As they say, the best form of offense is good defense. And while I don’t know who this metaphorical ‘they’ are, they have a point, especially when in reference to surviving in the hostile environment ofFallout New Vegas' Mojave Wasteland. With practically everyone and their mother having a 9mm Pistol in hand at the very least, players need a way to up that damage resistance, and a set of armor will do just that.
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We are talking about a Cuirass or a set of Greaves; this isn’tTamriel. But, even still, there is plenty of helpful armor littered around the Mojave and I intend to shed some light on which of these pieces of armor are worth seeking out.
1Elite Riot Gear
Third Street Municipal Building (Lonesome Road)
Riot’s Ruin Critical Chance +5 Guns +10 Charisma +1
Let’s not beat around the bush here. The Elite Riot Gear, no matter whether you’re talking light, medium or heavy armor is the best that Fallout New Vegas has to offer. This is a medium armor, which offers the second-highest DR in its weight class, only trailing behind the Gannon Tesla Armor, which we will be speaking about soon enough.
What makes this, however, the best armor of all is the additional buffs that come with this Armor set. You’ll gain a boost to Charisma and guns, and you’ll gain a 5% higher chance of landing critical hits. Pair this with the complementing helmet, and you’ll also gain Night Vision Optics, a boost to speech and Perception, and to top it all off, this armor is the most durable medium armor in the game, so you won’t need to repair this one all that often either. You’ll need to reach The Divide to make it yours, but it’s worth the trek, I assure you.
2Gannon Family Tesla Armor
Reward for completing ‘For Auld Lang Syne’
As promised, we have the Gannon Family Tesla Armor up next, which looks for all the world like it would be classed as Heavy Armor, because it’s practically Power Armor for crying out loud. Yet, it sits pretty at the top of the medium armor DR charts, offering a whopping 26DR. Then, on top of that, you also get additional Rad Resistance, much like most Power Armor suits, and gain a buff to Energy Weapons too.
It looks the part and has the stats to back it up, but you’ll need to put in the work to get this one, as it is locked behind Arcade Gannon’s companion quest line, which will only become available if you become Arcade’s tour guide around the Mojave for a while. But stick it out, because this Tesla Armor is perfect for those who want maximum medium armor protection, and if you are partial to using a Plasma Rifle, then all the better.
3Remnants Power Armor
+1 Strength +15 Radiation Resistance
Sticking with the Remnants of the Enclave in the Mojave, if you don’t fancy going with a medium armor setup, you’ll also have the option of using the Enclave’s actual power armor by sticking on this old relic, the Remnants Power Armor.
This one offers a boost to your Strength stat, and Red Resistance as is standard with Power Armor. The real reason you want this one is the incredible 28DR this suit offers, however, which is the highest DR without additional perks in the game. I would suggest you run this one without the matching helmet, as this will provide a Charisma debuff, but all in all, it’s about as good a heavy armor that you will find this side of apocalyptic Nevada, plus it’ll make E-De feel more at home, which is always a bonus.
4Stealth Suit MKII
X-13 Research Facility (Old World Blues)
Two words. Sentient Armor. That’s right, the Stealth Suit MKII, if fully upgraded when visiting The Big Empty, becomes a companion of sorts as you travel the wasteland, keeping you company with the occasional quip. But more importantly, it offers unique abilities to suit, such as automatic Stimpak deployment and warnings when enemies are lurking nearby.
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This should be more than enough to sell you on this armor, but on top of that, this suit also has a respectable DR of 14 and a wealth of upgrades, such as buffs to Perception and Sneak, and increases your movement speed when sneaking. If you’re a sneaky sort that loves making the most of stealth kill multipliers or just avoiding fights altogether, then the Stealth Suit MKII should be top of your wishlist.
5Reinforced Sierra Madre Armor
There aren’t many Light Armors that I would recommend outside of the early to mid-game, truthfully, but it would be rude not to offer at least one option here for all you Light Armor users out there, and my pick of the bunch is the Reinforced Sierra Madre Armor. This is, as you might have guessed, acquired via the Dead Money DLC, offering the highest light armor DR by a distance.
It’s a piece of armor that does exactly what it says on the tin. It protects you, but unlike a lot of entries here, there are no perks or additional benefits to this one. It’s about as protective as light armor can be, and it’s no thrills, but if you want something that offers more than just high DR, you might want to shop around a little more.
6Ulysses' Duster
Ulysses' Temple (Lonesome Road)
If I’ve learned anything from my manyre-watches of It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia, it’s that a Duster always looks slick, and in the case of Ulysses' Duster from the Lonesome Road DLC, it doesn’t just look incredible. It also offers a lot of buffs and benefits that make it a contender for the best light armor in the game.
This armor admittedly only has a DR of 13, which places it well behind the Sierra Madre Armor in terms of protective powers. What makes this one an attractive proposition, however, is that this Duster gives players a boost to Charisma, and a 5% critical hit chance boost, too. There is the option to trade this one out for the Courier Duster, which offers a pretty sweet strength build option until the flag of the Bull (Caesar’s Legion). But, weighing up all the options, I firmly believe Ulysse’s Duster is the pick of the bunch.
7Joshua Graham’s armor
Reward at the end of Honest Hearts DLC
I know I said Light Armor isn’t a hot commodity in Fallout New Vegas, and here I am including three in a row, but there is one other exception to the rule, and that is Joshua Graham’s Armor, which is acquired when you complete the Honest Hearts DLC. This one is a nifty alternative to Combat Armor, as you get the same DR, but you only need to lug around a third of the weight. Plus, this armor set gives the player a 3% critical hit ratio boost, making this perfect for Luck/Crit builds.
The downside to this one is that you don’t get wrapped up in the bandages like Joshua Graham and take on the role of the Burned Man when you return to the Mojave. But, as far as Light Armor options go, this one is sturdy with a quality perk that leans into a particular build option, making this my personal favorite light armor in the game, even if the Sierra Madre Reinforced Armor is spongier.
8Armor of the 87th Tribe
Dry Wells (Lonesome Road)
As soon as I visited Cottonwood Cove and saw my first Centurion, I wanted desperately to love that armor set, but despite the decent DR, I just couldn’t. So, when Lonesome Road gave me the option to adorn the Armor of the 87th Tribe, which aesthetically one-ups the standard Centurion Armor, and offers better stats to boot, I was thrilled.
This armor has 22 DR, making it one of the stronger options in the game, and it also comes with a boost to your critical hit chances, Charisma and Action Points, making this a great armor set in and out of battle. But above all, this armor set shines because it is not considered a Faction Armor. So you can run around with cool Legion armor without the worry of the NCR taking pop shots at you.
9Scorched Sierra Power Armor
The Long 15 (Lonesome Road)
This list has been light on Power Armor, so let’s fix that with the addition of the Scorched Sierra Power Armor, a suit that can be acquired via the Lonesome Road DLC, which puts an NCR spin on this Brotherhood of Steel staple. It has a respectable DR of 24, offers a buff to Strength, and instead of the usual Rad Resistance of Power Armor suits, as you might have gathered from the scorched nature of this suit, it offers a boost to fire resistance. But, the standout effect is the regenerative health ability that allows you to gradually restore +2 Health every second. Meaning if you are low on Stimpaks, this armor could save your life.
Much like the Armor of the 87th Tribe, this Armor is not considered Faction Armor, so you may wear this one around the Mojave without catching any Legionnaire side-eye. But, the downside to this one is that if you choose to nuke the legion camp to get the Armor of the 87th Tribe, you’ll miss out on this one, and vice versa. So you’ll need to make a decision about which one suits your needs more.
10Reinforced Gecko-Backed Metal Armor
Crafted Item
Lastly, we have a piece of armor I include purely for its situational usefulness. The Reinforced Gecko-Backed Metal Armor is a decent heavy armor variant, offering the player 20DR. The situational advantage this one offers comes down to the perks attached to this armor set, though. You see, this one provides resistance to Fire, Radiation and Poison, essentially acting as an all-in-one protective suit against the elements. You will take a hit to Agility, as with all Metal Armor, but it’s a small price to pay.
Radiation and Fire Resistance are nice, especially when dealing with Ghouls and Fire Geckos. But the real star of the show is the Poison Resistance, as this will give you an advantage when you’re caught off guard by a group of Cazadors. Which, as many of you will know, is terrifying. You won’t find this one out in the wild, and you’ll need to skin your fair share of Geckos to craft this Armor, but it’s worth doing to shield yourself from the elements.
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