Vault-Tec Headquarters

Your step-by-step guide to navigating the treacherous Vault-Tec Headquarters in Fallout 3. Find books, loot, and essential terminals to disable security.

Alright, so you're heading into Vault-Tec Headquarters. It's not exactly a friendly place, and you'll see evidence of that right away with dead Super Mutants scattered around. Don't let that fool you into thinking Vault-Tec security is a pushover, though. You can poke around the bathrooms to the west or head upstairs to the southwest, but to really get going, you'll need to head up the main stairs and into the Corporate Offices.

Vault-Tec Corporate Offices

This place is crawling with robots, and watch out for those holes in the ceiling – robots from upper floors can hear you if you're not careful. Sneaking is your best friend here. Keep heading up the stairs until you reach a split path. Take the door across the hallway and go into the room on your left. You'll find some toolboxes, a first aid box, and an easy safe to crack.

Looting the Upper Levels

Once you're at the top of the next set of stairs, hang a right. Go all the way down the hallway and take a left at a garbage can, then another right. You'll find a room with a Nuka-Cola Quantum sitting on a bookshelf. Now, head east through a hole in the wall – be careful not to fall through the hole in the floor! – to find another room. On the eastern wall, across from where you came in, there's a shelf with a Big Book of Science on it. Head back to the hallway and continue west a bit, then take the first right into another room with holes in the floor. Stick to the north side and creep along the edge to reach the door on the other side of a big hole in the floor. Inside, you'll find a Stealth Boy, two ammo boxes, a first aid box, and a Laser Pistol. Head back to the hallway and keep going south until you find another flight of stairs. These will take you up to the Vault-Tec Administration area.

Vault-Tec Administration

Right away, to the west, you'll see an unleveled Turret. Take it out! Head through the doorway to the north. Here you'll find two terminals. One is a “Turret Control System” (it's an Average lock) that you can use to your advantage, and the other is a “System Operation Station 3” terminal. This is one of the three terminals you need to access to shut down the Masterbrain and get into the mainframe.

Mainframe Level

Head south until you find some stairs leading up. At the top, there's another leveled turret. Continue through the door to the west to find the “System Operation Station 1” terminal. Go back out into the hallway and through the door on the right. You'll find a “Vault-Tec Employee Terminal,” which isn't super helpful, and some minor loot.

Masterbrain

Head south until you find some stairs leading up. At the top, there's a leveled turret. Continue through a door to the west to find the “System Operation Station 1” terminal. Go back out into the hallway and through the door on the right to find a “Vault-Tec Employee Terminal,” which is fairly useless, and some minor loot. A unique Robobrain called “Masterbrain” should be rolling around by now. If you destroy it, you can interact with its remains to disable the rest of the security. Alternatively, you can go to the end of the hallway, head west, and enter the first door on the right. Inside, you'll find the “System Operation Station 2” terminal, which can be used to shut down Masterbrain. Keep in mind, you'll still need to go back and mess with the disabled robot to shut down the rest of the security. Keep going west until you find a hallway leading south. Enter any of the three doors on the right, and head into the left-most office to find a copy of Grognak the Barbarian on a desk.

Mainframe

Head back into the hallway and continue south. You can either try to hack the “Turret Control Terminal” (it's Average) or deal with the leveled turret beyond it. Go through a cell door to find the Vault-Tec Mainframe. From here, you can download information on all the Vaults in the area: 87, 92, 101, 106, and 108. Head down the staircases in the north-western corner of the area map to make a quick trip back down to the previously inaccessible side of Guest Relations. Search the tables in the northwest corner of the Guest Relations area to find a copy of Tales of a Junktown Jerky Vendor.