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One of the most iconic elements ofFallout 4and theFalloutfranchise as a whole is the Vaults, and Vault 81 is one of the more difficult ones to find in the game. Each Vault acted as a secret experiment, with subjects ranging from cryogenics to complex moral tests. Fallout 4 features multiple Vaults in the Commonwealth, including Vault 81.
Vault 81 is one of the few Vaults in the franchise with living residents and a working society centuries after the bombs fell. Although the Vault was intended to be an experiment regarding infectious disease, the first Overseer refused to conduct the test and protected the Vault’s residents, creating a unique location for the Sole Survivor to explore two centuries later.
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Vault 81 Location
How To Gain Access The Vault
Vault 81 is located near the heart of the Commonwealth, so it will likely take some time to reach the area. As you make your way to Diamond City, you’ll eventually see a pool of water known asChestnut Hillock Reservoir. Vault 81 is directly west of this reservoir.
The Vault may be hard to see, asthe entrance is a small cave with a restricted sign overhead. However, if you head into the cave, you’ll see the glistening door of Vault 81.
You won’t be able to open Vault 81 on your own. Interact with the yellow console before the Vault and speak to the Overseer. To gain access to Vault 81,you’ll need to deliver three Fusion Cores to the Vault.
If you’re looking for a quick and easy way to get this done and play PC, you’re able to useConsole Commands inFallout 4to spawn the needed Fusion Cores. However, if you’re a PlayStation or Xbox gamer, you’ll need to find the Fusion Cores fair and square.
If you have high Charisma, you can skip this side mission by completing a Speech Check on the Overseer, making her open the door immediately.
Mass Pike Interchange is one of the closest areas you can visit to quickly collect Fusion Cores. You can loot a Fusion Core from aset of T-51 Power Armor on the highwayand collect a second Fusion Corenear the construction lift’s generator.
You can then jog northwest andscavenge the Power Armor by the military checkpoint. If you would rather not lootFallout 4’s Power Armorfor your Fusion Cores, there are more Fusion Cores to the easton the first floor of Layton Towers and in Mass Pike Tunnel East.
Once you have all three Fusion Cores, head back to Vault 81, and the Overseer will open Vault 81. The Vault now acts as a new place to trade with new characters to interact with. More importantly, however, you may start a quest called “Hole In The Wall,” which leads to a brand-new companion.
How To Enter Vault 81’s Secret Lab
“Hole In The Wall” Quest
While you’ll be able to explore the clean halls of Vault 81 as soon as you give the Fusion Cores to Overseer McNamara, there’s a secret section of Vault 81 you’ll only access during “Hole In The Wall.” To start this quest,head to Dr. Forsythe and donate a portion of your blood.
However, you’ll have to leave the Vault and wait 24 hours before you can begin the quest in earnest. When you return to the Vault,speak to Dr. Penskeabout Austin Engill, who has come down with a strange illness.
When you start “Hole In The Wall,” the residents of Vault 81 will help you access the long-lost portion of the Vault, which once housed the scientists doomed to die when the first Overseer abandoned the experiment.
Be careful to avoid getting bit by the mole ratsthat inhabit the secret area, as you may contract a disease that permanently reduces your HP. By progressing through the quest and collecting the cure, whatever you decide to do with it,you’ll meet and recruit Curie, one of the sixteencompanions inFallout 4.
If you want to remain on good terms with the residents of Vault 81,give Austin the cureafter collecting it from the secret lab. Doing so gives you your room in Vault 81, the syringe rifle, and the ability to freely take items from the Vault, as they are no longer marked as owned. This honorable ending should suit Vault lovers playing throughFallout 4.
