Paladin ( Fallout : New Vegas ) Brotherhood of Steel paladins are the heavily armed and armored foot - soldiers of the Mojave Brotherhood of Steel , operating out of Hidden Valley in the year 2281 . Background . In contrast to their Capital Wasteland counterparts , the paladins of the Mojave Wasteland branch are commonly equipped with superior T - 51b power armor , as well as powerful energy weapons such as , s or even . Because the Mojave Wasteland branch remains true to the original Brotherhood of Steel codex , it uses the traditional ranking system where the paladins serve as a separate soldier caste , unlike the Capital Wasteland branch where both paladins and knights fight battles . Most paladins wear a full suit of Brotherhood T - 51b power armor , however some wear the T - 51b armor with a T - 45d power helmet ( this is due to a bug ) . Paladins with T - 45d helmets possess armor that is in poorer condition , and thus have a somewhat lower damage threshold . Paladins clad in power armor are the most heavily armored soldiers in the entire Mojave Wasteland , surpassed only by the advanced power armor of the Enclave remnants . Their armor grants them very high durability , which combined with their powerful weaponry makes them extremely formidable opponents in combat . Prior to the most recent patch , paladins only had above average health and mediocre weapons skills . After the most recent patch , paladins have about twice as much health as they originally did , far superior weapon skills and now level with the Courier , putting them on par with the most elite soldiers of the major factions , such as the NCR Veteran Ranger s or Caesar ' s Praetorian guard s . Locations . Because the Brotherhood of Steel has been in hiding at Hidden Valley since their at HELIOS One , paladins are extremely rare to be encountered in the Mojave Wasteland , with almost all Brotherhood members permanently locked down inside their Hidden Valley bunker . A squad of paladins can sometimes be found patrolling the Hidden Valley area at night after 2 : 00 a . m . ( who will be hostile towards the player character unless they are accompanied by Veronica or good reputation with the Brotherhood ) , and dead paladin scouts can be found in certain locations , such as the REPCONN headquarters or Dead Wind Cavern . A squad of rogue paladins will confront the player character in combat as part of the conclusion of Veronica ' s companion quest , I Could Make You Care . A group of 3 paladins wearing will also fight in the final battle at Hoover Dam on behalf of the NCR against Caesar ' s Legion if the player character successfully brokers a truce between the NCR and the Brotherhood . While the Hidden Valley Bunker appears to be populated largely by initiates and knights if the player character visits it under friendly terms , with only a handful of paladins seen patrolling the halls or stationed as guards at key locations such as Elder McNamara ' s office , a large force of paladins will appear and engage the player character in combat if they start a shootout inside the bunker . Most of the paladins inside the Hidden Valley bunker will not be wearing their power armor helmets initially , but equip them automatically upon entering combat . Appearances . Paladins appear only in " " .