This guide should help you understand the strength and weakness of the various armors in game. You can use this knowledge to better prepare for battle and both protect yourself and attack your enemies more effectivley.

There are other guides that go more indepth with damage types and numbers but simply know this when reading through this armor guide.

• One Handed Swords - Slashing (very effective against light, not effective against heavy)
  
  
• Two Handed Swords/Axes/Polearms - Slashing/peircing (effective against all)
  
  
• Spears - Peircing (effective against all)
  
  
• Maces - Blunt (very effective against heavy, moderatley effective against light)

The above is generally speaking as some weapons have various ways to attack.

Light Armor
Mail Gambeson – This Light armor is composed of leather, cloth, and mail. The mail only partially covers the torso along with leather. The leather and cloth comprise the rest of the armor.

• Positives - The low encumbrance allows a faster rate of attack and faster acceleration. Together this makes it easier to dodge, parry, and ready up powerful attacks. This works well with both slow and fast weapons as it will make them faster. The Mail Gambeson can handle blunt to an extent and works well against slow opponents and weapons.
  
  
• Negatives - While there is a partial resistance to slashing at the chest this will not stand up to much punishment. Slashing and piercing damage should be avoided when possible. Arrows/bolts, axes, swords, and most two handed weapons can do massive damage when connecting with you. Little room for error when avoiding hits.

Peasant Rags – These “rags” are just that, and provide little to no protection. Made up primarily of cloth this is unlocked at level 60. It is the ultimate “glass cannon” or “paper tiger” armor.

• Positives - This minimal encumbrance allows the fastest rate of attack and acceleration. Together this makes it easier to dodge, parry, and ready up powerful attacks. This works well with both slow and fast weapons as it will make them faster. The Peasant Rags can handle blunt damage to an extent and works well against slow opponents and weapons.
  
  
• Negatives - This armor offers little to no resistance against anything. Slashing and piercing damage should be avoided when possible. Arrows/bolts, axes, swords, and most two handed weapons will do devastating damage when connecting with you. Dodge, parry, or die.

Winter Mail Gambeson – Essentially the same as Mail Gambeson with different skin.

Jupon – The Jupon falls in between the Mail Gambeson and Peasant Rags. It is comprised of leather and cloth only and has a lower encumbrance than the Mail Gambeson with slightly more protection than Peasant Rags. The Leather covers the torso with cloth covering the rest of the body.

• Positives - The very low encumbrance allows a very fast rate of attack and acceleration. Together this makes it easier to dodge, parry, and ready up powerful attacks. This works well with both slow and fast weapons as it will make them faster. The Jupon can handle blunt damage to an extent and works well against slow opponents and weapons. You do not need to be level 60 to unlock it.
  
  
• Negatives - With leather as the toughest part of the armor, there is little to no resistance against weapons. Slashing and piercing damage should be avoided when possible. Arrows/bolts, axes, swords, and most two handed weapons will do major damage when connecting with you. As with the Peasant Rags you must essentially dodge, parry, or die.

Light Armor and Shields
Even though shields will add to your encumbrance, they will also add to your survivability. If you are not confident in your ability to parry or dodge a shield may be necessary to keep you on your feet. You will have two choices when using shields and how often you use it could be the major deciding factor. If you are willing to use a shield the Domed Shield, with higher encumbrance, will offer a larger surface of protection and absorb more hits. The Welsh Buckler will not last you long but may get you out of a pinch; it will also offer a lower encumbrance without all the attachments. The shields can be improved with perks that allow you to move faster while blocking, lower the shields encumbrance, and/or even bash the enemy allowing you room to maneuver.

Light armor is already low in encumbrance and weapon speed will not be drastically affected by a shield. If however your attacks are not as quick as you would like then the shield may be the problem. While using a shield you will not be able to use Perks that will increase your armor absorption, lower the amount of time it takes to bandage, lower the amount of time it would take to revive you, and/or lower the armor encumbrance.

Light Armor and Helmets
The head is always a prime target, so what helmet you wear could make all the difference. A heavy helmet will offer the protection your armor doesn’t but may also slow you down. No helmet can protect you from everything however and the heaviest helmet can get you killed in one shot from a powerful blunt attack. The lighter the helmet though the more likely you are to receive a damaging attack of a different variety. What you chose will come down to preference. Just keep in mind that the more protection you have the more your vision will be obscured. When you are light on your feet it is always good to know who and what is around you to make the most of it.

Not all helmets will protect your neck and none in the light category will. Any attachments within a helmet that says Coif are only for art/style and appear to offer no added protection despite what the game says.

Medium Armor
Munitions Cuirass – This Medium armor is composed primarily of plate, mail, and leather. The plate only covers the front of your torso and thighs, leaving the rest of it protected by mail. The leather and cloth protect you limbs.

• Positives - The encumbrance and protection is well balanced offering you decent attack speed and decent protection. This allows you some survivability with little negative effect to your attack speed. This works well with most weapons with few noticeably slowed. The Mail Gambeson can handle a wide variety of damage from the front and is impervious to one handed swords against the chest unless the enemy thrusts. There is some room for error when facing an opponent.
  
  
• Negatives - Blunt damage to the chest can be devastating due to the plate protection. The back only has mail protection. Arrows/bolts, axes, and most two handed weapons can do major damage when connecting with you. Some weapons can have a noticeably slower attack rate.

Thick Winter Hose – Essentially the same as Munitions Cuirass with a different skin.


Galloglass Mail – This is primarily Mail armor and only the limbs are covered with Leather and Cloth. Unlike the Munitions Cuirass the Galloglass Mail offers no plate protection but has a lower encumbrance.

• Positives - The encumbrance and protection is well balanced offering you good attack speed and modest protection. This allows you a bit of survivability with very little negative effect to your attack speed. This works well with most weapons and only the rare few are noticeably slowed. The Galloglass Mail offers some survivability and will let you retain some quickness, making it good to dodge and parry with. There is a little room for error when facing an opponent.
  
  
• Negatives – There is less protection than with the Munitions Cuirass as only Mail covers your torso. Slashing, piercing, and blunt damage are only slightly mitigated. Arrows/bolts, axes, swords, and two handed weapons can do major damage when connecting with you. Some weapons will have a slower attack rate.

Medium Armor and Shields
Even though shields will add to your encumbrance, they will also add to your survivability. If you are not confident in your ability to parry or dodge a shield may be necessary to keep you on your feet. You will have two choices when using shields and how often you use it could be the major deciding factor. If you are willing to use a shield the Domed Shield, with higher encumbrance, it will offer a larger surface of protection and absorb more hits. The Welsh Buckler will not last you long but may get you out of a pinch; it will also offer a lower encumbrance without all the attachments. The shields can be improved with perks that allow you to move faster while blocking, lower the shields encumbrance, and/or even bash the enemy allowing you room to maneuver.

Medium armor already has medium encumbrance and weapon speed is slightly affected by a shield. As some medium armor has plate the shield is not as useful as it would be when you are lightly armored. The Domed Shield however, has a nice passive affect that works well with the Munitions Cuirass. When not held in your hand it worn on your back, this will not protect you from melee attacks but it will stop arrows on one of the most vulnerable parts of that armor. If you do not find your attacks as quick as you would like then the shield may not be for you. While using a shield you will not be able to use Perks that will increase your armor absorption, lower the amount of time it takes to bandage, lower the amount of time it would take to revive you, and/or lower the armor encumbrance.

Medium Armor and Helmets
The head is always a prime target, so what helmet you wear could make all the difference. A heavy helmet will offer the protection your armor doesn’t but may also slow you down. No helmet can protect you from everything however and the heaviest helmet can get you killed in one shot from a powerful blunt attack. The lighter the helmet though the more likely you are to receive a damaging attack of a different variety. What you chose will come down to preference. Just keep in mind that the more protection you have the more your vision will be obscured. When you are light on your feet it is always good to know who and what is around you to make the most of it.

Not all helmets will protect your neck and most in the medium category won’t at all. The only ones that do are Maille Coif and Galloglass Mail Mantle by themselves. Any attachments with a helmet that says Coif are only for art/style and appear to offer no added protection despite what the game says.

Heavy Armor
Harness of Plate – This Heavy armor is composed primarily of plate. Mail and leather covers the joints, offering very good all-around protection.

• Positives - This armor has high plate coverage almost all over your body. This allows you good survivability when taking most hit. This works well with faster weapons and is great for wading through the battlefield. The Harness of Plate can handle a wide variety of damage from all directions and is impervious against one handed swords unless the enemy thrusts. There room for error when facing an opponent.
  
  
• Negatives - Blunt damage is devastating to a plate wearer, as is piercing to a lesser extent. Maces, axes, two handed weapons, and Hammer Head Bolts will be your main concern when it comes to damage. Your high encumbrance will make it more difficult to dodge attacks and move about. Fast enemies can overwhelm you with the speed of their attacks if you cannot parry. Many weapons have a noticeably slower attack rate.

Knights Hospitaller Plate – This Heavy armor is composed primarily of plate. Mail and leather covers the joints, but there is extra plate as well, minimizing the opening. This is armor provides the best protection in game.

• Positives - This armor has plate covering most of your body. It provides you with great survivability when taking most hit. This works well with fast weapons and is great for wading through the battlefield. The Knights Hospitaller Plate can handle a wide variety of damage from all directions, even more so than the Harness of Plate. It is also impervious to one handed swords unless the enemy thrusts. There room for error when facing an opponent.
  
  
• Negatives - Blunt damage is devastating to a plate wearer, as is piercing to a lesser extent. Maces, axes, two handed weapons, and Hammer Head Bolts will be your main concern when it comes to damage. Your high encumbrance will make it more difficult to dodge attacks and move about, even more so than with the Harness of Plate. Fast enemies can overwhelm you with the speed of their attacks if you cannot parry. Most weapons have a noticeably slower attack rate.

Heavy Armor and Shields
Even though shields will add to your encumbrance, they will also add to your survivability. If you are not confident in your ability to parry or dodge a shield may be necessary to keep you on your feet. You will have two choices when using shields and how often you use it could be the major deciding factor. If you are willing to use a shield the Domed Shield, with higher encumbrance, will offer a larger surface of protection and absorb more hits. The Welsh Buckler will not last you long but may get you out of a pinch; it will also offer a lower encumbrance without all the attachments. The shields can be improved with perks that allow you to move faster while blocking, lower the shields encumbrance, and/or even bash the enemy allowing you room to maneuver.

Heavy armor already has a high encumbrance and weapon speed can be highly affected by a shield. Shields are not as useful for Heavy Armor as it is for the other armor types. You will also lose out on very valuable defensive perks that are only available to you if you do not use a shield. You will not be able to increase your armor absorption, lower the amount of time it takes to bandage, lower the amount of time it would take to revive you, and/or lower the armors encumbrance. If you find your attacks being too slow to be effective then the shield is not doing you any favors. That said, some people simply like shields and if you can get your attack timing down and connect when you want to, you will be fine with one.

Heavy Armor and Helmets
The head is always a prime target, so what helmet you wear could make all the difference. A heavy helmet will offer the protection your armor doesn’t but may also slow you down. No helmet can protect you from everything however and the heaviest helmet can get you killed in one shot from a powerful blunt attack. The lighter the helmet though the more likely you are to receive a damaging attack of a different variety. What you chose will come down to preference. Just keep in mind that the more protection you have the more your vision will be obscured. When you are light on your feet it is always good to know who and what is around you to make the most of it.

Not all helmets will protect your neck but most in the heavy category do. Just make sure you hit the “V” key and put your visor down and you should be okay. Of course enemies can still attack past the visor if their aim is good enough. The Frog Helm offers the best neck protection of any helmet but will restrict your vision. However, when you are covered in plate unseen blows may not faze you.

This game does not have any set classes per say and anyone can customize a character however they like but the following are general categories. The builds are examples and give an idea how they can work well with the various armors. Don’t forget the weakness mentioned in the other sections!

Light Builds
Any weapon is suitable with light armor but weapons that allow you some distance are best. When it comes to combat the added range will allow you to get quick attacks in and pull back out of range before your enemy can counter. These tactics will allow you some maneuverability and help you survive. If you intend to fight up close a shied or quick weapon with good parrying skill will also provide some survivability but footwork will always make the difference regardless of the range.

• Archers – Archers will fire faster and load faster which is essential to doing damage. A shield can be helpful in keeping an archer alive when lightly armored, but the lower your encumbrance the faster you will be.
  
  
• Two Handed Weapons – Polearms work best but any two handed weapon with some range can work. With your low encumbrance and fast attack rate, a slow weapon with high damage will be relatively quick and you can focus on improving its damage rather than its speed.
  
  
• Spears – These weapons mainly do piercing damage but the slash can be formidable as well. If used with a shield you can pick off enemies by darting in and out of combat, blocking any aggressor. If you are distanced properly and time your attacks well, you can stab as the enemy attacks causing all your their efforts to fail. When used without a shield the spear handles as a two handed weapon.
  
  
• Sidearms – With or without a shield these one handed weapons can be deadly. While sidearms may not do as much damage as main weapons they can attack faster. It will be easier to get in close using a shield and for some of the short range sidearms, will be preferable, but those who can parry will be even faster to attack and defend without one. You can even forego your main weapon to lower your encumbrance even further. If you are going to parry make sure your weapon won’t break easily!
  
  
• Horesmen – A lightly armored horseman can still charge up their attack faster, this is only noticeable when using weapons other than a lance however. If and when your horse goes down you will be quicker to recover and potentially escape.

Medium Builds
Any weapon is suitable with medium armor, the extra survivability can give you more leeway to play as you will. In close combat you may fight up close or far with parrying and dodging still a priority but not a necessity. A shield is useful but not needed if you are confident in your footwork and parrying. Most weapons will not suffer much in terms of speed, the exception being some ranged weapons and the slowest melee ones. Connecting with your melee attacks will make the decreased attack speed negligible.

• Archers – While not as fast you will be able to take a bit more punishment and may not need the shield to survive. Crossbows are less affected by the extra encumbrance than bows.
  
  
• Two handed Weapons – Everything is game and you can attack from all ranges with a respectable speed and a little extra safety when pressing up close.
  
  
• Spears – Work basically the same as they do when lightly armored, just slower to attack.
  
  
• Sidearms – Also works about the same as lightly armored, just slower to attack.
  
  
• Horsemen – Again, about the same effect as with light armor, just slower to attack.

Heavy Builds
Any weapon can be used with Heavy armor but not all are optimal, you will however be able to engage in close combat with less worry as you are well protected. Like with all armors dodging and parrying are important but with heavy armor a faster weapon will make your parry that much more effective. A slow weapon can make it very difficult to quickly parry or counter attack. A shield is helpful but may be more than you need unless you have no confidence in your ability to parry. Some weapons will suffer greatly in terms of speed, especially some bows and crossbows and the slowest melee ones. Connecting with your melee attacks will make the decreased attack speed bearable.

• Archers – They will shoot slower but may be better able to handle themselves in hand to hand combat. Also, other archers may not prove as big a threat either with the extra protection. Some crossbows will not be affected by the armors encumbrance with the proper setup.
  
  
• Two Handed Weapons – Get in there with the fastest and closest ranged two handed weapons. While your armor will absorb some blows be prepared to parry as you rip through your enemies. Remember to stay close to your foes; don’t allow them any breathing room.
  
  
• Spears – A spear and shield will be very slow but with proper timing it can still be effective. You are better off using it as a two handed weapon without the shield.
  
  
• Sidearms – Use fast sidearms in order make your attack speed effective. If you are going to use a shield it might be a good idea to forego the main weapon and keep your encumbrance down.
  
  
• Horsemen – Use that lance, the horse will handle your travel speed and the lance won’t be affected by your encumbrance. Any weapon can be used as you dart in and out of combat with your horse, timing your attack will be the main factor. If your horse goes down you will be armored and ready to deal with your attackers.