Combat armor

Combat Armor is among the best forms of protection in the post-War Wasteland. Although extremely expensive, the protection value of this armor is surpassed only by the few incarnations of power armor.

Construction
Combat armor was designed to sheath the human body as completely as possible in high durability armor. The primary skin of combat armor was composed of complex polymers and ceramics. This hard armor was manufactured as specific plates. The plates were manufactured with a matte-finish olive drab coloring suitable for woodland camouflage. These plates were affixed to a flexible body suit woven from projectile- and energy-resistant fire-retardant materials.

The torso was covered by the primary armor assembly, including a split breastplate, pauldrons, gorget, and abdominal ring. The sleeves of the body suit were full sleeves, and included armor plate protection for the upper and lower arms, as well as gloves. The lower body was protected by woven trousers and incorporated no hard armor, save armored boots. In the interests of comfort and maneuverability, the armor encasing the foot and lower leg is articulated, not sealed. While this permitted longer wear times and more comfortable and sure footing, it compromised the armor integrity. Consequently, water and other liquids could enter the armor and affect the user.

A helmet completed the ensemble. The helmet was a ballistic assembly, designed to protect the wearer from projectile and energy weapon impacts, bladed weapons, blunt trauma, and concussion. An integrated polarized visor protected the user's eyes from the ordinary battlefield hazards of grit and dust, but also laser blindness and fragments. Helmets also incorporated a combination camera/laser rangefinder unit built into the helmet's right side, just above the ear. Those suits of combat armor surviving in the wasteland still have the housing for that equipment, but no suit has been documented as having working hardware.

The combination armor layers of a suit of adequately-maintained combat armor conferred to the wearer significant protection against most types of damage, including laser, plasma, and blast damage - uncommon for personal armor. Yet, it did so without the extreme weight inherent in most battle armor systems of the 20th and 21st centuries. Combat armor provided outstanding protection at comparatively low weight but high comfort levels.

Pre-War users
Prior to the War, Combat Armor was nearly exclusively the property of military forces and police special units. Currently-available historical documentation shows users only in the North American continent, but allied nations were likely to posses identical or similar systems. Combat Armor was the de facto armor of the United States military, issued to all combat soldiers not in the Powered Armor units. Additionally, at least one Canadian partisan was caught on camera wearing a suit of combat armor.

Civilian ownership of Combat Armor was highly restricted. A special permit was required from the BADTFL for private ownership of advanced armors, including Combat Armor.

Considered to be the premier military body armor of wide availability at the time of the War, Combat Armor was nevertheless on its way to obsolescence thanks to the advent of the T-51b version of Power Armor.

According to the cancelled Fallout d20, the Combat Armor was developed in 2051 and a commercial version was available.

Post-War users
As with all commodities, rarity confers cost. The relatively scarce nature of Combat Armor makes it a valuable item in the Wasteland. Consequently, only those who are either very wealthy, very well-connected, very lucky, or very skilled own Combat Armor, and even for those persons finding a suit can be a task.

Around the time of the Vault Dweller, Combat Armor was extremely rare. The Gun Runners of Adytum owned and wore several sets, and a few merchants had a suit available for sale at extremely high costs. The armor was also used by the Hub police. By the time of the events surrounding the Chosen One, more suits of Combat Armor had been discovered, bringing the selling price down somewhat, but locating a set of the armor was still difficult. Shops in San Francisco often had a set or two in stock, but usually for $12,000 or more.

Variants
Two variants on Combat Armor existed by the time of the Chosen One.

The first was the Mark II variant of the Combat Armor. Combat Armor Mark II was slightly more durable than standard combat armor, providing modestly greater protection against all forms of damage. It is distinguishable from standard Combat Armor by the bronze tone of the gorget.

At the same time, the Brotherhood of Steel had developed their own improvement on Combat Armor. Called, creatively, Brotherhood Armor, this version boasted significantly improved defensive ratings in all forms of damage. However, this armor did not see widespread use as its holdings were zealously restricted to the ranks of the Brotherhood and those who had been of unique assistance to the Brotherhood. Its distinguishing marks included pale green/grey coloring of the armor panels, blue trim on the chest armor panels, a brilliant silver gorget and under-armor breastplate, and pronounced riveting on the pauldrons.

Fallout

 * According to Fallout manual:
 * Combat Armor was standard police officers' and military troops' equipment,
 * BADTFL offices were responsible for issuing for general public a special permits for Combat Armors use,
 * Combat Armor was probably a part of standard Vault defensive equipment.
 * According to introduction movie a Canadian combatant executed by a US soldier was equipped with Combat Armor.
 * Wearable character armor.
 * Certain NPCs including some Gun Runners and possibly Blades armed by Gun Runners.

Fallout 2

 * Wearable character armor.
 * Vault City patrols - Combat Armor was probably a part of standard Vault defensive equipment (one suit possible to find in Vault 13).
 * New California Rangers - patrols and members present at Shady Sands HQ.
 * External gate guard at Shady Sands, NCR.
 * Mercenary raiders captains hired by John Bishop as well as some neo-Khan raiders, probably Darion's bodyguards, encountered on the third level of Vault 15 (one suit possible to find there).
 * Lower-level/lower hp light Enclave soldiers at Navarro.
 * Private Dobbs criogenized at Sierra Army Depot as well as other SAD personnel (3 suits possible to find there).
 * Special-encounter NPCs, eg. "raiders in a cave random encounters" and bounty hunters on certain experience level.
 * Possible to purchase at San Francisco.
 * One suit possible to find at "Toxic Caves" depot.

Van Buren
It was planned for Van Buren (the cancelled Fallout by Black Isle Studios), that:
 * Combat Armor would be classified in the advanced armors category and would be possible to batch by the Prisoner,
 * The Enclave background character Arcade Grannon, as well as the lost Enclave patrol leader encountered in the Utah area, would be equipped with the Enclave Combat Armors,
 * General Coleridge's renegade NCR soldiers as well as NCR soldiers present in Hoover Dam would be equipped with Combat Armors.

Fallout Tactics 2
Prior to the project's cancellation, Combat Armor was to be a wearable character armor option.

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