Best Early Elden Ring Armor Sets (2024)

There are hundreds of different armor sets, weapons, and skills available to players in Elden Ring. These are often catered towards different playstyles and have unique stats that can help bolster a player's attacking or defensive capabilities. These armor pieces can be found around the Lands Between as drops from a mob or in chests.

The early game is often the most difficult stage in FromSoft titles as players have to learn the mechanics and deal with challenging mobs without having any decent armor or weapons. Obtaining great armor in Elden Ring helps more than other FromSoft games, but don't forget about finding the best possible weapon as well.

Updated June 6, 2024 by Erik Petrovich: In searching for the best early game armor Elden Ring has to offer, players are likely to run into bits and pieces of a lot of sets, but few full armor sets – unless you know where to look. Not all of the best early armor Elden Ring players can find will work for every build, though. You'd be hard-pressed to justify equipping the Scaled Set on a Prisoner character who hasn't leveled up their Endurance, for example. This guide to the best Elden Ring early armor has been updated to include two new great early game sets – the Astrologer Set and the Spellblade Set – which are more oriented for players who want to keep their weight as low as possible without completely tanking their defensive stats.

12 Astrologer Set

The Astrologer Set is one of the best early armors Elden Ring players can use to keep their weight at Light or Medium with heavy weapons equipped. Though it doesn't boast the Physical defensive properties of other best Elden Ring early game armor sets listed here, it doesn't weigh as much and offers higher resistances to elemental and special damage types.

Plus, it's very easy to get – if you have the Runes.

How To Get The Astrologer Set

The Astrologer starting class begins with this armor set by default, but other players will have to find it out in the world. The Astrologer Set location is near the entrance to Liurnia of the Lakes from Stormveil Castle (not the shortcut in Stormhill). Exit Stormveil, then head down the path, past the church housing Thops, and continue past the Raya Lucarian Soldier camp to the water's shore.

You should be able to see a Merchant's campfire near a Site of Grace from a long distance away. Head towards this merchant to find each piece of the Astrologer Set in his inventory – a hood, robe, gloves, and trousers. All pieces cost a combined 4,500 Runes to purchase.

11 Spellblade Set

The Spellblade Set is the armor set worn by Sorcerer Rogier, and like the Astrologer set it offers very low-weight equipment and great bonuses to Magic, Fire, Light, and Holy damage negation, as well as great Focus and Vitality stats – especially compared to other great early game Elden Ring armors.

It's also one of the most stylish armor sets in Elden Ring, featuring an adorned wide-brimmed Witch hat and a yellow-and-teal jester-like chest, hands, and legs pieces. And Elden Bling has to count for something.

How To Get The Spellblade Set

The Spellblade set is, sadly, only available once Rogier has died. It is not possible to hurt Rogier during his first encounter in Stormveil, and of course he cannot be hurt while inside Roundtable Hold. Instead, you must continue his questline and defeat Shardbearers until he suddenly begins to give into the Deathroot afflicting him. Return to his corpse in Roundtable Hold to get his full armor set and Rogier's Rapier +8, a decent early-game thrusting weapon.

10 Twinned Knight Set

The Twinned Set is the armor worn by D, Hunter of the Dead, and gives huge defensive buffs at the cost of weight and appearance. There's something both classical and metal about a suit of armor that depicts its wearer and another as one, but having a whole body jutt out of the side won't be everyone's cup of tea.

Where To Get The Twinned Knight Set

The Twinned Knight set can be acquired soon into the game as long as players head towards D, Hunter of the Dead and Summonwater Village from the start. Defeat the Tibia Mariner, then talk again to D in Roundtable Hold to continue his questline. As players continue his questline, D will eventually ask the player to return a dagger to Fia, and after talking to both back and forth, his armor – the Twinned Knight set – drops upon completion of his quest.

9 Kaiden Set

The Kaiden are the sellswords and horsem*n that players encounter all across the Lands Between, notably found very soon into Limgrave at the bridge that crosses just north of Lake Agheel.

These horsem*n drop not only their Nordic-looking armor set, but also their gigantic curved swords, and makes for decent defenses from the outset of Elden Ring.

How To Get the Kaiden Set

The Kaiden Set only drops from these Kaiden Sellswords, which are found primarily in Limgrave. Consume a Silver-Pickled Fowl Foot, but it can take a good while of farming thanks to the RNG element involved. The set is comprised of a helmet, chest, wrists, and legs.

8 Knight Set

If you can only afford to buy one piece, go for the armor, as it provides better defenses than the other Knight set pieces. Plus, it's not a bad look, despite being very basic. The Knight Set is an early game armor Elden Ring makes available to all players as soon as they reach Roundtable Hold.

Where To Get Knight Set

In the hallway to the left of the balcony, just a stone's throw from Gideon Ofnir's study, players can meet the Twin Maiden Husks, a motionless NPC who sells basic items. They accept Bell Bearings to increase and expand their stock, but you don't need any Bell Bearings to get what might be the best early game armor Elden Ring offers every Tarnished.

The entire set will cost a few thousand runes – the Helm, Greaves, and Gloves all cost 3000 each, and the Armor costs 4,500, for a total of 13,500 Runes to purchase all four.

7 Scaled Armor Set

The Scaled Armor Set has some of the highest defensive stats of any heavy set, but be sure to plan out your route to get this Elden Ring armor set early. The Scaled Armor set isn't found quite as early as the Knight Set, in fact the only way to get it is through the questline in Elden Ring's Volcano Manor.

Though this tends to be encountered around mid-way through the game for most players, completing Rya's short questline in central Liurnia can get you there faster.

Where To Get Scaled Armor Set

After retrieving her necklace, Rya will meet the Tarnished at the entrance to teh Altus Plateau and teleport them directly to Volcano Manor. Here, the quest can be started, and the Scaled Armor set is rewarded for slaying the first target.

Found just northeast of the Gatefront Ruins, near the coliseum-like structure, players will find an invasion sign for Old Knight Istvan. Killing this NPC both progresses the Volcano Manor questline and rewards his entire set. This is true for every Volcano Manor target - if the player kills their mark, they get their clothes.

6 Vulgar Militia Set

The Vulgar Militia Set can be reached quite early in the game from the Third Church of Marika. While certainly not the best early game armor set in Elden Ring, this set prioritizes Immunity bonuses which can be really helpful for avoiding poison damages against Elden Ring's most annoying enemies.

Where To Get Vulgar Militia Set

Players should look to get this set if they are aiming to explore the world before going through the story. There are plenty of better armor sets around that the Vulgar Militia set should be replaced with when possible.

5 Lionel's Armor Set

The Lionel's Set has some pretty decent starter defenses to physical damage, particularly against Slash and Pierce damage, and serves well early in the game if players can adjust to its weight.

Like with most early armor sets the player should look to replace this set with a better one as soon as possible - particularly one that's less heavy. It has a Robustness of 99, which can be really helpful for new players when first starting out, though.

Where To Get Lionel's Armor

Lionel's Armor can be found near the Site of Grace in the Lower Capital Church in Leyndell. The chest piece will be on a bed. Players can get here straight away but keep in mind that there will be a lot of different trash mobs around on their journey to the location unless the player uses Elden Ring mods to make the experience easier.

4 Godrick Soldier Set

The Godrick Soldier Set is one of the best armor pieces to get in the early parts of Elden Ring and can be picked up relatively easily from the start. It provides basic stats, high in weight but good on defense, and can stick with players long past Limgrave. If the player kills enough Godrick Knights, they will eventually get the armor pieces for the Godrick Soldier set.

Where To Get Godrick Soldier Set

In Limgrave, the player will come across the Gatefront Ruins, which is a way to Stormveil Castle and the Stormhills that houses many Godrick Soldiers and a giant. Be careful when tackling this Godrick soldier party, as playing Elden Ring like Dark Souls isn't always the way to go and they will certainly kill you if you get too bold.

Heading east, there is a set of ruins made up of lots of Godrick soldiers and a particularly troublesome knight. As with any drop-rate-reliant piece of equipment, use Silver-Pickled Fowl Feet to increase your chances of items dropping, or level Arcane to achieve the same effect.

3 Banished Knight Set

While a bit weightier than the other ideal early-game armor sets, this set has 39.3 Physical Damage Negation and works well as a buffer against Magic damage too.

Nevermind its impressive stats in the early game, the Banished Knight set looks stylish, too, giving some much-needed Elden Bling to an otherwise samey lineup of equipment at the start of the game.

How To Get The Banished Knight Set

The Banished Knight Armor set is obtained from killing the same Banished Knight repeatedly in Stormveil Castle.

The Banished Knight is not particularly difficult to defeat and if the player is struggling they will likely need to get a better armor set by the time they're at Stormveil Castle. Stormveil Castle hides many secrets and treasures including some awesome side quests.

2 Royal Remains Set

This set buffs HP, replenishing it slowly giving the player added sustained capabilities during a fight which helps players who like to solo boss fights and dungeons. The set also has an aesthetically pleasing design with a skull-like helm that helps strike fear into the hearts of the trash mobs found in the Lands Between. It is very lightweight (25.3 weight) and grants impressive Damage Negation and Resistance.

How To Get The Royal Remains Set

The Royal Remains Set boasts some impressive stats, but can only be obtained after completing a short quest in the Village of the Albinaurics and its follow-up event. Players can access the Albinauric Village early by skipping Stormveil Castle entirely – something new players may not know about Elden Ring is that much of the game can be skipped, intentionally so, to encourage exploration.

After finishing up here, and talking to Albus, return to the Roundtable Hold to face off against a surprise enemy who will drop the set in their normal spawn location when defeated.

1 Carian Knight Set

The Carian Knight Set set is the best early armor in Elden Ring players can obtain if they are going for a low-weight but reliably-defensive build. Its 23.5 weight means that players will still be able to dodge and roll in fights without being impeded, and it has some decent Damage Negation and Resistance stats that help to level the playing field while traversing the Lands Between.

How To Get the Carian Knight Set

The Carian Knight Set can be found in the graveyard of the Academy of Raya Lucaria, and doesn't require beating any bosses, making it suited to early-game players who are struggling. However, players shouldn't get too confident with the lack of a boss battle, as there are more enemies here than meet the eye. The graveyard is right at the start of the Raya Lucaria legacy dungeon, but enemies won't just let the Tarnished waltz by.

Elden Ring

Platform(s)

PS5 , Xbox One , PS4 , Xbox Series X , Xbox Series S , PC

Released

February 25, 2022

Developer(s)

From Software

Publisher(s)

Bandai Namco Entertainment , From Software

Genre(s)

RPG , Action

ESRB

M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence