Best Early Armor

Overview

Armor in Crimson Desert is equipped across five body slots: headgear, body armor, cloaks, gloves, and boots. Choosing the right pieces during the early chapters (Prologue through Chapter 5) makes a significant difference in how comfortably you handle bosses, world encounters, and exploration hazards.

One important thing to know is that there is no equip-load penalty in Crimson Desert. Plate armor does not slow you down compared to cloth or leather. Because of this, plate armor is almost always the strongest option for raw defense, and there is no reason to avoid heavy pieces unless you specifically want a secondary effect like elemental resistance or a disguise that only appears on lighter materials.

This guide covers the best armor picks for each slot during the early game, where to find them, and how to upgrade them. For late-game and overall best armor, see the Best Armor Guide. For weapon picks, see Best Early Weapons. For accessory recommendations, see Best Accessories Guide.

Armor Slots Quick Reference

Step 1: Buy the Canta Plate Set

The Canta Plate Armor set is the best starting gear in the game. It provides a balanced combination of attack damage, defense, and attack speed that lets you breeze through the early chapters. Purchase all four pieces from Rhett the weapons vendor next to the Smithy in Hernand Town. The full set costs roughly 10 to 15 Silver Coins.

The Canta set is the baseline. Buy it as soon as you arrive in Hernand Town and wear it while you explore for the stronger pieces listed below. The Tinnitus Immunity on the body armor is a useful early-game perk that prevents the disorienting screen effect caused by certain enemy attacks.

Step 2: Upgrade to Bolton Plate Armor

The Bolton Plate Armor is the strongest early-game body armor that does not require boss farming. With a base Defense of 8 and 3 Abyss Core sockets, it is a direct upgrade over the Canta Plate Armor (Defense 6). The Bolton set is the same armor worn by Hernand City's elite soldiers.

The Bolton Plate Armor is purchased from the Contribution Shop manager near the main castle in Hernand City. It costs only 4 to 7 Contribution Points, which is easy to earn from just 3 to 4 story missions. Buy this as soon as your Hernand Contribution is high enough. The Bolton armor lasts comfortably for 30 to 40 hours of gameplay.

Best Early Headgear

The Leather Helm of the Fallen Kingdom is the best early headgear. Found at the Sanctum of Benediction in the Hernand region, it comes with a pre-loaded Abyss Core socket containing the Momentum core, which grants +35% Turning Slash Damage. This is a powerful offensive boost that makes Turning Slash one of your strongest moves in the early game. To reach it, climb to the altar, light the lantern on the right side, and a secret entrance opens at the front of the structure. No mission requirement or boss fight is needed.

Best Early Gloves

Gloves are the rarest armor type in Crimson Desert, with only five options in the entire game. Gloves primarily provide Attack rather than Defense, so they function more like offensive gear.

The Plate Gloves of the Fallen Kingdom are hidden in a waterfall cave west of Hernand City. Use the Stab skill (R1 + Triangle) to push through the water current blocking the entrance. No combat and no mission requirement, so you can grab them as soon as you arrive in Hernand City. The pre-loaded Abyss Gear provides a small Health regeneration bonus (+0.2 per second), and the core can be swapped for higher-tier options later.

The Sunset Reed Cloth Gloves are a strong alternative, offering passive Health regeneration of +1.0 per second through their Fluttering Reeds effect, plus a Movement Speed Lv.1 bonus. Their raw stats are lower (11 ATK, 1 DEF) compared to the Plate Gloves of the Fallen Kingdom (13 ATK, 3 DEF), but the Health regeneration is five times stronger. They drop from the Reed Devil boss.

Recommendation: Grab the Plate Gloves of the Fallen Kingdom from the waterfall cave as your first upgrade. If you defeat the Reed Devil later, consider swapping to the Sunset Reed Cloth Gloves for the superior healing effect, especially if you are running a build that benefits from sustained Health regeneration.

Best Early Footwear

Odeck's Protector Plate Boots are one of the strongest early footwear options in the game. They come with two pre-loaded Abyss Core sockets containing Aegis II (damage reduction) and Haste I (movement speed), making them effective for both tanky and mobile builds right out of the chest. They are found inside a treasure chest at the Sanctum of Temperance. The chest location is not immediately obvious, so search carefully inside the sanctum.

The Plate Boots of the Shadows provide the highest base Defense (7) of any early footwear and carry Abyss Gear bonuses that increase Skill EXP Gain by 10% and Climb Speed by 2%. They are found in Frostclaw Cave, north of the Scholasta Institute. Stand at the waterfall and use the Stab skill (R1 + Triangle) to pass through the water and access the treasure chest inside.

Recommendation: If you want the best all-around boots, grab Odeck's Protector Plate Boots from the Sanctum of Temperance for their combination of high Attack, solid Defense, Damage Reduction, and Movement Speed. If you want pure Defense and experience bonuses, the Plate Boots of the Shadows are the better choice.

Best Early Body Armor

Body armor occupies the torso slot and provides the highest raw Defense of any equipment category. Most body armor pieces also have the most Abyss Core sockets (up to 3), giving them the greatest customization potential.

The Plate Armor of the Shadows is the strongest early-game body armor at Defense 13, and it does not require defeating a boss. It is found in a small cave near the Everfrost Watchtower in the Argent Peaks, northwest of Hernand. Light the brazier inside the cave to lower the spikes blocking the treasure chest. The Abyss Gear bonuses (Petrification Immunity, +3 Defense, +2% Stamina Regeneration) make this piece exceptionally powerful for a free pickup.

The Blackwing Leather Armor is the best body armor obtainable through boss combat in the early game, dropping from Crowcaller in Chapter 5. Its 3 Abyss Core sockets provide the most customization flexibility of any early armor, and the built-in Movement Speed and Lightning Resistance make it strong for exploration.

Recommendation: Rush the Plate Armor of the Shadows from the Argent Peaks cave as soon as you can access the area. It requires no boss fight and provides Defense 13, which is higher than anything else available before mid-game. Use the Bolton Plate Armor as a stepping stone if you have not yet explored the Argent Peaks.

Best Early Cloaks

Cloaks provide elemental resistance rather than raw Defense. They cannot be socketed with Abyss Cores, so their value comes from base stats and resistance coverage. In the early game, your cloak choice should match the elemental threats in the area you are exploring.

The Bolton Plate Cloak and Canta Plate Cloak both provide fire resistance and are the easiest early cloaks to obtain. The Bolton Plate Cloak comes from the Hernand Contribution Shop alongside the Bolton armor set. For a broader cloak selection and elemental coverage, see the cloak recommendations in the Best Accessories Guide.

Upgrade Path and Refinement

All armor can be refined at any Smithy for up to 10 levels. Refinement costs materials like Iron Ore, Copper Ore, Cloth, and Wood. Upgrading all your gear to level 4 is where the real power spike happens; the stat gains from refinement levels 1 through 4 are proportionally the biggest.

Prioritize refining your body armor first, since it provides the largest defense increase per level. Then refine your footwear and gloves for attack bonuses. Headgear comes last because its defense gains are smaller.

For details on upgrade materials and costs, see the Refinement and Upgrade Materials article and the Refining System guide.

Early Refinement Priority

Visit the Smithy in Hernand and prioritize refining your body armor to level 4 first. The Canta Plate Chest reaches 17 Defense at level 4, which is a meaningful spike for the cost. After body armor, refine your gloves and footwear for attack bonuses. Materials can be purchased from the Mineral Shop at Cairn House or gathered with the Pickaxe (obtained from Rhett's Request side quest). Refinement levels 1 through 4 provide the biggest proportional stat gains, so reaching level 4 on all your gear is a higher priority than pushing any single piece to level 5 or beyond.

Early Armor Progression Summary

Here is the recommended order of upgrades as you progress through the early chapters.

Chapter 1 is all about buying the Canta set from Rhett's Shop. During Chapters 2 and 3, replace the body armor with Bolton Plate Armor from the Contribution Shop, and explore for the Fallen Kingdom headgear and gloves plus Odeck's boots from sanctums and waterfall caves. By Chapters 4 and 5, aim for the Plate Armor of the Shadows from the Argent Peaks and consider the Blackwing Leather Armor from defeating Crowcaller.

Scorchflame Plate Set: Early Waterfall Cave Collection

The Scorchflame Plate set is scattered across several waterfall caves in the Demeniss border region and can be collected during a single exploration loop. The set is themed around Tristan, the Flame Knight, and several pieces carry powerful Abyss Cores:

The Embersteps Leather Boots are the standout piece of this set for progression purposes. Their +10% Skill EXP Gain core accelerates skill unlocks across all trees. This same core appears on the Plate Boots of the Shadows, so collecting both gives you two copies of this high-value core.

The Scorchflame Plate Cloak requires defeating the Grave Walker mini-boss and finding a hidden wall (marked by a leaf symbol). Use Force Palm against the marked wall to spin it around and reveal the hidden chamber. The cloak provides Fire Resistance Lv.3 and is one of the best-looking cloaks in the early game, featuring dramatic dragon-themed shoulder guards.

The Volcanic Eruption core on the gloves only activates after you unlock the fire element through the Tree of Slumber Abyss puzzle (accessed through the Spire of Ringing Truth in Pune). Until then, the gloves are still a solid equipment choice for their raw stats alone.

Tips

• Plate armor has no movement penalty in Crimson Desert. Always choose plate for maximum defense unless you need a specific secondary effect from cloth or leather.

• Prioritize armor pieces with Abyss Core sockets. Even if two pieces have similar Defense, the one with more sockets will be stronger once you slot in cores.

• The Plate Armor of the Shadows, Plate Gloves of the Fallen Kingdom, and Leather Helm of the Fallen Kingdom are all free pickups that require no boss fights. Grab them as soon as you can access their locations.

• Refine your gear to level 4 as soon as possible. The stat gains from the first four refinement levels are the most impactful.

• Keep your Canta set as a backup. Some areas and quests temporarily restrict equipment, and having a fallback set is useful.

• Pair your armor with the right accessories for a well-rounded build. See the Best Accessories Guide for earring, ring, and necklace recommendations.

• For the complete late-game armor rankings, see the Best Armor Guide.

Stacking Skill EXP Gain Cores

Two different boots in the early game carry the +10% Skill EXP Gain core: the Embersteps Leather Boots from the Cascade Grotto and the Plate Boots of the Shadows from the Frostclaw Cave. Collecting both pairs is one of the strongest early optimizations you can make. You can either extract one core and place it on a different armor piece to maintain a 20% bonus regardless of which boots you wear, or simply keep both pairs and swap based on other stat needs. Faster skill progression means more combat abilities, more abyss artifacts, and a stronger build for everything that follows.