In the previous Fallout games, players can easily shield themselves from the dregs and infections of the irradiated wasteland by donning Power Armor. Too bad Fallout 4 turned the whole thing into clunky vehicles instead of conventional armor. However, they did try to rectify this to a degree with the Marine Armor introduced in the Far Harbor expansion.
Still, obtaining this armor can get confusing. This guide aims to make that armor collection a painless experience, especially since there are several variants of the Marine Armor. To get the Assault (or the best) version of this armor, players need to complete the Best Left Forgotten quest and finish all of DiMA's Memories. After that, a quest will get triggered to make the search easier.
Updated September 29th, 2021 by Russ Boswell: The Marine Armor in Fallout 4 still stands out as one of the most sought-after armor types and sets throughout the game. The introduction in Far Harbor gifted players with some unique, stylish, and upgradeable armor pieces that allowed them to better tune their builds to be as strong as possible. Developers sprinkled a handful of variants into the game world, giving Fallout 4 completionists even more gear to hunt down. To help new players track down Fallout 4's Marine Armor, the following list has been updated and includes even more information about the armor itself.
Assault Variant
The Assault version is the default and one of the strongest variants of the Marine armor available. Players can track down the pieces in the locations below, and don them for extra protection as they roam Fallout 4's world.
Helmet, Chest Piece, Marine Wetsuit, Tactical Helmet
The first and most iconic part of the armor, the helmet, is located south-southwest off the coast of Rayburn Point inside a sunken shipping container. Players have to prepare themselves for a deep dive. This is the one associated with the Best Left Forgotten quest. Players will find the helmet, along with the chest piece and a bonus armor called the Marine Wetsuit, as well as the Tactical Helmet.
The default configuration of the armor is Assault, making it more resistant against damage compared to the weaker Zealot version. In addition to the higher stats, the Assault Marine armor also sports a darker and more militaristic color. It's meant to look like this originally, as the Zealot and Inquisitor variants of the armor (worn by the Children of Atom) are tampered with modifications and weird markings.
Left & Right Leg
For the Marine Armor legs, players will have to venture to Haddock Cove, then head west. Look for the sunken tugboat. Here, players will find the armor contained inside a sealed chest at the southern end of the lower parts of the this tugboat.
Having a flashlight is handy to help locate it, as the container is located underwater. The water is also irradiated, so be sure to bring some RadAway along.
Left & Right Arm
The arms for the Marine Armor, as expected, also require some deep dive searches as players will need to head off the coast east of Harbor Grand Hotel. They'll also need to swim until they see a boat underwater. Head to the boat with a flashlight and look for the stern or butt-end of the boat, not too far from the surface.
Atom's Bulwark Variant
If players find the base version of the Marine Armor too bland, they needn't worry. Atom's Bulwark is a legendary version of the armor and it's readily available for the players once they finish the Reformation or Cleanse the Land quest. This is Far Harbor's main quest, so it should be along the way. Atom's Bulwark has a unique perk where the player's Damage and Energy Resistance get a bonus if they're not irradiated.
The catch is that Atom's Bulwark is either a chest piece or an arm piece. The spawn chances are random, so players are advised to make a quick save before finishing the quest so they can reload if they didn't get their desired armor type.
Zealot Variant
Another variant of the Marine Armor is the aforementioned Zealot Marine Armor. These have lower stats, but players can still farm them if they want. Several members of the Children of Atom around the Nucleus don this armor and they can also drop it if killed. They don't drop the helmet though.
If players want the full set, they'll have to purchase it from Kane, he's the Children of Atom's armor vendor. Players can find Kane near the Nucleus. The full set only becomes available every time his store gets replenished. Sadly, only the chest, arms, and legs are available for this variant. The Marine Armor helmet remains obtainable only through unlocking the Assault variant.
Inquisitor Variant
If players can't or don't want to complete DiMA's memories but still want the Marine Armor, then a workaround would be to obtain the weaker Zealot variant and upgrade it to the Inquisitor Marine Armor. It's a more powerful version, but not quite as tough as the Assault or the original variant.
Still, it's worth the players' attention as the design might also appeal some. In order to obtain it, players will have to have Armorer 4 or Science! 4 in order to transform the Zealot Marine Armor into the Inquisitor variant. They can also do the same for the Assault variant, and even upgrade the Zealot variant to the Assault variant.
Again, since no vendor or NPC can give a Zealot Marine Armor helmet, acquiring an Inquisitor Marine Armor helmet is impossible unless mods are involved.
Recon Marine Variant
As awesome as the Assault Marine Armor set is, it's not actually the best. There exists a legendary set or variant of the Marine Armor apart from the Atom's Bulwark and that would be the Recon Marine Armor.
Thankfully, acquiring them (minus the legs) is easy. Several vendors all over Far Harbor sell them at a fair price, as listed below.
Recon Marine Helmet
Brooks in Far Harbor sells this one for 10,000 Caps. Its innate perk is the Cunning effect, namely +1 Agility and Perception.
Recon Marine Chest Piece
Players will want to look for Cog in Acadia for this chest piece. It costs 16,000 Caps. It has the Sentinel effect which reduces damage to the wearer by 15 percent whenever they're stationary.
Recon Marine Left Arm
Look for Kane in the Children of Atom's Nucleus for this bad boy. He sells it for 10,000 Caps. It's a perfect companion for gun-toting players as it has the Martyr effect which slows down time in combat whenever the Sole Survivor's hit points hit 20 percent or less.
Recon Marine Right Arm
Last but not least, locate Sister Mai in the Nucleus as well for this piece. She sells it for around 10,000 Caps. It's by far the most useful out of all the Recon pieces for sale, since it has the Sprinter's effect. This increases the wearer's movement speed by 10 percent. It's for running away after pickpocketing this armor, or stealing from the Children of Atom's cold dead corpses.
How Strong Is Marine Armor?
Although it may seem like a bit of a hassle to track down all of the Marine armor pieces in each set, it's well worth it. Thanks to the Far Harbor DLC, the Marine Armor stands as the best normal armor that players can equip. The only thing with better stats is Power Armor and modified Heavy Nuka-World armor. What makes it even better is that it comes with a lot of potential upgrades, making it customizable for players that want to get the most out of a particular build. Although the Recon Marine Armor exists solely as a variant with specialized innate perks, the rest of the sets have clear differences in stats, as seen below:
Inquisitor's Marine Armor
Item |
Ballistic Resistance |
Energy Resistance |
Radiation Resistance |
Value |
Weight |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Inquisitor's Marine Armor Chest Piece |
49 |
50 |
10 |
210 |
25 |
Inquisitor's Marine Armor Left Arm |
22 |
22 |
10 |
140 |
14 |
Inquisitor's Marine Armor Right Arm |
22 |
22 |
10 |
140 |
14 |
Inquisitor's Marine Armor Left Leg |
23 |
23 |
10 |
175 |
14 |
Inquisitor's Marine Armor Right Leg |
23 |
23 |
10 |
175 |
14 |
Total Stats |
139 |
140 |
50 |
840 |
81 |
Zealot's Marine Armor
Item |
Ballistic Resistance |
Energy Resistance |
Radiation Resistance |
Value |
Weight |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Zealot's Marine Armor Chest Piece |
38 |
38 |
0 |
150 |
19 |
Zealot's Marine Armor Left Arm |
17 |
17 |
0 |
100 |
10 |
Zealot's Marine Armor Right Arm |
17 |
17 |
0 |
100 |
10 |
Zealot's Marine Armor Left Leg |
18 |
18 |
0 |
115 |
10 |
Zealot's Marine Armor Right Leg |
18 |
18 |
0 |
115 |
10 |
Total Stats |
108 |
108 |
0 |
580 |
59 |
Assault Marine Armor
Item |
Ballistic Resistance |
Energy Resistance |
Radiation Resistance |
Value |
Weight |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Assault Marine Armor Helmet |
19 |
10 |
10 |
90 |
14 |
Assault Marine Armor Chest Piece |
50 |
49 |
10 |
210 |
25 |
Assault Marine Armor Left Arm |
22 |
22 |
10 |
140 |
14 |
Assault Marine Armor Right Arm |
22 |
22 |
10 |
140 |
14 |
Assault Marine Armor Left Leg |
23 |
23 |
10 |
175 |
14 |
Assault Marine Armor Right Leg |
23 |
23 |
10 |
175 |
14 |
Total |
159 |
158 |
60 |
930 |
95 |