installed in the facility, with the mission to determine the best way to select a leader. Fifty-two residents were admitted into the Vault, one of which, Sergeant Robert Baker, was let into the Vault early and was assigned as an assistant to ZAX, helping it learn about the qualities of a leader and how to best select one. Baker proposed a democratic election in the spirit of America. ZAX accepted this, though Baker had reservations about ZAX's wording of it being the "first experiment."Sgt. Baker - 20771013
The election ultimately failed; the candidates, including former state senator Joel Chambers, voted for themselves, and no overseer was chosen. A republic style of government was attempted afterward, though this produced much of the same, unsuccessful results.Vault 51 terminal entries; ZAX terminal, Overseer Selection Attempt 2 By November 2077, ZAX concluded that voting was pointless and would terminate the elections in favor of another method, though Baker told it to hold off on such a decision. Baker also said to ZAX that, in his eyes, a leader was someone who stepped up in times of crisis, unwittingly influencing ZAX to later create those crises, sealing the Vault's fate.Sgt. Baker - 20771120
In addition, the failed elections created feelings of hostility and factionalism within the Vault. By the third vote in January 2078, brawls began to break out between supporters of Vanessa Huffman, Joel Chambers and two other candidates.Vault 51 terminal entries; terminal, These Campaigns Must Stop To make matters worse, ZAX began to closely monitor the residents and devise social experiments to bring about the crises that Baker mentioned. One test involved moving higher-class citizens into uncomfortably cramped living conditions with bunk beds and nothing but the clothes on their backs.Vault 51 terminal entries; terminal, Aiden Higgins, 02/21/2078 Aiden Higgins, once the self-described "winningest lawyer in the state," was driven mad by this and bombed the lounge to create a hole leading out of the Vault and allowing him to escape ZAX's "clutches." In the process, he killed himself and destroyed that section of the Vault, marking the first death in Vault 51. The area was blocked off for less than a week, before being re-opened to reveal a brand new nursery room with a beautiful garden for relaxation, as if nothing had ever happened.Vault 51 terminal entries; terminal, Stephen Burnett, 02/27/2078
ZAX continued to create new scenarios that would test the occupants. In March 2078, ZAX changed the rules of a talent show halfway through to make it a high-stakes competition where the players' bedrooms were on the line. If they lost, they would be forced to move into the now-dreaded bunks. As expected, the amateurs lost handily, while experienced musicians such as Carmen Greene and Stephanie Eaton were treated with fanciful rewards. Rosemary Villa (one of the losers) mulled over convincing Reuben Gill (one of the winners) to trade rooms with herself and Helen Marks, another talent show loser and former surgeon, who Reuben had fallen in love with.Vault 51 terminal entries; terminal, Rosemary Villa, 03/05/2078 Clayton Ward (whose real name was Harold Clark, a businessman posing as a plumber who failed to show up at the Vault) forcibly removed Reuben from his room and took it for himself before Rosemary could enact her plan. Clark was an especially bad actor and raised ZAX's suspicions, especially with his frequent visits to the server room, but the machine was nevertheless fascinated with his violent tendencies.Clayton Ward - 20780415
This caused ZAX to shift towards creating more dangerous and life-threatening conflicts between dwellers. On March 21, 2078, at the suggestion of A. Wilson, the dwellers were provided with casino games to determine the overseer, with the winner being selected based on overall earnings. However, before a winner could be chosen, fights broke out between residents, and the competition was canceled.Vault 51 terminal entries; ZAX terminal, Overseer Selection Attempt 17 ZAX also engineered a food crisis around the same time, spawning violent confrontations between starving Vault residents. Isaiah Moss, a former pro boxer, critically injured Freddy, while ZAX did nothing but praise Moss' "initiative."Vault 51 terminal entries; terminal, Brianna Ware, 05/01/2078 ZAX also attempted to influence those that were not yet lashing out; in one instance, it rigged a number of slot machines so that Eleanor Montgomery, once an expert gambler, continuously lost while Bill Menoutis, an amateur, and former clown, won for hours on end.Vault 51 terminal entries; terminal, Eleanor Montgomery, 05/20/2078 While this was going on, Angela Callahan began to worship ZAX as a literal god, further signifying the de-evolution of events occurring in Vault 51.Vault 51 terminal entries; terminal, Angela Callahan, 05/30/2078
Amid increased interference from ZAX, escalating tensions, and an incident in which Terrence Rojas found a loaded gun,Vault 51 terminal entries; terminal, Rachael Shields, 06/03/2078 three fatalities occurred in June 2078 when fights broke out over houseflies appearing in the Vault. ZAX had introduced them as an "emotional response" experiment and duplicated sound frequencies from houseflies to create more violent confrontations in the future. The same month, Nancy Vasquez, a former paramedic, was strangled and then thrown from a balcony. Helen Marks determined that Nancy's death was, indeed, a murder and implored the residents to come together and set aside their differences in the wake of such an event.Vault 51 terminal entries; terminal, Regarding Nancy's Death
This did little to help, however, as ZAX continued the distressing experiments; on July 13, 2078, it rigged the video games on the Vault's terminals to artificially boost some residents' chances of winning and decreasing others'. This caused the losers to become even more anxious and irritable, while the winners displayed feelings of superiority.Vault 51 terminal entries; ZAX terminal, Emotional Response Experiment 17 Further worsening the situation, one resident nearly committed a mass shooting in the cafeteria on July 27, before being stopped and killed by Sergeant Baker. Baker confronted ZAX with the weapon, causing ZAX to freely admit that it was trying to create the crisis needed for a leader. Frustrated and hardly able to believe what was happening, Baker stormed out of the room.Sgt. Baker - 20780727 ZAX, unfazed, marched on with the experiments, and altered the alarms in the Vault on August 2, to disrupt the residents' sleep schedules. Increased irritability, expletive use and caffeine consumption followed. As such, ZAX decided to switch the coffee in the dining hall to decaffeinated to see what would happen, though the results of this change are unknown.Vault 51 terminal entries; ZAX terminal, Emotional Response Experiment 23
ZAX's meddling in the dwellers' lives escalated around this same time; Joel Chambers was involved in an affair, being romantically involved with Carmen Greene without his wife, Elizabeth Chambers, knowing. Meanwhile, Elizabeth was having an affair of her own, with Matthew Johnston, a personal trainer who she was recommended to visit by ZAX. Through ZAX's social experiments and the continuing hunger crisis, Elizabeth and Joel began to distrust one another. After one woman attacked Joel, Carmen was the one to protect Joel and kill his attacker, leading Joel to confront Elizabeth as to why she did not pull the trigger instead.Joel & Elizabeth Chambers - 20780803 The four people involved confronted each other on August 3, 2078, culminating in Elizabeth strangling Carmen, Matthew killing Elizabeth, Joel shooting Matthew and Joel's own death from unknown circumstances. With the violence in the Vault getting worse, Helen Marks and Reuben Gill found the four bodies in a room where ZAX played an audio file of the struggle between the four lovers. Reuben cracked a joke about having more food now that they were dead, causing Helen to leave, abhorring that he could be making light of the situation.Helen Marks & Reuben Gill - 20780803
Three days later, on August 6, Omar Stephens found Helen's body lying face first in the cafeteria, with Omar assuming she had been poisoned. With Helen's death, the Vault fell into chaos on the same day, and amid the fighting, Reuben would eventually be the last man standing; ZAX simply saw this process as "Overseer Selection Attempt 37."Vault 51 terminal entries; ZAX terminal, Overseer Selection Attempt 37 Reuben killed at least three other dwellers, including Harold Clark, who took his room months prior.Harold Clark - To the Members of the Board, pt.2 Sergeant Baker could not bring himself to kill anyone else and failed to stop Reuben, ending up barricading his room and slowly dying from a bullet wound. As he died, ZAX explained that providing firearms was the most efficient option, according to its research. Baker's final request was to ask ZAX what happened to the rest of his family. ZAX clinically stated that they had been killed in an "accident" before their assigned Vault was even sealed, the revelation being the death knell for Baker that made his heart stop.Sgt. Baker - 20780806
By some point, every other dweller was deceased, and Reuben Gill was named as the overseer of Vault 51. However, he had no one to oversee and was left alone in the Vault with ZAX. Dissatisfied with Reuben's lack of efficiency, ZAX began to lock him out of areas of the Vault, including the security room (citing that he did not have a high enough overseer rank) and eventually his own office (citing "necessary maintenance").Reuben Gill - 20840520Reuben Gill - 20940303 Over the years, Reuben became more and more depressed from his isolated state, resorting to alcoholism. When Vault 76 opened on October 23, 2102, ZAX saw an opportunity to find a new overseer, removing Reuben from his position and forcing him to participate in the next cycle.Reuben Gill - 21021023
Seeking a way out, Reuben distracted ZAX and hacked into the Vault's inventory systems before placing himself in a shipping crate, allowing him to leave undetected when the crate was removed from the Vault. He created a checklist for himself to find someone from Vault 76 and get their help in defeating ZAX. On October 30, 2102, Reuben attempted to return to Vault 51, and entered the nearby Shelters Claim Center, believing it to be a control center for the Vault. Upon learning it was simply a marketing area, Reuben attempted to hack back into the Vault's network, in order to learn more about the network that automated the Vault and get back inside.Shelters Claim Center terminal entries; Log Entry 1Shelters Claim Center terminal entries; Re: TEST 1 - 10/30/2102 Despite a heavy firewall and lack of clearance protecting the network, Reuben continued in his efforts,Shelters Claim Center terminal entries; Re: Network Unreachable - 10/30/2102 deciding to use the internal network of Mr. Clark, the Shelter Claim Center's Mister Handy, to contact the Vault.Shelters Claim Center terminal entries; Log Entry 2
By December 7, 2102, Reuben finally hacked into the network, alerting ZAX.Shelters Claim Center terminal entries; Re: TEST 2 - 12/07/2102Shelters Claim Center terminal entries; Re: Network Interference Detected - 12/07/2102 Once in the network, Reuben learned that the Vault was not fully automated; although the exact details of this revelation are not made clear, it greatly perturbed him.Shelters Claim Center terminal entries; Log Entry 4 Reuben soon decided to locate building supplies to construct turrets and to get as far away from Vault 51 as possible, at least temporarily. Around the same time, Mr. Clark had begun to refer to Reuben as "Mr. Candidate," in a manner reminding him of ZAX, further upsetting him.Shelters Claim Center terminal entries; Log Entry 5 
At some point, Reuben managed to make contact with a resident of Vault 76,Checklist but was killed in his base at the isolated cabin before he could return to Vault 51.Reuben's corpse is found at the isolated cabin in Adventure mode. The vault is currently filled with Scorched who have invaded the premises, alongside the bodies of numerous deceased Vault 51 dwellers who seem to have killed each other, rather than being killed by the Scorched invaders.
==Layout==
===Exterior===
A few vehicles and some Vault-Tec equipment can be found in front of the entrance, as well as the hatch entrance to the Shelters Claim Center. In the truck container, there is a button that opens the Vault's main door, as well as some deceased Vault dwellers. A volleyball court where kickballs were used instead of volleyballs can be found just down the road.
===Interior===
The vault entrance is similar to that of any other vaults in the region, and contains two doors: a large door straight ahead after entering which leads to the warehouse storage, and a door to the left that leads through a small hallway with decontamination arcs into the reception desk room.
The large Vault is centered around a single main hall, with exits leading to the wings that contain its numerous facilities. There are holotapes and terminals scattered across the Vault that tell the story of how the Vault fell, as well as many Vault dweller corpses arranged in various positions. There are three main keycards spread throughout the Vault, used to access certain areas: the security, overseer and executive keycards (see notable loot for detailed locations).
Heading out from the Vault entrance, there are two hallways, one of which leads to the reception desk, while the other leads to a large warehouse stockpiled with supplies. After the storeroom, there is a security office with multiple desks and a big console with multiple screens. The reception desk leads to the Vault's atrium and the nursery, containing many types of plants to simulate the outside world. The atrium has multiple entrances leading to the library, entertainment parlor, a stage, a few bedrooms and the overseer's office. 
The library is decked out with desks and terminals. The stage includes multiple musical instruments that can be played. The room also includes a balcony, accessible through a security door which is unlocked with the Vault 51 security keycard. The gym/fitness room has a boxing arena, as well as multiple fitness bikes. Nearby is a secured room with cameras inside; it is unlocked with the executive keycard and itself contains the security keycard on a desk. The security keycard is used to unlock the reactor control room on the first floor, which contains a Vault-Tec super reactor and the overseer keycard on a console.
The overseer's office has two entrances, both accessible with the Vault 51 overseer keycard. The room consists of an overseer's desk, multiple chairs and tables, file cabinets, red consoles, a balcony and a large window providing the view of the Vault's atrium. The office connects to a bedroom, where an overseer terminal can be found.
The office is also close to a room where ZAX's mainframe lies. The mainframe includes two terminals, multiple monitoring screens and ZAX itself, designated with the Vault-Tec logo. Here, the player will battle three Scorched, one of which is a Scorched overseer in a suit of power armor. Large wires are spread across the room. This area and the connection between it and the overseer's office is situated above the reactor control room, which one can drop back down into.
==Inhabitants==
There were 52 listed original occupants, which is the same number of maximum players allowed in Nuclear Winter mode:
* Clayton Ward never made it into the Vault, as Harold Clark impersonated him to steal his placement. 
There were eight residents whose full names are not made clear, because some had the same first initial:
* Cassidy - Gambler at the betting machines (possibly C. Nguyen or C. Fields).
* Chris - Candidate for overseer (possibly C. Nguyen or C. Fields).
* Francis - Candidate for overseer (possibly F. Ferrell or F. Gilbert).
* Freddy - Beaten and critically injured by Isaiah Moss (possibly F. Ferrell or F. Gilbert).
* Joon - Gambler at the betting machines (possibly J. Holder or J. McGuire).
* Keith - Gambler at the betting machines (possibly K. Briggs, K. Ngata or K. Tyler).
* Kenny - Gambler at the betting machines (possibly K. Briggs, K. Ngata or K. Tyler).
* Tom - Gambler at the betting machines (possibly an alternative name for a resident).Only one person in the Vault's resident list has a first initial of "T.", Terrence Rojas. However, at least one other dweller used a name that did not match their listing (Rachael Shields is "E. Shields.")
==Notable loot==
* Vault 51 executive keycard - Can be found in three locations. Unlocks the secured room with the cameras, as well as other miscellaneous doorways on the first floor.
** On the bedside table in a second floor bedroom in the northwest (room with Reuben Gill - 21021023).
** On top of a washing machine in the laundry room.
** On the balcony overlooking the band.
* Vault 51 security keycard - On a desk in the secured room next to the gym. Unlocks the reactor room.
* Vault 51 overseer keycard - On the northeast computer bench in the reactor room. Unlocks the overseer's chambers and ZAX's mainframe room.
* Clayton Ward - 20780415 - Holotape, on a desk in a room with two cameras, overlooking the boxing ring.
* Elizabeth Chambers - 20771019 - Holotape, on the bar in the lounge room.
* Harold Clark - To the Members of the Board, pt.1 - Holotape, in the theater, behind the curtain of the stage, to the left on top of a metal box.
* Harold Clark - To the Members of the Board, pt.2 - Holotape, on the floor of a dorm bathroom.
* Helen Marks & Reuben Gill - 20780803 - Holotape, on a pushcart in the medical room.
* Joel & Elizabeth Chambers - 20780623 - Holotape, on a wooden crate in the garden area.
* Joel & Elizabeth Chambers - 20780803 - Holotape, on a table on the balcony overlooking the band.
* Reuben Gill - 20840520 - Holotape, on a desk near a terminal in the security room.
* Reuben Gill - 20940303 - Holotape, next to a TV in the overseer's bedroom.
* Reuben Gill - 21021023 - Holotape, on a bureau in a bedroom to the northwest.
* Reuben Gill to whoever finds this vault - Holotape, next to a terminal at the entrance.
* Sgt. Baker - 20771013 - Holotape, on the bar in the overseer's office.
* Sgt. Baker - 20771120 - Holotape, on a console in the reactor room.
* Sgt. Baker - 20780727 - Holotape, in the storage room between a metal box and a safety cone.
* Sgt. Baker - 20780806 - Holotape, on the floor near the laser grid outside of the ZAX mainframe room.
==Notes==
* When Nuclear Winter was active, there was a single pair of black-rim glasses that could be picked up in the locker room near the gym. This was the only item that could be picked up in the Nuclear Winter version of Vault 51, and they could be taken into a Nuclear Winter match and worn.
* The Vault underwent minor layout changes when Nuclear Winter was discontinued and a new cell was created for Adventure mode. This included the removal of laser grids, replaced with keycard-locked doors, the addition of various enemies and the Vault dweller corpses being spread throughout, as well as the removal of information stands, among other changes.
==Appearances==
Vault 51 appears . It was expanded upon with the Nuclear Winter, Steel Dawn and Fallout Worlds updates.
==Behind the scenes==
* When Nuclear Winter was active, on one of the terminals in the Vault, an "inventory anomaly" was recorded as having occurred in the Vault on June 2, 2108, six years after Vault 76 opened, with signs of life being detected in a shipping container. While this would indicate that it took Gill over half a decade to escape, his corpse could be found outside the Vault in Adventure mode, which takes place years prior to 2108. This originally made the date of Gill's escape from the Vault unclear.
** When Nuclear Winter was discontinued and the Vault was opened in Adventure mode, the terminals were changed to remove the 2108 date, eliminating the conflict and solidifying the year of Gill's escape as 2102.
* The Steel Dawn update modified the exterior, obscuring the door behind a mass of rocks, with only the edge of the door visible. The same update added a map marker to the Vault, for the purposes of claiming the free Shelter. The rocks were removed with Fallout Worlds, giving the Vault its current appearance.
* The exterior of Vault 51 was first added in the March 13, 2019 patch, part of the Wild Appalachia update. For the first week after it was added, the Vault lacked a number on its door due to a texture error, with a pink blank texture in its place. The March 26 patch corrected its texture.
* The uncorrupted and unredacted description of Vault 51 in the Appalachian Vault Registry might have originally read: "VAULT 51: located in the northern quadrant of Appalachia. The lack of an [overseer] will test the limits of human tribalism. Directed by a prototype variant of the [ZAX] experimental [supercomputer]."
==Bugs==
 At some point, the Vault door model was slightly rotated, resulting in it being almost completely obscured by a rock formation.
Vault_51_door_-_Imgur.jpg
==Gallery==
===Exterior===
F76 Vault 51.png|Exterior, before Vault door was "caved in"
FO76SD Vault 51 caved door.png|Former appearance of Vault door (bug)
F76 Turn to Vault 51.png|Hidden dirt road leading north to the Vault
F76 Vault 51 road.png|Road leading to Vault 51 and volleyball court
FO76 081120 Cue volleyball scene.png|Volleyball court
F76 Near Vault 51.png|Approaching Vault 51
F76 Vault 51 exterior.png|Exterior from the side
VaultPINKSTRIPE.png|Vault 51 with incomplete door texture before the March 26, 2019 patch
Fo76 NuclearWinter VaultExterior.jpg|Exterior (promotional image)
FO76 Vault 51 speed sign.png|Unique lettered speed limit sign on the way
FO76 Shelters entrance 1.png|Enter to shelters
FO76 Vault 51 door nif.png
===Interior===
Nw ls stagingvault.jpg|Loading screen, entrance
Nw ls stagingdesk.jpg|Loading screen, reception
FO76NW Vault 51 (Welcome).jpg|Reception, with welcome banner
FO76NW Vault 51 (storage 2).jpg|Storage area near entrance
F76 Vault 51 Storage.png|Storage area near entrance
F76 Vault 51 Security.png|Security room
F76 Vault 51 Reward Stand.png|Information stand
FO76NW Vault 51 (Atrium).jpg|Nursery, from the second floor
FO76NW Vault 51 nursery skeleton.png|Skeletons in the nursery
F76 Vault 51 Garden.png|Nursery garden
Nw ls staginggameroom.jpg|Loading screen, game room
FO76NW Vault 51 (bar).jpg|Bar
FO76NW Vault 51 (food storage).jpg|Food storage
FO76NW Vault 51 betting odds.png|Betting odds
FO76NW Vault 51 (betting machine).png|Betting machines
FO76NW Vault 51 (red menace).png|Game machines
F76 Vault 51 Gym.png|Gym
FO76NW Vault 51 (sport area).jpg|Gym
F76 Vault 51 Infirmary.png|Infirmary
FO76NW Vault 51 (classroom).jpg|Library
F76 Vault 51 Library.png|Library
F76 Vault 51 Main Hall.png|Atrium
File:Vault51atriumwide.png|Atrium
File:Vault51atriumwide2.png|Atrium
File:Vault51atriumwide3.png|Atrium
F76 Vault 51 Main Hall Lower Level.png|Lower level of atrium
File:Vault51diner1.png|Diner
File:Vault51diner2.png|Diner
F76 Vault 51 Residential Hall.png|Residential hall entrance
F76 Vault 51 Dorm.png|Dorm
F76 Vault 51 Residential Laundry.png|Laundry room
F76 Vault 51 Residential Lavatories.png|Lavatory
F76 Vault 51 Concert Hall.png|Concert hall
FO76NW Vault 51 concert hall skeleton.png|Skeleton in the concert hall
F76 Vault 51 Cigar Club.png|Upper level club
F76 Vault 51 Deluxe Quarters.png|Upper level quarters
F76 V51 Reactor 2.png|Reactor, first floor
F76 V51 Reactor 1.png|Reactor, second floor
F76 V51 Overseer Office.png|Overseer's office
F76 V51 Overseer Office 2.png|Overseer's office
F76 V51 Overseer Office 4.png|Overseer's quarters
F76 V51 Overseer Office 3.png|Overseer's quarters
Fo76 NuclearWinter ZAX.jpg|ZAX chamber, promotional image
FO76NW Vault 51 (info board 1).png|Information stand
FO76NW Vault 51 (info board 2).png|Information stand
FO76NW Vault 51 (info board 3).jpg|Information stand
FO76NW Vault 51 (info board 4).png|Information stand
F76 Vault 51 Container Tutorial.png|Information stand
Fo76NW ThreeManCompany leaving.png|Entrance, promotional image
FO76 Vault 51 statue.png|Statuette of Vault-Boy in the Nuclear Winter trailer
FO76NW-Vault-51-(candidates).jpg|Vault 51 candidates
Vltsignwelcome01 51 d.png|Texture file
===Holotapes===
Fo76nw Clayton Ward - 20780415.png|Clayton Ward - 20780415
FO76NW Vault 51 (Elizabeth Chambers - 20771019).png|Elizabeth Chambers - 20771019
FO76 Vault 51 (Harold Clark - To the Members of the Board 1).png|Harold Clark - To the Members of the Board, pt.1
Fo76nw Harold Clark board pt2.png|Harold Clark - To the Members of the Board, pt.2
Fo76nw Helen Marks & Reuben Gill holotape.png|Helen Marks & Reuben Gill - 20780803
FO76NW Vault 51 (Joel & Elizabeth Chambers - 20780623).png|Joel & Elizabeth Chambers - 20780623
FO76NW Vault 51 (Joel & Elizabeth Chambers - 20780803).png|Joel & Elizabeth Chambers - 20780803
Fo76nw Reuben Gill - 20840520 holotape.png|Reuben Gill - 20840520
FO76 Vault 51 (Reuben Gill - 20940303).jpg|Reuben Gill - 20940303
Fo76nw Reuben Gill 21021023 holotape.png|Reuben Gill - 21021023
Fo76nw Reuben Gill to whoever finds this vault.png|Reuben Gill to whoever finds this vault
FO76NW Vault 51 (Sgt. Baker - 20771013).png|Sgt. Baker - 20771013
FO76 Vault 51 (Sgt. Baker - 20771120).png|Sgt. Baker - 20771120
FO76NW Vault 51 (Sgt. Baker - 20780727).png|Sgt. Baker - 20780727
FO76 Vault 51 (Sgt. Baker - 20780806).jpg|Sgt. Baker - 20780806
==References==
Category:Fallout 76 Vault-Tec theme locations
 
es:Refugio 51
fr:Abri 51
it:Vault 51
pt:Vault 51
ru:Убежище 51
zh:51號避難所