Enclave have power armour powered by fusion cells, energy weapons, portable miniguns and super mutants LARPing as human service members. The federals seem much closer to current tech levels.
Also why does this feel like some weird US vs Russia proxy discussion or is it a fandom thing? Like “metros bad guys are better than fallouts bad guys.”
For example, in that link posted:
However, unlike the elitist and radical enclave, the federals are focused on pragmatism and rebuilding
Nuled two stations in a post nuclear holocaust setting to show “we mean bzns” after meeting heavy resistance during a military operation.
“In the eyes of the Federals, the citizens of various ‘post-apocalyptic states’ are nothing more than separatists and criminals.”
Ok.
Both factions seem equally (il)legitimate, made up of high ranking members of the former pre-war governments but no direct continuation. They both feel the same to me. Organisations that sprung up after the death/collapse of their respective governments, trying to use any means necessary to grapple back control and somehow being unaware that their existence and the means they use are borne of the same mindset that lead to the respective world ending events in each universe.
Judging by this footage, a group of soldiers with Kalashnikovs can take down power armor: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiO8id3Supc
But yeah, the Enclave objectively surpasses the Federals in technology and logistics. Just remember how they crossed the entire USA from the west coast to the east coast on Vertibirds (2,500 miles). Meanwhile, the Federals barely managed to get from Omsk to Yekaterinburg (around 500 miles).
On the other hand, the Enclave is clearly inferior in numbers. In Fallout 2 (at the peak of their power), the Enclave’s total population ranged from about 1,000 to 1,200 people, including workers, politicians, and scientists.
It would have to come down to overwhelming numbers in order for federals best enclave.
Or they engage in light dress up, mortally injury one of the enclave’s aforementioned LARPing super mutant, who will conveniently blow up their entire base of operations for them. Hard to say.
According to Fallout lore, the NCR defeated the Brotherhood of Steel. Just regular infantry taking down an army of power-armored troops.
Plus, the Metro 2033 universe has some similar stuff too. https://metrovideogame.fandom.com/wiki/Exoskeleton
Power Armor is a miniaturized tank that walks.
Tanks have always been weak against infantry. Its why tanks never operate by themselves. They operate as the anchor of a formation, providing incredible firepower and mobile cover for the infantry, while the infantry screens the tank from ambushes and traps… Covering eachothers weaknesses to make a big ol strength.
Power armor is certainly scary to tribals and raiders… and may even seem like a god the walks the earth to them. And certainly in a 1v1 fight verses the average wasteland wanderer, odds are deeply in favor of the power armor.
But to an organized military like the NCR? with mobility and manuver warfare and superior numbers? Its a crackable nut.
Didn’t NCR defeat BoS only through heavy use of logistics, long siegies, and mixed unit types? NCR has tanks, trucks, infantry, vertibirds and such. It’s quite literally the only modern-like nation in Fallout universe as far as I remember. All of their vehicles are a bit limited, but still. They were able to basically position BoS how they needed to then siege them out.
At least as far as I remember the tidbits of lore.
Enclave is a bit different, because Enclave isn’t any worse when it comes to logistics, so there is no waiting them out. And Enclave is not afraid to use old tech, to which they do have access.
Truth is I don’t see how Enclave could lose. In metro tunnels, the fact they have fewer, but elite units plays to their advantage - there’s a limit how many people can stand arm to arm there. In open space they are faster and tire slower than enemy, without the weakness of BoS logistics, while their armor does give them defense against anything less than a rifle. And we know Enclave also has artillery and most possibly other mechanised support so yeah…
Simply tech gap seems to big.
