Highlights

  • Power armor can be crucial for protection against the dangerous creatures of the Wasteland in Fallout 4.
  • You don't have to stick with full sets of power armor, however, as you can customize your look and defensive utility with individual pieces and modifications.
  • Unique armor pieces like Vengeance and Exemplar's Torso also offer specific bonuses for different playstyles.

Armor in Fallout 4 is important for withstanding all of the attacks that the creatures of the wasteland throw at you. The best way to protect yourself from the threats of the Commonwealth is by wearing power armor, large sets of metal armor that use fusion cores as fuel. Power armor has always been at the core of the Fallout series.

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There are a few different sets and unique individual pieces of power armor found throughout Fallout 4 and its expansion packs, and you should know about each of their effects, so you can choose the best one that suits your unique build.

Updated February 25, 2024 by Zackary Wiggs: With the Fallout TV show coming in a couple of months, there has never been a better time to hop back into Fallout 4. While there are plenty of mods that alter the power armor system, there's nothing wrong with the vanilla Fallout 4 power armor. No matter your playstyle or build, you'll want a suit of power armor for those tense moments that you need some extra protection in. Well, look no further.

14 The Best Power Armor For Beginners

The Good Ol' T-45

Power Armor is difficult to get and even harder to use since it requires fusion cores to function. The easiest suit of power armor you can get is the T-45 Power Armor suit in Concord, which you earn by following the main questline until the "When Freedom Calls" quest.

If you want an easy set of unique power armor to wear, then you can get the Tesla Armor. This suit consists of a torso and two arm pieces, each adding extra damage to your energy weapons. You can get the Tesla Armor by clearing the Fort Hagen Hangar, which is an exclusive area in the Automatron DLC.

13 The Best Power Armor Modifications

The Jetpack Is Leaps And Bounds Better

There are lots of power armor modifications within Fallout 4, but a few stand out as the most useful. The most notable modification is the Jetpack, which allows you to fly and reach high areas in the Commonwealth.

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You can craft a Jetpack for a Power Armor torso with Aluminum, Adhesive, Asbestos, and Nuclear Material. You have to unlock level four of the Armorer perk and level four of the Science perk to craft a jetpack.

The Tesla Bracers are also a powerful upgrade because they allow you to deal energy damage with your unarmed power armor fists. This upgrade is ideal for an unarmed build, and its combination of power armor with non-weapon damage is a unique concept.

You can craft the Tesla Bracers with Aluminum, Adhesive, Rubber, and Copper once you unlock the third level of the Blacksmith perk and level one of the Science perk.

12 Atom Cat Power Armor Paintjob

Fighting With Style

There are many paint jobs that you can add to your power armor, but the Atom Cat Paintjob is one of the best. This paint allows you to sprint three percent faster, and it adds a point to your Charisma stat if every piece of your power armor suit has the Atom Cat Paintjob.

You can purchase the Atom Cat Paintjob from Rowdy, who resides at the Atom Cats Garage located in the southeast corner of the Commonwealth.

11 Exemplar's T-60 Power Armor Torso

More Vats Means More Hits

fallout_4_exemplar's_t-60_torso_inside_inventory

If your build focuses on VATS and Power Armor, then the Exemplar's T-60 Power Armor Torso was made for you. This armor piece reduces every VATS cost by ten percent of your Action Points. Additionally, T-60 armor is powerful by itself, so it's especially useful for combat against high-level enemies.

You earn the Exemplar's Power Armor Torso by completing the "Duty Or Dishonor" mission for The Brotherhood Of Steel faction. You need to convince Clarke to turn himself in to get the Exemplar's Armor piece.

10 Vengeance T-60 Right Leg

Reduced Damage Is Always Good

fallout 4, vengeance power armor piece

Vengeance is a right leg piece of power armor that gives you the ability to reflect ten percent of the melee damage that you take from an enemy. This allows you to damage an enemy simply by getting hit by them. Proctor Teagan sells the Vengeance Armor piece on the Prydwen.

T-60 Armor is one of the strongest sets in Fallout 4, which is why it's worth using the Vengeance Armor if you're looking for the best damage protection that you can find. This armor piece is most useful if you use melee weapons since you're more likely to get hit by other melee weapons during your adventures.

9 Tessa's Fist, Raider Armor Right Arm

Raiders Get It Right Sometimes

fallout 4, tessa's fist power armor piece

Tessa's Fist is a piece of Raider Power Armor, one of the least common types of power armor found throughout the Commonwealth. This armor's effect is +300 percent durability, which means that you won't have to repair it often.

You can obtain Tessa's Fist by defeating Tessa at the Quincy Ruins in Fallout 4. The battle with Tessa is tough, so make sure to bring your most powerful weapons to fight this NPC.

8 Vim! Power Armor

It's No Nuka-Cola, But Still

fallout 4, vim power armor suit

Vim is a unique soda found on the island of Far Harbor; it's similar to Nuka-Cola but is exclusive to the Island. You can find a full set of this power armor at the Vim Pop Factory.

The Vim Armor grants an extra point to your Strength stat. Although this isn't the most powerful set of power armor in Fallout 4, the extra strength stat point is very helpful if you use unarmed or melee weapons.

7 Piezonucleic T-45/T-51 Torso

Hard To Say, Hard To Beat

fallout 4, piezonucleic armor piece

The Piezonucleic Torso is one of the only individual Power Armor pieces that are unique in Fallout 4. This piece of armor is a quest reward for completing the mission "Cambridge Polymer Labs."

The unique effect of the Piezonucleic torso is powerful, but only if you don't mind walking straight into a cloud of radiation. The effect grants you a faster Action Point refresh speed while standing in radiation. The Piezonucleic Torso is either T-45 or T-51, depending on your level when you complete the "Cambridge Polymer Labs" side quest.

6 Honor T-60 Left Leg

For Honor, For Glory

fallout 4, honor armor piece

Every player in Fallout 4 regularly uses Action Points for VATS and sprinting, which is why the Honor Leg piece is so useful for a VATS build. It grants you a bonus toward your Action Point refresh rate, which means you'll recover your AP much faster.

You are awarded this piece after finishing the quest "Blind Betrayal," a Brotherhood of Steel side quest.

5 Visionary's T-60 Helmet

A Visionary Upgrade

fallout 4, visionary's helmet armor piece

There aren't many unique Power Armor helmets in Fallout 4. The Visionary's Helmet is one of the few, and it has a higher than average defense rating while also granting you a faster AP refresh rate.

The Visionary's Helmet is another piece of Power Armor that is exclusive to the Brotherhood of Steel faction, and you get it as a reward upon the completion of the "A Loose End" quest.

4 Quantum X-01 Armor Set

Great Armor, Great Paintjob

fallout 4, quantum power armor suit

There are a few different Power Armor sets exclusive to the Nuka-World DLC, and the Quantum X-01 Armor set is one of them. X-01 armor is pretty great, as it increases damage resistance it grants to the wearer.

On top of the high damage resistance, the Quantum X-01 Armor set has a beautiful light blue color scheme, and it lets AP refresh much faster than usual while you have every piece equipped. You can obtain the Quantum X-01 Armor in the Galactic Zone in Nuka-World.

3 Tesla Armor Set

Great For Higher Levels

The Tesla Armor set consists of a torso, right arm, and left arm piece. All three of these unique pieces grant a five percent bonus toward energy damage, and each piece also has a distinct appearance.

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You get this armor set after defeating Ivey in the Fort Hagen Hangar, one of the unique locations in the Automatron DLC. If you use energy weapons, you should find and equip the Tesla Armor set as soon as possible.

2 Nuka T-51 Armor Set

An American Favorite

fallout 4, nuka cola power armor suit

Some unique armor pieces in Fallout 4 grant a plus one bonus to your special stats; however, the Nuka T-51 armor set grants you an extra three points towards your agility stat when you equip every piece of the set. This set of Power Armor also has one of the best paint jobs in Fallout 4 — well, provided you really like Nuka-Cola.

You can find the Nuka-Cola armor set in the Bottling Plant, one of the five main attractions in the Nuka-World DLC.

1 Overboss Power Armor Set

Become The Boss' Boss

The Overboss set is a unique set of Raider Power Armor, and the torso piece of this set is one of the most powerful items in Fallout 4. The Overboss Power Armor torso deals energy damage toward enemies that are within your radius, which is useful while fighting multiple enemies at arm's reach.

This set is easy to obtain as you get it by defeating Colter at the beginning of the Nuka-World DLC.

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