Time to gear up - and take your pick of the best armors in Fallout 76.
Well, hello there, Vault Dweller! Did you just pop out of Vault 76 and discover that maybe, just maybe, your corporate-issued blue and gold jumpsuit isn’t exactly the most effective thing to stop yourself from being introduced to a stray bullet? Are you tired of trying to wash the radroach out of your hair? Or are you just wondering what’s with all of that hulking Power Armor, and why didn’t it get packed up into the Vault with you?
You know, honestly, that last one is a good question. They really should have.
Fallout 76 is, for better or worse, a game that’s soundly in its late-stage life cycle. It is an old game with an old economy and a lot of people are deep into the endgame. It makes it even more complicated when you discover that the endgame in Fallout 76 is a whopping… level 50 (compared to the level 200-700s you see running around). By the time you hit 50, you should be able to have just about everything unlocked and you’ll be able to go toe to toe against some of the hardest wasteland denizens in the game.
HOWEVER, as of December 5th, 2023, Bethesda has released a new patch letting you jump right to level 20 - skipping a lot of the early requirements entirely and they’ve instituted new stash-box type locations where higher-level players can drop their unneeded gear off for new or lower-level players! Don’t feel discouraged, because there hasn’t been a better time to be a new player - and there are regular (almost monthly) double EXP events to help bring everyone up the rankings to unlock everything you might want or be stuck on.
But you’re going to need to learn a few things first.
10. The Best Armor Is Knowledge - Second Only to a Gas Mask
The first bit of armor you need to have isn’t something you can loot from a corpse or find in a safe; it’s knowing how armor works. The same piece of armor you pick up at level 10 can be a lot more powerful if you find it at level 50; and a level 50 piece of armor you find doesn’t have half the stats of armor you make. Even then, the armor you make won’t be great until you put on Legendary Effects and mods - and if you’re new to the game, you’re probably a little lost by now.
It’s all about the plans, the perks, the mods, and the legendary effects.
The vast majority of armor you’ll use in ‘76 is crafted at your own personal armor bench at your camp. To make armor, you’ll need the plans - and plans can be found on player vendors, NPC vendors (such as the Vendor Bots at Train Stations, or special vendors you’ll encounter later in the game), as rewards from certain events, and as quest rewards. As you travel, you’ll also find plans laying around out in the world at large. As you level up, your ability to make better armor comes naturally; you’ll see changes in your crafting menu letting you pick between level 20, 30, 40, or 50 - and the higher the level, the better the stats.
As you level up in 76, you’ll get “perk cards” which are used to define what your character can do. You can swap these in and out as you need them, and you’re not stuck with any particular build (you can even change and save your loadouts with the SPECIAL loadout menus at rail stations or in your own camp). Some of these cards change the effects your armor has - such as increased durability, or how much you can repair them.
Mods are another big issue. Nearly every piece of armor in the game can be modified to some extent, such as appearance (with no combat effects) to ‘pocket’ mods which will increase your carry weight; ‘dense’ mods that let you absorb explosions without suffering (as many) ill effects; and jet packs that can let you go higher and higher.
There is only one piece of armor in the game that has a must-have mod - the rest are entirely up to you and your playstyle!
Finally, the legendary effects. Sometimes when you beat a “legendary” enemy, you’ll get “legendary” armor, or you’ll find them for sale.These effects make all the difference in the world and I’ll cover them below in detail. Or, just as importantly, you can make them at your workbench of choice if you have the right special materials. Those resources?
Player-applied Legendary effects are crafted with the help of Legendary Modules and Legendary Cores. Modules can be bought with special in-game currency called ‘Legendary Scrip,’ and you can get them as fairly frequent rewards for different tasks; while cores are reward-based only. Of the two components, cores are much harder to come by, so save them up and have a goal in mind before you begin modifying your gear!
I know that sounds like a pain - and it is. However, the great news is that while it’s a little complicated, it also means that once you know the plans, have the perks you want (and need), and have enough cores/modules saved up, you can craft an end-game set of armor that will last you for a very very long time. I’ve literally been using my current armor loadout for the last two years, and that’s not an exaggeration!
Oh, and one more thing: (some) helmets don’t usually have defense stats on them, so even when you’re protecting your noggin’, don’t be surprised if you pick up a helmet and it offers no bullet protection at all. You still want them because… well.
As someone that lives in WV in real life? No matter how pretty everything looks…
…sometimes, the air isn’t necessarily something you want to breathe.
9. Gas Mask
You thought I was kidding. I wasn’t. In the initial area you start in - a quaint section of West Virginia named “The Forest,” you’ll experience the wild and wonderful parts of WV with nary a care in the world. You’ll come across few (if any) of the game’s environmental hazards, other than the water.
That is, until you head south of Charleston, and enter The Ash Heap. The very very first thing you want to do is find a Gas Mask or other headwear item that specifically states, “prevents airborne diseases and hazards.” Several different helmets provide this function, and even “apparel” items that change the look of your armor may have it included. These items are scattered everywhere, but a good place to look for one is in the Charleston Fire Department or the Charleston Landfill (or if you’re feeling brave, visit Knife’s Edge at the very top of the map, east of the water park and north east of The Crater; but be wary of radscorpions).
Either way, the air in Appalachia isn’t safe to breathe. In some places, it’ll outright damage your health, if it doesn’t make you cough up a sludge-lung infection.
8. Legen… wait for it…
Fallout 76 is a very meta-based game. The perks you earn, the weapons you use, and the armor you want is entirely up to you but not every perk and not every effect is created equally. While the resistances on armor do matter, knowing how to maximize your efficiency matters more.
Whenever you complete an event, defeat a boss, find a ‘legendary’ monster in the world, or craft a ‘legendary’ mod for your armor, you’re going to be exposed to the core protection system in the game: legendary effects. At the time of writing this, you can stack up to three ‘legendary’ effects on any given item, but again, they don’t always make sense.
Armor with the Unyielding effect, for example, drastically increases your DPS - at the cost of keeping you at very low health. But, if you’re using stealth armor and perks, you may see an incredible jump in your damage output. Vanguard, on the other hand, rewards you for being at full health, and the Aristocrats effect gives you bonuses as long as you have tens of thousands of caps on you at any given time. On the other hand, effects like Nocturnal only give a small boost when it’s dark outside - and that’s maybe half of your playtime.
Breaking this down is outside the scope of this guide, but I’m including it because you’ll get legendary items almost as soon as you walk out of Vault 76! They will be on everything, every type, every style, every variant; you’ll find it on everything (except for on number 6 on this list). Get used to testing these effects out because they will make a major difference with how you play!
Plus, you see this lovely fellow in the picture above? Purveyor Murmrgh in The Ash Heap sells legendary modules and other items in exchange for legendary scrip - and also will trade out your leftover scrip for random pieces of gear. Dump your worthless gear in a Legendary Exchange station, take the scrip to Murmrgh, and recycle away! You can get some great weapons and armor this way, but without having any say in what it is, your best bet is still to craft and cross your fingers that the random number generator rolls in your favor.
No matter your level, the right mix of legend… ary… effects are worth the wait to put together even when you’re putting on whatever you find laying around. Speaking of which, the next piece of armor you’re going to want to keep in mind is:
7. Literally Whatever Is Laying Around
You might’ve been hoping for a big “Go here and get this at this level!” but the absolute honest truth is that you’re going to find armor everywhere and there’s no real progression that has to be stuck to. This is especially true when you find an awesome piece of armor or a plan at a vendor you don’t have; so if it works, grab it! Unlike games such as Skyrim where there’s a solid track of “leather - chain - plate - elven - demon - special” or the like, in FO76, there is (almost) nothing stopping a level 1 player from finding the Ultracite Power Armor plans (even if you can’t wear the crafted result until later in the game) or a level 300 from wearing lower-tier Combat Armor because they like the looks.
A note: Some armor is level locked. If you pick up a plan that says “can’t be crafted until…” then just hold onto it, read the plan, and it’ll be ready to make when you’re of level. But again, you will level up to 50 (the ‘endgame’ of 76) in a few short weeks of casual play. It used to be a lot harder, but in all honesty - and no snark! - you’ll generally get at least one level every two or three days even if you’re playing casually.
That said, not all armor is created equal. Wood Armor, the weakest in the game, has surprisingly good energy resistance. Raider armor is super common, and super junky, but it’s better than being naked. Botsmith Armor from the Test Your Metal event is pretty nice at any level, and Urban Scout Armor is some of the best in the game.
The other issue? The Wasteland is a land of diminishing returns. Once you hit the endgame “all content is open,” there’s only so much damage you can actually mitigate or avoid entirely. The entire list of power armor below is entirely user-choice, because once you can get it… you can already survive almost everything!
Of course, that isn’t to say that there aren’t some you should keep your eyes open for…
…if you can see it.
6. Chinese Stealth Armor
This armor can be learned either by completing the quest “Invisible Ties,” or later, bought from The Settlers once you have a faction reputation of ‘Neighborly’ with the special in-game currency of Gold Bullion. Minerva, who appears at three random locations throughout the month (and for specific days) occasionally has the CSA plans in her inventory for a bit cheaper than what you’ll find at Foundation.
CSA just simply looks cool. It also has an effect where once you crouch, you become completely invisible. It has great rad resistance but lower damage resistance and cannot be modded with extra effects. If you’re a stealth-type build, this is a great choice to boost your early levels.
If you’re more of a tank, it’s probably not for you.
Underarmor is a big perk at any level, and the Secret Service is arguably the best of the bunch. There are dozens of types of UA in the game, but Secret Service is one of very few that can be modded with the “Shielded Lining” effect, which gives it (and you) a boost to damage resistance, rad resistance, and energy resistance. Because it can be worn under any other armor piece in the game (excluding Power Armor), there is no reason not to get it once it becomes available.
Sadly, that may take you a bit. You do have to either have enough Gold Bullion to buy it from Minerva or Regs - the former who sells ‘counterfeit’ plans (which are the exact same as the regular plans, just cheaper). As far as Regs? You’ll need access to Vault 79 - and you’ll need to complete the quest series that ends with Secrets Revealed.
4. Brotherhood Recon & Secret Service Armor
Speaking of gold bullion, Minerva, and Regs… this one is easy to come by and harder to mod. Brotherhood Recon plans cannot be traded between players; they’re rare rewards from Daily Ops (or sometimes sold by Minerva). It probably will take you a while to snag these, but as far as armor itself? BR is pretty freaking solid and runs right against the number three entry on this list.
However, one thing to keep in mind: the mods are another ‘buy me using gold bullion from Regs and Minerva,’ issue, and they get pretty expensive. By the time you can get this armor fully crafted, you’ll know what mods to buy - but my personal suggestion? Put a ‘dense’ mod on the chestplate to completely mitigate Scorchbeast sonic blasts and things that go boom in general.
As far as the Secret Service armor goes?
One word: Regs! And another: Minerva! It’s no surprise that some of the best armor in the game comes from these two, and thankfully, the Treasury Notes that you need to exchange for bullion drop all the time from events, the scoreboard, and other weekly challenges.
Providing some of the best resistances in the game, it’s tied right with Brotherhood Recon. Unlike BHR, it’s got a slick, clean look to it in the base model. Unlike most armor, it does take Legendary Modules - but again, this is later in your career.
List Break!
If you intend to be a stealthy type or prefer ‘commando’ style builds, you’re not going to find a need for a lot of power armor - if ever. Power Armor isn’t inherently better than Brotherhood Recon/Secret Service or the other types; it’s just another way to approach the horrors of the wild and wonderful parts of West Virginia. Scooting around wearing Brotherhood Recon Armor with The Fixer or an Automatic Homemade can let you do crazy insane levels of damage from the first breath you take of mountain air to the last breath you steal from the Ultracite Titan. On the other hand, if wielding heavy weapons - such as flamers, miniguns, .50 cal machine guns, or grenade launchers and stomping around like a walking tank is more your style? Then PA may be up your alley.
3. Power Armor - Excavator
You’ll start running into Power Armor around level 20-30, and at first, you won’t be able to do much with it. PA takes fusion cores, which are hard to come across in big quantities in the early game, and you won’t be able to craft them reliably until much later (though you can create them at Power Plants). You also can’t just craft PA pieces outright; you need to have a Frame (which can be found all over), the plans, and access to a PA crafting station.
The first PA you’ll likely be exposed to is Raider Power Armor, and you should immediately un-expose yourself at the first opportunity for something better. It’s nice enough for what it is, and if you need the extra tanking ability in a given situation, it won’t be the worst choice you can make. However, the first powerful power armor you can find is the Excavator Armor.
These armor plans are snagged during the Miner Miracles side quest, which starts when you interact with any of the Garrahan Mining posters you’ll see hanging up all over the wasteland. When you wear the full set, not only will you get a really nice carry weight boost once you add Calibrated Shocks to it, you’ll also gain the ability to harvest double ore whenever you mine a vein!
2. Power Armor - Ultracite
I want to be perfectly clear here; the vast majority of Power Armor in FO76 has comparable stats to each other. The only reason Ultracite makes the list is because the plans come from one primary location: the Scorched Earth event. Or, as anyone that’s been in the game longer than a month knows it? The original end-game content for Fallout 76.
And it has been farmed to death. And back. And forth. And back a few more times. Scorched Earth is a great event for exp and easy loot; depending on how much you play, you may see it happen a few times a week.
As a result, Ultracite plans are CHEAP at player vendors and very easy to obtain. Personally? I sell the individual parts for 5 caps each, meaning that once you have the components to craft it, you can make one of the best sets of Power Armor in the entire game for next to no effort on your part at all.
While other PA plans require you to take on lengthy quests or scavenge hard-to-find resources or legendary cores, Ultracite is as easy as easy gets. To me, this is the default power armor in the game just because of how easy it is to obtain.
That doesn’t mean it’s the best. X-01, T-65, Hellcat armors all out-perform Ultracite. Solar and Thorn armor beats it hands down. For convenience? Ultracite. For the absolute best?
Now for that, you need to go north… and dive into the Pitt.
1. Power Armor - Union
This armor isn't as intimidating as some of the others, but honestly, you become immune to one of the most annoying end-game bad-guy types that it's a worthwhile tradeoff.
If you weren’t playing during the Pitt update, you missed your chance to get the Union Power Armor parts for next to no effort. It’s still available, but you’re in for an endgame grind. You can gain it by using stamps at the Whitesprings Resort (Responders Refuge), and each piece takes a sizable chunk. Stamps themselves are rewarded at various parts of the scoreboard and upon completing expeditions..
Or, if you’re lucky, you can gain Union PA plans/mods when you complete an expedition for the first time in any given week (note: this statement is valid prior to the 12/5/23 patch! It may change after!).
The grind aside, why is Union PA such… well, such a pain in the a** to get?
Once you equip a full set of Union, not only do you get a carry weight boost, you also gain immunity to poison hazards. That’s right; the poison gas mutation in Daily Ops and some Mutated Events goes away. You can stand in a cloud of it and be completely protected. Since it mitigates an entire type of event just by having it on - and stands up well to the resistances of Hellcat, T65, and other armors - it easily takes the top spot in this list.
All geared up and ready to go? Take a breather before you do, because...
You may also be interested in:
- [Top 5] Fallout 76 Best Builds in the Game with Legendary Effects
- [Top 10] Fallout 76 Best Armors To Use (Early To Late Game)
- [Top 10] Fallout 76 Best Weapons in the Game
