The Mysterious Stranger is an enigmatic presence in all the Fallout games. He even appears in Fallout Shelter to bestow upon you a gift. That is, if you can catch him. This is how to find the Mysterious Stranger in Fallout Shelter.
*Editor’s note: This guide is applicable for all game versions, including mobile, PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Switch.
How to Locate the Mysterious Stranger in Fallout Shelter
The biggest tip to finding the Mysterious Stranger in your vault is to wear a decent pair of headphones or earbuds. When he appears, a piano tone will sound similar to dun-dun, almost like a who-dun-it movie. The louder the sound, the closer you are to his location. He also shows up in a poof of smoke, which makes him much easier to find right when he materializes.
You’ll want to be listening for this tone whenever you’re managing your vault. You can hear it without headphones, but being able to block out other sounds and focus on the game’s audio is a huge help.
Once you’ve heard the sound effect though, you’ll have roughly 7-10 seconds to locate him within your vault. Just like in the main games, he wears a tan trench coat and brown hat. He can be anywhere in the vault, including the elevators.
We recommend keeping the camera panned all the way out, so you can scroll through your vault quicker. It also helps that Dwellers and the Mysterious Stranger will appear two dimensional. Once you start upgrading different rooms, he’ll be able to hide behind some of the decorations or machines.
I happen to have a huge vault, so being able to quickly scan rooms for him increases my chance of success. He’s easier to find in smaller vaults with basic rooms, but it’s possible to nab him in large ones.
When you’ve located the Mysterious Stranger, click or tap on him to claim your reward. He’ll gift you a random number of Caps as he disappears, which can change your whole playthrough when starting out.
If you fail to find him, you’ll hear another tone play similar to a chime, and he’ll disappear. Fear not, though; he can reappear every 10 minutes. He won’t show up every 10 minutes on the dot, but that’s the minimum “rest” period appearances.
How to Have the Mysterious Stranger Spawn in Your Vault
There are a few conditions that need to be met for the Mysterious Stranger to appear.
- Can’t be during the “rest” time of 10 minutes since his last appearance.
- If you’re out on a quest he won’t appear.
- He doesn’t show if any of your rooms are without power, but the tone will still play.
While it’s a bit annoying, he can show up during incidents, as seen in the screenshot above. Whether it’s during a Deathclaw attack or a Room on Fire, if you hear his appearance tone you probably want to take a quick look to see if you can find him.
That’s how to find the Mysterious Stranger in Fallout Shelter. The caps he leaves as a reward for locating him are extremely helpful when starting out. As you progress, however, you’ll need to pay more attention to the game’s audio if you want to catch him. For more help with Fallout Shelter, take a look through our extensive Fallout Shelter guide hub.
