Highlights

  • The Skyline Valley update for Fallout 76 finally unlocks Vault 63, solving long-standing mysteries & tying loose ends in the franchise lore.
  • The update introduces new enemies like The Lost and Threshers, hinting at dark connections to the eerie Vault 63 storyline.
  • The Shenandoah region expansion adds depth to Fallout 76's ongoing narrative, promising a rich plot centered around the enigmatic shelter.

Given Fallout's setting in a post-apocalyptic world, it's only natural that a few mysteries have lingered since it burst onto the scene in 1997. So many juicy details have been teased but gone unanswered, from the Dunwich Cult's endgame to what became of Fallout 3's beloved Lone Wanderer. Another piece of lore high on the franchise's mystery list is Fallout 76's Vault 63, with the abode having only been accessible through glitches, leading to all kinds of theories about what happened in the chamber. That's about to change with the Skyline Valley map expansion, as players will finally get to explore the nooks and crannies of the famed lore gap.

The Skyline Valley DLC is Fallout 76's first major map expansion, with the update scheduled to add the playable Shenandoah area to the southern region of Appalachia. Bethesda has given players glimpses of what to expect from the additional content in recent weeks, with images and trailers from the Xbox Games Showcase 2024 painting a rough picture of the developer's plans. Vault 63 lies front and center of the Skyline Valley DLC's offerings given its lore — or notable lack of it — and the chamber forms the core of the map update aside from the many outlined cosmetic effects.

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Fallout 76 Will Finally Answer the Riddle of Vault 63

Vault 63's Mystery Unraveling Has Been a Long Time Coming

In terms of story building, a view into Vault 63 in the map update brings Fallout 76's tale full circle. Unlike other shelters where players can explore unhindered, Vault 63 has been sealed since launch as part of the game's cut content. As such, there's been a ton of theories that have been born to make sense of the abode's standing in the franchise's overall lore. Rumor has it that Vault 63 was designed to be a Vault Raid location. However, owing to the mode's removal before the shelter became accessible to the public, it remained a part of Fallout 76's map — albeit without a defined purpose.

Its inclusion as a site in the game, despite players being unable to explore it, understandably sparked interest in what the vault contained. Glitches and hacker efforts birthed most of the information about the shelter that fans knew, although question marks remained as to Vault 63's eventual purpose in Fallout 76's overarching story. The Skyline Valley update will finally tie the game's loose ends in this regard, as Bethesda is set to incorporate the shelter as a functional part of the franchise's tale.

Skyline Valley's New Enemies Could Solve the Vault 63 Conundrum

Home to electric ghoul-like creatures called The Lost, Vault 63 has an eerie mystery vibe commensurate with its perception before the confirmation of the map update. The shelter spiked investigative attention pre-Skyline Valley, and the update actively uses this sentiment in its gameplay. Clouds are hovering menacingly over the region, and there's presumably a link between the harsh climate and the electrically charged ghoul enemies roaming the map. Unraveling the mystery behind this relationship forms the basis behind Vault 63's plot.

It's not clear how exactly the DLC's plot lines will unfold, but The Lost appear central to whatever secret Vault 63 and the Skyline Valley at large holds. Most vaults in the Fallout franchise have a story that stretches back to their initial purpose for being built, and since something has gone wrong with the shelter's dwellers, there should be plenty of lore explaining their evolution. However, finding out what went awry won't be easy, as new enemy types like Threshers (giant mutated turkeys) are also lurking around the Shenandoah region. Whatever the case may be story-wise, the mystery veil shrouding Vault 63 is set to be unraveled in the coming days.