User:Jdavis/Armor

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This armor guide is a work in progress. Many features need to be added, refined, removed, etc.

Basic Concepts

Perhaps the single most important rule of Spiral Knights is damage. Damage is what lowers your health and eventually kills you. There are four damage types: normal, piercing, elemental, and shadow. In shallow strata of the Clockworks, monsters deal primarily normal damage. As you descend deeper into the Clockworks, monsters increasingly deal their preferred non-normal damage type. However, even in Stratum 6, there is a great deal of normal damage being dealt.

There are seven kinds of status effect: fire, freeze, shock, poison, stun, curse, and sleep (which is not currently in the game). New players often confuse status with damage. For example, when a gun puppy shoots an ice ball at you, that ice ball inflicts elemental damage (which lowers your health) and freeze status (which locks your feet). But freeze is not inherently elemental in any sense. In the Shadow Royal Jelly Palace, the polyps inflict piercing and freeze. So keep the concepts of damage and status distinct in your mind.

Here is a condensed list of the main damage and status threats that knights face in the Clockworks. Each family is listed with all of the possible damage types and status effects that it might inflict. That is, not every member of a family inflicts every damage type and status effect listed for that family. The list omits any hazard that appears only in a particular scenario (e.g. Ironclaw Munitions Factory).

Family Genera Norm Pier Elem Shad Fi Fr Sh Po St Cu Sl
Slimes jellies, lichens, polyps norm pier
Gremlins menders, thwackers, scorchers, etc. norm elem
Beasts wolvers, chromalisks norm pier
Fiends devilites, greavers, trojans, silkwings norm shad
Undead zombies, kats, howlitzers, etc. norm shad
Constructs gun puppies, lumbers, mecha knights, etc. norm elem
Hazards explosive blocks
spikes pier
grates elem
brambles, barbed wire pier
respawners

A typical Clockworks level is focused on one monster family and one status. Frequently there is a secondary monster family. Sometimes there is no status. Your ideal armor would protect against normal damage, the primary monster family's non-normal damage, and the status. Depending on the armor you own, you may sometimes have to choose between damage and status defense. The most important statuses (shock, freeze, fire) are arguably more important than damage. For example, if you get shocked in a crowd of mecha knights, then you can easily go from full health to dead in a few seconds, even if you're wearing elemental armor.

In addition to defense, many armor pieces offer abilities such as health bonus, movement speed increase (MSI), attack speed increase (ASI), charge time reduction (CTR), or damage bonus. Some damage bonuses are weapon-specific (e.g. swords only), others are monster-specific (e.g. slimes only), and a couple are blanket (all weapons and all monsters). Although armor pieces with offensive bonuses offer slightly less protection than armor pieces without them, most advanced players favor these offensive armors. The reason is that monsters deep in the Clockworks deal a lot of damage. Even highly protective armor can keep the knight alive for only a few hits. So players must simply avoid getting hit, by dodging, shielding, interrupting monsters, and killing quickly. At that point, one is usually happy to trade a little defense for more offense.

Keep in mind that there are also trinkets to enhance your damage protection (except normal), your status protection (except stun), your offense, and your health. It seems that most advanced players favor offensive trinkets in the Clockworks.

Summary of Armor

Here is a list of all five-star suits and helmets. Suits and helmets come in matched sets that enjoy identical statistics, with a few exceptions. Radiant Silvermail has no matching helmet, and Perfect Mask of Seerus has no matching suit. Divine Veil has a fiend bonus, while Divine Mantle does not. When planning your armor, keep in mind that some sets are boss/mission rewards (e.g. Ancient Plate Mail/Helm) and others can be crafted only in the Shadow Lairs (e.g. Snarbolax Coat/Cap).

Name Norm Pier Elem Shad Bonuses Fi Fr Sh Po St Cu Sl
Almirian Crusader Armor/Helm norm shad fi-2 cu+2
Azure Guardian Armor/Helm norm pier
Dread Skelly Suit/Mask norm shad fr+4 po+4
Grey Feather Mantle/Cowl norm elem fi+4 sh+4
Ice Queen Mail/Crown norm pier fr+4 st+4
Royal Jelly Mail/Crown norm pier st+4 sl+4
Arcane Salamander Suit/Mask norm elem slime+1, beast+1 fi+4
Deadly Virulisk Suit/Mask norm pier slime+2 po+4
Divine Mantle/Veil elem shad fiend+2 on Veil only fi+4 sh+4 cu+4
Dragon Scale Mail/Helm pier elem beast+2 fi+4 po+4
Radiant Silvermail pier shad undead+2 po+4 cu+4
Valkyrie Mail/Helm norm shad fiend+2 fi-4 po+4 cu+4
Volcanic Salamander Suit/Mask norm elem slime+2 fi+4
Volcanic Plate Mail/Helm norm elem ASI-1 fi+4 st+4 sl-4
Ironmight Plate Mail/Helm norm pier ASI-1 st+4 sl-4
Ancient Plate Mail/Helm norm ASI-1, MSI-1, health+3 st+4 sl-4
Mercurial Mail/Helm norm pier MSI+1 sh+4
Armor/Crown of the Fallen norm shad ASI+1, fiend-2 fi+4 po+4 cu-4
Chaos Cloak/Chaos Cowl norm elem damage+1, CTR+1 fi-2 fr-2 sh-2 po-2 cu-2
Name Norm Pier Elem Shad Bonuses Fi Fr Sh Po St Cu Sl
Heavenly Iron Armor/Helm norm shad sword+1, fiend+1 sh-4 cu+4
Skolver Coat/Cap norm pier sword+2 fr+4
Snarbolax Coat/Cap norm shad sword+2 fr+3 po+3
Vog Cub Coat/Cap norm elem sword ASI+2 fi+4
Deadshot Mantle/Chapeau norm shad gun ASI+1, undead+2 cu+4
Justifier Jacket/Hat norm pier gun ASI+2 st+4
Nameless Poncho/Hat norm elem gun ASI+2 fr+4
Perfect Mask of Seerus norm elem gun CTR+2, gun ASI+1 fi+4 fr-2 sh+4 po-2
Shadowsun Slicker/Stetson norm shad gun+2 po+4
Bombastic Demo Suit/Helm norm elem bomb+2 fr+4
Mad Bomber Suit/Mask norm elem bomb+2, bomb CTR+2 fi-2 fr-2 sh-2 po-2
Mercurial Demo Suit/Helm norm elem bomb+1, MSI+1 sh+4
Volcanic Demo Suit/Helm norm elem bomb CTR+2 fi+4

General-Purpose Armor Sets

Advanced knights often own many suits and helmets, that they can assemble into an ideal armor set for any given situation. Frugal knights and less-experienced knights may prefer to build a single armor set for use throughout the Clockworks. Such a general-purpose set would ideally protect against all four damage types and a few of the most important statuses (shock, fire, and maybe freeze). There are exactly three options:

An alternative strategy is to settle for three damage types instead of all four. For example, a sworder might wear Skolver Coat/Cap with Vog Cub Coat/Cap to achieve high offensive bonuses at the expense of shadow protection. My opinion is that slimes and beasts are the easiest monster families, so piercing protection is slightly less important than the other damage protections.

Bosses

Gloaming Wildwoods

The Gloaming Wildwoods are three levels of beasts, with some constructs. There is no status, other than lumber stun. Hazards include spikes, exploding blocks, and briars. You want normal and piercing armor. There may not actually be much piercing damage in there, as it's only Stratum 2.

Royal Jelly Palace

The Royal Jelly Palace is three levels of slimes, some constructs, and some silkwings. There is no status, other than lumber stun. The only hazards are spikes and exploding blocks. You want normal and piercing armor. Elemental and stun armor are slightly useful.

Ironclaw Munitions Factory

Ironclaw Munitions Factory is three levels of constructs and gremlins, with a shock theme. Hazards are plentiful, including missiles, shock grates, exploding rockets, exploding blocks, and lasers. You want normal, elemental, and shock armor.

Firestorm Citadel

Firestorm Citadel is five levels of zombies and trojans, with some constructs and silkwings, and very few beasts and slimes. The theme is fire, but keep in mind that trojans can stun and shock. Hazards include wheel throwers, spikes, fire grates, shadow fire, exploding blocks, and revolving balls, You want normal, elemental, shadow, and fire armor. Because zombies are easy to dodge, shadow armor is actually not crucial; it seems that most players regard normal and fire as more important.

Shadow Lairs

Shadow Gloaming Wildwoods

The Shadow Gloaming Wildwoods are similar to the regular Gloaming Wildwoods, but with many additional undead. The gun puppies have been replaced with howlitzers. There is a strong poison theme. You want normal, piercing, shadow, and poison armor.

Shadow Royal Jelly Palace

The Shadow Royal Jelly Palace is much like the ordinary Royal jelly Palace, but with a freeze theme. Also, the gun puppies have been replaced with polyps. You want normal, piercing, and freeze armor.

Shadow Ironclaw Munitions Factory

The Shadow Ironclaw Munitions Factory is much like the usual Ironclaw Munitions Factory, but with a fire theme in addition to the regular shock theme. You want normal, elemental, shock, and fire armor.

Shadow Firestorm Citadel

The Shadow Firestorm Citadel resembles the Firestorm Citadel, but with a curse theme in addition to the usual fire theme. Also, the gun puppies have been replaced with howlitzers. You want normal, elemental, shadow, fire, and curse armor.

Unknown Passage

The Unknown Passage is an extra level that comes after every Shadow Lair boss. It is the same for all Shadow Lairs; it has nothing to do with any of their themes. Normal damage is most prevalent, but piercing, elemental, and shadow damage are all present. Status is not a major consideration, but poison and stun can occur.

Missions

Operation Crimson Hammer

Operation Crimson Hammer is about five levels, filled with gremlins and constructs. Hazards include briars, exploding rockets, missiles, and shadow fire. You want normal and elemental armor. Do you also want fire? I don't remember.

Legion of Almire

Legion of Almire is two undead-stuffed levels, like an amped-up graveyard where the phantoms have been replaced by worse monsters. There is no status, except for lumber stun. Hazards include exploding blocks, briars, and spikes. You want normal and shadow armor.

Compound 42

Compound 42 is two levels filled with slimes, gremlins, poison, and fire. Hazards include poison grates, fire grates, flamethrowers, and shadow fire. You want normal, piercing, elemental, fire, and poison armor.

Heart of Ice

Heart of Ice consists of two freeze-themed levels filled with fiends and beasts, and scattered howlitzers. Hazards include freeze grates, spikes, exploding blocks, and revolving balls. You want normal, piercing, shadow, and freeze armor. Of these, piercing is probably least important, because beasts are easy to dodge these days.

Ghost in the Machine

Ghost in the Machine consists of two shock-filled levels filled with constructs and undead. Hazards include shock grates, revolving shock balls, and lots of drones. You want normal, elemental, shadow, and shock armor. Of these, shadow is arguably least important.

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