Baldur’s Gate 3: Best Armor [Light, Medium & Heavy]

Every class has its combat skills that determine the playstyle and build you choose for the certain character, including a critical piece of equipment: Armor. This guide will show you all the Baldur’s Gate 3 Best Armor available in each category. 

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Key Takeaways 

• An armor is a piece of equipment that you can wear on your character.
• Each armor has an Armor Class or AC value determining the item’s strength.
• AC depends on gear, dexterity modifier, magical enhancements, and Armor Proficiency. 
• Proficiency determines the best-suited gear for a specific class.
• There are three armor categories: Light, Medium, and Heavy. 
• They can be classified into common, rare, and legendary.

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Light Armor	Medium Armor	Heavy Armor
Low AC	Moderate AC	High AC
High Dexterity Modifier	Moderate Dexterity Modifier	Low Dexterity Modifier
Weak protection	Moderate protection	Strong protection
Great mobility	Medium mobility	Low mobility
Best synergy with classes requiring dexterity modifiers	Moderate synergy with most classes	Best synergy with classes based on strength

Armor Class

In Baldur’s Gate 3, AC is an important attribute that stands for Armor Class. This shows your level of armor. In simpler terms, if your AC is 16, the enemy must roll a dice higher than 16 to hit you. 

Similarly, the higher your AC is, the more chances of you winning a fight against the enemy. AC depends on factors such as your armor gear, Dexterity Modifier, magical enhancements, etc. Thus you must build the best armor which will benefit you in winning fights later on.

Another critical factor in building the best armor is Dexterity Modifier. It represents attributes such as agility, reflexes, and balance based on your character. The number of skills synergize which AC determines how difficult it is for your enemy to attack you successfully. 

Armor pieces also grant Stealth attributes which is a Dexterity skill. This helps you conceal yourself against enemies or while crossing areas unnoticed. 

Armor Proficiency 

It must be noted that AC also depends heavily on Armor Proficiency. This shows the preference of your classes on the type of armor which will suit them the best. If you wear an armor piece in a class that is not proficient, you will be penalized.

These penalties include reducing defensive or offensive output, being unable to cast certain spells, and disadvantages on Saving Throws and Stealth.  

Classes such as Bard, Rogues, and Rangers rely heavily on Dexterity modifiers. This means the armors proficient with these classes will synergize greatly when appropriately combined. Hence, knowing which class works well with which type of armor classification is important. 

These are the preferences based on each class. 

Class	Proficiency
Bard	Light Armor
Barbarian	Light + Medium Armor, Shields
Cleric	Light + Medium + Heavy Armor, Shields
Druid	Light + Medium Armor, Shields
Fighter	Light + Medium + Heavy Armor, Shields
Monk	None
Paladin	Light + Medium + Heavy Armor, Shields
Ranger	Light + Medium Armor, Shields
Rogue	Light Armor
Sorcerer	None
Wizard	Light Armor
Warlock	None

Baldur’s Gate 3 Best Armor is classified into three categories: Light, Medium, and Heavy. Each class has further divisions which define the rarity of items. 

Armor Comparison:

Armor	Quality	AC	Special Effects	Weight	Price
Light Armor
Drow Studded Leather	Rare	12	Stealth +1 bonus	5.85 kg	1,000 gold
ShadeClinger	Rare	12	+1 gain to stealth checks Benefit on saving throws	4.5 kg	561 gold
Spidersilk	Rare	12	+1 gain on Stealth Check Benefits on Saving Throws	5.85 kg	1,150 gold
Armor Of The Shopkeeper	Very Rare	13	Malefic Funghi: Allows +1 Bonus to Spell Save on Necrotic Damage. Spore Sacks: in which you can use Bibberbang, Timmask, and Haste spores when imbued.	4.5 kg	1,000 gold
Elegant Studded Leather	Very Rare	14	Initiative Rolls get a +2 Bonus. Extra Shield Spell which gives you extra +5 AC when being hit.	5.85 kg	2,000 gold
Medium Armor
Elven Chain	Rare	14	Initiative Rolls get a +2 Bonus. Benefits on Saving Throws.	9 kg	510 gold
Yuan-Ti Scale Mail	Rare	15	Adds High dexterity modifier. Spares Stealth Check penalty. Initiative Rolls get a +1 bonus.	12 kg	704 gold
Armor Of Agility	Rare	17	Adds High dexterity modifier. Spares Stealth Check penalty. +2 bonus on Saving Throws.	24 kg	2,900 gold
Adamantine Scale Mail	Very Rare	16	Magical Plater: decreases all incoming damage by one. Adamantine Backlash: when you get a melee hit, the attacker gets a -1 Roll on the remaining turns. Critical Strike Immunity: If attacked, the attacker cannot critically hit you.	12 kg	1,300 gold
Heavy Armor
Blackguard’s Plate	Very Rare	19	Magical Plate: Decreases all incoming damage by one. Benefits on Wisdom Saving Throws. There is a penalty on Stealth Checks.	20 kg	6,400 gold
Armor Of Persistence	Very Rare	20	Magical Plate: Decreases all incoming damage by two. Legendary Persistence: Grants additional Resistance.	20 kg	6,400 gold
Reaper’s Embrace	Very Rare	19	Magical Plate: Decreases all incoming damage by one. Repear’s Rigidity: A skill is activated that restraints you from moving against your will. There is a disadvantage to Stealth Checks.	20 kg	6,400 gold
Adamantine Splint	Very Rare	18	Magical Plate: Decreases all incoming damage by one. Intense Adamantine Backlash: when you get a melee hit, the attacker gets a -3 Roll on the remaining turns. There is a disadvantage to Stealth Checks. Critical Strike Immunity: If attacked, the attacker cannot critically hit you.	19 kg	3,800 gold
Legendary Heavy Armor
Helldusk	Legendary	21	Grants you a Proficient title while wearing it. Internal Retribution: If your Saving Throw is successful, you will receive additional Burning for three turns. Prime Aegis of Fire: Grants fire resistance and also decreases three incoming damage. Cast Fly Spell: Grants you to touch a creature giving it the ability to fly.	20 kg	8,000 gold

Light Armors

This provides the lowest quality AC, which gives minimal protection. However, it allows adding a Dexterity modifier, making it good for classes that use Dexterity-related builds to their advantage. The best Light category includes:

Drow Studded Leather 

Quality	Rare
AC	12
Special Effects	Stealth +1 bonus
Weight	5.85 kg
Price	1000 gold

You must find this in Underdark, located under the Blighted Village. You must move towards the tower between Selune’s Fort and stumble upon a chest in Lolth’s Cultist’s cache. The coordinates are x: 83, y:207. 

ShadeClinger

Quality	Rare
AC	12
Special Effects	+1 gain to stealth checks Benefit on saving throws
Weight	4.5 kg
Price	561 gold

You can locate this at Last Light Inn or by Quartermaster Talli merchant. 

Spidersilk 

Quality	Rare
AC	12
Special Effects	+1 gain on Stealth Check Benefits on Saving Throws
Weight	5.85 kg
Price	1,150 gold

You must locate Minthara NPC Boss in the Shattered Sanctum and defeat it to get this item.

Armor Of The Shopkeeper

Quality	Very Rare
AC	13
Special Effects	Malefic Funghi: Allows +1 Bonus to Spell Save on Necrotic Damage. Spore Sacks: in which you can use Bibberbang, Timmask, and Haste spores when imbued.
Weight	4.5 kg
Price	1,000 gold

You must locate this in Philgrave’s Mansion or find it by the merchant Mystic Carrion. 

Elegant Studded Leather

Quality	Very Rare
AC	14
Special Effects	Initiative Rolls get a +2 Bonus. Extra Shield Spell which gives you extra +5 AC when being hit.
Weight	5.85 kg
Price	2,000 gold

This is one of the Best Armor in the Lightweight category. It is related to Return Rakath’s Gold Quest, where you must find this in The Counting House and locate the High-security vault. You will receive a key once the quest is completed. 

Medium Armors

This provides moderate-quality AC and has better protection than light, with a reduced Dexterity modifier, up to a maximum of two. These include:

Elven Chain

Quality	Rare
AC	14
Special Effects	Initiative Rolls get a +2 Bonus. Benefits on Saving Throws.
Weight	9 kg
Price	510 gold

This piece is located at Rivington General. You must unlock Chapter Three to get access. 

Yuan-Ti Scale Mail

Quality	Rare
AC	15
Special Effects	Adds High dexterity modifier. Spares Stealth Check penalty. Initiative Rolls get a +1 bonus.
Weight	12 kg
Price	704 gold

Locate this in Last Light Inn in Chapter Two. 

Armor Of Agility

Quality	Rare
AC	17
Special Effects	Adds High dexterity modifier. Spares Stealth Check penalty. +2 bonus on Saving Throws.
Weight	24 kg
Price	2,900 gold

You can buy it from Gloomy Fentonson in the Stormshore Armoury. 

Adamantine Scale Mail

Quality	Very Rare
AC	16
Special Effects	Magical Plater: decreases all incoming damage by one. Adamantine Backlash: when you get a melee hit, the attacker gets a -1 Roll on the remaining turns. Critical Strike Immunity: If attacked, the attacker cannot critically hit you.
Weight	12 kg
Price	1,300 gold

You must forge this in the Adamantine Forge, located in the Underdark. You need two materials for the combinates:

1. Mithral Ore (Found at Ore Veins from Grymforge)
2. Scale Mail Mould (Found in Grymforge at x: -618, y: 264)

However, this has a slight disadvantage: it grants -2 on Stealth Checks. 

Heavy Armors

The last category includes heavy, which offers the highest AC protection. However, it is to be noted that it does not provide any Dexterity modifier, so classes which use dexterity attributes to their advantage are not ideal for this. 

You must use this for classes that are strength-based. The best Heavy gears include:

Blackguard’s Plate

Quality	Very Rare
AC	19
Special Effect	Magical Plate: Decreases all incoming damage by one. Benefits on Wisdom Saving Throws. There is a penalty on Stealth Checks.
Weight	20 kg
Price	6,400 gold

You must locate this in Bhaalist Crypt. 

Armor Of Persistence

Quality	Very Rare
AC	20
Special Effects	Magical Plate: Decreases all incoming damage by two. Legendary Persistence: Grants additional Resistance.
Weight	20 kg
Price	6,400 gold

You can buy it from Dammon at location Forge of Nine. 

Reaper’s Embrace

Quality	Very Rare
AC	19
Special Effects	Magical Plate: Decreases all incoming damage by one. Repear’s Rigidity: A skill is activated that restraints you from moving against your will. There is a disadvantage to Stealth Checks.
Weight	20 kg
Price	6,400 gold

You must complete the Quest Defeat Ketheric Throm. After defeating the boss, you can claim this item. It is located on coordinates x: 866, y: -22. 

Adamantine Splint

Quality	Very Rare
AC	18
Special Effects	Magical Plate: Decreases all incoming damage by one. Intense Adamantine Backlash: when you get a melee hit, the attacker gets a -3 Roll on the remaining turns.  There is a disadvantage to Stealth Checks. Critical Strike Immunity: If attacked, the attacker cannot critically hit you.
Weight	19 kg
Price	3,800 gold

You can locate it at the Grymforge by coordinates x: -593, y: 309. It is related to Adamantine Forge Quest. You need two materials for the combination:

1. Mithral Ore (Found at Ore Veins from Grymforge)
2. Splint Mould (Found in Grymforge at x: -597, y: 309)

Legendary Armors

Apart from those categories, you will stumble upon the rarest and most unique armor pieces found. You must find these from bosses, hidden in secret places, or rewarded for completing Quests. Helldusk is regarded as the best armor due to its high stats, providing many attributes to your character. 

Helldusk

Quality	Legendary
AC	21
Special Effects	Grants you a Proficient title while wearing it. Internal Retribution: If your Saving Throw is successful, you will receive additional Burning for three turns. Prime Aegis of Fire: Grants fire resistance and also decreases three incoming damage. Cast Fly Spell: Grants you to touch a creature giving it the ability to fly.
Weight	20 kg
Price	8,000 gold

You must loot this from Raphael in the House of Hope. You can access this in Chapter Three. Helldusk is considered the best in the game for multiple reasons. 

1. Having an AC value of 21, the highest in the game provides strong protection to your character. Your enemy must roll a high dice to hit you; having such a high AC grants more chances of not being hit. This ultimately increases your survivability in fights.
2. Internal Retribution is a unique skill that inflicts burning to your enemy for the next three consecutive turns. This greatly affects your offensive power against enemies. 
3. Moreover, you also get Fire resistance. This enables you to receive less damage from fire-based attacks providing extra resilience in certain fights. 
4. On top of this, you also get to cast Level 3 Fly Spell. This allows your character to enter flight mode, where you get an aerial-based tactical advantage. This will also open new doors for strategic opportunities in battles against opponents.  

In conclusion, your gear is best suited according to your chosen class. Each class has its preference which makes it more useful in battles. Therefore overall, statistically, Helldusk is regarded as Baldur’s Gate 3 Best Armor due to its multiple advantages. 

Up Next:

• Baldur’s Gate 3 Best Tank Class.
• Baldur’s Gate 3 Best Builds.
• Baldur’s Gate 3 Best Fighter Build.