[Top 10] D&D Best Heavy Armor and How To Get Them.

Updated:

11 Apr 2022

The knight’s once glimmering plate mail now shines red with gore from the field of battle.

A dwarf champion strikes the wall with a loud thumb, his mind is jostled but all bones remain intact thanks to the protective layer of dwarf craftsmanship he wears like armor.

Clad in a complex mail of interlocking plates, the elven mage-warrior strikes a lethal dance as she fends off an onslaught of invading orcs.

Sturdy, expensive, and reliable. Heavy armor is one of the three types of armor characters can wear in 5th Edition Dungeons and Dragons.

Usually favored by Fighters and Paladins, heavy armor offers the highest possible base Armor Class (AC) out of all the types. Since it ignores the wearer's Dexterity bonus (or lack thereof), it is perfect for the immoveable object tank or the reliable bruiser.

Wearing the bulkiest, sturdiest set of armor is the way to go for heavy-armor users, for they count on its defensive properties to shrug off minor blows and survive the more lethal kinds of assaults.

Being set in a magical world, however, Dungeons and Dragons is packed with a treasury of wondrous items and legendary artifacts to spice up your games and dress up your band of heroes, so many it can be daunting to pick one from the other.

Worry not brave adventurer, for we have interviewed Tarfol Ironmane, the only surviving blacksmith of his clan to guide us and learn about the best heavy armors you can get!

10) Plate Armor.

With a requirement of 15 Strength to wear unimpeded, Plate Armor consists of interlocking metal plates to cover the entire body and a matching set of gauntlet, boots, and helmet.

Although mundane, Plate Armor is the best non-magical heavy armor a warrior can get their hands of, offering a base Armor Class of 18!

Why Plate Armor is Great:

With a base Armor Class of 18, you’ll shrug off most attacks from common enemies, meaning you can focus on your offensive as you can count on your armor to protect you.

Plate Armor details: https://roll20.net/compendium/dnd5e/Plate%20Armor#h-Plate%20Armor

9. Adamantine Armor.

Any medium or heavy armor can be fashioned out of adamantine, a rare metal famed for its hardness and endurance.

Armors made out of adamantine are often sought and sold at insane prices, for the protection they offer is just too good.

If you, our brave champion, wear a heavy mail of adamantine, any critical hit against you becomes a normal hit!

Why Adamantine Armor is Great:

When a creature scores a critical hit against you, all of its damage dice are doubled, potentially killing you on the spot. Now, even if you get hit, you can essentially guarantee that all damage taken will be normal.
Adamantine is one of the hardest substances in existence, meaning it can’t be easily destroyed or tarnished. This armor is made to last.

Adamantine Armor details: http://dnd5e.wikidot.com/wondrous-items:adamantine-armor

8. Armor of Invulnerability.

A legendary set of Plate Armors imbued with powerful defensive magic. It is said that those who wear it become next to invincible as no mortal blade can kill them.

…This is only half true. While attuned to this masterwork Plate mail, you have resistance to non-magical damage and can make yourself flat-out immune to it for 10 minutes once per day!

Why the Armor of Invulnerability is Great:

It says all non-magical damage; this means that even elemental damage such as fire or lightning is resisted as long as it’s not from a magical source.
This armor can grant anyone with the proficiency to wear it half of a Barbarian’s most famous feature and even better because you get an amazing AC of 18 to accompany it.

Armor of Invulnerability details: https://roll20.net/compendium/dnd5e/Armor%20of%20Invulnerability#content

7. Powered Armor.

Found in the Lost Laboratory of Kwalish, this suit of unusual plate armor has finely articulated joints connected by an oily, black, leather-like material and is made to resemble a muscular warrior.

Besides looking badass, this armor set is magical, granting a myriad of bonuses like +1 to AC, raising your Strength score to 18, and an advantage on death saving throws.

But wait, there’s more! By feeding it your life force or an alternate power source, you can unlock plenty more benefits like flying speed, laser beams, and more.

Why Powered Armor is great:

Do you like Iron man? This armor is the closest you can get to him without being an armorer artificer, and even they get jealous.
Wearing heavy armor usually comes with its downsides, the main one being a lack of versatility and mobility. By powering up this bad boy, you can completely get around that.

Powered Armor details: http://dnd5e.wikidot.com/wondrous-items:powered-armor

6. Plate Armor of Etherealness.

Suffused with eldritch runes of arcane power, while attuned to this set of Plate armor you can speak its command word to gain the effects of the Etherealness spell.

It might not seem like much, but this opens a whole world of 4th-dimensional options for your character, as you can now go through walls, ignore threats on the material plane, set up ambushes and so much more. Only your imagination is the limit!

Why the Plate Armor of Etherealness is Great:

One thing almost all plate-wearing characters are being clunky. By stepping into the material plane, you can not only turn into a master of stealth by disappearing, but you can also scout ahead and find invisible foes!

Plate Armor of Etherealness details: http://dnd5e.wikidot.com/wondrous-items:plate-armor-of-etherealness

5. Efreeti Chain.

Coming in hot into the list is an armor made out of hellishly hot, interlocking metal rings.

Efreeti Chain is a legendary, +3 chainmail that confers the wearer the ability to speak primordial, the ability to walk across molten rock, and even immunity to fire damage, one of the most common forms of damage in 5th edition DnD!

Why Efreeti Chain is great:

Heavy armor is usually tantamount to low mobility. Thus the ability to walk across molten rock while rocking a whopping 19 AC can greatly reduce the threat of fire-based encounters.
Fire damage is, as we said, one of the most common sources of non-physical damage in DnD. Becoming immune to it cuts down the list of monsters who can kill you by a lot.

Efreeti Chain details: http://dnd5e.wikidot.com/wondrous-items:efreeti-chain

4. Plate of the Dawnmartyr.

Found in the Tal’Dorei Campaign Setting, this blessed set of Plate Armor has more than divine enchantments to offer.

While it's initially a set of +1 Plate armor when a character accomplishes certain tasks the armor grows with them, awakening new powers like the ability to burn those who harm you and an even greater bonus to AC!

Why the Plate of the Dawnmartyr is great:

One of the greatest joys in D&D is leveling up, and an armor that grows with the character is more than memorable as you’ll incentive your players to follow those sweet plot hooks.

Plate of the Dawnmartyr details: https://criticalrole.fandom.com/wiki/Plate_of_the_Dawnmartyr

3. Last Stand Armor.

Found in the Explorer’s Guide to Wildemount, any armor can be this amazing +1 Wondrous Item.

A powerful bastion for a demon-slaying knight, this armor explodes when you die, banishing each celestial, fey, and fiend within 30 feet in a glorious burst of glory.

Why the Last Stand Armor is great:

Dying in 5th edition Dungeons and Dragons can be easily accomplished when you face demon lords and fey courtesans. This means that you can go in a blaze of glory, turning a moment of grief into an epic tale.

Last Stand Armor details: http://dnd5e.wikidot.com/wondrous-items:last-stand-armor

2. Mariner’s Armor.

One for the sailors out there. Any armor could become a Mariner’s Armor, although it's especially useful for the usually immobile heavy armored warriors.

In the 5th edition, fighting underwater has a set of complications that can only be circumvented by having a swim speed, which is exactly what this set of magical armor can do.

Why the Mariner’s Armor is great:

Underwater combat in dungeons and dragons can be quite a pain. Almost everything is at disadvantage, you can barely reach anything. A swim speed cuts down the hassle and makes you as capable underwater as you are out of it.

Mariner’s Armor details: http://dnd5e.wikidot.com/wondrous-items:mariners-armor

1. Obsidian Flint Dragon Plate.

Brought forth from the depths of Source: Baldur's Gate - Descent into Avernus, this set of legendary Plate Armor is worth bargaining your soul for.

Additionally, to being a +2 set of Plate armor, you gain resistance to poison damage and become incredibly difficult to grapple.

Why the Obsidian Flint Dragon Plate is great:

With a +2 bonus, this Plate armor has a base Armor Class of 20, making you exceedingly hard to hit.
Being grappled reduces your speed to 0, leaving you open to assault and disabling escape when you might need it. Becoming better at avoiding that can save your life repeatedly.

Obsidian Flint Dragon Plate details: http://dnd5e.wikidot.com/wondrous-items:obsidian-flint-dragon-plate