Best Armor Sets For Melee Builds

In Elden Ring, players are called the Tarnished, but that doesn’t mean they have to look the part. And while the game somewhat encourages that by mostly presenting players with Salvation Army duds, there are still numerous second-hand armor options that look great for melee characters.

All of them help players achieve or become a part of the true endgame in Elden Ring: Elden Bling. It’s where the most stylish and most glamorous of Tarnished gather which may or may not result in fight clubs or spiteful PVP, but hey, at least you look good while blaspheming or ganking others.

Updated September 26, 2024, 2024 by Erik Petrovich: When it comes to the best Elden Ring armor for Strength builds, there are lots of highly defensive options in the base game that look great, but the DLC didn’t introduce much that stands out in particular. That is, except for one of the best Strength armors Elden Ring players can acquire: the Divine Beast set. The head piece to this set boosts two relevant stats at minimal cost, but to get it, you’ll have to get to nearly the end of the Elden Ring DLC. This guide to the best armor Elden Ring players can get for their melee build has been updated with this new DLC set, as well as some new details for all other sets.

19

Divine Beast Set

Boosts STR, DEX, And Storm Damage

Though most of the best melee armor sets Elden Ring players can get have a high weight and defensive properties, the Divine Beast Set
is particularly good for players who want to keep their Equip Load low. At a Light Equip Load your Dodge Roll becomes improved with more i-frames and a longer distance, so having less defense can actually mean taking less hits – especially when one takes Scadutree Blessing bonuses into account.

The main draw of this set over other melee build armor sets in Elden Ring is its bonuses to Strength, Dexterity, and Storm-type spells and attacks. It does come at the cost of a slightly reduced Flask of Crimson Tears healing, and slightly lower Focus, but it’s a handy boost if you don’t plan on getting hit.

The Divine Beast armor set is also particularly good for Rune Level 1 builds, though it does require getting to the final zone of the DLC.

Divine Beast Set
Location

To get the Divine Beast set, Elden Ring players must defeat Divine Beast warriors near the end of the DLC, in the final location unlocked after defeating Messmer the Impaler. These are very strong enemies, and they are few in number, so this set is relatively hard to farm efficiently.

18

Cleanrot Set

Great Style & Resistances

Particularly in the early and middle portions of the players’ journey, the Cleanrot is a great set for safeguarding the Tarnished in a number of ways. The armor offers solid defense and resistance to Hemorrhage and Frostbite and can absorb both physical and elemental damage quite well.

It’s fairly versatile and well-rounded, making it a good option for beginner melee brawlers. Moreover, it’s just a “clean”, elegant set to admire while also striking a rather intimidating appearance with its rugged-knight mail design. It certainly helps that it’s fairly easy to get compared to some of the more exclusive sets that offer similar protection.

Cleanrot Set
Location

To get the Cleanrot Set, you must farm Lesser Cleanrot Knights in Caelid, specifically in the Heart of Aeonia and in the Aeonia swamp in general.

17

Lionel’s Set

One Of The Highest Poise Sets In The Base Game

Sure, it may look a bit ridiculous, but looks can be deceiving — and this “robust” set from Lionel the Lionhearted makes this point emphatically. It’s also on the heavy side, to say the least, yet it’s worth the extra load, given its solid nature and great damage reduction as well as unshakable poise.

In fact, it’s so good in this area, that players can often attack right through certain enemy hits without being set back. Gamers will want to take the time to seek it out within the Lower Capital Church, which also yields a Site of Grace, where players hauling this heavy armor can get some brief respite.

Lionel’s Set
Location

To get Lionel’s Set, you must go to the Lower Capital Church Site of Grace in Leyndell, and look on a bed in a nearby room within the same building for the armor set.

16

Malenia’s Set

Now You, Too, Can Cosplay The Goddess Of Rot

While it’s a rather lightweight set, Malenia’s lavish armor can be surprisingly effective even for more melee-focused fighters. Players will still want to tread somewhat carefully when in close combat, though the solid Robustness and excellent Immunity (108) more than make up for any lack of poise or vitality.

In fact, weighing in its strengths, Malenia’s Set is one of the best armor sets in the game as a whole statistically. Provided players are fine with a little bit of risk with close-up brawling, this is a great (and flashy) set that offers several defensive and resistance benefits. It’s certainly solid given its lightweight nature.

Malenia’s Set
Location

To get Malenia’s Set, you must purchase each piece for a total of 56,000 runes from Enia in Roundtable Hold after besting Malenia and turning in her Remembrance of the Rot Goddess.

15

Tree Sentinel Set

An Ornate Set That’s Hard To Get

Players get a glimpse of one of the best and most stylish heavy armor sets in the game as soon as they step into Limgrave. The Tree Sentinel actually has a good armor set but sadly, he doesn’t drop it. Players will have to head over to Auriza Heroes Grave in Altus Plateau and destroy the Chariots in order to get this armor.

The effort is well-rewarded though since the Tree Sentinel armor has about the same defensive stats and poise as Radahn’s Set. It’s also bulky yet glamorous as it’s also one of the few armor sets in the game that looks well-kept and maintained.

Tree Sentinel Set
Location

To get the Tree Sentinel Set, you must go to the Auriza Hero’s Grave and break the Chariots, all three of them Once destroyed, the Tree Sentinel set should automatically be added to your inventory.

14

Raptor’s Set

Boosts Jumping Attack Damage

The Raptor’s set is a considerable upgrade from the default Bandit’s set worn as starting armor by the Bandit class. It’s more special, however, as the body armor, Raptor’s Black Feathers, enhances jump attack damage by a noticeable amount.

Furthermore, this buff stacks with the Claw Talisman for an even bigger jump attack increase. So it’s pretty much a build-enabling armor set, especially for those that use twinblades or dual greatswords (or heavier). The defensive stats are decent enough and the style is impeccable.

Raptor’s Set
Location

To get the Raptor’s Set, you must head to the Sage’s Cave in the Altus Plateau and look behind an illusory wall to find two chests that contain the Skeletal Mask and the Raptor’s Black Feathers, the two unique pieces to this set.

13

War Surgeon Set

Part Of A Nutritious, Balanced Bleed Build

Ever wanted to have revenge against Varre’s creepy, judgmental kind? Well, apart from killing them, one can also wear their clothing as some kind of trophy. It’s not half-bad. The War Surgeon Set is dropped by the invaders in Mogwhyn Dynasty Mausoleum’s bloody lake. They look like Varre.

The set itself is unimpressive when it comes to defense by the helmet or mask gives a good damage boost for Bleed builds. The mask gives a buff to Attack Rating once it detects a nearby Bleed proc. Players can even trigger this themselves using the Seppuku Ash of War.

War Surgeon Set
Location

To get the War Surgeon Set, you must go to the Mohgwyn Dynasty Mausoleum and be invaded by Nameless White Masks in the central pools. One of these invaders will drop the entire set.

12

Fire Prelate Set

Highest Fire Resistance

Those who wear the Fire Prelate set likely won’t do so for style. It’s more likely that the Fire Giant or some fire-breathing dragon is starting to get on their nerves. Because this armor set is a desperate countermeasure against fire damage.

It boasts the highest fire resistance in the game and the difference compared to other sets is significant, meaning the fire damage mitigation is a lifesaver here. Apart from that, the poise is one of the highest in the game.

Fire Prelate Set
Location

To get the Fire Prelate Set, you must defeat the Prelate in Guardian’s Garrison in Mountaintop of the Giants, or farm it from any other Fire Prelate enemy – like the one outside the Giant-Conquering Hero’s Grave.

11

Malformed Dragon Set

A Bizarre Set With High Resistances

Apart from fire, lightning is another damage source that’s frequently dealt by dragons, especially in late-game. Enemies in Crumbling Farum Azula also love to use lightning against players. So to counteract these cretins, the Malformed Dragon Set is the second-best option.

The best is the Bull-Goat set, but that thing weighs a ton and the lightning mitigation isn’t that much higher. The downside, of course, is that it looks like a misshapen dragon egg so like the Fire Prelate set, this is also another desperate but effective attempt to survive certain bosses.

Malformed Dragon Set
Location

To get the Malformed Dragon Set, you must defeat the Draconic Tree Sentinel world boss standing outside the entrance to Maliketh’s boss arena, at the very end of Crumbling Farum Azula.

10

Black Knife Set

Silences Movement For Stealth Builds

It’s not the best armor set for defending oneself, but it excels in one thing: making assassin-type builds stabbier. Because the Black Knife armor piece has a passive effect that silences movement sounds be it running or walking. This reduces the need for Dex-builds to sneak with caution.

It also presents many opportunities for players to assault enemy placements where they can always open up combat by sneak-stabbing the toughest enemy. In PvP, the utility is less pronounced due to more vigilant players, but it still lets the wearer occasionally catch a poor bloke off-guard.

Black Knife Set
Location

To get the Black Knife Set, you must find it in Ordina, Liturgical Town – both the location of the secret entrance to the Haligtree, and the home to a number of invisible Black Knife assassins. Enter the Evergaol to find these assassins and get the set.

9

Blaidd’s Set

Don’t Worry – You Aren’t Wearing “His” Head

Dark Souls games and Elden Ring owes a significant amount of their atmosphere to Kentaro Miura’s Berserk, so it’s only fitting to have a proper homage. That came in the form of Blaidd himself and his armor set which looks surprisingly close to Guts’ Berserker armor.

Blaidd’s set might disappoint those who crave more poise or meat-head stats as the armor is quite light and only has medium defense values. Still, think of that as more allowance for Colossal weapons especially since this armor is best paired with a greatsword.

Blaidd’s Set
Location

To get Blaidd’s Set, you must complete Ranni the Witch’s questline, then return to the Three Sisters to find Blaidd gone mad outside of Ranni’s Rise. Defeat Blaidd to get the Armor and the Sword. The Wolf Head armor piece can be found behind Seluvis’ Rise on top of a wall.

8

Royal Remains Set

An Amazing Set For RL1 Runs And Beginners

Drinking HP Flasks in the middle of combat is often attributed to some unfortunate deaths both in boss fights and invasions. A player might need every edge he can get to avoid that and to squeeze in some advantage and speaking of edge, there’s nothing sharper than the Royal Remains Set. The armor piece gives consistent but slow HP regeneration when worn.

It’s Ensha’s armor which he broodingly flaunts like a cool teenager outside of Gideon Ofnir’s room. Players can get this one automatically since sooner or later in their playthroughs, they’ll happen upon a hostile Ensha in Roundtable Hold. Turns out he wasn’t so cool, after all.

Royal Remains Set
Location

To get the Royal Remains Set, you must defeat Ensha after he invades you in Roundtable Hold. The invasion will trigger upon your return after getting your first Great Rune.

7

Hoslow’s Set

Among The Best Elden Bling, And Decent Stats Too

Typically, the most defense-heavy armor sets in the game look like wart clusters covered in chrome or brass. So for those who want maximum style points and to die beautiful deaths, then the medium-heavy armor class gives that best balance. And the best armor in this category is Hoslow’s Set.

Players have already seen it before worn by the uptight and pompous Hoslow. Turns out he has a brother who has the complete armor set along with the helmet. It’s arguably the most gorgeous armor design in the game and the best part is that it can be rare either because Juno Hoslow is a tough fight or because it’s easy to mess up the Volcano Manor quests.

Hoslow’s Set
Location

To get Hoslow’s Set, you must progress the Volcano Manor questline until you get the contract for Juno Hoslow. Defeat Juno in the Mountaintops of Giants to get the armor set.

6

Crucible Axe/Tree Set

The Ancient Set Of Godfrey’s Soldiers

It’s not hard to covet the Crucible Knights’ armor since they seemingly have infinite poise and even the very first Crucible Knight in the Stormhill Evergaol is tough as nails even in NG+. Luckily, players can obtain their armor through those locations above.

However, don’t expect to have the same poise as these guys. The Crucible Set’s poise barely reaches 70. Even so, it’s a great all-around armor set as it covers all bases from physical to elemental and even works well for magic damage. As an added bonus, it’s also quite stylish.

Crucible Axe Set
& Crucible Tree Set
Locations

To get the Crucible Axe Set, you must beat the Crucible Knight Ordovis duo-encounter in the Auriza Hero’s Grave. To get the Crucible Tree set, you must defeat Crucible Knight Siluria in the Deeproot Depths.

5

Scaled Set

Found Early And Remains Great Until Endgame

The corroded and barnacle-infested look might not be for everyone, but the Scaled Set’s defenses and weight, as well as poise make it one of the most well-rounded armor sets in the game. It can even be better than the Crucible Sets in some aspects of defense.

The armor is also a good piece for Elden Bling mix-and-matching since the armor piece has a cape and has a default unobtrusive knight armor appearance. Replace the helmet with an altered Banished Knight headpiece and it looks even better.

Scaled Set
Location

To get the Scaled set, you must complete the first contract for the Volcano Manor. Pick up the first contract to be guided to defeat Old Knight Istvan near the colosseum in Stormhill.

4

Banished Knight Set

Great Looking, But Hard Set To Farm

The Banished Knight armor set is a special one since it can be difficult to obtain and getting all the pieces is based on luck. It’s also one of the few heavy armors in the game that doesn’t look like a neglected cast iron pot.

The armor also has two variants, both of which can be considered for the usual Elden Ring Elden Bling needs.

The helmet comes with a lovely generous placement of plumes for the altered version or a hood for the original version. The best part is that no defense is sacrificed despite the style.

Banished Knight Set
Location

To get the Banished Knight set, you must defeat Banished Knights around Stormveil Castle, or in Castle Sol in the Mountaintops of Giants. This is a chance-based drop, so be sure to pop some Silver-Pickled Fowl Foot items to increase your Item Discovery first.

3

Radahn’s Set

Amazing Defenses Beneath Locks Of Red Hair

General Radahn is supposedly the best warrior in Elden Ring and sure enough, his boss fight involves several great warriors ganging up on him since even Malenia couldn’t bring him down. So no one expected his armor set to disappoint but even then, it still wowed many.

Because for some players, Radahn’s Set is quite possibly the most balanced out of all the armor. It gives 60 poise and a ton of damage mitigation. Compared to other heavy armor sets, Radahn’s set is still relatively light.

Radahn’s Set Location

To get Radahn’s Set, you must first defeat Starscourge Radahn. Then, head back to Roundtable Hold to purchase each piece of this set from Enia for a total of 36,000 Runes.

2

Veteran Set

An Amazing Endgame Set With High Defenses

Tired of getting flinched by dogs and rats all the time? Then make sure to have a proper countermeasure in the form of the Veteran Set. It gives a whopping 70 Poise if the set is worn full and has one of the greatest defense stats to boot.

The armor is bulky, of course, both in looks and in weight, but it’s both a trophy and a defense boost since Niall can be a difficult boss due to his summons. In any case, one can’t go wrong with Niall’s armor. It has a cape and the gauntlets fit in well with other sets.

Veteran’s Set
Location

To get the Veteran Set, you must head to Castle Sol in the Mountaintops of Giants and defeat Commander Niall. Then, head back to Roundtable Hold to purchase each piece of this set from Enia for a total of 18,000 Runes.

1

Bull-Goat Set

The Most Defensive Armor Set In The Base Game

Want something heavier and heftier than even the Veteran Set but doesn’t look ridiculous unlike Lionel’s Set or at least looks somewhat decent compared to Dung-Eater’s Set? Then the Bull-Goat Set is the best choice in that regard.

Again, it’s easy to miss this armor since it requires a specific set of triggers in the Volcano Manor but the effort is worth it. The armor boasts a whopping 100 poise and is one of the highest physical damage mitigation in Elden Ring. The ridiculous giant ram horns somewhat ruin the Elden Bling potential for the armor but that’s easily excused since those who wear this will usually be the last ones standing.

Bull-Goat Set
Location

To get the Bull-Goat Set, you must progress Patches’ questline in Volcano Manor until he asks you to defeat Great Horned Tragoth.