Vault 21

Vault 21 is one of the Vaults constructed by the Vault-Tec Corporation. It is located in Las Vegas, Nevada, in the post-War city of New Vegas. It has since been converted into a hotel and acts as one of many sources of income for Mr. House and his fledgling New Vegas empire.

Background
Located in downtown Las Vegas, Nevada, Vault 21 was one of the few vaults that successfully protected its inhabitants while fulfilling the parameters of its experiment. Everyone in the vault was equal, it was created with a perfectly symmetrical layout, and all conflicts and problems were solved through gambling. Chosen representatives gambled against each other in the main atrium and the winner earned the right to settle the dispute as wished by the collective. Reliance on luck to solve problems created what might be considered the perfect realization of anarchy: a society in which everyone is equal and no one has an advantage over the others.

However, as with all utopias, the peace was not lasting. In 2274, Robert House contacted Vault 21's residents with an offer of inclusion in the resurrection of Vegas. While most of the vault dwellers wanted to refuse the offer, some residents were in favor of it. As a result, residents in favor of Mr. House's offer challenged each level's representative who were in favor of staying isolated. After a game of blackjack that lasted for many hours, those in favor of opening to the outside won in an extremely risky move. Once Mr. House gained access to the vault, he stripped much of its technology, and with the help of the vault dwellers, used it to rebuild the Strip. Soon after, Mr. House ordered most of the vault to be filled with concrete. At the request of Sarah and Sheldon Weintraub, Mr. House left some of the upper levels intact and allowed Sarah to establish a hotel there, which became another source of income for Vegas's growing economy. After their emergence, many of the vault dwellers went on to live new lives in the outside world, most notably Doc Mitchell.

Layout
The vault's main cog door has been transformed into a sign advertising the vault/casino. "Vault 21" is emblazoned on it in neon lights. The vault entrance is an above ground building which contains the Vault 21 gift shop. The gift shop is run by one of the only two native residents to have remained, Sarah Weintraub. Stairs lead from the gift shop down into the vault.

The vault has been converted into a casino and hotel. There is a central atrium with gambling tables, a hallway with living quarters, including Sarah's room and a guest room that the player can rent. Another door leads to the cafeteria/diner. The lower levels were filled with concrete by Mr. House and are inaccessible except for the maintenance level, which is accessible from the basement of The Tops, where the Chairmen appear to have tried to break in. This level consists of a long hallway with a few small rooms branching off of it. The elevator in Benny's suite leading to it is locked unless he is attacked in the Tops, and the tunnel ends in another locked door. The tunnel runs under the outer wall of the Strip.

Inhabitants

 * Sarah Weintraub
 * Carlitos Wayne
 * Martina Groesbeck

Notable loot

 * Snowglobe - The Strip behind an average locked door in the northeast-most room (Sarah's room). In the same room, there is a hard-locked dresser beside the bed with 270 caps and several clothes.
 * A giant toy car, sensor module, and a shrunken paperweight and Sunset Sarsaparilla can be found in the hotel lobby.
 * Strip letter 1 and Strip letter 2 can be found in guest rooms in the south-east. Strip letter 3 can be found in the guest room just west of the inaccessible door to the south.

Related quests

 * Bye Bye Love
 * The Finger of Suspicion
 * Suits You, Sarah
 * Tourist Traipse

Appearances
Vault 21 appears only in Fallout: New Vegas.

Behind the scenes

 * Vault 21 was designed by Jorge Salgado.
 * Vault 21 is a reference to the card game "blackjack", where 21 is the highest sum and its limit, usually declaring an instant victory. This supports its gambling theme.

Bugs

 * If you take the tour with Sarah Weintraub, your companions may disappear and not reappear when you exit the Vault.
 * If you walk into the right wall, before the toilet, of Sarah's bathroom you can see other parts of the vault.
 * If you close your rented hotel room door from the outside, you will not be able to get back in. It will be red, and require a key.
 * If you try to sit on one of the benches near a steel pillar, and sit on the side nearest to the pillar you will sit there and when you stand up you will be inside the pillar.