Unleashing the Power of Fallout 76's Thorn Armor: Is It Worth Your Time?

The Thorn armor in Fallout 76 is a unique option for players seeking an alternative to Power Armor, boasting two set bonuses that set it apart from the standard Scout Armor variant. While it may have once been considered overpowered, recent balancing changes have reduced its effectiveness, rendering it less appealing to players. Despite being an endgame armor set, the Thorn armor's performance may not meet expectations in the later stages of Fallout 76. Alongside the Solar and Strangler Heart armor sets, the Thorn armor can be crafted using Vault Steel, requiring significant effort and dedication from players.

The Thorn Armor Doesn’t Compare to Other Endgame Armor Sets in Fallout 76 Anymore

Nowadays, replicating Thorn's effects can be achieved through a couple of Fallout 76's mutations, making the grind for a legendary set less necessary. Additionally, opting for a more durable armor set would be a more practical choice. Thorn's set bonuses include dealing 250 Bleed damage to enemies on incoming and outgoing melee attacks, as well as making the user harder to detect. The Bleed damage is spread out over 10 seconds and can be refreshed with repeated applications. While Thorn's consistent Bleed application is effective, the Electrically Charged and Unstable Isotope Mutations can also occasionally retaliate against melee attackers. Unlike most mutations, these two allow players the freedom to wear any armor, including Power Armor.

Previously, the Thorn armor's Bleed effect would stack with each application, making it a popular choice for players wielding fast yet weak melee weapons. However, balancing changes have since stopped this strategy as the stacked bleed effects would output excessive damage in a short period of time. In comparison to an optimized melee attack's average damage output, the Thorn's Bleed damage is only a third of an attack, depending on the enemy. While players running a melee build in Fallout 76 can usually defeat most enemies quickly, the armor's primary purpose is undermined in tougher battles that last beyond 10 seconds, such as the game's raid bosses. Additionally, the Thorn armor's resistances are not high enough to keep players alive consistently while in melee range during these fights, and it lacks radiation resistance, making it difficult to use Bloodied weapons or Unyielding armor effects effectively. Furthermore, in Fallout 76's endgame, melee and stealth typically do not complement each other well, which contradicts both of Thorn's full-set bonuses.

Players are able to re-roll all of the legendary effects of most items in Fallout 76, but Thorn armor pieces cannot be re-rolled. In order to obtain different legendary rolls on Thorn armor, players must craft duplicates of each specific piece, which can become costly in terms of both Vault Steel and Legendary Scrip. While the plan to craft Thorn armor is unlimited, acquiring the full set of plans requires a substantial amount of Gold Bullion. Despite its beneficial side effects, Thorn armor may not be the most practical option for endgame armor due to its requirement for players to be in melee range while simultaneously using stealth. As a result, it may be more appropriate to consider Thorn armor as a collector's item rather than a universally effective armor set.

Fallout 76 is available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.