Summary
Armor has only recently become a prevalent part of modern warfare, with Chestplates and helmets being standard issue for most militaries across the planet. But in science fiction, things tend to be taken to a ridiculous degree.
The term “power armor” can mean a lot of things, but this article will be looking at powered suits designed to protect their wearers. These are not to be confused with mechs, which tend to be vehicles rather than suits. Power armor can be as basic as a powered suit that offers more protection than traditional armor ever could.
Undead horrors attacking and chasing the wearer doesn’t sound like something that would be part of routine testing for an engineer’s suit. But in theDead Spaceuniverse, Isaac Clarke seems to have gotten lucky. His suit is able to withstand enough punishment to get him through his battles across the Ishimura and beyond.
The R.I.G. provides Isaac with protection from physical attacks and biological threats alike. It is able to survive in the vacuum of space and there are even variants that can repair themselves. It’s something every engineer on a ship full of eldritch abominations needs.
The Hazardous EnVironment suit is a staple of therevolutionaryHalf Lifeseries, and one of the most crucial tools in Gordon Freeman’s arsenal. This experimental suit is kept at the Black Mesa research facility to perform particularly dangerous tasks, such as exploring the alien dimension known as Xen.
The suit itself is the ultimate protective clothing for anyone battling the machinations of the combine, or the pseudo-undead hordes of the headcrabs. It can absorb impacts and limit their damage to the wearer, detect radiation using an inbuilt Geiger counter, and monitor the health of its occupant. It’s perfect for any dimension hopping or dystopia overthrowing someone might need to do.
Strategy classicStarcraft’spower armor is incredibly hefty, requiring mechanical assistance to even allow its users to put it on. But it also allowed humans to go toe to toe with the Esoteric Protoss and the hordes of the Zerg.
The suits’ features allow the traditional combo of maximum protection and increased strength. Later versions became even more advanced, adding things such as gravity generators for void combat, enhanced communication range, and integration with their rifle’s power supply. The fact that this was all standard issue means that the Confederate Marine Core and similar human forces in theStarcraftuniverse are all military powerhouses. However, for soldiers to even put it on, they need to be bolted and welded into it.
Fallout
Created a short while before the bombs fell, Power Armor inFalloutwas only used pre-war in the Chinese campaign and the Battle Of Anchorage, as seen in theOperation Anchorageexpansion forFallout 3. But post-war, it became a coveted piece of technology and was the staple of many factions’ militaries, whocustomized and refittedit to suit them.
The armor was intended to bridge the gap between a soldier and a tank, enabling the wearer to weather horrendous amounts of punishment and come out still kicking. The armor alone allowed the Western Brotherhood Of Steel to fight a full-blown war with the New California Republic. While they eventually lost, the fact that they were so outnumbered yet able to hold their own speaks to this armor’s strength.
Created by Tony Stark himself and iterated on extensively, this suit can do virtually anything, depending on what medium it is in. InMarvel Rivals,the suit revolves around lasers, flight, and sometimes rockets —even when it’s a reskin.
It is incredibly protective, fast and agile. Iron Man’s suit can do anything from battling gods to beating up local street thugs. But it also doesn’t hold up to much punishment compared to other tech such as Peni Parker’s mech. That being said, it makes Tony exceptionally nimble, able to evade most threats.
Designed by the alien Chozo and wielded by the bounty hunter Samus Aran, this power suit has a vast array of abilities and weapons that Samus can use to battle the menacing Space Pirates and the Metroid threat alike.
The Power Suit features the ability to morph into a ball, fire grappling hooks, and deploy bombs. The suit is largely biological in nature, allowing it to meld with Samus and prevent anyone from removing the armor to get to her. On top of all of this, it can be summoned at will, so that Samus doesn’t need to worry about suiting up.
This iconic set was created in the bowels of Terra during the grim days of the Unification Wars, and is powered by a miniature nuclear reactor. Imperial Power Armor turns an already monstrous posthuman into a walking tank that can sprint as fast as a car, and is worn by some of the mostpowerful beings in the setting.
Improving the Space Marine’s already incredible physical strength and speed, and providing massive amounts of protection, armor is one of the hallmarks ofWarhammer 40,000.There are several variants that have sprung up over the years, from the original void-sealed Mark Two armor that kicked off the great crusade, to the more varied Mark Ten used by the Primaris marines of the modern Imperium.
This type of gear was arguably the most crucial part of why the supersoldiersknown as Spartanswere able to deal so much damage to the Covenant. Spartan armor provides unmatched protection, as well as integrated information systems such as a motion sensor and predicted bullet trajectories.
The most powerful piece of armor was reverse engineered from the Elites of the Covenant: the energy shield. This shield allowed Spartans to withstand incredible amounts of punishment, and would regenerate should the user stay out of fire for long enough. It’s why characters such as Noble Six and Master Chief were able to become the bane of an entire interstellar civilization.
Originally a form of protective gear for manual laborers during the Dark Age Of Technology, Terminator Plate, or Tactical Dreadnought Armor is a rarity. It is used by the elite of the Space Marines of the forty-first millennium, and those space marines unlucky enough to be alive at the outbreak of the Horus Heresy.
The Armor is incredibly durable, able to withstand everything short of the most powerful anti-tank weapons and sharpest melee weapons. It even features shield generators for even more protection. While the modern Indomitus pattern is usually worn in the forty-first millennium, the more durable Cataphractii and more mobile Tartaros patterns are still worn by individuals such as Gabriel Angelos fromtheDawn Of Warseries.
Created from technology reverse engineered from the squid-like Ceph’s incredible technology, theCrysisNanosuit is one of the most incredibly powerful suits of power armor in gaming.
The suit was initially wielded by certain black ops units of Delta Force, but would also be wielded by members of the North Korean military, with implications that the suit was in use among the USMC and the private military of the C.E.L.L corporation. The Nanosuit allows the wearer to do everything from turning themselves translucent, to increasing their strength to incredible degrees. The suit can even bond with its occupant, essentially becoming a symbiotic being that retains the personalities of its wearers, rendering them functionally immortal.
