Can you go back to Vault 101 after trouble on the homefront?

Yes, you can go back to Vault 101 after Trouble on the Homefront, but only under specific circumstances, such as when you receive a new radio channel saying “Vault 101 distress signal” or by being in the general area of Vault 101 anytime after the Water of Life quest. The Pip-boy will pick up a distress signal from Amata in 101, allowing you to re-enter the vault and interact with its inhabitants once again, including potentially recruiting Amata as a follower or resolving the vault’s internal conflicts.

Frequently Asked Questions

General Information

1. How do you trigger the Vault 101 quest?: The one way you’ll know for sure that you can undertake this quest, thus accessing Vault 101, is to pick up a stray radio signal from the vault.
2. Can Amata leave Vault 101?: Depending on the choices you made in the quest, she may leave the vault but will hate you, potentially running into an Enclave checkpoint where she could be killed.
3. What happens if you let Amata keep the pistol?: If they let Amata keep the 10mm pistol, she will free herself by shooting Mack, and if the player character enters the room, Amata will flee and Mack will attack.

Re-entering Vault 101

4. Is there any way to get back into Vault 101?: The only way to get back into Vault 101 is anytime after the Water of Life quest to be in the general area of Vault 101 and your Pip-boy will pick up a distress signal from Amata in 101.
5. Can you enter Vault 111 again?: The player can re-enter Vault 111 whenever they wish simply by heading to the location and pressing the button in the guard tower.

Interactions with Amata

6. Do you meet Amata again in Fallout 3?: You only see Amata again if you sabotaged the vault, where she is talking to Enclave soldiers and they either kill her or you kill them first and she blames you for everything.
7. How do I get Amata as a follower?: If you wish to recruit Amata during the “Trouble On The Homefront” quest, you need to pass a couple of speech checks after Amata has greeted you in the vault.
8. Can Amata be a follower in Fallout 3?: This mod, as you might guess, adds Amata to Fallout 3 as a recruitable follower.

Vault 101 Quests and Storyline

9. What happens if you surrender to the overseer in Fallout 3?: When Mack goes down, Amata will flee the room, and you’ll be alone with the Overseer, who will take your weapons and use them against you if you surrender.
10. What to do after leaving Vault 101?: From 101, head west uphill to the near[ish] barn – a sniper rifle is inside, great to have really early on simply for the scope sight.
11. What happens if you say no to Vault-Tec?: This will trigger a visit from the Vault-Tec representative, and your spouse will convince you to sign the paperwork just to get the process over with.

Game Mechanics and Loot

12. What to grab in Vault 101 before leaving?: Notable loot includes Medicine bobblehead, Rock-It Launcher schematics, and 300 caps, as well as Grognak the Barbarian from Amata.
13. Can you convince Amata to leave the vault?: There’s no way to get Amata to leave the vault with you, although you can see her in a chance random encounter where she may die if you don’t defend her.
14. Will Amata forgive you in Fallout 3?: Amata pretty much never likes you after the incident with the Tunnel Snakes, even if you do right by her every chance you get, as she hates you because your father left the Vault and broke her fragile world view.
15. Does Amata survive?: The soldiers will kill her, unless the player intervenes, and if she lives, she will walk away and scold the Lone Wanderer, saying to stay away from her because her situation is the Lone Wanderer’s fault.