Elden Ring: 12 Heaviest Armor Sets

Elden Ring is a truly massive game, with a vast variety of gear available to players. The game offers hundreds of different armor pieces to choose from, so finding what best suits your needs could be tricky. If you stick to a classic strength/melee build, you probably want to find the right balance between armor weight and defense in pursuit of the best direct damage reduction. Below, you’ll find some of the heaviest armor sets available, ranked by their weight. Generally, the higher the weight, the better the physical defense and Poise (resistance to staggering from attacks), with rare exceptions.

Keep in mind that to efficiently use such heavy armaments in Elden Ring, your character needs to invest in Endurance. Ideally, you want to keep your Equip Load below 70 percent (medium load) to avoid the stamina regeneration rate penalty and longer roll and backstep recovery, which could be crucial when facing a tough boss.

Updated by Mehrdad Khayyat on April 25, 2023: Added two new entries to the list.

13 Cleanrot Set

Weight: 35.7

• 28.5 Physical Defense
• 58 Poise

Despite being among the heavy armor sets, the Cleanrot Set offers moderate stats at a decent weight. Of course, this is not as good as the sets we will be talking about in the following entries, but if you don’t want to sacrifice so much agility, this is still a decent option.

In order to obtain this set, you will need to kill multiple Lesser Cleanrot Knights in Caelid. The armor pieces will drop randomly and are not guaranteed. These knights can be found around the Aeonia Swamp, as they emerge from the rots when you step into the swamp. Keep in mind that they are notable warriors, and having more than one Lesser Cleanrot Knight to deal with is not a wise decision.

12 Crucible Axe Set

Weight: 36.9

• 33.5 Physical Defense
• 71 Poise

The Crucible Axe armor set indeed offers better Physical Defense and Poise stats than the next two sets at a lighter weight. So, if this list were to be based on functionality, Crucible Axe would stand higher than both Scaled and Malformed Dragon sets.

Thankfully, you can get the entire set of Crucible Axe by defeating a single boss, but it won’t be an easy fight. Head to the Auriza Hero’s Grave in the capital outskirts of Altus Plateau, and make your way inside. You will face a series of powerful enemies, with the final boss being Crucible Knight Ordovis. After killing the boss, you can loot all pieces of the Crucible Axe armor set, but keep in mind that the boss wields a greatsword with the ability to fly around. So, make sure you have the right toolset to take him down.

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10 (Tie-In) Scaled Set And Malformed Dragon Set

Weight: 38

• Scaled Set
  • 31 Physical Defense
  • 71 Poise
• Malformed Dragon Set
  • 32.3 Physical Defense
  • 67 Poise

These two sets have identical weights, with slight differences in their physical damage reduction and Poise. They are also the only sets on this list that fall into the sub-40 weight category, meaning you can efficiently utilize them even with relatively low Endurance, especially if you have talismans such as Arsenal Charm, Great-Jar’s Arsenal, or Erdtree’s Favor, which boost your Equip Load.

To obtain the Scaled Set in Elden Ring, you first need to meet Tanith in Volcano Manor and accept her assassination questline. Then, you need to invade Old Knight Istvan at Stormhill and defeat him. Upon his death, you’ll receive his full armor set. To obtain the Malformed Dragon Set, you’ll need to reach Crumbling Farum Azula and defeat an optional mini-boss, the Draconic Tree Sentinel, who drops all four set pieces. You can find him just before facing the area’s main bosses, Beast Clergyman and Maliketh, The Black Blade.

9 Beast Champion Set

Weight: 41.6

• 33.6 Physical Defense
• 72 Poise

This powerful set can be obtained relatively early in Elden Ring if you’re strong enough to defeat an NPC named Knight Bernahl when you first encounter him at the Warmaster’s Shack in Stormhill. By doing so, you’ll automatically skip his questline and miss out on some unique rewards. However, in return, you’ll acquire one of the heaviest sets much earlier than any other, with excellent defense and Poise.

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If you prefer not to kill Bernahl without proper reason, you’ll have another opportunity to obtain this set later on in Crumbling Farum Azula. Here, Knight Bernahl’s phantom, now known as Recusant Bernahl, will invade you on his own. Upon his defeat, he will drop the entire set.

8 Banished Knight Set

Weight: 41.6

• 35.6 Physical Defense
• 72 Poise

The special feature of this set in Elden Ring is the alternate variations for the head and chest armor pieces that significantly change your appearance, while also offering slightly different defense stats. Essentially, you can choose between a full-metal variant and a more “banished” variant covered in cloth, which some players may prefer.

However, to obtain both variants of the Banished Knight Set, you’ll need to be prepared to farm, as this armor is only randomly dropped from Banished Knight enemies that are relatively rare throughout the entire game. In particular, to acquire an unaltered chest piece of this set, you’ll need to farm only two specific knights in Castle Sol located on the Mountaintops of the Giants.

7 General Radahn Set

Weight: 41.6

• 35.6 Physical Defense
• 72 Poise

This unique set is pretty hard to miss in Elden Ring as it is worn by the Legendary boss Starscourge Radahn. The catch is that you must defeat Radahn to unlock the ability to purchase his armaments from Finger Reader Enia at Roundtable Hold for 36,000 runes. It’s not an easy fight by any means, but this exceptional armor is certainly worth the effort.

Keep in mind that Radahn’s helm may pose a challenge to use due to its large red mane on top. This feature could somewhat obstruct your view during combat, potentially making it more difficult to notice enemies standing directly in front of you.

6 Veteran’s Set

Weight: 45

• 35.6 Physical Defense
• 80 Poise

This exceptional set is worn by Commander Niall, an optional boss found on the rooftop of Castle Sol in the Mountaintops of the Giants. Upon defeating him, you can purchase his armaments from Finger Reader Enia at Roundtable Hold for 18,000 runes. One of the distinct features of this defensive gear in Elden Ring is its impressively huge and fluffy cape, which may appeal to some players.

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While Commander Niall is an optional boss, defeating him is recommended because you’ll need his key to access the Consecrated Snowfield area. However, be prepared for a challenging battle if you decide to confront him.

5 Tree Sentinel Set

Weight: 45

• 35.6 Physical Defense
• 82 Poise

This set is considered one of the best in Elden Ring due to its excellent balance between heavyweight and strong defensive capabilities. However, obtaining this set can be quite challenging as it is only awarded upon destroying three specific trap Chariots inside the Auriza Hero’s Grave (requires one Stonesword Key to unlock) located in the Capital Outskirts of Altus Plateau.

You can consult our guide for detailed instructions on how to complete this objective. Additionally, using Margit’s Shackle or Mohg’s Shackle can prove quite beneficial in this quest, making it easier to obtain the full Tree Sentinel Set.

4 Lionel’s Set

Weight: 50.5

• 33.6 Physical Defense
• 86 Poise

This unique pot-bellied armor with a hat-shaped helmet is worn by Lionel the Lionhearted, an NPC whom you’ll encounter several times throughout your journey in Elden Ring. You can even fight him as one of Fia’s Champions during an optional boss fight in Deeproot Depths. Surprisingly, however, this remarkable set with very high defense and Poise is not obtained through this battle.

Instead, the full Lionel’s Set can simply be found in Leyndell, the Royal Capital. From the Lower Capital Church Site of Grace, search the building around, and you’ll discover these armaments on a bed in one of the rooms. No combat required.

3 Omen Set

Weight: 55

• 34.9 Physical Defense
• 91 Poise

This creepy-looking set is initially worn by the Dung Eater, a cursed NPC whose phantom you encounter first at Roundtable Hold. It is an excellent armor choice for direct damage reduction, offering extremely high Poise as well.

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To obtain this special set in Elden Ring, you’ll need to locate the Dung Eater’s real body in his prison within the Subterranean Shunning-Grounds at the Leyndell Royal Capital. Here, you have the option to kill him instantly for the set. Alternatively, you can choose to follow his questline, which will grant you additional rewards. You can then retrieve the full armor set from his body in the prison (this may require reloading the area).

2 Fire Prelate Set

Weight: 58.8

• 36.5 Physical Defense
• 96 Poise

Similar to the Banished Knight Set, this set also features at least one alternate piece variant, specifically an alternate chest armor. When equipped, this oversized set makes the character appear larger, giving them a bulky body as a bonus. The unique “cuphead” appearance of the helm is also worth noting.

You can obtain this set by defeating Fire Prelate enemies in various late-game areas of Elden Ring. The altered chest armor is dropped by these foes in Fort Laiedd at Mt. Gelmir. If you’re looking for the unaltered armor, you’ll need to farm Fire Prelates in front of the Guardian’s Garrison in the Mountaintops of the Giants.

1 Bull-Goat Set

Weight: 63.1

• 38.5 Physical Defense
• 100 Poise

The true GOAT armor in Elden Ring, if your character has high Endurance and you don’t mind the extravagant look with a pair of giant horns. This is the heaviest armor in the game, offering peak Poise and the best physical defense capabilities that you can find — well, at least until the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion comes out. Talismans like Arsenal Charm and Great-Jar’s Arsenal are highly recommended for efficiently wearing this set.

Obtaining this set is surprisingly straightforward if you’re following every questline and don’t tend to kill every NPC on sight. After Patches moves to Volcano Manor and you have the assassination questline active, you’ll receive a letter from him asking you to kill the Great Horned Tragoth. You can find and invade this NPC at the Ruin-Strewn Precipice Overlook in Liurnia of the Lakes, specifically in the room where the Magma Wyrm Makar boss is located.

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