In Elden Ring, players are called the Tarnished, but that doesn't mean they have to look the part. And while the game somewhat encourages that by mostly presenting players with Salvation Army duds, there are still numerous second-hand armor options that look great for melee characters. All of them help players achieve or become a part of the true endgame in Elden Ring: Elden Bling.

It's where the most stylish and most glamorous of Tarnished gather which may or may not result in fight clubs or spiteful PVP but hey, at least look good while blaspheming or ganking others. The most imposing among them, for that matter, are armored melee fighters — because magic is for snobs who wear Burger King helmets and oversized fedoras.

Updated July 7, 2023 by Stephen LaGioia: Given the dynamic nature of the sprawling epic Elden Ring, picking the right armor when venturing out in the Land's Between can be a daunting task. Given its vast and diverse lineup, as well as the various factors like one's own playstyle, it can feel overwhelming.

Added to this is the trickling of patches FromSoftware has implemented since its early 2022 launch, which has tweaked a number of details. And with so many options for melee builds alone, this list has been updated to include more solid and effective armor for melee-focused fighters.

18 Cleanrot Set

elden ring cleanrot knight armor set

Worn By

Cleanrot Knights

Location

Lesser Cleanrot Knights in Caelid, Aeonia Swamp

Main Benefit

Well-rounded armor with great elemental resistance

Weight

35.7

Particularly in the early and middle portions of the players' journey, the Cleanrot is a great set for safeguarding the Tarnished in a number of ways. The armor offers solid defense and resistance to Hemorrhage and Frostbite and can absorb both physical and elemental damage quite well.

It's fairly versatile and well-rounded, making it a good option for beginner melee brawlers. Moreover, it's just a "clean", elegant set to admire while also striking a rather intimidating appearance with its rugged-knight mail design. It certainly helps that it's fairly easy to get compared to some of the more exclusive sets that offer similar protection.

17 Lionel's Set

lionel armor in Elden Ring with tree in background

Worn By

Lionel the Lionhearted

Location

In Leyndell, Royal Capital, on a bed in the building holding the Lower Capital Church Grace

Main Benefit

Potent robustness and poise, can strike right through certain enemy hits

Weight

50.5

Sure, it may look a bit ridiculous, but looks can be deceiving — and this "robust" set from Lionel the Lionhearted makes this point emphatically. It's also on the heavy side, to say the least, yet it's worth the extra load, given its solid nature and great damage reduction as well as unshakable poise.

In fact, it's so good in this area, that players can often attack right through certain enemy hits without being set back. Gamers will want to take the time to seek it out within the Lower Capital Church, which also yields a Site of Grace, where players hauling this heavy armor can get some brief respite.

16 Malenia's Set

malenia looking at sunset in Elden Ring

Worn By

Malenia Blade of Miquella

Location

Buy for 56,000 runes from Enia in Roundtable Hold after besting Malenia

Main Benefit

Good magical and physical protection

Weight

20.5

While it's a rather lightweight set, Malenia's lavish armor can be surprisingly effective even for more melee-focused fighters. Players will still want to tread somewhat carefully when in close combat, though the solid Robustness and excellent Immunity (108) more than make up for any lack of poise or vitality.

RELATED: Elden Ring: Best Fire Weapons, Ranked

In fact, weighing in its strengths, Malenia's Set is one of the best armor sets in the game as a whole statistically. Provided players are fine with a little bit of risk with close-up brawling, this is a great (and flashy) set that offers several defensive and resistance benefits. It's certainly solid given its lightweight nature.

15 Tree Sentinel Set

elden ring tree sentinel set

Worn By

Tree Sentinel Boss

Location

Chariot puzzle in Auriza Heroes Grave

Main Benefit

Well-rounded and stylish armor

Weight

45

Players get a glimpse of one of the best and most stylish heavy armor sets in the game as soon as they step into Limgrave. The Tree Sentinel actually has a good armor set but sadly, he doesn't drop it. Players will have to head over to Auriza Heroes Grave in Altus Plateau and destroy the Chariots in order to get this armor.

The effort is well-rewarded though since the Tree Sentinel armor has about the same defensive stats and poise as Radahn's Set. It's also bulky yet glamorous as it's also one of the few armor sets in the game that looks well-kept and maintained.

14 Raptor's Set

Elden-Ring-Skeletal-Mask-Raptor-Feathers

Worn By

The assassin Ravenmount

Location

Behind an illusory Sage's Cave, gloves and boots are sold by Gatekeeper Gostoc

Main Benefit

Jump attack damage boost from the body armor

Weight

16.8

The Raptor's set is a considerable upgrade from the default Bandit's set worn as starting armor by the Bandit class. It's more special, however, as the body armor, Raptor's Black Feathers, enhances jump attack damage by a noticeable amount.

RELATED: Elden Ring: Details You Probably Missed About The Demigods

Furthermore, this buff stacks with the Claw Talisman for an even bigger jump attack increase. So it's pretty much a build-enabling armor set, especially for those that use twinblades or dual greatswords (or heavier). The defensive stats are decent enough and the style is impeccable.

13 War Surgeon Set

Elden-Ring-White-Faced-Varre

Worn By

White Mask Varre

Location

Nameless White Mask NPC invaders in the Mohgwyn Dynasty Mausoleum, in the blood-filled lake

Main Benefit

Mask gives Attack Rating boost triggered by nearby Blood Loss/Bleed

Weight

16.6

Ever wanted to have revenge against Varre's creepy, judgmental kind? Well, apart from killing them, one can also wear their clothing as some kind of trophy. It's not half-bad. The War Surgeon Set is dropped by the invaders in Mogwhyn Dynasty Mausoleum's bloody lake. They look like Varre.

The set itself is unimpressive when it comes to defense by the helmet or mask gives a good damage boost for Bleed builds. The mask gives a buff to Attack Rating once it detects a nearby Bleed proc. Players can even trigger this themselves using the Seppuku Ash of War.

12 Fire Prelate Set

elden ring fire prelate set

Worn By

Prelates

Location

Prelate in Guardian's Garrison in Mountaintop of the Giants, or dropped randomly by any Prelate enemy

Main Benefit

High poise, highest Fire resistance

Weight

58.8

Those who wear the Fire Prelate set likely won't do so for style. It's more likely that the Fire Giant or some fire-breathing dragon is starting to get on their nerves. Because this armor set is a desperate countermeasure against fire damage.

RELATED: Elden Ring: Most Noble Bosses, Ranked

It boasts the highest fire resistance in the game and the difference compared to other sets is significant, meaning the fire damage mitigation is a lifesaver here. Apart from that, the poise is one of the highest in the game.

11 Malformed Dragon Set

Elden-Ring-Malformed-Dragon-Armor-Set

Worn By

Draconic Tree Sentinel

Location

Draconic Tree Sentinel in Crumbling Farum Azula

Main Benefit

Second-highest lightning resistance in the game

Weight

38

Apart from fire, lightning is another damage source that's frequently dealt by dragons, especially in late-game. Enemies in Crumbling Farum Azula also love to use lightning against players. So to counteract these cretins, the Malformed Dragon Set is the second-best option.

The best is the Bull-Goat set, but that thing weighs a ton and the lightning mitigation isn't that much higher. The downside, of course, is that it looks like a misshapen dragon egg so like the Fire Prelate set, this is also another desperate but effective attempt to survive certain bosses.

10 Black Knife Set

Elden Ring Black Knife Armor Set

Worn By

Black Knife Assassins

Location

Ordina, Liturgical Town in Consecrated Grounds

Main Benefit

Muffled movement

Weight

21.8

It's not the best armor set for defending oneself, but it excels in one thing: making assassin-type builds stabbier. Because the Black Knife armor piece has a passive effect that silences movement sounds be it running or walking. This reduces the need for Dex-builds to sneak with caution.

It also presents many opportunities for players to assault enemy placements where they can always open up combat by sneak-stabbing the toughest enemy. In PvP, the utility is less pronounced due to more vigilant players, but it still lets the wearer occasionally catch a poor bloke off-guard.

9 Blaidd's Set

Elden Ring Blaidd

Worn By

Blaidd - naturally

Location

Drops after fighting Blaidd in Ranni's Rise

Main Benefit

Balanced stats, Berserk cosplay

Weight

32.7

Dark Souls games and Elden Ring owes a significant amount of their atmosphere to Kentaro Miura's Berserk, so it's only fitting to have a proper homage. That came in the form of Blaidd himself and his armor set which looks surprisingly close to Guts' Berserker armor.

RELATED: Awesome Side Quests Hidden In Elden Ring

Blaidd's set might disappoint those who crave more poise or meat-head stats as the armor is quite light and only has medium defense values. Still, think of that as more allowance for Colossal weapons especially since this armor is best paired with a greatsword.

8 Royal Remains Set

Elden Ring Royal Remains Armor Set

Worn By

Ensha, the local edgelord

Location

Roundtable Hold

Main Benefit

HP regeneration

Weight

25.3

Drinking HP Flasks in the middle of combat is often attributed to some unfortunate deaths both in boss fights and invasions. A player might need every edge he can get to avoid that and to squeeze in some advantage and speaking of edge, there's nothing sharper than the Royal Remains Set. The armor piece gives consistent but slow HP regeneration when worn.

It's Ensha's armor which he broodingly flaunts like a cool teenager outside of Gideon Ofnir's room. Players can get this one automatically since sooner or later in their playthroughs, they'll happen upon a hostile Ensha in Roundtable Hold. Turns out he wasn't so cool, after all.

7 Hoslow's Set

elden ring hoslow armor

Worn By

Juno Hoslow

Location

Volcano Manor's final contract in Mountaintops of the Giants

Main Benefit

Balanced stats, peak Elden Bling

Weight

28.5

Typically, the most defense-heavy armor sets in the game look like wart clusters covered in chrome or brass. So for those who want maximum style points and to die beautiful deaths, then the medium-heavy armor class gives that best balance. And the best armor in this category is Hoslow's Set.

RELATED: Lessons Learned From Dark Souls That Will Get You Killed In Elden Ring

Players have already seen it before worn by the uptight and pompous Hoslow. Turns out he has a brother who has the complete armor set along with the helmet. It's arguably the most gorgeous armor design in the game and the best part is that it can be rare either because Juno Hoslow is a tough fight or because it's easy to mess up the Volcano Manor quests.

6 Crucible Axe/Tree Set

elden ring crucible knights

Worn By

Crucible Knights

Location

Crucible Knight Ordovis in Auriza Hero's Grave/Crucible Knight Siluria in Deeproot Depths

Main Benefit

Incredible defense, low weight

Weight

36.9

It's not hard to covet the Crucible Knights' armor since they seemingly have infinite poise and even the very first Crucible Knight in the Stormhill Evergaol is tough as nails even in NG+. Luckily, players can obtain their armor through those locations above.

However, don't expect to have the same poise as these guys. The Crucible Set's poise barely reaches 70. Even so, it's a great all-around armor set as it covers all bases from physical to elemental and even works well for magic damage. As an added bonus, it's also quite stylish.

5 Scaled Set

elden ring scaled set

Worn By

Old Knight Istvan

Location

Volcano Manor's first contract in Stormhill

Main Benefit

Incredible defense, low weight

Weight

38

The corroded and barnacle-infested look might not be for everyone, but the Scaled Set's defenses and weight, as well as poise make it one of the most well-rounded armor sets in the game. It can even be better than the Crucible Sets in some aspects of defense.

RELATED: Elden Ring Mods You Need To Try

The armor is also a good piece for Elden Bling mix-and-matching since the armor piece has a cape and has a default unobtrusive knight armor appearance. Replace the helmet with an altered Banished Knight headpiece and it looks even better.

4 Banished Knight Set

elden ring banished knight armor set

Worn By

Banished Knights

Location

Drops from Banished Knights in Stormveil Castle in Limgrave, Castle Sol in Mountaintops of the Giants

Main Benefit

Impressive defense, impeccable style

Weight

41.6

The Banished Knight armor set is a special one since it can be difficult to obtain and getting all the pieces is based on luck. It's also one of the few heavy armors in the game that doesn't look like a neglected cast iron pot.

The armor also has two variants, both of which can be considered for the usual Elden Ring Elden Bling needs. The helmet comes with a lovely generous placement of plumes for the altered version or a hood for the original version. The best part is that no defense is sacrificed despite the style.

3 Radahn's Set

Elden Ring Radahn Armor Set

Worn By

Starscourge Radahn

Location

Redmane Castle, Caelid

Main Benefit

Great defense, great poise

Weight

41.6

General Radahn is supposedly the best warrior in Elden Ring and sure enough, his boss fight involves several great warriors ganging up on him since even Malenia couldn't bring him down. So no one expected his armor set to disappoint but even then, it still wowed many.

RELATED: Elden Ring: Most Annoying Enemies, Ranked

Because for some players, Radahn's Set is quite possibly the most balanced out of all the armor. It gives 60 poise and a ton of damage mitigation. Compared to other heavy armor sets, Radahn's set is still relatively light.

2 Veteran Set

Elden Ring Veteran Armor Set

Worn By

Commander Niall

Location

Castle Sol in Mountaintops of the Giants

Main Benefit

Great defense, great poise

Weight

45

Tired of getting flinched by dogs and rats all the time? Then make sure to have a proper countermeasure in the form of the Veteran Set. It gives a whopping 70 Poise if the set is worn full and has one of the greatest defense stats to boot.

The armor is bulky, of course, both in looks and in weight, but it's both a trophy and a defense boost since Niall can be a difficult boss due to his summons. In any case, one can't go wrong with Niall's armor. It has a cape and the gauntlets fit in well with other sets.

1 Bull-Goat Set

Elden Ring Bull Goat Armor Set

Worn By

Great Horned Tragoth

Location

Patches' quest in Volcano Manor

Main Benefit

Massive defense, massive poise

Weight

63

Want something heavier and heftier than even the Veteran Set but doesn't look ridiculous unlike Lionel's Set or at least looks somewhat decent compared to Dung-Eater's Set? Then the Bull-Goat Set is the best choice in that regard.

Again, it's easy to miss this armor since it requires a specific set of triggers in the Volcano Manor but the effort is worth it. The armor boasts a whopping 100 poise and is one of the highest physical damage mitigation in Elden Ring. The ridiculous giant ram horns somewhat ruin the Elden Bling potential for the armor but that's easily excused since those who wear this will usually be the last ones standing.

Elden Ring is available on the PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X and Series S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, and Microsoft Windows.

MORE: Mistakes Everyone Makes While Playing Elden Ring