T-51b Power Armor (Fallout 3)

T-51b powered armor or power armor represented the peak of armored infantry technology before the Great War. In Fallout 3, the T-51b power armor is a unique model of armor and can only be found in Fort Constantine.

Background
The T-51b was developed in the laboratories of the West Tek Research Facility. At the end of the Anchorage Reclamation in January 2077, the armor had become standard issue for American soldiers in the Army's Mechanized Cavalry Regiments.

Characteristics
The armor is fitted with a back-mounted TX-28 MicroFusion Pack which generates an output power of 60,000 Watts to power the HiFlo hydraulic systems built into the frame of the suit. Made of a poly-laminate composite, the outer shell of the T-51b is lightweight and capable of absorbing over 2500 Joules of kinetic impact. The 10-micron-thick silver ablative coating can reflect laser and other radiation emissions without damage to the composite subsurface, and the eyeslit for the helmet is made of bulletproof glass to protect the wearer from any projectiles. The armor usually carries enough fuel to last for one thousand years.

Location
The T-51b armor is in Fort Constantine, sealed in a room that requires three keys from different locations.

The first key needed is Ted Strayer's special key. Ted Strayer is located in Rivet City. There are four ways to get the key from him: paying him in caps, passing a hard Speech check and convincing him, pickpocketing the key from him, or threatening him (requires 6+ Strength or the Toughness perk).

The second key can be obtained from Dukov, located at Dukov's Place, which is a hotel building. There are numerous ways to obtain Dukov's key. Buying the key from him is one simple way. Another easy way to obtain his key is to convince him with the Black Widow perk. Alternatively, Fantasia, one of Dukov's girls, can be convinced with the Lady Killer perk if the character is male. If the character has a high Speech skill and convinces Cherry, Dukov's second female friend, to be brought to Rivet City, she will give up the key to the Wanderer. Dukov can also be intimidated by them with a high Speech skill in order to obtain the key.

The last key can be obtained from Dave, who can be found in his own settlement, the Republic of Dave. The Lone Wanderer can earn his trust with a Speech check, earning the name "Wasteland Ambassador" from Dave and presenting the key as a gift. There is also another Speech check with him if the character fails to be the Wasteland's ambassador. If lacking a high Speech skill, they can kill him and loot the key from his corpse (gives negative karma).

The power armor will be located in Fort Constantine's basement, behind three different doors. The first door requires Ted Strayer's key, which opens the fort's Launch Control bunker. The second door, which requires Dukov's key, opens the bomb storage. The last door, with Tara Fields's corpse nearby, opens the room to the power armor with Dave's key.

The quest You Gotta Shoot 'Em in the Head requires the Lone Wanderer to acquire the keys for Mister Crowley, preferably by assassinating the key holders so Crowley can take the power armor for himself.

Variants

 * Winterized T-51b power armor

Bugs

 * This power armor is known to disappear if you drop it. You are still able to pick it up, however.
 * In V.A.T.S. you can easily look through the space that is between the lower and upper body, and thus see the background.
 * Helmet missing from the stasis chamber. If this happens then you will need to reload from your last auto-save and keep trying until you can pick it up. During this process you will notice that the armor and helmet are bouncing about and sometimes fly through the back wall in which case you will need to reload and try again.