The Calm Before

The Calm Before is a main quest in Fallout 76, introduced in the Skyline Valley update.

Quick walkthrough[]

• Clear out the Lost from Dark Hollow Manor
• Retrieve a hand from a Lost corpse
• Use the hand scanner
• Enter Vault 63
• Speak to Hilda
• Speak to Hugo
• Retrieve the situation report from Oberlin
• Report back to Hugo

Detailed walkthrough[]

Enter Dark Hollow Manor. Once inside, clear out the various waves of Lost, finishing with the Lost Champion. Enter the door on the right, and take the stairs into the basement. Interact with the intercom in the back to speak with Hilda. She states that she wants to leave Vault 63, but the door requires authentication from both sides, and though she is authorized, you are not. Since Lost are former Vault 63 occupants, they are authorized to open the door. She suggests cutting off the hand of a Lost and using it to authorize yourself. Walk up to any Lost to loot a Lost hand, then go back into the basement and use the scanner to the right of the intercom. An elevator appears; enter the elevator and descend into the Vault 63 atrium.

Exit the elevator, and walk up to Hilda and talk to her. She asks you to confirm that you are not Lost, before pointing you to her uncle, Hugo Stolz, and hurriedly leaving the vault for the Vault 63 organics sector through the elevator, leaving no time to ask her further questions. Head into the next room to find Hugo Stolz, Vault 63's overseer. Hugo welcomes you, and proposes that you work for him. If you agree, he asks that you first get vetted by the vault's Chief of Security, James Oberlin.

Turn around and head right, down the stairs, past the clinic, following the hallway until you reach the atrium proper. Take a left, past a couple of security personnel, up a flight of stairs, and enter the security office. Speak with Oberlin, who will ask your reason for having entered the vault, and will ask you to describe your background. After answering, Oberlin reveals that Hugo had already told him everything, and was merely checking if you would answer honestly. If you did, Oberlin will complete his security report and dismisses you. Return to Hugo and talk with him.

Hugo explains that he was born blind, but, after a recent incident, gained the ability to sense electronic activity, allowing him to "see". He shares this ability with the Lost, but was somehow able to retain his sanity. To learn why his case is different, he needs your help, since you have experience with both other vaults and various surface dangers. Both Hugo and Oberlin will have a task for you, leading to Between the Lines and Housekeeping for Hire, respectively.

Quest stages[]

Bugs[]

PC If the Lost Champion is killed before fully standing up, the quest gets stuck at the "Clear out the Lost" objective. To resolve the issue, reload the game, and clear out the manor again without killing the Lost Champion "prematurely".^{[verification needed]}