Fallout 4 brought many radical changes to the franchise. It saw the inclusion of a voiced protagonist as well as the ability to mod the game on consoles. While many of these changes were controversial, the title also brought back classic elements from past Bethesda games, such as multi-faction questlines and modular armor sets.
Part of Fallout 4's modular armor system involves finding mods to make other items better. Arguably the best mod in the game for non-modular pieces is ballistic weave, a mod that grants up to 110 extra Damage and Energy Resistance. When applied on certain items, this can grant hundreds of DR and can even compete with power armor. This guide explains how to obtain ballistic weave, as well as some of the best items to use it on.
Updated December 16, 2021 by Tom Bowen: Fallout 76 has undoubtedly come a long way since its disastrous launch, but many fans of the franchise still prefer Fallout 4. This is despite the fact that the latter is now more than six years old and hasn't received any new content since August of 2016. At least not officially, anyway. The game's talented modding community continues to improve the Fallout 4 experience, providing players with plenty of reasons to stick around even after completing the game. Those that do will need to find themselves some good armor though, which is where ballistic weave comes into play.
How To Obtain Ballistic Weave
Obtaining ballistic weave requires players to complete a few non-binding quests for the Railroad faction. More specifically, players will need to complete the "Boston After Dark" and "Mercer Safehouse" quests in order to retrieve P.A.M. Once players have completed these quests, they'll need to complete one or two jackpot side missions before ballistic weave becomes available.
Once the player is eligible for the item, Drummer Boy will inform them that Tinker Tom has some new tech for them to check out. Talking to Tinker Tom will then reveal the ballistic weave mod and unlock the schematic for all armor pieces. There are five tiers to ballistic weaves, and they can only be applied on non-armor clothing such as outfits and hats.
12 Maxson's Battlecoat
The leader of the Brotherhood of Steel, Elder Arthur Maxson, has one of the best outfits in Fallout 4 and it's also one that's compatible with ballistic weave. His outfit grants 50 DR and +1 to Perception.
Combining his coat with ballistic weave can result in body armor that grants 160 physical DR. Players can only obtain this item by killing Maxson, however, which, unsurprisingly, perhaps, brings an end to their relationship with the Brotherhood of Steel.
11 Companion Clothing
Most companions in Fallout 4 wear clothing that is compatible with ballistic weave. Adding this mod to their armor can therefore be a great early to mid-game option for players; especially those who are playing on Survival.
When players are done using their gear or find something better, they can give their companions their gear back and let them benefit from the increased Damage Resistance that ballistic weave offers.
10 Hancock's Red Frock Coat
Though many companion outfits can be useful, Hancock's Red Frock Coat arguably deserves a special mention. As well as being one of the best-looking companion outfits in Fallout 4, it's also one of the most durable when it comes to defense.
It grants +1 to both Perception and Charisma, as well as +5 Energy Resistance, making it an excellent candidate for the ballistic weave upgrade. Players can get their hands on it after hiring Hancock as a companion or by lootting it from his corpse following his death.
9 General Zao's Submariner Uniform
Though similar to the Chinese jumpsuit, the Submariner Uniform boasts a few key differences, both in terms of stats and appearance. The most notable of these is that Zao's uniform can be upgraded with ballistic weave, allowing it to provide great DR and ER as well as +2 Endurance and 5 radioactivity resistance.
Players can obtain the Submariner Uniform from General Zhao while onboard the Yangtze. They'll either need to loot it from his corpse or pickpocket it, which will also provide them with the Submariner Hat. This too is a useful bit of gear, though its lack of innate perks means that there are better options out there when it comes to headgear.
8 Green Rag Hat
There's an argument to be made that nearly every Fallout 4 headpiece that works with ballistic weave is a solid choice, since they each provide an absurd amount of protection. Upgrading items with intrinsic buffs is even better, however.
The Green Rag Hat is a great example of this, granting 10 Energy Resistance while worn. Using ballistic weave can grant up to 110 DR and 120 ER in total. Once upgraded, this hat can actually provide more Damage Resistance than most armor pieces!
7 Mechanist's Armor
Completing "Restoring Order" will grant players the Mechanist's Armor as well as the Mechanist's Helmet. Both items have incredible base stats with the armor granting 72 DR and ER alongside +1 Endurance and 15% Damage Resistance against robots.
These items alone are solid for the early to mid-game, but the body armor can easily be upgraded to endgame viability with the ballistic weave mod. Mark V weaving raises the stats to 182 DR and ER alongside its other passives, making it the strongest outfit in the entire game when not accounting for items that are compatible with modular armor pieces.
6 Military Fatigues
As a common item, Military Fatigues serve as a great platform to install ballistic weave onto. The chest grants +2 Agility and 5 Energy Resistance while equipped. While that sounds much worse than previous entries, the caveat is that Military Fatigues can be worn under modular armor pieces.
When Mark V ballistic weave is combined with five armor pieces and a ballistic weave hat, players can have over 300 Damage Resistance with little issue. This, combined with how readily available Military Fatigues are in the game, makes it a solid option for players.
5 Minuteman Outfit
While not as common as the Military Fatigues, the Minuteman Outfit also allows for other armor to be equipped over it. The passive effects that this outfit grants are arguably much better than most as well, particularly during the early stages of the game.
While equipped, it grants +1 to both Agility and Perception, meaning that anyone that is building around V.A.T.S. will definitely want to use this outfit. For those having trouble finding one, a few can be found on dead Minutemen in the Lexington Super Duper Mart.
4 Army Fatigues
Similar to the Military Fatigues, the Army Fatigues offer great passive S.P.E.C.I.A.L. bonuses that are advantageous on most builds. It grants +1 to both Strength and Agility while worn, making this a fantastic general under mesh item for players that travel around a lot.
There are normal Army Fatigues as well as Dirty Army Fatigues, though both grant the exact same stat bonuses. Clean Army Fatigues can be found in the Cambridge Police Station, while the Dirty variant can be easily found on most vendors.
3 Battered Fedora
Fighting mutants in the wasteland is much more enjoyable when done in style. The Battered Fedora is not only a fashionable choice, but it also offers a great passive bonus of +1 Luck while equipped. Since Luck governs some of the best skills in the game, this is a handy bonus indeed.
Of course, it can be equipped with ballistic weave to gain 110 DR and ER, making this hat comparable to most outfits. They can be found on Triggermen or at the Charles View Amphitheater where players meet the Pillars of the Community cult.
2 Baseball Uniform
Statistically, the Baseball Uniform is on the same level as the Army Fatigues. Both grant +1 to Strength and Agility, but the Baseball Uniform gels much better with modular armor pieces.
It mostly boils down to visual preference, but making a character that looks nice while also having optimal DR is easiest with this uniform. It can be found near Diamond City and is frequently sold by Moe Cronin.
1 Green Shirt and Combat Boots
Most of the ballistic weave items that can be worn under armor focus on boosting the wearer's Strength and Agility. The Green Shirt and Combat Boots are a little different in that respect, as they instead grant +1 to Charisma and Endurance. This makes them a great choice for anyone who is looking to build larger settlements or those hoping to take on some of the game's tougher enemies.
As with other under-armor items, Green Shirt and Combat Boots are incredibly common, with several merchants selling them throughout the wasteland. They can also be looted from numerous places, including the corpses of characters in both the base version of the game and its Far Harbor DLC expansion.