Summary
Armor has always been a main desire for FromSoftware’s Soulsborne fanbase. Players have always strived to obtain the best armor in order to survive the ever-present difficulty of the game and its bosses.Elden Ringis no different, with an expansive list of armor sets for players to indulge in and mix and match. While there are many great sets in the game, there are also a number of worse sets with low stats.
How valuable an armor set is correlates to how good its stats are, with many sets usually possessing higher magical and elemental defense than melee defense, the latter of which is more useful against enemies as it is the more common damage type dealt. Resistances can also be a consideration, but given howElden Ringhas many ways of negating status effects, combined with the decreased propensity at which they can seriously impact a playthrough, it isn’t as big of a deal as in previous FromSoft games.
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Holy Defense
The Ancestral Follower enemies became notorious due to their pinpoint accuracy with bows when shooting players. Those who were turned into pincushions in the Siofra River most likely have this set already from rampaging against the Ancestral Followers in retaliation.
Despite looking fairly good, the stats of the armor are lacking. WhileElden Ringoccasionally gives armor sets thatlook odd some of the best statsin the game, theFur Setis the opposite. Compared to some of the other low-end armor, the Fur Set manages to be aesthetically pleasing in its environment.
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Puppets and dolls have played a large part in FromSoft’s games, andElden Ringis no different from the Marionette Soldiers. Mainly found within Liurnia of the Lakes, the Marionette Soldiers are wildcards, sometimes going down easily, while other times they can deal a large portion of damage in their haywire state.
The stats of theMarionette Soldier Setaren’t great, being passable at best, with the visuals being a bigger turn-off asone of the wackier sets in the game. Wearing the set equips the player with a cage over them in lieu of authentic armor. But hey, at least there’s a sweet green shirt underneath for anybody who likes that.
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Elden Ringhas a good number of clothing-aligned armor sets, mainly involved with the magical. TheRuler’s Setis one such example; a regal armor piece that fits in with the aesthetic of Altus Plateau and the Royal Capital of Leyndell.
The defense against magical and elemental damage types is stronger than its melee defense, a trade-off given how common the latter is in FromSoft games. There is better armor for defending against magical or elemental damage, but the Ruler’s Set can be used if players want to wear clothing instead. Just be thankful that armordoesn’t require upgrades, or possesses durability likeDark Souls, because this set would have broken very quickly.
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Pages can be some of the most underrated enemies when it comes to toughness. Not only do they possess a decent amount of health, but can also deal a very large portion of burst damage. In comes the High Page, a tougher variant of the regular Page, but with only a few encounters throughout the game.
TheHigh Page Setthe High Pages drop is, oddly, not as good as the normal Pages. Every defensive stat is worse than the armor of the regular counterpart. Despite this, the aesthetic of the amor still makes it desirable, inspiring Bloodborne themes.
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As would be the case in a life-or-death battle, clothing isn’t as good as actual armor. TheHouse Marais Setencapsulates this with its moderately low stats. Much like the Ruler’s Set, the armor fits with themes of regality found in Altus Plateau.
The magical and elemental defense stats are higher than the melee defense, as is normally the case with these types of sets inElden Ring. However, it still wouldn’t be the first choice when fighting a boss with magical properties.
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Given her status as the Deathbed Companion, it makes sense whyFia’s Setresembles the garments of the Grim Reaper.She has one of the more notable questlines, unlocking a new ending as a reward for its completion as well as gifting her armor set.
While many people use this set’s visuals for any necrotic-themed builds, the stats of the armor aren’t all too hot. Defense against melee is low due to the fact that this armor is actually a set of robes. The magical and elemental defense is higher, but better choices are available, especially at the point when players can obtain Fia’s Set.
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TheJuvenile Scholar Setoccupies a role that makes it almost a useless set aside from story and lore purposes. Despite being somewhat of adecent armor set for a magic build, it falls short compared to its contemporaries. Players can even start with a stronger set of magic-defensive armor if they pick Astrologer as their starting class.
Overall, the set feels like it was included to explain what those who were beginners at magic wore, and due to Rennala’s “sweetings” wearing the same clothes. It can’t even be used as an early game armor set because of its limited availability; it is found in Liurnia and players must defeat Royal Knight Loretta to obtain it.
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The Windmill Village, Dominula, has gained infamy for its inhabitants' acts of cannibalism. Despite the village folk dancing when players first meet them, the lore can be disturbing. Regardless, theFestive Setthe Celebrants can drop isn’t the strongest, to the agreement of anyone who decided to ‘politely’ ask them to stop eating people.
With lower defense stats against melee damage, the set isn’t the best at defense. Its use is better suited to Fashion Souls/Elden Bling than fighting bosses.
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Much like the regular variant, theBlue Festive Setisn’t all too strong of an armor piece. The two sets do have some stat changes, such as their Strike Defense and Holy Defense. Eponymously, the hood is blue compared to the regular counterpart.
However, the armor set still leaves much to be desired. The stats it offers aren’t too crazy, with other armor sets more suited for defense. Then again,some players don’t even require armor to defeat the hardest bosses.
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When it comes to the worst armor, a category of bad stats and unappealing visuals are what qualify sets. TheBloodsoaked Setticks both off, with terrible stats and an unattractive visual design. It is also animpractical armor set, with gross bloody bandages wrapped entirely around the head.
The stats are really what destroys any credibility this set had in the defense department. Good luck surviving anything wearing this, as no stat goes into double digits. Unless you’re Let Me Solo Her, who can probably dodge the rain, this set isn’t worth it at all.
