Top 10 Best Heavy Armor Sets in Baldur’s Gate 3

10. Rippling Force Mail

This is one of those BG3 heavy armor sets that isn’t flashy but gets the job done well between Act 1 and Act 2. You’ll find it in a chest on the second floor of Dammon‘s forge in Last Light Inn. It has a decent AC rating of 17, but whenever you take physical damage, you get a stacking damage reduction buff. I combine it with the Adamantine Shield and the Heavy Armor Master feat to make myself a mini Barbarian.

9. Armour of Persistence

For some reason, Baldur’s Gate 3 doesn’t have the Dodge action that confers Disadvantage when you’re attacked. This was a superb action when dealing damage was less important than tanking for the round.

The Armour of Persistence gives you a free at-will casting of Blade Ward and Resistance, where the former can pseudo-fulfill that Dodge action role with damage resistance. There are better options for your main tank, but this is a neat one you can get on your off tank from Dammon in Baldur’s Gate Act 3.

8. Flawed Helldusk Armour

You’ll get the Flawed Helldusk Armor set by bringing Dammon at Last Light Inn a piece of Infernal Iron. Disregard the Flawed prefix, though. We’ll get that fixed later down the line. For now, this heavy armor set gives you constant fire damage retaliation. Foes take fire damage each time you’re hit. It’s like a mini Fire Shield spell that you don’t have to cast — and it’s permanent.

7. Dwarven Splintmail

Straight-up Ability Score increases are rare in BG3. Most magic items simply set your score to a specific value. The Dwarven Splintmail is one of the rare magic items that increases your Constitution by +2. Any class can appreciate this, and I find it especially useful on Clerics, giving you that extra boost for maintaining Concentration, for example, the Spirit Guardians spell.

You also get a small boost to Strength checks and saving throws, as well as a hefty AC value of 19. It’s sold by Lann Tarv in Moonrise Towers when you ask for additional support in searching for Ketheric’s relic.

6. Cerebral Citadel Armour

As you progress through the later parts of Baldur’s Gate 3, you’ll notice quickly that AC matters slightly less than failing a saving throw against being possessed, charmed, paralyzed, frightened, etc.

The Cerebral Citadel Armor found in the Emperor’s Hideout under Elfsong Tavern helps with this greatly. It both makes you immune to being Frightened and gives you +1 on all mental saving throws. You do need to be infested by a mind-flayer tadpole to use it, but this is a common affliction, as we know.

5. Reaper’s Embrace

So you tanked up with high AC and physical and elemental resistance. You feel pretty safe. Then a random goon pushes your tank in a hole on Tactician and insta-kills them because you got unlucky and failed a Shove check. Feels bad, man.

This is where the Reaper’s Embrace comes in, dropped by Ketheric Thorm, to make you immovable by any spell or action with its Reaper’s Rigidity. It also has a neat Howl of the Dead action that offers AoE crowd control. It also reduces all damage by 2. That Persian messenger should’ve been wearing this when he came to Sparta.

4. Blackguard’s Plate

Remember how we discussed the negative effects of failing Wisdom or Intelligence saving throws? Well, the Blackguard’s Plate Heavy Armor set will give you advantage on Wisdom saving throws, allowing your frontliners to rest a bit easier in the vanguard against mind-affecting spells. It’s dropped by That Which Guards in the Bhaalist Crypt, so it’s another incentive to go to that hellish place.

3. Emblazoned Plate of the Marshal

Speaking of Fire Shield with the Flawed Helldusk, it’s one of the best spells in the game for melee characters. This BG3 Heavy armor set gives it to you for free, plus 19 AC. Cast the spell and each attack against you will send 2d8 fire or cold damage back at your foe. It’s Perfect for multi-attacking enemies.

2. Adamantine Splint Armour

This armor takes the second spot not just because of its neat tanking abilities, but because its power is accessible early in Act 1. Still, its abilities aren’t too shabby compared to the Emblazoned Plate and Helldusk. It offers that damage reduction we like when stacked with the Heavy Armor Master feat.

Furthermore, whenever attackers miss you, they get a stacking reduction to their attack rolls, so they’re more likely to miss again. Plus, you’re immune to critical hits, which are brutal on higher difficulties. All you have to do to get it is reach the Adamantine Forge in Grymforge while picking the Splint mold, conveniently located right before the forge.

1. Helldusk Armour

This is the stronger version of the Flawed Helldusk Armour you get from Dammon in the Last Light Inn. It’s found in the House of Hope and dropped from Raphael. Not only does it have the highest AC rating (21) in the game, but it also comes with a slew of extra benefits.