Vault 76 overseer

The Vault 76 overseer, known in-game as simply the overseer, is one of the main characters of Fallout 76.
She is the former leader and overseer of Vault 76. In 2102, she left the Vault prior to Reclamation Day on a mission from Vault-Tec, leaving her vault dwellers to salvage Appalachia on their own, albeit with some care packages she left along the way.
In 2103, she re-emerged in Appalachia and united with the dwellers of her Vault, assisting with the human resettlement of the region. Her two main goals were to help the dwellers find a way to create a widespread vaccine against the Scorched Plague, and to establish a new currency, gold bullion, which could lead to a progressive new order to help maintain peace in the wasteland.
==Background==
===Pre-War===
She was likely born sometime in the 2040s or 2050s. The only child of a couple from Sutton, the overseer was a driven woman from the start. Whether it was running through a cornfield maze, getting straight A's in every possible subject or leading a troupe of Pioneer Scouts, she was always hitting life hard and fast, with barely any time left for herself.Overseer's journal, entry 1 Her father was a teacher, and her mother was a miner working for one of Appalachia's many conglomerates. Together, they led a happy, content life, an American idyll, against a backdrop of the ever-worsening international situation and the Sino-American War.Overseer's journal, entry 2
She was one of the best students at the Morgantown High School, spending most of her time in the library honing her skills. However, tragedy struck when her mother was killed in a mining accident. In West Virginia, this was a common family story, but it did not make a difference for the future overseer. She withdrew into the library, seeking shelter among books, while her father tried to put the pieces back together. She fell in love with Evan around the same time, and found his arms particularly attractive. He graduated a year earlier than her and went to work in the mines like her mother, who had introduced the two. After her mother's death, Evan stuck with her, bringing her lunch to the library each day after his shift was over.Overseer's journal, entry 3
The other pivotal event in her life was the career fair at Morgantown, where she met the Vault-Tec team. In her eyes, it was "like a light turned on." She decided to dedicate herself to protecting families, the future, and America. With her grades, it was a matter of course for her to be accepted into the Vault-Tec University. Upon receiving her letter, she immediately visited her mother's grave with her father, the two of them just happy to have her stay in West Virginia.
After four years of learning and breathing Vault-Tec, and a field posting at the Vault-Tec Agricultural Research Center, the overseer finally graduated, with a degree in nuclear fusionVault 76 Overseer's diploma and honors in the overseer track. Her studies also included courses in expression, circuitry, commercial geography, physical training, computer science, mechanical drawing, and first aid. 
She was fast-tracked for an overseer position, skipping years of waiting, and at Vault 76 to boot, a promising Vault in Appalachia. When she learned the news, she was ecstatic and danced around the living room. Evan proposed on the spot and she accepted his proposal. This marriage was never able to come to fruition. While she and Evan moved in together, her father died a few months after this.
On July 4th, 2076, she attended the opening ceremony of Vault 76's completion.Overseer's journal, entry 4
She soon learned the truth about the Vaults, the Societal Preservation Program, and the experiments that were going to be carried out on the dwellers. Although Evan wanted her to go public with the information, she hesitated. While she knew that experimenting on other dwellers was ethically wrong, the goal of finding the most suitable people to repopulate, to understand humanity pushed to the extremes, was a goal she could understand and empathize with. She justified it as necessary for the survival of humanity. Vault-Tec found out about her in short order, but instead of retaliating, the corporation instead took her into confidence after seeing how she agreed with much of their perspective, although there is no confirmation of her knowing about some of Vault-Tec's more sinister experiments. She was initially slated to be the overseer of Vault 101 in Washington, D.C. due to her engagement with Evan; only by entering Vault 76 as an unmarried woman could she remain in Appalachia. She chose Vault 76 over Evan, and while she felt guilty over her decision, she expressed her belief that Evan was not Vault 76 material and that she had done what she thought was best for the world, as well as enforcing her desire to remain in her home state.Overseer's journal, entry 5
If the overseer had attempted to enter Vault 76 with Evan, the corporation would have had to give Evan a spousal exemption, and the Vault had a long list of candidates more qualified than a mere miner, such as a civil engineer and a cousin to a Vault-Tec executive. The overseer broke off her engagement, betraying Evan and leaving him on the surface.
===Post-War===
Although the early years were difficult, as the overseer was the youngest among the Vault residents, surrounded by the creme de la creme of society, she eventually gained their trust and learned to cooperate. At one point, she was awarded with the distinction of "Vault Dweller of the Year."Plaque in the overseer's home
She served at her post for 25 years, until Reclamation Day, on October 23, 2102. On that day, the overseer left Vault 76 several hours ahead of the others. A prepared recording greets the player character through the intercom while instructing them to leave the Vault. After ensuring the well-being of every Vault inhabitant for 25 years, she was directed by Vault-Tec to secure three nuclear silos, namely Sites Alpha, Bravo and Charlie, for them, even if it meant going against the United States Armed Forces. She left a holotape for Pennington to give to the player character asking for assistance in her dangerous task. Scouting Appalachia for the silos, she also left a trail of holotape logs and journals for these individuals to find, and to help follow her.Overseer's log - Vault 76
Besides her Vault-Tec mandated job of finding the nuclear silos, the overseer journeyed to various locations in Appalachia to view what had become of her homeland. After realizing that Appalachia was initially bereft of human presence near the Vault but rife with mutants and rogue bots, she deployed her C.A.M.P. at the crossroads north of Flatwoods, setting up a rallying point for the dwellers. Against her advice, she left it behind, so that the dwellers could use it, while she moved south into Flatwoods.Overseer's log - C.A.M.P. Flatwoods was even more depressing than her first impressions, abandoned and ruined. She encountered her first Scorched victim there and realized that the situation was even worse than anticipated. The next stop was trying to find remnants of the Responders.Overseer's log - Flatwoods
Morgantown Airport was a nightmare. She remembered taking flight lessons at the airport, but after its fall to the scorchbeasts and their minions, it was a wasteland. The overseer analyzed the Scorched, observing them from afar and realized the terrible truth: The disease took over its host, eventually burning them from the inside out, creating petrified, fragile corpses that fell apart. She was then attacked by a scorchbeast, which put the final variable into the equation, its source. The already daunting task of controlling the military's nuclear potential became a desperate fight against an extinction-level event.Overseer's log - Morgantown Although the Responders proved to be a dead-end, the automated training they left behind came in use. She moved south to Charleston, tracking down the Fire Breathers. She realized these daring men and women fought the scorched more than anyone and resolved to find them.Overseer's log - Firehouse
Besides her Vault-Tec directive, the overseer took a small detour, to visit places associated with her past. She eventually managed to find her fiancé Evan, who turned into a Scorched after succumbing to the Scorched Plague. Heartbroken, she locked him up in a warehouse basement atop Mount Blair and picked up the trail, focusing on the job at hand. Still, she asked Vault Dwellers who heard her message to put him out of his misery, as she worked towards securing the nukes and containing the plague.Overseer's journal, entry 6
The trail led her to the Top of the World, where she encountered Rose, briefly. Rose's crude ways and demands for a quid pro quo did not agree with the overseer and she forged on, taking the Free States on.Overseer's log - Top of the World Although she despised them as traitors and secessionists who turned their backs on America, she needed to know what they knew and what they wanted to do.Overseer's log - Free States The breadcrumb trail continued to Charleston and the capitol building, where the office of the disgraced Senator Sam Blackwell was located. At this point, dealing with the demented automated systems began to grate on the good overseer.Overseer's log - Charleston
Unable to continue, she turned to the other clues found during her investigation, namely, the Appalachian Brotherhood of Steel. She picked up the trail at Camp Venture, continuing to their fortified headquarters at what was once Allegheny Asylum.Overseer's log - Camp Venture She realized they were a military outfit descended from the Army at Allegheny, and that they knew how to fight the Scorched. However, the secure elevator installed by the Brotherhood stood in her way. The only way get through it was to enlist.Overseer's log - Allegheny She headed to Camp McClintock, where the automated training system put her through her paces and eventually accepted her into the Army, as Overseer Private/Private Overseer (she never really decided on which one sounded better).Overseer's log - McClintock
Having traveled up and down Appalachia, finding the remnants of what has been and what could have been, she realized what destroyed her beloved West Virginia - discord. Instead of cooperating, the various groups grew apart from each other, closed ranks, and refused to work with each other. The Brotherhood, the Responders, Free States, and especially the raiders, all refused to cooperate long term and paid the price, as they all went extinct. She was determined to lead by example and not let others fall into the same trap.Overseer's log - Fort Defiance However, even as an Army soldier, her rank was too low to fool the automated systems at any of the silos. She never reached the Whitespring bunker, and was thus unable to gain a promotion, left with nothing to show for her effort and the fear that someone might figure out how to access them, sooner or later.Overseer's log - Site AlphaOverseer's log - Site BravoOverseer's log - Site Charlie
Even after surviving a mole miner attack in the mountains,Overseer's log - Mountainside her hopes were almost completely crushed when her Vault family, the people she sacrificed everything for, started launching nukes manufactured by the Appalachian Automated Launch System, away from fissure sites and into other areas. She still hoped for their redemption, but something told her that the nuclear arms race would only get worse before it got better.Overseer's log - Nuke launch Aside from the nukes, other factors such as the Scorched Plague and seeing her neighborhood in ruins demotivated her from staying in Appalachia. Exploring the region firsthand and seeing all the destruction in Appalachia and the lack of survivors further dismayed her. As a result, she temporarily left Appalachia, needing time to get away from the region and emotionally process all that happened.
===Wastelanders===
In 2103, one year after Vault 76 opened, the overseer, like many Vault Dwellers, was shocked to see people coming back to Appalachia.Wastelanders trailer As a result, knowing that her Vault 76 family would need guidance again with information pertaining to the newcomers to the area, the overseer set up her new home in the town of Sutton, only a short distance up the road from where her C.A.M.P. had been set up when she left Vault 76 a year ago. She also set up a radio broadcast for the Vault Dwellers, imploring them to reunite with her.
When Vault Dwellers found her at her new house, she took them downstairs to meet her Mr. Handy assistant Davenport, and explain the details regarding Appalachia becoming populated again, but also asking them if they took care of the Scorched Plague with finding the inoculation that the Responders had been working on at AVR Medical Center before they and the other factions were wiped out by the Scorched and scorchbeasts. Her concern is justified: If the newcomers are not given the inoculation, they could fall victim to the Scorched Plague and the threat of the Scorched getting beyond Appalachia would start all over again. To prevent this, she asks them to travel to the Crater and Foundation, meet the settlers and raiders, and convince them to be given the inoculation to ensure if they are attacked by the scorchbeasts, they will be safe from the Plague and can fight back against them alongside the Vault Dwellers to ensure they can't threaten the lands beyond Appalachia.
Once the leaders of the two factions agree to have their groups inoculated, the overseer joins with the Vault Dwellers as they travel to the Kanawha Nuka-Cola plant to use their own blood and inherent antibodies to mass-produce the inoculation to deliver to the settlers and raiders, thus protecting them from the Scorched Plague.The New Arrivals The overseer would participate in the distribution effort, visiting the Crater at some point.Meg Groberg: "Your Overseer came through on the wide distribution over here. Guess we'll hold off on raidin' that old Nuka plant... for now."(Meg Groberg's dialogue) After inoculating the settlers and raiders, the decision is made to then investigate Vault 79, the real reason everyone is returning to Appalachia due to rumors of treasure being hidden in the Vault and everyone wanting to get a piece of it, including the settlers and raiders. 
Traveling back to her alma mater, Vault-Tec University in Morgantown with one of the Vault Dwellers, the overseer learns from the Professor-bot now in charge of VTU that her access to the university's restricted wing has been revoked. Only when one passes the overseer exam in the Simulation Vault does the Professor-bot grant them access. The group must progress through a maintenance area accessed from the simulation Vault, guarded by some of the campus' surviving security robots. Once finding the restricted wing, the overseer discovers that Vault 79 had been built by Vault-Tec to preserve the United States' gold bullion reserves from Fort Knox in the event of nuclear war, and is heavily fortified to prevent theft. The overseer realizes only two factions would have the knowledge and skill to break into Vault 79 to get at the gold; the settlers and the raiders. As a result, she asks the Vault Dweller to speak to their respective leaders, Paige and Meg Groberg, to see if one or both of the groups would be willing to join forces with the individuals to access Vault 79 and retrieve the gold.
She later learns of the success in getting into Vault 79 with either the Settlers or Raiders and is happy to know that it looks like Appalachia will soon be getting back on its feet thanks to the gold and her intentions for it being put to good use.
===After Wastelanders===
After the conclusion of the Wastelanders questline, the overseer will remain in her home in Sutton. As of 2104, she is still active in the effort to inoculate the people of Appalachia against the Scorched Plague, having given vaccines to Patricia Myers at Nuka-World on Tour.Nuka-World on Tour terminal entries; manager's terminal, Visitors
==Personality==
The overseer is a kind, idealistic and altruistic woman, enjoying listening to radio plays such as The Silver Shroud with her parents when she was younger. She was driven with the desire to be the best at whatever she did, trying to get straight As; she could not just be a pioneer scout, but wanted to be a leader. She is a bit stubborn in this regard, such as whenever she has an idea she thinks she is good. For example, she commits to the idea of breaking into Vault 79 to take its gold and start a new economy, refusing to take no as an answer.
However, she was also molded by Vault-Tec to fulfill the corporation's motives. Vault-Tec presented itself as humanity's savior, and she was impressed by the claims that it would protect America. She had a pragmatic view of the Societal Preservation Program, but she also kept it a secret from the general public because a part of her could see the benefits of it, showing that she is not immune to being a bit selfish in order to try to protect her own life in the face of a nuclear war, since if she tried to become a whistleblower, Vault-Tec would have most likely dismissed her overseer position and left her to die outside a Vault. She was also influenced by Vault-Tec propaganda to believe that Free States were traitors, showing her instilled patriotism.
While in Vault 76, she found living with the same group of people a challenge. Still, she could never stop thinking about Evan constantly for 25 years, trying to comfort herself that he survived and that they would reunite someday. She does appear to have some survivor's guilt, saying, "I wish I could say I would've made another choice. That I would've picked dying in this house together when the bombs fell." She realizes how incredibly fortunate she is to even be alive when nearly all of humanity died.
After experiencing the wasteland, she became more cynical, especially after seeing what Evan became. Despite the horror, she does not let go of her dream of her Vault Dwellers being able to reclaim the world. She does change her tune about Vault-Tec as well, breaking Vault-Tec protocol to leave her C.A.M.P. behind, and also admitting, "I thought they had let me into their plans. That we were... special. But now I'm wondering if we were all just one big experiment to them. Just like everyone else." Although she needed a year to get away from Appalachia due to how traumatizing its destruction was, she eventually returned, determined to assist her Vault Dwellers she briefly left behind.
Exhausted, she also stops worrying about the morality of the Societal Preservation Program, and whether or not she and her Vault Dwellers are free from Vault-Tec's plans. She understands that no matter how much a human being regrets the past and wishes it could have been changed, as well as their life choices, mentally healthy people must move forward from the pain of the past, and try to build healthy futures for themselves with wisdom and resolve. She also recognizes that people need to try to start seeing the world through their own eyes, and now realizes organizations can have dangerous power that can control the way people think, with Vault-Tec and her being no exception.
A few years after Vault 76 opened up, the overseer made a speech about how proud she was of her Vault Dwellers and their accomplishments, and the friendships they have made. Seeing the Vault 76 community support itself reassured her that her choice to return to Appalachia was the right one. Although she never explicitly said it, it is evident she considers the Vault Dwellers to be one of her life legacies and considers them her family.
==Interactions with the player character==
===Interactions overview===
===Quests===
* Reclamation Day: The overseer's recorded message asks the Vault Dweller to leave Vault 76.
* First Contact: When the Vault Dweller leaves Vault 76 for the first time, they are tasked with finding their overseer in Flatwoods.
* Overseer's Mission: Player characters are tasked with finding her logs as she scouts for the nuclear silos.
* Personal Matters: Player characters are tasked with finding her personal journals that have been left in places important to her.
* The New Arrivals: The overseer tasks one with inoculating the settlers and raiders to protect them from the Scorched Plague.
* An Ounce of Prevention: The overseer may give this quest if the quest has not been started yet and if the Vault Dweller talks to her once they are level 20 or higher. She requests the Vault Dweller get vaccinated against the Scorched Plague.
* Overseer, Overseen: The overseer goes to Vault-Tec University and encourages the Vault Dweller to help her begin a gold-based currency by finding a way into Vault 79.
==Inventory==
==Related holotapes==
==Notes==
* Prior to the release of Wastelanders, the overseer's name or likeness was never confirmed in-game, although a cartoon depiction of her is shown in the Personal Matters quest achievement graphic. A woman resembling this depiction can be seen sitting on the seat closest to the lectern during the speech about the completion of Vault 76 in the opening cutscene, as well as in the opening slides where the Vault Dwellers are being trained for Reclamation Day. In-game files, including an NPC simply named "Overseer" confirm that this woman is indeed the overseer. She existed in the game's files but was not used anywhere in-game prior to Wastelanders.
* When in the overseer's childhood home in Sutton, one can view her Vault-Tec University diploma on the wall where she majored in "nuclear fusion" and her SPECIAL stats are listed on it in addition to other course scores. However, the lines beside her SPECIAL stats are skewed, with 8 numbers listed instead of 7. No name is visible on her diploma.
* According to her report on the Top of the World building, she is shown to have an extreme intolerance for profanity.
==Notable quotes==
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==Appearances==
The Vault 76 overseer appears in Fallout 76, first appearing physically as an interactive character in the Wastelanders update. Before the update, she could only be seen in the opening video and in an achievement icon, as well as her voice being present in holotapes. She also appears in Fallout Shelter.
==Behind the scenes==
* The overseer is voiced by Adrienne Barbeau. Quest designer William Shen praised her performance, saying she was "amazing in the booth" and "just came in there and belted."Writing the Worlds of Bethesda (reference starts at 56:40):Kenneth Vigue: "Voiced by the amazing Adrienne Barbeau."William Shen: "She was amazing in the booth, by the way. Like, just came in there and belted, it was great."
** Adrienne delivered a three minute speech as the overseer for the Fallout 76 5th Anniversary.
** In localized versions of the game, her voice is dubbed by Maki Izawa (Japanese) and Elena Ruiz de Velasco (Spanish).
* William Shen and Emil Pagliarulo worked on the writing of the overseer's logs. The development team realized that there needed to be a character guiding the player through the events of the world (as the game initially launched without living humans), so the character of the overseer actually came relatively late in development.Writing the Worlds of Bethesda (reference starts at 56:13):William Shen: "Emil and I worked on the overseer's notes together, cause we realized, 'Oh, we kinda need a character that's leading you through everything that's happening in the world and giving you a sense of purpose.' Because for a while, it was just like, 'Hey, the Vault's opened. And get out there.' And then we needed a through line. So the character of the overseer actually came really late."
* Before work began on Wastelanders, there were plans to have a developer enter the game and play as the overseer, so that the community would realize that it was a human player, and not an AI controlling her. However, they soon realized that this was not a sustainable idea because of server sizes.QuakeCon at Home 2020 (NL): Interview with Jeff Gardiner and Mark Tucker (reference starts at 0:36:39) (dead link)
* During Wastelanders development, Shen was initially wary to let the player get rid of the overseer's logs, but eventually relented and found that it helped conclude part of the overseer's story to turn in her tapes to her.Writing the Worlds of Bethesda (reference starts at 57:08):William Shen: "Well, y'know, during the Wastelanders update, we actually brought the overseer back and we actually made her a character you can interact with. So that was a lot of fun. It was great to like, also come back to her story and try to have the conclusion for it. Like, you can finally give her all the tapes, right? Like, that was a big thing."Kenneth Vigue: "I was so glad. I was getting OCD with them in my..."William Shen: "I was like... 'cause I had an argument about it, I was like, 'No, they're quest objects, we should just hold onto them...' They're like, 'Will, we want to get rid of these tapes. We don't want the tapes anymore. Let me turn in the tapes.' I was like, 'Okay, fine, we'll change the tapes! So, get rid of the tapes, it's fine.'"
==Gallery==
===Fallout 76===
Fallout 76 overseer trailer.png|The original Fallout 76 trailer in which her hair appears very dark, almost black
Fo76 intro slide 4.png|Attending Vault 76's opening ceremony on July 4th, 2076
Fo76 intro slide 6.png|Attending Vault 76's opening ceremony on July 4th, 2076
FO76 overseer.png|The overseer in her house
FO76WL Overseer.png|The overseer in her house
FO76WL Overseer in thought.png|The overseer in thought
FO76WL Overseer Kanawha Nuka-Cola Plant.png|During The New Arrivals
FO76WL Overseer pose.png|During The New Arrivals
FO76WL Overseer reloading.png|Reloading
FO76WL Overseer shooting.png|Shooting
FO76WL Overseer Acceptable Overkill.png|Wielding Acceptable Overkill
FO76WL Overseer taking cover.png|Taking cover 
FO76WL Overseer not in the mood.gif|The overseer can't be bothered
FO76WL Overseer at VTU.png|The overseer exploring VTU
FO76 5th Ani 2.png|During the Fallout 76 5th Anniversary
FO76 Overseer breaks mic.gif|Breaking the microphone
Personal Matters trophy.png|As depicted in Personal Matters
Overdue Reunion Xbox achievement.jpg|As depicted in Overdue Reunions
FO76 questanim overseer.gif|As depicted in The New Arrivals, Overseer, Overseen and Photo Opportunity
FO76 Overseer VTU Diploma.webp|VTU diploma in her childhood home
===Magic: The Gathering===
Fallout Magic Overseer of Vault 76.png|Card for Magic: The Gathering
Fallout Magic Overseer of Vault 76 Extended Art.png|Extended Art
76 overseer card art.png|Card art
== References==
Non-game
Category:Fallout 76 human characters
Category:Wastelanders human characters
Category:Overseers
Category:Vault 76 characters
Category:Vault-Tec University characters
Category:Vault-Tec characters
Category:Sutton characters
Category:Fallout Shelter characters
es:Supervisora del Refugio 76
fr:Superviseur de l'Abri 76
pt:Supervisora do Vault 76
ru:Смотрительница Убежища 76
uk:Доглядач Сховища 76
zh:76號避難所監管人