What is the Best Early Game Armor in Fallout: New Vegas?

As an avid Fallout fan and gaming enthusiast, I get asked this question a lot by new players just starting out in New Vegas. And my top recommendation for early game armor is always the Explorer‘s Gear.

Why the Explorer‘s Gear Stands Out

The Explorer‘s Gear you receive during character creation has the ideal combination of accessibility, defense, and added combat bonuses to help you survive the perils of the Mojave wasteland in those vulnerable first levels.

Here‘s a breakdown of why it‘s so great:

With light protection equivalent to mid-tier medium armors and valuable skill assists for early combat, I‘ve found through multiple playthroughs that the Explorer‘s Gear enables the smoothest start.

You‘ll face dogs, geckos, raiders using dynamite and shotguns, radiation effects, and more. The armor mitigates enough of that initial damage while staying quick and flexible. And boosts to your weapon skills means more accurate, damaging shots against the hostiles seeking to end your adventure quickly.

Compare it to the baseline Vault 21 jumpsuit with just 2 DT, no skill bonuses, and almost no value. Those extra bits of defense and combat support ensure more fights end in your favor during the fragile first 5 levels.

So for brand new couriers getting their bearings and establishing themselves, Explorer‘s Gear is the way to go. You’ll fare far better against the threats outside Goodsprings until managing to score something better.

Viable Alternatives Based on Playstyle

Of course everyone has their own preferences when starting out. If you know you’ll be emphasizing stealth or dialog over combat, then staying light makes sense. Perhaps you like the flexibility of jack-of-all-trades armors with balanced stats instead of specialization.

In those cases, I would suggest the following early game options based on different styles of play:

For Stealth Characters

Go with the Wasteland Wanderer Outfit, an incredibly light armor at just 2 lbs. While it offers negligible damage protection at 1 DT, the +5 bonus to Sneak ensures easy avoidance of fights when desired. It lets stealth characters slip right by enemies undetected.

For Heavier Defense

Scavenge Metal Armor pieces from defeated foes or purchase the set from Chet at the Mojave Outpost general store. Weighing in at 25-30 lbs for the full suit, it provides a heavy 14-15 DT protection. This turns you into a walking tank capable of absorbing shots while dishing out damage.

For Skilled Outsiders

Acquire the Follower‘s Lab Coat after proving your worth to the Followers of the Apocalypse faction residing in the Old Mormon Fort. It weighs only 5 lbs for moderate encumbrance and has a solid 9 DT. But the true value lies in skill bonuses – +5 Medicine, +5 Science, and +5 Repair give you a strong base for technical skills that open up additional options for non-combat orientated players.

So while I firmly believe the Explorer‘s Gear is the overall best early game armor, choosing one suited to your desired playstyle can yield good results too. It comes down to deciding whether you want to emphasize defense, stealth, skills, or carrying capacity in those critical first levels.

How Early Game Armor Sets the Stage

While late game armors like Enclave power suits and the riot gear provide the peak in protection, early choices set the foundation. Having decent defensive coverage and survivability allows you to explore more dangerous areas right away to reap better rewards. This snowball effect generates higher tier items faster through calculated risk rather than cowering around Goodsprings farming geckos.

In a run where I scoffed and went armor-less at level 1, I found myself stuck battling easier enemies because everything beyond posed too much threat without defenses to back me up. No risky ventures to harvest better equipment. No pushing the boundaries to take down challenges granting experience and enabling perks. The limitation drove me to boredom and stunted character growth.

So during early levels, functional armor that boosts damage mitigation and combat abilities plays a pivotal role in how quickly your power ramps. While the Explorer‘s Gear won‘t be equipped forever, it‘s the difference between controlling your destiny in the Mojave vs struggling to scrape by every fight.

Other passionate wanderers of the wastes understand this critical choice. Optimize your starting gear based on the road ahead. Surviving New Vegas requires being prepared not just for the journey’s end goal, but the incremental steps along the way.

What was your go-to armor for early gameplay adventuring? I welcome all wasteland warfare wisdom and experience!