Fallout 4: Here’s Why Your Power Armor Disappeared (& How To Get it Back)

Power Armor is among the most iconic items in the Fallout franchise. It’s a true game changer that vastly enhances a player’s survivability in the game. Having said that, it’s obvious that such a valuable piece of equipment is rare to find when compared to other gear in the game. No matter how hard it is, getting your hands on Power Armor is crucial. But what happens when your framer just vanishes into thin air? This is a problem that many players faced over the years, and because of it, we’ve decided to create this guide. Let’s see why your Fallout 4 Power Armor disappeared and how to get it back.

Power Armor missing in Fallout 4; why it happens?

You’ve just exited your Power Armor in Fallout 4, and you’re ready to upgrade it and paint it. You’re done with the job, and you remember there are a few things you need to do around the Settlement before you’re done for the day. You leave your Power Armor frame, and when you return, in a few minutes (or hours), your precious upgraded set is lost. It’s gone. It’s nowhere to be found.

You know how Fallout 4 has a pretty advanced AI system that was implemented in order for the world to feel alive? Turns out that it’s almost too realistic since your settlers and even some aggressive NPCs can steal your Power Armor.

If your Power Armor is missing, it most likely got stolen, and the way to deal with this depends on who stole it. Sometimes if your Settlement is under attack, settlers will jump into your Power Armor as a means of protecting themselves and dealing some damage.

If your Settlement has been raided, chances are great that raiders will steal your Power Armor if you leave the fusion cores in. This is a bit more complicated when it comes to retrieving the stolen armor, however. And this is exactly what we’re going to guide you through in the next part of our post.

How to get your Power Armor back once it’s been stolen in Fallout 4?

When it comes to retrieving your Power Armor after it’s been stolen, you have several options at your disposal. You can pickpocket the fusion core of the NPC that stole it, or you can destroy the fusion core while the NPC is wearing the Power Armor. Rarely you can simply ask the NPC that currently wears your Power Armor to exit it. Now let’s analyze all three approaches in a bit more detail.

Pickpocketing fusion cores from NPCs

You can retrieve your Power Armor in Fallout 4 by pickpocketing fusion cores from an NPC. that stole it. Fusion Cores serve as fuel for Power Armor, and without them, the Power Armor is pretty much useless. And even though NPCs have the capacity to steal the armor and even use it to some limited extent, they do not have the capacity to obtain more cores to power it. Pickpocketing the Fusion Cores will result in the NPC exiting the Power Armor nearly instantly, and in that case, you can retrieve it back pretty easily.

Destroying the fusion cores

This is an alternative way to retrieve your Power Armor, but it can easily backfire. You can use VATS to specifically target fusion cores, and just like pickpocketing the fusion cores, this will result in NPC leaving the power armor instantly due to the loss of power.

If you kill the NPC that stole your power armor while it is wearing it, you will be able to loot some pieces of the armor, but the frame will be lost to you, which renders it unusable. Frames are rare to come by but not impossible. There are at least 20 of them in the world waiting for you to loot them. Besides, you can always use the commands to spawn one for yourself.

You can kindly ask NPCs to exit your Power Armor

In case you have accidentally given a command to your companion to enter your Power Armor, you can kindly ask it to exit the Power Armor through the dialogue options. Companions will, in general, follow your command. The only exception to this rule is Paladin Danse, who will straight up refuse to leave the Power Armor.
When you’re companions are wearing the armor, fusion cores will not degrade over time, and they can use the core-less frames without penalty so keep that in mind.

The option to leave your Power Armor may appear for other NPCs in your Settlement, but not all. It’s a good idea to always attempt to discuss it with the NPCs before moving on to pickpocketing the cores or killing an NPC.

How to prevent Power Armor theft in Fallout 4?

To prevent your Power Armor from getting stolen, it’s best to take out the fusion cores. Without fusion cores, NPCs will pay no mind to it and will never even attempt to enter it. This is the only way to always make sure that your armor will be waiting for where you left it.

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