Power armor is one of the most iconic parts of the Fallout franchise, providing enhanced defense and carrying capacity to wander the wasteland. In Fallout 76, crafting the best power armor is a must for those looking to take on the Appalachia‘s toughest enemies.
In this comprehensive guide, we‘ll be breaking down all you need to know to craft the best power armor available, as well as how to mod it for maximum performance. We‘ll be ranking power armor type by their base stats, defense capabilities, rad resistances and more. Plus, learn where to find each type to start building your perfect set.
So let‘s dive into the varied options for power armor in Fallout 76!
What Does Power Armor Do in Fallout 76?
Before getting into ranking specific types of power armor, what exactly are the benefits of power armor sets in Fallout 76? Donning a power armor chassis and all of its pieces provides:
- Damage resistance – All power armor greatly enhances damage mitigation from attacks. The best models can lessen attacks by over 50%.
- Radiation resistance – Most power armor also cuts down radiation exposure. Higher level options provide up to 90% rad resistance!
- High carry weight – Equipping a power frame and armor parts dramatically increases carry weight versus being bare. Mods can further increase this.
- Unique bonuses – Some special power armor variants also provide interesting effects like auto-stimpaks, stealth enhancement, Tesla arcs on damage, and more.
- Immunity to fall damage – You can jump off nearly any height with power armor and take no damage, great for building mountainside bases!
Now to take advantage of these benefits, you‘ll want to track down and cobble together the best power armor set possible. So let‘s rank them from worst to best options available in Fallout 76!
10. Raider Power Armor
- Minimum Level: 15
- Base Stats:
- Damage Resistance: 160/220/281/341
- Energy Resistance: 160/220/281/341
- Radiation Resistance: 160/220/281/341
- Effects: None
- Where to Get: Find near Raider camps as random drops
The crude raider power armor set is the first option most players will have access to after hitting level 15. While it offers only marginal defense improvements over basic armor, the raider power armor set is freely dropped by defeated enemies at raider camps and offers solid protection for starting players.
It cannot be upgraded past level 45 though, so it will quickly become obsolete later in Fallout 76. This makes it only useful early on, though it requires few resources to repair.
9. T-45 Power Armor
- Minimum Level: 25
- Base Stats:
- Damage Resistance: 228/294/360
- Energy Resistance: 228/294/360
- Radiation Resistance: 228/294/360
- Effects:
- 42% Damage Reduction
- 90% Radiation Resistance
- Where to Get: Quest rewards, Brotherhood vendors, random drops
An early-to-mid tier power armor option, T-45 offers only moderate defense despite requiring level 25 to equip the body. Troops of the Brotherhood of Steel commonly wear T-45 armor, and Brotherhood vendors sell upgrade plans for it.
While its stats are unremarkable, it‘s fairly easy to find during Brotherhood-related quests or fully-modified drops from high level enemies. It also only takes basic materials to repair, though offers no special utility versus other suits.
8. Excavator Power Armor
- Minimum Level: 25
- Base Stats:
- Damage Resistance: 163/201/240
- Energy Resistance: 163/201/240
- Radiation Resistance: 234/300/365
- Effects:
- +100 Carry Weight
- Increased ore mining output
- Where to Get: Quest reward for completing Miner Miracles
Designed for miners in the Ash Heap region, Excavator power armor offers lackluster defenses compared to high-level options: just 240 DR at max 45 level. However, it makes up for this with excellent utility from its power armor effects!
Equipping Excavator armor grants +100 carry weight, dramatically increasing what you can lug around the wasteland before becoming encumbered. It also mines ore veins faster, causing them to produce more resources per hit. This makes it a top choice for farming crafting materials!
You can receive the full plans for Excavator upon completing the Miner Miracles quest in the Garrahan Mining Headquarters.
7. T-60 Power Armor
- Minimum Level: 30
- Base Stats:
- Damage Resistance: 334/400
- Energy Resistance: 304/370
- Radiation Resistance: 350/415
- Effects:
- 42% Damage Reduction
- 90% Radiation Resistance
- Where to Get: Brotherhood quests, random drops
An enhanced evolution of the T-45 suit focused on survivability, the T-60 offers the best all-around defenses before reaching endgame options. Both available max-level variants of T-60 power armor sport over 400 damage resistance.
Its excellent stopping power comes second only to late-game X-01 and Ultracite suits. On top of raw defense, it also cuts incoming damage by 42% and rad exposure by 90% when fully equipped.
However, plans for the T-60 are difficult to find reliably. You‘ll have to get lucky with random drops from special daily quests or event reward lists. That scarcity heavily limits T-60 usage.
6. T-51 Power Armor
- Minimum Level: 30
- Base Stats:
- Damage Resistance: 300/374/454
- Energy Resistance: 300/374/454
- Radiation Resistance: 181/220/305
- Effects:
- 42% Damage Reduction
- 90% Radiation Resistance
- Where to Get: Dropped from high level beasts, random rewards
Similar to Raider armor in origins, the T-51 suit was hastily thrown together right before bombs fell thanks to its low material requirements versus protection offered. It lacks special utility but provides among the best all-around defenses in Fallout 76.
Both max-level variants available in Fallout 76 offer excellent damage mitigation nearing 500 DR with additional percentage cut. This allows easy tanking even versus the Scortchbeast Queen and her accompanyings. But again, the scarcity of plans makes finding a complete set challenging.
5. Hellcat Power Armor
- Minimum Level: 50
- Base Stats:
- Damage Resistance: 436
- Energy Resistance: 320
- Radiation Resistance: 320
- Effects:
- 42% Damage Reduction
- 90% Radiation Resistance
- 12% Ballistic Damage Reduction
- Where to Get: Quest reward for completing Fallout 76 Steel Reign questline
Exclusive to Fallout 76, this suit was designed by the Secret Service for heavy field use in Appalachia‘s frontier regions. It sports above average damage resistance given its high level 50 requirement.
Uniquely, equipping the complete Hellcat armor set also cuts incoming ballistic damage by 12%, granting further protection versus bullet barrages beyond raw defense stats. And with generous rad resistance as well, it allows safely hanging out in irradiated zones longer.
Hellcat armor plans are rewarded for finishing Fallout 76‘s Steel Reign main questline, which can take dozens of hours to fully complete. But the armor is well worth the playtime investment!
4. Strangler Heart Power Armor
- Minimum Level: 50
- Base Stats:
- Damage Resistance: 453
- Energy Resistance: 393
- Radiation Resistance: 500
- Effects:
- 42% Damage Reduction
- 90% Radiation Resistance
- Acid damage thorns effect
- Where to Get: Ultracite variant, unique plans from Vault 94 Raids
Strangler Heart armor might have Fallout 76‘s coolest look with blooming flora covering the suit. But its strangling vines also hide deadly acid sacks that burst when struck, damaging enemies in melee range!
The acid damage thorns effect alone make Strangler Heart one of the best Excavator power armors around. Beyond that its base resistance stats are uniformly good, with extremely high radiation defense letting you soak up nukes and rad storms.
As an Ultracite variant, you‘ll need to complete Brotherhood quests and then tackle difficult Vault 94 raid content repeatedly to earn Strangler Heart plans. It takes dedication but delivers great power!
3. X-01 Power Armor
- Minimum Level: 40 (can upgrade to level 50)
- Max Level Base Stats:
- Damage Resistance: 398
- Energy Resistance: 453
- Radiation Resistance: 453
- Effects:
- 42% Damage Reduction
- 90% Radiation Resistance
- Where to Get: Late main quest & random Enclave events
Issued to Enclave forces shortly before the bombs fell, X-01 offers among the best energy and radiation resistances available. Both its maxed out DR/ER values over 450 make X-01 perfect for led-spewing boss fights like Scorchbeasts.
As Enclave tech, you can find X-01 armor plans and mods by completing main quests for the Whitespring bunker faction or Enclave events. Parts rarely drop from shutting down nuclear reactor events as well.
While crafting X-01 requires later game grinding through the Enclave, its supreme defenses reward that loyalty for endgame and nuke zone challenges. Slap on Enclave paints too for intimidating style!
2. Ultracite Power Armor
- Minimum Level: 50
- Base Stats:
- Damage Resistance: 453
- Energy Resistance: 393
- Radiation Resistance: 393
- Effects:
- 42% Damage Reduction
- 90% Radiation Resistance
- Where to Get: Brotherhood of Steel faction quest rewards
Offering the highest non-Strangler Heart damage resistance, Ultracite armor works as the perfect offensive companion for heavy weapons players thanks to its peerless protection. Both normal and Strangler Heart Ultracite suits make the wearer an impenetrable walking tank.
Plus with solid rad resistance as well, those unwieldy mini guns and .50 cals can keep spinning against endgame foes without fear of quick deaths when armored up in Ultracite!
Players are granted the full Ultracite suit for completing the Brotherhood of Steel quest "Belly of the Beast." You‘ll need to progress through much of the BoS questline first, but the gear payoff is worthwhile.
1. T-65 Power Armor
- Minimum Level: 50
- Base Stats:
- Damage Resistance: 565
- Energy Resistance: 565
- Radiation Resistance: 470
- Effects:
- 42% Damage Reduction
- 90% Radiation Resistance
- Where to Get: Secret Service faction vendor for gold bullion
If you want the absolute best base stats power armor set available in Fallout 76, the T-65 armor set is by far your top choice. With obscenely high DR/ER values nearing 600 when fully upgraded, no amount of enemy fire will put a dent in an equipped T-65 suit.
Boasting triple digit defense improvements over more common power armor available, T-65 is the apex dropping for Fallout 76 armor protection. Slap on Emergency Protocols torso mods for flat damage reduction as well, and nearly nothing can easily crack a T-65 suit!
The plans for T-65 can be purchased from Secret Service allies you rescue during the main Wastelanders questline, but prepare to save up plenty of the endgame gold bullion currency. Those without regular legendaries to scrip may need weeks assembling enough gold reserves through daily quests before they can craft up a full T-65 loadout. But once built up the armor will carry you through anything!
Power Armor Modifications & Upgrades
Whichever of those power armor models you choose hunting down, remember to pick up and read any power armor plans found via questing to unlock crafting upgrades. Higher level enemy variants or quest rewards often come pre-modified, granting boosted defenses or other benefits like increased AP regeneration or better carry weight.
But for most random power armor piece drops, you‘ll need to visit a workbench and apply mods manually after reading plans. Some particularly useful ones to keep an eye out for include:
- Optimized Bracers/Servos – Increase action points for sprinting in power armor.
- Kinetic/Reactive Plates – Flat damage resistance improvements.
- Tesla Coils – Shock attackers for energy damage.
- Targeting HUD – Highlights living enemies and reveals robotic weaknesses.
- Calibrated/Emergency Protocols – Cut damage taken substantially while sprinting or when low health.
Installing adjusted power armor leg mods will also allow you to leap much further with the Marsupial mutation equipped. This is excellent for quickly bounding around the environment despite heavy power armor!
Mods definitely help turn even lower tier power armors into worthwhile defensive wear for heavy combat. So learn plans whenever you can via quests, vendors, and events to maximize whatever suit you depend on exploring with!
Crafting Your Best Fallout 76 Power Armor
Donning any power armor is great for defense in Fallout 76, but top tier options like T-65 and Ultracite sets are in another league for protection when fully crafted. Whether you want to focus on damage resistance, mobility, rad exposure protection, or just raw stopping power, the above ranked list of all power armor models covers every base!
Just remember to keep collecting any random power armor plans from questing to advance your crafting capabilities. And with enough time exploring Fallout 76‘s dungeons, taking on the Enclave/Brotherhood, or pursuing gold bullion-rich endgame questlines, you‘ll own a full set of heavy gear to make you an unstoppable juggernaut across nuclear Appalachia!
Did I miss any crucial information on your favorite Fallout 76 power armor? Let me know in the comments!
