In the past, we’ve discussed several aspects of Fallout Shelter, including a treasure trove of general tips, strategies for getting more free lunchboxes and bottle caps, and a whole lot more. And in this brand new Fallout Shelter strategy guide, we’re going to tell you a thing or two about building a family in your vault, particularly the process of making babies. Yes, we’ve talked about this before, albeit in brief, and before we talk about it again, we should remind first-time readers that this game is an iOS / Android title from Bethesda. Despite the use of late ‘50s and early ‘60s-influenced themes (that was when fears of nuclear war made fallout shelters popular, if ultimately unnecessary), it’s a futuristic, post-apocalyptic title that offers a new twist on city building and management – this time around, you’re managing a protective vault and a community of Dwellers.
So with all that said, let’s move on to the topic at hand – everything you need to know about starting a family in Fallout Shelter.
1. You Need A Man And A Woman
This is something we’ve touched on in previous strategy guides, but as a reminder, you’ll want to have a male Dweller and a Female Dweller in the Living Quarters, or an equal number of men and women. And since this isn’t Game of Thrones (fans of the show will get what we mean), the man and woman should not be related. Eventually, these unrelated pairs will dance…and then dance horizontally. And you probably know what that means – it will all end with the female Dweller pregnant and eventually giving birth to a bouncing baby Dweller boy or girl.
2. Upgrade Or Merge Living Quarters
Want to speed up the mating process? Fallout Shelter doesn’t explain it fully, but one neat trick you can do to speed up dating and mating is to upgrade or merge your Living Quarters.
3. One Partner (Or Both) Should Have High Charisma
Think about it as a parallel to real-life dating – in order for a couple to hit it off quickly, one of them needs to have a high Charisma. And since Fallout Shelter doesn’t penalize “polygamy,” it would be the guy who preferably has that high Charisma rating; that way, you could turn him into your designated “stud,” someone who mates with multiple women to make more Dweller babies.
4. Sometimes, Partners Don’t Have Chemistry
And now, we’ve got another dating parallel – there may be times when Dwellers simply won’t have chemistry with each other, thus putting the kibosh on being “more than just friends.” That means they’ll stop talking to each other after exchanging a few words with each other. It goes without saying that this couple won’t make you any babies, so be sure you keep a close eye on your dating couples so that you can ensure they’ve got that spark.
5. The Apples Usually Don’t Fall Far From The Tree
Once you’ve got baby Dwellers, you may notice that they will often have similar skills to their parents. Take the example of a couple where both man and woman have high Charisma – their child will likely have high Charisma as well when they grow up. This could make it a smart move to prioritize certain stats if you’re looking for a particular type of Dweller once the child matures.
6. Have Your Mating Couples Wear Charisma Boosting Outfits
Sometimes you may not have enough Dwellers with high enough Charisma to make things happen in the Living Quarters. If that’s the case, you can equip a male and/or female Dweller with a Charisma boosting outfit. And once that couple’s done procreating, you can un-equip the outfit(s) and put them on the next couple you wish to send to the Living Quarters.
7. Send Only One Couple At A Time To The Living Quarters
We’ve said a few times before (including in the above tip) that it is possible to have multiple couples mating in the Living Quarters. However, if you really want to make sure that a baby will take after his or her parents, it would be safer to send only one couple at a time to the Living Quarters to mate.
8. Put Your Mothers To Work Immediately, But Don’t Allow Them To Fight
Once the women have given birth, there’s no such thing as “maternity leave.” That means you should put them to work right off the bat after they give birth, after the dating process has ended. However, you should not, in any case, leave them vulnerable to RadRoaches or Raiders while still bearing child; a pregnant woman cannot defend herself or fight off enemies, so you want them placed near the end of your vault, thus keeping them safe from Raider or roach attacks. To keep them further protected, you can have a couple well-armed and skilled male Dwellers serve as their “bodyguards.” And lastly, as far as this tip goes, we suggest un-equipping pregnant women and assigning their weapons to someone else. Might as well put those weapons to good use at all times, right?
9. Ensure Productivity Despite Pregnancies
Generally speaking, the percentage of pregnant individuals in your vault should not exceed 30 percent. If most or all the women in your vault are pregnant, then you’ll find yourself in a lot of trouble in the event of a Raider or RadRoach attack, and that’s something you definitely wouldn’t want shaking things up in your vault.
10. Ensure Productivity Once The Kids Arrive
Babies take up resources from the moment they are born, which underscores the importance of producing enough Water and Food in advance. Don’t have couples mating if your resources are merely enough – they should be substantial. You should not be at a point where you have to rush production if you’re planning to have couples head to the Living Quarters for some dating…and baby-making. And to prevent this possibility, you’ll want to use your bottle caps to upgrade current buildings and make them more productive.
Previously, we shared several other tips, tricks and guides for Fallout Shelter that you may want to check out, if you’ve missed them before. If you’re looking to build the perfect vault in the game, you should take a look at our dedicated article that deals with this topic in detail. In case you’re struggling to attract dwellers to your vault, we advise you to read our tips and tricks on this subject. Now, if you need some tips on resource management in Fallout Shelter, fear not, as we wrote a few articles on this topic, that should help you out.