Highlights
- The Strangler Heart power armor set in Fallout 76 is one of the most expensive sets in the game, requiring a high investment of Gold Bullion and Legendary Scrip.
- The Strangler Heart power armor has above-average defenses, particularly in terms of radiation resistance, but falls behind other power armor sets in terms of standard defense and energy resistance.
- While the Strangler Heart power armor has the ability to add Acid damage to attacks, this damage is relatively weak and is most effective when using shotguns or weapons with the Two-Shot Legendary effect. It is best suited for PvP situations and areas with high radiation.
Fallout 76 has many different sets of power armor, currently more than any other game in the Fallout franchise. Out of all the potentially worthwhile sets of Power Armor in Fallout 76, players may be curious about whether the Strangler Heart is worth the high cost of investment.
There are three total Legendary Vault Steel armor sets in Fallout 76, including the Strangler Heart armor. While the Strangler Heart set is the only power armor out of the Vault Steel sets, at the same time it’s one of many unique power armor sets in the game. When players are wearing a full set of any unique armor in Fallout 76 they will be granted additional bonuses on top of any legendary effects from each individual armor piece.
Strangler Heart Power Armor is One of the Most Expensive Sets in Fallout 76
After unlocking access to the Gold Bullion vendor in Vault 79, players can then purchase the plans for each part of the Strangler Heart power armor. Reggs in Vault 79 will sell the plans for 6,900 Gold Bullion, however, Minerva the traveling Gold Bullion vendor will sell them for 4,176. Buying from Minerva will save players plenty of Gold Bullion, though she isn’t permanently available, and the Strangler Heart plans aren’t always in her rotating inventory.
On top of the pricey Gold Bullion investment, players will also need 1,920 Legendary Scrip to purchase the minimum amount of Vault Steel required. It's highly recommended that any players looking to craft the Strangler Heart armor utilize the Power Smith Perk to reduce the required crafting materials, which notably includes Vault Steel.
How the Strangler Heart Power Armor Performs in Fallout 76
Damage Resistance: 453
Energy Resistance: 393
Radiation Resistance: 500
Set Bonus: Adds Acid (Poison) damage to all armed attacks. Nearby enemies take Acid damage.
Looking at the defenses of all the other power armor sets in Fallout 76, the Strangler Heart is an above-average variant of Ultracite power armor. For standard defense, the Strangler Heart falls behind the T-51, T-65, and Union power armor sets, and the energy resistance falls behind the T-51, T-65, and X-01 sets. When it comes to radiation resistance though, Strangler Heart is currently the best in class for power armor.
Compared to the Plague Walker Mutation in Fallout 76, the Strangler Heart's proximity Acid damage is less than half as effective as Plague Walker with one Disease. Although Plague Walker is relatively temporary and requires players to have Diseases that are generally detrimental, the one redeeming quality is that this Mutation stacks with the Strangler Heart for increased overall proximity damage.
Aside from its low damage output, the main downfall of the Strangler Heart's ranged Acid damage is that it only stacks when using weapons that shoot simultaneous projectiles. This means that the most efficient way to apply the Acid damage is to use shotguns or weapons with the Two-Shot Legendary weapon effect. There is also a neat trick where players can use the Ricochet Perk to occasionally reflect bullets at any attackers, which will consistently activate the Strangler Heart’s ranged Acid damage. Overall though, the Acid damage is very weak against enemies in the endgame of Fallout 76, including Raid bosses.
The best use for Strangler Heart power armor is for PvP in Fallout 76, considering that it works with the Ricochet Perk and that players tend to have less Acid/Poison resistance than NPCs. There are very few ways for players to counter the Strangler Heart's Acid damage, and they are all generally rare.
Ultimately, since PvP isn't very popular in Fallout 76, the Strangler Heart armor generally isn't worth the investment for players expecting to use the passive Acid damage. It can still be useful for players who are looking for a power armor set to wear in areas with high radiation, like nuke zones, but otherwise, the Strangler Heart’s set bonuses aren’t anything special.
Fallout 76 is available now on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
