Wearing power armor negates any bonuses given by standard armor. limit of 10, potentially going as high as 14 with the appropriate modifications. Power armor is capable of boosting the Sole Survivor's strength beyond the normal S.P.E.C.I.A.L. This increases the wearer's arm length and overall height by approximately one foot. It instead appears to solely derive its strength boosting abilities entirely from servo motors strategically placed within key points of the frame.įinally, instead of gloves and boots, the power armor frame has a set of fully articulated mechanical hands and feet, which mimic the wearer's hand and foot movements via controls in the shins and forearms. Unlike the descriptions regarding power armor from previous Fallout games, the power armor frame does not appear to make use of any recognizable form of unified hydraulics system for strength enhancing purposes, although they could somehow be contained within the armor segments or the base frame itself). Third, however, is the most 'accurate' rendition to date with regards to the size of the armor, its general movement and abilities. Power armor negates falling damage, but will itself be damaged if falling from a sufficient height, as well as damaging others near the point of impact.
Once the fusion core is drained (or if there is no core installed in the armor at all), the user will still be able to slowly walk in the armor, but will be over-encumbered and unable to use V.A.T.S. By contrast, fusion cores, even in mass numbers, can only grant a few hours of usage. The only power armor historically to utilize a short term power source were the earliest variants of the T-45 (which were mentioned as using disposable power cells, consuming them at an alarming rate), while suits like the T-51b are noted for having personal fuel systems capable of lasting centuries. The use of fusion cores as 'fuel' for power armor is at odds with previous lore descriptions of late-generation power armor, even within the games published by Bethesda. Secondly, characters interact with the frame in the world to use the power armor, instead of equipping the power armor via the inventory. The individual parts can be reclaimed from deceased NPC, however the frame cannot be recovered as the corpse cannot be ejected from the frame. Power armor in Fallout 4 requires no training to use as it did in Fallout 3 and New Vegas, and is unique in other aspects as well.įirstly, the separate armor segments are mounted on a frame, as opposed to previous suits which existed as holistic entities that were worn whole aside from the helmet. Once depleted, the unit will still be operable, but movement is heavily restricted as it is a dead weight.Ĭomparison to previous portrayals For power armor to function it requires a fusion core as a source of power, which drains over time actions that consume AP will increase the rate of depletion. Power armor is only wearable installed on a power armor frame.