Breeding Vault Dwellers: A Comprehensive Guide to Fallout Shelter Procreation
Breeding Vault Dwellers in Fallout Shelter is surprisingly straightforward, albeit a little… unconventional. To initiate the process, you simply place a male and a female Dweller into the same Living Quarters. After a short period of exchanging pleasantries (and some rather cringe-worthy pickup lines), they’ll disappear into the back room. A short time later, the female Dweller emerges, now visibly pregnant. No privacy screens or anything! This is how you increase your population and ensure the survival (and expansion) of your Vault.
The Mating Ritual: A Step-by-Step Guide
Setting the Stage
Construct or upgrade Living Quarters. The larger the Living Quarters, the more Dwellers it can accommodate, leading to faster breeding if you have plenty of Dwellers of the opposite sex.
Assign a male and female Dweller to the Living Quarters. Ideally, these Dwellers should have high Charisma stats. Higher Charisma speeds up the ‘getting to know you’ process.
The Awkward Encounter
Watch as the Dwellers engage in small talk, dance awkwardly, and throw out some truly awful pickup lines. This phase is unavoidable and, frankly, part of the charm (or horror) of the game.
The Deed is Done
Once the initial awkwardness subsides, the Dwellers will retreat to the back room, indicated by a “busy” sign on the door. When they return, the female Dweller will be pregnant.
The Pregnancy
The pregnant Dweller will waddle around the Vault for approximately three hours, continuing to work in her assigned room. However, she will be unable to participate in defending the Vault against raiders or dealing with incidents like fires or radroach infestations.
The Birth
After the three-hour gestation period, the Dweller will give birth to a baby. The baby will remain a child for a few hours before becoming a working adult.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Vault Dweller Breeding
1. How do I make Vault Dwellers give birth faster?
Unfortunately, you can’t directly speed up the birth process. The pregnancy lasts a fixed amount of time (around three hours). However, you can ensure that there’s enough space in your Vault. If the Vault is at its population capacity, the pregnancy will be delayed until you either evict a Dweller or build more Living Quarters.
2. How do you get “Super Babies” in Fallout Shelter?
The quality of a child’s stats is influenced by the SPECIAL stats of the parents. Dwellers with higher total SPECIAL stats are more likely to produce children with higher starting SPECIAL stats. Maxing out the parents’ stats (all 10s) gives you the best chance of producing a “super baby.” Some believe that having the parents at level 50 also influences the outcome. Also, look for pets with bonuses to child SPECIAL stats! Learn more about gaming and education at GamesLearningSociety.org.
3. Can you breed father and daughter (or siblings) in Fallout Shelter?
No, the game prevents incestuous relationships. If you attempt to place two Dwellers who are directly related (parent/child or siblings) in the same Living Quarters, a message will appear stating that they are “hanging out with family.” Uncles, aunts, nieces, nephews, and cousins, however, are fair game.
4. Do babies inherit SPECIAL stats from their parents?
Yes, the SPECIAL stats of the parents influence the starting SPECIAL stats of the child. Children born to parents with high SPECIAL stats will generally have higher starting stats than those born to parents with lower stats. This is a key strategy for building a powerful Vault population.
5. Do Dwellers age in Fallout Shelter?
Dwellers do not visibly age in Fallout Shelter. They go from baby to adult, and that’s it. They remain adults indefinitely unless they die from incidents like raids, fires, or radiation exposure. So, don’t worry about your elder Dwellers becoming frail and needing retirement homes!
6. How do I get Legendary Dwellers in Fallout Shelter?
Legendary Dwellers are primarily obtained through Lunchboxes. You can earn Lunchboxes by completing objectives or purchasing them with real money. Some Legendary Dwellers can also be obtained by completing specific quests in the Overseer’s Office. There is no method of specifically breeding a legendary dweller, so you will still need to open lunchboxes.
7. Can you breed siblings in Fallout Shelter?
As mentioned earlier, no. The game has built-in safeguards to prevent siblings (and parent/child relationships) from breeding. Attempting to do so will result in the “Hanging out with the family” message.
8. How do I get a Legendary Dweller quickly?
There’s no guaranteed quick way. Opening Lunchboxes is the most common method. Focusing on completing objectives and daily quests will provide you with more Lunchboxes, increasing your chances of finding a Legendary Dweller. Some event-based quests sometimes reward you with one as well.
9. How do you get twins in Fallout Shelter?
To increase your chances of having twins, equip the pregnant mother with a pet that has a twin or triplet chance bonus before the birth occurs. The pet’s effect will only be applied at the moment of birth. Some pets also have the chance to increase the specials stats of any children born, but having the stats increased by the parents is still recommended for max stat children.
10. Can you “time cheat” in Fallout Shelter to speed up breeding and pregnancy?
While it’s technically possible to adjust your device’s clock to speed up processes in the game, it’s generally not recommended. This can sometimes cause glitches and bugs that can negatively impact your gameplay experience.
11. Should pregnant Dwellers work in Fallout Shelter?
Yes, pregnant Dwellers can continue to work in their assigned rooms. They contribute to production as usual, which can be beneficial, but they cannot defend against threats. So you should place them somewhere with good protection.
12. Why won’t my Vault Dwellers give birth?
The most common reason for delayed births is a lack of space in your Vault. Ensure you have enough available population slots. If your Vault is at capacity, either upgrade existing Living Quarters or build more to increase your maximum population.
13. What happens if a Dweller has 0 Happiness?
A Dweller with very low happiness will be less productive. While some speculate about extreme consequences, there’s no evidence that Dwellers commit suicide or suffer any drastic fate beyond reduced efficiency. It’s important to keep your Dwellers happy!
14. What’s the best way to increase happiness in Fallout Shelter?
Assigning Dwellers to jobs they are skilled in is one of the best ways to improve happiness. A Dweller with high Strength is much happier working in a power plant. Keep your resources high enough to prevent starving or thirsty Dwellers, and successfully rushing rooms also gives a temporary happiness boost. Also, pregnant dwellers are automatically at 100% happiness!
15. Is there an end to Fallout Shelter?
No, Fallout Shelter is an endless game. There is no final objective or ending. The goal is to build and manage a thriving Vault, explore the wasteland, and complete quests. It’s all about creating a sustainable community in the post-apocalyptic world. By understanding the mechanics of breeding and carefully managing your Vault’s population, you can create a flourishing underground community in Fallout Shelter. Good luck, Overseer! And remember to check out the Games Learning Society for more insights on games and education.