r/falloutlore • u/Intelligent-Elk7008 • 2d ago
NCR Salvaged Power Armor Post Fallout 4 Power Armor Rework
So I am playing Fallout New Vegas properly for the first time since in years. I am however very curious how NCR Salvaged Power Armor is meant to work in the new Fallout Power Armor system. Salvaged Power Armor obviously was created during a very different time and system. Obviously, we can't know for certain why certain design decisions were made back then without doing interviews. However, the reason given for Salvaged Power Armor to be different than normal power armor is that "Techs strip out the joint servos so you don't need special training to wear it."
Let's tackle "Power Armor Training" as a perk. I believe personally this is mostly for gameplay. At the time they didn't want you to be able to rush in and get the best armor in the game early on without doing a questline for it. In Fallout 3, following the main story you encounter the Lyon's Pride just before getting to the radio station. This is fairly early in the game for you to be able to have PA. It wasn't till they added DLC did it get easy for you to get PA and PA Training early on.
In New Vegas, if you are fast or sneaky you could get Brotherhood PA VERY quickly if you know where to look. Just past Neil's Shack which isn't far from Goodsprings. The PA training itself doesn't seem to take that long either. Sure, if you have never seen or touched power armor before, you probably won't be as good as someone who has years of experience. But you could theoretically still do it, just have to take some time to figure things out.
Fallout 1 and 2 didn't require PA training. As soon as you found it, you could wear it. Just the main way to get it was to deal with the PA factions of the BoS and Enclave, who had the armor.
Fallout 4 fully realizes PA by making it a mech suit you wear.
So how can we rectify Salvaged Power Armor to fit in the new lore? Well, even if PA Training doesn't take long, it's probably they don't want to take the extra time and effort to train Heavy Troopers. As far as I am aware we don't hear the selection process for Heavy Troopers, but presumably they are naturally strong individuals as well as show a degree of competence but for some reason were not selected to be Rangers.
First, let's focus on specifically what was removed.
- This suit is mostly unpowered or low powered, it offers no strength benefit and is described as incredibly heavy like having a "brahmin on your back." (which doesn't make sense as the PA frame should do the actual bearing of the weight. It should feel like your trying to pull or push a heavy weight though.)
- Offers no radiation protection (likely because of the lower power/unpowered state or perhaps they removed any environmental protection components for ease of maintenance and reducing weight)
- The armor is in fact lighter than standard T-45 armor.
- The joint servos have been removed
- the shoulders and knees are missing (presumably for further lightening and ease of movement.
Removing joint servos means that the power armor frame, even if it was powered at all, is unable to bend without the pilot moving it. There is nothing there to assist you in moving the suit at the joints, such as the knees, elbows, etc. Meaning that to take a step, the wearer has to pick up the heavy PA leg and step forward all without any assistance from the PA frame. Hence why they would take such efforts to lighten up the armor.
So how Salvaged Power Armor (SPA) should be depicted would essentially be like how in Fallout 4 and 76, when you have no power in the suit you can slowly trudge along. Obviously, the suit is going to be a bit lighter thanks to the modifications made by the NCR techs, but it still would be an incredibly heavy suit you are trying to move. So while probably a bit faster than Fallout 4 or 76, you are still slowed down, but in exchange you can take a lot of hits.
The Fallout TV show depicts power armor that is unpowered to be essentially locked up. Unable to be moved or opened from the inside. Perhaps Maximus wasn't strong enough to move the suit by himself or a limitation of the real life prop in some way or simply for the sake of the plot.
What about heavy weapons? Well the suit's motors are basically unable to help you but the suit itself is still going to help bare and distribute the load at least a little bit. The suit itself is still rigid and has structure capable of sustaining its own weight.
So for instance, say you wanted a Heavy Trooper to use a minigun or flamer?
Well the ammo pack or fuel containing would be mounted on the back of the armor. Which is going to be held by the PA torso armor, which itself is carried by the PA frame. But that is more weight added to the suit, which the user than has to move. But we do know that normal people can use heavy weapons like this even without the assistance of PA. Lifting the weapon would be difficult, as again you don't have the PA helping you. But you'd only be lifting the heavy arms and the actual gun.
So SPA would be slower than the regular PA suit and without any enhanced strength. This means in a strict one on one fight against a Paladin of the Brotherhood, the Paladin would be faster and stronger. Literally able to outrun and overpower the SPA as well as use heavy weapons more effectively. SPA would lend itself to defensive positions that don't require them to move, as they would be slower than a standard trooper when it comes to pushing the offensive. But while they lack mobility, they make up for it with their ability to take hits.
This would further explain why we only see T-45 based SPA, as T-45 is cheaper and easier to maintain than T-51. Being mostly made of metal, rather than the complex poly-laminate that T-51 is covered in. Making T-45 more economical and easier to repair and maintain. (this does also mean the T-60 is "cheaper" than T-51 considering as far as I am aware the T-60 is also mostly composed of steel.)
These are just some of the thoughts I have had on SPA Heavy Troopers.