Like weapons, the armor you can equip in Avowed isn't limited by the class you choose. Instead, you must consider the strengths and weaknesses of your build when picking the armor you'd like to don. Heavy armor prioritizes high damage resistance but reduces your base stamina, making it best for high-damage Fighter builds. Medium armor, as you might guess, strikes a balance between defense and stamina, forcing you to manage your health and attacks in equal measure. Finally, Light armor offers the least amount of damage resistance while giving the best stamina and Essence efficiency, sacrificing tankiness in return.

No matter which type of armor you pick, there are a few that stand out above the rest. Unsurprisingly, the best armor comes in the late-game, so you'll have to make do with the armor you pick up along your journey until you can reach these. However, that's not to say the armor found in the early and mid-games are bad, it's just that the Unique ones you can find later in the game are almost universally better.

10 Gambeson Of The Grand Empire

This Light Armor Offers Faster Gunplay

The Gambeson of the Grand Empire is a Unique Light with a 3% damage reduction boost alongside its main Enchantment, Greater Gunnery. Greater Gunnery increases your reload speed by 15%, allowing you to pump out damage even quicker than before. If you're running Light armor, you're likely also running a Blunderbuss over an Arquebus, so this bonus reload speed will quicken your pistol (or pistols) to pretty excellent speeds. For those who picked up some of the better early-game items, like the Caeroc's Pride pistol, this late-game armor will take those early-game weapons and allow them to excel even at late-game difficulty.

You can obtain Gambeson of the Grand Empire by completing the "Escape Plan" side quest in Dawnshore. Help Leoflaed and Glaedwine escape during this side quest, and then talk to them when you see them again at Thirdborn. They'll thank you for your help and give you the Gambeson of the Grand Empire.

9 Lava Forged Plate

For Those Willing To Take A Hit, This Armor Rules

The Lava Forged Plate armor is Heavy Armor with an awesome bonus: whenever you take a melee hit, you'll deal a burst of Fire damage in a moderate area around you. Additionally, it offers 45% Fire Accumulation resistance. You'll burn those around you while avoiding the damaging flames yourself, making this armor ideal for the magma crags of Galawain's Tusks.

You can get the Lava Forged Plate by finding it out in the Tusks. As you exit the cave-in south of Mt. Forja Quarry in the mines, jump over the lava to the platform to the right. Head all the way up the path here to find a chest which will contain the Lava Forged Plate.

8 Helwalker's Vestements

A Light Armor That Prioritizes Critical Damage

The Helwalker's Vestments are a Unique Light Armor with respectable base stats, but lower maximum Stamina and maximum Essence. The return, however, is that you get a 25% boost to melee damage, -50% damage reduction, and 50% critical hit damage with melee weapons, making this armor ideal for those who are playing fast-tempo melee fighters, using Daggers, Spears, and other quick melee weapons. Take advantage of your boosted crit chance while also being sure to avoid damage where you can, as this Light armor will provide very little protection against stronger enemies' hits.

The Helwalker's Vestments can be obtained in Galawain's Tusk, at the top of the Shrine of Galawain. This is the same place where you'll find the Hunstmaster's Spoils totem; once you pick up the totem, look to the right of it where you'll see an illusion that can be cleared away. There are three switches that you need to charge with electricity in order to move forward, in the following locations:

1. The first can be found by turning around, above the door that you just walked through.
2. The second is found after you drop down; look through the cracked gap in the wall to see the prompt to charge the lock.
3. The final lock is on the upper left side of the altar.

Once you charge all three, you can continue forward to find the chest containing the Helwalker's Vestments.

7 Necropants

These Fancy Pants Let You Summon A Spectre

Unlike other Unique armors in Avowed that give stat bonuses or elemental proficiencies, the Necropants have a more interesting Enchantment. Spectral Slave will allow players to summon a Spectre to fight alongside them. Not only will these horrible pants give you a cool boost to your fashion, they also come with a built-in friend and some bonus Poison Accumulation resistance alongside.

Like the Treasure Maps in Dawnshore, Scatterscarp has its own host of Unique treasures to find.

To find the Necropants, follow the Dead Man's Mail treasure map in the Scatterscarp region. From the Shark's Teeth Party Camp, head northwest towards the ruins of the tower nearby. On the right, there's a stone pillar that's fallen over, which you should use to scale the ruins on the right side of the path. Continue around the right side of this second level, then open the chest you find with a lockpick to find the Necropants inside.

6 Councilor's Garb

Light Armor Fit For A Politician

If you're looking to lean into a rogue playstyle, the Councilor's Garb is the one for you. A politician's armor being good for stealth makes you consider the politics of the Living Lands a bit closer, but no matter your Envoy's stance on the politics of the region, the Councilor's Garb will be a boon to those looking to avoid detection. You'll get a 50% damage bonus for your stealth attacks alongside some damage reduction, allowing you to attack from the shadows and then stay in the fight when you're found out.

To obtain the Councilor's Garb, you'll need to take down Councilor Kostya. These are his custom duds, so he's not going to part with them without a fight, but if you're ready for the fight, you shouldn't have too much trouble. After you defeat him in battle, you can grab his Garb and even his shoes for your efforts.

5 Wildwalker Armor

Take Elemental Damage And It On To Your Foes

The Wildwalked Light Armor has a fun effect: whenever you obtain an Elemental Status, the armor applies that status to all nearby targets. Additionally, the other Enchantment on the armor gives 20% Fire, Frost, and Shock Accumulation. This means you'll be able to take advantage of the elemental hits you take by ing the status on while also dealing a bit more damage than you received. While not getting hit is usually the best strategy for combat, the Wildwalker Armor changes that.

If you're looking for the Windwalker Armor for a build, or even just to offset some Elemental damage, you'll need to look north of the Enclosed Grove Camp in The Garden. Head north from the camp, using an ice spell to jump up onto the cave ledge to the right. Following this path will take you towards an illusory wall that you can dispel. On the other side is another small pool of water that you need to cross to reach the path taking you to the Wildwalker Armor chest.

4 Spiritmender

For Battle Mages, This Armor Will Be Essential

Spiritmender is an excellent Medium Armor that offers a truly powerful boon: you gain 100 Maximum Essence and regain 2% of damage dealt back as Essence. This means that not only do your Essence reserves get a significant boost, you also get some back every time one of your spells hits. For those who are running full Wizard builds, this boost to your Essence will allow you to stay in battle much longer without needing any potions to regain your Essence.

This armor, like the Windwalker Armor, can be found in The Garden. To the east of the Godless Shrine, head north through the water to find brush to be burned, then find a way up the ledge here where you'll see a skeleton with a full inventory. Pick up the stuff in its pockets, then move on to the strangled Adra ahead of you. Cleanse the Adra, then drop back down and return to the first pool of water you swam through. This time, you'll need to dive under to find a new path that's been revealed that leads to a cave.

Make sure you pick up the Sarcophagus Key from the skeleton. You'll need it to open Spiritmender's chest later.

through this cave, following the path on the left until you reach the Maegfolc Graveyard. Engage with or by the Spiderlings on the left, and continue on forward, turning to the left as you reach the ruins of crumbled statues and buildings. You'll enter a more intricate, less ruined area with some stairs on the left side; continue left up the stairs, then use the ledge in front of you to your right to climb upwards. Head up the stairs and take another left into the doorway, then follow the path down to make your way to the ground floor of the large chamber you find. At the bottom of the chamber, there will be a stone sarcophagus that you can open to find the Spiritmender armor.

3 Vailian Breastplate

The Fastest Armor In The Game With High Resist

The Vailian Breastplate gives you a 20% boost to movement speed and some additional damage reduction, making it one of the best armors for general builds in the late-game. While it lacks some of the specific boons of other late-game armor, its general bonuses make it great for hybrid builds that don't rely on any one thing. It can also be useful for Ranger builds that require extra stealth, giving you an easier time getting into cover before enemies can spot you.

To grab the Vailian Breastplate, you'll need to head to the Vidarro Family Mansion in Fiore mes Iverno of the Emerald Stair region. On the second floor, you'll find a bedroom containing various furniture. Check the top of one of the shelves for a chest which contains the armor.

2 Skald's Brigandine

Hold The Line To The Last Man

If you're a Fighter who refuses to give up, the Skald's Brigandine heavy armor is the set for you. This armor gives extra health regeneration when you have downed allies, boosting your recovery and allowing you to take more hits while you fight whatever enemies have defeated your party. It also gives a 20% bonus to your stamina regeneration rate, allowing you to barbarian rage your way through any battle.

To find this heavy armor set, you'll need to head to the Pargrun Cache. Inside, there's a gate that can be shattered with Frost damage, and a platform with four levers on the other side. Pull the center two levers, which will open a door to your right, then press the switch in the top left of the plate on the wall past the now-open door, then open the chest. The switch will reveal another room holding a chest and a key. Pick up the key and then head back out to the room where the levers were, this time cranking the winch on the platform. This opens a door on the ground floor; leave through the frost-shattered gate and drop down, finding the new door that you opened with the Skald Brigandine's chest inside.

1 Robes Of Suring Brilliance

Light Armor With Essence-Boosting Enchantment

These robes boost AoE damage by 15% and add 40 to your max Essence, making them great for any Wizard dealing with a large group of enemies. To find arguably the best Wizard armor in Avowed, complete the "Robe of the Arcane Cheater" treasure map, which takes you to the Ancient Lakebed in Shatterscarp. In the lakebed itself, there's a hole in the banks that you can enter into by dropping down from above. Once inside, you'll find the chest.