Alright, let me tell you about my journey to get that sweet Secret Service Armor in Fallout 76. It was a bit of a marathon, not a sprint, let me tell ya.
Why I Even Bothered
So, I was running around the wasteland, getting my butt handed to me more often than I’d like to admit. I kept seeing these high-level players looking all slick and tough, and a lot of them were rocking this cool-looking armor. Heard whispers it was some of the best stuff you could get without power armor, especially for damage resistance. Plus, you know, it just looks pretty awesome. So, I decided, “Yep, I need that.” That’s how it all started – a desire to be less squishy and look cooler doing it.
The Gold Rush… Sort Of
First thing I learned was that this armor isn’t something you just find lying around. Oh no, you gotta buy the plans for it, and that means Gold Bullion. And to get Gold Bullion, you gotta finish the main Wastelanders questline. So, I buckled down and powered through those quests, siding with the Settlers at Foundation in the end, though I heard you can do it with the Raiders too. Once that was done, the real grind began.
You get these things called Treasury Notes from doing public events and daily quests for the Settlers and Raiders. I made it a habit to hit up every public event that popped up. Some were fun, some were a drag, but those notes were the goal. Then, you take these notes to a Gold Press Machine – there’s one at Foundation and another at The Crater. You can only turn in a certain amount of notes per day for Gold Bullion, which was a bit annoying, but it set a pace.
- Completed the “Wastelanders” main quest.
- Started grinding public events like crazy for Treasury Notes.
- Did daily quests for both Foundation and Crater.
- Visited the Gold Press Machine every single day to convert notes to Bullion.
It felt like forever, saving up that Gold. Some days I’d be super motivated, others I’d just log in, do my dailies, cash in my notes, and log off. Patience, my friend, patience is key.
Shopping Spree at Vault 79
Once I had a decent stash of Gold Bullion, it was time to go shopping. The plans for the Secret Service Armor are sold by a fella named Regs, who hangs out in Vault 79 after you finish the main quest. Lemme tell ya, that Vault is a bit of a maze to get back into if you forget the way.
Each piece – chest, arms, legs, helmet – has its own plan, and they ain’t cheap. I think I started with the chest piece because I heard you could get a jetpack for it. Then I slowly bought the limbs. The helmet was the last piece I got, mostly for the complete look, as I usually wear something else on my head.
Word of advice: Sometimes a traveling merchant named Minerva shows up, and she might have some of these plans, or plans for mods, at a discount. Keep an eye out for her schedule!
Crafting Time and the Legendary Gamble
Okay, so I had the plans. Now I actually had to make the armor. You craft it at an Armor Workbench, just like any other armor. The basic materials weren’t too bad to gather, but the kicker is each piece needs Legendary Modules. You buy those from Purveyor Murmrgh at the Rusty Pick using Legendary Scrip, which you get from trading in unwanted legendary items at those exchange machines.
This is where it gets a bit like playing the lottery. When you craft a piece of Secret Service Armor, it comes with random legendary effects – one, two, or three stars. You’re hoping for those god-tier effects, like Unyielding if you’re a bloodied build, or Overeater’s for tankiness. I must have crafted, oh, I don’t know, maybe ten chest pieces before I got one I was reasonably happy with. My stash of Legendary Modules took a serious hit, I tell you what.
It was a cycle:
- Scrounge for legendary items to turn into scrip.
- Buy Legendary Modules.
- Craft armor piece.
- Swear at the TV when I got a useless legendary effect.
- Repeat.
Making It Even Better: Mods!
Just crafting the base armor isn’t the end of it. You can make it even better with mods! And guess what? You buy the plans for most of these mods… with more Gold Bullion. Yep, back to Regs (or hoping Minerva has them). I went for the Buttressed mod for all pieces because that gives the best damage resistance. Then I got Deep Pocketed for extra carry weight, because I’m a hoarder. And of course, the Jet Pack for the chest piece. Flying around is just too much fun, even if it chews through Action Points.
Applying the mods is easy enough at the Armor Workbench, assuming you have the materials and the plan learned.
Was It Worth It?
So, after all that grinding, crafting, and re-rolling, do I feel like a wasteland warrior? Yeah, pretty much! The Secret Service Armor offers fantastic protection. I can take a lot more hits now. The jetpack is a game-changer for exploring and getting out of sticky situations. It took a while, and there were moments I wanted to throw my controller, especially with the legendary crafting, but seeing my character decked out in a full set, with good effects? Absolutely worth it.
It’s a long-term goal, for sure. Don’t expect to get it overnight. But if you’re looking for top-tier non-power armor, this is the way to go. Just be prepared for the grind, stock up on snacks, and pray to the RNG gods. Good luck out there!
