Operator's Armor: Is It Worth The Trouble?

[danconnors]

As far as I know you can't buy it anywhere. I get my pieces off dead legendary characters. The pieces--all chest pieces for me so far--provide good protection and usually some legendary effects. However to make improvements in them you must have skills in blacksmithing--as well as in armory. The special changes--for instance to change mine from auto injecting a stimpac when I hit 25 percent health (virtually useless) to a dense plate protecting from explosions--requires 2 ranks in demolition, a skill I have never bothered getting.

So, I'm wondering if is worth the trouble required to improve the armor?

[The Inept European]

It starts showing up in levelled lists once Nukaworld is installed. I have some in a game where I never went to Nukaworld. I don't remember if I bought it or looted it. It is legendary so maybe only shows up from legendary spawns??

It is extremely hard to improve and I would have dropped mine long ago if not for the legendary effect. I'm basically trading lost ER/DR for the legendary effect now.

When I first got it though the ER/DR was amazing.

But then everything from Nukaworld is stupidly OP. Tribal cretins with godlike equipment that exceeds all pre-war industrial tech (apart from PA) because... because nothing. Because lame lazy writers who don't know how to increase challenge or reward other than just by buffing the stats of everything for no justifiable reason and usually without even attempting to justify it.

[kharille]

I managed to get a pack unyielding armour. That combines far harbour with Nuka world. I tend to keep an unyielding chest piece in case I want to max out some towns. The protection is amazing but I'm carrying a metal version since its lighter.

[danconnors]

Well, I just got blacksmith one--on the way to blacksmith two--so I can improve my set. I'll probably settle for the padded addition I put on it, rather than going two ranks of demolition to put a dense pack on it.

[DouglasGrave]

Like other armour types, you can always scavenge the mod parts as well. Personally, I don't consider the weight of heavy armour all that worthwhile on top of ballistic weave, so I'm usually after a good legendary effect.

If I recall correctly, Porter Gage can sell pieces of the gang armours while you're in Nuka Town. But you'll get far more from just fighting the raider gangs.

Originally posted by The Ex-ept European:

It starts showing up in levelled lists once Nukaworld is installed. I have some in a game where I never went to Nukaworld. I don't remember if I bought it or looted it. It is legendary so maybe only shows up from legendary spawns??

As you suspect, finding it before entering Nuka World is due to the DLC adding its items to the base game's levellled lists used for legendary items.

You don't encounter any Nuka World enemies who would carry the stuff in non-legendary form in the Commonwealth before going to Nuka World.