On your quest to link the fire or whatever the story is supposed to be, the player quickly discovers that the world of Dark Souls 3 is a treacherous one. Around every corner lurks something that want to stab you, crush you, or kill you in some other terrible manner. Even other players seem to have it out for you.
So, if your bound to fall prey to such dangers you might as well look good in the process. Here are a few armor suggestions that will help you look good and maybe help you survive an extra hit or two. However, a word of warning for the Ashen one.
Armor is not as important or as powerful in Dark Souls 3 as it is in the first dark soul’s game. So you shouldn’t expect a godlike boost to your defense. The Ashen one will literally only survive and extra hit or maybe two. Especially in PVP. So, as you push forward on your journey, I recommend just swapping out your equipment for whatever looks best.
If you are looking to survive that extra hit there are a few important factors to keep in mind
Be mindful of your build and playstyle. If you want to dash around your enemies or plan on using skyscraper sized swords, it’s not always an option to wear the super heavy Smough’s armor set.
These concerns mainly centers around encumbrance and roll speed. The player characters movement and roll speed changes depending on their encumbrance.
When a character has under 30% encumbrance, they have max movement and roll speed. Between 30% and 69.99% your character has average movement and roll speed. 70% to 99.99% your character is basically a sitting duck. Past 100% encumbrance the ashen one’s armor acts like concrete in a cartoon preventing him from moving at all.
5. Faraam armor set
Armor of a god
The Faraam armor item description claims that this armor is named after a god of war. This is very likely referencing the nameless king who is almost certainly Gwyn’s son and one of the hardest bosses in the game.
- Why it’s good
- Good medium armor
- Flashy
- Good defense
Armor Details
This late game medium armor is one of the most interesting looking in the game while still having decent stats.
While its defense will not save you in PVP you may hold on by the thread in PVE depending on your adversary.
How to get
The Faraam armor can be purchased from the Shrine Handmaid but only after defeating one of the three NPS that bar the ashen one’s passage near the top of the Grand archives. And it has to be the one wearing this armor.
4. Brigand armor set
Armor of a Brigand
The armor’s eastern traveler look is a unique one in the game. It is reminiscent of the red guard armor in Skyrim. Not inspiring however is the fact that the prior owner of this armor was likely killed in combat. Possibly by the lady armed with the butcher’s knife found guarding the set.
Why it’s good
- light weight
- get early in the game
- Great to mix and mash with other armor
Armor Details
The benefits of the brigand armor are of the same vein as next set on this list the black leather. Only without the connection to such a well-known NPC. It is very lightweight and is one of the earliest sets in the game. It is also much easier to get than the black leather.
How to get
The brigand armor is an early game armor that can be found in the road of sacrifices one of the earliest and easiest areas in the game. The only real obstacle is an angry red NPC that guards the set and a bridge at the end.
3. Black leather armor
Armor of a lovable, despicable scamp
The Black leather armor is the armor of the notorious Patches known for backstabbing (or kicking in some instances) the player character. Patches has been seen in several other FromSoftwares titles.
Why it’s good
- Light weight
- Doesn’t take to0 long to get
- Great to mix and mash with other armors
Armor Details
The Black leather armor is not the flashiest set in the game but a great early to mid-game set. get armor if the player wants to stay under the 30% encumbrance and just can’t invest points into vitality.
This set is also great to mix and mash other equipment with to achieve the required build.
This Armor also doesn’t have a helm so the player can equip whatever they want to fit their defense or style needs.
How to get
This armor can be bought from Patches after doing his questline. If you don’t want to go through the hassle or don’t like how he tricked you, you can just kill him pick up his ashes give them to the shire maiden. Then you can buy the armor from her.
2. Havel armor set
Armor of a betrayed hero
The Havel’s armor set is a classic dating back to the era of the first darks souls game, where this set of armor terrorized players after venturing into a locked tower.
Why its good
- High defense
- High fire resistance
- Has some poise
Armor Details
This is a late game armor with one of the highest fire resistances in the game. A factor which could come in useful against the final main game boss the soul of cinder.
It has one of the highest overall defenses in the game only rivaled by black iron armor and Smough’s armor. The Ashen one could mix and mash these sets to get the highest possible defenses.
This set also has massive encumbrance requirements. So maybe use a lighter weapon or wear it on new game plus unless you have crazy high vitality.
How to get
This armor can be found in Archdragon Peek a secret area in the game. Past the last bonfire by the corpse of a wyvern. Kill the guy wearing this armor and claim it as your own.
1. Exile armor set
Chunky armor
The Exile Armor is one of the earliest heavy armor sets in the game making it more accessible throughout playthroughs than a lot of other sets.
Why it’s good
- Some of the best overall defenses in the game.
- It out paces other armor sets around its weight in defense, such as Gundyr’s armor set.
- The exile armor set has greater accessibility than other heavy armor sets with more realistic state requirements than something like Havel’s or Smough’s.
Armor Details
It also has a cape which always gives it a few brownie points. Set fleshes out the Abyss Watchers lore a little bit more. If you can afford to wear this armor it is a great set you can get before even battling the abyss watchers.
How to get
This set can be purchased from the shire maiden after defeating the two NPCs outside Farron keep. They both use huge strength weapons and serve as a mini-boss but are well worth the few deaths a new player will certainly suffer.
Notes
A few honorable mentions would be the Symbol of Avarice, Armor of Thorns, Crown of Dusk, and Undead Legion.
The symbol of avarice is the ultimate farming headpiece that drains your health by boosting item drop rate and amount of souls to earn. To get it get lucky killing a mimic or throw an undead hunter charm at one.
The Armor of Thorns does damage when you roll into an enemy while also looking like the monster from Hyperion. It can be obtained after killing the invader kirk in the cathedral.
The Crown of Dusk boosts magic damage so it can a worthwhile piece of equipment for intelligence builds. It can be found in Farrown keep.
The undead legion armor set lets you play as one of them. It can be purchased after defeating the abyss watchers.
My personal favorites are fallen knight set, and sage’s big hat. Both are found in the first half of the game and look awesome.
So, Ashen ones don’t give up and go hollow. Put on the fanciest hat you can find or lightest armor and go forward. Break the cycle of fire or something.
