Although fashion plays a huge role in Elden Ring, when it comes to a choice of armor stats, they are your ultimate indicators of what’s good and what’s not. In this guide, I’ll provide you with a tier list of the best armor in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, including tips on how to find them all.
Best Armor Tier List for Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree
SS-Tier Armor
Verdigris Armor Set
- Weight: 61.6
- Physical: 45
- Magic: 29.3
- Fire: 29.1
- Light: 31.6
- Holy: 28.9
The Verdigris armor not only provides the best physical defense in the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC but also in the entire Elden Ring game, trumping the previous best armor, the Bull-Goat set. This is also the heaviest armor in the game, requiring a maximum of the player’s strength to carry and use properly.
You can get this monumental armor by completing Moore’s quest, which can be found just outside Belurat, Tower Settlement. But I also discovered that after killing the Forager, Moore can invade and fight you. If you defeat Moore in this fight, then he’ll drop the Verdigris armor pieces.
S-Tier Armor
Solitude Armor Set
- Weight: 57.1
- Physical: 41
- Magic: 28.9
- Fire: 31.6
- Light: 29.3
- Holy: 30
If you’re not into ultra-heavy armor sets but still want the best protection possible, then the Solitude set would be the next best choice. This set has the best defense against striking physical attacks, and it’s got the highest Focus attribute, which protects you from such negative status effects as Sleep and Madness.
The only way to obtain the Solitude armor is to defeat the Knight of the Solitary Gaol. You can find this enemy at the Western Nameless Mausoleum, which is located west of the Gravesite Plain. While researching the matter, I discovered that the best way to defeat this optional boss is to use the Royal Greatsword imbued with the Wolf’s Assault ash of war.
Gaius’s Armor Set
- Weight: 44.3
- Physical: 34.5
- Magic: 29.8
- Fire: 29.2
- Light: 29.2
- Holy: 29.2
If the massive weight of the Solitude set still seems a bit too steep for you, then I definitely recommend checking out Gaius’s armor. The design may look a bit funky, but the stats are amazing, having some of the highest defense against slashing and piercing attacks, as well as resistance to such status effects as Hemorrhage and Frostbite.
Note that once you defeat Commander Gaius at Shadow Keep, he won’t drop the armor. To get it, you need to purchase three of the four pieces from Finger Reader Enia at Roundtable Hold after beating the boss and the final piece from the Wolf Rider at Albinauric’s Shack, north of Shadow Keep.
A-Tier Armor
Dane’s Armor Set
- Weight: 12.1
- Physical: 11.4
- Magic: 30.7
- Fire: 25.8
- Light: 27.4
- Holy: 30.7
If you’re specifically looking for armor with the highest magic defense, then there’s no better option than the Dame’s armor. I also think this would be the best et for a Wizard build, as it has top resistance against fire, lightning, and holy types of damage.
Fortunately, you don’t have to beat any bosses to get this armor set. You can find it in the world under the waterfall in the southern part of Bonny Village. Once you find a teleportation coffin in the Shadow Keep, which will take you to the Ruins of Unte, follow the cliffside downward path until you reach the bottom.
Young Lion’s Armor Set
- Weight: 35.7
- Physical: 36.7
- Magic: 27
- Fire: 27.9
- Light: 24.7
- Holy: 27.9
The Young Lion’s armor is basically an enhanced version of Radahn’s set from the base game. It’s also the best medium armor in the Shadow of the Erdtree due to its high physical defenses and Robustness attribute. But since it’s not very heavy, it can’t be as effective against slashing and piercing attacks as the other armor sets I mentioned above.
You can’t miss this armor, as it’s an integral part of the plot when you need to defeat the Promised Consort Radahn boss in the Enir-Ilim legacy dungeon. Note that you’ll be able to gain access to this dungeon only after beating Romina, Saint of the Bud, who’s located in the Church of the Bud.
B-Tier Armor
Ansbach’s Armor Set
- Weight: 13.9
- Physical: 13.8
- Magic: 26.7
- Fire: 27.6
- Light: 25.2
- Holy: 26.7
There are many cool armor sets in the game, but this particular light armor caught my eye due to having the highest Death Blight resistance in the DLC. In this regard, it’s very similar to Lusat’s set from the base game, although their respective designs are very different. In any case, Death Blight is a very dangerous status effect that can instantly kill you, so having this armor in your stash would be a good idea. To get this armor, you must complete Sir Ansbach’s questline outside Belurat, Tower Settlement.
Shadow Militiaman Armor Set
- Weight: 16.9
- Physical: 15.3
- Magic: 22.1
- Fire: 23.6
- Light: 23.6
- Holy: 19
Poison and Scarlet Ror are two of the most annoying status effects in Elden Ring. The armor dropped by the Shadow Militiaman enemies has some of the highest immunity against these particular effects. You can farm these enemies for their armor in various parts of the DLC, including Ellac River Cave, Shadow Keep’s Main Gate Plaza, and the Shadow Keep’s Storehouse.
That’s it for my tier list of the best armor in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree. Stay tuned for more ER tips and tricks articles right here.
