Elden Ring: 21 Best Armor To Negate Lightning Damage & Where To Find Them

Highlights

• Lightning resistance is crucial in
  Elden Ring
  , especially against late-game enemies. Armor like the Mushroom Set and Preceptor’s Set offer strong protection.
• Look out for armor sets like the Solitude Set and Gaius’s Set for top-tier lightning defense, making them essential for tackling tough bosses.
• Don’t underestimate the importance of the right armor in Elden Ring; sets like the Omen Set and Bull-Goat Set offer the best protection against lightning.

Contrary to popular belief, lightning can strike twice in the same place, and in Elden Ring, it can strike much more than that, especially if the enemy is a cheating spammer like those late-game dragons. Against such enemies who are intent on turning the Tarnished into lightning rods, it helps to prepare some countermeasures, and armor stands out as the most accessible among these.

Not all armor in Elden Ring is protective, of course. In fact, one might even be surprised to learn that armor sets with the most metal parts tend to make for terrible lightning insulation. That kind of adherence to elementary-level science in Elden Ring doesn’t bode well for players who want to protect themselves against one of the most troublesome damage types in the game. Thankfully, these armor sets are good exceptions.

Updated on August 12th, 2024, by Vlad Mazanko: Lightning damage has always been one of the most dangerous damage types in Elden Ring. That’s why lightning-resistant armor can be a literal life-saver, especially in late-game areas, where the game has more cruel surprises involving lightning.

For instance, lightning resistance is reduced when characters are wet. Therefore, equipping armor with the highest defense and good lightning resistance stats can be a crucial countermeasure in some of the game’s more difficult regions. Additional armor with the highest lightning resistance available in the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion has been added to the list to ensure players always have the best options available to them.

21 Queen Of The Full Moon Set

Lightning Defense: 25.1

• Location: Buy from Finger Reader Enia in the Roundtable Hold after defeating Rennala, the Queen of the Full Moon
• Physical Defense: 11.5
• Poise: 16
• Weight: 11

The Queen of the Full Moon Set has a ridiculous headpiece and questionable physical defense, but all that is excused once players use it against mage enemies or dragons. The Queen of the Full Moon armor boasts one of the most consistently resistant stats in the game.

For that matter, it’s no slouch when it comes to protecting its wearer against magic or elemental attacks. That said, players still shouldn’t expect to poise through some of the toughest and heaviest lightning attacks in the game while wearing it. On the plus side, however, the armor’s low weight can allow for some incredibly fast rolls.

20 Azur’s Glintstone Set

Lightning Defense: 25.2

• Location: Left by Primeval Sorcerer Azur’s located north of the Hermit Village in Mt. Gelmir after completing Sorceress Sellen’s questline (players need to side with her)
• Physical Defense: 13.6
• Poise: 21
• Weight: 14.3

Among the mage armors in Elden Ring, Azur’s Glintstone Set is one of the best options for dealing with enemies and bosses who wield Lightning damage. This armor is particularly valued by magic builds, not only for its strong defense, but also for its striking appearance, highlighted by a large green glintstone on the helmet and several smaller ones on the shoulders. Additionally, the set’s crown increases the damage of powerful spells such as Comet Azur, Glintstone Cometshard, and Comet (at the cost of increased FP).

To obtain the Azur’s Glintstone Set, players must follow Sorceress Sellen’s questline, siding with her, and reach Hermit Village in Mt. Gelmir, where Primeval Sorcerer Azur rests. After completing her quest, returning to this spot will reveal the full set on a cliff.

19 Veteran’s Set

Lightning Defense: 25.3

• Location: Buy from Finger Reader Enia at Roundtable Hold after killing Commander Niall at Castle Sol Rooftop
• Physical Defense: 35.5
• Poise: 80
• Weight: 45

The Veteran’s Set is a powerful and visually striking armor set in Elden Ring, offering moderate Weight and surprisingly high Poise. Its Physical and Lightning resistances are among the highest in the game, making the Veteran’s Set a reliable and valuable choice for melee builds that will likely remain relevant until the end of the game.

Interestingly, the Veteran’s Set is a reward for defeating Commander Niall at Castle Sol Rooftop in the Mountaintops of the Giants, one of the strongest bosses in Elden Ring who deals significant Lightning damage. After his defeat, players will need to spend some runes to purchase this set from Finger Reader Enia at Roundtable Hold.

18 Mushroom Set

Lightning Defense: 25.3

• Location: Lake of Rot for the helmet, Seethewater Cave in Mt. Gelmir for the rest
• Physical Defense: 12.5
• Poise: 11
• Weight: 12.1

Aside from its unforgettable looks, the Mushroom Set is also unique because its pieces are found separately in the game. Players will find the set’s crown (or its pileus?) while exploring the Lake of Rot, on a corpse hanging off the top of a column. The rest of this unusual set can be found in Seethewater Cave in Mt. Gelmir, in a cavern with a Giant Poison Flower and multiple mushroom people.

The Mushroom Set is one of the greatest in the game in terms of various elemental and status effect resistances and is often used in some of Elden Ring‘s most difficult areas, like the aforementioned Lake of Rot. Due to its very special looks, this armor is not too compatible with other sets in the game and is better used separately.

17 Noble’s Set

Lightning Defense: 25.4

• Location: East Windmill Pasture in Altus Plateau
• Physical Defense: 11.9
• Poise: 21
• Weight: 14

As a light armor, the Noble’s Set isn’t too impressive in terms of Poise value or Physical defense, but it offers great lightning and magical defense and can be worn by almost any build with a limited equip load.

Another feature of the Noble’s Set is that it can have headbands of different colors. The default blue Navy Hood is found with the rest of the set in East Windmill Pasture in Altus Plateau, in the fire in the middle of a circle of dancing Celebrants. For the Crimson Hood , earlier worn by Roderika, players need to complete her questline, unlocking spirit tuning in Roundtable Hold. After that, return to Stormveil Castle and search for this item atop the pile of bodies of Roderika’s people, where the Chrysalids’ Memento was initially found.

16 Beast Champion Set

Lightning Defense: 25.4

• Location: Defeat Knight Bernahl in Crumbling Farum Azula near the Great Bridge Site of Grace
• Physical Defense: 33.5
• Poise: 72
• Weight: 41.6

One NPC that players meet who decides to go rogue has one of the best armor sets in the game. The lucky imposing Recusant would be Knight Bernahl . He’ll later invade players just before the final area boss arena in Crumbling Farum Azula

This is a rather important invasion as he’ll drop a trick item to help with the boss. Along with that, he’ll also drop his lovely armor set and his weapon. It’s also advisable to fight Bernahl before fighting the Draconic Tree Sentinel guarding Maliketh’s boss room because the Beast Champion Set he drops has good lightning resistance.

15 Preceptor’s Set

Lightning Defense: 25.5

• Location: Dropped by Seluvis after he dies in Seluvis’ Rise in Liurnia of the Lakes, near the end of Ranni’s questline
• Physical Defense: 12.8
• Poise: 27
• Weight: 15.9

This witching set is initially worn by Preceptor Seluvis and can be retrieved following Ranni’s questline if the Tarnished sides with her. At one point in the story, Seluvis will die and drop the full set in Seluvis’s Rise, located in Liurnia of the Lakes.

The Preceptor’s Set is a pretty good choice for any Intelligence build in Elden Ring, as it has a light weight and grants some of the best Lightning, Fire, and Magic damage resistances in the entire game. It also looks rather stylish, with its menacing mask and wide-brimmed hat, though it can hamper the player’s view.

14 Scaled Set

Lightning Defense: 25.6

• Location: Defeat Old Knight Istvan near the Limgrave Colosseum as part of the Volcano Manor contract quest
• Physical Defense: 31
• Poise: 71
• Weight: 38

The Scaled Set is a great choice for mid-game melee builds, offering strong Poise, solid Physical defense, and robust Lightning damage negation. With its universal corroded metal look, players can also combine parts of this set with other similar armor in the game, creating a unique knightly appearance. As with most armor in Elden Ring, players can remove the armor’s cape by altering the armaments at any Site of Grace.

To get the full Scaled Set, players need to accept the Volcano Manor assassination contract questline and then find and defeat Old Knight Istvan near the Limgrave Colosseum.

13 Lionel’s Set

Lightning Defense: 25.6

• Location: Lower Capital Church Site of Grace in Leyndell, Royal Capital
• Physical Defense: 33.5
• Poise: 86
• Weight: 50.5

This heavy set is easy to obtain, and players don’t need to fight or kill anyone to get it. It is simply discovered in Leyndell, Royal Capital, on the bed in the building with the Lower Capital Church Site of Grace.

Such armor is also worn by one of Fia’s champions, but he doesn’t drop this set after the fight. With its high weight, players should expect great Poise and Physical damage negation, and Lionel’s Set doesn’t disappoint. On top of that, it grants one of the best stats for lightning, fire, and magic defense, making it useful in various combat encounters.

12 Fire Prelate Set

Lightning Defense: 25.6

• Location: Drops from Prelate enemies (Fort Laeidd in Mt. Gelmir or Guardians’ Garrison in the Mountaintops of the Giants)
• Physical Defense: 36.5
• Poise: 96
• Weight: 58.8

One of the heaviest armor sets in the game, the Fire Prelate Set grants almost unparalleled Poise and defense, not only against Physical damage but also against Lightning and Fire. It is one of the armors in Elden Ring that gives one’s character an ‘oversized’ look.

To obtain the full Fire Prelate Set, players need to hunt for Prelate enemies in Elden Ring. It is recommended to boost one’s Arcane stats for better results (players can use the Silver Tear Mask that increases Arcane by +8), or use the Silver Scarab Talisman or Silver-Pickled Fowl Foot . The best farming spots for this set are Fort Laeidd in Mt. Gelmir and Guardians’ Garrison in the Mountaintops of the Giants.

11 Banished Knight Set

Lightning Defense: 25.6

• Location: Drops from Banished Knight enemies (Stormveil Castle, Caelid, Castle Sol)
• Physical Defense: 35.5
• Poise: 72
• Weight: 41.6

The Banished Knight Set is a gift that keeps on giving in Elden Ring. Apart from having one of the most balanced and stylish designs in the game, it also boasts good lightning resistance, making it a well-rounded armor for all occasions. It’s quite heavy, but that’s a fair trade-off.

Acquiring it is the only difficult and daunting aspect of this armor. The parts randomly drop from Banished Knight enemies, so it might take several attempts and a few hours of trying to acquire the complete set unless players just ask for it from others online.

10 Ronin’s Set

Lightning Defense: 25.7

• Location: Kill Shabriri near Zamor Ruins Site of Grace in the Mountaintops of the Giants
• Physical Defense: 21.5
• Poise: 37
• Weight: 21.1

Don’t want to dress like a nun? Then the good news is that one of the most stylish armor sets in the game has impeccable lightning resistance. The Ronin’s Set , which is worn by Bloody Finger Hunter Yura (and Shabriri later on), is the peak of Samurai aesthetics in Elden Ring. The flowy and battle-worn cloak as well as the Iron Kasa hat will surely turn heads in multiplayer.

Obtaining the Ronin’s Set is sadly not possible during the early game. Players will have to finish Yura’s questline or refrain from killing Yura themselves. Either of the two options will result in Shabriri possessing Yura and showing up later on in the Mountaintop of the Giants in the Zamor Ruins Site of Grace. Players can kill Shabriri here inconsequentially after talking to him and looting the armor from him.

9 Traveling Maiden Set

Lightning Defense: 25.7

• Location: Shack of the Lofty on the frozen river in Mountaintops of the Giants
• Physical Defense: 10.7
• Poise: 21
• Weight: 11

The Traveling Maiden Set is barely armor. In fact, it’s just a nun’s robe in Elden Ring since “maidens” are envoys of the Two Fingers. But when one is looking for a reliable way to stave off some lightning attacks, then the Traveling Maiden Set more than delivers. The cloth is probably padded with rubber.

Too bad players can’t obtain it until they’re in the late game, specifically in the Mountaintop of the Giants. This armor set can be located in the Shack of the Lofty. It’s near the western end of the frozen river that flows from the big frozen lake. The trek there is pretty easy, though, and outside the shack is a good place to farm Runes.

8 Lusat’s Set

Lightning Defense: 25.7

• Location: Sellia Hideaway in Caelid after finishing Sellen’s questline
• Physical Defense: 15
• Poise: 21
• Weight: 14.3

Master Lusat has one of the most protective armor sets out of all the magic-focused apparel in Elden Ring. This protection trickled down to lightning, as it also has good lightning resistance on top of magic. It’s mostly for Intelligence builds since Lusat’s Glintstone Crown will increase the damage for Stars of Ruin , but anyone can wear it.

In order to obtain Lusat’s Set , players will have to finish Sellen’s questline. She’s located in Waypoint Ruins in Limgrave. Sorceress Sellen will instruct players to find Master Lusat, who’s imprisoned in the Sellia Hideaway in Caelid. It’s due north of the Church of the Plague but can be accessed from Fort Faroth by dropping down south. Sellia Hideaway is hidden behind a fake cliff wall, which players need to hit to dispel.

7 Astrologer Set

Lightning Defense: 26.0

• Location: Nomadic Merchant in Liurnia of the Lakes
• Physical Defense: 13
• Poise: 24
• Weight: 13.3

It turns out that players don’t have to look far in order to obtain a lightning-resistance armor set. The Astrologer Set is a starting armor in Elden Ring if players pick the Astrologer class. It’s light and convenient for magic or Intelligence builds due to its high magical and elemental protection. Physical protection leaves much to be desired, however.

For those who didn’t start with the Astrologer class but still want the Astrologer Set, the armor can be bought from Nomadic Merchant (North Liurna) . Players will be able to see the smoke from his bonfire from a good distance.

6 Gaius’s Set

Lightning Defense: 26.4

• Location: Several pieces of this set can be bought from Finger Reader Enia at Roundtable Hold after killing Commander Gaius at the back of the Shadow Keep. Gaius’s Greaves are obtained by defeating the Wolf Rider found in the same area.
• Physical Defense: 30.7
• Poise: 75
• Weight: 44.3

For fans of the Malformed Dragon Set, there’s a new option that few may choose to wear willingly: Gaius’s Set. Obtained in the Land of Shadow, this armor might not be the most visually appealing, but it offers high defensive capabilities, especially against Physical and Lightning damage. Players who value function over form might appreciate this set, and its parts can be mixed with other armor to create unique looks with great resistances.

Three parts of the Gaius’s Set can be purchased for a total of 28,000 runes from Finger Reader Enia at Roundtable Hold after defeating Commander Gaius, who occupies a small area accessible from the back entrance of Shadow Keep. Note that Gaius’s Greaves aren’t available for purchase; instead, players will need to find and kill the Wolf Rider in the same area as Gaius’s arena to obtain them.

5 Solitude Set

Lightning Defense: 26.5

• Location: Defeat Blackgaol Knight in the Western Nameless Mausoleum located west of the Scorched Ruins Site of Grace
• Physical Defense: 35.6
• Poise: 96
• Weight: 57.1

The Solitude Set is not only one of the heaviest and most protective new sets added in Shadow of the Erdtree, but it’s also one of the coolest-looking in its class, with the helmet standing out as particularly striking. The Solitude Set excels in Physical defense and Lightning protection, offering high resistances across the board. Given how straightforward it is to obtain this set in the expansion, it has quickly become a popular choice for melee builds among the Elden Ring community.

So, how do players get this brutal and menacing Solitude Set? Shortly after arriving in the Land of Shadow, players can locate the Western Nameless Mausoleum in the Gravesite Plain. Defeating the Blackgaol Knight there will reward them with the full Solitude Set — though this is easier said than done. Good luck, Tarnished.

4 Malformed Dragon Set

Lightning Defense: 27.0

• Location: Defeat Draconic Tree Sentinel in Crumbling Farum Azula just outside of Maliketh, the Black Blade boss arena
• Physical Defense: 32.3
• Poise: 67
• Weight: 38

The Malformed Dragon Set is an intimidating collection of armor pieces, and as expected from its appearance, it offers great protection against lightning. It just so happens that a lot of dragons in Elden Ring‘s late-game deal too much lightning damage too frequently, and this armor can prove incredibly useful in such scenarios.

It’s only obtainable in a late-game area, in Crumbling Farum Azula, and players will have to fight and kill the Draconic Tree Sentinel (Capital Outskirts) in order to get it. It’s a tough fight, but the reward is worth it, and the enemy doesn’t respawn as it’s just a mini-boss.

3 Verdigris Set

Lightning Defense: 28.3

• Location: Dropped by Moore either upon killing this NPC at the end of his quest, or earlier depending on the player’s choices in dialogue
• Physical Defense: 38.5
• Poise: 100
• Weight: 61.6

Added in Shadow of the Erdtree, the Verdigris Set ranks among the heaviest armor sets available in Elden Ring. Bulky and monumental, this set is best suited for characters who heavily invest in Endurance and can afford a high Equip Load. In return, these players gain one of the best armor sets for Physical and Lightning damage resistance, which can be invaluable against bosses like Commander Niall, Dragonlord Placidusax, or Ancient Dragon Lansseax.

The Verdigris Set is worn by a new NPC named Moore and can be obtained after killing him at certain points in his questline in Shadow of the Erdtree. However, the quickest way to acquire this set is to kill a Lesser Kindred of Rot in various areas of the Shadow Realm, which will prompt Moore to invade.

2 Omen Set

Lightning Defense: 28.9

• Location: Finish Dung Eater’s questline or kill him in his prison in the Subterranean Shunning-Grounds at the Leyndell Royal Capital
• Physical Defense: 34.9
• Poise: 91
• Weight: 55

It’s heavy, it’s unsightly, and it’s probably caked in feces and blood since it belongs to Dung Eater , but one can’t deny the effectiveness of his armor. It’s one of the most protective sets in the game. The Omen Set boasts high physical protection and also good elemental defense.

Getting it is a little troublesome, but players can have it during mid-game. There are two methods of obtaining it, and both of them involve initiating Dung Eater’s questline by giving him a Seedbed Curse . Players can find one of these Seedbed Curses in Leyndell, Royal Capital in an octagon tower after an elevator. One the item has been given to Dung Eater, he’ll give the player the key to his prison. The prison can then be found in the Subterranean Shunning-Grounds under Leyndell, Royal Capital. Players can kill Dung Eater right away for his armor and sword, but this will forfeit his quest. Finishing his quest by giving him five Seedbed Curses will still grant players the armor, but this approach can span up to late-game.