The highly anticipated second season of Prime Video's Fallout live-action series has arrived, bringing the post-apocalyptic wasteland back to screens. While the show draws heavy inspiration from the beloved game Fallout: New Vegas, it is also carving its own path, introducing new elements to the expansive lore. One such addition is Vault 24, which makes a key appearance in an early episode, sparking curiosity among fans.
What is Vault 24 in the Fallout Universe?
Vault 24 is one of the hundreds of underground shelters constructed across America by the sinister Vault-Tec corporation. These vaults were ostensibly built as luxurious subterranean refuges, sold to those who could afford them to survive a nuclear winter. The official narrative promised a safe haven where humanity could wait out the devastation and eventually repopulate the surface.
However, as seasoned fans know, each vault concealed a dark secret. Vault-Tec used them as social laboratories, conducting twisted experiments on their unsuspecting inhabitants. This tradition continues in the series, where protagonist Lucy hails from Vault 33, echoing the vault-dweller origins seen in games like Fallout 3 (Vault 101) and Fallout 4 (Vault 111).
The Sinister Experiment of Vault 24
In the Prime Video adaptation, the characters discover Vault 24 hidden behind the screen of a Starlight Theaters drive-in. What they find inside is a chilling scene reminiscent of A Clockwork Orange. The vault's assigned experiment involved advanced brainwashing techniques.
Using a brain-computer interface chip and a continuous loop of propaganda material, Vault-Tec scientists aimed to test whether they could reprogram dwellers into compliant communist agents. This grim revelation adds a new layer of psychological horror to the franchise's critique of corporatocracy and social control.
Is Vault 24 From the Fallout Games?
Interestingly, Vault 24 is making its debut in the Fallout television series. Its inclusion, however, serves as a deep-cut reference for dedicated fans. The vault's concept was originally developed for Fallout: New Vegas but was ultimately cut from the final game.
According to lead designer Joshua Sawyer from Obsidian Entertainment, the team never formally assigned the vault a designation. The only trace left in the game's code was a Vault 24 jumpsuit, which may have been created for a different questline. The show's creators have now resurrected this lost idea, fully integrating Vault 24 and its disturbing purpose into the canonical storyline.
The second season of Fallout is now streaming exclusively on Prime Video, allowing viewers to explore this and other new additions to the wasteland. By expanding on unused concepts from the games, the series continues to build a compelling narrative that both honours its source material and forges a unique identity.
