Elden Ring: Worst Armor, Ranked

Highlights

• Best armor sets in
  Elden Ring
  focus on melee defense for up-close combat against tough enemies.
• Some armor sets, like the Fur Set, have aesthetically pleasing designs but lackluster stats.
• Ruler’s Set offers high magical and elemental defense, suitable for players preferring magical protection over melee.

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 Ring is 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 how Elden Ring has 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.

10 Fur Set

Obtained From The Ancestral Follower Enemies

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. While Elden Ring occasionally gives armor sets that look odd some of the best stats in the game, the Fur Set is the opposite. Compared to some of the other low-end armor, the Fur Set manages to be aesthetically pleasing in its environment.

9 Marionette Soldier Set

Obtained From The Marionette Soldier Enemies

Puppets and dolls have played a large part in FromSoft’s games, and Elden Ring is 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 the armor aren’t great, being passable at best, with the visuals being a bigger turn-off as one 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.

8 Ruler’s Set

Obtained Northeast Of The Abandoned Coffin Site Of Grace From A Body On A Carriage In Altus Plateau

Elden Ring has a good number of clothing-aligned armor sets, mainly involved with the magical. The Ruler’s Set is 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 armor doesn’t require upgrades, or possesses durability like Dark Souls, because this set would have broken very quickly.

7 High Page Set

Obtained From High Page Enemies, With Trousers From Regular Pages

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.

The armor the 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.

6 House Marais Set

Obtained From Maleigh Marais, Shaded Castle Castellan, West Of The Shaded Castle In Altus Plateau

As would be the case in a life-or-death battle, clothing isn’t as good as actual armor. The House Marais Set encapsulates 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 in Elden Ring. However, it still wouldn’t be the first choice when fighting a boss with magical properties.

5 Fia’s Set

Obtained After The Questline With Fia, Deathbed Companion

Given her status as the Deathbed Companion, it makes sense why Fia’s Set resembles 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.

4 Juvenile Scholar Set

Obtained In Liurnia Southwest Of The Royal Grace Evergaol After Giving The Ghost The Resurrection Painting

The Juvenile Scholar Set occupies a role that makes it almost a useless set aside from story and lore purposes. Despite being somewhat of a decent 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.

3 Festive Set

Obtained In Dominula, Windmill Village In Altus Plateau From The Celebrant Enemies

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, the Festive Set the 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.

2 Blue Festive Set

Obtained From Any Celebrant Enemy Wearing Blue In Dominula, Windmall Village In Altus Plateau

Much like the regular variant, the Blue Festive Set isn’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.

1 Bloodsoaked Set

The Head And Hands Are Obtained In The Subterranean Shunning-Grounds While The Official’s Attire Is Obtained Just Before The Blade Of Calling

When it comes to the worst armor, a category of bad stats and unappealing visuals are what qualify sets. The Bloodsoaked Set ticks both off, with terrible stats and an unattractive visual design. It is also an impractical 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.