- “First day in the Vault! [...] a much longer tunnel, to be used in times of emergency only. [...] I can't wait for this "emergency"!”
- —Data Log #1.01.01
The Long Dark is the collective term for a labyrinthine and heavily booby-trapped network of hallways connecting Vault 74 to Zion Canyon and Grand Staircase Escalante. It was incorporated into Vault 74 as an emergency escape route in the event of the vault being compromised and leads out into numerous locations that were assumed by Vault-Tec to experience a minimal amount of damage in the event of a nuclear exchange.
Access[]
The long dark is accessed through the Pine Creek tunnel from Zion Canyon after the key has been recovered from the NCR garrison there.
Pine Creek Tunnel[]
Pine Creek tunnel is an access route containing a high number of improvised explosive devices and a modest amount of supplies. A maintenance room left of the entrance contains the remains of the Sorrows midwife Waking Cloud which provides an account of the Zion Tribals exodus to the Divide and their subsequent massacre, the blame for which she places on Daniel of New Canaan for locking the gate. Further on is the tunnels normal point of termination and the entrance to the Long Dark, again located to the left. Great Care should be taken here as the booby traps are not readily visible and are easily capable of killing a survivor with almost no warning.
The Long Dark[]
The long dark is a connection of switchback hallways with most doors either collapsed or otherwise inaccessible. Upon entering the long dark, a survivor will first encounter a locked door leading to Grand Staircase national monument. Immediately to the left is a staircase descending into the long dark proper. Explosives and bear traps are endemic here and the labyrinthine nature of this area makes it very easy to become complacent and wander into a trap you would have otherwise noticed. Eventually, a survivor who avoids the traps will come to a second descending stairway leading to a straight hallway with two doors on either side about halfway through its expanse. The leftmost of these leads to Vault 74.
Insanity[]
An insane Survivor will experience auditory hallucinations of the Wendigo's cry while navigating the long dark, Most instances of this seem to occur when encountering a dead end.
One can also find hostile people inside the Vault or in the tunnels, that will explode once attacked. When re-entering the location from the Divide, a group of cannibals will spawn (it is unknown whether it's intentional or a bug).
Trivia[]
- The length of the Long Dark does not correspond to its implied distance, which would stretch from southern Utah to the Divide on the California/Nevada border.