Fallout 4 brought many radical changes to the franchise. It saw the inclusion of a voiced protagonist as well as the ability to mod the game on consoles. While many of these changes were controversial, the title also brought back classic elements from past Bethesda games, such as multi-faction questlines and modular armor sets.
Part of Fallout 4‘s modular armor system involves finding mods to make other items better. Arguably the best mod in the game for non-modular pieces is ballistic weave, a mod that grants up to 110 extra Damage and Energy Resistance. When applied on certain items, this can grant hundreds of DR and can even compete with power armor. This guide explains how to obtain ballistic weave, as well as some of the best items to use it on.
Fallout 76: 4 Star Legendary Effects, Explained
These legendary effects can change the game in Fallout 76. Here’s how to get them and which ones to go for.
Updated February 23, 2026 by Marc Santos: Armor comes in many shapes and sizes in Fallout 4, and that includes the ordinary clothes that you can wear under your regular steel plates and protective gear. Ballistic Weave is a fantastic armor mod to use for players who want to maximize the amount of Damage Resistance (DR) they have, as it turns even an ordinary shirt into a bulletproof piece of kit. We’ve updated this guide to be a bit more in-depth when it comes to unlocking the merchant who sells Ballistic Weave in Fallout 4.
13
How To Get Ballistic Weave in Fallout 4
Obtaining ballistic weave requires players to complete a few quests for the Railroad faction. More specifically, players will need to complete the following:
- Road to Freedom
- Tradecraft
- Boston After Dark
- Mercer Safehouse (or any Railroad Safehouse quest)
- Any Jackpot quest from PAM
Once you hook up with the Railroad and enter their HQ under the Old North Church, look for PAM, an Assaultron in a room at the back of the base. She’ll give you the Mercer Safehouse quest, and after completing that, she becomes a source of Radiant quests. Keep doing jobs for PAM until you get a Jackpot quest, and once you finish that, return to Railroad HQ.
By the time you return, Drummer Boy will inform them that Tinker Tom has some new tech for them to check out. At this point, you’ll get the ability to craft Ballistic Weave for regular clothing items. There are five different variants of Ballistic Weave, and all of them will require Ballistic Fiber.
Where to Get Ballistic Fiber in Fallout 4
You can get Ballistic Fiber by scrapping the following items:
- Military grade duct tape
- Military ammo bags
- Ballistic fiber shipments
The first two can often be found inside military bases and installations, while shipments can often be found in the inventories of merchants, such as KLEO in Goodneighbor.
You can get even more Ballistic Fiber from scrapped materials by unlocking and upgrading the Scrapper perk.
12
Maxson’s Battlecoat
The leader of the Brotherhood of Steel, Elder Arthur Maxson, has one of the best outfits in Fallout 4 and it’s also one that’s compatible with ballistic weave. His outfit grants 50 DR and +1 to Perception.
Combining his coat with ballistic weave can result in body armor that grants 160 physical DR. Players can only obtain this item by killing Maxson, however, which, unsurprisingly, perhaps, brings an end to their relationship with the Brotherhood of Steel.
11
Companion Clothing
Most companions in Fallout 4 wear clothing that is compatible with ballistic weave. Adding this mod to their armor can therefore be a great early to mid-game option for players; especially those who are playing on Survival.
When players are done using their gear or find something better, they can give their companions their gear back and let them benefit from the increased Damage Resistance that ballistic weave offers.
10
Hancock’s Red Frock Coat
Though many companion outfits can be useful, Hancock’s Red Frock Coat arguably deserves a special mention. As well as being one of the best-looking companion outfits in Fallout 4, it’s also one of the most durable when it comes to defense.
Fallout 4: All Romances, Ranked
Fallout 4 is one of those games that has a little something for everyone. And that little something includes several different romantic paths.
It grants +1 to both Perception and Charisma, as well as +5 Energy Resistance, making it an excellent candidate for the ballistic weave upgrade. Players can get their hands on it after hiring Hancock as a companion or by lootting it from his corpse following his death.
9
General Zao’s Submariner Uniform
Though similar to the Chinese jumpsuit, the Submariner Uniform boasts a few key differences, both in terms of stats and appearance. The most notable of these is that Zao’s uniform can be upgraded with ballistic weave, allowing it to provide great DR and ER as well as +2 Endurance and 5 radioactivity resistance.
Players can obtain the Submariner Uniform from General Zhao while onboard the Yangtze. They’ll either need to loot it from his corpse or pickpocket it, which will also provide them with the Submariner Hat. This too is a useful bit of gear, though its lack of innate perks means that there are better options out there when it comes to headgear.
8
Green Rag Hat
There’s an argument to be made that nearly every Fallout 4 headpiece that works with ballistic weave is a solid choice, since they each provide an absurd amount of protection. Upgrading items with intrinsic buffs is even better, however.
The Green Rag Hat is a great example of this, granting 10 Energy Resistance while worn. Using ballistic weave can grant up to 110 DR and 120 ER in total. Once upgraded, this hat can actually provide more Damage Resistance than most armor pieces!
7
Mechanist’s Armor
Completing “Restoring Order” will grant players the Mechanist’s Armor as well as the Mechanist’s Helmet. Both items have incredible base stats with the armor granting 72 DR and ER alongside +1 Endurance and 15% Damage Resistance against robots.
These items alone are solid for the early to mid-game, but the body armor can easily be upgraded to endgame viability with the ballistic weave mod. Mark V weaving raises the stats to 182 DR and ER alongside its other passives, making it the strongest outfit in the entire game when not accounting for items that are compatible with modular armor pieces.
6
Military Fatigues
As a common item, Military Fatigues serve as a great platform to install ballistic weave onto. The chest grants +2 Agility and 5 Energy Resistance while equipped. While that sounds much worse than previous entries, the caveat is that Military Fatigues can be worn under modular armor pieces.
When Mark V ballistic weave is combined with five armor pieces and a ballistic weave hat, players can have over 300 Damage Resistance with little issue. This, combined with how readily available Military Fatigues are in the game, makes it a solid option for players.
5
Minuteman Outfit
While not as common as the Military Fatigues, the Minuteman Outfit also allows for other armor to be equipped over it. The passive effects that this outfit grants are arguably much better than most as well, particularly during the early stages of the game.
While equipped, it grants +1 to both Agility and Perception, meaning that anyone that is building around V.A.T.S. will definitely want to use this outfit. For those having trouble finding one, a few can be found on dead Minutemen in the Lexington Super Duper Mart.
4
Army Fatigues
Similar to the Military Fatigues, the Army Fatigues offer great passive S.P.E.C.I.A.L. bonuses that are advantageous on most builds. It grants +1 to both Strength and Agility while worn, making this a fantastic general under mesh item for players that travel around a lot.
Fit the 9 games into the grid.
There are normal Army Fatigues as well as Dirty Army Fatigues, though both grant the exact same stat bonuses. Clean Army Fatigues can be found in the Cambridge Police Station, while the Dirty variant can be easily found on most vendors.
![Dark Envoy Directors Cut (v1.9.2.75237) [RUNE] – MaxBit](https://i3.wp.com/gamepcfull.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Free-download-Dark-Envoy-gamepcfull.webp?w=100&resize=100,100&ssl=1 "Dark Envoy Directors Cut (v1.9.2.75237) [RUNE] – MaxBit")
