One of the more interesting aspects of The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild is collecting all of the varying items that can be found in the world of Hyrule. Some items are merely collectibles for completionist runs, but others, like armor, are extremely helpful in keeping Link alive. It can be crucial to find the best armor Breath of the Wild has to offer.

In fact, finding an entire set of armor can provide bonuses that, depending on the situation, make potential obstacles a breeze. Some armor sets improve mobility, others provide greater defense against specific enemy types, and others make Link stronger in battle.

Note: The charts showing the bonuses and enhancements apply to individual pieces, not the full set.

Breath of the Wild is one of the hardest games in the Zelda series, and players need to be on their A-game to get through its challenging encounters. A big part of survival in Breath of the Wild is wearing armor with high defensive stats to tank through the blows of most enemies in the game. The best armor sets that you can find in the game are mentioned below.

15 Tingle Outfit

This armor set is an homage to the quirky character Tingle who has appeared in a number of The Legend of Zelda games. It’s part of The Master Trials DLC pack and is obtained after completing the quest EX Treasure: Fairy Clothes in which you’ll find the pieces in different Treasure Chests.

Level

Armor Rating (Per Piece)

Bonuses

Upgrade Cost (Per Piece)

N/A

2

It comes with a boost to speed while it’s nighttime and NPCs will be startled by the character’s appearance. Essentially it’s the Dark Link set, but with less of an armor rating, and it causes NPCs to be concerned rather than frightened, which isn’t nearly as fun.

14 Radiant Set

The Radiant Set is a strange one, because it can actually be dangerous to wear if you don’t have every piece. A single piece of armor will cause skeletal enemies to spawn in the area and put Link in constant danger.

Base

3

-

★

5

★★

8

★★★

12

★★★★

20

But if he has the full set, he becomes invisible to the Stal-type enemies and even gets an improved bonus to damage done by Bone-type weapons. It ranks low because Stal enemies aren’t the fiercest of enemies, and you probably won’t be wielding bone weapons toward the end of the game.

This armor can be found atthe Gerudo Secret Club. It requires a lot of Skal grinding and some visits to the Great Fairy Fountains to fully upgrade.

13 Amiibo Sets (Hero/Wind/Time/Twilight/Sky)

The Amiibo sets are comprised of the Time, Wind, Twilight, Hero, and Sky sets of armor. They’re all lumped together in the same entry because, apart from the aesthetics, they’re the exact same set of armor. They all have the same armor rating and give a bonus to the Master Sword Beam, similar to the Hero of the Wild set. They rank lower than the Wild set, though, because they have a lower armor rating.

These sets are obtained by using specific Amiibos with the Amiibo Rune function in the game. Even though their armor rating is lower than the Wild set, they’re still very good.

12 Soldier’s Set

While it might be one of the more unremarkable armor sets in the game, there’s no denying the fact that the Soldier’s Set is one of the easier sets to obtain in the game and doesn’t take too many materials to upgrade. It provides a solid boost to defense and can save Link from many tough encounters due to just how resilient it can become over time.

4

7

18

28

The only problem with the Soldier’s Set is that it doesn’t provide any kind of bonus whatsoever, which is a pretty massive drawback given the wealth of other special armors in the game. It might help you out in a pinch, but Link should definitely find other pieces of armor that provide massive armor bonuses as well. After all, most players who end up mastering the mechanics of Breath of the Wild would prefer to use armor that provides extra powers or abilities as opposed to just an increase in defense and nothing else.

11 Set Of The Wild

This set of armor gives Link that classic green look while giving the boost “Master Beam Up.” Wearing the entire set will allow Link to deal more damage from throwing the Master Sword’s energy beams. It also has one of the highest armor ratings in the game at 84 with full upgrades. In terms of just sheer defense, this is some of the best armor Breath of the Wild has for you.

It ranks low because the bonus is only available at full health, which is less than you might like. It also suffers because obtaining this armor set requires completing all 120 shrines in the game - no easy feat!

10 Dark Link

This wicked-looking set of armor is obtained by completing the Shady Customer quest and unlocking Kilton’s unique shop. You must trade monster parts for Mon in order to buy this set of armor from Kilton.

It’s quite expensive, as it’s 1,999 Mon for the Dark Hood, 999 for the Tunic, and 999 for the Trousers. Still, it’s one of the better-looking armor sets in the game and gives a nice boost to running speed at night.

It’s perfect for those adventurous night owls! Considering how much running you have to do to explore the world, having a boost to movement speed is always appreciated. It’s also fun scaring the local NPCs with this villainous outfit.

9 Salvager

If you’re trying to grab the best armor in BotW, you’ll want to grab this free DLC. This armor set is obtainable through the Xenoblade Chronicles 2 crossover DLC, which is, as mentioned, totally free. Once you complete the Xenoblade Chronicles 2 quest, you are rewarded with this armor set that comes with that iconic Xenoblade look and a boost to Swim Speed and Swim Dash Speed.

That swimming speed boost is incredibly handy for when you need to navigate rivers or large bodies of water. Again, any boost to movement speed saves a lot of time and frustration, so having these kinds of armor sets is always a good thing. Each of the three pieces of this armor set comes with a Base Defense Rating of 5.

8 Rubber Set

The Rubber Armor set is, admittedly, a strange-looking outfit, but one with a helpful ability. When fully equipped, Link becomes resistant to electrical damage. He’ll be totally immune to the Shock effect if he’s wearing the full set that’s been upgraded twice. Obtaining the armor requires completing the Thunder Magnet quest and finding pieces at the Tol Yahsa and Qukah Nata Shrines.

This is handy for the electrical opponents in the game, as well as any shrines or locations that involve electricity puzzles. The fact that you can’t be shocked when completing the various challenges aboard Divine Beast Vah Naboris is terrific.

7 Snowquill

Similar to the Rubber Armor set, the Snowquill set provides unique elemental resistances, but this time against the cold. With the full set, Link is resistant to the cold, and when upgraded twice, immune to the frozen effect.

Again it’s a situational set of armor, but one that sees a little more use than the Rubber Armor set. It’s also visually appealing - it looks like an armor set you might find in Horizon Zero Dawn.

This armor is for sale at the Rito Village, with the entire set costing 2,150 rupees collectively.

6 Flamebreaker

This elemental armor is by far the best, as it not only provides resistance against the burning air found around lava, but also, when upgraded twice, makes Link totally fireproof. This armor is absolutely essential if you plan on spending a long time in Death Mountain or taking on Divine Beast Vah Rudania.

  • Note: This is not Heat Resistance, meaning this will not protect you in Gerudo Desert

You can either buy the full set at Goron City or get the torso piece for free by trading ten Fireproof Lizards as part of the Fireproof Lizard Roundup quest. Another side benefit to this set of armor is that you have little reason to hang onto Fireproof Elixirs and can sell any you find for a good chunk of change.

The entire set will cost a total of 3,300 rupees (2,700 if you did the quest for the torso piece).

5 Climbing Set

The sheer amount of climbing Link does in this game is ridiculous, and many players have had those rage-inducing moments where the stamina meter runs out just as they’re about to reach the top. The Climbing Set mitigates that issue by providing Link with a boost to his climbing speed and reducing the stamina drain while doing that climbing jump move if upgraded twice.

This incredibly useful set of armor can be found at the Ree Dahee and Chaas Qeta Shrine while also completing the Secret of the Cedars shrine quest. It’s a little annoying to obtain but the headache it saves you is well worth the effort.

4 Royal Guard

This garb was worn by Hyrule’s Royal Guard almost one hundred years before Breath Of The Wild takes place. You’ll need The Champion’s Ballad DLC and complete the quest EX Royal Guard Rumors.

The game says that this reduces the stamina cost when using your charged attack, but it also secretly includes a reduction in stamina cost for the swim dash and jumping while climbing.

With its strong armor rating, bonus to damage, and reduction to the stamina consumed for three different actions, this is a great armor set for traveling, since you’ll save so much stamina with it while also keeping up a decent defense.

3 Ancient Armor

As useful as the Barbarian set is, nothing compares with the godsend that is the Ancient Armor set. When fully equipped, the Ancient Armor set provides resistance against Guardians and grants a boost to damage done with ancient weapons.

This is a fantastic end-game set of armor, as Ganon is found in Hyrule Castle, which is swarming with Guardians. Going into battle with this set of armor and a weapon like the Ancient Bow or the Ancient Bladesaw can make Hyrule castle a breeze, and it remains a good setup when facing against Ganon.

You can find it at the Akkala Tech Lab, but beware that it comes with a hefty price tag of Rupees and Ancient parts farmed from Guardians. It’s expensive and requires some grinding, but you do not want to go into the final fight without it. With a Base Defense Rating of four and an added +24 apiece for final upgrades, this set is rock solid.

2 Phantom Set

For many fans, this is one of the strongest armor sets you can wear in the entire game. It comes with double the defense rating of the Ancient set and provides a bonus to attack similar to the Barbarian set. Though an argument could be made that the Ancient set is still better when confronting Guardians in the castle, this set will be more useful for nearly every other fight in the game.

You’ll need The Master Trials DLC pack installed and complete the quests EX Treasure: Phantasma to obtain it. Unfortunately, even though it gives the same attack bonus as the Barbarian set (and looks super cool), it has less armor than the fully-upgraded Barbarian set, and can’t be customized.

1 Barbarian Set

This suit of armor will probably become your default outfit for a while once you find it, because of how powerful it is. When Link wears the complete set of Barbarian armor, his damage increases with any weapon, and charge attacks require less stamina. In BotW, “best armor” can be situational much of the time, but there will be very few instances where this armor won’t serve you well.

There is one fantastic quality that makes this set some of the best armor: Breath of the Wild has a ton of combat, so a boost to your attack is extremely helpful. It pays dividends to obtain this set early on and rarely take it off.

Getting this set of armor requires visiting and solving the Tu Ka’loh, Dila Maag, and Qaza Tokki shrines. It grants you the same attack bonus as the Phantom set, but also provides a whopping 60 armor rating when fully upgraded. And, for those who love the aesthetics of their outfits, it can be customized, and the Phantom set cannot. It’s easily the best set in the game.

NEXT: Breath Of The Wild: The Best Shields, Ranked