The Fallout franchise is primarily centered on two things: the Wasteland and the many vaults scattered around the ruins of the old world. While the vaults seemed like a good way to endure the apocalypse, most were horrific experiments on unwilling subjects that resulted in widespread chaos and death. Far fewer vaults were designed to save people and return them to the surface to rebuild. As of writing, there are 122 known vaults, and only 17 were used as controls, leaving the remaining 105 for experiments. Of those, these ten are easily the most disturbing that have been revealed in the franchise, and they’re presented in no particular order.
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1) Vault 95 – Fallout 4
On the surface, Fallout 4’s Vault 95 experiment seemed humane, as it was designed as a rehabilitation center for people with chemical addictions. It worked well at first, treating the residents and breaking them of their chem addiction, but after five years, a Vault-Tec operative, posing as a resident, opened a cache of hidden drugs. He then documented the manner in which the residents succumbed to their addiction, which often resulted in violence. Before long, the vault’s residents slaughtered one another, proving Vault-Tec’s hypothesis surrounding addiction. Cruel doesn’t begin to describe the manner in which the vault’s residents were used for the experiment, and only one realized what was being done, documenting their outrage before the end.
2) Vault 106 – Fallout 3
In Fallout 3, you can venture into Vault 106, which initially included 95 test subjects and 12 researchers. The vault’s experiment involved pumping psychoactive drugs into the air filtration system to determine its effect on an unsuspecting populace. The results were varied, with some vault dwellers falling into a calm hallucinogenic state, though others became psychotic and aggressive. Eventually, the residents made their way to a cave and attempted to detonate a mini-nuke to escape. Unfortunately, they all succumbed to the drugs and died. Exploring the vault can be dangerous, as the drugs are still pumping through the air system as deranged denizens, who believe themselves to be original dwellers, roam the hallways.
3) Vault 77 – One Man, and a Crate of Puppets
Vault 77 was first mentioned in Fallout 3, but it didn’t get fully fleshed out until the webcomic, One Man, and a Crate of Puppets, was published in 2008. The comic documents Vault 77 and its only resident, an unnamed man who is alone with nothing but a box of hand puppets. That’s it. That’s the experiment. He doesn’t open the box until a little more than a year has passed, and upon doing so, his dissociative identity disorder kicks in, making a Vault Boy puppet come alive. He eventually wanders into the Wasteland, where his “crazy” puppet becomes a tool for his survival after it slaughters a group of slavers.
4) Vault 87 – Fallout 3
It’s unclear what the original social experiment was intended for Vault 87, but the experiment that was eventually performed became one of the most horrific. The vault’s scientists decided to test the Forced Evolutionary Virus on the population under the Evolutionary Experimentation Program. Once infected, men and women morphed into an asexual state. Their skin hardened, and their brain function diminished, transforming the subjects into massive, brutish monsters. While several test subjects died, some didn’t, and they eventually escaped into the Wasteland. These people became the Super Mutants living all over the East Coast.
5) Vault 112 – Fallout 3
Vault 112 initially presented as a perfect way to sit out the apocalypse, as its 85 occupants were suspended in a virtual reality simulation. Their bodies were kept in stasis, so they didn’t age, essentially allowing for an immortal digital existence. Initially, there were several simulations, all designed to be utopias, but the occupants didn’t know when they first lay down in their pods that the overseer had complete control over them. He started seeing the residents as his playthings, but eventually became bored torturing them. When this happened, he’d kill them by wiping their memories and making them into NPCs.
6) Vault 12 – Fallout
The first Fallout game introduced the concept of horrific Vault-Tec experiments, and Vault 12 was easily the worst. The vault was touted as equipped with the best amenities and a water filtration system that delivered pure water every day. The residents underwent a rigorous application process and entered the vault with high hopes. Unfortunately, the vault’s experiment was to test radiation on people, so the vault door was rigged so it couldn’t close completely. The result was widespread ghoulification throughout the populace, and those who survived founded the city of Necropolis.
7) Vault 19 – Fallout New Vegas
Fallout: New Vegas features some horrific vaults, including Vault 19, which tested the population in a segregated setting. The residents were divided into two colored sectors: red and blue. Each side had limited contact with the other, and unlike all other vaults, Vault 19 had two overseers. The goal was to induce paranoia, but not through chems or violence. Malfunctions would be blamed on the other side, and subliminal messaging increased paranoia. Of course, it was the overseers doing everything, but, as expected, violence ensued. Ultimately, it’s never made clear what happened to the vault’s residents, as it is abandoned during the events of the game.
8) Vault 108 – Fallout 3
Vault 108 is one of the most notorious of Vault-Tec’s experiments due to how incredibly odd it is. The experiment centered around a planned failure of the primary power source after 20 years. The overseer was chosen because he was projected to die from cancer after three years, and these events would test the residents. Additionally, the vault lacked entertainment but was rife with weapons — far more than usual. Eventually, cloning experiments were conducted, resulting in 54 clones of a man named Gary. When the vault is found, only violent Gary clones roam the hallway, along with various creatures, and all the clones say “Gary” over and over.
9) Vault 4 – Fallout TV Show
Vault 4 is found in Fallout, and it’s filled with mutated residents. Eventually, Lucy (Ella Purnell) explores a lab and uncovers the truth of the vault. It was designed to be run entirely by scientists, and their ethics took a hit as the apocalypse took its toll. They experimented on the residents, mutating them in various ways to hybridize them with radiation-resistant creatures to improve their chances of survival. They apparently created Gulpers from humans and caused untold suffering through their inhuman experiments. This eventually led to a revolt, and the residents killed all of the scientists.
10) Vault 11 – Fallout New Vegas
The social experiment in Vault 11 was horrific, as it required a human sacrifice every year, or the entire population of the vault would be killed. They held elections annually to choose the overseer, and that person would be sacrificed to save the rest of the vault’s population. This continued for some time, but it was all a ruse. Had they refused to sacrifice one of their own, the residents would receive a message commending them on their choice not to take a life, and nobody would be killed. The vault door would be unlocked, and the residents could come and go as they please. Instead, they chose death, and the entire population ultimately died off.
Which Fallout vault do you think is the creepiest? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
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