Fusion Core confusion? Where are they?

[Elprez]

So my original fusion core that my power armor came with dies. I made it back to red rocket and left it there. I stored the empty core in my workbench. I noticed that I have 50 "fusion cells" in my inventory that I already collected. I thought those would power the core. Anyways. I go back to red rocket and the core is gone from my stored inventory. Did a raider take it? My question is how do I power my armor back up and keep it powered?

[Aelies von Saladir]

You can't recharge Fusion Cores. You will have to find new cores from other generators or buy them from vendors (or, you know, stop using Power Armour). Fusion Cells are used as ammunition for Laser guns, Institute guns, Electic guns and other kinds of energy weapons. They have nothing to do with Fusion Cores.

[Elprez]

Ah, thats for clarifying that. Can I assume that someone stole the core I left in my workbench? It is no where to be found. Is there a place nearby that has one that is easy to find? How long do they last?

[Aelies von Saladir]

It shouldn't be stolen. Actually, a depleted core is removed from your inventory entirely. Are you sure that you really stored it?
As for a place nearby, there's one Fusion Core locked in a backroom at Starlight Drive-in, some way to the east-south-east of Concord. Although it would be depleted quickly just like the first one if you walk around alot in Power Armour. I would suggest you not relying on Power Armour until you have done some exploration and gathered a number of cores and/or enough money to buy them en masse. Or if you are bent on using Power Armour, wait till you get the Nuclear Physicist Intelligence Perk, which greatly prolong the lifespan of Fusion Cores.

[Elprez]

Originally posted by Aelies von Saladir:

It shouldn't be stolen. Actually, a depleted core is removed from your inventory entirely. Are you sure that you really stored it?
As for a place nearby, there's one Fusion Core locked in a backroom at Starlight Drive-in, some way to the east-south-east of Concord. Although it would be depleted quickly just like the first one if you walk around alot in Power Armour. I would suggest you not relying on Power Armour until you have done some exploration and gathered a number of cores and/or enough money to buy them en masse. Or if you are bent on using Power Armour, wait till you get the Nuclear Physicist Intelligence Perk, which greatly prolong the lifespan of Fusion Cores.

Thanks for the tip. I seem to be getting killed pretty easily so I figured I needed to use the armor. I guess I need to look at how to not being killed easily. Right now my guns are basically handguns along with the machine gun from the power armor. This game has so many variables it is hard to know what to work at at any given time.

[Aelies von Saladir]

You can try using Power Armour if you are expected heavy fighting. Say, you got a quest to clear a building of Raiders, you walk to the building, trying to avoid enemies along the way (or sneak attack them), then, you fast travel back to Red Rocket, enter your Power Armour and fast travel back to your goal (Fusion Cores donn't deplete when you fast travel, for some reason). Then ,you use the armour to clear out the place. When they are all dead, you fast travel back to your base and exit the armour. This way, you minimise the drain on your Fusion Cores while still gaining the benefit of the armour when the fighting is at its thickest. I do this myself with my newer characters.

[watchdog79]

There is a Fusion Core in the cave beneath the Red Rocket Truck Stop next to Sanctuary Hills. Other than that, merchants sell plenty of those and you can find quite a few during exploring. A lot of old buildings contain generators still powered by the Fusion Cores that can be removed.

[Elprez]

Originally posted by Aelies von Saladir:

You can try using Power Armour if you are expected heavy fighting. Say, you got a quest to clear a building of Raiders, you walk to the building, trying to avoid enemies along the way (or sneak attack them), then, you fast travel back to Red Rocket, enter your Power Armour and fast travel back to your goal (Fusion Cores donn't deplete when you fast travel, for some reason). Then ,you use the armour to clear out the place. When they are all dead, you fast travel back to your base and exit the armour. This way, you minimise the drain on your Fusion Cores while still gaining the benefit of the armour when the fighting is at its thickest. I do this myself with my newer characters.

Thanks. I will try that. I finally started doing that with my inventory. I kept collecting until I slowed down. One thing I noticed, you can't fast travel inside a building?

[watchdog79]

Originally posted by Elprez:

Thanks. I will try that. I finally started doing that with my inventory. I kept collecting until I slowed down. One thing I noticed, you can't fast travel inside a building?

Indeed. Inside a building (separated from the open world by a loading screen at the entrance) you cannot fast travel.

There are only a couple of exceptions. Railroad HQ and Mechanist's Lair. I am not sure if there are any others.

[Aelies von Saladir]

Originally posted by watchdog79:

Railroad HQ and Mechanist's Lair. I am not sure if there are any others.

And Home Plate

[Gamefever]

The Perk "Scrounger"

Fusion Cores are considered Ammo.
Also containers means all containers including dead bodies of your enemies.
1 point investment early is a good thing,
I have like 2 points invested in it and it really helps keep enough ammo for automatic weapons.

II sometimes find like 4 Fusion Cores at the same time in one container.
Also Mini Nukes, Missile's and pretty much all ammo but the DLC ammo can be found with Scrounger.

IDK what to tell you though, there are a lot of very useful perks in the game. Mostly the perks that you need a huge investment of Stat Points are very useful. Like Ghoulish, Solar Powered, Gun Fu, Pain Train (frikn awesome)..., Nerd Rage (very awesome life saver in Survival Mode),....

Odd thing is that doesnt diminish the Usefulness of Perks that you can get with small investment of Stat Points either....Since Scrounger and Toughness are a high priority to get early in the game for me.

[jacques ingoff]

i think sneak walking in power armor depletes the core the slowest. sprinting obviously drains it faster, and i think using VATS also makes it drain quicker too.

what i also do is if my core is low, under 20%-25%, i'll change it to a more charged one before going into possible lengthy encounters, just so i don't get caught not being able to change it before it depletes in the middle of a fight, or so i don't forget to change it. i use the 20%-25% ones for walking around outside where there's less chance of me forgetting to change it or being engaged in something and having to try changing it mid fight before it fully depletes. that's just me though... even with 100+ full cores, it still pains me to lose one to being fully depleted.

[BDK]

Most vendors sell them as well. There's also perks you can get in order for them to last longer, but you'll eventually drown in them.

[Brandybuck]

There is another fusion core in Concord. Or rather, underneath Concord.

[Stardustfire]

Bigger Robots can contain up to 4 too after u destroyed them, making hunt them very rewarding, also biometric scanners are not so scarce at them, and u will love that drops when u into building anything that needs optic parts. Oh and u can get a booble head that makes FCs last longer at the top of the highest corvega facility construction
And at last: There is one Weapon that eats Fusion Cores instead of Fusion Cells, the Gathling Laser.

[casualsailor]

Originally posted by BDK:

Most vendors sell them as well. There's also perks you can get in order for them to last longer, but you'll eventually drown in them.

This is important. Save your old cores. Remove them before they hit 0% charge. A FC with even 1% of charge will sell to a vendor (with the right CHA) for half the price of a full core.