The factor most players look at when deciding on an armor set in Elden Ring is how much damage the armor will protect against. Advanced players consider the amount of Poise a set provides, then the resistance if they plan to walk through a swamp.
But Poise, Resistance, and Damage Mitigation aren’t the only things that can make an armor set worthwhile. As well as some of the heaviest sets in the game, there are many unique sets with special effects that are worth wearing even if they don’t protect you.
Updated by Lucas Ellinas on April 15, 2023: Armor is one of the main tools in a Tarnished’s arsenal when roaming the lands between. And just like weapons and charms, there’s more to clothing than raw stats, such as providing cool effects with certain armor sets. This updated version of the list has been tweaked to include some unique additions worth exploring. It’s a great time to try something new, hoping the first DLC for the game arrives soon, and these armor sets could serve as the basis for a new build.
12 Duelist’s Set/Rotten Duelist’s Set
Both the duelist set and its rotten variant have the same effect as Shabriri’s Woe Talisman, making enemies more likely to target you instead of your allies. In most cases this is a disadvantage, but there are a few scenarios where it can work to your advantage. For example, you can get your partner’s attention in co-op or protect a fragile and high-damage Spirit Summon like Latenna.
Both sets consist of 3 pieces, each of which increases an enemy’s priority (the chest pieces only take effect when changed to remove the cloak). For the most part, they’re identical, with the Rotten variant trading slightly worse damage negation for improved resistances. The biggest difference is that you have to farm the duelist set that drops from the duelist guarding the royal capital Reidel’s Colosseum. Meanwhile, each of the three Rotten Duelist set pieces is guaranteed to drop, but you won’t get them until you reach the Sacred Snowfields, where you can find the Three Rotten Duelists.
11 Godskin Noble Set
The core of the Godskin Noble set is the Godskin Noble Robe, which is the chest part. Increases the damage of Noble Presence spells by about 20% when equipped. Noble Presence is far from the most powerful spell in the game, creating a shockwave that knocks small enemies into the air and inflicts a Blackflame damage debuff over time, but its large boost is hard to scoff at.
It’s far from the most versatile armor set out there, but if you’re planning on making your noble being an integral part of your build, the Godskin Noble Robe is a must-have. The full set can be obtained by killing the Godskin Noble guarding the path from the Karian Lab to the Sacred Tower in Lyurnia.
10 Guardian Set (Full Bloom)
There is nothing unique about the Guardian Set version that most players will come across. However, there is a certain variation of the chest piece that only drops from guardian enemies with large flowers on their backs.
Guardian Garb (Full Bloom) increases the amount Crimson Tear Flasks heal at the cost of reduced resistance to fire damage. It’s not as effective as the Crimson Seed Talisman, but switching to this set can be a useful trick if you need extra healing.
9 Deathbed Dress
When talking about sets with unusual effects, the Deathbed Dress is probably one of the first pieces of armor that comes to mind, despite consisting only of chest pieces. When worn, heals nearby allies for 2 health per second. It doesn’t work at all if you’re running solo, but it can heal other players when engaging in jolly co-op.
Also heals Spirit Summons. If you’re relying on tank damage for you while taking no damage, a dress can provide a passive alternative to casting healing spells. Appropriately, the death bed dress is found on the bed next to Lionel’s set in the same room as the Lower Capital Church Site of Grace in Leyndell, the royal capital.
8 Alberich’s Set
Alberich’s set is worn by Mad Tongue Alberich who invades you in Roundtable Hold. You won’t really get your hands on it until late in the game, where you can find it in the Fortified Manor in Leyndell, Royal Capital. The two Aberrant Sorceries (Trinket of Punishment and Trinket of Sin) in the Elden Ring are increased by 20% when the full set buff is worn.
These spells cause damage and bleed buildup at the cost of some of your health. Unfortunately, they are widely considered to be the weakest enchantment in the game, reducing the effectiveness of Alberich sets. However, both Aberrant Sorceries have received some pretty significant buffs in recent patches, so they and the set are worth another try.
7 Crucible Ax Set and Crucible Wood Set
These two sets are visually distinct, but are virtually identical in most other ways. There are some differences in their stats, but they can vary more depending on which one you choose. The Ax variant is dropped by Crucible Knight Ordovis at the end of Auriza Hero’s Grave in the Capital Outskirts, and the Tree variant is in a chest behind Crucible Knight Siluria in Deeproot Depths.
They both buff aspects of Crucible spells by about 4% for each piece they are wearing. Like Aberrant Sorceries, these spells aren’t particularly powerful, but they’ve been buffed and have the potential to become more viable.
6 briar set
Briar sets have the same effect as the Armor of Thorns in Dark Souls and Dark Souls 3, dealing little damage (2 damage per set worn) when rolling into enemies. In Elden Ring, this effect also applies to Quickstep and Bloodhound’s Step. On the surface, this effect seems minimal, but mostly it is.
However, the Briar set has some real usefulness. It allows you to finish off enemies hanging on to some health or kill pesky respawning skeletons. Unfortunately, these minor advantages may not seem worth it when you have to kill Briar’s Elemer in Shaded Castle to get them. However, if you do, you can buy his set from Enia in Round Table Hold.
5 royal relics set
Gideon Ofnir’s servant Ensha will invade you at the Round Table Fortress after you get half of the Haligtree Secret Medallion. Defeat him and you’ll be able to pick up the set of royal relics he’s been quietly reclining on in the game up to that point.
When below 18% health, the Royal Remains Set replenishes 2 health per piece worn. That’s often irrelevant since many enemies will kill you at that point. However, even a little healing can sometimes survive fatal damage. Also, if you run your build around the deadly sin of spell fire, the Royal Remains set will counteract that spell’s self-damaging effect and keep you alive.
4 omen set
For the set worn by the Loathsome Dung Eater, you will need to remove the Omen set from his corpse if desired. There are good reasons for doing so. In addition to providing adequate protection, the set also buffs the damage of Omen Bairn and Regal Omen Bairn items by a total of 20% when all pieces are worn.
Are these items okay? especially. However, combining the Omen set with other ways to buff divine damage can make it a viable offensive weapon, creating a unique playstyle.
three black knife set
The armor worn by Black Knife Assassins, the Black Knife Set’s draw is a chest piece that quiets movement. It can help you sneak up on people in PVP, but it’s also useful in PVE as enemies will have a much harder time detecting your presence. This can be especially useful when playing low health, high damage builds like sorcerers.
This set makes traversing Lands Between a much less stressful experience. You can also get a nice translucent hood and cape so your fashion will be on point. If that sounds ok, you can find the entire armor set of the dead Blacksword Assassin under the archway behind the Forerunner Village of Ordina.
2 magic sword set
The description of the Spellblade set states that it increases the power of magical skills. It does exactly that, but the wording can be confusing. The phrase “magic arts” has nothing to do with magic or spells. Instead, it refers to weapon skills that deal magic or cold damage, such as the Glintstone Pebble or Ice Spear Ashes of War.
However, while a Spellblade set may not work as you expect it to, it can still be very useful. Elden Ring has some very powerful weapon skills, and improving them by 8% is no small benefit. Getting the Spellblade set will take some time. After Rogier dies at the end of the quest line, it should be picked up from the balcony.
One raptor set
The Raptor’s Set is basically an updated version of the Bandit set, so it doesn’t have legs or gauntlets of its own. The skeletal mask, which is a helmet, has no unique properties other than appearance, but the black raptor feathers on the chest increase the damage of jumping attacks by 10%. These attacks already do a lot of damage, especially when holding massive weapons in each hand.
This effect also stacks with Claw Talisman’s effect, allowing for a combined 25% boost to completely obliterate enemies in both PvE and PvP. If you want to use this core component in several meta builds, you can find it in a chest hidden behind one of the many fantastic walls in Sage’s Cave, located on the western Altus Plateau.