Elite Riot Gear

The Elite riot gear and the matching Elite riot gear helmet are unique pieces of armor in the Fallout: New Vegas add-on Lonesome Road.

Background
The elite riot gear is a unique armor and the most advanced model of L.A.P.D. riot armor, superior to the pre-War 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment riot armor. Originally an 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment riot armor that was modified over time, it was the personal armor of an NCR riot control officer in the Divide, supervising the NCR riot operation in the Third Street Municipal Building before its destruction.

This set of gear has more attachments when comparing to the advanced riot gear. Aesthetically, it lacks the 11th Armored Cavalry emblem on the helmet but instead has a white U.S. Army star on the side. It has additional green tubes on its enhanced gas filter as well as an antenna connected to the flashlight on the right side of the helmet. There is also a canteen attached to the belt and a bandolier that spans across the chest plate, along with a strap of pouches. The gray duster is greener than the dark brown advanced riot gear, and it features reinforced shoulder plates and armored knee guards, which are not seen on any other variation of riot armor. It has recoil compensation materials woven into its arms, making it easy to aim and take down targets with gunfire. The helmet is equipped with advanced optics and a night vision unit which interfaces with riot armor to provide night vision.

Gameplay
The elite riot gear bears a high level of protection for its weight. It is among the best medium armors. Its Damage Threshold is equaled or surpassed only by a handful of other equipment pieces but it has the benefits of lower weight and higher item HP. Its item HP of 750 is the highest of any medium armor in the game and it is also one of only seven equipment pieces to boost Critical Chance. The elite riot gear has the highest value of all the armors in-game, making it very expensive to repair through merchants.

The riot gear helmets are of the very few headgear pieces that are considered "Heavy" apparel and thus cannot be repaired by most other headgear, even with Jury Rigging. However, it can be repaired with heavy body armor such as metal armor. It can also be repaired with the ranger helmet. Despite being listed as heavy, however, it can still be worn with light armor perks, as the helmet isn't added to the "bad armor" list.

Like the other riot gear variants, the helmet gives a night vision effect (called "Red Scare"), which gives the user low-light visibility while in sneak mode between 6:00 PM to 6:00 AM or while indoors. The effect is only active while the Courier is sneaking and seems to differ depending on time, with red night vision at 12:00 AM, and lighter green in darkened areas during daytime hours. Playing Caravan while the sneak sight is activated may make it difficult to see the cards.

Location

 * Third Street Municipal Building - On the top floor on a dead, ghoulified NCR riot control officer. It can be reached via the sewer pipe that connects floors two and three, next to a sniper rifle and a large quantity of .308 rounds on the floor.

Bugs

 * All versions of riot gear helmets and their variants are flagged specifically as "hair," allowing the player character to wear hats or berets with them.
 * Like both the riot gear and the advanced riot gear, the elite riot gear might get bugged into changing the color of the duster's shoulder part to red.
 * When exiting a cave with lighting effects, like the highest entrance to the Camp Guardian cave, while the night vision effect is active, the game will blend both effects, making it nearly impossible to see anything.
 * Exiting sneak mode and then moving to a different location or reloading will fix this.
 * It's possible for the ragdoll body to activate, causing the body and the sniper rifle to move. This can cause the body to fall out of the shattered window and onto the ground below.