The best armor in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Finding the best armor in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is already hard enough. Considering how many options there are — and the vast difference across playstyles — it can be difficult to know exactly what to look for.

If you’re struggling with how you should kit yourself out, don’t fret, as we’ve collected the best armor in Tears of the Kingdom to prepare you for Hyrule’s biggest challenges. If you prefer offense over defense, we also have a dedicated page for the best weapons, all of which perfectly suit the options listed below. And remember: Once you’ve found what you like, don’t forget to upgrade your armor.

The best armor in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

At a glance, here’s the best armor in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom:

• Zonaite Armor
• Fierce Deity Armor
• Glide Armor
• Froggy Armor
• Miner’s Armor
• Climbing Armor
• Champion’s Leathers
• Phantom Armor

There are plenty of armor sets in Tears of the Kingdom. Different situations might demand specific bonuses over others, so it’s hard to pinpoint a singular set that covers all of your needs at once. That might sound like a boon, if you enjoy trying out different armor pieces, but it does mean the number of armor pieces to choose from can be quite staggering.

Our selections are based on a wide range of experiences, aiming to cover different scenarios depending on where you’re in the game. In some cases, you’ll need as much attack as possible to defend yourself, while in others, you might struggle to scale to climb up a hill under the rain. We’ve taken into consideration the bonuses of each armor, as well as a few standout set bonuses you achieve after upgrading all three pieces to level 2 at the Great Fairy Fountains.

Zonaite Armor

Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

The Zonaite Armor is one of the best armors in Tears of the Kingdom. This set, which sports a Zonai-inspired design, provides great aid for the use of Zonai devices, reducing the required energy cost. If you’ve been witnessing the community inventiveness, and the memes that came with it in awe, this armor is a key option to use when piloting your Zonai inventions for as long as possible.

Increasing your max energy cell capacity makes for a solid foundation. The Zonaite Armor adds synergy with that upgrade, making sure you’re consuming the least amount of energy possible.

Prioritizing the search for this armor will depend solely on how much attention you’re putting into Zonai devices. I recommend it as a late-game option, as tougher enemies will require different strategies (and more creative Ultrahand contraptions). Depending on the situation, wearing one or two pieces of the armor will be enough — mixing and matching with other armor pieces to use multiple effects will be fruitful.

For a step-by-step breakthrough on how to find the armor, head over to our Zonaite Armor location page.

Fierce Deity Armor

Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

The best defense? A lot of offense! The Fierce Deity Armor focuses on one crucial thing: increasing Link’s attack. The beloved set from Breath of the Wild is back, and remains as useful as ever.

There is a clear difference between wearing the full set as opposed to one or two pieces at a time, but if you’re facing enemies that attack with a specific element, mix-matching is more than encouraged. The Ember Armor and Frostbite Armor tend to make great companions.

Remember, a higher attack applies to multiple situations. You can be cruising the Depths with two parts of the Miner’s Armor and one from the Fierce Deity Armor in order to keep the path clear while also dealing more damage than usual, for example, and that’s just one scenario.

In case you’re wondering, yes, this set shares the same properties as the Barbarian Armor. Picking between the two depends on two factors: the different materials needed to upgrade each armor, and ultimately, which one you think looks best. (It’s this one.)

For a step-by-step breakthrough on how to find the armor, head over to our Fierce Deity armor page.

Glide Armor

Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

Skydiving is a task Link performs often in Tears of the Kingdom. The Glide Armor exponentially increases your diving mobility. When the full set is upgraded, wearing all three pieces will neglect fall damage entirely.

If you’re trying to reach a temple or a specific sky island after using a Skyview Tower, for example, it can be hard to actually reach the place safely without running out of stamina first. The paraglider, as helpful as it is, can only help so much in these scenarios.

Making use of increased aerial mobility is a huge difference. The full armor becomes similar to a jumpsuit, and with the set bonus, you’ll always stick the landing.

For a step-by-step breakthrough on how to find the armor, head over to our Glide Armor location page.

Froggy Armor

Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

Rainstorms in Hyrule always take place in the most unfortunate moments. If you’ve ever found yourself slipping from mountains and hills while climbing, the Froggy Armor is here to help by adding slip resistance with each piece. When the full set is upgraded at the Great Fairy Fountains, you’ll slip no more while wearing all three pieces.

Of course, this set is best used in the rain. That said, plenty of caves tend to involve waterfalls and pools of water, making any later climbs a challenge unless you have this armor. For either of these scenarios, if low stamina tends to be an obstacle for you, I highly recommend doing a mix-and-match between this and the Climbing Armor set.

For a step-by-step breakthrough on how to find the armor, head over to our Froggy Armor page.

Miner’s Armor

Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

The Miner’s Armor set provides a solid defense, but most importantly, makes you glow. With each new part you find, the beam of light emanating from him will only increase. While there are different ways to gain gloom resistance and fight back its secondary effects, the armor makes exploring the Depths a lot less daunting.

Here’s my broad recommendation: If you’re only going from point A to B trying to map the place, wear the full set. As soon as an enemy engages in combat, quickly pause and swap to some pieces from a different set. The Miner’s Armor pairs well with the Climbing Armor, especially since climbing trees and hills in the Depths has saved me countless times from being in contact with gloom-infested surfaces.

For a step-by-step breakthrough on how to find the armor, head over to our Miner’s Armor location page.

Climbing Armor

Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

The Climbing Armor is best found as early as you can in Tears of the Kingdom, not because it’s fit for novices, but because you should get your hands on it as soon as possible. The increase in climb speed has saved me countless times from falling down a cliff, providing that one more push I needed when my stamina was fairly low still.

In the late game, it remains as useful as ever, improving exploration exponentially. If you want to make the most of it, the set bonus decreases the stamina cost of jumping during a climb, which is a nice touch that brings the armor whole.

For a step-by-step breakthrough on how to find the armor, head over to our Climbing Armor location page.

Champion’s Leathers

Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

If you miss Link’s look from Breath of the Wild, the Champion Leather’s brings it back with some vital enhancements. While it might not seem out of the ordinary at first, as it’s only a chest piece with +5 defense, investing in it with upgrades and using the right weapon will unlock its potential.

The Champion Leather’s chest piece can gain up to 32 defense. For this, you’ll need access to all Great Fairy Fountains, and will need to obtain all four enhancements levels for it. The best part is that, since it’s only one piece, both the head and leg pieces of your choice will add to the already excellent 32-defense base.

Now, in a similar vein to Breath of the Wild, this armor piece also unlocks a “hidden” attack of the Master Sword. In essence, Link can’t throw the Master Sword. If you’re wearing the Champion Leather’s, however, the throw will produce beams from the weapon instead, which is great for dealing with enemies at a distance. (Note that, unlike Breath of the Wild, you don’t need to have full health in order to perform this special attack. But the more health you have, the longer the beam’s distance will be.)

For a step-by-step breakthrough on how to find the armor, head over to our Champion Leather’s location page.

Phantom Armor

Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

If you missed the Master Trials DLC of Breath of the Wild, don’t fret, as the Phantom Armor is back in Tears of the Kingdom. The set increases Link’s attack, and each piece adds 8 defense for a total of 24 defense. As such, this is a great option for the early game, as it’s fairly straightforward to get your hands on it.

Note that you can’t upgrade it in the Great Fairy fountains. This is the main reason why I’d separate this set from the Barbarian and Fierce Deity armor sets, as the lack of upgrades is a standout limitation.

In essence, I recommend the armor as a solid set for your first few dozen hours into the game. Once you start sensing that your current defense isn’t enough to deal with the greater threats across Hyrule, that’ll be the perfect time to switch things up.

You can find the Phantom Helmet in Puffer Beach Overhead Cave at the coordinates (0273, -3875, 0001), the Phantom Armor in Tamio River Downstream Cave at the coordinates (-2934, -0823, 0009), and the Phantom Greaves in the Ancient Altar Ruins of the Gerudo Desert at the coordinates (-2518, -3720, 0008), found by jumping into the sand hole.