The Best Power Armor in Fallout 76, Ranked

Image: Bethesda Game Studios, Bethesda Softworks via HGG / Koby Gibson Ross

Human Made

My name is Gibson Vasela. I am a freelance writer who has been playing video games for almost 20 years now. I play all kinds of games, but I especially love immersive sims and RPGs.

Reviewed by Benjamin Barr

In the world of Fallout, power armor is a status symbol. It is the strongest and most durable type of armor there is, and those who wear it are usually viewed with a mixture of envy and intimidation. Power armor continues to maintain its prestige (and usefulness) in Fallout 76, often being essential to surviving some of the harder encounters.

There are many different suits of power armor available in Fallout 76, but not all of them are created equal. So if you are looking to don a suit for yourself, how do you decide which one is right for you? In this article, we will be going over and ranking every suit of power armor in Fallout 76 to get you the best one.

All Power Armor in Fallout 76, Ranked Good to Best

So without any further delay, let’s discuss what the BEST suits of power armor are in Fallout 76! We’ll work our way down to our number one pick and go over how to get the most out of each one.

11/11

Excavator Power Armor

First up on our list is the Excavator Power Armor. This is a pretty cool suit of armor that is unique to Fallout 76. It was designed before the war as a way to enhance a miner’s productivity, allowing them to compete with the robots trying to take their jobs.

This armor is a decent option for early-game protection, offering 240 resistance points against both regular and energy damage, as well as 366 points for radiation. While it falls short compared to some of the best power armors, which offer double the protection, it remains a solid choice for early-game players.

Furthermore, wearing a full set of this armor will increase your carrying capacity by 100 pounds and double your resource yield when mining ores in the wild. This makes it an invaluable asset for scavengers in need of more resources. You can obtain it by completing the side-quest Miner Miracles.

10/11

Raider Power Armor

Claiming the 10th spot on our list is the Raider Power Armor, a post-war suit of armor cobbled together by the scavenging raiders of the wasteland. This armor can often be found within raider camps scattered throughout the map.

The Raider Power Armor offers its wearer 341 points of resistance against damage, energy, and radiation, making it a statistically better option than the Excavator Power Armor mentioned earlier. So if you happen to come across a set of Raider Power Armor while exploring Appalachia, it would be wise to forego the quest for the Excavator suit.

9/11

T-45 Power Armor

Taking the next spot on our list is the T-45 power armor, a well-known and frequently found armor suit throughout post-war America. This model was one of the earliest versions of power armor used during the Great War and remains highly coveted even after the bombs dropped.

Wearing this armor will grant you 360 points of resistance against ballistic and energy weapons, as well as radiation, making it slightly more potent than the Raider Power Armor we mentioned earlier. As a relatively common sight in the Wasteland, obtaining a full suit for yourself should not prove too challenging.

8/11

T-60 Power Armor

Coming up next on our list is the T-60 Power Armor, a suit of armor that should be recognizable to those who played Fallout 4. It was the preferred armor of a certain faction in that game and has been available in Fallout 76 since its release, serving as a good mid-game armor set.

Now, let’s dive into its stats. Wearing this armor will grant you a total of 400 points of damage resistance, 370 energy damage resistance, and 415 radiation resistance. These stats are well-rounded and balanced, making it a nice “jack-of-all-trades” suit of power armor.

7/11

X-01 Power Armor

Up next on our list at spot number 7, we have the X-01 suit of power armor! This is a beloved and recognizable armor that was first introduced as the Enclave’s trademark armor in Fallout 2. Although it’s still a strong suit of power armor in Fallout 76, it is no longer the best of the best.

One of the most notable features of this armor is its 453 points of energy and radiation resistance, which is one of the best in these categories, only being beaten out by a few other suits. However, it only offers 398 points for resistance against regular damage. Personally, I think that having high damage resistance is more important than high energy resistance.

Nevertheless, this power armor is still very strong, and I recommend that you equip it whenever you do a nuclear silo raid or take on an event with lots of robots.

6/11

Hellcat Power Armor

Up next, we have the Hellcat Power Armor. This is a suit of power armor with a unique design, extensively used by a mercenary company after the war. Although introduced in the Steel Reign update, it has not been able to dominate the meta.

This power armor provides users with 436 points of damage resistance, as well as 320 points of resistance to energy and radiation damage. While it is a decent suit of power armor, it is not the best one available in Fallout 76.

What sets this armor apart is its unique perk. In addition to the damage reductions mentioned earlier, the armor also reduces ballistic weapon damage by -12% when worn as a complete set. To obtain this armor, you will need to craft it by acquiring the crafting plans from completing the main quest called The Catalyst.

5/11

Union Power Armor

And up next on our ranking, we have the most recently released power armor in Fallout 76, as of the time of this update. The Union Power Armor is a suit of armor that was created after the bombs dropped, originating from The Pitt, formerly known as Pittsburgh before the war.

When wearing this suit of armor, you will gain 485 points of damage resistance, 295 points of energy resistance, and 265 points of radiation resistance. Overall, the Union Power Armor features relatively low energy and radiation resistance, but its high damage resistance makes it a great suit for most encounters in the game.

The armor also has some unique properties if you happen to have all of the parts equipped at once. With a full set, you will be able to carry an additional 75 points of equipment with you at all times, and users will also receive a buff of 150 points of poison resistance. This makes it great for niche situations where you’ll be taking a lot of poison damage. To obtain this suit, you will have to purchase the parts for it from the NPC vendor named Giuseppe Della Ripa.

4/11

Ultracite Power Armor

Continuing on our list, we arrive at the Ultracite Power Armor. This is the first suit that I would personally categorize as “high-tier” power armor. It is unique to the location of Fallout 76 and was constructed by the Brotherhood using the strange and powerful ultracite material.

The armor provides a solid 453 points of damage resistance, slightly surpassing the Hellcat suit. It also offers 393 points of both energy and radiation resistance, although it doesn’t quite measure up to the X-01 suit in these categories. Overall, I consider it to be a superior suit of power armor. It has a sleek appearance and boasts strong overall stats. If you want to obtain this armor, you will need to complete the main quest Belly of the Beast.

3/11

Strangler Heart Power Armor

And for our next pick, let’s discuss the Stranger Heart Power Armor. This is a very unique and interesting-looking suit of armor that uses the Ultracite Power Armor as a base, but is now completely overgrown with vines and mutated plants found in The Mire region of the map.

The biggest and most notable thing about this armor is its 500 points of radiation resistance, the highest among all the armors in the game. This makes it great for charging into nuclear blast zones. Additionally, the armor gives users 453 damage resistance and 393 energy resistance, making it practical in those categories as well.

One thing I really like about this armor is its unique properties. When a player is wearing a full set, their armed attacks will deal acid damage. In addition to that, you will also deal acid damage to any enemies that are very close to you. This makes it a really great suit of power armor if you are a melee user. To get this suit, you’ll need to craft it. You can purchase the crafting plans from a merchant named Regs at the location Vault 79.

2/11

T-51b Power Armor

In second place on this ranking for the best power armor suits in Fallout 76, we have the T-51b Power Armor. This is a very iconic suit of gear that was my personal favorite armor in Fallout 3. This suit of armor is still very strong and able to outcompete most of the other power armor in the game.

Wearing the T-51b Power Armor will give users 454 points of damage resistance, which is only slightly higher than the previous two power armors. However, it manages to outperform them overall thanks to its 454 points of energy resistance, which is even better than the X-01 suit! Its radiation resistance is pretty low at only 305 points. This isn’t a big deal, however, as Rad-Away and Rad-X are very common.

If you are looking to add this suit to your collection, you can find parts of it spawned randomly throughout the wasteland. Alternatively, you can craft it using plans acquired from the NPC merchant Phoenix.

1/11

T-65 Power Armor (Secret Service Power Armor)

And finally, in spot number 1 on our ranking, we have what is undoubtedly the BEST suit of power armor in Fallout 76… the T-65 Power Armor! This set of gear was exclusively deployed for use by the Secret Service of the United States Government.

This set of gear provides its users with 565 points of damage resistance. Additionally, it offers 470 points of energy and radiation resistance. Without question, this suit of armor beats out all other types of armor in the game. Its stats are the highest in every category except for radiation, where it is outperformed by only 30 points by the Strangler Heart set.

To get your hands on this armor, you will need to craft it using plans bought with gold bullion. The only merchant that sells it is located in Vault 79 and is named Regs.

Join the High Ground!

We hope that you found this article ranking every suit of power armor in Fallout 76 useful. What are your thoughts on this list? Did we get it right?

Be sure to let us know down below! And make sure to subscribe to our weekly newsletter for more regular content on Fallout 76 and other great games.

Happy gaming!

The Best Power Armor in Fallout 76, Ranked