Elden Ring Armor Tier List: Light, Medium & Heavy Sets Compared
In Elden Ring, armor is more than just a fashion statement—it can define your build’s survivability, poise, and mobility. With dozens of sets scattered across the Lands Between, players often find themselves debating which type of armor is best: light, medium, or heavy. While your playstyle ultimately determines the right fit, this tier list offers a breakdown of some standout sets across all categories to help you make an informed choice.
Light Armor: Mobility First
Light armor is ideal for players who rely on speed, dodging, and maintaining stamina. Though it offers minimal protection, it enables the fastest roll and quickest recovery.
Top Pick: Black Knife Set
This sleek assassin-style gear offers solid stealth bonuses and decent resistances for its weight class. It’s great for players using dexterity or arcane builds who like to stay nimble while avoiding detection.
Also Notable: Spellblade Set
A favorite for sorcerers, this set boosts magic attacks and keeps your equip load low, letting you focus on casting while avoiding incoming blows. It’s easy to miss, but definitely worth tracking down early on.
Light sets aren’t for tanking, but with the right strategy, they can keep you alive longer than some bulky alternatives—especially when you’re low on flasks and high on dodging skill.
Medium Armor: The Balanced Choice
Medium armor hits the sweet spot between protection and agility. It allows you to tank moderate damage while still offering a decent roll speed—ideal for most builds.
Top Pick: Raging Wolf Set
Once part of the closed network test, this armor remains a fan favorite for its aesthetic and well-rounded stats. It offers good protection and poise without dragging you into heavy load territory.
Also Worth Considering: Carian Knight Set
Popular among hybrid caster-melee builds, this armor has strong magic resistance and respectable poise. If you want to mix spells with swordplay, this is a solid choice.
Many players choose medium armor because it doesn’t demand high endurance to equip, and you won’t need to buy Elden Ring runes just to level your load capacity. It’s efficient, reliable, and versatile.
Heavy Armor: Tanking With Style
For those who like to walk into battle head-on, heavy armor offers maximum defense and poise, letting you take hits that would stagger lighter builds.
Top Pick: Bull-Goat Set
The undisputed king of poise, the Bull-Goat Set turns you into a walking fortress. It’s great for strength builds that rely on trading blows rather than dodging. The downside? You’ll need serious endurance to wear it without suffering a fat roll.
Runner-Up: Lionel’s Set
This underrated heavy set offers excellent resistances and comes relatively early. With a high defense-to-weight ratio, it’s a smart pick for players easing into heavy builds.
Heavy sets pair especially well with colossal weapons or shield-based strategies. If you’ve stocked up on cheap Elden Ring items like talismans that boost stamina or reduce equip load, you can offset some of the drawbacks of heavy gear.
No single armor set fits every build. Light sets are perfect for high-skill dodgers and stealth-based approaches. Medium armor is a flexible option for balanced builds, while heavy gear suits those who want to tank through chaos. Whether you’re exploring Caelid or battling Malenia, the right armor can make all the difference. Experiment with different loadouts, and don’t be afraid to mix pieces to suit your needs.
In a game as deep as Elden Ring, the best gear is the one that complements your playstyle—and sometimes, it’s just the one that looks coolest while you slay a demi-god.