Summary
Fans of Bethesda fondly rememberFalloutand its take on the post-apocalyptic genre. TheFalloutuniverse 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.
Franchise fans might wonder: while their characters save the world from imminent doom, what happens to the Vault they leave behind? InFallout Shelter, players become Overseers of their own Vault and manage just that. And in classicFalloutfashion, 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?
Updated on July 04, 2025, by Rhenn Taguiam:With Amazon Prime’s Fallout series being freshly renewed for a second season, fans of the show might be eagerly awaiting the rest of Lucy MacLean’s journey as she explores a post-apocalyptic Los Angeles in the year 2296. However, while Lucy begins her journey as in any other Fallout game, where they have to leave the safety of the Vault, fans might wonder what life was like in these supposedly indestructible last bastions of human civilization. This is where Fallout Shelter comes in, and fans might soon realize just how tricky it is dealing with the constant threat of Raiders and Deathclaws amid the struggle of maintaining all Dwellers alive. Some mistakes players shouldn’t do in this regard include placing rooms so close to the top, forgetting about the possibility of redirecting opponents, and even neglecting the potential of elevators as a defensive measure.
Maximizes space per floor
What should be done instead:
Place Living Rooms at much lower floors to maximize their safety
Similar to other survival simulation games,Fallout Sheltergameplayhas Living Rooms that represent domestic areas in the busy underground societies of Vaults. Unlike other rooms, Living Rooms exist to provide sleeping quarters and recreational space for Dwellers and represent the growing population in Vaults. Players who want to be economical with their room placement may position a three-part Living Room beside other upgraded Rooms to maximize space in a single floor. However, upgraded Vaults might see dangers in haphazardly placing Living Rooms close to the surface.
At its core, Living Rooms provide no value to Vaults except for representing and upgrading the current population capacity. Given this lack of immediate use, its denizens are also likely more vulnerable compared to their working counterparts. In the face of danger, an unprotected Living Room becomes an inconvenience compared to other rooms where defenders can be situated.
Optimizing Rooms per floor seems more practical than rerouting threats
Leading creatures into a kill zone with many defenders can end encounters much faster
When Deathclaws and Raiders start to periodically attackthe player’sFalloutVault, the situation can become very inconvenient when they’re left to face Dwellers without the right equipment. This can lead to swift deaths and unnecessary expenditure towards recovery. However, players can avoid this situation by being more methodical in the way they engage these threats. Instead of solely relying on Dwellers with powerful stats and gear, they can transform their Vault into a kill-house.
This setup involves understanding that the AI usually moves to the end of the floor and takes the Elevator there, or moves back until they find one they can use. Upon descent, they then go to the left-most part of the floor before proceeding to the right. In this regard, players can position an Elevator in the lower level in between two Power Rooms. This way, more aggressive Dwellers with high STR and END are located on either side, and enemies will be attacked by high-DPS units regardless of the direction they take.
Put Elevators At The Lowest Level To Avoid Mole Rats
Why players do it:
Elevators on the ground seem impractical if they don’t connect anywhere
Mole Rats can only spawn on Rooms touching dirt, so Elevators stop this from happening
Among threats players can encounter in theirFallout Sheltergameplay, Mole Rats can be annoying as they can spawn in any room that touches the ground. When left alone, they can stir quite a lot of trouble for players who don’t get to kill them quickly. Thankfully, this description for Mole Rat spawning patterns also includes its solution: build Elevators that touch the ground.
This tip essentially means for players to eventually invest in an endgame build that involves placing Elevators on all sides of their Vault, save for the first floor. Having Elevators at the very bottom of the Shelter means the Elevators are touching the ground, not the rooms above them. This practically disables the spawning of Mole Rats, removing one problem for players to deal with.
Improving Room-specific SPECIAL skills seem more practical for production
Increasing Agility via the Athletics Room can help players attack first
As with the gameplay of otherFallouttitles,Fallout Sheltermechanics also rely onthe SPECIAL Systemto keep track of a Dweller’s stats. However, the survival sim now relies on the SPECIAL System for Production Rooms to produce resources adequately, with the game offering special Training Rooms to boost SPECIAL stats of Dwellers positioned there. However, while it seems more practical to train specific SPECIAL stats tailored for specific production processes, players shouldn’t neglect the Agility of their Dwellers.
Similar to otherFalloutgames, Agility is also an integral part of a Dweller’s combat performance inFallout Shelter. In the sim, higher Agility allows a Dweller to perform better in Food Production areas, such as the Diner and the Garden. Increasing this can also improve their combat ability, as higher Agility allows Dwellers to fire weapons much faster than opponents. Theoretically, this ensures that Dwellers deal damage much faster than the enemy can fire back, decreasing their time to kill and boosting their overall survival rate.
He Gives Rewards When Clicked
Finding the Mysterious Stranger without the guarantee of high Cap rewards can seem not worthwhile
Find the Mysterious Stranger ASAP when the notification arrives
Being a survival sim,Fallout Sheltercan get boring quickly when all players have to do is to collect Resources and ensure their Dwellers survive attacks. However, every now and then, the game does feature some nifty Easter Eggs from the main series such as theMysterious Stranger. Having appeared since the first games, the Mysterious Stranger pops up in various parts of a playthrough and is most notable for his trench coat and hat.
InFallout Sheltergameplay, players get a notification that the Mysterious Stranger is present in the game and should find him for a reward. This transformsFallout Shelterinto aWhere’s Waldo?minigame. Players shouldn’t skipthe Mysterious Stranger’s appearance, as he can reward as low as 10 Caps and as high as thousands of caps.
More population means more people to manage Rooms
Control the population first to ensure they are well-equipped before crossing the threshold for Deathclaws
When players make significant progress inFallout Shelter,theFalloutgamegives them access to more advanced gameplay options such as larger fused Rooms and even more opportunities to obtain Items and XP. This will also result in their Shelter and Dweller population’s faster growth. However, as players may notice, staying longer in the game will likely boost the chances of bandit attacks and appearances of dangerous Deathclaws.
Thankfully, players do have an opportunity to prepare for Deathclaws: ensure their population doesn’t immediately reach 60. Deathclaws start spawning at Population 60, as though signifying that the player’sFallout Shelterplaythrough has reached a progress milestone. In this regard, players seeing their population grow should start developing the gear of their Settlers to ensure their survival against tougher foes.
This dictates HP per Level Up
Other stats seem more helpful when it comes to generating resources
Endurance can greatly increase HP, which can then make Dwellers more durable against threats
Just like in traditionalFalloutgameplay,Fallout ShelterDwellers also follow theSPECIAL stat systemin order to dictate their general competencies. Various Rooms and Gear in the game can also help improve a character’s SPECIAL stats, but perhaps Endurance is the most vital among these attributes.
While it’s true that other stats can boost a Dweller’s competency in handling Shelter maintenance, Endurance is vital in a Dweller’s survival. Essentially, every level up will give a Dweller 2.5 + (END * 0.5) in extra HP. An END 1 Dweller will get a maximum of 252 HP at Level 50 compared to an END 17 Dweller getting 644 HP at the same level.
They Boost Stats Past Maximum
It’s more fun choosing outfits for Dwellers, and it may seem more practical to hyper-optimize outfits based on their resource management benefits
Boosting a Dweller’s specialty stat can make them perform more efficiently
Given how Dwellersin theFalloutseriesfollow the SPECIAL stat system, theirFallout Sheltervariants can also level up their stats whenever they level up. Unfortunately for players, Dwellers can only get up to 10 of each SPECIAL stat through natural bonuses. When left alone, Dwellers can underperform in the late game where there can be more frequent disasters and deadlier opponents both inside the Vault and in the Wilderness.
Thankfully, players can exceed this maximum should they start equipping better Gear. If possible, players should aim to acquire Gear designed to improve their Dweller’s best stats in order to raise their SPECIALs up to 17.
They Are Powerful Assets In A Vault
It’s easy to not know they are Dweller Quests, and the number of tasks to be done can send these Quests to the backburner
Acquiring these Legendary Dwellers can provide immense stat boosts
One of the best parts ofFallout Sheltergameplay is “collecting” Dwellers, especially when they come not just with different appearances and stats but also different Gear and outfits as well. They can give a breath of fresh air to a Shelter’s overall vibe as they provide new perspectives and personalities for players to enjoy. However, players should be on the lookout for upgraded Dwellers for their higher SPECIAL stats and even better outfit choices. They come in the form of Rare and Legendary Dwellers, of which most are named aftercharacters fromFallout 3, Fallout 4, and evenFallout 76.
Most of these higher-level Dwellers are acquired from Lunchboxes, making it a tricky endeavor for players to fully enjoy theirFallout Shelterexperience with these special characters. However, four Legendary Dwellers are actually obtainable through Quests: Ed the Ghoul (Searching in the Dark), Preston Garvey (A Settler Needs Your Help), Sarah Lyons(Climbing the Ranks), and Three Dog (Horseman of the Post Apocalypse Part 3).
15Don’t Put Empty Rooms Too Close Together
This Spreads Fires Faster
Fallout Shelterfollows themes of theFalloutfranchise. Survival doesn’t come easy to humanity’s remnants, since even the Vault encounters dangers the longer it stays active. Among these Disasters, Fire is perhaps the deadliest. Not only does it shut down an affected Room’s operations, but it also risks the health of Dwellers who try to stop its spread. While Fires are unavoidable throughout a playthrough, there are ways of containing the situation.
Players should avoid having empty Rooms next to each other, and place a necessary empty Room between occupied spaces. This way, Dwellers on either side can become first responders in the event of a Fire. Also, since Fire spreads between empty Rooms, having a “blocker” in place mitigates this risk.
