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There is no single best armor set in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. The right choice depends on whether you need help in combat, easier traversal, protection from the environment, or more defense. Armor effects and upgrades can make a set valuable for a specific job, but the available sources do not establish a complete, objectively ranked comparison of every set.
Which armor is best for your playstyle?
Choose armor for the challenge you are about to face rather than treating one set as the answer for the whole game. Nintendo Life’s armor guide covers useful sets and their locations; use it to check the specific pieces and effects that suit your goal.
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- Combat: Compare the effect on each piece with the full-set bonus, and consider how much defense you can gain by upgrading the pieces.
- Traversal: Look for effects suited to the movement or terrain you expect to encounter. Check whether the benefit comes from an individual piece or requires wearing a complete set.
- Environmental protection: Choose pieces whose effects match the conditions you need to handle; a set useful in one environment is not automatically the best choice elsewhere.
- Defense: Upgrade armor at Great Fairies. Nintendo says upgrades make Link less susceptible to damage; the amount of defense gained depends on the armor and its upgrade level.
For any set you are considering, check its individual effects, full-set bonus, upgrade requirements, and how difficult it is to obtain. The sources available here do not substantiate a complete comparison of every set’s defense totals, acquisition effort, or material and rupee costs, so an exact universal tier list would overstate what is established.
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How armor upgrades and set bonuses work
Great Fairy upgrades increase armor defense and require unlocking the fairies through quests. Nintendo Life’s armor-upgrade guide says that a set bonus becomes available when you wear all three pieces of a set and upgrade each piece twice. It also explains that unlocking more Great Fairies expands the number of upgrades available. Upgrade costs vary by armor piece, and no complete cost table is established here.
#1 Best Overall
- Enhanced performance and visuals exclusive to the Nintendo Switch 2.
- Explore the skies, caves, and vast lands of Hyrule in a massive open-world adventure.
- Wield new and returning abilities to craft solutions, vehicles, and weapons.
- Discover the mystery behind the spreading gloom threatening the kingdom.
- Use the ZELDA NOTES app to share, compare, and earn daily bonuses.
Start unlocking the Great Fairies
- Begin “Potential Princess Sightings!” at the Lucky Clover Gazette.
- Go to Woodland Stable and speak with Penn to complete “Serenade to a Great Fairy.”
- Continue unlocking Great Fairies to gain access to additional armor upgrades.
Nintendo’s official guide describes the Great Fairy upgrade route and explains that upgrades make Link less susceptible to damage. The number of upgrades available depends on how many Great Fairies you have unlocked.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Do you need amiibo to get Zelda-themed armor?
No. Nintendo Life identifies armor inspired by earlier Zelda games that can be found in-game, so an amiibo is not the only route for the sets covered by its guide. Compatible amiibo can provide various rewards, but Nintendo Support notes that rewards may be random and unique rewards can require repeated scans. Check the specific figure and reward before buying an amiibo for a particular item.
Rank #2
- Ultrahand: Using the new Ultrahand ability, Link can pick up, move, and rotate almost any object, and can even attach objects together to create bridges, vehicles, and more!
- Fuse: Magically fuse almost any object to Link’s current weapon, shield, or arrow to increase durability, damage, or even add a new effect. Experiment with lots of different combinations to come up with surprising—and sometimes hilarious—results!
- Ascend: Add a new dimension to your exploration with Ascend, which gives Link the ability to pass through solid objects above him. Rise up through ceilings, hillsides, and even certain enemies to create seemingly impossible shortcuts.
- Recall: Use Recall to make objects in motion move backward through time, letting Link ride fallen boulders skyward, recover thrown weapons, or send projectiles back where they came from.
To use amiibo, unlock the amiibo ability first. Nintendo’s amiibo support guide describes possible rewards, including materials, weapons, and themed paraglider fabric.
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Rank #4
- In addition to the standard version, a collector's edition of the game will launch on May 12th and includes:
- The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (physical copy)
- 204 page Hard Cover Artbook
- SteelBook case, Steel Poster, Set of four pin badges
Rank #3
- The Legend of Zelda - Tears of the Kingdom




