Power Armor for Settlers , Fallout 4

[happyninja42]

So, I've been listening to a Fallout podcast, and some of the things they were talking, gave me the idea to actually let my settlers use my Power Armor suits. I never use the things except to go to the Glowing Sea, so they're basically useless. However, the idea of having my settlers on guard duty, trundling around in Power Armor does feel pretty awesome. I know I can leave the power core in the suit and they will get in, but I have a few questions about that:

1. Do they drain the Power Core when they use a suit? Or is it effectively infinite power while being operated by an NPC?

2. Is there a way to assign them to a specific suit? I know they would have to leave the suits from time to time to sleep, and I'm worried they might not choose to get back into the suit once they exit it. Also, it would be nice to assign them, so that a random settler who isn't on guard duty doesn't snag a suit and prevent a guard from using it.

Anyone have any answers to these questions? Or experience of their own from using suits and civvies?

I mean, if it's just totally impractical I'll just give them some good high stat armor and good weapons, but I'd like to have an army of Power Armor at my beck and call. xD

 

[Terminal Blue]

Basically, if you leave suits lying around (i.e. not in a workshop) settlers will sometimes get in them when they are attacked and once they hop in then stay there indefinitely (I believe you can tell them to leave just like companions, but I could be wrong). They don't drain the power core (no NPC drains the power core when they use power armour) but I believe the suit can still be damaged in battle so it's probably not the best strategy overall.

Personally, I used power armour all the time in fallout 4 using the nuclear physicsist perk, because having really high intelligence was insanely overpowered in that game.

 

[happyninja42]

Yeah I know they will get in if I leave a core in. But you are saying that once they are in the suit, they stay in it 24/7? They won't leave it to eat or sleep?

 

[pookie101]

fair warning.. the will sometimes leave the suit to sleep if you leave a settlement and the suit can permanently despawn and you loose it

 

[Avnger]

Yeah I know they will get in if I leave a core in. But you are saying that once they are in the suit, they stay in it 24/7? They won't leave it to eat or sleep?

They definitely do leave it to sleep and then won't get back in.

 

[MHR]

I haven't played much of my Fallout 4 to know advanced community building, but I wouldn't trust the settlers with power armor. I wouldn't even trust a mod to do it. Knowing power armor could get wrecked or lost, I'd rather just dress up my wimpy guys like badass bikers to be scary near the front door.

 

[Wrex Brogan]

High-stat armour and good weapons is better for settlers who are staying at home, due to the aformentioned 'despawn while sleeping' bug that can cause a whole mess of problems (dammit that was a suit of X-01 Mk V, how the fuck did you loseit???); meanwhile in a full set of combat armour they'll just sleep in that no problems, and the defense they gain from it is enough to keep 'em alive during a firefight.

Power Armour is better for companions who are at the settlement (besides Preston they don't seem to sleep?) and for Supply Line runners, since they'll typically be at the settlement anyway if you fast-travel there and will help defend it while it's under attack. IF you do what I did and had 9 Supply Lines running from the same settlement, then on occasion when you fast travel to help protect it you'll find 9 guys in power armour armed with Gatling Lasers just hanging out, ready to ruin whatever hostiles day.

 

[happyninja42]

fair warning.. the will sometimes leave the suit to sleep if you leave a settlement and the suit can permanently despawn and you loose it

Meh, don't really care. As I said above, I never actually use Power Armor, so it basically just ends up taking up space in my settlements.

I haven't played much of my Fallout 4 to know advanced community building, but I wouldn't trust the settlers with power armor. I wouldn't even trust a mod to do it. Knowing power armor could get wrecked or lost, I'd rather just dress up my wimpy guys like badass bikers to be scary near the front door.

High-stat armour and good weapons is better for settlers who are staying at home, due to the aformentioned 'despawn while sleeping' bug that can cause a whole mess of problems (dammit that was a suit of X-01 Mk V, how the fuck did you loseit???); meanwhile in a full set of combat armour they'll just sleep in that no problems, and the defense they gain from it is enough to keep 'em alive during a firefight.

Power Armour is better for companions who are at the settlement (besides Preston they don't seem to sleep?) and for Supply Line runners, since they'll typically be at the settlement anyway if you fast-travel there and will help defend it while it's under attack. IF you do what I did and had 9 Supply Lines running from the same settlement, then on occasion when you fast travel to help protect it you'll find 9 guys in power armour armed with Gatling Lasers just hanging out, ready to ruin whatever hostiles day.

Interesting. I didn't think about using my supply line guys. That might be funny, seeing a brahmin following a person in power armor xD

And yeah, I've armored up my settlers with good armor before, I just end up picking up any armor frames I find, and collecting them. And I just wanted to actually do something useful with them.

Sadly if they get out to sleep and never get back in, then it's pointless I guess. Though, about your companions, I know Preston will go to sleep, but the others do too right? I can't recall if they all follow a sleep cycle or not. If not, sticking it on them might be fun instead.

 

[Wrex Brogan]

I haven't played much of my Fallout 4 to know advanced community building, but I wouldn't trust the settlers with power armor. I wouldn't even trust a mod to do it. Knowing power armor could get wrecked or lost, I'd rather just dress up my wimpy guys like badass bikers to be scary near the front door.

High-stat armour and good weapons is better for settlers who are staying at home, due to the aformentioned 'despawn while sleeping' bug that can cause a whole mess of problems (dammit that was a suit of X-01 Mk V, how the fuck did you loseit???); meanwhile in a full set of combat armour they'll just sleep in that no problems, and the defense they gain from it is enough to keep 'em alive during a firefight.

Power Armour is better for companions who are at the settlement (besides Preston they don't seem to sleep?) and for Supply Line runners, since they'll typically be at the settlement anyway if you fast-travel there and will help defend it while it's under attack. IF you do what I did and had 9 Supply Lines running from the same settlement, then on occasion when you fast travel to help protect it you'll find 9 guys in power armour armed with Gatling Lasers just hanging out, ready to ruin whatever hostiles day.

Interesting. I didn't think about using my supply line guys. That might be funny, seeing a brahmin following a person in power armor xD

And yeah, I've armored up my settlers with good armor before, I just end up picking up any armor frames I find, and collecting them. And I just wanted to actually do something useful with them.

Sadly if they get out to sleep and never get back in, then it's pointless I guess. Though, about your companions, I know Preston will go to sleep, but the others do too right? I can't recall if they all follow a sleep cycle or not. If not, sticking it on them might be fun instead.

Of the lot I know Valentine, Curie, Danse and X6-88 don't have sleep cycles, but for the others it's a little... weird. I've seen Piper go to sleep in one settlement, and in the other she just stayed up picking fruit all night, and I've seen a whole group of companions refuse to sleep even though there was ample bed-space for 'em. Generally speaking though once they get a suit they don't seem to ever leave it, outside a rare glitch (which can apparently be countered by giving them a couple of Fusion Cores, somehow).

Also apparently if someone is assigned guard duty they won't sleep, and just patrol between 2-3 guard posts instead of sleeping. Works for companions, don't know if it works for settlers, might need to experiment a little with it to see if the buggers shirk duty and sleep instead.

 

[wings012]

Is there any point to relying on settlers for defense anyway? They are pretty stupid anyhow and rush off to their deaths. It's not like they level up or get anymore powerful. While it might be cool to have super heavily armed looking dudes standing guard at your settlement, I much rather just build so many turrets it never gets attacked due to high defense value. Also settlers are super expendable anyway, even if a bunch die to a super mutant invasion - they get replaced easily enough.

If I do need to go defend it, it's not like anybody there matters anyway. I'll settle it somehow.

Also PA needs to get repaired with enough damage taken, so it seems like it'd be a pain in the arse to have to maintain so many separate suits of armour.

 

[pookie101]

Is there any point to relying on settlers for defense anyway? They are pretty stupid anyhow and rush off to their deaths. It's not like they level up or get anymore powerful. While it might be cool to have super heavily armed looking dudes standing guard at your settlement, I much rather just build so many turrets it never gets attacked due to high defense value. Also settlers are super expendable anyway, even if a bunch die to a super mutant invasion - they get replaced easily enough.

If I do need to go defend it, it's not like anybody there matters anyway. I'll settle it somehow.

Also PA needs to get repaired with enough damage taken, so it seems like it'd be a pain in the arse to have to maintain so many separate suits of armour.

its good practice to stick weapons into your workbench. in the advent of an attack they will grab weapons or better weapons if already armed

 

[KingsGambit_v1legacy]

Perhaps it would be worthwhile to manipulate a handful of settlers who are specifically on guard duty into power armour. Mid-late game there's certainly enough power armour to go around. Interesting thought on the supply line folks, although in my current/ongoing playthru, I'm using robots I created from the DLC machine.

 

[happyninja42]

Is there any point to relying on settlers for defense anyway?

No, I mostly want to do it just for the aesthetic of it. Having them all trundle around in tricked out PA just amuses me.