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As you develop your skills as an overseer of your Vault inFallout Shelter, you’ll eventually need to venture outside your perfect society to find more resources than Power, Food, and Water. The wasteland holds many dangers, but rewards those who can survive its harsh environment.
There’s a lot that can happen when your Vault Dwellers go exploring, and the consequences can be fatal if they are unprepared. Thankfully, a bit of planning can help improve their odds of success and bring more rewards to you upon their return. Here’s everything you need to know about exploring in Fallout Shelter!
How Do You Send Dwellers To Explore?
Tosend Vault Dwellersout into the Wasteland, you’ll need toselect them and drag them outsidethe Vault Door. Then, you’ll have the opportunity toequip them with gear,Stimpaks, and RadAwaysbefore they embark.
The better gear you equip them with, the more likely they are to survive and succeed in the wasteland!
From there, it’s just a matter of time. While they’re out, you can still oversee your Vault and other Dwellers. Any Dwellers who leave the Vault to explorewill not return unless calledback or upon reaching themaximum carrying capacity.
How Long Does It Take To Explore?
There isno set time for how long it takesto explore. Once you send your Dwellers out,they will explore indefinitely, until you recall them oruntil they pick up 100 items, at which point they will turn around.
You can recall your Dwellers at any time by tapping on the wasteland, selecting the Dweller, and selecting the red Recall buttom.
Generally, thistakes 2-5 daysif they are fully equipped and trained to survive. When out exploring, your Dwellers will encounter various threats and challenges that will reward them withmore bottle caps, weapons, outfits, and plenty of experience.
Dwellers can die in the wasteland if poorly equipped or left out for too long! They cannot be revived in aSurvival mode Vault.
Fixed-Time Events When Exploring
While out exploring, there arecertain events that are bound to happen. While they won’t necessarily happen the exact minute, they will happenwithin a few minutesof the trigger time.
Below is a table of the events your Dweller should prepare for:
00:00
00:15
00:30
00:45
01:15
Locked safe
02:30
05:00
10:00
15:00
20:00
30:00
40:00
60:00
75:00
Encounter a Mr. Handy
Random encounters can happen as well, which engage your Dwellers and offer more rewards!
What Happens If A Dweller Dies While Exploring?
If a Dweller dies while exploring, you have two options:revive them or remove them. If you remove them, the Dweller will bepermanently removed from the Vault, and anything they found while exploring will belost to the wasteland. This is not ideal, so don’t do it.
Instead, revive them. Thiscosts a fair amount of caps, but it’s worth it to have your Dwellerscontinue exploring or returnto you. In Survival mode, therevive option is unavailable– so keep a close eye on exploring Dwellers.
You cancontinually revive your Dwellerswhen they die, though it will quickly become expensive. Try training toincrease Dweller Enduranceand HP!
What SPECIAL Stats Affect Exploring?
SPECIAL stats impacthow efficient your Dwellers arein the Vault, but they areequally important in the wasteland. Below is a table that explains how each stat is beneficial for exploring:
S
Strength
Increases the chances for Dwellers to open locked things and inflict more damage when attacking.
E
Endurance
Increases a Dweller’s HP, enabling them to take more damage and radiation before dying.
C
Charisma
Increases the chances for Dwellers to meet non-hostile NPCs in the wasteland.
I
Intelligence
Increases the chances for Dwellers to help NPCs and earn rewards from them.
A
Agility
Increases the chances for Dwellers to run away from enemies they can’t fight and increases the rate of fire in combat.
L
Luck
Increases the chances for Dwellers to find caps more frequently and in higher quantities, as well as increasing the odds for landing a critical hit.
Is Exploring the Wasteland Worth It?
Exploring the wasteland isworth all the effort! Ideally, you want to havewell-trained and equipped Dwellersleave the Vault, but if you’re just starting out,it’s okay to send unprepared Dwellers outfor a short time. Make sure to keep an eye on them!
Dwellers can also return withjunk for crafting!
The gear they bring back willhelp you conduct longer excursionsoutside the Vault over time. Don’t forget to bring them back toincrease Dweller happinessbetween trips.
