In video games, especially action RPGs with a strong focus on customization, there’s always that one piece of armor or weaponry that’s the poster child. It’s on the cover, predominantly shown in the advertising, and it appears in people’s heads when they think of the title. ForThe Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, there’s the classic iron armor, whereasBloodbornehas the hunter set. TheFalloutfranchise has several mascots and recognizable items, from Nuka-Cola to Vault Boy, and specific pieces like the NCR Veteran Ranger armor fromFallout: New Vegas.But on the cover of all four mainline games is the same incredible piece of machinery: the power armor.
UnlikeSkyrim’s choice of definitive gear, the weakest heavy armor in the game, whether it’s a T-45 or an X-01, the power armor packs a serious punch. It’s exactly what it says on the tin: a big, metal suit, helmet included, that amplifies your strength and defense, and you’re able to’t have aFalloutseries without bringing it to life. Powered combat infantry armor was one of the last great technical revelations before the mutually assured destruction of the world in 2077. Invented during and for the Sino-American War of 2065, which soon culminated in The Great War.The United States and China were in a state of world-ending combat, and both sides developed the need for heavier and heavier artillery. Entire cavalry units of soldiers would wear this hulking attire, powered by a standardized fusion core that operates like a nuclear battery. If you need to hold a nuke launcher like a peashooter, destroy a tank, or shrug off life-ending damage, use power armor, which can do all that and more. T-45 became the T-51, T-51 became the T-60, and just like that, the face of warfare had changed forever. When the bombs finally dropped, power armor was one of the few pieces of advanced technology that remained fully functional, ready for Wastelanders to take for themselves.
In a future, post-apocalyptic Los Angeles brought about by nuclear decimation, citizens must live in underground bunkers to protect themselves from radiation, mutants and bandits.
From Endgame Armor To Customizable Collectible
Mechanically, the power armor appears in everyFalloutgame, but its function within those games varies wildly.In the first game, it’s the endgame armor, the best gear you can find, perfect for facing final bosses.Fallout 2still keeps it as high-tier protection, but it became something you could buy or find rather than earn.Fallout 3makes the player, in essence, get a power armor license, having to train up before they can have their own set. The same goes withFallout: New Vegas. That all changed withFallout 4.Requiringno training or grinding, a set of T-45 power armor in fair condition is found at the beginning of the game. Rather than a piece of armor, it operates like a vehicle you can climb into and out of at will, and the focus is put into customizing the power armor with upgrades, paint jobs, and new pieces that can be found scattered about the wasteland.
Within the lore of the Wasteland, if you’re looking for a set of power armor,your best bet is The Brotherhood of Steel,especially inFallout 1and 3.Along with The Enclave, the Brotherhood of Steel is the closest thing to a modern, disciplined, hierarchical army that exists after the dust settles.Their niche is the safe regulation (or hoarding, depending on who you ask) of the advanced technology left behind after the war. They not only have armies decked out in power armor but also fleets of airships in later games. Other groups find themselves with power armor. The aforementioned insane social-Darwinist Enclave, the greasers and hep-cats of The Atom Cats, and even more dangerous Raiders have their junkyard variations.
In the show, we see the power armor predominantly through the Brotherhood of Steel, specifically the more advanced T-60 power armor, worn primarily by the rookie squire Maximus (Aaron Morten). Created not with CGI butwith practical effects and movie magic, the armor forces the perspective of an already tall stunt performer to enhance the proportions. It’s established that pre-war Cooper Howard (Walton Goggins), now known as The Ghoul, wore power armor back in the day as a soldier and can exploit a design flaw he remembers to dispatch some soldiers. Finally, Hank MacLean (Kyle MacLachlan), the father of the protagonist and twist-villain, stole a suit of his own. It had to be there. It wouldn’t beFalloutwithout it.
Power Armor Is Integral To Military Science Fiction
Power armor is far from an idea exclusive to these games, and that’s okay.Falloutsimply added to the rich tapestry of well-loved science fiction tropes that have been a part of the genre for many decades. While not openly cited as an influence, powered armor can be seen in the novelStarship Troopers,written byRobert Heinleinin 1959. Say what you will about Heinlein’s work, but Starship Troopers, in particular, laid a lot of foundation for very popular ideas in military sci-fi.After the book, these big, mean jump-jetting machines appeared in many formats. A classic example is the many variations of Space Marines in theWarhammer 40Kfranchise, spread across tabletop miniatures, video games,and a series in development. Another retro, pseudo-20th-century variation is the Big Daddies fromBioshock.Like Space Marines, the idea is taken to its extremes with the suits encasing already extremely genetically modified soldiers.
Like a lot of ideas in science fiction, it has some basis in science fact.Powered exoskeletons have been, at the very least, an idea since 1890, with attempts to put them into practice being developed starting withGeneral Electric’s Hardiman in 1960.It was an idea with a lot of challenges to navigate, mainly concerning the weight hampering the functionality and potentially harming the user. However, as the years went by, people have made it practical and useful, especially in the medical field, recuperating people with mobility issuesand assisting in surgery.
Of course, no real piece of powered exoskeleton, aside from the best cosplay, actually looks like they do inFallout. Very little inFalloutmakes scientific sense, considering the number of people in the wasteland who don’t have cancer from all the radiation. But that’s the point, not to bow to our modern understanding of how things work, but to take the1950s fantasy of what the futurewould be and twist it.Many believed that by 2077, we would haverobots doing our choresand laser guns. And yes,Fallouthas those elements, but the developers benefit from hindsight.The Cold War happened, and for many years, the world was in conflict, gripped with the fear that the world would end in nuclear armageddon.So, while Mr. Handy and Nuka-Cola are cute, in the same world, such a deadly machine as power armor being given to hundreds of soldiers is just as, if not more, possible.
Falloutis available to stream on Prime Video in the U.S.
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