As I've been playing FO4, I (and probably all of you) have noticed that they have been kind enough to add pictures with descriptions in them. Most of them are pretty cool and actually show and tell me so much more about the game then I knew already, which is pretty cool.

But one thing that bothers me is the fact that the armors they show in the loading screens are not the same armors shown in game.

For instance:

Loading screen looks:

Metal armor - Covers the guy in head to toe in plates of metal, including shoulders, thighs, and groin. Also looks shinier and cleaner overall.

Leather Armor - Covers the guy in the basic, in game spots, but it also adds a massive piece of leather underneath the chest strap and completely covers the right leg.

Combat armor - Covers the guy completely, gives him full arm, leg, and chest plating, very little exposed.

In-game looks:

Metal armor - Consists of a basic cuirass that covers only the chest, and wrist, elbow, and shin guards. Shoulders, thighs, and groin completely exposed.

Leather armor - Lacks the massive piece of leather over the chest, also only has basic shin guards on both legs.

Combat armor - Has 2 simple pads that cover part of the shoulders and thighs, and a chest piece. That's it.

Now, some people might be wondering why I put so much effort into something so meager. Well I did it because it kinda sorta bothers me. Mainly because the armor they show in the loading screens looks like 3 times better than the in-game variations, (although by no means do any of them look "bad") and also I don't see why they would even bother making a separate version of the armor just for the loading screen, even if it only is cosmetic. Also I am 99.9% certain that it is not an undershirt or armor upgrade that makes it look different considering that I actually have fully modded all of these armors and they look nothing like the loading screen variants.

On a semi-related note, why is Beth so picky-choosy on what can and cannot be modded armor wise? Some helmets can be modded, others can't. Some armors can be modded, others can't. Why is that? And there is no rhyme or reason either, it's not like one was any different than the other in any meaningful way.

Are you sure you're comparing the same tiers of gear?

This is what I am wondering also, as the loading screens use actual models (meshes/textures) from the game, so if you see it on a loading screen, it is in the game somewhere.

I heard there were different versions of each. Normal, sturdy and heavy. Not sure if each one has a different look but if it does, there's your answer. Saying that Skyrim had a few false descriptions of perks in loading screens so it wouldn't be the first time.

If I am not mistaken the one in loading screen are rare type like sturdy combat armor or heavy combat armor. They are also combat armor but better and different design and stats

it is gear worn by higher level enemy types.. enemies scale well into 300+ range getting new armor gear the brother hood gets new power armor dogs get metal plate armor behemoths get added in everywhere. the feral ghouls get fat (not joking they are called bloated ferals.. also charred ferals which add like 50+ rads just by being near you (and look burnt) and then there are super mutant warlords and primus.. and its basically hell..

btw... do not [censored] with a mystic deathclaw.. they will [censored] your [censored] up.

Some look like raider versions of power armor which do have barb wire and other cages but I havnt found any as cool as the loading screens. Same with guns but there is at least a rail gun as I got ammo for it. Maybe other unique guns but no schematics may be quest related rare weapons.

I recently obtained a heavy metal chest armor and it does indeed have groin protection with it.

holy [censored] i gotta start grinding more

There are three tiers of armor: Standard, Sturdy, and Heavy. As you go up in tiers, the look of the armor changes. For example, I have recently been finding Sturdy Raider Armor, and the chest piece now has a cage that encloses the head almost completely, much like the look of the Raider Power Armor. The basic version didn't have that. So while the armor you have now may not look like the loading screens, the higher tiers will.

I want the badass metal armors from Fallout 1 & 2

Have you experimented with various Mods and Underlayers (such as the Vault Suit) ?

They can completely change the look of your Armor, adding in much, much, more material and coverage (at least the Uniques do, at any rate). Sometimes it looks cool, sometimes it looks AWFUL. My current Chest armor, for instance, has a crazy quilt of hoses fully modded out. Looks terrible, but works great. For instance, the Road Leathers, I think is the name, will blend really nicely with your Leather Armor, giving the appearance of full coverage.