Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Best Armor For You

In Assassin's Creed Valhalla, you can find many different armor sets for Eivor, each of which provide different perks. In the following article, we list all of the different armor sets that you can find in Valhalla, and also let you know which will likely best work for your ideal playstyle. In total, there are nine armor sets in Valhalla. There are technically 10, but one is locked to a specific region of the game, so we're not going to count that one (we're also skipping over the armor sets in Valhalla's in-game store).

Along with the information for where to find every armor set, we've listed each one's unique perks as well. Every armor set comes with two perks. The first is applied provided you have at least two pieces of the armor set equipped, while the second is only applied if you have all five pieces equipped. To get the best out of your armor, it's worth equipping all five pieces--especially since the second perk in most armor sets is the better of the two. But, this also means you can mix and match to combine the first perk of two different armor sets to further refine your ideal loadout. For more tips, check out GameSpot's Assassin's Creed Valhalla skills and abilities guide, settlement building and management guide, and hidden quests and secret discoveries guide.

Raven Clan Armor Set

Decent all-around armor set with no clear strengths or weaknesses

Perks:

• Increase Armor the lower your health
• Additional increase to Critical Chance

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The Raven Clan Armor will be the first armor set available for you to complete--you automatically acquire all the pieces just by playing the first few hours of the campaign. It's also the only armor set that really doesn't specialize in any way. So it's not ideal for those looking to focus on one specific playstyle. Instead, its perks are geared towards overall survival and dealing more damage. Which, honestly, is never a bad thing. You could reasonably stick with this armor set for the full campaign and never go looking for anything else. But you're probably better off transitioning to something else once you start discovering your ideal playstyle.

Huntsman Armor Set

For range-focused builds, with an emphasis on fighting in the open

Perks:

• Increase Ranged Damage when hitting enemies further than 20m away
• Additional increase to Speed

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One of the earliest armor sets you can come across, the Huntsman Armor is scattered across the kingdom of Mercia, with the bracers, pants, and torso located in Grantebridgescire, and the cloak and helmet found in Ledecestrescire.

The Huntsman Armor is one of the two range-focused armor sets, so this is ideal for those looking to exclusively use their bow and nothing else. However, you only get a benefit towards ranged combat with the first perk. So really, the Huntsman Armor is a set that you ideally want to combine with another set in order to get the best out of ranged combat. Your best bet is probably mixing the Huntsman Armor Set with the Draugr Armor Set in order to add the perk of poison damage to your arrows (but you'll need to buy the Draugr Armor Set from the in-game store). If you do stick with this armor, unlock skills like Arrow Reinforcement, Bow Stun Finisher, and Charged Shot.

Hidden Ones' Armor Set

For range-focused builds, with an emphasis on stealth

Perks:

• Increase Assassination Damage when crouched and undetected for 10 seconds
• Additional increase to Headshot Damage

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One of the best armor sets in the game, the Hidden Ones' Armor Set is also one of the hardest to obtain. Each piece is found in a Hidden One Bureau, which are scattered throughout England. But since these bureaus are not marked on your map until you find them, this can be tricky. You want to specifically find the bureaus located in Ledecestrescire, Lunden, Essexe, Jorvik, and Glowecestrescire.

The Hidden Ones' Armor is, ideally, the armor set you want to have for a ranged build in the endgame. Having the full set gets you that increased headshot damage with a bow regardless of how close you are to your target, allowing bows to excel even while indoors. The Hidden Ones' Armor is also one of the best for stealth, giving you the option to use the hidden blade if you run out of arrows. Pair this armor set with abilities like Blinding Rush and Piercing Shot, as well as skills like Guided Arrow, Chain Assassination, and Stealth Recon to clear entire encampments without anyone being the wiser.

Magister's Armor Set

For melee and range hybrid builds, with an emphasis on playing in the dark

Perks:

• Increase Melee Damage at night
• Additional increase to Ranged Damage

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Another early game armor set, the Magister's Armor is scattered across two different kingdoms: Mercia and East Anglia. You'll find the bracers, pants, and torso in Oxenefordscire, while the cloak and helmet are found in East Anglia.

This is perhaps the worst armor set in the game--which is a shame because it looks really cool. You only want to find this entire armor set if you're a completionist. Otherwise, it's worth skipping. Granted, if you're not willing to pay for the Berserker Armor in the in-game store, then the Magister's Armor is likely the first armor set you'll find that boosts your melee damage. But it only does so at night, so unless you're willing to constantly meditate to speed through every day so that you're only playing during nighttime, it's just not worth it. There are so many better armor sets for people looking to deal more melee damage.

Galloglach Armor Set

For melee-focused builds, with emphasis on defense

Perks:

• Increases Melee Resistance when hitting enemies with finishers
• Additional increase to Melee Damage

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The Galloglach Armor Set is a mid-game armor set located in Mercia and Wessex. You can find the bracers, pants, and torso in Lincolnscire, while the cloak and helmet are in Essexe.

In terms of the armor sets that are geared towards melee combat, the Galloglach Armor is pretty bad. Like the Magister's Armor, you can skip this set. It's one noteworthy benefit is tied to finishers, a special animation that doesn't always occur when killing an enemy. Given how much this armor set depends on chance (or kiting a few enemies away from the overall group to do a finisher on one of them before engaging the main force), it's just not worth it.

Brigandine Armor Set

For melee-focused builds, with an emphasis on crowd-control

Perks:

• Increase Armor when surrounded by more than 2 enemies
• Additional increase to Melee Damage

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Perhaps the best armor set for players with melee-focused builds and who don't care for stealth or ranged combat, the Brigandine Armor Set is located in mid-campaign locations: the later areas of Mercia and early areas of Wessex. You can find the bracers, pants, and torso in Cent, while the cloak and helmet are hidden in Sciropescire.

The Brigandine Armor is perfect for players looking to just jump into the fray without the use of assassinations or bows to thin the herd. This makes it great if you want to use two-handed weapons that traditionally have wide swings and can deal with multiple enemies at once. So go ahead and ditch your shield for a two-handed weapon; you're getting more armor when you're surrounded anyway. If you really want the added protection of a shield, this armor pairs well with flails as well. Heavy Dual Wield, Parry Damage, Warrior Takedown, and Perfect Attack are all great skills to invest in with this armor set.

Mentor's Armor Set

For hit-and-run builds

Perks:

• Increases Attack after Critical Hits
• Additional Increase to Speed

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The other armor set that gives you Assassin's Creed's trademark beaked hood, the Mentor's Armor Set is much easier to find than the Hidden Ones' Armor. However, the Mentor's Armor is hidden in more endgame locations, with the pieces scattered among both Wessex and Northumbria. The bracers and torso are located in Suthsexe, the cloak and helmet in Snotinghamscire, and pants in Wincestre.

This armor set is for players who like to get in quick, deal some melee damage, and then get out of the fight to surprise attack again. Those who have found and enjoy equipping both Runes of Finesse (increase critical damage chance) and Runes of Perfection (increase critical damage) will love this armor set. Axes, claws, and light bows are geared towards doing critical damage, so this is not the armor set for you if you prefer to use other weapon types. Skills like Backstab, Sprint Attack, and Assassin's Cantrip are what you want to unlock to get the most out of the Mentor's Armor.

Thegn's Armor Set

For critical damage-focused builds

Perks:

• Increase to Critical Chance when parrying
• Additional Increase to Critical Damage

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The pieces to the Thegn's Armor Set are scattered all over England, so you probably won't find all of them until later in the game. You can discover the bracers and torso in Eurviscire, the pants in Glowecestrescire, and the cloak and helmet in Wincestre.

This armor set is even more focused on dealing critical damage than the Mentor's Armor--it's all about dealing huge amounts of damage as quickly as possible, ending fights with a quick parry and a mighty follow-up. Unlike the light Mentor's Armor, the Thegn's Armor's higher defense and heavier weight make it more ideal for extended fights as opposed to quick, hit-and-run tactics. This is the armor for players who want to dual wield axes and claws, relying exclusively on parrys for defense instead of shields or dodging. Because Eivor is a bit slower with this armor set, having abilities that help with crowd control, like Mark of Death and Man's Best Friend, are ideal. Unlocking the Damage Parry skill is pretty handy too.

Thor's Armor Set

For stun damage-focused builds

Perks:

• Increased Speed when stunning an enemy
• Additional increase to Stun

Here it is. The hardest armor set to earn in Assassin's Creed Valhalla. The pants, torso, and bracers are held by the three Daughters of Lerion, who are some of the hardest bosses in the game. You'll find the two weaker ones in Grantebridgescire (Goneril is power level 90 and Regan is power level 110) while the strongest sister is in East Anglia (Cordelia is power level 340). Killing all three gets you their daggers, which allows you to unlock a tomb in East Anglia, where you can find the helmet. And then there's the cloak--to claim it, you'll have to track down and kill all 45 members of the Order of Ancients. Trust us, that takes a lot longer than you think.

The effort is worth it though, as Thor's Armor Set is powerful. It's ideal for players who like wielding shields or (obviously) hammers, as both are good for dealing stun damage. Rush & Bash is a pretty good ability to have for Thor's Armor set, and you should also consider unlocking the Battleground Bolt and Sprint Bash skills.