Back at it again with another Article/Essay on my random thoughts about Fallout 4. After going over Body Armor, the next logical step is to present my guide on Power Armor. The poster boy of the series since the Armor is on the cover of every game (except New Vegas). The semi-impenetrable walking tank that gives its wearer Hulk-like strength to take on a den of Deathclaws single handed. In this guide, I shall discuss what are the best ones and their benefits as you level up throughout the game.

1. Empty Frame

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If you are like me and avoid When Freedom Calls at the beginning; then the first Power Armor, you’ll most likely come across would be an Empty Frame in one of the many preset spawn locations across the map. There are three closes to Sanctuary itself; BUT if you wait a few levels before coming to these locations you will find better sets as they spawn table changes based on your current level.

• As a Frame is the base for all other pieces, it only gives you the base stats. As a frame it sets your STR to 11.
• Since it modifies STR, it also increases your Melee damage for Physical Builds.
• Even without armor pieces, it still negates fall damage. Meaning you can take the shortcut in any situation by just jumping of the edge.

2. Raider Power Armor

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Once you have a Frame, you’ll need some armor pieces; and the most abundant type of pieces you’ll find are Raider pieces. High level Raiders will be wearing it as you trek across the Boston Ruins. Once you duke it out over a cup of tea and 300 rounds of .304 bullets; you can scavenge the parts off their died body and recycle them onto your frame. Side note, if you’re skilled enough to shoot out their Fusion Core, it will self-destruct and might displace the wearer. This will allow you to replace the core and climb in, getting you another suit BUT the game counts this as a carjacking and will be seen as stealing. This is not a big deal, but it will affect Companion Affinity as certain ones Like stealing while others Hate it.

• Upgraded to Raider II, it will provide 620 Damage Resistance with 250 Energy Resistance.
• At low levels, it has a very limited pool of Upgrades but once you advance Armorer, Science, & Blacksmith (a good idea since all the armors uses these perks) you’ll have a decent one. But by that point you’ll probably have better Power Armor by then.
• This armor is the cheapest and easiest to maintain as the only repair material is steel, which is one of the most abundant materials found in the wasteland.

3. T-45 Power Armor

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The Model T of Power Armor, Simple and Effective. This armor set is one step up from raider in terms of numbers but with it being “Actual” Power Armor, it’s upgradability makes Raider Armor look like cardboard. If you decide to do When Freedom Calls at the beginning of the game, then you will receive a full set of T-45 and a Mini-gun as part of the scripted events.

• Starts at 500 DAM & 310 ENG Resistance but maxing it out into a Model F will grant 1100 DAM & 910 ENG Resistance.
• Being made of polished metal instead of rusty scraps, you can apply one of the many Paint Jobs to your armor to get a Stat increase.
• Cheap maintenance as it uses only Steel to repair most of its pieces, except that some Circuitry is needed for the Torso.

4. Overboss Power Armor

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Strange to some, considering my last guide but if you want to play a Power Armor focused run; I would suggest that you start Nuka-World early so that you can get the Overboss Power Armor from the scripted boss fight at the beginning of the DLC. Afterwards, go through until you can return to Boston.

• This armor has 1220 DAM & 1220 ENG Resistance off the bat; making it a good choice for late-early game as it provides high defense without the level investment needed.
• Since this is a special set, it has Tesla Coils in the Torso already giving low level players a decent AOE for defense against physical attacks, which most low-level enemies only use.
• Finally, because it is fancy Raider Armor; it costs the to repair of only a few Steels for each piece.

5. T-51 Power Armor

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It’s the boy, T-51 from the cover of Fallout 1. It has been with us since the beginning. With the classic design, you feel like a Brotherhood member just donning it on.

• It is simply better than the T-45; with a starting 740 DAM & 490 ENG Resistance that can be raised to 1340 DAM & 1090 ENG.
• Allow you access to the High-End mods that can be access such as Jet Pack.
• This is where it might be a bit more difficult to upgrade and repair since it needs a little bit more rare materials such as Aluminum, Circuitry, & Nuclear Material.

6. Nuka T-51 Power Armor

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Back to Nuka-World, there are Brand Tie-In Power Armor that were kept in perfect condition from the War. The first one is the Nuka T-51, with its custom Nuka Paint job; it is a great midgame Armor set.

• It starts out already maxed out Stats of 1340 DAM & 1090 ENG Resistance.
• The Nuka-Cola Paint Job gives its wearer +3 AGL, while others give only +1 in a stat.
• But you need to have the whole set equipped to get the benefit.

7. T-60 Power Armor

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The Showcase Armor of the game, first introduced here in Fallout 4 the T-60 is the most abundant Armor found in the mid game as it is the standard issue Armor in the Brotherhood. With good stats and great mods, this is a great choice.

• Starts with 900 DAM & 645 ENG; with a hefty investment of rare materials and perk levels can be raised to 1580 DAM & 1245 ENG Resistance.
• Since the T-60 is the game’s showpiece; they made a couple Variant pieces that if you find can have a full set of Named Pieces with legendary effects.
• Full Mod access.

8. X-01 Power Armor

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The former Boogeyman of the Wasteland and the cover armor of Fallout 2. (According to the superior lore) developed by the Enclave to be the strongest and most advance Power Armor ever dreamed of. This set is the crown jewel of any Power Armor user, beaten only by one.

• Starting with 1220 DAM & 790 ENG Resistance; after a very expensive upgrade process to raise it to MK. VI it has 1820 DAM & 1390 ENG Resistance, the highest in the game.
• Access to all normal Paint Jobs and Mods.
• Ironically, once you reach a high enough level sets of X-01 spawn all over the map in certain spawn locations.

9. Quantum X-01 Power Armor

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The lore breaker and “Objectively” best Power Armor in the game, The Nuka-Quantum X-01 Power Armor can be unlocked close to the end of the Nuka-World DLC. Being the best choice for the rest of the game assuming you get it at the beginning of the Late-Game stage.

• Once you complete Star Control, you unlock the set, which comes pre-upgraded as a MK. V set. Giving you 1700 DAM & 1270 ENG Resistance which is slightly less than Max standard X-01. But thankfully, you can upgrade the Quantum set into a MK. VI with the same maxed stats of 1820 & 1390.
• Since it’s pre-upgraded, it is cheaper to max out than a Standard set.
• What makes it so special is that it has the legendary effect of increasing Action Point refresh speed; being one of the few pieces with legendary effects at all.

10. Personal Favorite Armor

Finally, the best Armor in the game is… whatever one you feel like. To be truly honest, with how Power Armor is a limited resource as finding Fusion Core is a rarity on its own; you end up saving your armor for special occasions. And with the cost to fully upgrade one suit of Armor to max specs, you develop a bond with your favorite set. True by the numbers, one set of armor is stronger than another; but at high level play on a Veteran’s 5th playthrough, skill will always outweigh the numbers game. Making Power Armor a nice thing to have but keeping it special to use.

Thus ends another epic tale of min-maxing a game I played for years. Thank you for reading another thesis of mine; I’m sure the Professor will give it an A based on the length and not actually read it but thank you to my fellow nerds who took to time to hear me out. Thanks to the members of the Fallout Wiki for being my go-to source of knowledge for these rants of mine.

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