Whether you’ve just touched down on Hyrule and have your sights set on Lookout Landing, or you’ve been exploring for a while now, you’ll want to kit yourself out with the best armor for the quest ahead.

Yep, there’s no getting by in TotK without a strong set of armor – you know it, Link knows it, Zelda knows it… and by the Triforce, Ganondorf knows it, too!

Well, brave hero, we’re here to not only shine a light on the strongest, coolest, and most powerfully awesome sets of armor in Tears of the Kingdom… but to help you track them down, too.

Now, if only you had a weapon worthy of a hero to go with your new gear…

Armor sets in TotK

Tears of the Kingdom definitely has some pretty strong armor that’s not part of an armor set, but generally speaking, the best armor in this Zelda game is part of a set.

Most armor sets include three pieces of armor. Usually, wearing one piece of the set gives you a bonus effect, and wearing all three gives you a set bonus. Armor sets also usually gain an additional bonus if you upgrade every piece in the set twice, which makes these not only the best armors in TotK, but the ones most worth upgrading, too.

Before we explore the best armor in the game in more detail, here’s a quick overview of all the armor sets in the game…

Best armor in TotK

The best armor in Tears of the Kingdom is almost always situational. You know how “there’s an app for that”? Well, in this Zelda outing, make “there’s an armor for that” your motto.

Because the best armor really depends on what you’ve got to do and where you are in the game. We like to think this list leaves no stone unturned…

Best Early-Game Armor

Phantom Armor

Easily some of the coolest-looking armor in TotK (unless you’re going for a more traditional Link look), the Phantom Armor set comes with some rock-solid base defense stats… which is kinda needed, since you can’t upgrade it!

Throw in the Attack Up bonus it gives you, and that you can grab it fairly easily in the early game, and it’s hard to argue with the Phantom Armor as a contender for the crown of best early-game armor.

Location:

• Phantom Armor – the Tamio River Downstream Cave (east of Gerudo Highlands Skyview Tower, coordinates -2917, -0798, 0010)
• Phantom Greaves – Gerudo Desert, the Ancient Altar Ruins in the East Barrens area (walk into quicksand at coordinates  -2519, -3723, 0004)
• Phantom Helmet – Puffer Beach Overhead Cave, south of the Faron Grasslands (coordinates 0289, -3833, 0003)

Soldier's Armor

Not just another contender for best early-game armor, the Soldier’s Armor is also some of the best armor in TotK full-stop… well, when it’s fully upgraded, and based on raw defense stats only, that is.

Still, it’s easy enough to get early on and, unlike the Phantom Armor, you can upgrade it.

Location:

Head to coordinates -0329, 0799, 0076, by the Guard’s Chamber in Hyrule Castle, and gain access to the Royal Hidden Passage beneath the trapdoor. You’ll find all three pieces in the Soldier’s Armor set in this passageway.

Best Specialist Armor

Zora Armor

For all things swimming, no armor beats the Zora Armor set. A full upgrade takes its base defense up to a respectable 60, plus it’ll give you faster swim speed, the ability to swim up waterfalls (handy for bagging rare cooking ingredients).

Location: 

• Zora Armor – Give Yona an Ancient Arowana when she asks for it after you reunite with Sidon during the Sidon of the Zora quest.
• Zora Greaves – After completing the Sidon of the Zora quest, complete Yona’s side quest, A Token of Friendship. The Greaves are in a chest behind the waterfall after you beat the Stone Talus (coordinates 3586, 0247, -0103).
• Zora Helm – Follow Chroma and Khira’s The Never-Ending Lecture side quest back to the Floating Scales Island and explore the cave in the side of the island below you (coordinates 4096, 0527, 0586)

Glide Armor

When you need to be a leaf on the wind, there’s no better armor than the Glide Armor. Yes, this beast of a suit lets you glide without using stamina! Let that sink in for a moment…

Because, oh yeah, it also totally removes fall damage when you’re wearing all three pieces of the set. Who even cares what its defense stats are at that point, right?

Location: 

• Glide Shirt – complete the Dive Ceremony at Courage Island (coordinates -2213, 0935, 1640)
• Glide Tights – complete the Dive Ceremony at Bravery Island (coordinates 0228, 2014, 0758)
• Glide Mask – complete the Dive Ceremony at Valor Island (coordinates 4471, -0840, 2624)

Climbing Armor

A great armor set to grab early on, and consistently useful throughout the game. This armor will make climbing in TotK so much easier and less risky!

Location:

• Climbing Gear – North Hyrule Plain Cave (coordinates -1188, 0646, 0072), northwest of Lookout Landing and right of New Serenne Stable. Climb up through the cave, battle the Like Likes and Horriblin, cross the waterfall and you’ll find the Climbing Gear.
• Climbing Boots – Upland Zorana Byroad cave, west of Zora’s Domain (coordinates 2858, 0354, 0227). Follow the main path to the Climbing Boots.
• Climber’s Bandana – Ploymus Mountain Cave, east of Zora’s Domain (coordinates 3663, 0539, 0272).

Froggy Armor

The Climbing Armor will only get you so far, and it’s in those slippery moments under a Hyrule downpour or when you’re desperately trying to scale ice, that the Froggy Armor is the best armor around.

Location:

Complete the Potential Princess Sightings side quest for the Lucky Clover Gazette (found at coordinates 3257, 1763, 0119 in the Tabantha Frontier). This quest gives you 12 sightings to see, which only involves visiting stables. After 4 stables, you’ll get the Froggy Sleeve. After 9, you get the Froggy Leggings. And after all 12, you get the Froggy Hood.

You could argue that the Ember Armor is better for warm environments, but since the Desert Voe Armor gives you both heat and shock resistance, it wins our vote. Still, if you’re looking for the best offensive armor for those warmer climates, the Ember Armor is a better fit, so to speak!

Frostbite Armor

It doesn’t offer as epic cold resistance as the Snowquill Armor and its Unfreezable set bonus, but the Frostbite Armor is still the best for those cold weather quests. Defense becomes 48 with a full upgrade, and the boost to your attack power in cold weather more than makes up for the Snowquill Armor’s slightly better defense.

Location:

• Frostbite Shirt – Brightcap Cave in the Tabantha Frontier (coordinates -3006, 1617, 0195). Burn the brambles to reach the chest.
• Frostbite Trousers – Hebra Headspring Cave in the Tabantha Frontier (coordinates -2895, 2509, 0393). Climb into a hole in the ice wall to find the chest.
• Frostbite Headdress – Lake Kilsie Cave in the Hebra Mountains (coordinates -3930, 2860, -0015). Ride the wind and look for the destroyable wall to the side, the chest with the final part of the Frostbite Armor is behind there.

Strongest Armor

Zonaite Armor

This armor set ups the recharge rate of your Zonai energy cells, and gives a whopping 84 defense when fully upgraded. That makes the Zonaite Armor not only the best defense armor you can get in TotK, but one of the most infinitely useful, too, given how often you need to rely on Zonai devices in the game.

Plus it’ll make you look like some kind of Incan warrior Link, and that’s just cool AF, let’s face it.

Location:

• Zonaite Wasitguard – Zonaite Forge Island, East Necluda Sky (coordinates 2425, -1678, 1475). Use a Flash Fruit on the lava behind the Yansamin Shrine so you can Ascend to the chest with this armor in.
• Zonaite Shin Guards – Sky Mine, Akkala Sea Sky (coordinates 4490, 2102, 1155). Ride the launchers to the sphere, solve the puzzle, Ascend ontop of the now-rotating sphere, then glide around it until you spot the opening with the chest.
• Zonaite Helm –  Lightcast Island, Tabantha Frontier Sky (-3691, 1063, 1796). Follow the passage down, solve the light beam puzzle, defeat the Zonai Construct and use its Mirror Shield to reflect the nearby light onto the yellow hexagon – this unlocks the chest with the Zonaite Helm.

Fierce Deity Armor

It boosts your attack and pairs well with other armor, for those occasions when you don’t want to rock into battle with a full armor set. What more could you ask for? Technically you could choose the Barbarian Armor instead, as both armor sets give you the same properties, but given how unbelievably cool the Fierce Deity Armor looks (especially in comparison!), this armor is tough to beat!

Location:

• Fierce Deity Armor – Akkala Citadel Ruins, near the Domizuin Shrine. Look for the large central building, watch out for Gloom Hands, find the room with the cave entrance (coordinates 3290, 1490, 0414) and you’ll bag yourself this piece of the armor set.
• Fierce Diety Mask – head to Skull Lake, north of Death Mountain, west of Akkala Wilds, and dive through the “eye” of the skull (the right “eye” on the map). Prepare for some tough fights, then grab the chest and your Mask prize.
• Fierce Diety Boots – The west end of Hyrule Field – look for Mount Daphnes and the Ancient Tree Stump in the middle of the lake. Follow the root walkways along the water at the bottom of the cave, climb the mossy walls, hack some vines, and this reward is yours.

Best "classic Link" Armor