The Best Armor In Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered, Ranked

Key Takeaways

• Banuk Trailblazer is a solid armor alternative with broad protection but lacks upgrade possibilities.
• Nora Valiant offers increased damage resistance, easily obtained by exchanging a token from a merchant.
• Carja Blazon provides strong fire defense, ideal for combat against fire-based enemies.

In the action RPGHorizon Zero Dawn, players take on the role of a hunter in a post-apocalyptic world, mapped with various terrains and enemies. Originally released in 2017 and followed by a sequel, the recent remaster has been controversial because it arrived so soon after the initial release. The good news is the game looks absolutely stunning now, and there are quite a few new armor choices for players to choose from, alongside other items.

Outfits serve as protection in combat scenarios, with different outfits offering different defensive boosts against different enemies. Outfits can be augmented or upgraded to make them more helpful. Like all wearables, some outfits in Horizon Zero Dark are more useful than others. Here are the most useful outfits for how well they arm the player to fight enemies or explore the map.

8 Banuk Trailblazer

• Not the most useful armor
• Provides broad protection against elements

This armor, which was initially available with pre-order, now comes with the complete edition and new remaster. It serves as a solid alternative to the Nora Survivor. It provides the same basic protection against all the elements in the game but doesn’t have the possibility of an upgrade that the Nora Survivor does.

The Banuk Trailblazer is easily redeemed from any merchant using the Banuk Trailblazer Token. This outfit is sturdy, with both futuristic and tribal elements in its design.

7 Nora Valiant

Rare But Useful

• Only in the remastered version of Horizon Zero Dawn
• Available to everyone in the game

This is armor available only in the new remaster of Horizon Zero Dawn. This item is produced by the Nora tribe and increases damage resistance for players, but it isn’t super valuable compared with other armors available in the original game.

The Nora Valiant is easily come by, however. Every player gets a Nora Valiant Outfit Token upon loading the game, which can be exchanged by a merchant for the Nora Valiant outfit.

6 Banuk Werak

Best Passive Protection

• Great for exploring
• Can be unlocked by defeating Aratak

Produced by the Banuk tribe, this outfit helps players to regenerate their health over time. This is great in more casual combat scenarios and when exploring the world at large. This outfit is identified by green and yellow elements, and is particularly sturdy, with a wintery design.

This armor can be obtained in a few ways: it can be purchased from Bluegleam Merchants, but higher-level Banuk Werak costumes can only be unlocked when the player defeats Aratak.

5 Nora Protector

Best For Melee Damage

• Protects against melee damage
• Easily available

The Nora Protector is a vital item created by the Nora tribe for protecting against melee damage, working on attacks from both humans and machines. It is extremely distinctive from other armor for its metal accents, including a metal breastplate casing.

This is a very easily obtained outfit, as it is available from general merchants. Higher levels of this armor are pretty rare, but they can sometimes be purchased from merchants between tier 2 and 4.

4 Nora Silent Hunter

Best For Stealth

• Great for hunting
• Good early-mid game outfit

This is the most popular outfit among players for stealth when hunting or fighting by increasing camouflage and reducing noise. It is considered a great alternative to the Shield Weaver before players unlock it.

The Nora Silent Hunter can be purchased from merchants and is inspired by the outfit worn by Sona from the Nora tribe. The design is highly textured with green accents, including a mesh covering and shaggy leg covers.

3 Nora Survivor

Best All Rounder

• Produced by the Nora tribe
• Well-rounded armor

Available from merchants, the Nora Survivor armor ensures great protection against all the elements. It is designed by the Nora tribe with blue accents, patterns, and beads.

This armor is considered by players to be a high-quality all-around armor that’s valuable in all types of combat, defending the player so they can focus on offensive strategies instead. Upgrades can offer stronger protection against the elements.

2 Carja Blazon

Best Fire Defense

• Distinctive design with midriff exposed
• Can be boosted with fire-resistance mods

This armor is best used for protecting against fire attacks, which is especially useful when in combat against enemies like Scorchers, Fireclaws, and Fire Bellowbacks. While it does not offer the broad spectrum of benefits other armor can, the fire protection of this outfit is particularly strong.

The Carja Blazon is designed by the Carja tribe and illustrates their traditional dress style well. Parts of the design are a distinctive red with gold accents. The armor is purchased from merchants.

1 Shield Weaver Armor

Most Popular Outfit

• Modified Nora Brave outfit
• Some armor on head, chest, knees, and shoulders

The Shield Weaver outfit is both very rare and highly sought after in Horizon Zero Dawn. It has a rechargeable energy shield that absorbs damage, meaning players can take hits without taking any damage, which is extremely helpful in combat scenarios.

Players won’t necessarily find this vital bit of kit easily. They will need to obtain 5 Power Cells to unlock this armor, before activating the outfit in the Ancient Armory, a feat which most will only complete late in the game.