Introduction

Let me start by stating this mod is NOT COMPLICATED.  It may seem that way at first but it really is not.  Its just very different from what you may be used to in Vanilla Fallout 4.  The premise of this mod is to make all Power Armor Models, (T45, T51 etc.) viable through the entire game and to give you ways to experiment with different focused builds for your style of play.  To give you POWERFUL mods that specialize PA in a way that is not overpowered but also extremely useful depending on the setup.

To do this I have added 6 specializations, each with its own strengths and weaknesses.  The way this is done is to use items in the PA station to "Unlock Access" to different parts of your power armor.

For example, when you add a specialization to your power armor frame it "Unlocks" a new category called Plating which in turn will "Unlock" a new category in your PA station called Plating Enhancements.  This is the only thing about WIPAG that you need to understand before starting. 

Now that we understand this "Unlocking" aspect of WIPAG keep in mind that when you unlock a category, it does not show up on the same level as the item you used to unlock it, it will show up 1 level above that item so you need to hit TAB to see the new category.  See the diagram below for the Menu Structure.

|_SPECIALIZATION (Unlocks Plating)
   |_Recon
   |_Assault
   |_Heavy Assault
   |_Brawler
   |_WastelanderSniper

|_PLATING (Unlocks Plating Enhancement)
   |_Aluminum
   |_Steel
   |_Fiberglass
   |_Tungsten
   |_Carbon
   |_Ceramic
  
|_PLATING ENHANCEMENTS
   |_Titanium
   |_Daddy-O
   |_Etc Etc

|_VARIOUS MOD SLOTS (Visor, Attachments etc)

|_VANILLA MATERIALS (WIPAG Paint Categories)
   |_Matte Style 1
   |_Matte Style 2 etc etc

|_UNLOCKED PAINT (Example: Matte Style 3)
   |_Solid Black
   |_Solid Green
   |_Solid Blue etc etc

|_DECALS (Decal Categories)
   |_Clean
   |_Scratched

|_UNLOCKED DECALS (Actual Decals)
   |_BoS
   |_Gunner
   |_Army etc etc

BOLD = TOP LEVEL
UNBOLDED = SUB LEVEL

NEVER MODIFY POWER ARMOR WITH MORE THAN 1 SET IN YOUR INVENTORY/PA FRAME AT A TIME.  THIS CAN CAUSE A GLITCH THAT PREVENTS THINGS FROM SHOWING CORRECTLY IN THE PA STATION!

Step 1: Unlocking Advanced Power Armor

Advanced Power Armor Schematics

Schematics for Advanced Power Armor can be acquired by using the Adv Power Armor Workbench from WIPAG to Reverse Engineer vanilla PA.  I do this so you have to not only use up your old vanilla power armor but it also gates crafting Advanced Power Armor behind finding and acquiring vanilla PA.  There is no other way to unlock crafting Advanced Power Armor.  Future plans include a quest that teaches you how to unlock and craft the PA.

Perk requirements for Reverse Engineering Advanced Power Armor

Raider
None.  This armor is automatically craftable when you have the listed perks

T45
Requires: Armorer 2, Robotics 2 and Science 2

T51
Requires: Armorer 3, Robotics 2 and Science 2

T60
Requires: Armorer 3, Robotics 2 and Science 3

X-01
Requires: Armorer 3, Robotics 2 and Science 3

Overboss
Requires: Armorer 3, Robotics 2 and Science 2

ALL 3rd Party Vanilla and Advanced PA (X-02, Submersible etc)
Requires: Armorer 3, Robotics 2 and Science 3

Step 2: Crafting Specialization Kits

Finding Software

Specializations require a few things to craft and unlock.  First, you need to find software in-game.  This can be found by either purchasing or finding Holo-Drives (kill robots!) and Hacking them in the Adv. Electronics Workbench provided by WIPAG.  When hacking Holo-Drives you will receive a random Software.  Each specialization has its own software used to craft the specialization kits (More on kits later).

Software is no longer available on Vendors.

Crafting Software

Once you have found at least 1 software tape, you can duplicate it for the pieces you need using the Adv. Electronics Workbench from WIPAG.  This table allows you to craft blank Holo-Tapes and duplicate additional copies of the software.  It is recommended that you never use up all of your software and that you keep at least 1 copy at all times.

Specialization Kits

Specialization kits can be crafted by taking a Universal Kit and adding software to it.  Universal Kits can be bought or crafted at the Adv. Power Armor Workbench.  You can also sometimes find full specialization kits for sale but it's more worth it to buy the software and craft the kits using the software.

Universal Specialization Kits

These are crafting components used to craft the Specialization Kits.  There are several ways to acquire these kits.

1. You can craft them from scratch
2. You can purchase them from certain vendors
3. You can deconstruct vanilla Power Armor for them.  Deconstructing requires Armorer 2, Science 2 and Robotics 1.

Step 3: Applying Specializations to the Power Armor

Setting the Specialization

This step is pretty simple.  Go to the Power Armor Bench and using the Specializations drop-down add it like you would add any other mod.

Where the hell are my Power Armor Stats???

This is where a lot of people get confused.  When you first apply a specialization to your power armor all of the stats are dropped to 0 or 1/1.  This is because I have moved all of the Health, AC, Energy, etc to the Plating.  Using plating to control all of the stats for the PA is done for several reasons.

1. This gives me a lot of flexibility in controlling the stats for each Specialization.  Fallout 4 does not handle negative values very well with certain stats so in order to customize the specializations the way I have done it, it was necessary to Zero out the stats when the frame is applied to the Power Armor.
2. Some plating now affect the carry weight in some way.  For example, Tungsten is very heavy, you will get huge defense using this plating but you will sacrifice some carry weight to do so.  The very light materials do not affect carry weight, the heavy materials do.  Make sense?  Good!

WARNING: YOU CANNOT MIX AND MATCH SPECIALIZATIONS. DOING SO WILL GIVE YOUR CHARACTER A DEBUFF THAT IS NOT PLEASANT.

Step 4: Applying Plating and Plating Enhancements

Plating

So now that we understand where our stats went its time to give them back to our Power Armor. 

Plating are essentially the old vanilla Linings but instead of boosting stats the provide all of the stats and are separated into 3 tiers and are distributed according to the Specialization.  Not all materials are usable on all Specs.  Recon and Sniper are typically lighter materials where Heavy Assault uses heavy materials.  This is done to keep things balanced and provide each spec with its advantages and disadvantages.

Plating tiers also do something else other than providing stats to the power armor.  They also unlock the ability to use Plating Enhancements.

Plating Enhancements

Plating Enhancements are essentially Vanilla Materials.  These provide additional bonuses to power armor similar to the way materials worked.  These enhancements come in 3 tiers just like plating and are LOCKED to the tier you are using for your plating.  In other words, you need to have T3 plating in order to use T3 Plating Enhancements.

NOTE: Some of these mods require 3 Perks!!!  Use VIS-G to fix your UI to show which perks are required.  If you do not see 3 perks listed for some of the higher tier mods you may not have VIS-G installed or working correctly.  I will be working on adding these additional Perk Requirements to the description of the mods, I just have not gotten around to it yet.

Plating Enhancement Requirements:
Tier 1: Armorer 2 and Science 2
Tier 2: Armorer 3, Science 3, and Chemistry 1
Tier 3: Armorer 4, Science 4, and Chemistry 2

Step 5: Applying Mods

Mod Slots

Every Power Armor item has multiple Mod Slots available. Instead of only 1 slot for mods, Advanced Power Armor has 3+ for each armor item (Helmet has a lot).  Mods are distributed in these slots based on the type of mod it is and what its function is.  They are also distributed in a way that prevents the player from crafting armor that is too overpowered.  This system limits to an extent what mods can be added together.  This is in an effort to balance the mod so it's not too overpowered while still giving you the flexibility to experiment with builds.

Advanced Power Armor Mod System

Now that we have installed our specialization, Plating and Plating Enhancements we can now move on to the good stuff.  Power Armor Mods!!  These are applied just like any other mod.

There are a few unique things to consider though.

First, all mods come in many tiers of strength and difficulty in crafting and are unlocked as you progress through the game.  Each specialization has access to certain tiers of these mods.  You will find that some specs have really high tier access like T 7-9 whereas other specs only have access to low tier versions and others have access to mid-tier versions.  Technically, you can use pretty much any mod on any specialization, you just won't get the best versions of these mods on every specialization.  For example, Sniper gets the best Targeting Matrix while Recon gets the best Improved Gears.  This is done throughout the entire modding system.

I have tried to separate these tiers to their "Intended Role" as best I can but this is still a work in progress.

High Tier Mod Unlocks

Sometimes you will notice on a mod it will say something like "Glove Pump unlocks higher tiers of this mod".  This is another thing done for balance.  Some mods are very powerful and require additional power to run.  Essentially this forces the player to use up one of the other mod slots on that power armor item in order to use these superior mods.

These Mod Unlocks will also require special boss dropped ingredients down the road, for now however they are just more difficult to craft.  Every mod that requires an additional mod to unlock it should say so in the description of the lower-tier versions that are already unlocked for the player.

Legendary Specialization Mods

Each specialization has (or will have) a special mod that is designed ONLY for that spec.  These mods are the most powerful in the game and will typically combine several mods into 1 giving your Power Armor a huge boost in strength.  These mods are ONLY available for the spec that they are built for.  This is a way for me to further enhance specializations giving them a truly unique ability that no other spec has.

Each Legendary Specialization Mod has (or will have) its own toggle switch that allows you to cycle through different modes of the mod.  For example, Sniper gets the Sniper Targeting Matrix which is a combo of all of the Targeting bonuses in 1 mod.  You use a toggle switch to cycle through each mode.

Step 6: Setting Toggle Switches and Hotkeys

Many of the mods in WIPAG have a toggle switch that allows you to turn on and off certain mods abilities. Mods like Night Vision, Jump and Speed Boosters, Power Core Eject and a few others have dedicated Toggle Switches to control when these mods are active.  Some of these are done purely for your convenience and others are done for balance (like the legendary mods).  

Toggle Switches can be crafted in the Advanced Electronics workbench, controlled through the MCM menu or the Terminal Menu.

Night Vision Mod - Now its own mod located here

The night vision and overlay mod is a huge addition to power armor.  With this mod, you can independently choose all of the settings for Night Vision, Thermal and the overlays for Friendly, Enemy, and Corpses.  These settings can all be controlled with hotkeys but there are a few things to take note of when selecting which ones to use.

Due to the way Night Vision effects are applied in Fallout 4 it is very difficult and sometimes impossible to do colored overlays with certain Night Vision Effects.  It is very easy to apply a nice colorful overlay on objects like Corpses, Enemies, Friendlies and Even loot when you have no night vision running.  The problem arises when you use Image Space Adapters to create the Night Vision effect.  These settings change EVERYTHING on the screen including the overlays.  Its sort of like a pair of red-tinted sunglasses on, it's going to turn everything red!

Because of this when you apply an overlay AND thermal vision (the white and black version) you will notice that overlays are bright white and not colored.  I have provided black and white overlay options specifically for these Night Vision modes.  This is really how its done irl also.  I have found it best to use black for enemies as they really stand out nice when using thermal.

For regular tinted night vision like the red, pink and green, the colors will show up to an extent, but not as bright as they are when these Image Adapters are not being used.  Green will be slightly washed out when using pink NV for example.  Don't worry though, I've supplied you with a ton of options to experiment with as well as a very nice toggle switch that allows you to cycle through the different modes.  You have everything you need to create a night vision setting that will work perfectly for your needs.


Hacking Module

Some people may ask, why do a mod for hacking when I can get the perk?  The short answer is I hate spending points on this perk and I feel that when you are in Power Armor you should have the ability to hack into terminals due to the suite itself!! 

That being said this mod and the perk tend to conflict with each other.  In my testing, if I had the perk and then added the mod I would occasionally lose the ability to hack all together.  In the most recent version, I have the perk disabled whenever you enter your power armor.  "I think" this should solve the problem but I need to test it further.  For now, if you want to completely avoid issues simply opt out of getting the perk itself and use the Power Armor Mod or skip the mod and use the perk.  Once I get this ironed out I will update this page with notes on it.

WIPAG and the Vanilla Perk should no longer conflict with each other.

PA Frames

You can craft frames in the Advanced Power Armor Workbench from WIPAG.  Upon doing so you will receive a Power Armor item in your inventory that is used to place a PA frame using the Workshop menu.  You can also use this to move frames from 1 settlement to another if you wish by scrapping the frame and placing it in another settlement.

Step 1: Craft a PA frame in the Advanced Power Armor Workbench from WIPAG
Step 2: Open Workshop Menu and under "Special" craft the frame you wish to use.  Any frame will work with any specialization.

Optional: You can scrap any frames you find in the world and you should get the same crafted PA frame item for use in crafting any of the WIPAG frames. Hint: You can take stolen frames and turn them into clean frames this way.

Compatibility

A lot of people ask about MPAM, PAMAP and other PA mods.  These mods are 100% compatible with WIPAG.  WIPAG does not modify or change any Vanilla Power Armor entries in any way.  WIPAG uses Advanced Power Armor as a crafted item for this reason.  If you want to add more mods/split up mod categories for Vanilla you will need to use another mod to do so.  Any support for Vanilla PA will not be answered by me because if you have issues with vanilla PA its not from WIPAG.

3rd Party Power Armor Addons

Addons like X-02 Enclave Power Armor can now be crafted like all the other Vanilla frames in an Advanced PA and can be used with the specialization system.

To unlock the crafting of these addon armors you must first find them in the world.  Once you have the full set of an armor you do the same thing as with Vanilla, Reverse Engineer it in the Advanced Power Armor Workbench from WIPAG.  Once you have done this exit the workbench and re-enter it so the recipes show up.  You should see crafting recipes for BOTH Vanilla and Adv for that Custom PA!!

When you first craft a set of PA for any of the addons the PA will be set to the default Vanilla Spec which mimics most, if not all, of the functionality of the original power armor.  The only thing that will not work properly are the INNR (Names) of custom mods or vanilla mods added to the armor.  This is the case with the vanilla PA models as well.  It is an unfortunate side effect of crafting Advanced Power Armor.  While it is perfectly viable to use the Vanilla Spec attached to Advanced PA its advised to use the original set that drops in the game if you are not going to use a Specialization from WIPAG.

THE REPAIR REQUIREMENTS FOR VANILLA AND ADVANCED 3rd PARTY PA ARE ALWAYS GOING TO BE THE SAME AS THE CRAFTING REQUIREMENTS:
(Armorer 3 | Robotics 2 | Science 3)

Notes on certain PA Addons:

Several Power Armor mods do not have a Helm.  The specialization options for Torso and Helm have been attached to the Torso.  You should be able to add all mods you normally would have added to the Torso and the Helm all on the Torso.  Furthermore, the mods in WIPAG that require 5 items "might" not work correctly, this is something I have not completely tested yet. Theoretically, they should still work as designed, I will update this section when I know for sure.  Please leave feedback on this if you have time to test it.

Regarding Sierra and Tribal.  These 2 Power Armors use keywords from the vanilla T-45 set which cause WIPAP paints to load into the paint section.  These paints WILL NOT WORK WITH THESE 2 PA MODS.  They only show up in the menu because i chose not to overwrite any of the original mod authors entries.  Please do not ask for paints to work on these 2 PA, it is actually quite an undertaking to do so.

DEFUFF
If you have received a defuff on your character exhausting you and making you unable to move this is due to 1 of 2 reasons.

1. You have mixed and matched specializations
2. You have removed a required mod dependency for another mod. For example if you remove Liquid Cooling after adding a mod that depends on it you will receive this debuff.

Closing

I hope you find this guide helpful!  For any comments or ideas to enhance this guide please feel free to hit me up in discord!