Fallout Shelter Legendary Dwellers Guide

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Xavier is a featured writer for Wasteland gamers. His love affair with the Fallout series started in 2008 with Fallout 3 and hasn't slowed down since.RPGs are Xavier's video games of choice, and alongside Fallout, some of his favorites are Fire Emblem, Kingdom Hearts, Alpha Protocol, and The Elder Scrolls series. As talk of the Metaverse continues to heat up, Xavier faithfully waits for someone to create a real-life version of The World (Minus dungeon boss-induced comas).

Intro

Fallout Shelter is a Vault-Tec Vault Overseer simulator. Most of the gameplay revolves around you designating tasks for your Vault Dwellers to carry out for the good of the Vault.

From running the Vault’s nuclear reactor to venturing out into the Wasteland to take down threats, your Vault Dwellers are vital to the continued success of your Vault.

But not all Vault Dwellers are made equal. There are several kinds of Vault Dwellers in Fallout Shelter: Common, Rare, and Legendary. And as you would guess, Legendary Dwellers are the strongest Vault Dwellers in the game. Welcome to a Fallout Shelter Legendary Dwellers Guide.

What is a Legendary Dweller?

Legendary Dwellers stand out from Common and Rare Dwellers in several ways. For starters, most Legendary Dwellers are legacy characters from Bethesda-era Fallout games.

Another difference between Common, Rare, and Legendary Dwellers is their starter equipment and levels. Common Dwellers start at level 1 with no equipment. Rare Dwellers typically start at levels 6-7 (Seldom above level 10) with a Rare outfit and no weapon.

Legendary Dwellers come to the Vault at levels as low as 19 or as high as 43. Most also come equipped with Legendary outfits and or weapons. But the most significant difference between Common, Rare, and Legendary Dwellers is their SPECIAL spreads.

Common Dwellers begin with SPECIAL spreads of 12 points. Rare Dwellers begin with 28 SPECIAL points. But Legendary Dwellers start with a whopping 40 SPECIAL points.

Common Dwellers, at best, will have one stat at 5 but be 1-2 in every other stat. Rare Dwellers can have a single SPECIAL stat as high as 8, but these Dwellers often have lopsided stat spreads and likely have a stat at 1 to compensate.

Legendary Dwellers can start with multiple SPECIAL stats at 9 and have the most balanced stat spreads, with only a few having noticeable stat weaknesses.

How Do I Obtain Legendary Dwellers?

There are a handful of Legendary Dwellers that you can get from quests or by finding them in the Wasteland. I strongly encourage players to obtain at least 1-2 of these F2P Legendary Dwellers sooner rather than later, as they’re not too difficult to get and will make your life much easier.

Most Legendary Dwellers, however, are only available in lunchboxes. While you can get lunchboxes from objectives and quests, it’s a very slow farm. The only quick method of obtaining lunchboxes is to buy them with real money.

You are free to use your disposable income however you wish, but I’ll go into detail later about why I think spending money on lunchboxes hunting Legendary Dwellers is NOT a good idea.

Something I think IS a good idea, however, is re-rolling until you get a Legendary Dweller. You can obtain 4-5 lunchboxes from your first objectives in 20-30 minutes. Keep trying until you get a Legendary Dweller. On a new account, it took me eight re-rolls to get one.

Seeing is believing, as they say, so let’s introduce you to all 27 Legendary Dwellers in Fallout Shelter and discuss their strengths and weaknesses.

Legendary Dwellers

Abraham Washington

Starting Outfit: Abraham’s relaxedwear
Starting Weapon: Lincoln’s repeater
S: 2
P: 8
E: 6
C: 6
I: 8
A: 4
L: 6

Proud curator of the Capitol Preservation Society in Rivet City, Abraham Washington, is best staying in the Vault. His low Strength makes him bad for collecting junk in the Wasteland, and his low Agility means his attack speed during quests will be subpar.

He boasts high Perception and Intelligence, making him ideal for Med Bays, Science Centers, and Water Treatment Plants.

Abraham’s relaxed wear is pretty good, providing +1 Endurance, +2 Intelligence, +2 Agility, and +2 Luck. Lincoln’s repeater is a different story.

Hunting rifles in Fallout 3 are low mid-tier weapons that lose their value around level 10. Their only remaining use is as repair fodder for the excellent Lincoln’s repeater unique weapon.

Well, Bethesda has doubled down on their distaste for hunting rifles in Fallout Shelter. Not only are hunting rifles not good, but neither is Lincoln’s repeater. With a damage range of 4-9, it’s pretty weak and becomes obsolete quickly.

Allistair Tenpenny

Starting Outfit: Tenpenny’s suit
Starting Weapon: Victory rifle
S: 2
P: 9
E: 2
C: 9
I: 7
A: 2
L: 9

The pompous Tenpenny of Tenpenny Tower is a horrible Legendary Dweller to send out into the Wasteland or on quests, suffering from terrible Strength, Agility, and Endurance.

He makes up for it with high Perception and Charisma, making him effective in Science Centers, Med Bays, Water Treatment Plants, and Radio Studios.

Tenpenny’s suit buffs up what Tenpenny is already good at, giving +2 Perception, +2 Charisma, +2 Intelligence, and +1 Luck. His starting weapon, the Victory rifle, is a rock-solid mid-tier weapon with a damage range of 10-15. Take it away from Tenpenny and give it to someone good at combat.

Amata

Starting Outfit: Vault suit
Starting Weapon: Lone Wanderer
S: 4
P: 6
E: 5
C: 8
I: 4
A: 7
L: 6

Fan-favorite and one of the most hated characters of Fallout 3 (Due to a particular resolution of the Trouble on the Homefront quest), Amata is arguably the worst Legendary Dweller in Fallout Shelter.

Amata’s average Strength and Endurance make her subpar for questing or Wasteland exploration (Though her Agility of 7 means she can be good in combat with some training).

She has high Charisma, which makes her great for Radio Studios, but those are low-priority rooms. Her high Agility and solid Perception make her good for Diners and Water Treatment Centers.

Amata only gets worse when you look at her starting equipment. She starts with NO outfit, let alone a Legendary one. They could’ve at least given her the Vault 101 Utility Jumpsuit. Her starting weapon is the Lone Wanderer 10MM pistol.

Pistols get screwed over royally in Fallout Shelter, and Lone Wanderer is no exception. It has a damage range of 2-9. A max hit of 9 is solid for the early midgame, but a minimum hit of 2 is the second lowest of any handgun in the game.

Bittercup

Starting Outfit: Bittercup’s outfit
Starting Weapon: None
S: 5
P: 4
E: 7
C: 9
I: 5
A: 5
L: 5

Easily the most left-field Legendary Dweller pick by Bethesda is Bittercup. She’s the strange girl you meet in Big Town. Stat-wise, Bittercup is pretty evened out, except for boasting high Endurance and Charisma.

Her 7 Endurance means you can send her out into the Wasteland for training quickly after getting her. She works great in Radio Studios, but with the appropriate outfit, you can slot her into almost any room in your Vault.

Bittercup’s outfit is a great early game score, providing +2 Strength, +2 Endurance, +2 Perception, and +1 Charisma. Unfortunately, Bittercup starts with no weapon.

Butch DeLoria

Starting Outfit: Tunnel Snakes’ outfit
Starting Weapon: Lone Wanderer
S: 5
P: 7
E: 6
C: 9
I: 5
A: 6
L: 2

Childhood bully of the Lone Wanderer and wannabe Greaser tough guy, Butch DeLoria, is a solid Legendary Dweller. His above-average Perception, Agility, and Endurance are decent starting points and make him good for questing. His low Luck means his crits will come slowly, but besides that, he’s pretty good.

His high Perception makes him ideal for Water Treatment Plants, and his Charisma makes him a go-to jockey in Radio Studios. With Agility, Strength, or Intelligence outfits, you can place him in Diners, Med Bays or Science Centers, and Power Generators.

Butch’s Tunnel Snakes’ outfit is a great early-game outfit, boasting +2 Perception, +2 Agility (Ideal for questing), +2 Charisma, and +1 Endurance. Unfortunately, he uses the same crappy Lone Wanderer 10MM as Amata, so you’ll need to find him a better weapon.

Colonel Autumn

Starting Outfit: Autumn’s uniform
Starting Weapon: Smuggler’s End
S: 4
P: 6
E: 5
C: 9
I: 5
A: 5
L: 6

The resident jerk of Fallout 3’s Enclave, Colonel Autumn, is a middle-of-the-road Legendary Dweller. Aside from high Charisma and slightly below-average Strength, all his SPECIAL stats range from 5-6.

That means that with the appropriate SPECIAL outfit, you can place him in any room in your Vault or send him out on quests after some training. His 9 Charisma means his Enclave propaganda will be heard loud and clear in Radio Studios.

Autumn’s uniform is a great early-game outfit, providing +2 Strength, +2 Perception, +2 Endurance, and +1 Charisma. Smuggler’s End is okay. Energy weapon handguns fare better than traditional handguns in Fallout Shelter.

With a damage range of 7-12, Smuggler’s End is a solid early-game weapon, but you’ll outgrow it quickly.

Confessor Cromwell

Starting Outfit: Confessor Cromwell’s rags
Starting Weapon: None
S: 7
P: 4
E: 7
C: 8
I: 6
A: 3
L: 5

Head weirdo of the group of weirdos who worship the nuke in Megaton, Confessor Cromwell has potential in Fallout Shelter. His high Strength means he’s great in Power Generators, and his above-average Endurance should help him gain decent HP per level up.

His 6 Intelligence makes him more than solid in Med Bays and Science Centers, and 8 Charisma makes him perfect for Radio Studios.

Confessor Cromwell’s rags are decent. Providing +2 Endurance, +2 Perception, +2 Luck, and +1 Charisma, the Perception and Luck bonuses are handy for questing. As expected of the pacifist Confessor Cromwell, he starts with no weapon.

Dr. Li

Starting Outfit: Expert lab coat
Starting Weapon: None
S: 4
P: 6
E: 6
C: 7
I: 9
A: 4
L: 4

The smartest scientist in Rivet City and a close friend of James, Dr. Li is an Intelligence powerhouse. Put her in a Med Bay or Science Center to quickly stock up on stimpaks or radaway.

Her low Strength and Agility aren’t ideal for Wasteland exploration or questing, but she’s got solid Perception and Endurance. With some training, she can become a good combat option.

Dr. Li’s Expert lab coat provides a massive +7 Intelligence and is the best Intelligence outfit in the game. That alone makes getting Dr. Li early on very valuable, as it will be a while before you can craft Legendary outfits yourself.

Dr. Li is a thinker, not a fighter, and begins with no weapon.

Ed the Ghoul

Starting Outfit: RobCo R&D suit
Starting Weapon: Ed’s custom power fist
S: 6
P: 5
E: 7
C: 3
I: 9
A: 3
L: 7

Ed the Ghoul is one of four new Legendary Dwellers Bethesda added during the Fallout 25th Anniversary update. He is also one of two Legendary Dwellers not from a mainline Fallout game.

Ed starts with high Endurance and doesn’t need much training to max it out. He also has good Luck and solid Perception, good for critical hits during questing.

His low Agility will require training as his combat speed in fights will be below average until it improves. His 9 Intelligence makes him great for Med Bays and Science Centers.

Ed’s outfit, the RobCo R&D suit, is a fine addition to Fallout Shelter, providing +4 Endurance and +2 Strength. Until you get Sturdy/Heavy Wasteland gear, this suit is a fine placeholder for leveling up Dwellers.

Ed’s weapon is a custom power fist with an excellent damage range of 16-22. Ed’s power fist is the strongest Legendary weapon of any Legendary Dweller. Eat that, smoothskins.

But the best part of all? Everyone can get Ed the Ghoul for free by completing the RobCo questline.

Elder Lyons

Starting Outfit: Elder robe
Starting Weapon: Smuggler’s End
S: 4
P: 3
E: 3
C: 9
I: 9
A: 3
L: 9

Father of Sarah Lyons and Leader of the Brotherhood of Steel in the Capital Wasteland, Elder Lyons continues the trend of old-timers being unsuited for combat in Fallout Shelter.

His high Luck means Elder Lyons gets critical hits quickly, but his poor Perception and Agility hold him back until after extensive training. His low Strength means he’s no good in the Wasteland, either. Elder Lyons thrives on Intelligence and Charisma, both starting at 9. Put him in a Med Bay, Science Center, or Radio Studio.

The Elder Robe offers +4 Charisma and +3 Agility. The Charisma bonus is good, but Charisma is a pretty low priority. The Agility bonus is nice for Diners.

Elder Lyons shares the Smuggler’s End with Colonel Autumn. But given his poor combat-oriented stats, he won’t make great use of it.

Eulogy Jones

Starting Outfit: Eulogy Jones’ suit
Starting Weapon: Blackhawk
S: 5
P: 6
E: 5
C: 8
I: 5
A: 4
L: 7

Head slaver at Paradise Falls, Eulogy Jones, is another middle-of-the-road Legendary Dweller. His 8 Charisma is his best stat, but he has 7 Luck and 6 Perception, meaning he can be good for questing after some training. You’ll need to improve his 5 Endurance before doing so, however.

Eulogy Jones’ suit is a solid critical hit outfit, providing +2 Perception, +2 Luck, +2 Charisma, and +1 Intelligence. His weapon has seen better days, though.

The Blackhawk is great in Fallout 3. In Fallout Shelter? Not so much. With a damage range of 3-8, it’s pretty crappy. It has the highest minimum damage of any handgun in Fallout Shelter. That should tell you all you need to know about how bad handguns are in Fallout Shelter.

Harkness

Starting Outfit: Heavy battle armor
Starting Weapon: Infiltrator
S: 8
P: 5
E: 8
C: 5
I: 5
A: 6
L: 3

Head of Security in Rivet City, Harkness is a great combat-oriented Legendary Dweller. His high Strength means you can send him into the Wasteland early on to find junk, and his 8 Endurance means he requires little training before you can maximize his HP gains.

Harkness has poor Luck, so his critical hits will be slow until after you train him. If you want to keep him in the Vault, he’s great with Power Generators.

Harkness’s Heavy battle armor is an outstanding outfit. With +4 Strength, it’s perfect for farming junk in the Wasteland, and the +3 Endurance will mitigate radiation damage while out there.

Oddly enough, Harkness doesn’t possess his trademark A3-21’s Plasma Rifle that you can receive as a reward during The Replicated Man quest in Fallout 3. Instead, he’s packing the Infiltrator, an assault rifle from The Pitt.

The Infiltrator is a decent early mid-game weapon with a damage range of 8-13.

James

Starting Outfit: Expert lab coat
Starting Weapon: Wild Bill’s sidearm
S: 5
P: 8
E: 4
C: 7
I: 9
A: 4
L: 3

Father of The Lone Wanderer and voiced by the legendary Liam Neeson, James is another in-house Legendary Dweller. His high Intelligence and Perception make him ideal for Med Bays, Science Centers, or Water Purification Plants.

James has average Strength and below-average Endurance, Agility, and Luck meaning he’s not great for questing or the Wasteland until after extensive training.

James wears the same stellar Expert lab coat as Dr. Li, which is a big win for any Overseer. His weapon is a dud, though. Bethesda randomly gave him Wild Bill’s sidearm from The Pitt.

Wild Bill’s sidearm sucked in Fallout 3, and it sucks in Fallout Shelter, possessing a damage range of 1-6.

Jericho

Starting Outfit: Heavy leather armor
Starting Weapon: Infiltrator
S: 8
P: 6
E: 8
C: 2
I: 3
A: 7
L: 6

The aging retired raider of Megaton’s still caught plenty of gas in the tank and is an outstanding combat-oriented Legendary Dweller.

He’s not charismatic and not too bright, but Jericho thrives in the areas of combat with 8 Strength, 6 Perception, 8 Endurance, 7 Agility, and 6 Luck. Whether it’s Wasteland exploration or questing, Jericho is a reliable old dog right out of the gate.

Jericho sports Heavy leather armor, providing +3 Strength and +4 Endurance. It’s perfect for Wasteland exploration and HP training. His weapon is the Infiltrator. The Infiltrator will work until he gets a better weapon.

Lucas Simms

Starting Outfit: Sherrif’s duster
Starting Weapon: Infiltrator
S: 5
P: 9
E: 8
C: 5
I: 5
A: 6
L: 2

Lucas Sims is the Megaton town sheriff and mayor, too, when the need arises. He is another combat-oriented Legendary Dweller.

His average Strength will need work before he’s optimal for Wasteland exploration, but his high Perception, Endurance, and solid Agility make him great for questing. His low Luck means his critical hits will suffer, though. If you want to give him a break, stick him in a Water Treatment Plant.

Simms’ Sheriff’s duster gives +2 Endurance and a whopping +5 Endurance. That makes it superior to the Sturdy Wasteland gear for Endurance training and great until you get Heavy Endurance gear.

Like Jericho and Harkness, Lucas Simms uses the Infiltrator.

Luc the Human

Starting Outfit: Incognito Leisurewear
Starting Weapon: Destabilizer
S: 5
P: 6
E: 5
C: 6
I: 6
A: 6
L: 6

Luc the Human is odd. Given his name, the Human, which is something actual humans never do, his alien weapon, and the description of his outfit, there’s a strong possibility Luc is an alien in disguise.

Luc’s SPECIAL spread also gives credit to the theory that he’s actually an alien. His Strength and Endurance are 5, and every other stat is 6. He’s a pretty standard Vault Dweller who doesn’t stand out in any category.

He fits in anywhere. That utility means you can have him do pretty much anybody. He can work effectively in any room with the right outfit but requires significant training before going into combat.

Luc comes with the slick Incognito Leisurewear outfit, which provides +2 Charisma, +2 Intelligence, +2 Agility, and +2 Luck. The Agility and Luck make it decent for questing but not top-tier. It looks cool though. Luc’s weapon is an alien blaster. With a damage range of 18-19, it’s a spectacular weapon, and the best energy pistol in the game.

You can get Luc for free by finding him in a random Wasteland quest. You will find him hiding in a Vault.

Moira Brown

Starting Outfit: Expert jumpsuit
Starting Weapon: None
S: 4
P: 8
E: 3
C: 8
I: 7
A: 5
L: 5

Quirky author of the Wasteland Survival Guide, Moira Brown, is a great utility Legendary Dweller. Moira has high Perception, Intelligence, and Charisma, and you can put her in most rooms in your Vault.

She has average Agility, but given her outfit, that’s not a problem. Her low Strength and Endurance mean she needs extensive training before being good in combat.

Moira sports the Expert jumpsuit, the best Agility outfit in the game, with a +7 Agility bonus. Agility is king for questing since it increases your attack speed. Her jumpsuit more than makes up for her lacking a weapon.

Mr. Burke

Starting Outfit: Lucky formal wear
Starting Weapon: Wild Bill’s sidearm
S: 4
P: 7
E: 4
C: 6
I: 9
A: 2
L: 8

The silver-tongued Mr. Burke works best in the Vault. His high Perception and Intelligence mean he is best in Water Treatment Plants, Science Centers, and Med Bays. His terrible Strength, Endurance, and Agility make him poor for questing and Wasteland exploration.

Mr. Burke wears the Lucky formal wear, boasting a bonus of +7 Luck. It’s the best Luck outfit in the game and ideal for anyone who likes fast critical hits during combat.

Mr. Burke’s SPECIAL stats aren’t the only things working against his combat viability. He also starts with Wild Bill’s sidearm, a joke of a weapon.

Old Longfellow

Starting Outfit: Tattered longcoat
Starting Weapon: Henrietta
S: 5
P: 7
E: 8
C: 4
I: 6
A: 3
L: 7

A potential companion from Fallout 4’s Far Harbor, Longfellow, is a combat workhorse. His high starting Endurance is great for getting a lot of HP when he levels up, and his high Perception and Luck mean he’s great for critical hits. His low Agility needs improvement, as his attack speed will be slow initially.

Longfellow wears the Tattered longcoat, which gives +2 Strength, +2 Endurance, +2 Charisma, and +2 Luck. It’s great for Wasteland exploration, improving chances of finding junk, more caps, and mitigating radiation damage.

Longfellow’s weapon of choice is a lever-action rifle called Henrietta. Sporting a damage range of 13-16, it’s a solid mid-tier weapon that’ll be good for a while.

Back in 2016, players could get Old Longfellow for free. Unfortunately, that promotion was limited-time only.

Piper Wright

Starting Outfit: Piper’s outfit
Starting Weapon: None
S: 4
P: 4
E: 9
C: 6
I: 7
A: 4
L: 4

The noisiest person in Diamond City, Piper has taken her journalistic endeavors to Fallout Shelter.

Piper starts with an incredible 9 Endurance, but she is let down by her slightly below-average Strength, Perception, Agility, and Luck. She needs a lot of training before she’s truly combat-worthy. She makes for a great Dweller in the Nuka-Cola Bottler in the endgame and Med Bays or Science Centers.

Ironically enough, Piper isn’t great at questing, but her outfit is. Piper’s outfit provides +2 Perception, +2 Agility, +2 Luck, and +2 Endurance. The Endurance won’t see use, but the other three stats are the most important for quest fights, making this outfit quite the score.

Driving home the point that Piper isn’t much of a fighter, she starts with no weapon.

Despite her flaws, Piper brings plenty of value to any Vault, plus you can get her for free via questing. You can’t complain about free.

Preston Garvey

Starting Outfit: Minutemen uniform
Starting Weapon: Laser musket
S: 3
P: 9
E: 8
C: 6
I: 5
A: 6
L: 3

Don’t look; another settlement needs your help. I’ll mark it on your map.

Preston Garvey is an excellent combat-oriented Legendary Dweller, excelling in Perception and Endurance and having slightly above average Agility and Charisma.

His low Strength makes him sub-optimal for Wasteland exploration, and his low Luck means his critical hits will be slow, but he’s a tanky Dweller for questing.

The Minuteman uniform is out of the best pieces of clothing in Fallout 4, and the Minuteman uniform is exceptional here too. It provides +2 Perception, +2 Strength, +2 Agility, and +2 Intelligence. It’s great to slap onto a character that prioritizes questing, like Preston himself.

Preston wields his trusty laser musket in Fallout Shelter. It has a damage range of 10-13, making it a lower-end mid-tier weapon and the weakest energy rifle in the game. It can get the job done for a little while.

You can obtain Preston Garvey for free via a Minutemen questline.

Sarah Lyons

Starting Outfit: T-51f power armor
Starting Weapon: Wazer Wifle
S: 8
P: 6
E: 8
C: 6
I: 5
A: 5
L: 2

The daughter of Elder Lyons and leader of the Lyons’ Pride, Sarah Lyons, is legendary amongst Legendary Dwellers. With her high Strength and Endurance, above-average Perception, and Solid Agility, she excels at questing and Wasteland exploration.

Sarah also has plenty of flexibility with positions within the Vault. You’ll want to bump up her Agility to make her attack faster on quests and her Luck to improve her critical hit speed.

Sarah Lyons wears T51-f power armor, which provides a whopping +4 Strength and +3 Perception. It’s one of the best outfits in the game for Wasteland exploration.

Sarah’s weapon of choice is the Wazer Wifle, which has a damage range of 12-17. It’s pretty solid, though its minimum damage value is a little disappointing.

You can obtain Sarah Lyons for free from a quest.

Scribe Rothchild

Starting Outfit: Scribe Rothchild’s robe
Starting Weapon: Lone Wanderer
S: 6
P: 5
E: 6
C: 9
I: 4
A: 5
L: 5

Scribe Rothchild’s SPECIAL stat spread is a little odd. He’s the Head Scribe of the Lyons Brotherhood of Steel, yet his Intelligence is only….4?

His oddly low Intelligence aside, Scribe Rothchild is a jack of all trades. With the rest of his stats sitting at 5, 6, and 9, you can slot him into any room, provided he has the appropriate SPECIAL outfit. With a little bit of Endurance training, he can be pretty good at questing, and with some Strength training, Wasteland exploration.

Scribe Rothchild’s jack-of-all-trades design choice carries over into his outfit to a fault. Scribe Rothchild’s robe provides +2 Perception, +2 Endurance, +2 Charisma, and +2 Intelligence.

It doesn’t have the right stats to be great for questing or Wasteland exploration, so it’s mostly an in-house placeholder for Perception or Intelligence rooms.

Rothchild comes equipped with the pitiful Lone Wanderer, so you’ll need to get him a better weapon.

Scribe Valdez

Starting Outfit: Scribe robe
Starting Weapon: Blackhawk
S: 5
P: 7
E: 5
C: 5
I: 8
A: 6
L: 4

Scribe Valdez is one of the four new characters and two characters from Fallout 76. Her SPECIAL spread is surprisingly even. Her Luck is slightly below average at 4, but everything else is at least 5.

You can swap her around into any room in your Vault with the right outfit. Her Intelligence means she works best in Med Bays and Science Centers. Her Perception and Agility mean she can be pretty good at questing, though her Endurance needs work first.

Scribe Valdez wears a Scribe robe, which gives +3 Charisma and +2 Agility (I never understood why these don’t boost Intelligence). It’s an okay outfit but nothing special. Valdez, unfortunately, uses the crappy Blackhawk, so she needs a new weapon.

Sentinel of the Lyons Brotherhood, Star Paladin Cross is very similar to Sarah Lyons. She has great Strength, Perception, and above-average Agility. Like Sarah, she has poor Luck, so her critical hits won’t happen often.

For some odd reason, even though Cross is a cyborg, she has poor Endurance. You’ll need to train that first before she becomes a truly effective combatant. Once that’s taken care of, she’ll be great for questing and the Wasteland.

Like Sarah Lyons, Star Paladin Cross uses the excellent T51-f power armor. Her weapon of choice is the Smuggler’s End. It’s a shame they didn’t give her a super sledge, as that’s what she’s famous for as a companion.

Three Dog

Starting Outfit: Three Dog’s outfit
Starting Weapon: None
S: 4
P: 4
E: 6
C: 9
I: 5
A: 5
L: 7

Keeping up the Good Fight live from Galaxy News Radio, Three Dog is an iconic Fallout 3 character. In Fallout Shelter, Three Dog has above-average Endurance and Luck and extremely high Charisma at 9.

The rest of his stats are average or slightly below average. But Three Dog is a radio jockey. There’s only one place he belongs: the Radio Studio.

Three Dog’s outfit is perfect for his as it buffs Charisma by +5 and Perception by +2. Leave him in the booth and let him recruit more Vault Dwellers for the Good Fight.

Three Dog is a lover, not a fighter, and he has no starter weapon. He does come to your Vault for free after completing a quest, so there’s that.

76 Overseer

Starting Outfit: Sturdy Vault suit
Starting Weapon: Overseer’s shotgun
S: 4
P: 5
E: 7
C: 8
I: 6
A: 5
L: 5

The Vault 76 Overseer is the last of the four new Legendary Dwellers, and she has a solid SPECIAL spread. She has high Endurance, so she can go out and train quickly enough, and high Charisma.

Her Strength is slightly below average, which is bad for the Wasteland, and average/slightly above average levels in Perception, Intelligence, Agility, and Luck. That means she works well as a utility Dweller in the Vault but needs some training before she’s ready for questing.

The 76 Overseer wears a Sturdy vault suit, which gives +5 Perception. If you struggle to land 5X critical hits during quests, this outfit is your best friend. Her weapon is a unique Overseer’s shotgun, no doubt a homage to the combat shotgun she uses in Fallout 76. It’s a solid mid-tier weapon.

You can obtain the 76 Overseer for free by coming across her in a random Wasteland quest.

Legendary Babies

While not traditional Legendary Dwellers, I need to mention Legendary Babies, as they are the best Legendary Dwellers in the game.

When two Vault Dwellers with maxed-out SPECIAL stats have a baby, there’s a 6.6% chance that the baby will be Legendary. If they are, they will start with 40 SPECIAL stats like the standard Legendary Dwellers.

What makes them better is that they start at level 1, meaning they gain the most HP from leveling up. Some Legendary Dwellers like Scribe Valdez, come already past level 40 and without the maximum 17 Endurance.

That means that no matter what, standard Legendary Dwellers leave a lot of HP on the table.

For this reason, and atypical bad gacha rates reasons, I do NOT recommend you spend money hunting Legendary Dwellers in lunchboxes. Legendary Babies surpass them in every way.

FAQs

Question: Do You Need 2 Legendary Dwellers to have Legendary Babies?

Answer: No. Any Dweller can have Legendary Babies. You just need to make sure both parents have maxed out SPECIAL stats.

Question: Who are the Best Legendary Dwellers in Fallout Shelter?

Answer: My votes go toward Ed the Ghoul, Sarah Lyons, and Preston Garvey. Having some good combat-oriented Dwellers will go a long way toward clearing out all the quests in Fallout Shelter, and above 3’s ease of access is too good to pass up.

Question: Are there any Fallout: New Vegas Legendary Dwellers?

Answer: Unfortunately, no. There are only characters from Bethesda-made Fallout games in Fallout Shelter.

Conclusion

I have a split opinion on Legendary Dwellers. While it’s cool that there are some classic characters from Fallout 3 and 4, there are some pretty bizarre omissions. You’d think characters like Kellogg, MacCready, and Nick Valentine would be surefire Fallout 4 picks.

As for Fallout 3, if any Big Town resident got Legendary Dweller status, you’d think it would be Red, not Bittercup. Sydney with her dad’s 10MM Ultra SMG and Charon with the Terrible Shotgun would’ve been awesome too.

But what really kind of kills Legendary Dwellers are Legendary Babies. They’re superior to Legendary Dwellers in every way, making Legendary Dwellers redundant after a while. Given that’s the case, you’d think Bethesda would include far more than 27 of them, since they eventually just become for collection purposes.

Something that could’ve made Legendary Dwellers truly unique is if they had special abilities. Have Sarah Lyons buff your questing party if everyone is wearing power armor.

Have Ed the Ghoul increase the damage of everyone using a power fist in the party. Even if Legendary Babies outclass them stat-wise, these abilities would mean Legendary Dwellers would always remain useful.

But hey. How Bethesda handles Legendary Dwellers is far from the only problem with Fallout Shelter. After all, the Fallout 25th Anniversary update is the first this game has had in over four years. Fallout Shelter clearly isn’t a priority to Bethesda, and that’s a shame.

Nevertheless, there’s still plenty of fun to have in Fallout Shelter, and now you know exactly what every Legendary Dweller is capable of and how to use them.