The best protection in Baldur’s Gate 3 provides Heavy Armour, and the wide selection of choices can be overwhelming. Let’s explore the strongest and the optimal options for each proficient class: Fighter, Paladin, Cleric, and Ranger.
In Baldur’s Gate 3, heavy armour plays a vital role in protecting your character from harm during battles and encounters. It significantly boosts your Armor Class (AC), representing how difficult it is for enemies to attack you successfully. The higher your AC, the better your chances of deflecting or absorbing damage. Heavy armor is particularly effective at offering substantial defense, making it a crucial choice for characters who want to withstand powerful blows and stay resilient against the perils of the game world. However, to utilize it, your characters need Heavy Armour proficiency.
Classes with Heavy Armour proficiency: Fighter, Paladin, Cleric, and Ranger.
What is the Best Heavy Armour in Baldur’s Gate 3?
The Best Heavy Armour in Baldur’s Gate 3 for all classes is Helldusk Armour, because it grants proficiency with it regardless of your character training, elevates your Armor Class to 21, and provides many additional effects. On the long list of beneficial effects are resistance to fire, and you cannot be burned, while anyone who successfully attacks you will receive a burning status effect for 3 rounds.
Helldusk Armour is a late-game legendary heavy armour, offering fantastic advantages. It debuffs attackers, mitigates damage, and even provides you with the Fly spell, adding a bonus to your movement. All of it makes it the premier heavy armour choice in Baldur’s Gate 3 for all classes.
The Best Heavy Armor for each proficient class in Baldur’s Gate 3:
- Fighter: Armour of Persistence
- Paladin: Helldusk Armour
- Cleric: Reaper’s Embrace
- Ranger: Helldusk Armour
8 Chain Mail Armor
Chain Mail Armor features in Baldur’s Gate 3:
- Recommended for Class: Cleric, Fighter, Paladin
- Armour Class: 16 AC
- Rarity: Common
- Location: Roah Moonglow, at Shattered Sanctum, Act 1, Can drop from Enemies.
Chain Mail Armour stands out as an early-game heavy armour choice in Baldur’s Gate 3. It can be acquired from the vendor merchant Roah located in the Shattered Sanctum. This armour option presents a notable upgrade over Lae’zel’s medium armour or Githyanki armour, providing a higher Armour Class (AC) of 16. Its advantages are particularly apparent during Act 1, proving especially beneficial for robust frontline tanks and heavily-armored healers. This armour is highly recommended for classes such as Clerics, Fighters, and Paladins, enhancing their defensive capabilities and contributing to their effectiveness in battles.
7 Plate Armour (+0,+1,+2)
Plate Armour features in Baldur’s Gate 3:
- Recommended for Class: Cleric, Fighter, Paladin
- Armour Class: 18 AC (+1, +2)
- Rarity: Rare
- Location: From Traders in Act 1-3
In Baldur’s Gate 3, Plate Armour comes in three distinct variations: Plate Armour, Plate Armour +1, and Plate Armour +2. Each incremental version augments the base Armour Class (AC) of the Plate Armour. All three variations stand as solid options, lacking any exclusive bonuses but nevertheless serving as exceptional armour options. As players advance through the game’s early stages, they will encounter basic Plate Armour and its improved iterations, enhancing their protective capabilities with each.
Plate Armour doesn’t present itself as excessively dominant, yet it has a noticeable leap in AC compared to early-game alternatives. Transitioning from the 16 AC of Chain Mail to the 18 AC of Plate Armour can be advantageous if you possess additional coinage.
Plate Armour +1 emerges as an early and significant option that you can buy from traders during Act 1. This heavy armour offers a 19 AC, which is notably impactful. Particularly for healers such as Life Domain Clerics, this armour will keep its value even into Act 3 until you’ll find something better. Additionally, it suits tank and healers alike, boosting their durability.
Plate Armour +2 becomes available as a basic mid-game asset, appearing in Acts 2 and 3. Its utility lies in its impressive 20 AC and its capacity to mitigate slashing, piercing, and bludgeoning damage. Similarly, while it doesn’t possess unique effects, this armour will save your character during combat, offering very good resilience. Its accessibility is one of this Plate Armour’s biggest advantages.
6 Adamantine Splint Armour
Adamantine Splint Armour features in Baldur’s Gate 3:
- Recommended for Class: Cleric, Fighter
- Armour Class: 18 AC
- Rarity: Very Rare
- Location: Grymforge (X: -593 Y: 309), Requires e Splint Mould and Mithral Ore
Highly recommended for the Cleric and Fighter classes is Adamantine Splint Armour. To get it, you must defeat a formidable construct guardian—a challenging boss encountered in Grymforge at the end of Act 1. Despite the effort, the rewards are undoubtedly worthwhile. When worn, it reduces the inflicted damage by 2 and protects from Critical Hits.
Additionally, when a melee attack successfully strikes, the attacker becomes Reeling for a span of 3 turns, giving them a -1 penalty to their attack roll. This attribute proves especially advantageous for a tank role or characters who find themselves consistently in the middle of the battlefield, confronting attacks from multiple sources.
Wearing the Adamantine Splint Armour is strategically beneficial for Fighters who thrive on engaging enemies, as it complements the debuff capabilities of the goading battle maneuver. The Adamantine Splint Armour fortifies one’s defensive capabilities and transforms the wearer into a resilient and formidable presence on the battlefield.
5 Flawed Helldusk Armour
Flawed Helldusk Armour features in Baldur’s Gate 3:
The Flawed Helldusk Armour provides a respectable Armour Class (AC) of 18. However, its true strength lies in its ability to reflect fire damage back to attackers. This bonus triggers when a foe strikes you within a 2-meter range, potentially dealing 1 to 4 Fire Damage to the attacker. This effect covers a small 2-meter area, allowing you to hit multiple targets. Additionally, it reduces Piercing Damage taken by 1. Yet, its greatest advantage is its accessibility; it’s purchasable from Dammon early in the game. Particularly beneficial for Paladins, but it holds value for others as well.
4 Reaper’s Embrace
Reaper’s Embrace features in Baldur’s Gate 3:
- Recommended for Class: Cleric
- Armour Class: 19 AC
- Rarity: Very Rare
- Location: Ketheric Thorm, Mind Flayer Colony (X: 866, Y: -22)
Reaper’s Embrace grants a remarkable defensive advantage by reducing all incoming damage by 2. Furthermore, you can’t be moved against your will by any spell or action. This includes immunity to being hurled by telekinesis spells and preventing falls from the Thunderwave spell. While it does impose a disadvantage on dexterity saving throws, this heavy armor proves exceptional for overall defense. With a decent Armour Class of 19, it boosts protection significantly. Additionally, wearers gain access to the Howl of the Dead spell, an invaluable asset for Clerics and beyond.
3 Cerebral Citadel Armour
Cerebral Citadel Armour features in Baldur’s Gate 3:
- Recommended for Class: Paladin
- Armour Class: 18 AC
- Rarity: Rare
- Location: Random Loot, Act 3
Cerebral Citadel Armour provides both protection from the Frightened status effect and an Armour Class (AC) of 18. This heavy armour proves most advantageous when your character is dealing with tadpole infection, which may affect the main character or select companions based on your playthrough choices. If you choose to be infected with additional specimens, the main benefit of this heavy armor gives you a +1 bonus to intelligence, wisdom, and charisma saving throws, significantly enhancing your ability to evade damage and negative status effects in combat. However, this set does impose a disadvantage on Stealth Checks, so it will be fantastic on Fighters and Paladins.
2 Armour of Persistence
Armour of Persistence features in Baldur’s Gate 3:
- Recommended for Class: Fighter
- Armour Class: 20 AC
- Rarity: Legendary
- Location: House of Hope in Baldur’s Gate, Act 3
The Armour of Persistence is a remarkable choice, giving you the ability to reduce all incoming damage by 2—a feature particularly advantageous in the challenges of Act Three. This heavy armour offers substantial protection with an Armour Class (AC) of 20 and provides a bonus to your Saving Throws against physical threats. Additionally, you have resistance against Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing damage, which are all weapon attacks available in the game.
It’s one of the Baldur’s Gate 3 strongest options, with capabilities outside of the legendary sets. For Fighters, in particular, the Armour of Persistence stands out as an exceptional choice, boosting their effectiveness on the battlefield.
1 Helldusk Armour
Helldusk Armour features in Baldur’s Gate 3:
- Recommended for Class: Cleric, Fighter, Paladin, Ranger
- Armour Class: 21 AC
- Rarity: Legendary
- Location: House of Hope in Baldur’s Gate, Act 3
Helldusk Armour is an exceptional choice suitable for all classes, as wearing it instantly gives proficiency in heavy armor. Additionally, upon a successful Saving Throw, the caster becomes affected with the Burning status effect for a duration of 3 rounds. Meanwhile, you have both resistance against Fire Damage and immunity to being Burned. Moreover, while wearing this heavy armour you take 3 less damage from all sources. There is more! You gain a free Fly spell.
The benefits of this armour are truly dominant, and because you don’t have a disadvantage on stealth and dexterity saving throws, which is the case with many other heavy armour, it’s also well suited for Ranger and, as mentioned before, all classes. That gives you true freedom in creating unique builds with Helldusk Armour in Baldur’s Gate 3.
Looking For More About Baldur’s Gate 3?
Thank you for reading Best Baldur’s Gate 3 Heavy Armour Guide. We provide the latest news and create guides for Baldur’s Gate 3. Also, watch me play games on Twitch or visit my YouTube channel!
