“But the creme de la creme is ballistic polymer weave. Light weight, serious stopping power, and it looks just like normal clothing.”— Tinker Tom
The ballistic weave is an armor mod that allows improved defensive stats to certain clothing items, including outfits, clothing that can be worn under armor and a small number of hats.
This crafting ability can be learned from Tinker Tom after performing certain quests for the Railroad faction. Once this skill is learned, one can upgrade any applicable clothing item at an armor workbench.
Obtaining the skill
Progress through the initial Railroad faction quests until P.A.M. offers a series of minor Jackpot missions to secure DIA caches. These only become available after completing Boston After Dark and Mercer Safehouse.
After completing the first or second jackpot mission, Drummer Boy will tell the Sole Survivor that they need to speak to Tinker Tom, who will inform them about the ballistic fiber technology found in the DIA cache. At this point the ballistic weave is unlocked at any armor workbench and Tom will sell some armored gear of his own.
Upgrade chart
| Mod | Base ID | Damage Resist
|
Description | Armorer Perk Required |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ballistic weave | 0020DE42 |  30  30
|
Improves Damage and Energy Resistance. | None |
| Ballistic weave MkII | 0022DC82 | 45 45
|
Improves Damage and Energy Resistance. | Rank 1 |
| Ballistic weave MkIII | 0022DC83 | 65 65
|
Improves Damage and Energy Resistance. | Rank 2 |
| Ballistic weave MkIV | 0022DC84 | 90 90
|
Improves Damage and Energy Resistance. | Rank 3 |
| Ballistic weave MkV | 0022DC85 | 110 110
|
Improves Damage and Energy Resistance. | Rank 4 |
| Institute Killer weave | 00226714 | 20 20
|
Grants 10% bonus damage against Institute members and synths. | None |
Upgradable clothing
The following is a list of all clothing that can be upgraded, and if the item can either be worn underneath armor pieces or as a hat.
| Clothing | Free Armor Slots | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Agatha's dress | None | Charisma +3 |
| Army fatigues | All | Strength +1
Agility +1 |
| Atom Cats jacket and jeans | Legs | Luck +2 |
| Baseball uniform | All | Strength +1 Agility +1 |
| Bathrobe | None | Charisma +2 |
| Battered fedora | Hat | Luck +1 |
| Black vest and slacks | None | Endurance +2 |
| Cabot's lab coat | None | Intelligence +1 |
| Casual outfit | None | Perception +1 Charisma +1 |
| Checkered shirt and slacks | None | Charisma +2 |
| Child of Atom *All Variants | None | Endurance +2 |
| Clean blue suit | None | Charisma +2 |
| Clean grey suit | None | Charisma +2 |
| Clean striped suit | None | Charisma +2 |
| Clean tan suit | None | Charisma +2 |
| Courser uniform | None | Perception +1 Endurance +1 30 15  15
|
| Dirty army fatigues | All | Strength +1 Agility +1 |
| Dirty black suit | None | Charisma +2 |
| Dirty blue suit | None | Charisma +2 |
| Dirty grey suit | None | Charisma +2 |
| Dirty postman uniform | None | Endurance +1 |
| Dirty tan suit | None | Charisma +2 |
| Dirty striped suit | None | Charisma +2 |
| Dirty trench coat | None | Charisma +1 Endurance +1 |
| Faded trench coat | None | Perception +2 |
| Farmhand clothes | None | Endurance +2 |
| Father's lab coat | None | Intelligence +2 |
| Fatigues | None | Agility +1 |
| Feathered dress | None | Charisma +2 |
| Geneva's ensemble | None | Perception +1 Charisma +1 |
| Greaser jacket and jeans | Legs | Luck +2 |
| Green rag hat | Hat | 10
|
| Green shirt and combat boots | All | Charisma +1 Endurance +1 |
| Hooded rags | None | Endurance +2 |
Hunter's long coat 
|
None | 2
|
| Lab coat | None | Intelligence +2 |
| Laundered blue dress | Arms | Charisma +2 |
| Laundered cream dress | Arms | Charisma +2 |
| Laundered denim dress | Arms | Charisma +2 |
| Laundered green dress | Arms | Charisma +2 |
| Laundered loungewear | None | Charisma +1 Endurance +1 |
| Laundered pink dress | Arms | Charisma +2 |
| Laundered rose dress | Arms | Charisma +2 |
| Legend of the Harbor
|
Head | Perception +2 Mirelurk/Bug Damage reduced by 15% |
| Longshoreman outfit | None | 10
|
| Lorenzo's suit | None | Charisma +2 |
| MacCready's duster | None | Agility +1 |
| Maxson's battlecoat | Head | Perception +1 50
|
| Mechanic jumpsuit | None | Intelligence +1 Perception +1 |
Mechanist's armor 
|
Head | Endurance +1 72 72
Robot Damage reduced by 15% |
| Military fatigues | All | Agility +25
|
| Minuteman outfit | All | Perception +1 Agility +1 |
| Newsboy cap | Hat | Charisma +1 |
Nuka-World jumpsuit 
|
Head | Perception +1 Intelligence +1 2 5
|
| Padded blue jacket | None | Charisma +1 Endurance +1 |
| Pastor's vestments | Head | Charisma +1 Endurance +1 |
| Patched three-piece suit | None | Perception +1 Charisma +1 |
| Postman uniform | None | Charisma +1 Endurance +1 |
| Ratty skirt | None | Charisma +2 |
| Red dress | Arms | Charisma +2 |
| Red frock coat | None | Perception +1 Charisma +1 |
| Reginald's suit | None | Charisma +3 |
| Red leather trench coat | None | Charisma +1 |
| Rex's suit | None | |
| Robes of Atom's Devoted
|
Head | Special radiation resistance
|
| Sequin dress | Arms | Charisma +2 |
| Submariner uniform | None | Endurance +2 |
| Summer shorts | Arms and Legs | Charisma +2 |
| Surveyor outfit | None | Endurance +1 Perception +1 |
| Suspenders and slacks | None | Endurance +2 |
| Sweater vest and slacks | None | Charisma +2 |
| T-shirt and slacks | None | Charisma +2 |
| Tattered rags | All | Luck -1 |
| Trilby hat | Hat | Charisma +1 |
| Tuxedo | None | Perception +1
Charisma +1 |
| Utility coveralls | None | Carry Weight +5 10
|
| Yellow trench coat | None | Charisma +1 Endurance +1 |
Tunnel Snakes outfit 
|
None | +30 Poison Resistance |
Notes
- The player character must have the armorer perk in order to apply this mod beyond the first level. Higher levels of the perk allow applying stronger versions of the mod, up to 110 Damage Resistance and 110 Energy Resistance on a single article of clothing.
- All levels of this mod require varying amounts of crafting materials.
- Learning this mod only requires doing a few missions for P.A.M. for the Railroad faction. Ballistic weave seems to always been obtained after completing Jackpot: Hub 360, which is one of the 3 Jackpot mission locations, obtained in randomized order.
- One wishing to join other factions should be able to safely learn this mod and move on, with the exception of those who have already reached "point of no return" missions with conflicting factions.
- Many, but not all, companion's base outfits (and some hats) can be upgraded with weave. If one wants to keep a companion in their original outfit but maintain protection at higher levels this is the best option.
- The strongest resistance that can be obtained on a single item is achieved by weaving the Mechanist's armor, an Automatron add-on armor set, with 182 Damage Resistance and 182 Energy Resistance. Weaving items that allow other armor slots can bring resistance levels higher than 300.
Bugs
Due to the dialogue flag setting, it is possible to miss the chance of learning this mod. Drummer Boy will keep saying that Tinker Tom wanted to see the Sole Survivor but Tinker Tom will not initiate the corresponding dialogue. Console command SetStage 5BC93 260 will fix this.[verified]
- One may also get this mod without doing P.A.M.'s mission with the following console commands:
Set RailroadClothingArmorModAvailable to 1
Set RailroadClothingArmor_ChanceNone to 0
- One may also get this mod without doing P.A.M.'s mission with the following console commands:
- Acquiring the weave may become impossible if one has already finished the game with the Minutemen.[verified]
- The clean black suit is supposed to be moddable, but is currently bugged in-game and prevents the player character from upgrading it on an armor workbench; the only solution for this is to use console commands. Tinker Tom may occasionally sell armored clean black suits, but these will only have the first level of ballistic weave and cannot be upgraded further. [verified]
