Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild became a milestone in the Zelda franchise. It upended the established formula and incorporated many incredible innovations that elevated the game beyond its predecessors. One of the many innovations introduced in Breath of the Wild was the inclusion of different armor sets.
While the concept of Link donning different outfits for different benefits isn’t a new concept to the Zelda series, Breath of the Wild took the concept to a whole new level. Armor sets could offer unique advantages, be upgraded, and could be mixed and matched with pieces from other sets. While every set had its use, there were several that stood out from the rest.
10 Become The Shadows With The Sheikah Suit
The Sheikah set looks like the garb from the Sheikah clan. True to its name and design, it provides a major boost to Link’s stealth. When worn, the armor set helps to dampen the amount of noise Link makes while sneaking and increases his movement speed at night.
While the Sheikah set is perfect for sneaking past enemies and nighttime missions, it provides very little defense for Link, each piece only adding 17 points to his defense when fully upgraded. With its enormous boost to stealth, the Sheikah set is excellent for sneaking into corners of Hyrule and finding all its hidden secrets.
9 Dive Beneath The Waves With The Zora Set
Fashioned after the aquatic Zora people, the Zora set gives Link an edge when taking to the water. Swimming in Breath of the Wild slowly depletes Link’s stamina, and he’ll drown if his stamina gets used up while below the surface. The Zora suit helps prevent this by decreasing the amount of stamina Link uses to swim.
Besides helping Link swim more efficiently, the Zora set has a fair amount of defense, going from adding 3 defense per piece to 20 points per piece. For aquatic adventures, there’s no better armor than the Zora armor.
8 Live Amongst The Stalfos With Radiant Armor
The glow-in-the-dark Radiant armor set looks like an outfit worn by a wrestler, but at night, it glows to reveal a skeleton pattern across the armor. This pattern gives Link the ability to walk amongst Breathe of the Wild's skeletal enemies without being attacked.
In addition, bone weapons deal more damage while Link wears the Radiant set, making it good early in the game when better weapons are harder to get. The set also gives Link a decent boost to his defenses, going from granting 3 to a 20 when fully upgraded. This armor makes traveling across Hyrule's open world at night less of a hassle while lighting up that same night sky.
7 Travel The Frigid North With The Snowquill Set
Extreme temperatures in Breath of the Wild can be deadly. The moment Link starts sweating or shivering, players need to solve the temperature problem, or he’ll start taking damage with death soon to follow. When traveling around the coldest places in Hyrule, the Snowquill armor set is a perfect choice.
When worn, Link becomes resistant to the cold and immune to being frozen. The Snowquill armor offers the usual middle-of-the-road defensive bonus, each piece going from a small bonus of 3 to a larger bonus of 20 once it’s fully upgraded. Aside from its function, this armor set also looks great, helping Link avoid dying an embarrassing weather-based death.
6 Beat The Heat With The Desert Voe Set
Anyone who’s played Breath of the Wild will probably be familiar with the Gerudo armor set as it’s necessary to progress the main story, but the Desert Voe set is arguably the superior armor set in terms of stats. It provides Link with a strong boost to his defense while also adding a few extra resistances for good measure.
When worn, Link becomes resistant to hot weather effects, and he becomes resistant to electric attacks. This is especially useful as electric attacks can cause Link to drop his weapons, meaning the Desert Voe set packs a nice one-two punch of stats and buffs.
5 Walk Through A Volcano With The Flamebreaker Set
When it comes time for Link to visit the Gorons, their home on Death Mountain will prove difficult to reach due to the intense heat created by its volcanic setting. When Link finally reaches Goron City, he can get the Flamebreaker armor set, which gives a standard defensive boost.
In addition, the important armor also allows Link to walk across the volcanic landscape of Death Mountain without suffering damage. Even outside of Death Mountain, the Flamebreaker armor set is perfect for traveling through the Breath of the Wild sandbox.
4 Carve Through Foes With Barbarian Armor
For anyone looking to battle their way through hordes of monsters, the Barbarian armor set is the best choice for them. While it doesn’t provide a much higher defensive bonus than most other armor types, it provides a boost to Link’s attack.
The Barbarian set decreases the amount of stamina used when Link does a charge attack. When it comes to fighting large groups of enemies, there’s no substitute. The Barbarian set lets Link use his spin attack for a longer period of time and hit many enemies at once, thanks to the reduced stamina usage.
3 The Hero Of The Wild Set Is Link’s True Armor
For those looking to adventure across Hyrule in the traditional green garb of the hero, the Hero of the Wild set is the perfect armor. It provides a decent defense boost but adds a particularly interesting ability as well.
When Link is wearing the full Hero of the Wild set, beam attacks from the Master Sword go farther than ever before. With this, Link can carve through enemies without having to get close. He can also use the Master Sword’s signature ability without having to worry about getting hit and losing it.
2 Fight Like Hyrule’s Military With The Soldier Set
The Soldier set is a suit of armor designed to look like the armor worn by Hyrule's guards. As such, it provides one of the highest defensive bonuses in the game. Without upgrades, each piece of this armor set provides a 4-point bonus to defense. When fully upgraded, each piece adds a whopping 48 points.
While the Soldier set provides a high bonus to defense, it doesn’t do much else. With a lack of other stat boosts, this armor won’t be useful for long, but the massive defensive bonus is useful for surviving Hyrule's harsh landscape.
1 Boldy Take Down Guardians With The Ancient Set
Everyone knows the terror guardians inflict in Breath of the Wild. Extremely powerful, fast, and difficult to kill, these automatons can kill Link with a single shot from their laser. The Ancient set remains the perfect suit of armor because the full set grants resistance to the guardians’ attacks.
Additionally, the armor set increases the power of various ancient weapons that can be found throughout Hyrule, which are already quite strong. The armor set even provides a decent boost to Link’s defense. All of this together makes the Ancient armor set the strongest armor set in the game.