Fallout Wiki
Register
Advertisement
Fallout Wiki

 
Gametitle-FO3
Gametitle-FO3
You got a T-51b? No? Then you don't have everything.Lone Wanderer to Seagrave Holmes

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

Main article: T-51b power armor

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.[1] 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 you need is Ted Strayer's special key. Ted Strayer is located in Rivet City. There are four ways to get the key from him: pay him in caps, convince him with a high Speech skill, pickpocket the key from him, or threaten him (this 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 player. Dukov can also be intimidated by the player 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 player 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 player has failed to be the Wasteland's ambassador. If lacking a high Speech skill, the player can kill him and loot the key from his corpse (this will result in 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 player to acquire the keys for Mister Crowley, preferably by assassinating the key holders so Crowley can take the power armor for himself.

Variants

Notes

  • This is the only suit in the game. Its winterized variant is acquired via the add-on Operation: Anchorage.
  • The T-51b armor in other Fallout games is inferior to Enclave power armor series since the Enclave researched more advanced power armor on top of the T-51b. In Fallout 3 however, since the Enclave bases in the west have been virtually wiped out, the more advanced models have been lost, forcing the Enclave to research advanced armor again. This makes the T-51b model superior over most of the East Coast Enclave soldiers' power armors. However, the addition of the Enclave Hellfire armor levels the playing field and bears the same damage resistance as the rusted T-51b, coupled with its set of effects and better availability.
  • The T-51b appears to display some sort of flexible fabric under the armored plates, clearly visible in V.A.T.S, or when walking. This is interesting considering the T-45d and Enclave Armors are made up of interlocking sections, similar to scales, but are all inferior in terms of DR. A possible explanation is that the "fabric" is in fact some sort of flexible under-armor, like present-day ballistic-resistant clothing. It may also be that the armor's plates provided sufficient coverage and protection to allow a more mobile construction - accounting for the fact that there is no Agility penalty with the T-51b.
  • When you get the other three keys and give them to Crowley in Underworld, he says you need those three and his which makes four, but all you need is the three to open the doors. This could very well be Crowley simply lying to give the player a reason to return to him with the keys, instead of him/her going to Fort Constantine to retrieve the armor alone.
  • If you take the T-51b for yourself and then try to talk to Crowley, he will say "you stole what was rightfully mine, get lost" and the conversation automatically ends.
  • There is a slightly humorous speech option at Seagrave Holmes' "Rivet City Supply" when you first shop at his store. He will, (as he always does) claim that he "has a little bit of everything". The player can then inquire about whether he has a T-51b, stating that, if not, he "doesn't have everything". Seagrave will then tell the player that if they want to crack wise, they can go somewhere else. This suggests that the T-51b is a rare item that not many people are aware of.
  • The helmet's Pip-Boy icon is the same as the armor's icon. This is also the same with the winterized version's helmet.
  • The winterized version of the armor is virtually impossible to damage, while the standard T-51b armor breaks down at a normal pace compared to the T-45d power armor.
  • The T-51b can be used to repair either standard power armor, Brotherhood power armor or Outcast power armor.

Bugs

  • PCPC This power armor is known to disappear if you drop it. You are still able to pick it up, however. [verified]
  • Xbox 360Xbox 360 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. [verified]
  • Playstation 3Playstation 3Playstation 3 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. [verified]

Gallery

References

  1. Dialog response with Ricky
Advertisement