Ghost of Tsushima offers players a selection of unique armor sets to discover on Jin’s journey. With 13 unlockable sets, all with unique perks and characteristics, it’s hard to decide which is the best set to equip throughout the adventure in Tsushima.

Owing to the three major branches of combat in Ghost of Tsushima, archery, sword fighting, and stealth, some armor sets are designed around boosting each combat type. Others offer more universal perks, focusing on less specific aspects of the game such as exploration and health.

13 Broken Armor

As the name implies, the Broken armor is functionally useless, offering no perks or advantages to Jin when he wears it. It also offers no visual benefit too, being covered in mud and blood, no true samurai would be as dishonorable as to wear this armor.

Interestingly, upgrading the Samurai Clan Armor shows that the armor looks like in its none broken state. In reality, the broken armor purely serves a narrative purpose and is quickly replaced by the armor players later discover.

12 Fundoshi

The Fundoshi outfit is a reward for discovering, and then resting, at all 18 hot springs, a rather fitting prize then. It does offer one major perk, that being due to the lack of clothing Jin has he is silent when running and sprinting.

This does make it slightly usable, although it is clearly outmatched by every other armor set in the game. It is designed as a joke set though, so it ultimately serves its function, dashing around Tsushima like this really is a fashion statement.

11 Traveler’s Attire

The first ‘proper’ armor players receive after the prologue, the Traveler’s Attire has no combat perks, instead of providing unique effects that help with traversal and exploration. It grants players the ability to track different artefacts with the guiding wind, as well as making the controller vibrate when near artefacts.

It also clears more fog of war on the map when travelling, making it the go-to outfit when you’re not in combat encounters. It would be higher on the list if it offered at least one combat perk, but its lack of use in combat affects its ranking.

10 Mongol Commander’s Armor

Unlocked after completing the ‘Fit for the Khan’ side tale, the commander’s armor is one of the most unique sets in the game. It can act as a disguise for Jin, making it much harder for Mongol warriors to detect his presence. It can’t be upgraded unlike most sets though, leading it to be outclassed by most other sets.

This doesn’t mean it’s useless though, with its defensive benefits providing some advantages in combat. Jin is granted additional health, as well as a reduction to all damage. By the time players unlock this set, they’ll definitely have better options to choose from, although its unique aesthetic definitely makes it worth collecting.

9 Ronin Attire

The Ronin attire is another fairly early armor set given to players, and is primarily a stealth suit, providing Jin with benefits to his ability to avoid detection by enemies. It also offers a good increase to melee damage, more so if players upgrade the armor multiple times.

Being slower to detect as well as being harder to spot at leaving long grass makes the Ronin attire the best early game option for players looking to be stealthy. It also looks killer and is also one of few outfits to not change visually as it is upgraded.

8 Deadly Rival’s Attire

The Deadly Rival’s attire is a tribute to that worn by Ryuzo and is one of two armor sets unlockable Ghost of Tsushima’s NG+. It’s a fairly good all-round option, not standing out in any aspects but offering good benefits for players who don’t tend to pick one method of combat.

Perks include increased health, increased melee damage as well as making Jin’s ghost weapons more powerful. Unfortunately, there are no available upgrades for this outfit, but it looks good and its relation to Ryuzo makes it a great pick as a solid all-rounder.

7 Sakai Clan Armor

The quest surrounding the Sakai Clan armor unveils a lot about Jin’s mysterious backstory and belonged to his father, Kazumasa Sakai, and comes with its own unique perk related to the standoff sequences. It allows players to reach a 5 person streak during enemy standoffs, meaning it is possible at times to take out entire patrols in one quick movement.

Other perks are an increase in both melee damage and health, making the Sakai clan armor suitable to players who mainly stick to open melee combat. It’s one of the best looking armors in the game too, especially the helmet, complete with protruding stag antlers.

6 Tadayori’s Armor

Tadayori’s Armor is awarded for completing the mythic tale “The Legend of Tadayori”, and is the best armor for ranged combat in the game. All its perks help improve Jin’s archery skills, with increased knocking/reloading speed, a longer concentration time, as well as headshots restoring some of the concentration meter.

As long as players have arrows to spare, Tadayori’s armor can make it incredibly easy to take down hordes of enemies without even breaking out the katana. It also comes complete with what is arguably the best hat in the game when fully upgraded.

5 Archery Master’s Attire

The Archery Master’s Attire actually has identical perks to Tadayori’s when the latter is fully upgraded, so essentially players can pick based purely on looks if they’re trying to run a range-focused class. This attire is based on that worn by Sensei Ishikawa, one of the best characters in the game, who wouldn’t want to rock the robes of the bowmaster.

The Archery Master’s Attire is the second NG+ outfit in Ghost of Tsushima, and as a result, has no upgrades available. Of course, this isn’t much of a problem because the perks are so strong even in its base form.

4 Ghost Armor

The Ghost Armor is incredibly effective in the arms of a player who is skillful enough to make use of the benefits it gives. It offers reduced enemy detection speed, as well as the ability to lower the number of kills required to enter Ghost Stance, Jin’s strongest ability.

The best part of the Ghost Armor is its ability to ’terrify’ nearby enemies, with hostiles collapsing to their knees or running away rather than facing the Ghost. It never gets old and is exclusive to the Ghost Armor.

3 Kensei Armor

The Kensei Armor is earned via ‘The Six Blades of Kojiro,’ another of the games Mythic Tales. This set is one of the best armors in the game, providing both attacking and defensive perks through its increase to resolve gain.

The main focus of the Kensei armors perks though lies in Ghost Weapons. It provides a damage boost for Jin’s kunai and sticky bombs, as well as making enemies who are damaged by these weapons do less damage, and receive more. Players who utilize the majority of the games Ghost Weapons should definitely use the Kensei Armor.

2 Samurai Clan Armor

The Samurai Clan Armor is given to players very early into Ghost of Tsushima, but it is hands down the best defense-focused set in the game. It grants resolve to Jin if he gets hit, great for players new to the game and are likely to commit errors.

Of course, wearing such a suit means you must fit the role of an honorable samurai, and this suit fits this idea boosting health greatly, as well as reducing all incoming damage. As long as it isn’t used for stealthy missions, the Samurai Clan Armor is a top-tier option.

1 Gosaku’s Armor

Gosaku’s Armor has one of the longest Mythic Tales in Ghost of Tsushima, but the armor players receive for completing it is the games best offensive class. At this suits core is a major increase to Jin’s health, especially when fully upgraded. It also offers two perks specifically focused on staggered enemies.

Increases to stagger damage, as well as killing staggered enemies providing Jin health, makes Gosaku’s Armor an amazing tool for offensively aggressive players. In fights against multiple enemies, being able to gain health from attacking is a real help, as is being able to stagger those enemies putting them on the back foot.

NEXT: How Ghost Of Tsushima Is The Culmination Of Tired Open-World Design