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For an overview of combat armor, see combat armor. |
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“A veteran Ranger inspires awe. Stick around for when they get here, you'll see. If I live to earn the Black Armor, I can die a happy woman.”— NCR trooper
The NCR Ranger combat armor, also known as the Black armor, and the matching Ranger helmet are pieces of armor in Fallout: New Vegas.
Characteristics[]
“The distinctive black ranger combat armor consists of the Desert Rangers' traditional trench coat worn with pre-War riot armor. Ranger patrol armor is hand-manufactured in the NCR .”— Loading screen
A military-grade armor originally used by riot squads, this combat outfit is worn with a heavy duster with the NCR Rangers' insignia on the left flap.
Variants[]
Desert Ranger combat armor - Pre-War USMC armor used by Staff Sgt. R.B. Vickers when in China.- Riot gear - An advanced version of riot armor used by pre-War riot control officers in Ashton and Hopeville.
- Advanced riot gear - An advanced model of the riot gear formerly used by an NCR riot control officer in the Divide.
- Elite riot gear - A unique armor which was used by an NCR riot control officer in the Divide.
Comparison[]
| Name | DT | WG | Durability | Value | Armor class | Effects |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NCR Ranger combat armor | 20 | 30 | 600 | 7500 | Medium armor | Disguise: NCR |
| Desert Ranger combat armor | 22 | 30 | 600 | 8000 | Medium armor | None |
| Riot gear | 20 | 30 | 500 | 7994 | Medium armor | Guns +5, Agility +1 |
| Advanced riot gear | 21 | 25 | 600 | 8494 | Medium armor | Explosives. +10, Endurance +1 |
| Elite riot gear | 22 | 23 | 750 | 12500 | Medium Armor | Critical Chance +5, Guns +10, Charisma +1 |
Locations[]
- With a "Liked" or higher reputation with the NCR, Colonel James Hsu will give the Courier a key to the NCR Ranger safehouse. Inside are sets of NCR salvaged power armor, NCR Ranger patrol armor and the NCR Ranger combat armor. There are also a reloading bench and some empty footlockers, alongside a hunting revolver, assault carbine and trail carbine. Note that all armors are in poor condition.
- This armor can be found on NCR Veteran Rangers throughout the game in areas occupied by the NCR (e.g. Camp Golf, the NCR Ranger safehouse, Ranger Station Bravo, Camp Forlorn Hope, etc.) or if the Courier is labeled a terrorist by the NCR, as there will be ranger kill-squads sent to eliminate them.
- There are several dead NCR troopers wearing this armor at the Long 15 if one chooses to nuke the NCR upon completion of The Apocalypse.
Notes[]
- The NCR Ranger combat armor appears on the cover of Fallout: New Vegas and in the graphic novel All Roads.
- Boone is the only companion who can wear the body armor, due to being a member of the NCR faction. All other companions can neither wear the body armor nor carry it in their inventory. If the player transfers it to them, the companion will drop it.
- When worn by a non-player character, the helmet's antenna disappears.
- There seem to be several tally marks scratched into the side of the helmet.
- In poor condition, repairing this armor costs around 15,000 caps to repair to 100%, making it one of the most expensive armors in the game to maintain.
- Even if a truce is negotiated between the NCR and the Brotherhood of Steel, the Brotherhood will turn hostile if seen wearing the armor. However, this does not apply during the Second Battle of Hoover Dam.
- If Boone is in the party, people might comment on him being "one of those elite troops they have been hearing about." This is normally said by people who side with the NCR, such as the Crimson Caravan Company.
- If the Courier is wearing the armor while on the Strip, NPCs will sometimes refer to them as an actual NCR Ranger.
- It is the "signature" armor of Fallout: New Vegas, and the only main series signature armor that is not power armor.
Behind the scenes[]
“Wes Burt (for Massive Black) developed the design. I shared your concerns, so there were a few things I requested to keep it from turning into Jin-Roh Part 53. First, I asked that he wear jeans and boots. I also requested that he should typically have a revolver or lever-action rifle with a bandoleer for bullets. Last, I asked for his jacket to be dark brown, not completely black. I wanted to pull some of the color elements toward warmer "cowboy" tones instead of strict neutrals.
Wes is a really fantastic artist and I think he did a great job.”— J.E. Sawyer on the armor's design
- The armor was largely designed by Massive Black artist Wesley Burt. The initial concepts were inspired by Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade, though the armor evolved into a unique design following requests from Joshua Sawyer, including jeans and a trench coat to give the armor a Western vibe.[Non-game 1] It also took beats from Tycho's description in Fallout, as Tycho himself is described as "a man in dusty leather armor with a trench coat and gas mask."[Non-game 2]
- The symbol on the left breast of the body armor is inspired by the logo for the BPRD from the Hellboy series.[Non-game 3] Sawyer would later elaborate on Twitter that the design was put there by a texture artist responsible for the high-resolution key art model and was not on Wesley Burt's original design.[Non-game 4]
- A "7" is painted on the left side of the helmet. The front of the armor features a neckpiece with an "08" on it. A star and bear can be seen on the left shoulder pad, which is affiliated with the New California Republic flag. There are also what appear to be tallies on the side of the helmet, near the "[7]." "H3RM35" can be seen on the antenna which is a leetspeak for "Hermes," a reference to HERMES armor, an experimental combat armor from the canceled Fallout 3, Van Buren.
- The in-game Ranger combat armor is slightly different from the box art and opening cinematic version. The cover version features a darker black/gray armor and some form of breather pipe coming from the right side of the gas mask as well as a small radio antenna, compared to its in-game counterpart which is of a more faded gray coloration, and the breather pipe and antenna being completely absent.
- Advanced versions of the NCR Ranger combat armor appear in Lonesome Road, which were created for pre-War riot control officers in Hopeville to control protests by the local hippie community. These versions are more heavily armored and possess intact optic systems compared to the NCR Ranger combat armor.
- A ranger in the opening cinematic is seen tapping the side of the helmet lighting up the visor, this cannot be done in-game.
- The helmet's mesh seems to point to a non-existent environment map, "textures\chromedull_e.nif." However, .nif is a mesh file extension, not a texture file extension. Additionally, chromedull_e.dds is located one folder over, in "textures\effects\chromedull_e.dds." This means the reflective properties seen on the helmet in-game are the result of missing textures.
Bugs[]
Before patch 1.4.0.525, the helmet picked up from the NCR Ranger safehouse could not be repaired by vendors, due to it having no value. Repairing it with other helmets worked properly.[verified]
Gallery[]
Ranger helmet
Fallout: New Vegas main menu background
NCR Veteran Ranger wielding a .357 Magnum revolver
Veteran Ranger posing in front of the NCR flag
NCR Ranger combat armor concept art
Ranger helmet concept art
NCR propaganda showing the Ranger helmet
Concept art, Fallout: New Vegas Official Game Guide/Behind the Bright Lights & Big City
Recreation of the decal
References[]
Non-game
- ↑ Q&A session with Josh Sawyer during a live charity stream. (reference begins at 8:28:40)
- ↑ J.E. Sawyer on Formspring
Anonymous: "was the desert rangers armor inspired by tycho's discription in fallout 1"
Joshua Sawyer: "Yes." - ↑ Q&A session with Josh Sawyer during a live charity stream. (reference begins at 8:29:40)
- ↑ Josh Sawyer on Twitter (dead link)
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