I know you could join up with the NCR Rangers officially in Fallout 3. You can also find some pretty kick-ass Ranger armor in the game. I've only done few quests for the NCR though. Is it possible to join them officially?

I think you mean Fallout 2. And I while I can't directly answer your question (I'm opposing the NCR from start to finish), if you have a high fame with them they will basically treat you as one of their own, and you can wear their armor to be seen as such by anyone else (many NPCs will comment on it, and you can... omite the truth).

However, the game so far has hinted that only elite rangers get their best armor (likely the one featured in promotional artwork) and therefore I believe you can't just go up to them and buy it, so I'm guessing you have to join them to obtain it (or kill one of such elites if you oppose them).

I imagine you don't have to kill one of the elites. But if he happens to die while you're around...

Well, I just want to know if you have to have someone die while wearing the Ranger armor to obtain it, because that would svck. Is it obtainable through any quests? Camp Searchlight perhaps?

That's why I mentioned the possibility of joining them. If the game is to stay consistent, I can't imagine a way of officially getting elite armor from the NCR. But of course, there's the possibility of a commerative reward (like wiping the Legion for them), or obtaining it from say, a retired elite or something. Or perhaps you just stumble upon a dead ranger's body, possibly as remains from the conflict with the Legion.

But you can count on it that if you become an ally of the NCR, you'll obtain the armor without doing something that would cross them in any way.

Well, you can find dead rangers at Outpost Charlie and you can take their armor.

The Rangers from Fallout 3 are not in anyway with the NCR. As for joining the NCR Rangers I hope so... If not I am going to kill a bunch of people I worked hard to befriend .

I just got some, but I was referring to the armor on the cover. The elite ranger armor. I would like to know whether it is possible to obtain it without killing somebody wearing it.

I just hit the last mission of the game, with a very good NCR reputation - and I haven't gotten NCR armor. In fact, I'm trying to protect President Kimball right now..... ITS VERY HARD!

Honestly, if I do all that I can find for the NCR and still don't get it, I'm not afraid to use console commands to have it on the last quest. I have the normal NCR ranger armor right now, and that will probably remain my armor unless I find something totally badass.

Well, there is supposedly "elite" ranger armor, which is black. The ranger at Novac mentions it, but I think it's just lore.