This is the last Breath of the Wild article until I dive deep into Tears of the Kingdom. I spent a lot of time acquiring all of the extras in the game. I wanted to get everything it had to offer. So I scanned amiibo, bought the DLC, and went about my merry way to hunt everything down. I’ve enhanced, examined, and used all the armor sets and I’m here to tell you which ones sucked and which ones rocked. This only covers complete armors and not the one-offs like the Switch shirt or any of the masks. So here we go:
28. Trunks
Not really an armor set, but this is how you start the game so why not start the list off with this? This is also the outfit you change into mid- to late-game if you REALLY want a challenge.
27. A Well-Worn Outfit
Thankfully, the Shrine of Resurrection doesn’t want you going out half naked, so they provide a shirt and some pants right off the bat.
26. Phantom Set
I was not a fan of Phantom Hourglass and not a fan of this armor. With no set bonus and not enhanceable, there really is no point in wearing this.
25. Hero of the Sky Set
I don’t know what it is about Skyward Sword, but I have ZERO interest in playing it. I mean, I ranked Tingle’s Set ahead of this one. Kinda says something…
24. Tingle’s Set (from Majora’s Mask)
I never played Majora’s Mask so I have no idea who Tingle is, but I’m sure he’s the life of the party. With a set bonus of Night Speed Up, it’s marginally useful but there are a bunch of other armor sets that provide the same bonus that are also better looking so why bother.
23. Hero of the Wild Set
Link gets a new outfit for every game, so why should Breath of the Wild be any different? The Hero of the Wild set is the game’s custom green outfit for Link and is obtained after completing 120 shrines. I ranked this one way low because it requires you unlocking all 120 shrines to get it. It boasts having the game’s best defense rating once fully upgraded, but the sheer cost to get all three pieces fully upgraded makes it not worth it. You’ll have better armor sets with more utility by the time you’ve completed all 120 shrines making this reward one that really never gets any use. Besides, it’s not as good looking as some of the other sets.
22. Salvager Set
This was a weird one. It’s the Salvager costume that was patched in as collaboration with the release of Xenoblade Chronicles 2. It has increased swim speed and Swim Dash Stamina Up, but the Zora set is way more useful with additional abilities of swim attack and the ability to swim up waterfalls making this armor set a second class citizen.
21. Desert Voe Set
This is the male version of the Gerudo Set. Oddly enough, not only does it offer heat resistance but its set bonus is Shock Damage Resistance. Maybe this was meant to be worn while taming Divine Beast Vah Naboris? Can’t remember if I did or not but it doesn’t matter. I don’t even remember wearing this at all. And you can’t wear this to access Gerudo Town so I’m not sure why it even exists.
20. Gerudo Clothes
The Gerudo set is the only way you’re allowed into Gerudo Town. It offers Heat Resistance so you can cross the desert during the day. It’s not enhanceable so it’s usefulness is fairly limited. Once you’re done with the Gerudo Desert, there’s very little reason to go back and ever put this on again.
19. Radiant Set
I might have put this on once right after I acquired it in Gerudo Town and never again after that. It has disguise and Bone Attack Up, but so does the Phantom Ganon set and the Phantom Ganon set looks way cooler.
18. Phantom Ganon Set
This is just an awesome looking set but is hampered by a few things. You can dress up as Ganon and not have Stal enemies immediately attack you which makes it kinda useful early on in the game but only at night. It’s not enhanceable so once you progress further into the game you’ll want something with more armor. Plus, the other kinds of masks you can buy can neutralize a threat from more enemies than just Stals highlighting just how limiting this set’s usefulness is. It’s only fun if you want to play BOTW dressed up as Ganon.
17. Stealth Set
Also known as the Sheikah Set, this is the Stealth Set. It’s quite useful to sneak around sleeping enemy camps and also to sneak up on bugs and critters you may need as materials. It’s a bit expensive to get but may be worth it in Master Mode where a stealthy approach to the game is practically required. Fully upgraded, the defense rating isn’t as high as some of the other armors, but given the stealth abilities, it’s an understandable trade-off.
As a neat little bonus, if you have the Sheik amiibo from the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate series, you have a chance of getting Sheik’s mask. It can be used as a substitute as the Stealth mask with the same bonuses. Plus, it mimics Princess Zelda’s outfit from Ocarina of Time. I might have ranked this one higher up if played Master Mode, but I rarely put this one on and the super high cost of the upgrades kept this one lower on the list.
16. Flamebreaker Set
I call this the Lava Beekeeper outfit. Like the Gerudo Outfit, it has limited use outside of the region you get it in, but I found myself going back to Goron City and the surrounding area more often than Gerudo Desert. So up higher on the list it goes.
15. Hylian Set
I do love me a hoodie. Though not as recognizable as the Champion’s Tunic that Link is seen wearing most it not all of the BOTW imagery, it is considered a set. I think this is what the Rider Link amiibo should have been wearing.
14. Rubber Set
This is a great set and a great looking set. Once upgraded, it gains a set bonus of Unshockable, so you can wear this during thunderstorms, get struck by lightning, and not drop all your equipped metallic gear. The same effect can be achieved by just wearing the Thunder Helm but maybe you didn’t obtain it or you just like wearing matching armor pieces like yours truly. It takes a bit of effort to get all the pieces, involving one sidequest and two shrines, but worth it in my opinion.
13. Zora Set
Every so often, try as you might to avoid water, you’re going to find yourself in water. Having the increased swim speed and higher Swim Dash stamina comes in real handy. Also, being able to swim up waterfalls like a Salmon headed to spawning grounds is pretty useful.
12. Soldier’s Set
No set bonus, nothing remarkable about this set other than it’s good looks.
11. Hero of Time Set
This one and the next few I kinda lumped together. They are Hero sets taken from the various games and obtained by scanning amiibo. They all offer the same set bonus (Master Sword Beam Up) when enhanced enough and are all at the same armor level of 20. The only reason to change into any of these outfits would be because you have a certain affinity to a particular game. This one is modeled after Link’s outfit from Ocarina of Time. I never played this game but it’s somewhere on my backlog list.
10. Hero of Winds Set
I’ve never actually played Wind Waker but I am this close >< to getting Wind Waker HD for the Wii U off of eBay. I heard it was a surprisingly good game despite its cartoonish appearance.
9. Hero Set
Ah the one that started it all. From the original The Legend of Zelda game, the Hero Set. It’s high up the list because of its legacy and also because I didn’t realize he wasn’t wearing any pants.
8. Royal Guard Set
Just a really good looking armor set. Outfitted with the Royal Guard weapons and shields, it looks really, really good. Too bad it’s not enhanceable but it does offer a Charge Attack Stamina Up as a set bonus.
7. Climbing Set
It looks exactly like what a mountain climber in Hyrule would wear. Or maybe even the real world. I used Revali’s Gale+ constantly, but there are times when you still need to scale a rock face. This outfit is made just for that. Just like the Zora outfit, it has a very specific use case but man are the set bonuses awesome for climbing. Plus it’s enhanceable to an armor rating of 20 per piece matching some of the other great armor sets for defense.
6. Dark Set
Man I love this set. The Dark Set is basically Dark Link who has appeared in a variety of games with the armor modeled after the Hero of Time set. Had it been enhanceable I would have worn this set 24×7. It has night speed up which isn’t really all that useful but I don’t care, it just looks great.
5. Barbarian Set
This is one of the first complete sets of armor I got in the game. Once the Barbarian set is fully upgraded, you get some awesome bonuses in the form of increased damage and reducing the stamins cost of the spin attack. It is so aptly named too. I changed into this outfit pretty often.
4. Ancient Set
Man, another set I just love. The Ancient set makes you look like a walking and talking Shrine, or a bipedal Guardian. And just like the Royal Guard set, you can outfit it with Ancient weaponry to really complete the look. Its bonuses work well with the Ancient weapons and is useful when fighting Guardians. Also, if you scan the Champions amiibo and get each of their respective Divine Beasts helms, they match aesthetically and you can still retain the weapon proficiency bonus if you’re okay losing the Guardian protection. And given the bonus you can get from the different helms, I’d say the bonus is worth it.
Ancient Set with Vah Ruta Divine Helm
Ancient Set with Vah Rudania Divine Helm
Ancient Set with Vah Naboris Divine Helm
Ancient Set with Vah Medoh Divine Helm
3. Hero of Twilight Set
My favorite version of Link. I loved Twilight Princess so naturally, this is the one Hero set that floats towards the top. When riding Epona with this outfit on, I sometimes pretend I’m back playing Twilight Princess again. It’s a darker green than some of the other Hero sets, a tone I find more aesthetically pleasing.
2. Snowquill Set
This one almost took top spot for the mere fact that I wore this outfit a lot. Unlike the heat resistant armor sets, I found myself changing into Snowquill Set quite often and you would have too if you spent a lot of time exploring. You’ll visit far more areas with a cold climate that requires the Cold Resistance bonus than hot areas. Out of all the armor sets, this one’s usefulness is unsurpassed.
1. Fierce Deity Set
And finally, taking the top spot is the Fierce Deity Set. I never played Majora’s Mask but I just love, love, love the way it looks. It’s bonuses are similar to the Barbarian Set and is arguably easier to get through scanning amiibo than the completing the labrynths to get the Barbarian Set. The attack bonus makes farming Lynels a breeze.
And that’s a wrap.
