Armor Sets
Each set gathers the four pieces of one outfit, named after the knight, order or monster that wore them. Completing a set grants nothing extra, so a set serves as a place to find armor and a look to wear, and the only reason to keep all four pieces on is liking the look.
How Sets Work
- A set is a grouping, not a reward. A full set of the same armor and a mix of pieces from different sets work the same way, since wearing every piece of one set grants no extra buff, and a set's totals are simply its four pieces added up.
- Pieces arrive in three ways, and the route decides how many places need searching. Some sets drop whole, off one corpse or one boss: the Black Knife Set is one pickup behind Ordina, Liturgical Town, and the Carian Knight Set lies at one grave inside the Academy of Raya Lucaria. Some are bought whole from Finger Reader Enia at the Roundtable Hold once the owner is dead: Maliketh's, Veteran's for 18,000 runes, Queen of the Full Moon for 31,000 and Malenia's for 56,000. Others only ever drop piecemeal off ordinary enemies: the Banished Knight gauntlets and greaves drop from all Banished Knights, while the helm and chest only drop from the knights wearing those pieces. A set that drops whole has one location; a farmed set can have four.
- Altering is a per-piece cosmetic change with trade-offs: besides the new look it makes minor adjustments to weight, damage negation and resistances. It is free with Boc the Seamster, or costs 500 runes at a Site of Grace once the Tailoring Tools and Sewing Needle from the Demi-Human Chief in the Coastal Cave are in hand, with the golden pair from the Church of Vows needed for demigod armor. Only helms and chest pieces can be altered, and altered pieces carry their own names, such as Raging Wolf Armor (Altered) and Snow Witch Robe (Altered).
- Mixing is the default because weight is the only budget that matters. Pieces are priced in equip load, not in set loyalty, so a player picks a chest for poise, a helm for an attribute and the lightest legs that still cover the roll threshold. The spread makes the case: the Bull-Goat Set weighs 63 for 100 poise, while the Queen of the Full Moon Set weighs 11 for 16.
- Several sets carry a per-piece effect, a different mechanic that players often mistake for a set bonus. Rakshasa gives 2% more damage dealt and taken per piece, Royal Remains 2 HP per second per piece while below 18% max HP, Crucible Axe and Crucible Tree pieces each boost Aspects of the Crucible incantations, Alberich's adds 6% to thorn sorceries per piece, Omen 5% to Omen Bairn per piece, Spellblade 2% and Dancer's 2.5%, with Ansbach's, Death Knight, Briar, Duelist and Rotten Duelist working the same way. The effect scales with the number of pieces worn, so the fourth piece adds exactly what the first did and nothing extra lands for finishing the set.
- Set membership does not follow the names. Blaidd's Set contains the Black Wolf Mask, Goldmask's Set is the Radiant Gold Mask with Goldmask's Rags, Gold Bracelets and Gold Waistwrap, the General Radahn Set is Radahn's Redmane Helm and Radahn's Lion Armor with plain Radahn's Gauntlets and Greaves, and Ronin's Set takes the Iron Kasa as its helm. Some pieces sit in two sets at once: Crucible Gauntlets and Crucible Greaves in both Crucible Axe and Crucible Tree, Foot Soldier Gauntlets and Greaves in both the Godrick and Haligtree Foot Soldier sets, and Old Sorcerer's Legwraps in both Azur's and Lusat's.
Best Sets
- Bull-Goat Set: The Bull-Goat Set is the poise set every strength build looks up: effectively 100 poise and 38.5 physical negation, tied for the highest of both in the game, at a punishing 63 weight. Wearing it comfortably takes a lot of Endurance or the Great-Jar's Arsenal, so it suits builds that have already invested heavily in equip load.
- Verdigris Set: The Verdigris Set is the Shadow of the Erdtree rival to Bull-Goat: 100 poise at 61.6 weight, the second-highest physical defense in the game just behind Bull-Goat, and the highest robustness of any set. That makes it the slightly lighter choice for a heavy build that also wants protection against blood loss and frostbite.
- Fire Prelate Set: The Fire Prelate Set is the heavy set built for elements rather than physical hits: 96 poise at 58.8 weight with 37.4 fire negation and 215 focus, the best fire and focus among heavy sets. That makes it the standing answer to the Fire Giant, the dragons of Farum Azula and anything that inflicts sleep or madness.
- Banished Knight Set: The Banished Knight Set is one players farm rather than find, and a favorite for its look. At 72 poise for 41.6 weight it puts heavy poise in reach well before the Mountaintops, and because the pieces drop from ordinary knights, a build can assemble it gradually.
- Black Knife Set: The Black Knife Set is worn for one effect rather than its numbers: the Black Knife Armor muffles the wearer's footsteps, rolls and jumps, much like Crepus's Vial or the Assassin's Approach incantation, which makes it a staple for invaders. The whole set gives 40 poise for 21.8 weight, and its cape weighs only 0.2, so altering it away is not worth the effort.
- Royal Remains Set: The Royal Remains Set is the go-to example when players ask whether sets have bonuses. Each piece restores 2 HP per second while the wearer is below 18% of max HP, so all four together give 8 HP per second. It is a per-piece effect that rewards wearing the full set rather than a true completion bonus.
- Rakshasa Set: The Rakshasa Set is the most talked-about armor of Shadow of the Erdtree because it is a trade rather than a defense: each piece raises all damage dealt and taken by 2%, so the full set means 8% more damage out and 8% more in, already reflected in the armor menu's numbers. It offers 58 poise at 30.5 weight.
- Raging Wolf Set: The Raging Wolf Set is picked mostly for its look, a mid-weight red and black outfit with 42 poise, and the altered chest removes the cape. Players earn it as the trophy of a successful Volcano Manor invasion against Vargram the Raging Wolf and Errant Sorcerer Wilhelm.
- Queen of the Full Moon Set: The Queen of the Full Moon Set is the sorcerer's light set, sold under names that hide the connection: Queen's Crescent Crown, Queen's Robe, Queen's Bracelets and Queen's Leggings. It weighs 11 for 16 poise, with 167 focus and 187 vitality, near the best in the game for sleep and death resistance, and the crown adds +3 Intelligence.
- Maliketh's Set: Maliketh's Set is a trophy, wanted as proof of victory over Maliketh, the Black Blade rather than for any special effect. It offers 51 poise and 26.5 physical negation for 30.5 weight, which lands exactly on the popular 51 poise threshold, and the chest can be altered to remove the cloth.
All Sets
