Summary
It can be a difficult time trying to survive the irradiated mountains of Appalachia inFallout 76. Zombie-like ghouls, anti-union robots, and other nuke-wielding players all want a piece of you. Knowing this, you’ll need some extra protection on top of that vault jumpsuit.
Thankfully, there’s plenty of armor to be found or crafted throughout West Virginia. As you level up, you’ll want only the best armor, the ones that will save your lifetime and again, and maybe even boost your skills at the same time.
Updated June 23, 2025, by Zackary Wiggs:Whether you’re new to the irradiated hills of Appalachia or you’ve been around since Reclamation Day, surviving in Fallout 76 hasn’t gotten any easier. Sure, you’ll need deadly weapons, and a safe CAMP to settle at for the night, but don’t forget about protecting yourself in a more urgent way. More armor has been added since Fallout 76 has come out, and while it has shifted the scales a bit, there are also some great choices that have been around from the get go. Whatever your playstyle, here are some armors you should consider donning to help you stay alive at least a little longer.
13Trapper Armor
Found At: Free States Or Retirement Plan Daily Quest
A solid lower-level armor to main while you hunt for more advanced options. Trapper Armor is somewhat popular with survivalists, but even more so with raiders like the Blood Eagles. It’s not the hardest armor to find either, which is a plus.
At a base level, it’s pretty well-rounded, but it can be modded pretty frequently and be found at higher levels, so you can focus on maintaining a good set of Trapper Armor for some time. You can also find legendary versions of it with a wide array of extra perks attached. It may be a little on the heavy side, but it’s well worth it.
12Combat Armor
Found At: Old Cities, Military Locations, And Brotherhood Locations
A great low to medium-level armor that can be found in a lot of military areas or dropped by enemies. Combat Armor balances energy and normal damage resistance fairly well, which makes some of the larger areas you’ll explore a bit less stressful.
There’s a reason it was the military go-to before the bombs fell. Finding a good set of Combat Armor is fairly easy, and the upgrades for it are pretty easy to come across as well. An extra benefit is it doesn’t replace any under-armor you have equipped, which is just added protection, and it looks cool too.
11Robot Armor
Found At: Bots On Parade Event, Murmrgh, Crafted
There’s nothing quite as intimidating as adorning your body in the assorted parts of robots you’ve slain on your journey. Not that the rest of the robots can feel fear, but it’s still fun. Most versions of the Robot Armor go one-for-one as far as energy and standard damage resistance go, which is great as you meet enemies that vary energy weapons with standard weaponry.
It has a bit of radiation resistance too, which is just icing on the cake. There are plenty of ways to alter the metal of the armor from making it more stealthy to boosting carry weight and damage resistance too.
10Brotherhood Recon/Scout Armor
Found At: Brotherhood Daily Ops, Murmrgh
A later addition to the game after the Brotherhood of Steel made their presence known in Appalachia, the Brotherhood Recon Armor (also referred to as the Brotherhood Scout Armor) is often used as a gateway between normal armor types and power armor variants.
This armor has good resistance from all damage types, but it is on the weightier side if that is a minus for you. It can be altered with different mods to increase damage resistance, but the main boon is it is one of the few non-power armors that can have a jetpack mod.
9Secret Service Armor
Found At: Reginald Stone, Crafted, Murmrgh
If it’s good enough to protect the most powerful figures in America then it should be good enough to protect you from the various weapons found in Appalachia. One of the biggest pluses of this armor is that it has very high radiation resistance.
So consider this when scavenging in places that have just been nuked or that have a higher-than-average amount of rads. Did we mention that you can also upgrade it with a jetpack? You know, like a typical Secret Service member would have.
8Chinese Stealth Armor
Found At: Crafted
Used by Chinese operatives to sneak around the U.S. before the bombs dropped, the Chinese Stealth suits are some of the best options for making sure youcatch enemies unaware. It has many of the same effects as the Stealth Boy consumable in other games, except the effect triggers anytime you’re crouched.
As an added benefit, it also reduces damage from falls and has the same radiation resistance as the Hazmat Suits. It may not be the best in terms of negating incoming damage, but when used right you won’t be taking as much damage anyway.
7Thorn Armor
Found At: Regs And Minerva
Sometimes the best way to survive nature is to become nature. This set of military-grade scout armor has been wrapped in the mutated vines found throughout the eastern part of the map. The results of which are deadly.
It is lacking in the way of radiation protection, but scout armor variants are practically the next step up from typical combat armor. In addition, the Thorn Armor makes any melee attack cause bleeding damage and adds an extra stealth boost. This is great for stealth playthroughs and for wearing down bosses over time.
6Solar Armor
Found At: Regs, Minerva
If you’ve seen The Strangler vines spreading through the hills, you know how pervasive the plant life in Appalachia can be. Knowing that, it only makes sense that some intrepid adventurers would use it to their advantage.
The Solar Armor is normal Scout Armor that has been wrapped with Strangler foliage. It looks nearly the same as the Thorn armor, but the differences are in its abilities. It regenerates health for you when you are above 60 percent health, and does the same for any of your party as well. If you want to be the designated healer in your crew, then look no further.
5Arctic Marine Armor
Found At: High-Level Daily Ops, Minerva, Murmrgh
It may have been made for the tundra of the Alaskan frontline, but it will protect you just as well in Appalachia. The Arctic Marine Armor isn’t as modifiable as some of the other armor types in the game, but the base level alone is already pretty solid.
There is equal resistance across all damage types, so you won’t have to worry about what enemies you run across. In addition, this is currently one of the few armors available that protect you against cold damage, which you won’t face often, but it can hurt when you do.
4Union Power Armor
Found At: Giuseppi, The Pitt
Sometimes called the Pitt Power Armor, the Union Power Armor was added to Fallout 76 with the Pitt Expeditions update. It only makes sense that to survive the various irradiated and poisonous ventures into the former city of Pittsburgh that you’d need some specialty armor to do so.
When wearing a full set of this armor, you get a resistance to poison damage, as well as an increased carrying-capacity. The increased resistance helps with all the noxious fumes and creatures of The Pitt, while the extra capacity helps you ferry supplies and valuables in and out of the expeditions. So, really a boon either way.
