10 Best Fallout 3 Armors Ranked (With Locations)

Wandering through the Wastelands of the East Coast of the United States can be really rough – bandits, radioactive animals, and other weird and dangerous creatures that can be really hard to beat, especially in the early game. However, Fallout games never disappoint with different types of armors and gear that a player can acquire during the game and customize for whatever situation there are in. In this article, we will look into the 10 best Fallout 3 armors.

10. Armored Vault Jumpsuit

We start this list with the original Vault 101 Jumpsuit. This armor is great for the early game especially if you’re a specialist in weapons. The Jumpsuit provides +5 energy weapons and +5 small gun effects. Besides the original iconic look with Vault’s number on its back, this suit also reminds us of the Mad Max type of armor, with one pointy shoulder pad and belts with bullets across the Lone Wanderer’s body.

Great suit to start the game. The suit can be found in Craterside Supply, Moira’s store in Megaton. Moira can gift you this armor after you recall how life in Vault 101 was for her. The suit can also be stolen and sold to Moira for 180 caps if you do not want to help her. Also, you don’t lose karma if you steal this armor from someone.

9. Ranger Battle Armor

This armor is quite good before you go into late game and harder opponents. A variant of combat armor, the Ranger Battle Armor and its matching Ranger battle helmet make it the best non-powered suit/armor in the game, and for players who value agility and strength, this is the real deal. It also gets you +5 Action Points, +1 Luck, and +10 Small Guns effects.

Variations of this armor can be found all over Wasteland, however, this particular one can be acquired by solving Reilly’s Rangers Quest for which Reilly gives you this armor as an award. You can also, during the Quest, go and loot fallen Rangers that found themselves there. Besides this choice, you can reverse pick-pocket the rangers in the Rangers compound. The helmet, however, is used only by the group’s engineer Donovan, from whom you can take it with reverse pick-pocketing or loot from his body if he dies.

8. T-45 Power Armor

We are getting into the powered armors domain and there are some really good ones. This particular power armor can only be worn if the player’s character gained the Power Armor Training perk, either by talking to Paladin Gunny in The Citadel or in Take It Back! Quest or by completing the Anchorage Reclamation simulation.

The armor can be repaired by similar armors and completed by the powered helmet. Damage resistance is quite good – 40 and the helmet provides an additional 8. It has +2 Strength, -2 Agility and +10 Radiation Resistance.

You have multiple ways for gaining this armor:

All in all, this suit definitely belongs on this list.

7. Ashur’s Power Armor

This is actually a powered version of the previous entry on this list. It is owned by the leader of Pitt raiders, Ashur and he is the only one with this kind of armor. What makes it even more unique are effects it gets – +1 Luck, +1 Charisma, +1 Strength, -1 Agility and +10 Radiation Resistance. Ashur’s armor is even more powerful than Tribal Power armor and has better stats all over the charts.

Since this is the only armor of its kind, you can get this armor by looting it only at the end of the Free Labor Quest you need to complete and reverse pick-pocket Ashur by handing him a well-repaired suit of power armor and getting his armor once he equips a new armor. This is an amazing armor until you get something better and those options will definitely be discussed further as we go. This quest is given to you by Krenshaw after he tells your character that Ashur wants to speak to you in Uptown. This quest is only available if you download an add-on called the Pitt. The Pitt is actually Pittsburgh.

6. Samurai Armor

Samurai Armor is available in downloadable content called Mothership Zeta, where you encounter Toshiro Kago, an abducted samurai that is aboard the Mothership Zeta. His ancient armor, besides being really cool, gets you +10 Melee Damage and +10 Melee Weapons effects and can be repaired by Metal armor you find in the Wasteland. The helmet is also a must. Despite these effects, item HP in comparison to previous entries is only 500, but the effects alone give your a great advantage against your opponents while looking really cool.

This item is obtainable only by reverse pick-pocketing Toshiro with a stronger set of armor. But there is also a catch with his sword. When you finish the quest, Toshiro stays on the Mothership but you can’t pickpocket him, however, a bug lets you go through his pockets and you can find his Katana there. If you take it, the game crashes. I’m sure there is a mod specifically made for this issue but it is how it is. In conclusion, this armor is rare and unique and if you download the Mothership Zeta DLC, definitely consider this armor.

5. Tesla Armor

We are getting to really powerful armor and Tesla Armor has definitely deserved to be on this list. This is a heavily modified suit of standard Mark II armor, with a difference in the Tesla device being attached to the suit. This armor has +10 Energy Weapons and +20 Radiation Resistance effects which makes it one of the most powerful suits. Moreover, 1500 HP makes this suit extremely durable as well.

Like the previous entry, this armor is pretty rare and hard to obtain. You have to fight the Enclave soldiers on Mothership Zeta and find the armor on one of the fallen soldiers and only there. What’s also really unfortunate is that you get the armor in poor condition. Moreover, the Tesla Armor is pretty hard to repair because it is that rare. Despite all of these facts, this armor is one of the best in the game.

4. Prototype Medic Power Armor/MP-47

As the title says, this armor heals the user during combat if it’s necessary. Besides the usual effects – +25 percent Radiation Resistance and -1 Agility, this armor applies Med-X (a chem in Fallout games) when the user’s health drops below 33% or if a limb’s health drops below 25%. Why is this revolutionary? Well, usually the user, if taking too much of the medicine, gets addicted. This suit prevents that. However, if you don’t have any Med-X left in your inventory, Medic Power Suit Armor is useless in that department.

Despite that con, the armor is really useful in other departments – there is an onboard voice that is similar to a companion and alerts the player of incoming danger. The suit can be found on a dead Brotherhood of Steel initiate inside the Onley sewers, stuck in a culvert with a wastelander and mercenary, both dead. Just enter the sewer system through any entrance and go to the narrow hallway and the doorway leading to the bodies is protected by a deathclaw.

3. Enclave Hellfire Armor

We got to the top 3 best Fallout 3 armors and do not disappoint. Enclave Hellfire Armo, like its title, is really cool. This is a combat infantry armor that is a heat-resistant variant. It gives to the user +1 Strength, +30 Fire Resistance, and +15 Radiation Resistance. Damage resistance with the helmet (+5 Fire Resistance, +5 Radiation Resistance, and -1 Charisma) amounts to 60 which is one of the highest in the game. Could easily be compared to the first two armors on this list but regardless of that found itself in a great spot.

Durability is expressed by 2000 HP and it is absolutely insane in combat, it really gives ’em hell. The armor is worn by Enclave Hellfire troopers, which firstly you need to find and then loot them. They are quite a piece of work so make sure you have a suitable weapon for them (no fire for sure). Location of the troopers anywhere in Capital Wasteland in enclave posts and you only encounter them in DLC called Broken Steel.

2. Chinese Stealth Armor

So, this is another DLC armor, but oh my God is it good. If you have a sneak character, you definitely need to consider this armor. Only available when you install Fallout 3 add-on Operation: Anchorage simulation, this armor doesn’t have an insane stats like the rest of the armors on this list, but its sneak ability and everything easily repaired by Recon armors, makes this armor a must-have if you want to go through the game as a stealthy ninja.

When you complete the Operation: Anchorage, you have available Chinese Stealth Armor in the facilities armory. The stealth field is broken – whenever you sneak, you are invisible. Its base stats are mediocre in comparison to other armors – Damage Reduction is 31 with the helmet and gets you +15 Sneak, +5 Stealth Field (while crouching) and Sim version also gets you an additional +5 sneak.

1. Winterized T-51b Power Armor

Finally, for me (and probably for most Fallout 3 fans) deserved first place on this list, goes to Winterized T-51b Power Armor. This armor is just insane. Another armor available only with DLC Operation: Anchorage, has unbelievable stats – +25 Radiation Resistance, the helmet additionally gives you +1 Charisma and +8 Radiation Resistance. With, wait for it, 1,000,000 HP. Yes, this armor is almost invulnerable, but there is a catch. You can’t repair with anything so the solution for this problem is to always have a companion piece such as regular T-51b Power Armor.

It’s a polished version of regular T-51b Power Armor that can be found in Fort Constantine. The winterized version is available only after you finish Operation: Anchorage simulation and can be seen on infantry in the same place where Operation is conducted, which is Outcast Outpost. Great armor that definitely deserves the title of the best armor in Fallout 3.

Liked this article? Join us on Reddit for the latest Marvel & DC news!