Summary
Fallout Shelterwas released in 2015, and while it followsFalloutcanon, it is very different from other games in theFalloutfranchise. This is a casual mobile and desktop game that focuses on colony development gameplay. It is a live-service game with a cash shop, but it is free-to-play.
There are a number oflegendary vault dwellersavailable to players ofFallout Shelter,and there are only two ways to get them. Firstly, they can be found as loot in lunchboxes. Secondly, they can be encountered and recruitedduring quests. All legendary vault dwellers are excellent, but some stand out as clearly better for various reasons.
Updated on August 12th, 2024, by Mac Wheeler:Following the first season of the popular Fallout TV series, several characters from the show were added to Fallout Shelter that were not available when this list was initially published. This includes the show’s main character, Lucy MacLean. Therefore, this list has been updated to add some of the better legendary dwellers that have been introduced to Fallout Shelter that are based on characters from the hit Amazon Prime TV show.
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Chetis Lucy’s cousin, and was originally a Vault 33 dweller. In theFalloutTV show, he was the gatekeeper of the vault, responsible for guarding and opening the vault doors. Later, he moved to vault 32 as part of the mass exodus from vault 33. Chet is often comical in the TV show.
InFallout Shelter,Chet is a pretty cool legendary vault dweller. He has a nice combination of stats, and really suits a melee weapon, which is no surprise considering his standard equipment is a baseball bat. Originally, he was available as a quest reward or a login reward. However, these days, the only way to get Chet as a vault dweller is by opening lunchboxes. With his excellent Charisma, he is also very useful as a vault breeder, which is likely an Easter Ebased on his physically close relationship with Lucy, which was inferred in the show.
Lucy MacLeanis the main protagonist of theFalloutTV show, and likely needs no introduction here. As with Chet, she is now only available as a legendary vault dweller inFallout Shelterby pulling her out of a lunchbox.
As one would expect from Lucy, her stats are really aimed at wasteland exploration. Her high Perception and Luck stats mean she is likely to find a lot of loot, and has a much greater chance of it being of high quality. Overall, she is an excellent addition to any player’s vault. Her standard equipment is pretty good too, as she starts out with her iconic tranq gun and a slightly upgraded version of the standard Vault 33 suit.
In theFalloutTV show,Ma Juneis the operator of a general store in Filly. She is known for being hard-nosed and tough with her customers. Ma June has a fairly negative view of all vault dwellers, so it is amusing to see her becoming an inhabitant of a vault inFallout Shelter.
Her stats are also very amusing, as she has very high Charisma, which is anathema to her character in the TV show, when she was often dismissive or downright rude to people. Stats-wise, she makes a good wasteland exploration dweller. Once again, as with all the legendary dwellers from the TV show, Ma June is now only available from a lunchbox.
Augustus Autumnwas the leader of the Capital Wasteland Enclave Contingent inFallout 3. He comes toFallout Shelteras a charismatic leader. His equipment is good, but despite his title of Colonel, he is not ideally suited to combat.
Where he really shines is in manning the Radio Station. With his 9 Charisma points, he will decrease the duration between broadcasts considerably. He is also exceptionally well suited as a breeder, due to the same high Charisma bonus. As part of a quest team, he brings a decent level of Luck to the table as well.Switching out his outfitto something with more Strength would plug the only hole in his stats.
Fallout Shelterplayers will undoubtedly start encountering ghouls out in the wasteland, or when undertaking quests. These are always enemies, generally in groups of 2 or 3, that the player will need to overcome as part of a quest combat encounter.Ed The Ghoulis different; he’s a friendly ghoul.
Ed is a great vault dweller for quests, as his stats are quite flat, with only Charisma being low, which is really not much of a loss at all. He will do well in combat, and also has pretty high Luck for looting. With a massive 9 Intelligence, he is going to level up very fast.
Eulogy Jonesis the head slaver of Paradise Falls inFallout 3,and he makes a visit toFallout Shelteras a legendary vault dweller. This is one of the more common legendary vault dwellers that players pull from the new player crates that can be purchased at the start of the game.
With nicely balanced stats and good equipment coming standard, he fits into many roles. However, his high Charisma bonus makes him excellent for breeding with female dwellers, as it takes only minutes for them to become attracted while in the Living Quarters.
Harknesswas an android NPC inFallout 3. He was the security chief of Rivet City. Staying with his already established role inFalloutcanon, he specializes in combat inFallout Shelter.His default equipment is excellent for eitherwasteland explorationor combat quests,especially hisweapon.
With high bonuses to Strength and Endurance, he hits hard and has plenty of health. His Agility is good too, helping mitigate radiation damage. The only downside with Harkness is his low Luck stat, but this can be trained up a little.
InFallout 3,Jerichoresides in Megaton City, and was once an infamous Raider.Fallout Shelterdoes a great job of converting him into a vault dweller. He is a full-on combat dweller with extremely high combat-related stats, while his low Luck stat pays homage to his abrupt manner inFallout 3.
Jericho has pretty good Perception and Luck, so this makes him a very good choice for a questing team. Players might like to train his Intelligence a little before leveling him up too much, as it is very low and will make him slow to level otherwise.
Crosswas a member of the Brotherhood of Steel inFallout 3,and theFallout Shelteriteration of Cross stays true to the original. This is a very versatile vault dweller, suitable for quests, combat, and wasteland exploration due to their excellent balance of stats.
The downside of Star Paladin Cross is their low Luck stat, and players might want to send this dweller to the Game Room to train their Luck up a bit before they start sending them out in the wasteland.
Butch DeLoriawas originally a denizen ofVault 101, before going on to become the leader of the Tunnel Snakes gang. InFallout Shelter, he is one of the most versatile legendary vault dwellers available. He works well for questing and general wasteland exploration. He has decent combat stats and other useful stats as well, such as high Charisma.
The only negative about Butch is that he doesn’t have much Luck, literally. However, this can be fixed by sending him off to the Game Room for a couple of days to gain a few points of Luck, at which point he becomes one of the most versatile dwellers possible.
