[2021] T6 tools/weapons stats are usually bad

T6 items are reliant upon the additional mod slot and actually having all of it's mod slots filled. If you're comparing a fully modded T5 with an unmodded T6, then yeah, you'll literally never find a T6 that is better.

Going to quote myself from a similar thread:

Originally posted by Shurenai: Of note is that higher level weapons may sometimes have lower BASE stats, but after adding mods they result in higher total stats.

EG: Take a Q1 weapon with 30 damage, and a Q5 weapon with 25 damage.

Seems like Q1 is objectively better and does more damage right? But each mod equipped to an item increases the primary stats (Damage, typically) by 15% in addition to the mods effects.

A Q6 weapon can fit 4 mods, so that's a 60% increase in damage- This results in the Q6 weapon having 40 damage as well as the effects of 4 different mods which may increase damage further, or ammo capacity, or durability, or stability, etc. So while the Q1 may be the better choice if you have no mods to put on your weapon, The Q6 is the best if you have all the mod slots filled.

On top of that, weapon stats reflect the loaded ammo type- this is most easy to see with Bows. IF you take a bow loaded with iron arrows and compare it to an otherwise identical bow that is loaded with stone arrows, the listed damage on the one loaded with iron arrows will be higher, even though both have identical damage with the same ammo loaded.

So it's best to compare weapons both entirely unmodded and loaded with the same kind of ammo, as well as when fully modded to ensure a fair comparison.

TL;DR: When comparing weapons, remove all mods and make sure the same ammo type is loaded in both.

Edit: Oh, and to further add to this, Last I heard T6 has become a placeholder for what is intended to eventually be legendary type weapons with special effects and un-randomized stats, So, Don't worry too much about it. :D

Originally posted by jynx:

Originally posted by Ming: Yeah cause fallout 4 was the first one to do that...

Agreed, to a point, but it's one of several name drops straight out of fallout lore: perks, etc. The nods are appreciated, but becoming common on this game.

Let's take a moment to appreciate all the nods to Fallout: Perks, Health bars, Terrain, Buildings, Zombies(Ghouls), irradiated Zombies(Glowing ones), Assault rifles, Pistols, Shotguns, Ammunition, Melee weapons, Mines, Traders. . . Oh wait, All of these things have been in hundreds, thousands, and tens of thousands of games before and after Fallout.

The 'nods' as you call it are colloquial names for specific kinds of systems or mechanics, all of which have long preceded Fallout. 'Perks' is just a different name that Fallout more or less(Very close to less.) made popular for an already existing system. Perks. Skills, Blessings, Advantages, Benefits, Bonuses, Gifts, Virtues, Functions, Feats, Boons, and more are all names that have been used for this same exact or very similar RPG skill buying system.

Games typically go with the flow- Whichever name is the most popular and well known at the time it is being created is the one chosen because the name has a MEANING that the devs want to be conveyed to the player. It's the same reason explosive barrels in most games are red, and the same reason health bars in most games are green- These things in these specific forms have meaning to players that allows them to instantly understand the meaning of things in a game- "Oh, that barrel is red, bet it explodes.". A skill or perk system means 'Oh i get to spend points to develop my character.'

Fallout is not even close to the first game to do a skill buying system. Or a health bar, or Or zombies, or irradiated zombies, or pretty much anything in it's entire scope- The only thing it did do 'first' was be a fallout game and lay out the puzzle pieces in the precise way that made it a fallout game; but the pieces have been around far longer than Fallout itself.