Fans of Bethesda would fondly remember Fallout and its crazy take on the post-apocalyptic genre. After all, the Fallout universe plunged Earth into a devastated state after the Great War that turned nuclear. As a result, players begin as Dwellers of sophisticated Vaults that venture out into the world to find their destinies. However, what exactly happens inside the Vault on a regular day?
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Franchise fans might wonder - while their characters save the world from imminent doom, what exactly happens to the Vault they leave behind? Thanks to Fallout Shelter, players become Overseers of their own Vault and manage all that. And in classic Fallout fashion, the more stable a player's Vault becomes, the more crises the game throws at them. What should players avoid so their Vault endures all odds - from Raider attacks to Radscorpion invasions?
10 Don't Get Another Column Of Elevators
Players who become Overseer for the first time might love the thrill of adding elevators to their dream Vault. After all, it's cool seeing many Dwellers go up and down floors right? Thing is, players need to consider that, counting the original elevator column, they have space for only nine rooms on a single floor. Additionally, most single rooms in Fallout Shelter can extend to fit three fully upgraded rooms - maximizing their production output. In turn, a floor can have three sets of fully upgraded rooms at the cost of those that floor's room spaces.
While it's perfectly fine to add a second elevator and work with eight room spaces, it potentially becomes counterintuitive in the long run. After all, this layout at the most can fit two three-set rooms and one two-set room.
9 Don't Put Rooms After The Vault Door
In games like Fallout Shelter where invaders are a constant threat, maximizing floor area - at least, the first floor - may actually be counterintuitive. After all, when Raiders from the remnants of the Great War attack Vaults, they attack all rooms on a single floor before going down. To give Overseers time to prepare, it's best to leave the first floor completely unoccupied.
Doing this strategy avoids unnecessary resource depletion while Raiders attack the room. Additionally, this gives the Overseer some time to drag Dwellers to attack the Raiders. A good alternative here is to equip Dwellers in the closest room to the entrance with the highest-damage weapons to maximize DPS for defense.
8 Don't Upgrade Rooms Too Quickly
Overseers who see their CAPS number go up would be extremely tempted to just go on an upgrade bonanza to see their floors bloom with all 'dem rooms. However, players who can afford to upgrade their rooms give the game a sign to up the ante in terms of threats and risks. This also explains why the game can throw "unbeatable" challenges to new players in the early game.
Instead, players should take the time to properly level up their Dwellers first before leveling up their respective rooms. Ideally, players should find a "groove" that allows them to acquire resources at a regular rate before upgrading or adding new rooms. This means not just getting enough resources, but also medication for quests, and money via quests.
7 Don't Send Dwellers Out Willy-Nilly
Chances are, Overseers can slowly acquire enough high-level Dwellers to send to the Wasteland to get supplies and CAPS. Thing is, staying too short in the Wasteland won't net any good loot - but staying too long might kill the Dweller and expend CAPs to revive. Instead of sending all Dwellers to the Wasteland at once, players should do a "rotation" of two teams for their Dwellers.
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First, they send out Team A to gather supplies and recall them as soon as they hit the 50-percent HP mark. While Team A is on the way home, Overseers should send Team B to collect in their stead. This guarantees no unnecessary deaths and the continuous gathering of supplies. This also leaves room for players to focus on sending in their strongest Dwellers to tackle harder quests, especially in both dangerous and scary locations.
6 Don't Impulse Buy
Another reason not to spend CAPS is for something applicable in real life: emergency funding. In the real world, people often build an emergency fund to ensure they have "backup" savings if things ever go south. In Fallout Shelter, Overseers shouldn't feel too confident once they see an influx of CAPS coming their way. Instead of spending too much on upgrades, players need to consider other kinds of purchases.
For instance, reviving Dwellers in the Wasteland and even Mr. Handy costs a ton of CAPS. It's ideal to save at least 2,000 CAPS per Handy, and at least 1,000 CAPS for every Dweller sent in the Wasteland. Additionally, removing debris blocking the way also costs CAPS.
5 Don't Hesitate To Min-Max
During their time with their Vaults, Overseers will inevitably encounter Dwellers with a certain high-value SPECIAL stat. Thanks to experiences with RPGs, players will likely want to even out the odds by equipping them with gear that raises their other stats, right? Thing is, mediocre SPECIAL stats won't maximize gains for rooms.
It's important to remember that Fallout Shelter pays more attention to overall management than just individual characters. In turn, rooms get higher resource output whenever they have Dwellers that excel in their required SPECIAL stats. As such, players may as well amplify a Dweller's powerhouse SPECIAL stat with gear or with training.
4 Don't Ignore Recipes
As in more recent Fallout games, players of Fallout Shelter can obtain recipes that allow them to craft various items. Thing is, why even bother using recipes when Dwellers may encounter these items eventually in the Wasteland? In these situations, players need to remember that securing the advantage early guarantees survival in deadly situations. If they can craft that seemingly-OP Brotherhood of Steel weapon in the Workshop, they should do so immediately.
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This strategy ensures that Dwellers have the best gear - especially weapons - at their disposal. Additionally, Dwellers going out to the Wasteland or on Quests need the most powerful weapons, especially since they're running on limited medicine and without reliable backup.
3 Don't Stay In The Vault For Too Long
As the old adage goes, sometimes, the only way to beat the game is "not to play" - and the same principle applies in Fallout Shelter. Players deep into their playthrough might notice that more disasters happen the more they spend time in a session - these include good things such as Dwellers discovering buildings while traveling, to a vicious attack from Radscorpions.
Interestingly enough, players can avoid a ton of unfortunate events by just playing in short spurts. In theory, players need just a few minutes per session to gather resources, send or recall Dwellers on missions, and fix rooms as needed. Doing this may drastically lower the occurrence of pesky Raider attacks.
2 Don't Hesitate To Plan Ahead
Thankfully, Fallout Shelter isn't an endless tower sim, and there's a 25-floor limit to each Vault. This stat, plus a preview of available rooms via the Build menu, alongside the fact that players can use nine rooms on each floor, will give players a good idea of what they can build for their dream Vault. Instead of just "going with the flow," the more strategic Overseer shouldn't be ashamed to plan ahead.
At its core, planning ahead allows Overseers to maximize their projected resource output and Dweller management. Proper planning can help Overseers build their ideal layout, too!
1 Don't Hesitate To Kick Out Dwellers
Overseers who played the game for a couple of days would understand how difficult it can get to acquire new Dwellers - be it a child or from the Wasteland. So why even kick out potential assets in the Vault? Thing is, higher-level gameplay - or the deeper the Vault gets - will merit more risks from the game. In turn, players need the best Dwellers at their disposal to maximize resources, defense, and even exploration.
If players get Dwellers with extremely low or below-average stats, they should start kicking them out. Likewise, players should make it a habit to train their Dwellers in their strongest SPECIAL stat or gear them with strong gear like Minutemen-themed armor as soon as possible, so they maximize their presence in the game.