The Best Armor In Fallout Shelter

Summary

• Fallout Shelter’s
  armor sets have specific stat boosts for different gameplay situations.
• Crafting requirements for armor sets vary, impacting how early players can access better gear.
• Equipping dwellers with appropriate armor is crucial for success in quests and exploration.

Fallout Shelter is a game set in the Fallout universe. It is something of the odd one out, as it forgoes the usual Bethesda RPG format for a colony management-style game. Since launch, the game has been refined, with heaps of content being added. However, it does now have the dreaded cash shop, for players to buy boosts and items. Fallout Shelter follows the franchise cannon in most respects, and players of other games in the franchise will instantly feel at home.

Sending dwellers out into the wasteland to explore, or on specific quests, is one of the main gameplay loops in Fallout Shelter. And of course, dwellers need to be equipped to give them the best chance of success and survival. When it comes to combat, this means some good armor, with suitable stat boosts.

Updated on the 14th of December 2024, by Mac Wheeler: Despite the fact that there have been no significant updates to Fallout Shelter since this list was updated, it has been extended to include a few armor and gear sets that are suitable for new players. These are either easy to loot, or simple to craft, and can help new players through the early stages of the game. Furthermore, these are gear sets that have multiple uses, or are balanced in stats, making them suitable for either combat or production bonuses. This list now includes armor that covers from the early game to the late game.

13 Heavy Wasteland Gear

Useful For Equipping Team Members

• Rarity: Legendary
• Sex: Unisex
• Stat Bonuses: +7 Endurance
• Crafting Requirements:
  • Globe: 4
  • Yao Guai Hide: 3
  • Chemistry Flask: 2

In the early game, Fallout Shelter players will likely find that they are quite limited by the armor sets they have available to equip their away team, who are being sent out to complete quests. The Heavy Wasteland Gear can, in a pinch, be used to patch up one of these gear gaps.

It doesn’t have any offensive bonuses, but it does have a huge endurance bonus, meaning more health points for the vault dweller that has this gear equipped. This makes it a good choice of armor for low-level dwellers who are being used as part of a quest team to level them up.

12 Mutant Hunter Gear

Useful Early-Game Combat Armor

• Rarity: Legendary
• Sex: Unisex
• Stat Bonuses: +4 strength, +3 perception
• Crafting Requirements:
  • Microscope: 5
  • Teddy Bear: 4

In the early game of Fallout Shelter, the Mutant Hunter Gear has a couple of uses. Firstly, it can be used to equip a vault dweller who is working in the water plant, which will make good use of the gear’s Perception bonus. Its second use is as a basic combat armor for melee-based dwellers who are out exploring the wasteland.

The strength bonus directly impacts melee combat capabilities, and when exploring or questing, the Perception bonus will increase the chance of a dweller spotting loot. Overall, this is a decent, balanced gear set, but one that will likely be superseded by something much better later in the game.

11 Heavy Merc Gear

Decently Balanced Early-Game Gear

• Rarity: Legendary
• Sex: Unisex
• Stat Bonuses: +2 perception, +3 agility, +2 luck
• Crafting Requirements:
  • Yao Guai Hide: 5
  • Teddy Bear: 4

The Heavy Merc Gear in Fallout Shelter is an easy-to-obtain gear set, with some well-rounded stats. The graphic looks very much like armor patches over a black coat, very similar to modern-day riot gear used by police, except the Heavy Merc Gear has a bandolier across the chest.

With its Perception and Agility boosts, albeit quite low ones, it is a decent early-game gear set to equip vault dwellers with when sending them out to explore the wasteland; at least, those who use a ranged weapon. The extra luck bonus also helps in combat and improves the chance of finding loot. Overall, there are better armor options, but these are much rarer.

10 T-45a Power Armor

Entry Level Power Armor

• Rarity: Legendary
• Sex: Unisex
• Stat Bonuses: +2 strength, +5 perception
• Crafting Requirements:
  • Giddyup Buttercup: 3
  • Camera: 2
  • Wonderglue: 2

Even though the T-45a Power Armor is a legendary outfit in Fallout Shelter, it is the worst of the three power armor sets that carry the T-45 designation. However, this doesn’t mean it is entirely useless, and it can be a solid choice for vault dwellers until the player has access to better options.

The T-45a Power Armor isn’t really suited for equipping a vault a dweller with to send them out on wasteland exploration expeditions, unless the player also equips them with a melee weapon that can take advantage of the baked-in +2 strength that the T-45a Power Armor gives. Where the T-45a Power Armor does shine, is when it is used to equip a vault dweller that will likely have to enter into combat to defend the vault from a Raider attack.

9 Heavy Vault Suit

Decent Melee Armor

• Rarity: Legendary
• Sex: Unisex
• Stat Bonuses: +7 perception
• Crafting Requirements:
  • Tri-Fold Flag: 5
  • Brahmin Hide: 4

The Heavy Vault Suit is basically an armored version of the normal suit that all vault dwellers wear. This enhanced vault suit features the standard fabric used in traditional vault attire but includes additional upgrades. It is reinforced with leather shoulder pads and a chest protector, along with a gauntlet and hood for added protection.

When worn, this suit grants vault dwellers an impressive +7 boost to perception. This makes it a good armor for use with vault dwellers who are being sent out into the wilderness to explore, as long as they have some level of endurance as well. The large perception bonus gives a significant boost to the likelihood, and the quantity of loot that they uncover whilst on an expedition.

8 X-01 Mk VI Power Armor

Advanced Powered Armor

• Rarity: Legendary
• Sex: Unisex
• Stat Bonuses: +5 strength, +1 perception, +1 endurance
• Crafting Requirements:
  • Wonderglue: 4
  • Giddyup Buttercup: 3
  • Military Circuit Board: 2

The X-01 Mk VI Power Armor is a very good set of armor for vault dwellers that carry a melee weapon in Fallout Shelter. Since only one melee weapon-wielding dweller can attack an enemy at a time, this armor is best used to equip a vault dweller that is going to defend a small room, such as a radio room during a Raider attack on the vault.

It can be used by the main tank in a questing group as well, with the same caveat regarding the melee weapon penalty. Overall, the +5 strength is a decent bonus, but there are better armors that offer higher stats and more flexibility. That being said, if a player doesn’t have access to some of the advanced legendary outfits in Fallout Shelter, this armor is a good alternative until they do.

7 Heavy Leather Armor

Good Basic Protection

• Rarity: Legendary
• Sex: Unisex
• Stat Bonuses: +3 strength, +4 endurance
• Crafting Requirements:
  • Yao Guai Hide: 5
  • Globe: 4

The Heavy Leather Armor available to players in Fallout Shelter, offers some good basic protection and stat bonuses. With both strength and endurance booted, it will increase the survivability of any vault dweller that is equipped with it to be sent to wasteland locations.

The crafting requirements for the Heavy Leather Armor are pretty low, meaning this is a legendary item that new players will likely be able to gain access to pretty early on in the game. One of the main mistakes beginners make playing this game is not equipping dwellers properly. Overall, this is good but basic armor that solves this problem.

6 Heavy Raider Armor

Great For Exploration And Quests In The Early Game

• Rarity: Legendary
• Sex: Unisex
• Stat Bonuses: +3 perception, +4 agility
• Crafting requirements:
  • Shovel: 4
  • Yao Guai Hide: 3
  • Military Duct Tape: 2

Players of Fallout Shelter will gain early access to the Heavy Raider Armor through the crafting system. And with a fairly low crafting cost, this is a useful outfit for vault dwellers who are going out into the wasteland, or on quests.

With stat boosts to perception and agility, the Heavy Raider Armor is good for vault dwellers who need more survivability and a better chance of finding good loot and junk. Early game, this is going to be an easily accessible, solid addition to the player’s armory.

5 Heavy Battle Armor

Upgrade Over Leather Armor

• Rarity: Legendary
• Sex: Unisex
• Stat Bonuses: +4 strength, +3 endurance
• Crafting Requirements:
  • Brahmin Hide: 4
  • Giddyup Buttercup: 3
  • Gold Watch: 2

If dwellers die, the player will need to get more dwellers, so it is important to equip them with some protection before they are sent into the wasteland. The Heavy Battle Armor in Fallout Shelter offers a different option to the Heavy Leather Armor, by switching the two stat boosts around. This armor will add more damage, but lower the survivability of vault dwellers sent out into the wasteland.

The crafting requirements are a little higher than the Heavy Leather Armor, which is a bit of a downside. However, it does offer an upgrade path over the Heavy Leather Armor if players are lucky enough to loot the junk to craft it early on in the game.

4 Heavy Combat Armor

Slightly Better Armor For Survivability

• Rarity: Legendary
• Sex: Unisex
• Stat Bonuses: +4 strength, +3 agility
• Crafting Requirements:
  • Gold Watch: 5
  • Brahmin Hide: 4

Fallout Shelter is a popular game, but this doesn’t mean it is simple or easy. Working out which outfits to equip dwellers with can be tricky. Heavy Combat Armor is a useful armor set in Fallout Shelter, it is the first of the legendary armor outfits the player can craft that is entirely focused on wasteland combat. With its bonus to strength boosting damage and agility boosting the crit meter.

Unfortunately, the crafting costs, specifically the need for 5 gold watches, are quite high. The player will need to be lucky to loot these before the mid-game. However, it is a solid choice for both quests and wasteland combat until the player gains access to the more advanced armor.

3 T-60f Power Armor

Dependable Power Armor

• Rarity: Legendary
• Sex: Unisex
• Stat Bonuses: +1 strength, +1 perception, +5 endurance
• Crafting Requirements:
  • Wonderglue: 4
  • Giddyup Buttercup: 3
  • Military Circuit Board: 2

T-60f Power Armor offers great protection for vault dwellers in Fallout Shelter. With its good endurance boost, it is going to provide a fair number of extra hit points for dwellers. Unfortunately, the small strength and perception bonuses don’t provide much utility.

With fairly low crafting requirements, this power armor is likely the first legendary version that most players will gain access to. It is definitely an upgrade over all of the other armor sets mentioned so far, but it may be worth skipping, depending on what junk the player has already looted, as they may be able to craft a better armor set.

2 T-45f Power Armor

Quest Focused Power Armor

• Rarity: Legendary
• Sex: Unisex
• Stat Bonuses: +2 strength, +5 perception
• Crafting Requirements:
  • Wonderglue: 4
  • Giddyup Buttercup: 3
  • Military Circuit Board: 2

Perception is an important stat for discovering loot locations and solving encounters during wasteland exploration and questing. A vault dweller equipped with the T-45f Power Armor will gain a significant boost to their perception.

The crafting cost for this armor is actually pretty low, considering the bonuses it offers. Sure, it isn’t going to be something that is available in the early game, but by mid-game, the player should have enough looted junk to build one or two of these. Overall, this is a good questing armor until the player can gain access to one of the specialist outfits.

1 War’s Armor

End-Game Quest Reward Armor

• Rarity: Legendary
• Sex: Unisex
• Stat Bonuses: +4 strength, perception, endurance, and charisma

Fallout Shelterhas a great many players, and most agree that this is the best end-game armor in some situations. War’s Armor is a powered armor suit that enhances a vault dweller’s stats quite considerably. Its combination of strength and perception boosts, along with increased endurance for survivability, makes it ideal for general use and quests.

War’s Armor can be obtained as a quest reward from the Horsemen of the Post-Apocalypse questline, subject to chance upon completing the quest, as there are several outfits that could be rewarded. For fortunate players who acquire this outfit, it will significantly enhance their vault dweller’s loadout for wasteland exploration.