User:Jdavis/Armor

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

This guide helps you plan armor loadouts for play in the Clockworks. The advice here applies equally well to free-to-play and pay-to-play players.

What Does Armor Do?

Armor does four things: It gives you health, protects you from damage, resists status effects, and grants you abilities. The contributions from your helmet and suit add to produce your total health, damage protection, status resistance, and abilities. Note well that your shield does not contribute in the same way. A shield's defenses protect only the shield itself. (For more detail, see the Shieldbearer Guide.)

Health

Armor gives you health, which greatly improves your survivability. A suit or helmet gains one extra health when it reaches heat level 5. Except for Ancient Plate Mail/Helm, all 5-star armor grants the same amount of health. Therefore health is rarely a consideration in choosing armor.

Damage

There are four kinds of damage: normal, piercing, elemental, and shadow. Each kind of monster attack contains a specific mixture of these types. Roughly speaking, beasts and slimes inflict piercing, gremlins and constructs inflict elemental, and fiends and undead inflict shadow. However, in shallow levels monsters inflict mostly normal damage, and even in Tier 3 there is a fair amount of normal. For example, in Firestorm Citadel normal damage is inflicted by Lord Vanaduke, slag guards, and trojans.

Almost all armor protects against normal damage and one other damage type. The exceptions are Ancient Plate Mail/Helm, Dragon Scale Mail/Helm, Radiant Silvermail, and Divine Veil/Mantle. When an attack hits you, your armor's protections are subtracted from the attack's gross damage to yield the net damage that you incur. (For more detail, see Defense.)

The overall importance of damage protection is not as big as you might think. Highly protective armor might let you survive one or two more hits than weakly protective armor. Also, heat and unique variants improve your armor's damage protection only slightly. Hence they are nearly useless for damage.

Status

Shock, freeze, and fire can absolutely wreck you, regardless of your damage protection. Stun, poison, and curse are less threatening. Sleep is not inflicted by any monster currently in the game.

thresholds

Abilities

Armor can grant four kinds of abilities: movement speed increase, attack speed increase, charge time reduction, and damage bonus.

four kinds of damage bonus granted by armor: one weapon type against one monster family, one monster family, one weapon type, or blanket

Armor by Class

Because offensive bonuses are a crucial consideration in choosing armor, I group armors into four categories: Swords, Handguns, Bombs, and Other. Two armor sets — Black Kat and Chaos — are listed in every category, because they should be considered by every player all the time.

Overall, there are 72 5-star armors. In almost all cases the suit and helmet are obtained identically and enjoy identical statistics. The seven exceptions, marked with * below, are: Radiant Silvermail has no matching helmet, Perfect Mask of Seerus has no matching suit, Divine Veil has a fiend bonus while Divine Mantle does not, and the four Kat armor lines have unusual and asymmetric alchemy paths.

Swords

Name	Damage	Bonuses	Fi	Fr	Sh	Po	St	Cu	Sl
Vog Cub	norm+elem	sword ASI+2	fi+4
Skolver	norm+pier	sword dam+2		fr+4
Snarbolax	norm+shad	sword dam+2		fr+3		po+3
Kat Claw*	norm+shad	sword ASI+1, sword dam+1		fr+4	sh-2			cu-1
Heavenly Iron	norm+shad	sword dam+1, fiend dam+1			sh-4			cu+4
Chaos	norm+elem	all dam+2, all CTR+2	fi-2	fr-2	sh-2	po-2		cu-2
Black Kat*	norm+shad	MSI+1, all dam+3	fi-2	fr+4	sh-2	po-2		cu-4

For sworders these are the main options other than Black Kat and Chaos.

Vog Cub: This is the most defensive Wolver armor. Its elemental and fire defense are frequently useful, especially in Firestorm Citadel. Its ASI improves your chances of interrupting monsters before they interrupt you. ASI also helps you shield quickly after attacking. Of course, ASI also increases your damage output.
Skolver: This armor is a slightly less defensive and slightly more offensive than Vog Cub. Freeze is just as useful as fire, except that Firestorm Citadel is fiery. Piercing defense is less useful than elemental. Damage bonus does not aid defense. However, the damage bonus is more offensively valuable than attack speed increase, because blanket damage bonus cannot be achieved through unique variants.
Snarbolax: This armor is like Skolver with the piercing defense traded out for more useful shadow defense. Overall it is the best of the three Wolver armors. But you can craft it only in the Shadow Lairs, so it is not easily accessible.

The Kat Claw helmet is also fine, but do not get the Kat Claw suit, which requires vast resources for such unexceptional armor.

Handguns

Name	Damage	Bonuses	Fi	Fr	Sh	Po	St	Cu	Sl
Deadshot	norm+shad	gun ASI+1, undead dam+2						cu+4
Justifier	norm+pier	gun ASI+2					st+4
Nameless	norm+elem	gun ASI+2		fr+4
Seerus*	norm+elem	gun CTR+2, gun ASI+1	fi+4	fr-2	sh+4	po-2
Shadowsun	norm+shad	gun dam+2				po+4
Kat Eye*	norm+shad	gun ASI+1, gun dam+1		fr+4	sh-2			cu-1
Fa Fi Gr Sn Pathfinder	norm+pier	gun ASI+1, gun CTR+1, gun dam+1	fi?	fr?	sh?	po?
Fa Fi Gr Sn Guerrilla	norm+pier	gun ASI+1, gun CTR+1, gun bst dam+2	fi?	fr?	sh?	po?
Fa Fi Gr Sn Hazard	norm+pier	gun ASI+1, gun CTR+1, gun slm dam+2	fi?	fr?	sh?	po?
Fa Fi Gr Sn Sentinel	norm+elem	gun ASI+1, gun CTR+1, gun dam+1	fi?	fr?	sh?	po?
Fa Fi Gr Sn Keeper	norm+elem	gun ASI+1, gun CTR+1, gun cnst dam+2	fi?	fr?	sh?	po?
Fa Fi Gr Sn Wraith	norm+elem	gun ASI+1, gun CTR+1, gun grm dam+2	fi?	fr?	sh?	po?
Fa Fi Gr Sn Shade	norm+shad	gun ASI+1, gun CTR+1, gun dam+1	fi?	fr?	sh?	po?
Fa Fi Gr Sn Ghost	norm+shad	gun ASI+1, gun CTR+1, gun und dam+2	fi?	fr?	sh?	po?
Fa Fi Gr Sn Hex	norm+shad	gun ASI+1, gun CTR+1, gun fnd dam+2	fi?	fr?	sh?	po?
Chaos	norm+elem	all dam+2, all CTR+2	fi-2	fr-2	sh-2	po-2		cu-2
Black Kat*	norm+shad	MSI+1, all dam+3	fi-2	fr+4	sh-2	po-2		cu-4

(In the table above, armors marked ? come in four flavors: Falcon (sh+4, fr-3), Firefly (fi+4, sh-3), Grizzly (fr+4, po-3), and Snakebite (po+4, fi-3). Also, these armors' official names begin with "Sacred", which simply means "5-star".)

For gunners, these are the main options other than Black Kat and Chaos.

Perfect Mask of Seerus: This is highly valuable gunner armor, with excellent defense and offense. Only the helmet is available, so plan accordingly. You can obtain Seerus only through Operation Crimson Hammer, but it's worth the cost, especially because it comes with a powerful sword, a powerful bomb, and recreational value.
Pathfinder, Shade, and Sentinel: These are the most valuable of the Padded variants, because they offer blanket damage bonuses that cannot be achieved through unique variants. Their defense is generally worse than Seerus', but if you can afford more than one of these armors, then you can customize them to whatever threat you're facing.
Shadowsun: All of the Gunslinger variants are fine, but Shadowsun's damage bonus is disproportionately valuable, because it cannot be achieved through unique variants. Its defense is neither terrible nor great.

The Kat Eye helmet is also fine, but do not get the Kat Eye suit, which requires vast resources for such unexceptional armor.

Bombs

Name	Damage	Bonuses	Fi	Fr	Sh	Po	St	Cu	Sl
Bombastic Demo	norm+elem	bomb dam+2		fr+4
Mad Bomber	norm+elem	bomb dam+2, bomb CTR+2	fi-2	fr-2	sh-2	po-2
Mercurial Demo	norm+elem	bomb dam+1, MSI+1			sh+4
Volcanic Demo	norm+elem	bomb CTR+2	fi+4
Kat Hiss*	norm+shad	bomb CTR+1, bomb dam+1		fr+4	sh-2			cu-1
Chaos	norm+elem	all dam+2, all CTR+2	fi-2	fr-2	sh-2	po-2		cu-2
Black Kat*	norm+shad	MSI+1, all dam+3	fi-2	fr+4	sh-2	po-2		cu-4

A key concept in bomber armor is that damage bonus helps only damage-oriented bombs, while CTR helps all kinds of bombs and the defense of the bomber (by helping her return to shielding and full movement speed after attacking). With that in mind, these are the most important armors for bombers, other than Black Kat and Chaos.

Mercurial Demo: In the long term, this is the best Demo variant. Its movement speed increase is highly valued (because bombers dodge so much) and hard to obtain otherwise. Its blanket damage bonus cannot be achieved through unique variants. But Mercurial Demo can be crafted only in the Shadow Lairs, so it is hard to obtain. Also, Mercurial Demo is the best only if you have lots of CTR from other sources.
Bombastic Demo: After Mercurial, this is the best Demo variant in the long term, because its blanket damage bonus cannot be achieved through unique variants. However, the same comments about CTR apply here.
Volcanic Demo: This is the best Demo variant in the short term, because CTR is so helpful to every kind of bomb. If you're just trying out bombing for fun, then Volcanic Demo is a great way to make a lot of explosions.

The Kat Hiss helmet is also fine, but do not get the Kat Hiss suit, which requires vast resources for such unexceptional armor. For more detail check out the excellent Bombing Guide.

Other

Name	Damage	Bonuses	Fi	Fr	Sh	Po	St	Cu	Sl
Almirian Crusader	norm+shad		fi-2					cu+2
Azure Guardian	norm+pier
Dread Skelly	norm+shad			fr+4		po+4
Grey Feather	norm+elem		fi+4		sh+4
Ice Queen	norm+pier			fr+4			st+4
Royal Jelly	norm+pier						st+4		sl+4
Arcane Salamander	norm+elem	slime dam+1, beast dam+1	fi+4
Deadly Virulisk	norm+pier	slime dam+2				po+4
Dragon Scale	pier+elem	beast dam+2	fi+4			po+4
Radiant Silvermail*	pier+shad	undead dam+2				po+4		cu+4
Divine*	elem+shad	fiend dam+2 (Veil only)	fi+4		sh+4			cu+4
Valkyrie	norm+shad	fiend dam+2	fi-4			po+4		cu+4
Volcanic Salamander	norm+elem	slime dam+2	fi+4
Volcanic Plate	norm+elem	all ASI-1	fi+4				st+4		sl-4
Ironmight Plate	norm+pier	all ASI-1					st+4		sl-4
Ancient Plate	normal	health+3, MSI-1, all ASI-1					st+4		sl-4
Mercurial	norm+pier	MSI+1			sh+4
Fallen	norm+shad	all ASI+1, fiend dam-2	fi+4			po+4		cu-4
Chaos	norm+elem	all dam+2, all CTR+2	fi-2	fr-2	sh-2	po-2		cu-2
Black Kat*	norm+shad	MSI+1, all dam+3	fi-2	fr+4	sh-2	po-2		cu-4

These miscellaneous armors vary widely in quality. For example, Volcanic Salamander makes no sense, because it's offensive against slimes, which inflict piercing, but it doesn't defend against piercing. Azure Guardian is completely outclassed by other armors such as Skolver and Mercurial. (These imbalances have gotten worse over time, as the developers have adjusted the rules and buffed other items.) But some armors here are worth considering, other than Black Kat and Chaos.

Divine, Grey Feather, and Dread Skelly: These armors protect well against common combinations of damage and status. Some players also like the other non-normal armors: Radiant Silvermail and Dragon Scale.
Mercurial: MSI and shock protection are both valuable. But Mercurial Demo is better, if you can get it.
Fallen: This armor is the less offensive, more defensive sibling to Black Kat and Chaos. A fiend penalty on shadow armor is rather unfortunate.

Strategy

First consider Chaos or Black Kat. If those seem too dangerous, then try the offensive armors for Sword, Gun, and Bomb instead. If you cannot play well in those, then work on your skill. If you really decide that you need more defense in certain situations, then consider a couple of the defensive Other armors.

Glass Cannon

Black Kat and Chaos are called "glass cannon" armors. They offer awesome offense and terrible defense. They are viable because skilled players don't need much defense. Also, you can mitigate their status penalties with unique variants.

Chaos is easy to get. All needed recipes are in the Hall of Heroes. The 2-, 3-, and 4-star versions have good defense, which is helpful if you're still learning the game. When upgrading to 5 stars, you have the option of Divine or Grey Feather, if Chaos seems too dangerous.

Black Kat is very difficult to get, with one exception. The 3-star Black Kat Hood requires only 70 Ancient Pages, which are easily obtainable during a Kataclysmic Confrontation event. Its offense is just as good as any Black Kat armor's.

In the extreme long term, Black Kat beats Chaos, because it lets you maximize all of your offensive abilities on all of your weapons: MSI+4, damage+6 against all enemies, CTR+6, and ASI+6 on swords and handguns (and ASI+3 on bombs). To reach this pinnacle, you need Swiftstrike Buckler, the Swift Steps II sprite perk, heat level 10 on your weapons, and CTR and ASI unique variants on your weapons.

Offensive Armor

Do Chaos and Black Kat seem too risky? Perhaps you are not very experienced with Spiral Knights yet, or maybe you have high latency to the servers? Then consider one or two pieces of offensive armor, selected from the Sword, Handgun, and Bomb categories above. If you're hybrid, then mix and match these offensive armors as you see fit.

Because you will probably farm Firestorm Citadel soon, it's wise to get one armor piece with fire resistance: Vog Cub, Seerus, Volcanic Demo, and Firefly variants of Padded. Your other piece could be fire also, or a different status, or glass cannon.

In the long term, you may want to have sets specialized to shock, fire, and freeze resistance. When choosing an armor piece, always ask yourself, "Will this help me build a specialized set later?" For example, two freeze helmets are generally not as useful as a freeze helmet and a freeze suit, because the latter combination gives you a complete freeze set.

Defensive Armor

If you find yourself dying a lot with the offensive armors just described, then frankly armor is not your problem. You need more skill (or a better computer, or less latency to the servers). Be patient when fighting; don't charge into battle recklessly and get surrounded. Consider switching weapons; for example, brandishes are much easier to use than cutters are.

If you really want more defensive armor, then consider some of the Other armors above. But don't be surprised if you can't even tell that you're wearing extra defense. It is noticeable only in specific situations. For example, Dread Skelly is noticeably good in Heart of Ice and Dragon Scale is noticeably good in Compound 42.

General Goals

Hybrid?

Just mix and match from the sword, handgun, and bomb classes above. Or just use Black Kat and Chaos.

One Set for All Purposes?

new players, frugal players just wanting to get 5-star clearance quickly

Black Kat and Chaos.

Can you resist shock, fire, and freeze all at once? Shock and fire come together on several armor pieces: Seerus, Divine, and Grey Feather. You could combine one of these with some freeze armor such as Skolver. That's not a bad idea for a first set. Eventually you could acquire additional armors to make specialized shock, fire, and freeze sets. Specialization is desirable, because it lets you achieve immunity against certain levels of status.

Can you protect against all four damage types at once? Yes, using either Radiant Silvermail, Divine Veil/Mantle, or Dragon Scale Helm/Mail. But this is not a great idea, because damage protection is not the main concern in choosing armor. A slightly better idea is to protect against normal, elemental, and shadow, because piercing monsters are generally the least threatening.

Most Powerful Set?

Black Kat lets you achieve maximum abilities. But hard to obtain. But consider the 3-star helmet especially.

Chaos is nearly as powerful and much easier to obtain.

Specific Situations

Bosses

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.

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 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 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. Of these, shadow is arguably the least important, because zombies are easy to dodge.

Shadow Lairs

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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 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 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 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 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.

Final Thoughts

Ultimately, armor is boring in Spiral Knights. It doesn't give you any special powers. At best it enhances your weapons slightly or improves your survivability slightly. When collecting gear, you should diversify much more in weapons than in armor, because trying different styles of weapon is fun. This guide exists, just to help you avoid a lot of costly exploration in armor.

Thanks to the Arsenal forum regulars for enlightening discussion. Happy travels.