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The best armor sets in The Elder Scrolls Online

Jon Bitner
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The Elder Scrolls Online gives you hundreds of different armor sets to research, collect, and — if they fit your build — equip. Whether you’re a spell-slinging Sorcerer, greatsword-wielding Dragonknight, or cloaked Nightblade, there’s an armor set that’s ideal for your playstyle. Figuring out what that is, however, is no easy task.

Not only are there three different classes of armor — Light, Medium, and Heavy — but different armor sets in each class confer a variety of bonuses. That means there isn’t a linear hierarchy for gear. Instead, you’ll need to carefully consider your needs and choose between a few top-tier armor sets.

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If you’re approaching the endgame, here are some of the best armor sets in ESO to keep your eyes on. Many of them are useful for a variety of high-end builds for a variety of classes, making them the most sought-after armor sets in all Tamriel.

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Best armor sets in ESO for Necromancers

ESO Necromancer casting a spell.
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This class is without a doubt one of the most unique, as it gives you the ability to raise the dead and build an army to do your bidding. Necromancers also have a bit of healing prowess, making them a fun class to play solo. There are plenty of different ways to build out a powerful Necromancer, but one of these armor sets should fit your playstyle:

  • Hunding’s Rage: Equip two or four items to increase Weapon Critical. Three items will confer a Maximum Stamina bonus, with five items granting all previous bonuses along with improved Weapon Damage. Hunding’s Rage can be crafted, although it requires knowledge of six Traits.
  • Law of Julianos: Equip two or four items to increase Spell Critical. Three items will confer an additional Maximum Magicka bonus, while five items will increase Spell Damage. This armor set can be crafted and requires knowledge of six Traits.
  • Mother’s Sorrow: Equip two items to increase Maximum Magicka. Subsequent items in the set will increase your Spell Critical, maxing out at five equipped items. This is an Overland Set that can be found in Deshaan by completing Delves, Public Dungeons, World Bosses, and Dark Anchors.

Best armor sets in ESO for Sorcerers

Sorcerer in ESO channeling lightning.
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There are a few sets of Light armor that augment Sorcerer’s penchant for DPS. Most builds rely on Magicka as their attribute of choice, and there are three armor sets in particular that you’ll want to look into. Like most armor sets in ESO, you’ll receive a larger benefit the more items you manage to equip.

  • Mother’s Sorrow: Equip two items to increase Maximum Magicka. Subsequent items in the set will increase your Spell Critical, maxing out at five equipped items. This is an Overland Set that can be found in Deshaan by completing Delves, Public Dungeons, World Bosses, and Dark Anchors.
  • Zaan: Equip one item to increase Spell Critical. Equip two items to gain a chance of summoning a beam of fire that deals Flame damage after hitting an enemy with a Light or Heavy attack. This set can be found at Scalecaller Peak after defeating its Dungeon Boss and through boxes purchases by Pledge Masters at Undaunted Enclaves.
  • Law of Julianos: Equip two or four items to increase Spell Critical. Three items will confer an additional Maximum Magicka bonus, while five items will increase Spell Damage. This armor set can be crafted and requires knowledge of six Traits.

Best armor sets in ESO for Wardens

ESO Warden entering combat.
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Wardens are a versatile group of warriors that use their natural surroundings to fend off threats. Calling forth massive beasts to do your beckoning is the main draw of the class, but there are plenty of other spells and abilities at your disposal to heal, buff, or throw DoTs on your enemies. Both Magicka and Stamina builds are viable for Wardens, meaning there are several “best armor sets” for this class, depending on your specific build.

  • Mother’s Sorrow: Equip two items to increase Maximum Magicka. Subsequent items in the set will increase your Spell Critical, maxing out at five equipped items. This is an Overland Set that can be found in Deshaan by completing Delves, Public Dungeons, World Bosses, and Dark Anchors.
  • Perfected Arms of Relequen: Equip two or four items to increase Weapon Critical. Equip three times to gain Minor Slayer. Max out the armor set with five items, and you’ll increase Maximum Stamina, and your Light and Heavy attacks will deal additional Physical Damage to enemies. The Perfected Arms of Relequen armor set can be found in Cloudrest as part of the Mini-Trial in the Summerset Chapter.
  • Ring of the Pale Order: It’s not quite an armor set, but it’s a boon to just about every Warden build in ESO. This lone Mythic item restores 20% of damage dealt as Health but prevents you from being healed by anyone but yourself. Its effect is reduced by 4% for every ally you are grouped with. The Ring of the Pale Order is a Mythic item obtainable through Scrying.

Best armor sets in ESO for Nightblades

Nightblade in the shadows in ESO.
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Most Nightblades are crafted around DPS — although both Magicka and Stamina builds are completely viable. Regardless of if which direction you go, you’ll probably be looking at Medium armor sets in ESO that provide a decent amount of defense while still boosting your attribute of choice.

  • Mother’s Sorrow: Equip two items to increase Maximum Magicka. Subsequent items in the set will increase your Spell Critical, maxing out at five equipped items. This is an Overland Set that can be found in Deshaan by completing Delves, Public Dungeons, World Bosses, and Dark Anchors.
  • Kinras’s Wrath: Equip two or four items to increase your Weapon Damage. Equip three items to increase Weapon Critical. Equip the max number of five items to boost your Light and Heavy Attack damage by applying Burning Heart to your target. This stacks up to five times, and with five stacks, you’ll also be granted Major Berserk, and nearby allies will earn Minor Berserk. Kinras’s Wrath can be found in Black Drake Villa.
  • Hunding’s Rage: Equip two or four items to increase Weapon Critical. Three items will confer a Maximum Stamina bonus, with five items granting all previous bonuses along with improved Weapon Damage. Hunding’s Rage can be crafted and requires knowledge of six Traits.

Best armor sets in ESO for Templars

ESO Templar in a cathedral.
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You’ll typically be slotted into the healer role as a Templar, although plenty of folks run them as a source of DPS in Dungeons and Trials. Because of this wide variety of playstyles, you’ll need to pay close attention to which armor set you opt for — if you’re healing, look for the usual Light armor sets, but if you’re opting at DPS, you can go with something a bit heavier. In fact, some of the above Nightblade sets work well for DPS Templars.

  • Mother’s Sorrow: Equip two items to increase Maximum Magicka. Subsequent items in the set will increase your Spell Critical, maxing out at five equipped items. This is an Overland Set that can be found in Deshaan by completing Delves, Public Dungeons, World Bosses, and Dark Anchors.
  • Law of Julianos: Equip two or four items to increase Spell Critical. Three items will confer an additional Maximum Magicka bonus, while five items will increase Spell Damage. This armor set can be crafted and requires knowledge of six Traits.
  • Sentinel of Rkugamz: This two-piece armor set grants additional Healing Done with one item slotted. Slot both helm and shoulders, and you’ll summon a Dwemer spider when healing yourself or an ally that heals and restores Magicka/Stamina for you and nearby party members. This armor set drops after killing monsters in the Darkshade Caverns I.

Best armor sets in ESO for Dragonknights

ESO Dragonknight dual wielding axes.
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Dragonknights often run Heavy armor sets in ESO, as they usually fall into the tank role and need to withstand brutal attacks from all directions.  But thanks to ESO‘s highly customizable builds, there’s a chance you’d be better off with Medium armor in certain DPS builds.

  • Perfected Arms of Relequen: Equip two or four items to increase Weapon Critical. Equip three times to gain Minor Slayer. Max out the armor set with five items, and you’ll increase Maximum Stamina, and your Light and Heavy attacks will deal additional Physical Damage to enemies. The Perfected Arms of Relequen armor set can be found in Cloudrest as part of the Mini-Trial in the Summerset Chapter.
  • Kinras’s Wrath: Equip two or four items to increase your Weapon Damage. Equip three items to increase Weapon Critical. Equip the max number of five items to boost your Light and Heavy Attack damage by applying Burning Heart to your target. This stacks up to five times, and with five stacks, you’ll also be granted Major Berserk, and nearby allies will earn Minor Berserk. Kinras’s Wrath can be found in Black Drake Villa.
  • Ebon Armory: Equip two or three items to increase Maximum Health. Equip four items for increased Healing Taken, and max out with five items for another Max Health boost for both you and nearby group members. This armor set is dropped in the Crypt of Hearts I and Crypts of Hearts II Dungeons.

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Jon Bitner
Jon Bitner
Jon Bitner is a writer covering consumer electronics, technology, and gaming. His work has been published on various websites…
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As more mods are created, we will update this list with the most exciting and useful ones available.
Starfield Upscaler

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Bethesda RPGs really encourage players to actually roleplay a character in every way. Starfield continues the tradition found in Elder Scrolls and Fallout by starting you off by having you create your own unique character, complete with a history and set of specific traits. The number of options this time around is massive, and they not only inform who your character is to help you embody their personality, but dictate what skills you start with, the ways you can interact with certain groups, and other passive buffs and debuffs. There are way too many possible combinations to consider, and personal taste will play the biggest part in which you decide to select, but here are a few backgrounds and traits that stand out as the best for a variety of players.
Best backgrounds
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Bounty Hunter

If you're looking to start out being a bit of a Jango Fett-type character, the Bounty Hunter is the perfect background. You won't get any actual combat perks at the start, except for immediately being able to use boost packs to easily flank enemies and maneuver around the environment. Your main bonuses will be in ship combat thanks to the Piloting and Targeting Control Systems skills. If your dream is to be a space pirate, raiding unsuspecting vessels for supplies, you should go Bounty Hunter.
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A screenshot of a pilot in a spaceship in Starfield.

One of the most exciting parts of diving into a brand new sci-fi universe like Starfield is discovering all the new futuristic technologies. There are of course spaceships and jetpacks, but what you'll be using most often will be the suite of weaponry. We haven't gone completely beyond the use of traditional guns as we recognize them, but that doesn't mean there aren't more exotic and exciting weapons to find. All weapons fit into a few major categories, but there are many unique variants that have far better stats or special traits that put them above the rest. Here is a quick list of some of the best weapons in Starfield.
Best weapons in Starfield

Magshear
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Razorback
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N67 Smartgun
We all know that scene in Aliens where the Marines pull out the huge smartguns and unload on the xenomorphs swarming them, right? The N67 Smartgun looks more like a traditional chaingun than that but is functionally just as effective. Each round does 11 damage, but when you're spitting bullets out at a fire rate of 350, that adds up very quickly. Each mag holds 300 bullets, with a decent range of 40, but you're trading off accuracy which is just below half at 49.3% so you want to be close. This is a unique gun, meaning it comes with Shattering, which makes it super effective against armor, plus has two mods already installed: a Compensator and Armor-Piercing Rounds.
Technophile's Pacifier
There's not much to say about shotguns in Starfield that you don't already know. Still, if you want to get the most bang for your buckshot, go with the Technophile's Pacifier. Each blast kicks out 93 damage at a decent fire rate of 20. The range, as you would expect, is only 17, but you can up it some thanks to six available mod slots. It is also pretty accurate off the bat at 55.9% and holds seven shells before reloading.
Assassin's Beowulf
Back to rifles, but this time we're looking at more of a sniper-style gun. The Assassin's Beowulf is perfect for scoping out an outpost and picking off targets from the shadows. It deals 44 damage with great range and accuracy. It comes with eight mod slots open, so you will need to tinker with it to add on a scope, long barrel, suppressor, and whatever else you like, but it can easily become your most trusty sniper.
Brawler's Equinox
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Ember
One of the coolest pistols in the Settled Systems has to be the Ember. Sticking to laser weapons, this one actually has the special effect of shooting ignition beams that can ignite enemies. In terms of raw stats, you're looking at 12 energy damage at a good 25 firing rate, but a low base range of 24. Still, you have seven mod slots to work with, which is well worth it to take advantage of those awesome ignition beams.
Poison Barrow Knife
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