Survivors of the Great War have begun to emerge from their haven to explore a new wasteland. Amazon’s Fallout TV series explores the journey of those Dwellers in Vault 33, but what do we know about the enigmatic shelter? Now that the first season has officially dropped on Prime Video, it turns out we know a whole lot.
What We Know About Vault 33 in Amazon Prime’s Fallout Series
This section contains spoilers from the full series. Don’t read on if you haven’t finished the last episode of Season 1.
What we currently know about Vault 33 is that it’s located in Los Angeles, CA, the same region as the original Fallout that launched in 1997. Additionally, we learn in Season 1, Episode 1, “The End,” that Vault 33 is connected to Vaults 31 and 32 via a shared meeting area. There are still bunker doors separating each vault and they operate separately, but they can trade resources and ensure inbreeding isn’t a concern.
Through the trailers and stills released prior to the show’s debut, it was hypothesized that the vault could play very little part in the show. That’s incorrect, as the Vault-Tec and their main product are central to the story, ultimately becoming the pivotal connector between all characters.
Vault 33’s Experiment in the Fallout Series
Like other vaults, Vault 33 is subjected to an experiment, though it doesn’t have the same sinister nature as others. On the surface, it seems like there actually isn’t one, and Lucy’s (Ella Purnell) home could be devoid of any underlying machinations of Vault-Tec.
However, as the story progresses, especially during Episodes 7 and 8, we learn that isn’t the case. While it isn’t the worst experiment, Vault 33 is actually a selective breeding ground for Bud’s Buds, the HR executives’ long-term study to make the perfect company representative. Members from Vault-Tec were put into stasis and awoken when it was time to vote for a new Overseer or new marriage candidates were needed.
All choices made by the Overseer are to further this goal. Only the best are chosen to procreate with. Residents only learn of the positives of Vault-Tec. We know, though, that the truth is about control and monopolizing how the world will be rebuilt.
Is Vault 33 an Amazon Creation or Part of the Fallout Canon?
While Vault 33 is an Amazon creation, Todd Howard has confirmed that the TV show is canon to the Fallout universe. It makes sense that it would exist and be located on the western border of the United States. Vault 34 is located in the Mojave Desert, and Vault 29 is rumored to be on the west coast. The lower-numbered vaults are all situated between California and Las Vegas.
All Vaults Near Vault 33
- Vault 3: Las Vegas, NV
- Vault 4: Los Angeles, CA
- Vault 8: Northwestern NV
- Vault 11: Mojave Desert
- Vault 12: Bakersfield, CA
- Vault 13: Los Angeles, CA
- Vault 15: Southern CA
- Vault 17: West Coast
- Vault 19: Mojave Desert, NV
- Vault 21: Las Vegas, NV
- Vault 22: Mojave Desert, NV
- Vault 29: West Coast
- Vault 31: Los Angeles, CA
- Vault 32: Los Angeles, CA
- Vault 34: Mojave Desert, NV
According to the games, the closest vaults are 12, 13, and 15. Vault 12’s population was exposed to radiation and became ghouls. They founded the city of Necropolis, which could be where the Ghoul is from, given that he’s wearing a Vault-Tec-colored cowboy outfit while human in the trailer.
Vault 13 is the first vault that players were ever able to explore in the franchise, though it was abandoned by the Dwellers at the end of the game. With so much time passing since then, it could’ve been taken over by another group.
Vault 15’s experiment revolved around forced cohabitation among members of differing religious, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups. Three raider groups came from this vault while another remained behind. Since the exact whereabouts of the bunker entrance are unknown, these could very well be villains in the series.
What Are Fallout Vaults? Explained
There are a number of different vaults that’ve been introduced in the Fallout games. Vault 118 is located in Maine, while Vault 11 opened in the Mojave Desert. These vaults are underground bunkers designed as safe harbors for selected individuals should bombs drop during the Great War — and Vault 33 is the same. Designed by Vault-Tec and commissioned by the U.S. Government, the state-of-the-art facilities claimed to have an extremely low fail rate.
Truthfully, each vault was designed with an ulterior purpose in mind: The execution of various experiments on human subjects. Some built intentional defects to study the effects of radiation on the body. Others constructed studies on the effects of complete isolation and what happens after that isolation is broken.
Vault 76, where you begin your journey in Fallout 76, was a control vault, one of the bunkers that functioned as a normal shelter with no experiment set in motion. Fallout 4‘s Vault 111 was a test on cryogenic effects on unwitting participants, while Vault 13 from Fallout was another control vault. While those were starting points, you could often revisit the vault you came from or explore another vault in the area.
Each vault’s inhabitants were often screened and selected based on certain requirements of the experiment. Some that predicted high failure rates were filled with previously incarcerated citizens, making them completely expendable. Control vaults often had the best and the brightest from the local area. This ensured humanity in the United States would survive, repopulating with smart, athletic, and capable people.
Regardless of being crafted solely for television, it’s already integrated into the franchise. Fallout 1st members of Fallout 76 get to snag the Ghoul’s hat, and Game Pass members can claim Lucy’s Vault 33 backpack and a survival kit. All players can get the Vault 33 suit for free in the Atomic Shop if they didn’t do so at the end of 2023. New quests, new characters, and new items from the show were also added to the mobile version of Fallout Shelter.
Sales and engagement for all games skyrocketed across the franchise. Rumors of Fallout 5 are rampant, as well as controversy over Shady Sands. The second season of Fallout was confirmed a week after it premiered. These are all signs of a strong fan community and market ready for more.
That’s currently what we know about Vault 33 in the Amazon Fallout TV Show. Many questions remain with many secrets left to uncover. What will we learn in the next season of the series?
