Players can find out which of the 11 Power Armor sets in Fallout 76 is the best in terms of utility, resistance, and modification.
In Fallout 76, Power Armor is a deployable shield suit that protects the wearer against Physical, Electrical, Ballistic, and Radiative damage. There are 11 of them in the game: Raiders, Excavator, Hellcat, T-45, T-51b, T-60, T-65, Ultracite, Union, X-01, and Strangler Heart.
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Each has its own strengths and weaknesses, but some players will no doubt be wondering which set of Power Armor is the best. Those who are can this Fallout 76 guide to find out the optimal Power Armor based on stats, perks, and buffs.
The Best Power Armor in Fallout 76 (Overall)
Considering its attainability and utility, Hellcat is the best Power Armor in Fallout 76. The reason for this is that Hellcat is obtainable through a quest line and has an extra 12% ballistic damage reduction on top of the base 42%.
Statistically, the most powerful Power Armor is T-65. However, that’s a Bullion-exclusive Power Armor, meaning that it is not as accessible as Hellcat. Plus, paring Hellcat with the Electrical Absorption perk card boosts its resistance to a point where it compares to T-65 despite the former being much easier to craft and maintain.
The Best Fallout 76 Power Armor for PvP
In terms of Physical, Electrical, and Radiation resistance, T-65 is the best Power Armor in Fallout 76. The suit has the highest stats for Physical and Electrical defense among all PAs in Fallout 76, making it the ideal option for PvP battles. The only downside is that T-65 is a Gold-Bullion-exclusive suit, and getting all of its components costs up to 6,900.
The Best Power Armor for Fallout 76 Beginners
As the only equippable Power Armor for players below Level 25, Raider Power Armor is the best for Fallout 76 beginners. The protective suit can be found as a complete set at around Level 15 and is easy to repair; an essential upside early in the game.
With a max resistance of 341, Raider is the second-weakest Power Armor in Fallout 76 (the weakest is Excavator). However, it comes with a base 42% damage reduction which helps survivors level up much faster.
The Best Fallout 76 Power Armor for Mining Minerals
Thanks to its default Carry Weight booster, Excavator or EXC-17 is the best Power Armor for farming in Fallout 76. The full suit increases CW by 100, and the arms quadruple excavated vein minerals, making it the best choice for harvesting resources.
Resistance-wise, Excavator is the weakest Power Armor. However, when paired with the right perk cards and modifiers, it buffs damage defense almost the same as other Power Armor sets.
Players should craft the Calibrated Shocks for the Excavator’s legs early in the game. It adds an extra 50 Carry Weight on top of the default 100.
The Best-Looking Power Armor in Fallout 76
With over 30 unique paint jobs, T-51b is the best Power Armor for customization. It’s also a popular mid-game choice because it has the second-highest base damage resistance among all Power Armor sets. The only downside to T-51b is that it’s pretty weak against Radiation, which is why Hellcat and T-65 outperform it.
Other Noteworthy Power Armor Sets in Fallout 76 (Honorary Mentions)
Since all Power Armor in Fallout 76 has the same base damage reduction stat, the pluses are subtle and so each could technically be classed as the best power armor for a specific purpose or reason. Strangler Heart, for example, is the best Power Armor for Radiation resistance, Ultracite is an ideal choice among tradable Power Armor sets, and X-01 is arguably the most stylish.
In conclusion, while some of the Power Armor sets in Fallout 76 come with stronger stats than others, it’s ultimately the players’ needs that determine which one is the best and is thus worthy of their investment.
Fallout 76 is available now for PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4.
