Fallout’s post-apocalyptic wasteland is home to plenty of vaults, and that holds true in the very first entry of the series. Vault 12 is one of the multiple vaults the player will have to explore in their quest to find the elusive Water Chip. Like every vault, this one has a story.
Vault 12 of Fallout can be accessed through post-war settlement of Necropolis. It’s carefully hidden away, so the player will have to do some digging to find the way into the highly irradiated Vault 12.
Vault-Tec’s Malicious Radiation Experiment
Before the Great War of Fallout, Vault 12 was built beneath the city of Bakersfield in southern California. It was seen as a technological marvel, outfitted with every amenity imaginable for potential vault residents. This included the Vault Water Purification System, a device capable of converting the sewage of Bakersfield into pure drinking water. The system could supposedly deliver more than 15,000 gallons of potable water every day — more than enough water for a hundred or so people.
Unfortunately, no amount of clean water or amenities could save Vault 12’s inhabitants. Vault-Tec of Fallout had apparently rigged the vault door not to close. This was because the organization wanted to study the long-term effects of radiation on human beings. With Vault 12 unsealed, nuclear radiation would seep into the vault residents’ living space, forcing them to suffer the medical consequences.
The City of Necropolis in Fallout
Many inhabitants likely died from the radiation poisoning. Others, however, survived as they’d become ghouls in Fallout. Years after the bombs fell, the remaining survivors in Vault 12 would venture to the world above ground and establish Necropolis. It would become a settlement for ghouls — feral and sentient alike.
Much later, a ghoul named Set took over the city, driving away the original overseer of Fallout’s Vault 12. He was a crass and ill-mannered character, but Set was intent on making the Necropolis a safe haven for ghouls — or at least, for those who answered to him. Unfortunately, not everyone liked Set’s style of leadership, so they moved away. One specific group of ghouls retreated to the sewers underground, and Set allowed them to live there, even providing them with enough resources to get by. The underground ghouls claim it’s because he’s afraid there won’t be anyone to defend Necropolis if the ghouls kept leaving.
The peace didn’t last, however. Years after Set took control of Necropolis, super mutant invaders overtook the city in search of Vault 12. In the end, Set managed to forge a deal with the super mutants of Fallout, allowing them to set up a base in Necropolis so long as they didn’t harm the ghouls. That said, Set isn’t happy with the uneasy alliance.
By the time the Vault Dweller of Fallout arrives in Necropolis to acquire a Water Chip, the alliance is still in force. Should the player speak to Set without angering him, he’ll try and recruit the player for an attack against the super mutants stationed in Necropolis. Alternatively, the player can simply ignore his proposition. This will lead to the super mutants eventually wiping out Set and the rest of the ghouls.
There’s also a matter of leaving the ghouls with a viable water source after taking the Water Chip. If the Vault Dweller removes the Water Chip from Vault 12, the ghouls will lose their source of water. Thus, the player can choose to help in fixing the water pump in Necropolis. Doing so could potentially lead to the good ending of Necropolis. Neglecting to fix the water pump leads to the settlement’s bad ending.
Fallout Vault-Tec’s cruel experiment on the inhabitants of Vault 12 led to the creation of Necropolis, which could be considered a haven somewhat for the ghouls of the wasteland. Still, one can’t help but wonder if things would have turned out better, had Vault-Tec sealed Vault 12's door.
Fallout is available now on PC.