Best Power Armor in Fallout 4

April 18, 2024

Highlights

Power Armor is essential in Fallout 4’s dangerous world, with different sets offering varying levels of protection and unique perks.
From the basic Raider Power Armor to the advanced X-01, players must choose wisely to survive and thrive in the game.
The Quantum X-01 is the ultimate reward for completionists, providing the best protection and an exclusive perk for dedicated players.

Fallout 4’s setting is the kind of apocalyptic hellhole where pretty much everything is out to kill the player. To survive, one needs a good gun and an even better set of armor. For the best protection, players will want some Power Armor.

A group of Fallout 4 characters standing in front of a circular metal door and wearing the best armor in the game

Fallout 4 contains many useful armor sets that players should definitely try to find, but these are arguably the best.

With Fallout 4, Bethesda made some major changes to Power Armor. The suits are more akin to vehicles than traditional RPG armor, requiring both a chassis and a fusion core to work. The game features several iconic sets, but some are definitely better than others.

To better convey the usefulness of Power Armor in
Fallout 4
, the stats showcased for each set below are for fully upgraded sets.

8 Raider Power Armor

As Basic As It Gets

Physical Resistance	620
Energy Resistance	250
Radiation Resistance	1050
HP	700

Raider Power Armor has the worst stats of any Power Armor in Fallout 4, hands down. Hobbled together from pieces of junk by Fallout 4‘s infamous raider gang, this set is as basic as it gets.

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Compared to other power armor sets, it has fewer upgrade options but is much cheaper to repair. Unless players like the rustic look, there’s no reason to bother with this option, and using it is a waste of fusion cores.

7 T-45

Slightly Superior But Still Quite Poor

Physical Resistance	1100
Energy Resistance	910
Radiation Resistance	1050
HP	1125

In canon, the T-45 was the first ever power armor deployed by the U.S. military – meaning, by Fallout standards, it’s pretty out of date. In-game, it’s likely to be the first power armor set the lone wanderer will come across and can be found during the early When Freedom Calls quest.

The T-45 is a nice step up from the raider armor since it has a lot more upgrade options, although it is more expensive to repair. Most players will likely quickly leave their T-45 armor behind, but those with a soft spot for it should hunt down the Piezonucleic chest piece variant at Cambridge Polymer Labs.

6 Overboss Power Armor Set

An Electrifying Step-Up

Physical Resistance	1220
Energy Resistance	1220
Radiation Resistance	1050
HP	720

The Fallout franchise has a lot of great DLC, and one of the best is Fallout 4‘s Nuka-World. This expansion added a lot of cool items, including the Overboss Power Armor Set. The armor is received as a reward for defeating the expansion’s first boss and is a nice little upgrade over the basic Raider Power Armor.

For a start, it looks cooler and features a more “bulked up” design with some nice nods to its theme park origins on the back. Even better, all its defensive stats are much higher (although worse than most other sets), and the armor has a unique modifier. When wearing the armor, the player will periodically deal energy damage to nearby enemies, making it a nice match for melee lovers.

5 T-51

Mid-Range Power Armor

Physical Resistance	1340
Energy Resistance	1060
Radiation Resistance	1050
HP	1395

There’s not a lot to say about the T-51, except that it’s like the T-45 but better. Developed by West Tek, this armor entered service just one year before the bombs fell and took ten years to develop.

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Much like its elder sibling, there’s a chance of getting a Piezonucleic chest-piece variant during the Cambridge Polymer Labs Quest. T-51 pieces can be found all over the Wasteland and the armor isn’t too expensive to upgrade, making it a nice stepping stone before players move on to more advanced power armors.

4 Nuka T-51

A Walking Cola Advertisement

Nuka T-51 power armor at red rocket stop in Fallout 4

Physical Resistance	1340
Energy Resistance	1090
Radiation Resistance	1050
HP	1395

Nuka-Cola is a big part of Fallout‘s lore, so it’s not really surprising that one of the game’s most unique power armor sets is a piece of Nuka-Cola branding. The armor is relatively easy to get and can be looted from the Nuka-World DLC’s World of Refreshment location.

Stats-wise, the Nuka T-51 is the same as a vanilla set of T-51 armor. However, it comes with two nice upgrades. Firstly, the armor comes with a very snazzy-looking unique paint job. Secondly, equipping all pieces provides a handy +3 Agility bonus. The only downside is that material mods cannot be applied to this armor, which may mess with some players’ builds.

3 T-60

An Armor Set Often Seen On Members Of The Brotherhood

Physical Resistance	1580
Energy Resistance	1245
Radiation Resistance	1050
HP	1665

Anyone even a little bit familiar with Fallout should recognize the T-60 power armor. It’s the iconic armor most commonly seen being worn by the Brotherhood of Steel faction.

The T-60 was brought into service right at the end of the war and, at the time, was considered to be the most advanced model of power armor to have ever seen action. Stats-wise, the armor is a step up from almost every piece of armor in the game and has some of the best upgrade options. There’s also a unique “Tesla” variant of the arm and chest pieces that gives up to a 15% bonus to energy weapon damage.

2 X-01

The Latest & Greatest

X-01 power armor in a power armor station in Fallout 4

Physical Resistance	1820
Energy Resistance	1390
Radiation Resistance	1050
HP	1525

The X-01 is the most advanced power armor in Fallout 4. According to Fallout lore, work began on the X-01 power armor just before the end of the Great War but wasn’t completed until much later – around 2220 by the evil Enclave.

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The X-01 is hands down the best vanilla power armor in the game and offers the best defensive stats. Amazingly, it’s also shockingly easy to get a full suit early on in the game. A complete set of X-01 armor can be found on the roof of 35 Court in Boston’s Financial District, and another can be found on the back of a truck just west of Dry Rock Gulch. Its great stats, upgrade options, and easy availability mean that there’s little reason to bother with any of the other Power Armors in Fallout 4.

1 Quantum X-01

Better Than The Best

Physical Resistance	1820
Energy Resistance	1390
Radiation Resistance	1050
HP	1525

If players are willing to complete one of Fallout 4‘s most frustrating quests and collect 35 star cores hidden throughout Nuka-World, their reward is the game’s best power armor. The Quantum X-01 is a unique variant of the standard X-01 armor that comes with a sweet custom Quantum blue paint job and a unique perk – faster action point refresh speed.

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Better still, it comes already upgraded to Mk 5, making it the most powerful complete suit that can be found in the game, saving the player from having to spend precious resources on upgrading it. The only downside to wearing either version of the X-01 is that it arguably makes the game too easy. Getting the Quantum X-01 in Fallout 4 might take a while, but it’s worth the effort.