With Fallout 76’s new playable Ghoul presenting a distinct new playstyle via their exclusive buildcrafting tools, players who transform their character into a Ghoul will want to make some major adjustments to their build. At the very least, players will want to try out the new Ghoul-exclusive Perk Cards, but it might be worth trying out new weapons and armor in Fallout 76 as well.
For players who are crafting a new armor set for their Ghoul builds, players may want to give the Solar and Thorn armor sets a chance. While Solar and Thorn armor were previously considered underwhelming compared to other endgame armor sets for meta builds in Fallout 76, these underrated armor sets have some unique features that could be especially good for Ghoul builds.
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Solar and Thorn Armor Can Take Ghoul Builds in Fallout 76 to the Next Level
Players often overlook the Solar and Thorn armor sets because of their low damage resistance stats. However, with a little investment in improving their ballistic and energy resistance stats, the Solar and Thorn armor sets can be great options for players who transform their character into a Ghoul in Fallout 76’s Ghoul Within update. Otherwise, prioritizing high damage resistance stats and utilizing one of the typical meta armor sets means players could be missing out on the Solar and Thorn armor sets’ synergies with some of the new Ghoul-exclusive buildcrafting tools and gameplay mechanics. Hence, players should consider giving these two underrated armor sets a second chance when making new Ghoul builds.
Players can purchase the crafting plans for the Solar and Thorn armor sets from Regs after completing the Wastelanders’ Vault 79 questline. Players can also periodically obtain these armor sets at a discount from Minerva, the traveling Gold Bullion vendor, regardless of completing the prerequisite questline.
How Thorn and Solar Armor Compare to Other Endgame Armor Sets in Fallout 76
| Armor Set: | Ballistic Resistance: | Energy Resistance: | Radiation Resistance: |
| Botsmith | 235 | 110 | 110 |
| Brotherhood Recon | 300 | 160 | 160 |
| Chinese Stealth | 140 | 140 | 1000 |
| Civil Engineer | 144 | 287 | 181 |
| Covert Scout | 160 | 170 | 50 |
| Secret Service | 250 | 220 | 220 |
| Solar | 160 | 120 | 0 |
| Thorn | 160 | 120 | 0 |
While the Solar and Thorn armor sets have some of the lowest damage resistance stats among other endgame armor sets, players can generally increase the ballistic and energy damage resistance stats of any armor by equipping the right Perk Cards, armor mods, and legendary armor mods in Fallout 76. Meanwhile, the complete lack of radiation resistance on these armor sets will be quite beneficial for Ghouls, since radiation damage will heal Ghouls and fuel their new Glow mechanic.
Solar Armor’s Set Bonus
- While above 60% health, the equipped player and nearby teammates will regenerate 4 health per second
In order to utilize the Ghoul’s new Glow mechanic, players will need to be at full health and then take radiation damage. By default, the Ghoul’s Glow mechanic will overflow and effectively double the players’ max health. On top of this, certain Ghoul-exclusive Perk Cards can make Glow provide various combat buffs. So, with the Solar Armor’s set bonus providing passive health regeneration while also having no radiation resistance, this armor will be ideal for players who want to utilize a Glowing Ghoul build in Fallout 76.
Thorn Armor’s Set Bonuses
- Melee attackers suffer 125 Bleed damage over 5 seconds
- Melee attacks cause 250 Bleed damage over 10 seconds
- +15 reduced detection chance
- Generate 5% less noise while sneaking
The Thorn armor’s lack of radiation resistance also makes it a great fit for Ghoul builds to utilize Glow buffs. In particular, Thorn’s armor’s set bonuses are good for Feral Ghoul melee builds, since going Feral will provide Ghouls with a 150% unarmed melee damage buff that can be stacked with other damage buffs.
Fallout 76
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