Remnant 2: Best Armor Sets, Ranked

Highlights

• Armor Sets in Remnant 2 offer simpler defense and resistance mechanics, focusing on individuality and customization.
• The game provides a variety of Armor Sets with different stats and resistances, catering to different playstyles and preferences.
• Players can still strategically choose the best Armor Sets based on their preferred playstyle and the challenges they face in the game.

Armor Sets are a lot simpler (mechanically, not visually of course) in Remnant 2 than they were in Remnant: From the Ashes, and that’s very likely a conscious design decision. The developers at Gunfire Games probably felt that Set Bonuses for Armor ended up ‘restricting’ players into always having to wear specific Sets too often and didn’t incentivize individuality, so they modified the system in the sequel game.

In Remnant 2, Armor Sets now just give different levels of defense and resistance, and that’s it. In exchange, they’ve added more layers and customization to other systems in the game, so R: FtA players don’t need to worry about the game being ‘dumbed down’ or anything like that. And thankfully with this new system, there are still sets that have better stats (or just look better) than others, so let’s go over which ones rank the highest.

Updated March 7th, 2024 by Jacob Buchalter: While Remnant 2 may not boast the widest array of different Armor Sets for a looter shooter, a chaotic action game, or even a soulslike, the armor it does offer all have a function. Each Armor Set in this game provides different amounts of defense and resistances while players just need to be cautious of the actual weight of the Set itself. While it might be nice to have something like the Leto Mark II Set that gives an absurd amount of armor and resistances, it doesn’t mean much if players can barely move, let alone roll, while wearing it. With that in mind and given that the game is currently experiencing a surge in players due to the Crossplay Update and the new Corrupted Weapons the devs added, let’s take another look at some of the best Armor Sets that Remnant 2 has to offer.

13 Cultist Set

Medium Armor Set

Starting off with probably the most ‘middle of the road’ Armor Sets in the game in terms of Armor/Resistances, the Survivor Set. While it may seem silly that the Armor Set that all players start the game with is one of the better options in the game, it’s mostly just because of the chestpiece being so good. Still, it’s very odd that the default set is so beneficial in terms of Armor, Weight management, and Resistances.

12 High Noon Set

Medium Armor Set

Moving on to one of the Armor Sets that Remnant 2’s five Starting Classes, the Gunslinger, begins with…the High Noon set. This set is a Medium Armor Set in terms of Armor, but its total Weight with all components combined comes in at quite a bit less than other medium sets, so it’s a bit of a ‘best of both worlds’ situation.

Not only that, but the red of the chest, legs, and arms works visually when meshed with any of the other red-based Armor Sets (such as the Red Widow or Knotted sets).

11 Bandit Set

Light Armor Set

Now it’s time for a fan-favorite armor set from the last game, the Bandit Set. This one was relatively difficult to obtain in Remnant: From the Ashes, though nowhere near as much as something like the Anguish, players had to ‘sort out’ Mud Tooth and Brabus’ relationship in order to actually obtain it.

That said, once they had it, all that work instantly became worth it since the Freeloader Set Bonus was incredible. Now, in Remnant 2, the Set still has the same look, but the Freeloader Set Bonus is gone and that effect has been mostly transferred over to the Bandit Mutator instead. Still, it looks great in both games, and the Defense/Resistance it gives across the board is all pretty respectable, especially for it only weight about 22 units of Weight.

10 Technician Set

Heavy Armor Set

Time to take a look at probably the most ‘sci-fi’ looking Armor Sets in the game (which blends well with a certain sci-fi Hand Gun), the Technician Set. The Technician Set not only looks like the Space Worker Set’s stronger and ‘more buff’ older brother, but it’s also just got some great stats all around. It may just be the best set overall to wear to guard against Shock damage, though it does fall short in the Bleeding and Blight Categories, which are two of the most commonly occurring ailments in Remnant 2, so it balances out.

However, at 60 weight total, it just barely qualifies as a Heavy Armor set, so players without points in Strong Back probably won’t have the full set equipped at once unless they’re relying on some Rings or Amulets.

9 Zealot Set

Medium Armor Set

The first new Armor Set introduced in The Awakened King DLC, it’s the Set tied to the new Ritualist Archetype. Despite how light this Set may look in terms of protection, it’s not a Light Armor Set, but rather a Medium one. And, considering that the Academic’s Set (another Dran Set found in Losomn) is also a Medium Set, this does follow a pattern of sorts.

In any case, the Zealot Set has a great Armor to Weight ratio, it looks fantastic, and it has decent Resistances. The only place it falls short is in the Toxin Resistance category, considering one of the more annoying new enemies added in the DLC deals primarily Toxic damage.

8 Realmwalker Set

Light Armor Set

The Realmwalker Set is another deceptively useful Armor Set in Remnant 2. Despite looking like nothing more than some basic cloth, the Realmwalker set has one of the best armor-to-weight ratios in the game as well as one of the best resistances-to-weight ratios in the game. However, this does make sense, given that players need to unlock the Realmwalker Archetype (by beating the game) to even make this Armor Set accessible.

There’s not a ton else to say about the Realmwaker Set, as it’s very useful, the spread of resistances it has is pretty even (if not a bit light in Burn Resistance), and it looks great too.

7 Bruiser Set

Heavy Armor Set

The Bruiser Set is the second Heavy Armor Set to make it into these rankings, and it’s another ‘starter’ Armor Set of sorts. As the Challenger’s default Armor Set, the Bruiser Armor is perfectly designed so that, once players get the Challenger to level 10 (AKA get the Strong Back Trait to Max), they can wear the full Bruiser Set and still only be at medium weight. Granted, after all the changes Gunfire Games made to the Armor Systems in Remnant 2, that might not be entirely the case anymore.

In general, it’s at least worth replacing both the arms and the legs of the Bruiser Set and keeping everything else for the pure Armor alone. To be honest, the Helmet is the best thing statistically to replace, but who is going to replace this hilarious-looking helmet voluntarily?

6 Labyrinth Set

Medium Armor Set

Returning from the first game, AKA Remnant: From the Ashes, the Labyrinth Set is still very commonly associated with builds focused around Weapon Mod damage and Skill damage. In R: FtA, the Labyrinth Set has the ‘Power Surge’ Set Bonus which buffed the damage and Mod Power Generation of the player while wearing it.

Sadly, Armor Set Bonuses are no longer a thing in Remnant 2, but the developers kept the Set as close to the original as they could by tying it to the Archon Archetype, as that Archetype is very much about Mod Power and Mod Power Generation. As a full Set, the Labyrinth is one of the best looking in the game, it has around 2.3 Armor to Weight Ratio (which is fantastic), and it has some of the best Burn and Shock Resistance out of any Armor Set. That said, it is one of the only armor sets in recent months to have its armor values changes, so maybe it was a bit ‘too’ good.

5 Red Widow Set

Medium Armor Set

Out of all the Armor Sets in the game, the Red Widow Set probably takes the most work to obtain (besides maybe the Realmwalker Set). Unlocking this garishly gold Armor Set requires players to work their way through all the puzzles and enemies of The Lament area in Yaesha to reach the coffin of King Kolket’ at the end, AKA the original owner of this Armor Set.

Visually, the Red Widow Set is one of the best-looking Armor Sets in the game, no question about it. Those horns, the gold and red compliments, and the overall ‘otherwordly’ look of this Armor all work so well. But, it’s also fantastic statistically for Resisting Bleed Damage and other Blights, which poetically enough, makes it a great set to use against the Corrupted Ravager.

4 Crimson Guard Set

Heavy Armor Set

The Crimson Guard Set is, quite simply, just a slightly better (and heavier) version of the Fae Royal Armor Set. Granted, this might seem obvious, given that the two sets look almost identical, but it really depends on the player in regards to which Set is better.

If players want a bit more Armor and they have enough points in Strong Back not to suffer when wearing the Crimson Guard Set, it’s the better option. But, if every Trait Point is already allocated and wearing the Crimson Guard Set would put the player into the Heavy Roll category, then the Fae Royal Set is better.

3 Radiant Armor Set

Heavy Armor Set

Next up is another Armor Set that’s making a return from Remnant: From the Ashes, it’s the Radiant Set. This Set was found in Yaesha following a ‘sidequest’ of sorts related to one of the Merchants of that area. In this game, however, players get the Radiant Set either by default with the Deluxe Edition or by completing the Campaign on any difficulty and then buying it from Whispers in Ward 13.

Funnily enough, by the time players without the Deluxe Edition can actually buy the Radiant Set, they probably won’t need it. But, for the Deluxe Edition players, this Set is honestly overpowered in the early game and is likely the Set they’ll end up wearing for a good half of their first run. A great Armor with decent Weight and some respectable Resistances makes the Radiant Set an easy recommendation.

2 Leto Mark I Set

Ultra Heavy Armor Set

Anyone who has played the first Remnant: From the Ashes for any amount of time is likely already aware of what the top two Armor Sets are going to be. In the first Remnant game, the Leto Armor was what everyone ended up wearing as it allowed them to just blitz through the game without worrying too much about damage. Or, if they didn’t wear that, they were wearing the Slayer Set and running around with a Crossbow because of the Assassin Set Bonus.

In any case, the Leto Set was an absurdly heavy Armor Set by design, so much so that players could do nothing but ‘flop’ onto the ground when they tried to roll while wearing it. However, there were simply too many ways to offset Encumbrance in this game using Amulets, Rings, Trait Points, and so on. Now, in the second game, the Leto Armor is back and was originally just as good as it ever was. In the months following the game’s release, they did have a pretty moderate overhaul of the way Weight and Stamina Cost Penalties worked for Armor Sets, so it’s not quite as good as it originally was. That said, it’s still one of the best Sets in the game, even with the ‘nerfs’.

1 Leto Mark II Set

Ultra Heavy Armor Set

The Leto Mark II Armor was always going to be at the top of this list. It offers more defense than its MK I counterpart while also weighing a bit less, so it’s flat-out better. And, visually, it’s a bit more of a streamlined design as well, as it can now mesh with other Armor Set pieces without sticking out like a sore thumb. Additionally, with the Trait Point Cap in Remnant 2 (which has been raised in the Awakened King DLC) and players only able to get their HP, Defense, and other important stats so high, every point of Defense matters so much more now, especially on certain Challenger or Engineer builds.

As proof that this Armor Set is the best of the best, players simply just need to hop into any online lobby in Remnant 2, and 90 percent of the time they’ll be greeted by at least one person in the lobby wearing the full Leto MK II Set (and the Bright Steel Ring) or, at worst, wearing just the MK II Legs or Helmet with the rest being bits and pieces from other Armor Sets.