Highlights

• Armor in Bloodborne is essential for resistance, not damage absorption, with various sets offering specific protections against different dangers.
• Some armor sets may provide more resistance to specific damage types, but overall, the importance lies in the aesthetics and minor benefits they offer.
• Unique armor sets like Yahar'gul, Ashen Hunter, and Brador's set provide players with protection and style, enhancing the gameplay experience.

Bloodborne is an unforgiving and difficult game with many enemies that players will not be prepared for. Players can protect themselves with armor found throughout the main game and its DLC, although it should be clarified that armor in this game should be worn mainly to increase their resistances. Their actual capacity to absorb damage isn't all that high.

Players can find pieces or sets of armor as they travel through the world of Yharnam. The "armor" sets in Bloodborne are not the stereotypical plated, chain, or metal armor seen in other fantasy games. However, armor in Bloodborne and The Old Hunters DLC provides many different protections and resistances to various dangers such as fire resistance and slow poison resistance. Some armor sets provide more resistance to some damage than others, but there are armor sets that are better overall than others.

Updated on March 31, 2024 by Ritwik Mitra: Bloodborne is one of the best games made by From Software. It's a testament to the immense quality of this game that players can't get enough of its Gothic goodness despite the game being released almost a decade ago. Unlike the Dark Souls games, armor doesn't hold a lot of importance in Bloodborne. Sure, some of the sets have decent stats and provide minor benefits and protection, but that's exactly what they are — minor. Still, every little bit helps in a game where death awaits the Hunter around every corner, and players can always find some comfort in wearing a set of armor that provides them with a bit of protection while also looking pretty cool in the process. As such, a few more of the game's best armor have been added to this list.

23 Yahar'gul Set

Worn By The Hunters Of Yahar'gul, The Unseen Village

Yahar'gul marks a turning point in the game, with this area opening up after Rom's demise. This region is pretty challenging, and players must be wary of the Amygdalas that can completely wreck them with their beams if they aren't swift enough to avoid them. This area also houses an armor set worn by the hunters who populated this location.

While there's no denying that the Yahar'gul Set looks awesome, the stats of this armor aren't anything to boast about. However, that shouldn't stop players from donning this set, with most of the armor sets in Bloodborne becoming popular because of how they look. After all, skilled hunters don't need to worry about reducing damage if they simply don't take any.

22 Ashen Hunter Set

A Decent Alternate Look For The Iconic Hunter Outfit

The Ashen Hunter Set is a reskin of a popular outfit that players would certainly love to wear in the game. It's a white variant of the iconic hunter outfit that is first seen worn by Djura when players enter Old Yharnam.

It may not be the most remarkable armor set around, but most of the sets in Bloodborne aren't really all that different. Being fashionable can certainly take priority over resistances except in situations where the player is struggling quite a bit.

21 Brador's Set

The Outfit Of An NPC Invader Who Wields The Bloodletter

Brador is an NPC that will invade the player multiple times during their adventures in The Old Hunters DLC. This character uses the Bloodletter to try and take out the player, with each hit of this weapon causing serious damage, and leading to many players coveting this weapon. The idea of using a weapon that uses the player's own essence to deal damage has been a popular notion in Bloodborne, and the Bloodletter certainly fulfills this criterion and then some.

The outfit this NPC wears is also pretty unique, and players get each article of this clothing as they battle against his many invasions. The headwear is particularly notable for being somewhat beastlike, with the armor having a high Beasthood stat while having low resistances to Frenzy and Fire.

20 Gehrman's Hunter Set

Worn By One Of The Most Tragic Figures In The Series

Gerhman is the final boss of Bloodborne, with this tragic figure being trapped to host the Hunter's Nightmare after making a series of mistakes that led to the Old Ones punishing him in this manner. This curse is something that drives the character every step of the way, and he even asks the player to die at the end of the game if they wish to escape the Hunter's Dream once and for all.

The battle against him is a dance of blades that is pretty engaging in its own right, and players can get this attire in NG+ after defeating this hunter. It may not be the most useful set around when it comes to pure resistances, but the novelty of wearing the outfit of the first Hunter is something that will satisfy most fans!

19 Knight's Set

Worn By The Knights Of Cainhurst

One of the best-looking sets of armor in the game, it's easy to see why people who explore Cainhurst Castle will be excited to find this amazing suit of armor, and by how awesome the Hunter looks in it. The fact that this set boasts impressive Blood Defense should not be scoffed at either. In fact, the only other set that is better than the Knight's Set is the one that Lady Maria wears.

It can't be stated enough just how awesome the red hues on this outfit look. Players who explore the Forsaken Cainhurst Castle should make it a point to hunt down the pieces of this armor. It's a simple and great look that players will love to flaunt as they show off their Hunter to their buddies.

18 Yamamura Set

Found In The Old Hunters DLC In The Prison Cells Beyond The Ludwig Battle

The Old Hunters is considered by many to be one of the greatest pieces of DLC ever made for a video game. The expansion of Bloodborne's lore as players fight against some legendary figures who are as tough as they come makes for a great time, with the first boss of the DLC making it infinitely clear why so many people have a soft spot for the Hunter's Nightmare.

Beating Ludwig is no mean feat, and most players will love the epic encounter against this two-phase boss fight that takes no prisoners. Defeating this boss lets players enter a row of jail cells, one of which houses the hunter named Yamamura. Most people wouldn't want to kill this innocent NPC, but doing so lets players get their hands on Yamamura's Set, an armor set that boasts excellent defense against fire-based attacks.

17 Bone Ash Set

A Unique-Looking Set With Amazing Magical Defense

The Bone Ash Set is easily one of the most popular armor sets in Bloodborne because of how unique it looks. One of the better bosses in the Chalice Dungeons, the Keeper of the Old Lords, also wears this set. This armor boasts high physical, fire, and bolt defenses, making it pretty effective against the majority of enemies in the game.

However, keep in mind that this set doesn't have the best blood and arcane defenses. As a result, it becomes important to switch out sets whenever players deal with enemies that specialize in these aspects... otherwise, most players will find themselves dying over and over again without any recourse whatsoever.

16 Choir Set

Attire Of The High-Ranking Members Of The Healing Church

It may surprise some players that the Choir Set is considered one of the best Bloodborne armor sets, but that is because it has the highest stats in most fields when it lacks high numbers in others. For example, the Choir set has 370 arcane damage defense, 280 fire damage defense, and 290 bolt damage defense.

The Choir set also has a decent amount of blood damage defense with 220. Standard physical damage defense isn't the highest for the Choir set, but as previously mentioned, it makes up for it with magical damage defenses. The Choir set is located in the Upper Cathedral Ward at the side entrance of the Healing Church.

15 Yharnam Hunter Set

An Iconic Armor Set That Is Instantly Recognizable

The Yharnam Hunter Set is accessible to the player from the start of the game from the Messengers in the Hunter's Dream. What makes the Yharnam Hunter set one of the best choices for Bloodborne armor is the fact that the set's stats are fairly consistent across the board.

The general physical damage defense and the physical subcategories, blunt and thrust, are ranged in the mid-200s. The magical damage defenses arcane, fire, and bolt, for the Yharnam Hunter set are all placed between the low and high 200s. All of this makes this particular set a great one to stick to in the long run if players don't want to diversify too much when it comes to armor in Bloodborne.

14 Graveguard Set

Worn By Dores, Graveguard Of The Forbidden Woods

Just like with the Yharnam Hunter set, The Graveguard Set is consistent in its stats, for the most part. However, the Graveguard set does have 270 arcane damage defense and 280 bolt damage defense. Another attribute of armor sets in Bloodborne is the status effect resistances: slow poison, rapid poison, and frenzy resistances.

The Graveguard set has high-status effect resistances with 122 slow poison resistance, 119 rapid poison resistance, and 135 frenzy resistance. The Graveguard set is found in the Forbidden Woods area where players will come across snake parasite mobs.

13 Henryk's Hunter Set

Worn By The Eponymous Hunter Who is Locked In A Battle With Eileen The Crow

Henryk is a hunter that players can fight in the Tomb of Oedon. Henryk only appears once players have interacted with Eileen the Crow outside of Oedon Chapel in the Cathedral Ward.

After Henryk is defeated, his armor set is available for purchase from the Messengers in the Hunter's Dream. Henryk's Hunter Set has a high 250 physical damage defense as well as a high 250 fire damage defense. The greatest stat within Henryk's Hunter set is the bolt damage defense which is 360. Henryk's Hunter set also has one of the highest Beasthood stats which is 146.

12 Gascoigne Set

An Iconic Outfit Worn By A Boss That Whips Bloodborne Players Into Shape

Father Gascoigne is the first main story boss that players come across in Bloodborne. Father Gascoigne's Set is available for purchase after defeating him.

Gascoigne's set has a high physical damage defense in the two subcategories, damage from blunt attacks and damage from thrust attacks. Gascoigne's set also has high arcane and fire damage defense, both being at 280. The armor set has a high slow and rapid poison resistance as well, making it an ideal armor set to wear when facing enemies that can poison players.

11 Executioner Set

Worn By Executioners Like Alfred

The Gold Ardeo, the headpiece of the Executioner Set, is found separately from the rest of the set. The Messengers will sell the Gold Ardeo after Alfred gives up the Wheel Hunter Badge. The rest of the Executioner set is located on a dead body in Cainhurst Castle.

The Executioner set has the highest damage defense from blunt attacks at 290. It also has high stats in almost every other stat, specifically 270 arcane damage defense and bolt damage defense as well as 260 damage defense from thrust attacks.

10 Black Church Set

Well-Rounded In All Departments

Players will find the Black Church Set near the round plaza in Cathedral Ward. Players will find the set on a corpse in the alley where Arianna and the Skeptical Man are located.

The Black Church set has fairly low physical damage defense and damage defense from blunt attacks. However, the Black Church set more than makes up for it with high damage defense from blood attacks, arcane attacks, fire attacks, and bolt attacks all stats being 300, 280, 260, and 270, respectively. It also has an extremely high slow poison resistance of 146 and rapid poison resistance of 141 making it the best Bloodborne armor for caster builds.

9 Tomb Prospector Set

A Surprisingly Cool-Looking Outfit

The Tomb Prospector Set is available for purchase from the Messengers once the player obtains the Radiant Sword Hunter Badge. The Tomb Prospector set has a lower physical damage defense and a lower blunt damage defense, but it has a high thrust damage defense of 270.

This set has one of the highest arcane damage defenses at 310. The Tomb Prospector set has high fire damage defense and bolt damage defense, both being at 270. It also has high slow poison resistance at 133 and rapid poison resistance at 129.

8 White Church Set

Outfit Worn By Special Church Doctors

The White Church Set is located in the Forbidden Woods on top of the building next to the dog cages, guarded by two crows. The White Church set has one of the lowest physical damage defense and blunt damage defense stats out of all of the armor sets in the game. However, those along with its frenzy resistance are the only low stats for the White Church set. Every other stat is remarkably high.

The White Church set has a blood damage defense of 330, an arcane damage and fire damage defense of 290, and a bolt damage defense of 280. This set has the highest slow poison resistance of all armor sets.

7 Harrowed Set

Used By Church Hunters Who Wanted To Blend Into The Seedy Underbelly Of The Cities

The best armor set in Bloodborne is actually found in The Old Hunters DLC. Players find the Harrowed Set in the Fishing Hamlet after defeating Lady Maria of the Astral Clocktower. The Harrowed set has the highest physical damage defense with 310.

This set also has one of the highest slow poison resistance and rapid poison resistance stats. The Harrowed set has an arcane damage defense of 280 and a bolt damage defense of 270. The blood damage defense and fire damage defense of the Harrowed set sits at 250.

6 Constable Set

A Hilarious-Looking Outfit

The Constable Set is added to the game as part of The Old Hunters expansion. The set is worn by Valtr, the Master of the League. Players will be able to get the garb, gloves, and trousers from Hunter's Nightmare while the helm is given by Valtr.

In terms of defense, the set provides a respectable physical damage defense with 270. It also gives a 250 defense against Fire and Bolt making a decent, all-around Bloodborne armor. However, the attire provides only a little protection against poison damage.

5 Crowfeather Set

An Extremely Iconic Outfit Worn By One Of Bloodborne's Best NPCs

Eileen the Crow is one of the most memorable hunters in Bloodborne. Her questline can be a bit tricky to follow, but players who see it through to the very end will end up fighting one of the toughest hunters in the entire game.

Of course, if players just want the Crowfeather Set, then they can simply kill her without a fuss. However, given how rewarding this questline really is, it's recommended to help Eileen out until her untimely demise.

4 Charred Hunter Set

Highly Resistant To Fire

Players will find the Charred Hunter Set quite easily in the game but will have to overcome a challenge in order to acquire it. It is found on the top floor of a hidden building in Old Yharnam, close to the area where players will encounter Djura and his disciple.

In terms of defense, the set only provides 230 defense against physical damage and only 120 defense against arcane damage. However, the set provides the highest level of protection against fire damage with 290 points of defense. The set is best utilized against enemies and bosses that deal fire-based damage.