# NPC Allies with Power Armor

**URL:** <https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/npc-allies-with-power-armor/14652>\
**Category:** The Bunker\
**Created:** [December 13, 2017, 9:11pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/npc-allies-with-power-armor/14652 "2017-12-13T21:11:48Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 15\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![psyxypher](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/psyxypher/32/11778_2.png) [@psyxypher](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/psyxypher)\
**Post date:** [December 13, 2017, 9:11pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/npc-allies-with-power-armor/14652/1 "2017-12-13T21:11:48Z")

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So, since power armor is completely useless to my character, I was thinking of giving a set to one of my NPC allies and seeing how well that works out for them. Any experience on this anyone has? Is this a good idea? Is it a horrible idea because they don’t have the ability to turn the armor on?

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**Author:** ![Vastin](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/vastin/32/9912_2.png) [@Vastin](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Vastin)\
**Post date:** [December 13, 2017, 9:17pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/npc-allies-with-power-armor/14652/2 "2017-12-13T21:17:15Z")

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Don’t knock power armor entirely. Not much else will let you go straight toe-to-toe with a chicken-walker at short range - but no, you don’t run around in the stuff day to day, that’s for sure.

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**Author:** ![psyxypher](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/psyxypher/32/11778_2.png) [@psyxypher](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/psyxypher)\
**Post date:** [December 13, 2017, 9:20pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/npc-allies-with-power-armor/14652/3 "2017-12-13T21:20:39Z")

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> [@Vastin](#):
>
> Don’t knock power armor entirely.

You misunderstand. My character _literally cannot use any of the four Power Armors_. He has several mutations that prevent him from doing so. I’m well aware of how awesome to stuff is, though, but I’m hesitant to play Mutagen roulette to get rid of 3 mutations out of the many I have.

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**Author:** ![Vastin](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/vastin/32/9912_2.png) [@Vastin](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Vastin)\
**Post date:** [December 13, 2017, 9:28pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/npc-allies-with-power-armor/14652/4 "2017-12-13T21:28:12Z")

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> [@psyxypher](#):
>
> My character literally cannot use any of the four Power Armors. He has several mutations that prevent him from doing so.

Ah, yep. That’s a problem. No idea if NPC’s have the faintest idea how to turn on power armor - my uninformed guess is ‘no chance’.

But entombing them in giant steel coffin to act as an agro magnet while you move around them and pick off the hordes pointlessly trying to claw him to death in there would probably be pretty effective anyway.

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**Author:** ![DeWolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@DeWolf](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/DeWolf)\
**Post date:** [December 13, 2017, 10:15pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/npc-allies-with-power-armor/14652/5 "2017-12-13T22:15:33Z")

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Depends on mob priorities (would they go after the player over the npc or just whoever is closest) also isn’t there something that allows you to activate items in their inventory?

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**Author:** ![Solusphere](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/solusphere/32/66_2.png) [@Solusphere](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Solusphere)\
**Post date:** [December 14, 2017, 2:50am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/npc-allies-with-power-armor/14652/6 "2017-12-14T02:50:28Z")

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It’s possible to strip all the servos and cooling system out of a suit of basic power armour (AKA dissasembling it), creating Salvaged Power Armour. This has a lot of encumbrance, but less than a standard suit when it’s unpowered (40 versus 50). Seems like a waste of a good suit, but if you don’t have any other way of using it…

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**Author:** ![psyxypher](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/psyxypher/32/11778_2.png) [@psyxypher](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/psyxypher)\
**Post date:** [December 14, 2017, 3:16am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/npc-allies-with-power-armor/14652/7 "2017-12-14T03:16:39Z")

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Doesn’t seem to have the tag for allowing mutants to wear it.

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**Author:** ![Solusphere](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/solusphere/32/66_2.png) [@Solusphere](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Solusphere)\
**Post date:** [December 14, 2017, 3:17am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/npc-allies-with-power-armor/14652/8 "2017-12-14T03:17:42Z")

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> [@psyxypher](#):
>
> Doesn’t seem to have the tag for allowing mutants to wear it.

I know, I meant for the NPCs to wear. Don’t have to worry about them knowing how to turn it on.

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**Author:** ![proxiehunter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e68b1a/32.png) [@proxiehunter](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/proxiehunter)\
**Post date:** [December 14, 2017, 3:46am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/npc-allies-with-power-armor/14652/9 "2017-12-14T03:46:54Z")

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Are the parts stripped out useful for making anything else?

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**Author:** ![Solusphere](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/solusphere/32/66_2.png) [@Solusphere](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Solusphere)\
**Post date:** [December 14, 2017, 3:53am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/npc-allies-with-power-armor/14652/10 "2017-12-14T03:53:11Z")

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> **[Combat exoskeleton (disassemble) - Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead](http://cdda-trunk.chezzo.com/power_armor_basic/disassemble)**
>
> Combat exoskeleton can be disassembled. You can find more information here.

basic power armor can be disassembled to obtain the following components.  
Tools required:

> 1 tool with metal sawing quality of 1  
> 1 tool with screw driving quality of 1  
> 1 tool with bolt turning quality of 1  
> pair of bolt cutters OR integrated toolset  
> Components obtained:  
> 1x salvaged power armor  
> 6x power converter  
> 2x heating element  
> 12x copper wire  
> 6x circuit board  
> 1x transponder circuit

So yes, you can make quite a lot of electronics recipes using those parts.

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**Author:** ![Vastin](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/vastin/32/9912_2.png) [@Vastin](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Vastin)\
**Post date:** [December 14, 2017, 3:57pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/npc-allies-with-power-armor/14652/11 "2017-12-14T15:57:50Z")

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Of course, its nothing you can’t get a lot more of just stripping down an Arcade, rather than your power armor. 😉

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**Author:** ![DeWolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@DeWolf](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/DeWolf)\
**Post date:** [December 14, 2017, 4:08pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/npc-allies-with-power-armor/14652/12 "2017-12-14T16:08:05Z")

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And you cannot put it back together. Unless this one bug comes back where the game would allow you to craft anything you dissassembled, even factory rounds.

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**Author:** ![mlangsdorf](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/mlangsdorf/32/2462_2.png) [@mlangsdorf](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/mlangsdorf)\
**Post date:** [December 14, 2017, 4:51pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/npc-allies-with-power-armor/14652/13 "2017-12-14T16:51:46Z")

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I’ve had an NPC equipped with heavy power armor, though the NPC wouldn’t wear the helmet because it was too encumbering. The NPC was fine: nothing short of a zombie hulk could injure them, so even if the NPC’s attacks were slow and didn’t hit very often, the NPC still survived the zombie hordes.

And eventually the NPC’s skills are high enough that they’re hitting zombies despite the encumbrance, and then it’s all gravy.

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**Author:** ![proxiehunter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e68b1a/32.png) [@proxiehunter](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/proxiehunter)\
**Post date:** [December 14, 2017, 8:07pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/npc-allies-with-power-armor/14652/14 "2017-12-14T20:07:49Z")

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Well, yes. But for people like the OP who have mutations that prevent the use of power armor at least they can get something out of it.

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**Author:** ![pisskop](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/pisskop/32/1327_2.png) [@pisskop](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/pisskop)\
**Post date:** [December 14, 2017, 9:35pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/npc-allies-with-power-armor/14652/15 "2017-12-14T21:35:43Z")

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npc in PA is limited by the same issues that npcs are limited to.

bad AoE control, poor survival awareness, and a dependency upon player awareness and input. give it godlike blade skills and a katana. or grenades and pa.

just dont expect ammo conservation