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The early game is often the most difficult stage in FromSoft titles as players have to learn the mechanics and deal with challenging mobs without having any decent armor or weapons. There are specific armor pieces thatElden Ring players should aim to get as quickly as possible for an easier early game, and they will also benefit from reading these beginner tips to help get them started in this difficult gaming experience.
Updated September 10, 2022 by Erik Petrovich: The availability of early game Elden Ring armor sets varies wildly, at least in terms of how difficult they are to acquire. Some, like the Knight Set, can simply be purchased by anybody without restriction. Others, like the Scaled armor set, are only good Elden Ring early armor sets if players put on horse blinders to get to a specific location (in this case, Volcano Manor). Be sure to check how each of these early Elden Ring armors are acquired, as some can only be found after completing several objectives. Some armor sets listed here can actually be found pretty late in the game, like Lionel’s Set, but they still work wonders in the early parts of New Game Plus.
8 The Knight Set
The Knight set is an early game armor Elden Ring makes available to all players as soon as they reach Roundtable Hold. In the hallway to the left of the balcony, just a stone’s throw from Gideon Ofnir’s study, players can meet the Twin Maiden Husks, a motionless NPC who sells basic items. They accept Bell Bearings to increase and expand their stock, but you don’t need any Bell Bearings to get what might be the best early game armor Elden Ring offers every Tarnished.
The entire set will set you back a few thousand runes – the Helm, Greaves, and Gloves all cost 3000 each, and the Armor costs 4,500, for a total of 13,500 Runes to purchase all four. If you can only afford to buy one piece, go for the armor, as it provides better defenses than the other Knight set pieces. Plus, it’s not a bad look, despite being very basic.
7 The Scaled Armor Set
The Scaled Armor set isn’t found quite as early as the Knight Set, in fact the only way to get it is through the questline in Elden Ring’s Volcano Manor. Though this tends to be encountered around mid-way through the game for most players, completing Rya’s short questline in central Liurnia can get you there faster. After retrieving her necklace, Rya will meet the Tarnished at the entrance to teh Altus Plateau and teleport them directly to Volcano Manor. Here, the quest can be started, and the Scaled Armor set is rewarded for slaying the first target.
Found just northeast of the Gatefront Ruins, near the coliseum-like structure, players will find an invasion sign for Old Knight Istvan. Killing this NPC both progresses the Volcano Manor questline and rewards his entire set. This is true for every Volcano Manor target - if the player kills their mark, they get their clothes. The Scaled Armor Set has some of the highest defensive stats of any heavy set, but be sure to plan out your route to get this Elden Ring armor set early.
6 Vulgar Militia
The Vulgar Militia set can be reached quite early in the game from the Third Church of Marika. While certainly not the best early game armor set in Elden Ring, this set prioritizes Immunity bonuses which can be really helpful for avoiding poison damages against Elden Ring’s most annoying enemies.
Players should look to get this set if they are aiming to explore the world before going through the story. There are plenty of better armor sets around that the Vulgar Militia set should be replaced with when possible.
5 Lionel’s Armor
Lionel’s Armor can be found near the Site of Grace in the Lower Capital Church in Leyndell. The chest piece will be on a bed. It has a Robustness of 99, which can be really helpful for new players when first starting out. Players can get here straight away but keep in mind that there will be a lot of different trash mobs around on their journey to the location unless the player uses Elden Ring mods to make the experience easier.
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The Lionel Armor set has some pretty decent starter defenses to physical damage, particularly against Slash and Pierce damage. Like with most early armor sets the player should look to replace this set with a better one as soon as possible - particularly one less heavy than this.
4 Godrick Soldier
The Godrick Knight set is one of the best armor pieces to get in the early parts of Elden Ring and can be picked up relatively easily from the start. In Limgrave, the player will come across the Gatefront Ruins, which is a way to Stormveil Castle and the Stormhills that houses many Godrick Soldiers and a giant. Be careful when tackling this Godrick soldier party, as playing Elden Ring like Dark Souls isn’t always the way to go and they will certainly kill you if you get too bold.
Heading east, there is a set of ruins made up of lots of Godrick soldiers and a particularly troublesome knight. If the player kills them they will eventually get the armor pieces for the Godrick Knight set. As with any droprate-reliant piece of equipment, use Silver-Pickled Fowl Feet to increase your chances of items dropping, or level Arcane to achieve the same effect.
3 Banished Knight
The Banished Knight armor set is obtained from killing the same Banished Knight repeatedly in Stormveil Castle. While a bit weightier than the other ideal early-game armor sets, this set has 39.3 Physical Damage Negation and works well as a buffer against Magic damage too.
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The Banished Knight is not particularly difficult to defeat and if the player is struggling they will likely need to get a better armor set by the time they’re at Stormveil Castle. Added to all of its impressive stats, the Banished Knight set looks pretty good too. Stormveil Castle hides many secrets and treasures including some awesome side quests.
2 Royal Remains
The Royal Remains set boasts some impressive stats and can be obtained after completing a short quest in the Village of the Albinaurics. Players can access this village by skipping Stormveil Castle entirely, which is something players may not know about Elden Ring. This set buffs HP, replenishing it slowly giving the player added sustained capabilities during a fight which helps players who like to solo boss fights and dungeons.
The set also has an aesthetically pleasing design with a skull-like helm that helps strike fear into the hearts of the trash mobs found in the Lands Between. It is very lightweight (25.3 weight) and grants impressive Damage Negation and Resistance.
1 Carian Knight
The Carian Knight set is the best early armor in Elden Ring players can obtain if they are going for a low-weight but reliably-defensive build. It can be found in the graveyard of the Academy of Raya Lucaria without beating any bosses, making it suited to early-game players who are struggling. However, players shouldn’t get too confident with the lack of a boss battle, as there are more enemies here than meet the eye. It is common for Elden Ring players to make beginner mistakes in this way, but it can easily lead to death.
Its 23.5 weight means that players will still be able to dodge and roll in fights without being impeded, and it has some decent Damage Negation and Resistance stats that help to level the playing field while traversing the Lands Between.
Elden Ring is available on Playstation 4 and 5, Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One, and PC.
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