Summary

• There are plenty of different armor sets in Fallout 4 that offer various buffs and perks to the player. Here are the best 20.
• Suits like the Nuka-Girl Space Suit provide specialty damage resistance and high resistance to energy damage, making it ideal for fighting foes with energy weapons.
• Meanwhile, suits like the Rescue Diver Suit give specific perks, like allowing players to spend as much time underwater as needed without surfacing.

Bethesda's post-apocalyptic RPG Fallout 4 has a wide variety of gear to collect, but perhaps none as useful and memorable as its expansive selection of armor sets. Venturing into the heart of the nuclear-ravaged wasteland requires one to get decked out in the best possible armor lest they fall prey to the Commonwealth's cruelest enemies. These armor sets can turn the incredibly vulnerable sole survivor into a damage-resistant machine, or they can just as easily make them a well-dressed sitting target. Either way, choosing, customizing, and upgrading a set of armor is one of the best parts of the game.

With super mutants, gigantic insects, and ravenous Death Claws lurking about, one must either find or craft the right armor sets to stay alive. The base version of Fallout 4 comes with a lot of excellent armor sets that people should immediately try to get their hands on, but there are some great options in the DLC expansions. Some are down to business, while others are walking fashion statements, as well as protective gear.

20 Mantis Armor (Legendary)

+ Agility, + Perception

This two-piece legendary armor set, comprised of the Mantis Left Greave and the Mantis Left Armguard is certainly one of the best in Fallout 4; however, it is so rare that most do not know it exists. The complete set offers the sole survivor a 10% chance to disarm melee attackers on hit and a plus one to their agility and perception stats. This unique heavy leather armor set can be purchased from the traveling caravan merchant Lucas Miller, and while it comes at a pretty steep financial cost, it is certainly worth it, especially in the early- to mid-game.

19 Nuka-Girl Space Suit (Costume)

+ Charisma, + Ability To Breathe Underwater

For those who want more pizazz in their outfits, along with specialty damage resistance, the Nuka-Girl Space Suit is a good option. It can be looted from a mannequin inside the amusement park sector of Nuka World. It bears all the trademarks of typical 1950s Sci-Fi movies still loved by audiences today, making it quite unique among Fallout 4's armor sets. Unfortunately, the suit is not very good in a conventional firefight; it does boast a very high resistance to both energy and rad damage, making it a solid choice when going up against foes wielding energy weapons. The glass bowl helmet also allows them to breathe indefinitely underwater.

18 Rescue Diver Suit (No Category)

+ Breathe Underwater

While not the toughest set of armor in Fallout 4, there are many advantages to the Rescue Diver Suit, which make it a must-have for wasteland explorers. First, it allows the player to spend as much time underwater as needed without having to surface. Second, it's extremely mobile and a great alternative to using a full set of Power Armor. The suit can be acquired after completing the "Changing Tide" quest in the Far Harbor DLC. In addition to looking unique and extremely cool, it also offers 250 points of rad resistance, which is perfect for wading into high radiation areas without having to bulk up with power armor.

17 Diamond City Guard Armor (No Category)

+ Damage Resistance, + Energy Resistance

The citizens of Fallout 4's Diamond City, despite living on the field of an old baseball stadium, haven't pieced together how the game was actually played. They believe that players attacked each other with bats while wearing catcher's gear, and this misconception may have led to the city's security patrol adopting the old attire as their official uniform. While the Diamond City Guard Armor isn't particularly great from a stats perspective, it's actually not a bad perk of Fallout 4's Diamond City in the early game. The entire set can fairly easily be pickpocketed from an unaware Diamond City guard.

16 Raider (Power Armor)

+ Damage Resistance, + Energy Resistance

Raider Power Armor doesn't stack up well against other Power Armor variants; it boasts insignificant stats compared to its mightier counterparts. All the same, this interesting and unique armor set can be looted from Raiders. Raider power armor fits the scrappy aesthetic of survival in Fallout 4's post-apocalypse wasteland very well - with the appearance of scrap metal that was once seemingly used to build a Power Armor frame. Though it may not hold up well to the difficulty of playing Fallout 4 in Survival Mode, for a casual playthrough, it could make a deeply immersive and thematically appropriate choice.

15 Apocalypse Armor (Unique Wearable)

+ Energy & Damage Resistance When Health Is Low

To access this very rare and useful armor set in Fallout 4, players must track down a character known as the Scribe, an NPC who randomly appears throughout the game. With high enough speech skills and a settlement with 10 or more members, the Scribe can be convinced to join the group, at which point he'll set up an armor shop in whatever settlement he's ordered to stay in.

The Scribe will then offer the Apocalypse Armor chest piece - the first part of the armor available for sale. Following this, players need to travel to Goodneighbor and visit Hotel Rexford to recruit one of Fallout 4's friendly ghouls, the Vault-Tec rep, in the same manner, and his vendor store will offer the Apocalypse left greave. It doesn't look like much, but its damage resistance is fantastic, plus it has two rare effects not seen in other armors. First, time will slow for players as they accrue more damage, while damage resistance climbs at the same time.

14 Disciples Metal Armor (Heavy)

+ Damage Resistance, + Energy Resistance

The Disciples are one of the major factions that one will encounter during a playthrough of Fallout 4's Nuka World DLC - they can either make for powerful allies or intimidating foes. Part of their daunting nature can be ascribed to the visually unique armor they wear. Like something out of Mad Max, the faction definitely looks the part of a nuclear wasteland. While the Disciples Metal Armor is useful as it offers an impressive base damage resistance of 122 and an energy resistance of 140, a full set is incredibly heavy and can be quite burdensome for the sole survivor.

13 Elder Maxson's Battlecoat (Unique Clothing)

+ Perception

During the main story of Fallout 4, the Brotherhood of Steel faction has an important role, and by extension, the leader of the East Coast Brotherhood of Steel, Elder Maxson plays a crucial part in the story. It's his coat, however, that can offer the sole survivor an interesting alternative armor set. Upgrading Maxson's battlecoat with ballistic weave gives the stylish coat a surprisingly competitive set of stats while maintaining its innate low carrying weight. The only catch is that it can't be pickpocketed from Elder Maxson, meaning one will have to get their hands dirty to acquire it.

12 Army Fatigues & A Fedora (Combination)

+ Strength, + Agility, + Luck

Once a player joins and completes a few quests for the secretive Railroad organization, they will unlock the ability to boost the defensive stats of some clothing items. As outfits and jumpsuits are worn under more conventional sets of armor in Fallout 4, this ability lets people essentially wear two sets simultaneously. The best clothing items to boost with the Ballistic Weave upgrade are army fatigues and a fedora, as these items enhance Strength, Agility, and Luck by one point each. By wearing enhanced army fatigues and a fedora under more conventional armor, a player will essentially become a walking tank - a great strategy to boost defense.

11 Combat Armor (Tier 3)

+ Damage Resistance, + Energy Resistance[

The Combat Armor set is versatile and pretty great - ultimately, it will offer adequate protection to the player during the vast majority of their wasteland adventure. This armor provides balanced protection from both standard damage and energy damage; it is also extremely customizable. Additionally, it’s fairly easy to get a full set of Combat Armor, as, in Fallout 4, enemies that belong to The Gunner mercenary organization have an affinity for this form of protection. This armor is by no means the best in any given situation, but its versatility and well-rounded stats make it ideal for those who want to explore and take on challenges as they come.

10 Synth Armor (Combat)

+ Energy Resistance

The Synth Armor is rather similar to Combat Armor in Fallout 4, albeit with an increased focus on energy defense and a much gaudier appearance - it can also be harder to find a full set of Synth Armor as opposed to Combat Armor. Synth Armor generally only appears on Synth Soldiers and becomes increasingly rare if a player decides to destroy the nefarious Institute. Ironically, this armor is ideal for taking on synth-type enemies, as the increased energy resistance counters their use of laser weapons. While the suit looks like a Stormtrooper armor variant from Star Wars, Synth Armor definitely has its advantages and is very useful against robotic enemies.

9 Marine Armor (Combat)

+ Base Ballistic, + Energy Resistance

The Marine Armor set is one of the strongest normal armor sets in Fallout 4; however, it is only available to players who purchased the Far Harbor DLC. While this armor set is heavy, it boasts almost unrivaled defense, especially if a player takes the time to upgrade the set to the Assault Marine Armor variant. With these high stats comes rarity, but a full set of Marine Armor will spawn on the DLC’s island if a player solves additional puzzles inside DiMA’s memory. These additional puzzles can be pretty tedious, but they are well worth it for the reward of having some of the best armor in Fallout 4.

8 Mechanist's Armor (No Category)

+ Damage Resistance, + Energy Resistance

The funniest armor set in the Fallout 4 Automatron DLC comes in the form of the Mechanist's Armor, which looks like a combination of a mid-century sci-fi robot mixed with the nonsensical and bizarre design aesthetic of the Cybermen from Doctor Who. The armor can be secured after completing the DLC, and it's a pretty good set. The full set offers 85 damage and energy resistance, plus a further 15 percent damage reduction from robot enemies, and a plus one boost to Endurance, Charisma, and Intelligence. It's certain to turn heads, possibly for the wrong reasons, but it's fairly solid when it comes to a good old-fashioned Fallout 4 firefight.

7 Grognak (Costume)

+ Melee Damage

The Grognak Costume is a goofy armor set in Fallout 4, but it's extremely useful in certain circumstances. Essentially a parody of the iconic, eponymous character from Conan the Barbarian, the Grognak Costume takes similar visual cues when it comes to attire. This armor set boosts a character’s Strength by two points and increases the damage inflicted with melee weapons (such as Grognak's Axe) by 20 percent. This makes Grognak Costume a must-have for builds that focus on dealing damage with melee weapons. Moreover, some pieces of armor can be worn over the costume, which mitigates its weak defense; however, adding excessive armor might take away from the barbarian look.

6 Destroyer’s Armor (Combat)

+ Speed, - Damage From Humans

Fallout 4's Destroyer’s Armor is a unique set of combat armor with some particularly useful effects. Not only does the armor decrease damage from human enemies by 10 percent, but it also increases a character’s speed and blocking effectiveness while raising the Sole Survivor's Charisma and Intelligence by one point each. A player needs to buy the various components from merchants found across the wasteland, as the various parts that make up this armor cannot be looted from defeated enemies. Beyond being useful in battles against humans, the Destroyer's Armor rewards players who explore Fallout 4’s world and go out of their way to interact with NPCs in various settlements.

5 T-60 (Power Armor)

+ Damage Resistance

Even if it isn’t the strongest Power Armor in the game, the T-60 has some incredible defensive stats, and it is much easier to find than most. Additionally, the T-60 Power Armor is easier to repair than its bulkier counterpart, and it is also the most customizable Power Armor in the game. While the T-60 Power Armor can burn through Fusion Cores pretty quickly, it's great for going up against bosses or large hordes of enemies. Also found in other titles, like Bethesda producer, Todd Howard's favorite, Fallout 3, the T-60 Power Armor is a no-nonsense armor set that intimidates foes, gives confidence, and provides a much-needed boost during battles.

4 Operators Armor (Heavy)

+ Damage Resistance, + Energy Resistance

Available exclusively in Fallout 4's Nuka World DLC, the Operators Heavy Armor set offers the player a robust set of defensive stats, providing solid protection against energy and ballistic damage. It can be purchased from vendors or obtained through the looting of corpses. The only downside to this armor set is its lack of aesthetic value. While it's not going to win any awards for being fashionable, desirable, or even visually cool, it is practical. In the depths of the wasteland, aesthetics must be a secondary consideration. What matters is damage negation, and the armor offers a stat of 127 in that area, with a further 127 toward energy resistance.

3 Silver Shroud (Costume)

+ Perception

The Silver Shroud costume is easily one of the most entertaining outfits in Fallout 4. Beyond its aesthetics, it is well worth getting the Silver Shroud costume, as it will grant the Sole Survivor some unique dialogue options as certain NPCs will interact with them differently. This costume is also upgradable and has some of the best damage and energy resistance in the game. The Silver Shroud missions are some of the most enjoyable in Fallout 4, and wearing the costume can yield a lot of gameplay options that directly affect the story. It's also a testament to the way the Fallout franchise handles quirky humor, as well as post-apocalyptic horror.

2 Freefall Legs (Combat Armor)

- Fall Damage

The Freefall Legs are unique in Fallout 4 due to being a set composed only of leg armor; however, they make up for this limited coverage by having one of the best effects in the game. Wearing the Freefall Legs completely negates all fall damage. This makes exploring the eerily beautiful Fallout 4 wasteland a lot more fun and convenient, as a player can now completely ignore a major environmental hazard. To find this Fallout 4 armor set, the player needs to go to the Mass Fusion building while wearing Power Armor with a jetpack. It may kill some of the immersion, but it's a handy armor set to have.

1 X-01 (Power Armor)

+ Damage Resistance

The X-01 is a rare and experimental kind of Power Armor that provides nothing but the best defense. On top of nullifying radiation damage, this armor also greatly reduces physical damage and energy damage. The X-01 Power Armor is also extremely customizable, and players who enjoy making use of Bethesda crafting systems can modify it to boost their stats, reduce Action Point consumption, and automatically heal. The only downside to this armor set is that it requires more resources to repair than any other armor in the game. Even with that caveat in mind, it’s still the best armor against the many threats of Fallout 4.

Source: Bethesda Softworks/YouTube, CoolColJ/Reddit, FreakEasy/YouTube, xIlusionz/YouTube, Fallout Fandom, Temerian Gaming/YouTube