Vault 96

Vault 96 is a Vault-Tec Vault in the Savage Divide region of Appalachia . It is located to the south of Foundation and southeast of R&G Station, at the end of Route 103.
Made up of a small team of brilliant scientists, Vault 96 was advertised as an ark to preserve flora and fauna for the future. However, upon the Vault's sealing, it was revealed that the staff would also be forced to perform experiments relating to genetics and mutations, in order to meet "quotas" set by the Vault mainframe. While a failed escape attempt killed the original residents, and the Vault's cryonics eventually froze over, Vault 96 later became the site of more sinister scientific research, this time, by former West-Tek employee Dr. Edgar Blackburn, who used the Vault's resources for his work on FEV.
==Background==
===Construction and purpose===
As with the other Vaults, Vault 96 was sealed shut during the Great War in 2077. Constructed around 2074,Vault 96 terminal entries; mainframe access terminal, System Specifications and completed in August 2077, Vault 96 advertised itself as "An Ark for the Atomic Age." Vault 96 was one of the world's largest cryogenic storage facilities, with approximately ten thousand animals preserved within it. 
Vault 96's public mission was to monitor post-War surface conditions, the damage caused genetically to local fauna, and reintroduce species to restore ecological balance.Vault 96 terminal entries; overseer's terminal, Vault 96 Protocol Once the Vault was sealed, the mission received an addendum to the residents, revealing that their true mission was far more complex, requiring the conducting of genetic experiments to explore mutated fauna and to develop countermeasures for them. The results of these studies were then to be transmitted to external facilities.Vault 96 terminal entries; overseer's terminal, Vault 96 Protocol Addendum The quotas were weekly, made up by the mainframe, and assigned to the Overseer to distribute to the residents. The Overseer would track progress and ensure results in addition to assigning quotas. The total duration of the Vault was supposed to be 250 weeks at least, after which all the residents were to be exterminated, and only the Overseer permitted to leave.Vault 96 terminal entries; overseer's terminal, VAULT 96 OVERSEER INSTRUCTIONS As one final part of the Vault's construction, a secret cryogenics bay, Cryogenics Bay 86, was installed. Containing a mysterious entity known only as "X-001," the bay was only to ever be accessed by the automated research systems.Vault 96 terminal entries; overseer's terminal, CRYOGENICS BAY 86
The Vault was made up of only five human residents: Overseer Erik DeMarcos, Jeanette Higgins, Hans Memling, Nina Valaya, and Molly Cooper. Each were highly gifted individuals, and incredibly specialized for their role in the Vault, most coming from high-ranking executive positions and prestigious teaching careers. Upon closure of the Vault, during their first weekly meeting session, the other residents expressed extreme discomfort and resentment towards Erik, due to the unethical research and apparent threat of elimination should any of the residents not comply with Erik's demands and quotas.Vault 96 community meeting Although the residents eventually settled into their new positions, it became clear quite quickly that the only necessary individuals were the biologists, with the other positions simply acting as a glorified support team.Vault 96 terminal entries; robotics workstation, Personal Log - 12/2/77
Beginning with a mere 4 credits per week, the biology staff maintained credit gain by forcing various experiments and experimental mutations upon creatures and having them fight one another, documenting which mutations were stronger.Vault 96 terminal entries; biology workstation, Personal Log - 10/25/77 Over the course of the next 3 years, the staff maintained their assigned duties, with the biology team documenting various mutations induced on the creatures housed within the Vault, beginning with simple natural processes such as electrogenesis, venom, regeneration. By week 100, these mutations had gone into evolving chameleonization, pyrokinesis, and cryokinesis.Vault 96 genetics log #100 During week 142, a mysterious new mutation was stumbled upon when the biologists inserted Specimen X-001's DNA into a petri dish, which spread to every other dish, mimicking the ability perfectly. Nina attempted to study the mutation with the subject it originated from but did not have access to the mysterious and undocumented Bay 86.Vault 96 genetics log #142 Shifting allowed creatures to teleport when stressed, but could lead to disastrous results, such as the subject phasing into another subject, fusing them together.Vault 96 terminal entries; biology workstation, V04-001-0191
By week 148, due to the lack of access to Specimen X-001, and the lack of ability to improve or stabilize the mutation, Nina was unable to meet the quota of 568 credits and was subsequently killed by the mainframe.Vault 96 genetics log #143 The rest of the team confronted Erik, believing him to be responsible. However, after disabling the mainframe's monitoring system in the Overseer's office, Erik made a revelation: for more than two years, he had quietly been working on an escape plan. Unbeknownst to the rest of the team, Erik had been just as much a prisoner of the mainframe as everyone else. He had finalized development of SERAPH, a prototype computer virus originally meant for the DIA. SERAPH was capable of taking over and defeating even the powerful mainframe intelligence. The plan was to use the virus on the mainframe, shutting it down, and escaping the day before quotas were due.Vault 96 orientation session However, while most events went well on the day of escape, the mainframe activated Superseding Protocol Omega, which resealed the Vault and killed all its residents.Vault 96 mainframe lab recording However, the virus was ultimately uploaded and successfully shut down the mainframe, leaving the Vault open.Vault 96 (note) In addition, the animals began to escape, prompting the Vault to begin activating the Emergency Management System to call for assistance.
===Steel Reign===
Sometime in 2103 or 2104, the Vault became taken over by Edgar Blackburn who needed research equipment to work on creating a superior strand of FEV to help humanity thrive in the wasteland. However, in doing so, Blackburn's team conducted harsh and fatal experiments in Vault 96 on non-consenting abducted people such as Cassie Halloway. Blackburn also once subjected a mole rat to several thousand volts. In order to acquire human test subjects and defend the Vault, Blackburn contracted with a group of mercenaries called the Hellcat Company who did not question the ethics of his work. In exchange for their services, Dr. Blackburn promised them the right to salvage the contents of the Vault.
Tally Lang and her group of Blood Eagles stormed into Vault 96, trailing some Hellcats and looking to loot the vault. The group included Needles, Eightball and Dillo. Their actions led to the death of Woods and many mercenaries. Tally's group accidentally became locked in.
Seeking Blackburn's trail, Odessa Valdez and a Vault 76 Dweller investigate the Vault. The Vault Dweller discovers a dying Woods, and decides whether or not to kill Tally after freeing her crew. Valdez and the Dweller discover Cassie locked within a chamber also containing Petersen and Wilkins. The trio are freed, and Valdez and the Vault Dweller eventually confront Blackburn in the overseer's office where he is apprehended.
==Layout==
The Vault's exterior consists of a raised platform featuring a helipad, which is accessible from the ground using a staircase. A blue freight elevator adjacent to the staircase is inoperable, and the carriage has stalled between ground level and the platform. Four derelict vehicles are scattered around the area beneath the platform. Atop the platform lie various construction materials and pieces of machinery, along with a small booth containing only a pair of black-rim glasses and some junk items.
The Vault can be entered via Daily Ops or as a instance by traveling to the entrance. The Vault itself is covered in ice. After entering, the Vault's entrance has an upper level with a row of console terminals; more specifically, there are four Vault 96 monitoring terminals straight ahead. To the west is a staircase that leads down to the lower level. Below the stairs is a weapons workbench. The east side has a path of ice leading down. This lower level has some lockers to the east that can be looted, as well as a first aid box on a table in a southwestern corner. 
The only way forward is to the north, which leads into a hallway. Continuing north leads into the atrium, while a room to the right is labeled as "emergency ventilation," which has some machinery inside, as well as several containers to loot. A table in this room has several beer bottles on top, as well as an assault rifle.
The atrium is a large, open area coated in ice just like the rest of the vault. On the top floor of the atrium, the western catwalks provide access to the mainframe wing, and there is an inaccessible, iced-over door to a depot. The northern end provides access to a workroom, and the inaccessible door to the overseer's chambers is to the left. On the eastern side, there are doors to a lounge, "utility room 1," and a hallway to the research wing. 
On the lower level of the atrium, the eastern side branches off into inaccessible living quarters B and C, as well as providing access to stairways to other parts of the Vault. The northern end has another iced-over door to an inaccessible cafeteria, while the west has the inaccessible living quarters D, and a long staircase that leads to reactor monitoring.
The lounge is a small room with a bar, pool table, and interactable jukebox. Part of the northern wall is broken and leads into the hallway to the research wing. Utility room 1 is actually made up of two connected rooms, which ultimately lead to the chemistry lab. The chemistry lab, filled with machinery and containment barrels, is directly above the imaging lab. One exit to the north leads to the cryogenics wing, though the doors in the imaging lab lead to the research wing. There are five experiment tubes throughout the vault that emanate a low hum when approached.
===Research wing===
The research wing is one of the largest areas of the Vault, and itself contains many catwalks, utility tunnels and test chambers. All of the test chambers are in large, isolated rooms with glass windows, and have access to the utility tunnels. Test chamber 1 contains a large shack and a car's husk within it. It is connected to a unique utility tunnel that leads to the staging area of the research wing. Test chamber 2 appears to be a simulation of a railroad and/or mine entrance, in which the railway tracks lead to the large utility tunnel. Test chamber 3 is a rocky environment with various bushes and in which wild razorgrain grows. A beheaded corpse is strung up against the window. Test chamber 4 contains a blue office niche with several containers to be looted. The stairs in the chamber provide access to the roof of the niche and the utility tunnels.
The tunnels themselves largely serve as a safe access route between the test chambers; various pieces of machinery (including robot fabricators) and junk items can be found throughout. Test chambers 2, 3, and 4 are connected via one tunnel, while test chamber 1 is connected to the staging area through a single, smaller tunnel. The staging room is mostly empty aside from some shelves along the walls.
To the east, on the lower level, are the main entrances to the test chambers, as well as two Vault 96 dweller corpses on a table and near a broken pod. The southwestern corner, with the "R1-4" pillar has nothing aside from some consoles, but the northwestern corner has a workspace and the associated biology workstation terminal, owned by Molly Cooper. The upper level of the research wing consists of winding catwalks. A large blue pod on the western side holds a large chunk of an unknown substance. Going further west will lead back to the atrium.
===Cryogenics wing===
This area of the Vault can be accessed from the research wing, the reactor chamber, living quarters A, or the gas storage just past the workroom. It is another two-leveled science wing; the bottom floor, labeled as the cryonic bays, sports dozens of cryochambers, though the western side has three of the blue pods seen in the research wing. To the east is a two-room sensor lab with several containers, junk items, and rusted machinery. It also has an armor and weapons workbench.
===Reactor monitoring and chamber===
This wing provided power to the Vault; the top floor is known as reactor monitoring, while the bottom floor is the reactor chamber. Fittingly, the latter has several reactor units interspersed throughout, while the former mostly consists of consoles and other technology to control the reactor. There is a hallway room in the center of the top floor that connects the eastern and western ends of the reactor wing. The southwestern corner of reactor monitoring is the location of the engineering workstation terminal, owned by Hans Memling. Taking a right, there is a staircase that leads back down to the atrium.
===Workroom===
The workroom is one long room connected to the atrium, providing access to gas storage, living quarters A, and a staircase back down to the atrium's lower level. Living quarters A is a rather cramped room littered with objects from the previous experiments of its deceased occupant. The Vault bed here is noticeably smaller than most beds in Appalachia. A broken wall in the room leads to the cryogenics wing. The path to the gas storage room also has a hallway to the left featuring a chemistry station and a doorway to reactor monitoring.
===Mainframe wing===
If one is heading to this wing from the top floor of the atrium, there will be a long hallway of ice before reaching the entrance to the "mainframe chamber." This area is heavily affected by the cryo leak in Vault 96, and is much icier than other wings. The mainframe wing has three levels; the top one features consoles, the quantum research lab terminal, and the door to the archives room. The archives room has an impressively tall stack of black machines inside, but is devoid of much else. To the north is a transitional room where some of the ice has actually melted into water. Continuing north leads into reactor monitoring, but to the left is the robotics lab.
The middle level of the mainframe wing has the Vault mainframe itself along a western wall. Four flat-screen monitors hang above the mainframe access terminal. An open doorway to the north provides another route into the robotics lab, while the opposite end is where the archives room ends. To the east, heading to the back of the area, are more consoles, though some are decorated with various junk items. The lowest level of the mainframe wing has little of interest aside from even more consoles and a few Vault file cabinets to be looted.
===Robotics lab===
Entering from the top floor of the mainframe wing, the robotics workstation terminal, owned by Jeanette Higgins, can be found immediately to the left on a cabinet; across from this are two shelves with some assorted scrap metal. Heading down the stairs, the main part of the lab has many robot fabricators and Protectron pods. There are some containers to loot here, and the doorway to the south exits back into the mainframe wing.
==Inhabitants==
*Ashmore
*Cassie Halloway
*Dillo
*Edgar Blackburn
*Eightball
*Needles
*Petersen
*Tally Lang
*Wilkins
*Woods
==Former residents==
* Erik DeMarcos - Overseer, chief software developer
* Jeanette Higgins - Chief robotics technician
* Hans Memling - Chief engineer
* Nina Valaya - Chief researcher
* Molly Cooper - Chief biologist
==Notable loot==
* Breakthrough - Note, on a red console on the upper level of the reactor, next to a robot fabricator.
* Corpse disposal - Note, near four dead settlers in the cryonics wing.
* FEV research logs - Nine holotapes, found throughout the vault.
** #1 - In the overseer's office, on a cart.
** #5 - Inserted in the research terminal in the imaging lab in the research wing, on a counter.
** #13 - On the white table near the biology workstation in the research wing.
** #17 - On a white table in the lower level of the reactor, across from a staircase.
** #22 - In the archives room of the mainframe wing, on the lower level.
** #38 - On a cabinet in the lower level of the reactor, near the vault dweller corpse.
** #57 - Next to a bloody, covered corpse in the cryonics wing.
** #112 - On the upper level of the chemistry lab in the research wing, between a dead settler and a microscope on a metal table.
** #148 - In the overseer's office, on the nightstand next to the bed.
* Huntersville memories - Holotape, in the overseer's office, on a kitchen counter.
* Reminder: supplies - Note, on a stretcher in the cryonics wing.
* Return to Appalachia - Holotape, on a console at the entrance, by the Vault 96 monitoring terminals.
* Snallygaster - Note, in the staging room.
* Vault 96 - Note, in the mainframe's center chamber, on a blue console near a metal box.
* Vault 96 biology log 280 - Holotape, inserted in the biology workstation terminal in the research wing.
* Vault 96 community meeting - Holotape, on a cart to the left of the entrance after entering the interior.
* Vault 96 genetics logs - Holotapes, all three of which can be found on consoles in the research wing.
* Vault 96 mainframe lab recording - Holotape, inserted in the quantum research lab terminal in the mainframe wing.
* Vault 96 orientation session - Holotape, on the desk in the overseer's office.
* V96 security keycard - Key, given by Tally Lang during A Satisfied Conscience.
==Related quests==
* A Satisfied Conscience
* Daily Ops: Uplink
* Daily Ops: Decryption
* Lockdown
* Vault Mission: Creature Feature
* Vault Mission: Gone Viral
==Appearances==
Vault 96 appears only in Fallout 76.
==Behind the scenes==
* The Vault was first expanded upon as part of the Daily Ops feature, in the Locked & Loaded update. It was previously slated to be a Vault raid similar to Vault 94, though this plan was scrapped in favor of Daily Ops. Vault 96 was only made available to be explored at will outside of Daily Ops with the release of the Steel Reign update.
* The Vault was originally slated to be opened alongside Vault 94 and Vault 63 in the summer of 2019 as part of the Vault raids feature.Fallout 76 - 100 Days, Roadmap for 2019 After Vault raids were discontinued, Vaults 94 and 96 were repurposed as locations for Daily Ops, with Vault 94 being released as part of One Wasteland For All, while Vault 96 was released as part of Locked & Loaded.QuakeCon at Home 2020 (NL): Interview with Jeff Gardiner and Mark Tucker (reference starts at 0:33:10) There is a significant amount of cut content for the Vault, as it has gone through several iterations in changes only visible in the game's files.
* Following the road away from the Vault, there is a tractor tucking a wooden carriage. The tractor has a spear leaning on it, a crossbow on its hood, and the corpse of a raider. The carriage has a Nukashine empty bottle (being one of the places the player may wake up after drinking it) and the corpse of three settlers. All of this is a reference to the carriage seen at the beginning of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, another Bethesda Softworks title. This reference was implemented by lead level designer Steve Massey.BGS_Steve (Steve Massey) on Bethesda Game Studios' official Discord
** The player may wake up here after consuming Nukashine, their senses slowly returning, mirroring the famous fade-in intro of Skyrim.
* Vault 96 utilizes the same type of cryo pods found in Vault 111.
==Gallery==
As of Steel Reign
FO76 Vault 96 Int 2022216 3.png
FO76 Vault 96 Int 2022216 2.png
FO76 Vault 96 Int 2022216 1.png
FO76 Vault 96 Int 2022216 11.png
FO76 Vault 96 Int 2022216 4.png
FO76 Vault 96 Int 2022216 6.png
FO76 Vault 96 Int 2022216 9.png
FO76 Vault 96 Int 2022216 7.png|Experiment tube
Exterior
FO76 190721 Vault door ajar.png
F76 Vault 96 Ext 1.png|View from the helipad
F76 Vault 96 Ext 2.png|From afar
Fo76 Vault 96 exterior BETA.png|From the road
Fo76 Vault 96 helipad BETA.png|Vault 96 helipad
FO76 Roadway sign 103.png|Unpaved State Route 103 leading to the Vault
FO76 Vault 96 ext south.png|Facing south
F76 Vault 96 Main Door.png|The Vault door before Steel Reign
Interior
FO76LL Vault 96 16.png|Vault door
FO76LL Vault 96 17.png|Vault 96 monitoring terminals
FO76LL Vault 96 18.png|Entrance area
FO76LL Vault 96 15.png|Emergency ventilation
FO76 V96 Entrance Stairs.jpeg|Stairway to entrance
FO76LL Vault 96 07.png|Atrium
FO76 V96 Atrium10.jpeg|Atrium
FO76 V96 Atrium08.jpeg|Atrium
FO76LL Vault 96 14.png|Atrium
FO76 V96 Atrium04.jpeg|Atrium
FO76 V96 Atrium07.jpeg|Atrium
FO76 V96 Atrium03.jpeg|Atrium
FO76 V96 Atrium05.jpeg|Atrium
FO76 V96 Atrium02.jpeg|Atrium
FO76 V96 Atrium09.jpeg|Atrium
FO76 V96 Atrium01.jpeg|Atrium
FO76 V96 Diner02.jpeg|Diner
FO76 V96 Diner01.jpeg|Diner
FO76 V96 UtilityRoom01.jpeg|Utility room
FO76 V96 Sidearea01.jpeg|Area near atrium
FO76 V96 Sidearea02.jpeg|Area near atrium
FO76 V96 MainframeWing01.jpeg|Hallway to mainframe wing
FO76LL Vault 96 05.png|Mainframe
FO76 V96 Mainframe Access Terminal.jpg|Mainframe
FO76 V96 MainframeWing02.jpeg|Hallway
FO76 V96 MainframeWing08.jpeg|Mainframe
FO76 V96 MainframeWing06.jpeg|Mainframe
FO76 V96 MainframeWing03.jpeg|Archives
FO76LL Vault 96 06.png|Archives room
FO76 V96 MainframeWing07.jpeg|Entrance to robotics
FO76LL Vault 96 10.png|Robotics
FO76 V96 RoboticsLab01.jpeg|Robotics
FO76 V96 RoboticsLab03.jpeg|Robotics
FO76 V96 RoboticsLab02.jpeg|Robotics
FO76LL Vault 96 11.png|Robotics workstation
FO76 V96 Room04.jpeg|Partially melted room
FO76LL Vault 96 04.png|Reactor wing
FO76LL Vault 96 02.png|Research wing
FO76LL Vault 96 09.png|Gas storage
FO76LL Vault 96 01.png|Chemistry/imaging lab
FO76LL Vault 96 12.png|Hallway
FO76LL Vault 96 08.png|Workroom
FO76LL Vault 96 13.png|Teddy bears
FO76LL Vault 96 03.png|Cryogenics wing
FO76 V96 Hallway05.jpeg|Hallway
FO76 V96 ResearchWing07.jpeg|Research wing
FO76 V96 ResearchWing02.jpeg|Research wing
FO76 V96 ResearchWing06.jpeg|Imaging lab
FO76 V96 ResearchWing04.jpeg|Research wing
FO76 V96 ResearchWingChamber03.jpeg|Test chamber
FO76 V96 ResearchWingChamber01.jpeg|Test chamber
FO76 V96 ResearchWing03.jpeg|Research wing
FO76 V96 UtilityTunnel02.jpeg|Utility tunnel
FO76 V96 UtilityTunnel01.jpeg|Utility tunnel
FO76 V96 ResearchWing.jpeg|Chemistry lab
FO76 V96 Room06.jpeg|Room
FO76 V96 CryoWing02.jpeg|Cryogenics wing
FO76 V96 Room05.jpeg|Room
FO76 V96 CryoWing04.jpeg|Cryogenics wing
FO76 V96 CryoWing05.jpeg|Cryogenics wing
FO76 V96 CryoWing03.jpeg|Cryogenics wing
FO76 V96 ReactorWing06.jpeg|Reactor wing
FO76 V96 ReactorWing04.jpeg|Reactor wing 
FO76 V96 ReactorWing03.jpeg|Reactor wing
FO76 V96 ReactorWing05.jpeg|Reactor wing
FO76 V96 ReactorWing02.jpeg|Reactor wing
FO76 V96 ReactorWing01.jpeg|Reactor wing
FO76 V96 FrozenDoor01.jpeg|Frozen over door
FO76 V96 Room03.jpeg|Utility room
FO76 V96 Room02.jpeg|Room
FO76 V96 Hallway02.jpeg|Hallway
FO76 V96 Room01.jpeg|Room
FO76 V96 Hallway03.jpeg|Hallway
FO76 V96 Lounge02.jpeg|Lounge
FO76 V96 Lounge01.jpeg|Lounge
FO76 V96 Overseer01.jpeg|Overseer's office
FO76 V96 Overseer02.jpeg|Overseer's office
Holotapes and notes
FO76SR Vault 96 (Breakthrough).png|Breakthrough
FO76SR Vault 96 (Corpse disposal).png|Corpse disposal
FO76SR Vault 96 (FEV research log 1).png|FEV research log #1
FO76SR Vault 96 (Research Terminal).jpg|FEV research log #5
FO76SR Vault 96 (FEV research log 13).png|FEV research log #13
FO76SR Vault 96 (FEV research log 22).png|FEV research log #22
FO76SR Vault 96 (FEV research log 38).png|FEV research log #38
FO76SR Vault 96 (FEV research log 57).png|FEV research log #57
FO76SR Vault 96 (FEV research log 112).png|FEV research log #112
FO76SR Vault 96 (FEV research log 148).png|FEV research log #148
FO76SR Vault 96 (Huntersville memories).png|Huntersville memories
FO76SR Vault 96 (Reminder supplies).png|Reminder: supplies
FO76SR Vault 96 (Return to Appalachia).png|Return to Appalachia
FO76SR Vault 96 (Snallygaster note).png|Snallygaster
FO76SR Vault 96 (V96 note).png|Vault 96 (note)
FO76SR Vault 96 (Vault 96 community meeting).png|Vault 96 community meeting
FO76SR Vault 96 (Vault 96 genetics logs 100).jpg|Vault 96 genetics log #100
FO76SR Vault 96 (Vault 96 genetics log 142).png|Vault 96 genetics log #142
FO76SR Vault 96 (Vault 96 genetics log 148).png|Vault 96 genetics log #148
FO76SR Vault 96 (Mainframe lab recording).png|Vault 96 mainframe lab recording
FO76SR Vault 96 (Vault 96 orientation session).png|Vault 96 orientation session
==References==
 
Category:Instanced locations
es:Refugio 96
it:Vault 96
pt:Vault 96
ru:Убежище 96
zh:96號避難所