Fallout 4 and the other games in the franchise have a lot of highly recognizable symbols, like the Vault-Tec logo and mascot. When players think of the war-waging, radiation-marching aspect of the game, they think of Power Armor. In Fallout 4, you can place Power Armor pieces onto a preexisting frame, become a living tank, or find a full suit somewhere in the Commonwealth.

There are five types of Power Armor in the main game, with a few more unique options available through DLCs and Bethesda's official Fallout 4 Creative Club. As you become a warrior of the wasteland, you may find yourself with many Power Armors from different suits. However, which suit offers the best protection from combat and radiation alike?

8 Raider

Raider II Total DR: 620

Raiders have found many empty Power Armor Frames since the bombs fell, but few have found actual pieces of Power Armor. As such, they jury-rigged their unique brand of Power Armor, ed by a foundation of rust and scrap.

Raider Power Armor is quite common across the Commonwealth due to its handmade nature. However, as a consequence, it is significantly weaker than any other power armor model.

When comparing Power Armor models, each one has three types of defense: Damage Resistance (DR), Energy Resistance (ER), and Radiation Resistance (RR) for physical, energy, and radiation attacks, respectively. All suits have the same RR, with the head and limbs at 150 and the torso at 300, for a total RR of 1050. DR is the most important of the three defense stats.

If you want a complete set of Raider Power Armor for your collection, go through the Massachusetts State House raider hordes. There's a raider wandering around the roof in full armor. While it is a hard fight, it means you don't have to collect bits and pieces and graft them to an empty frame. You can also venture into a Cave in the Glowing Sea and loot the suit from beside a dead raider.

7 T-45

T-45F Total DR: 1100

Most players progressing toward the ending of Fallout 4 should end up with a full set of T-45 Power Armor. This is the model of Power Armor you find upon reaching the roof of the Museum of Freedom in Concord during "When Freedom Calls." It's far better than Raider Power Armor, but it's still considered a lower-level model. If you lose this suit, you can always buy more Power Armor pieces from Rowdy at Atom Cats Garage.

Many Power Armor pieces spawn based on player level, so if you want to collect a bunch of T-45 pieces, do so between levels 1 and 11.

6 T-51

T-51F Total DR: 1340

The T-51 Power Armor is a robust model seen in earlier Fallout games. It is the second of four main Power Armor models that spawn randomly based on level, replacing the T-45. Suppose you want a full suit, head north of Mass Pike Interchange, and scale the highway. There should be a T-51 suit waiting among the raider structures.

5 Overboss

Overboss Total DR: 1220

The Overboss Power Armor is a special armor variant available through the Nuka-World Fallout 4 DLC. Colter, the Overboss of the Nuka-World raiders, wears this suit during his grand battle in the Gauntlet. After you defeat Colter, you can loot the Overboss Power Armor off of him. At the same time, the model has a lower DR than the T-51 model at Mk. IV, you're more likely to find lower-level T-51 pieces, while the Overboss only has one strong variant.

The Nuka-World DLC costs $9.99 on Steam as an add-on.

Part of the Overboss Power Armor's appeal is in its torso piece's special effect. When you put on the torso piece, you deal energy damage against nearby enemies, transforming yourself into a walking Tesla coil, just like Colter did in the Gauntlet. If you like the rugged aesthetic of the Raider Power Armor but want better protection, consider bringing the Overboss Power Armor home.

4 T-60

T-60F Total DR: 1580

The T-60 is the star model of Fallout 4 featured on the loading screen. While visually similar to the T-45, it is distinguished by the banding indent over the skull and rounded pauldrons. The T-60F has 480 more DR than the T-45F and can truly make you feel like a soldier of the Commonwealth. The easiest way to get a full T-60 suit is to the hated Brotherhood of Steel in Fallout 4. After becoming a knight, you'll get your own T-60 Power Armor.

3 Hellfire

Hellfire Mk. VI Total DR: 1820

The Hellfire Power Armor started as a Creation Club add-on but ed the main game during its big next-generation update. Now, all players can get high-quality Hellfire Power Armor. This strange suit ties in with the best Power Armor in the game for strong DR, but it has a lower HP, lowering its rank. With the new update, the Power Armor is now one of two models connected to the Enclave and their new quest, "Echoes of the Past."

As you work through "Echoes of the Past," Enclave Hellfire Troopers will ambush you with their own suits of Hellfire Power Armor. You can kill these troopers and claim their Power Armor for your own. You also get a suit of Hellfire Power Armor through the "Pyromaniac" quest, activated upon leaving Vault 111. During this quest, you are tasked to kill Pyro, a cultist wearing his own Hellfire Power Armor. You can loot it off him after he's dead.

2 X-01

X-01 Mk. VI Total DR: 1820

The X-01 was the greatest and newest power armor developed during the Great War, but it didn't see the light of the pre-war world. It finished production under the guidance of the Enclave and acts as the best randomly spawnable Power Armor model in Fallout 4, available at the highest of player levels. Once you reach Level 26 or 28, check out the turquoise house west of the Custom House Tower. Head up the elevator inside and unlock the central door to find a full suit of the X-01 Power Armor.

1 X-02

X-02 Mk. VI Total DR: 1820

The X-02 Power Armor looks more like something Batman would wear in a DC comic than a suit of Power Armor, but it's a Fallout 4 creation. It can be considered a twin to the Hellfire Power Armor because it migrated from Creation Club to the base game during the next-gen update. The X-02 outranks the X-01 in of HP and gets a stronger ER at Mk. IV.

Like the Hellfire Power Armor, you can get this Power Armor during "Echoes of the Past" from some of the Enclave soldiers encountered during your adventure. The suit is also featured in "Speak of the Devil", which you can trigger by picking up a holotape called "The Black Devil vol. 1" at Wattz Consumer Electronics. This unique Power Armor is by far the best Power Armor in Fallout 4.

Source: Fallout 4 Nuka-World/Steam