Armor not only affects how much damage an enemy can do, but also affects your evasion and speed. There are four types of armor: body, head, arms, and shields. Each character class can equip a different set of armor:
- Warriors and Knights use heavy body armor and helmets, and can equip large shields.
- Thieves and Ninjas use lighter, but can still equip helmets and small shields.
- Monks and Masters use only the lightest equipment and no shields.
- Red Mages and Wizards can use most of the same equipment as Thieves and Ninjas
- White and Black Mages/Wizards can use very little armor, and no shields.
Combat mechanics
Each character has an absorb and evade rating. Up to four pieces of armor may be equipped, each adding to the absorb rating and decreasing the evade rating. Thus higher absorb ratings are better while lower evade ratings are preferred. The strongest monsters will have high to-hit ratings however and will rarely be dodged, so absorb is more important than evade.
The base absorb rating of a character is 0, except for unarmored monks/masters which have absorb equal to their level. A bug in the NES version causes the monk/master to have their absorb reset to the unarmored level on leveling up, until the armor page is visited again to correctly set it.
The base evade rating of all characters is 48 plus their agility rating. Every extra point of evade generally decreases the character's chance to be hit by 0.5%. The weight of an armor reduces a character's ability to evade attack. Therefore, a Knight that equips Knight's Armor, the heaviest armor in the game, will be unlikely to avoid many attacks.
Armor types
Body
Body armor comes in several flavors. Heavy mail offers high protection at the small cost of reduced evasion, but can only be used by a few classes. Shirts or robes generally offer poor protection, and are intended for use by mages and wizards. Armlets offer varying levels of protection with good evasion and can be used by all classes, but at high cost.
Head
Helmets add more protection than body armor alone, but only the Warrior, Knight, and Ninja classes can equip more than the most basic helmet. The most worthwhile headgear in the game is the ribbon, which offers little physical protections, but makes the wearer immune to all status effects.
Arms
As with headgear, arm protection adds a small amount of defense, but only a few classes can equip the best kinds. The most useful piece is the protect ring which blocks instant death attacks (except Petrification).
Hand
Off-hand items, generally shields, not only give protection, but they can randomly block a physical attack, resulting in no damage to the wearer. Equip a character with shield if possible, no matter how weak it is since a block absorbs all damage. Since the protect cloak technically isn't a shield, it can be equiped by most characters that cannot use shields.
Armor details
See the class details chart below for a more detailed list of which classes can equip each piece of armor, and note that some armors have further explanation in the special weapons section.
Default sorting is by buying price. Items that cannot be bought in any shop (sold only) but found only are listed afterwards, as more valuable.
Name | NES Name | Type | Value | Absorb | Weight | Users | Buy | Find | Strong vs | Casts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Clothes | Shirt | Body | 10 | 1 | 2 | all | Cornelia | several | ||
Leather Armor | Wooden Armor | Body | 50 | 4 | 8 | fKtNmMrR | Cornelia, Pravoka | - | ||
Chain Mail | Chain Armor | Body | 80 | 15 | 15 | fKNrR | Cornelia, Pravoka | - | ||
Steel Plate | Iron Armor | Body | 800 | 24 | 23 | fKN | Pravoka, Elfheim | Marsh Cave, Cornelia Castle | ||
Copper Armlet | Copper Bracelet | Body | 1000 | 4 | 1 | all | Elfheim | Marsh Cave | ||
Silver Armlet | Silver Bracelet | Body | 5000 | 15 | 1 | all | Melmond | Marsh Cave | ||
Mythril Mail | Silver Armor | Body | 7500 | 18 | 8 | fKNrR | Crescent Lake | Mt. Gulg | ||
Ruby Armlet | Gold Bracelet | Body | 50000 | 24 | 1 | all | Gaia | Citadel of Trials | ||
Knight's Armor | Steel Armor | Body | 45000 | 34 | 33 | fK | Melmond | - | ||
Black Robe | Black Shirt | Body | 2 | 24 | 2 | B | - | Flying Fortress | Ice2 | |
White Robe | White Shirt | Body | 2 | 24 | 2 | W | - | Flying Fortress | Invs2 | |
Flame Armor | Flame Armor | Body | 30000 | 34 | 10 | fKN | - | Mt. Gulg | Ice | |
Ice Armor | Ice Armor | Body | 30000 | 34 | 10 | fKN | - | Ice Cavern | Fire | |
Diamond Armor | Opal Armor | Body | 60000 | 42 | 10 | K | - | Sunken Shrine | ||
Dragon Mail | Dragon Armor | Body | 60000 | 42 | 10 | K | - | Tower of Mirage | All elements | |
Diamond Armlet | Opal Bracelet | Body | 65000 | 34 | 1 | all | - | Sunken Shrine |
Name | NES Name | Type | Value | Absorb | Weight | Users | Buy | Find | Strong vs | Casts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Leather Cap | Cap | Head | 80 | 1 | 1 | all | Elfheim | Temple of Chaos | ||
Helmet | Wooden Helmet | Head | 100 | 3 | 3 | fKN | Elfheim | Mt. Duergar | ||
Grand Helm | Iron Helmet | Head | 450 | 5 | 5 | fKN | Melmond | Mt. Duergar | ||
Mythril Helm | Silver Helmet | Head | 2500 | 6 | 3 | fKN | Crescent Lake | Mt. Gulg, Flying Fortress | ||
Ribbon | Ribbon | Head | 2 | 1 | 1 | all | - | Sunken Shrine, Waterfall Cave, Flying Fortress | Status ailments | |
Diamond Helm | Opal Helmet | Head | 1000 | 8 | 3 | K | - | Sunken Shrine | ||
Healing Helm | Heal Helmet | Head | 10000 | 6 | 3 | KN | - | Tower of Mirage, Flying Fortress | Heal1 |
Name | NES Name | Type | Value | Absorb | Weight | Users | Buy | Find | Strong vs | Casts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Leather Gloves | Gloves | Arms | 60 | 1 | 1 | all | Pravoka | - | ||
Bronze Gloves | Copper Gauntlets | Arms | 200 | 2 | 3 | fKN | Melmond | Elfheim Castle|Elfheim Castle | ||
Steel Gloves | Iron Gauntlets | Arms | 750 | 4 | 5 | fKN | Melmond | Western Keep|Western Keep, Citadel of Trials | ||
Mythril Gloves | Silver Gauntlets | Arms | 2500 | 6 | 3 | fKN | Crescent Lake | Mt. Gulg, Ice Cavern | ||
Protect Ring | ProRing | Arms | 20000 | 8 | 1 | all | Gaia | Flying Fortress, Temple of Chaos | Instant-death | |
Giant's Gloves | Power Gauntlets | Arms | 10000 | 6 | 3 | fKNR | - | Sunken Shrine | Saber | |
Diamond Gloves | Opal Gauntlets | Arms | 20000 | 8 | 3 | K | - | Sunken Shrine, Flying Fortress | ||
Gauntlets | Zeus Gauntlets | Arms | - | 6 | 3 | KNR | - | Citadel of Trials | Bolt2 |
Name | NES Name | Type | Value | Absorb | Weight | Users | Buy | Find | Strong vs | Casts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Leather Shield | Wooden Shield | Hand | 15 | 2 | 0 | fKN | Pravoka | Terra Cave | ||
Iron Shield | Iron Shield | Hand | 100 | 4 | 0 | fKN | Pravoka, Elfheim | - | ||
Buckler | Buckler | Hand | 2500 | 2 | 0 | fKtNrR | Crescent Lake | - | ||
Mythril Shield | Silver Shield | Hand | 2500 | 8 | 0 | fKN | Crescent Lake | Terra Cave, Mt. Gulg | ||
Flame Shield | Flame Shield | Hand | 10000 | 12 | 0 | fKN | - | Mt. Gulg | Ice | |
Ice Shield | Ice Shield | Hand | 10000 | 12 | 0 | fKN | - | Ice Cavern | Fire | |
Diamond Shield | Opal Shield | Hand | 15000 | 16 | 0 | K | - | Sunken Shrine, Flying Fortress | ||
Protect Cloak | ProCape | Hand | 20000 | 8 | 2 | all but mM | - | Flying Fortress, Temple of Chaos | ||
Aegis Shield | Aegis Shield | Hand | 40000 | 16 | 0 | K | - | Tower of Mirage | Petrify |
Class details
Items are sorted as per the tables in the previous section.
Body Armors | Warrior | Knight | Thief | Ninja | Monk | Master | R. Mage | R. Wiz | W. Mage | W. Wiz | B. Mage | B. Wiz |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Clothes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Leather Armor | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No |
Chain Mail | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No |
Steel Plate | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
Copper Armlet | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Silver Armlet | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Mythril Mail | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No |
Ruby Armlet | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Knight's Armor | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
Black Robe | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes |
White Robe | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | No |
Flame Armor | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
Ice Armor | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
Diamond Armor | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
Dragon Mail | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
Diamond Armlet | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Helms | Warrior | Knight | Thief | Ninja | Monk | Master | R. Mage | R. Wiz | W. Mage | W. Wiz | B. Mage | B. Wiz |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Leather Cap | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Helmet | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
Grand Helm | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
Mythril Helm | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
Ribbon | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Diamond Helm | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
Healing Helm | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
Gauntlets | Warrior | Knight | Thief | Ninja | Monk | Master | R. Mage | R. Wiz | W. Mage | W. Wiz | B. Mage | B. Wiz |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Leather Gloves | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Bronze Gloves | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
Steel Gloves | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
Mythril Gloves | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No |
Protect Ring | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Giant's Gloves | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No |
Diamond Gloves | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
Gauntlets | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No |
Shields | Warrior | Knight | Thief | Ninja | Monk | Master | R. Mage | R. Wiz | W. Mage | W. Wiz | B. Mage | B. Wiz |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Leather Shield | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
Iron Shield | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
Buckler | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No |
Mythril Shield | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
Flame Shield | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
Ice Shield | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
Diamond Shield | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
Protect Cloak | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Aegis Shield | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |