Every armor set in Valheim, ranked. As with the weapons list, I pulled the actual armor values from the wiki and read the other tier lists out there before making my own calls. The numbers below are per chest piece at base quality, which is the cleanest way to compare sets.
Carapace breastplate
Padded cuirass
Fenris coat
Eitr-weave robe
Wolf armor chest
Root harnesk
Troll leather tunic
Iron scale mail
Bronze plate cuirass
Leather tunic
Rag tunicThe one decision that matters: heavy or light
Valheim armor is really two families. Heavy sets (bronze, iron, wolf, padded, carapace) give the biggest numbers and slow you down for it. Light sets (troll, root, fenris) trade protection for speed and bonuses. Neither is wrong. Melee fighters who eat hits want heavy. Archers, mages and anyone who dodges wants light.
S tier
Carapace breastplate is the top of the physical game: 32 armor per piece, the best full set available, at only a mild speed cost. Everything about the Mistlands hurts, and this is the answer.- Padded cuirass is the set that finally stops deathsquitos being lethal: 26 armor per piece with no gimmicks. It carries you from the Plains deep into the Mistlands.
- Fenris coat is the only armor in the game that makes you faster. The numbers are light armor numbers, but a speed bonus plus fire resistance on a set you can farm in Mountain caves is unique, and for bow and dodge players it can genuinely be the best set in the game.
- Eitr-weave robe is S tier for exactly one audience: mages. The Eitr regeneration on it is what makes a magic build function at all.
A tier
- Wolf armor chest is the Mountains answer: 20 armor per piece and built in frost resistance, which permanently solves the cold. Its only sin is being outclassed by padded one biome later.
- Root harnesk is the thinking archer’s set: pierce resistance on the chest (deathsquitos and fuling spears care about this a lot) and a bow skill bonus. Weak to fire, so keep it away from surtlings.
- Troll leather tunic is the best value purchase in the early game. Nearly bronze level protection, zero movement penalty, made from hides a troll was going to donate anyway. Some lists put it B for the raw number. The number misses the point.
B tier and below
Iron scale mail and Bronze plate cuirass are fine, necessary stepping stones that do nothing interesting. Leather tunic is your first craft and outgrown within hours, and Rag tunic is what you wake up in.
What to wear, when
- Meadows and Black Forest: Troll leather tunic the moment you have the hides.
- Swamp: Iron scale mail if you fight in melee, or root for archers. See getting iron.
- Mountains: Wolf armor chest, made from silver. The frost resistance alone pays for it.
- Plains onward: Padded cuirass, then Carapace breastplate in the Mistlands, with Fenris coat or Eitr-weave robe for speed and magic builds.
Pair whatever you wear with the right food, because health from food and armor multiply each other. Happy smithing!
