The 5 Best Armor Sets In The Game (& 5 Worst)

When it comes to gaming, the look of player armor is key, especially among RPG enthusiasts. Many expected Dark Souls 2 to have beautiful gear that made gamers feel at home. Instead, Dark Souls 2 took a hard left turn as far as this franchise goes. Players either loved looking like a mix-and-match puppet or hated sacrificing looking good for better statistics.

The sets were better off taken apart and used individually, which made all of the min-max players look like they got dressed after a romp through the dumpster of a Spirit store after Halloween. Other gamers sacrificed the best stats for using a whole armor set to look cohesive. This article compiles the results of the discovery process in the field of which sets worked and did not work, both visually and functionally.

10 Drangleic Mail

• Dropped by Captain Drummond in the Memory of Vammar.

This is one of the heavier sets without being Harvel’s set, but the weight is not as big of an issue when looking at the overall defenses you’ll get. This set excels in physical defense of all kinds, with a decent enough elemental defense to hold its own when necessary.

While definitely heavy, it won’t reach the heights of other options on this list, meaning you can still dodge with a high enough endurance to make up for the lack of elemental defenses. It doesn’t have Curse of Petrify defense, so it won’t be a permanent armor set, but another great option for a mid-game build.

9 Llewellyn Armor Set

• Given by the Chancellor at the entrance of Dranglic Castle after the Giant King is killed.

The Llewellyn Set is easy to get as long as you know where to go after being a mandatory story boss. While it’s not as good as the other late-game armor sets you’ll be finding around this point in the game, the weight makes it one of the best options.

This set has one of the best weight-to-protection ratios in the game and also has very strong elemental defenses on top of the already decent physical defenses. This armor set also doesn’t have a helmet, giving some freedom to cover a specific damage type with another helmet.

8 Alonne Captain Set

• Players will first have to defeat none other than Sir Alonne himself. After besting him, Magerold of Lanafir in Iron Keep sells the complete set for 74,000 souls. Some players have managed to get a piece to drop from Sir Alonne himself as a phantom, but this is widely considered a glitch.

No, the set does not have any pants. Or shoes. Or gloves. There are only two pieces to this set, with your best option being to fill out the rest of the set with the basic Alonne armor pieces dropped off the basic enemies found throughout the Iron Keep.

Aside from the pieces looking great with those dueling dragons, they are actually quite transferrable. The stats are fantastic, so players can use their favorite equipment in other slots and still look phenomenal in the torso and head.

7 Aurous Set

• The first and most common way to get the armor is to get it to drop off of Rhoy the Explorer in Grave of Saints. However, there is a secret way to acquire the armor. Spent 15,000 in souls from Maughlin the Armorer in Majula, then come back completely broke. He’ll gift the player the armor to his best customer.

This heavy-looking armor set is surprisingly mobile. The Aurous Set is well-rounded on defense and stands up strong against the most evil characters in the franchise, it’s a tempting choice for all players who come across it.

The invisible set is very easy to come by, giving players an easy way to get a powerful armor set early in the game. While it doesn’t hold up to options later on this list, the ease of getting it secures its spot on the list.

6 Jester’s Set

• Sold by the merchant to the right of the main entrance of the Iron Keep.

By far the lightest armor set on this list, the Jester’s Set also looks the most interesting. The Jester’s Set specializes in elemental defense while sacrificing overall physical defenses. This armor set is meant for the more experienced player who is capable of dodging big swings from physical weapons and wants to focus on the faster-moving magic spells.

The light weight of this set makes it easily useable by just about any build, while still letting them move quickly and dodge easily. It’s also best to mix and match this set with other pieces of armor to capitalize on its elemental defenses while still getting some physical defense elsewhere.

5 Heide Knight Set

• The pieces of this gear are dropped from the knights of the same name. There are three locations where the knights appear: the Forest of Fallen Giants, the Lost Bastille, and the Shrine of Winter. To farm the complete set, use the Bonfire Ascetic to potentially reset the spawns.

This is perhaps the most iconic armor in Dark Souls 2 and rightfully so. The imagery is that of a white knight, shot by arrows, and pressing on despite the pain. If that’s not a metaphor for the gameplay of this franchise, then nothing is.

When it is located, the player will notice a huge boost in defensive capabilities immediately. Two different helmets have the “Heide” label, so be ready to customize with anything that drops off of the other tough DLC bosses.

4 Raime’s Set

• The entire set is sold by the merchant at the entrance of the Iron Keep after the Fume Knight is defeated.

Raime’s Set is one of the harder sets to come by since it’s obtained so much later in the game than most of the other sets, hence it’s lower position than its stats dictate. This set overall has some of the best stats, blending physical defense with just about all elements.

This set also has one of the highest bleed resistances in the game and is not very heavy compared to how high its stats are. While it will be a while before you can get this set, it’s more than worth the effort.

3 Faraam Set

Being the poster child for the game, the Faraam armor set is one of the better options in the game. While it may not have the best overall stats of other armor sets on this list, it’s not nearly as heavy overall and can be worn as a good intermediate armor set before moving on to another option on this list.

For those focusing on a more agile play style, this armor set is a good goal to aim for that will still offer decent defensive stats while still letting you move quickly. While not as versatile as other options on this list, this armor set is good for those focusing on medium armor over heavy.

2 Havel’s Set

• The Forgotten Key in the Black Gultch opens several doors that are critical to the mission, but one of the most important doors is in the Gutter. Make way through a room of vases toward a clay door. The armor is inside.

Sometimes players have a build that demands the biggest, heaviest armor in the game to protect the best classes in the game. When they finally acquire it, they hold their breath in anticipation. With a whole character build revolving around this armor, it can be incredibly powerful.

Luckily, there is fantastic news for the tanks out there, Havel’s Set is statistically just fine and its look really reflects the style of play. With extra chains dangling from all over the place and a sleek polish, no gamer will be disappointed with this walking cannonball.

1 Vengarl’s Set

• Talk to Vengarl’s Head in the Shaded Woods until it has no dialogue options left, it will then yield the helm.
• The rest is dropped off of Vengarl’s Body, located by the bonfire beyond The Dear Duke’s Freja’s boss room.

Thanks to the underground nature of some of the optional bosses in the series, getting through the game is a grimy experience. So it helps to have a roguish look; someone who isn’t afraid to get dirty and slimy. It’s even better when these smudges and smears can enhance the effect of grime.

Vengarl’s Set can be fairly heavy to wear, but overall the physical defense makes it more than worthwhile. This armor set also has decent elemental defenses, making it one of the better overall options on this list, and should be worn if you have the carrying capacity.

Below are some of the lesser armor sets in Dark Souls 2 that should be avoided when found.

Smelter Demon Set

Any fan of the game knew it was only a matter of time before this entry came up. And here it is, the infamous Smelter Demon Set. The statistics are horrible despite being so heavy, and overall it’s not even worth the effort to use. The Smelter Demon set is only purchasable after defeating an optional boss that many players may accidentally skip over, while also having a very high cost in souls for something you shouldn’t even use.

Brigand Set

Ever love the way that the character fights the best bosses in the game, but wish they had a piece of gear that makes the elbows look fluffy and massive? No? Yet some designers saw fit to grant that unwished wish. The elemental defense is poor and, for being medium armor, the physical defense is on par with some of the lighter armor sets in the game.

Gyrm Set

The Gyrm set focuses almost purely on defense and is almost not worth using as many enemies in the game will start using elemental damage or status effects to get the upper hand. This set would be a great option at the very beginning of the game, but since it takes so long to get it’s obsolete before you even get your hands on it. It feels so absurd to wield the game’s best bows while wearing this monstrosity.

Lion Mage Set

Like most of the go-to options for a mage, this set offers little to no physical defense and only decent elemental defenses. Other robes like these offer much higher elemental stats along with the lightweight, making this one of the more useless options outside of its unique look.