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[edit | edit source]
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[edit | edit source]
Body[edit | edit source]
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[edit | edit source]
Helms add more protection than body armor alone, but only the Warrior, Knight, and Ninja classes can equip more than the most basic helm. 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[edit | edit source]
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[edit | edit source]
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[edit | edit source]
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.
In the table below, when two names are reported, the first one is from the NES version, the second one from the PSX and GBA remakes.
Default sorting is by price. Armors that can only be found but not purchased are listed afterwards, as more valuable; their listed price is twice the selling price, because every armor can be sold for half its purchasing price; anyway, their Price cell is shaded in gray.
Special effects:
- Item: use the armor from the "Item" menu to cast a spell; alignment (B/W) and level (1-8) of the spell are noted as well; in order to use it as an item, it is not relevant whether the weapon is equipped or not.
- Elements: Fire is strong versus ice attacks; Ice is strong versus fire attacks. The Dragon Mail protects from fire, ice and lightning too.
Many armors can only be equipped by specific characters. The tables below reports all of them, abbreviated as follows:
- wK: Warrior and Knight
- tN: Thief and Ninja
- mM: Monk and Master
- rR: Red Mage and Red Wizard
- wW: White Mage and White Wizard
- bB: Black Mage and Black Wizard
Body armor[edit | edit source]
| Name | Price | Def | W. | Special effects | wK | tN | rR | mM | wW | bB | Locations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shirt / Clothes | 10 | 1 | 2 | - | wK | tN | rR | mM | wW | bB | Buy: Cornelia Find: several |
| Wooden/Leather armor | 50 | 4 | 8 | - | wK | tN | rR | mM | - | - | Buy: Cornelia, Pravoka |
| Chain armor/plate | 80 | 15 | 15 | - | wK | N | rR | - | - | - | Buy: Cornelia, Pravoka |
| Iron armor / Steel plate | 800 | 24 | 23 | - | wK | N | - | - | - | - | Buy: Pravoka, Elfheim Find: Marsh Cave, Cornelia Castle |
| Copper bracelet / armlet | 1000 | 4 | 1 | - | wK | tN | rR | mM | wW | bB | Buy: Elfheim Find: Marsh Cave |
| Silver bracelet/armlet | 5000 | 15 | 1 | - | wK | tN | rR | mM | wW | bB | Buy: Melmond Find: Marsh Cave |
| Silver armor / Mithril mail | 7500 | 18 | 8 | - | wK | N | rR | - | - | - | Buy: Crescent Lake Find: Mt.Gulg |
| Steel/Knight's armor | 45000 | 34 | 33 | - | wK | - | - | - | - | - | Buy: Melmond |
| Gold bracelet / Ruby armlet | 50000 | 24 | 1 | - | wK | tN | rR | mM | wW | bB | Buy: Gaia Find: Trials Citadel |
| Flame armor | 30000 | 34 | 10 | Protects against Ice damage | wK | N | - | - | - | - | Find: Mt.Gulg |
| Ice armor | 30000 | 34 | 10 | Protects against Fire Damage | wK | N | - | - | - | - | Find: Ice Cave |
| Opal/Diamond armor | 60000 | 42 | 10 | - | K | - | - | - | - | - | Find: Sunken Shrine |
| Dragon armor/mail | 60000 | 42 | 10 | Protects against all elemental damage | K | - | - | - | - | - | Find: Mirage Tower |
| Opal bracelet / Diamond armlet | 65000 | 34 | 1 | - | wK | tN | rR | mM | wW | bB | Find: Sunken Shrine |
| Black shirt/robe | - | 24 | 2 | Item: casts B4 Blizzara | - | - | - | - | - | B | Find: Flying Fortress |
| White shirt/robe | - | 24 | 2 | Item: casts W6 Invisira | - | - | - | - | W | - | Find: Flying Fortress |
Helms[edit | edit source]
| Name | Price | Def | W. | Special effects | wK | tN | rR | mM | wW | bB | Locations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cap / Leather cap | 80 | 1 | 1 | - | wK | tN | rR | mM | wW | bB | Buy: Elfheim Find: Chaos Temple |
| Wooden helm / Helmet | 100 | 3 | 3 | - | wK | N | - | - | - | - | Buy: Elfheim Find: Mt.Duergar |
| Iron/Grand helm | 450 | 5 | 5 | - | wK | N | - | - | - | - | Buy: Melmond Find: Mt.Duergar |
| Silver/Mithril helm | 2500 | 6 | 3 | - | wK | N | - | - | - | - | Buy: Crescent Lake Find: Mt.Gulg, Flying Fortress |
| Opal/Diamond helm | 1000 | 8 | 3 | - | K | - | - | - | - | - | Find: Sunken Shrine |
| Heal/Healing helm | 10000 | 6 | 3 | Item: casts W3 Heal | K | N | - | - | - | - | Find: Mirage Tower, Flying Fortress |
| Ribbon | - | 1 | 1 | Prevents status ailments | wK | tN | rR | mM | wW | bB | Find: Sunken Shrine, Waterfall Cave, Flying Fortress |
Gloves[edit | edit source]
| Name | Price | Def | W. | Special effects | wK | tN | rR | mM | wW | bB | Locations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gloves / Leather gloves | 60 | 1 | 1 | - | wK | tN | rR | mM | wW | bB | Buy: Pravoka |
| Copper/Bronze gloves | 200 | 2 | 3 | - | wK | N | - | - | - | - | Buy: Melmond Find: Elfheim Castle |
| Iron/Steel gloves | 750 | 4 | 5 | - | wK | N | - | - | - | - | Buy: Melmond Find: Western Keep, Trials Citadel |
| Silver/Mithril gloves | 2500 | 6 | 3 | - | wK | N | - | - | - | - | Buy: Crescent Lake Find: Mt.Gulg, Ice cavern |
| Pro-Ring / Protection Ring | 20000 | 8 | 1 | Prevents "instant-death" | wK | tN | rR | mM | wW | bB | Buy: Gaia Find: Flying Fortress, Chaos Temple |
| Power/Giant's gloves | 10000 | 6 | 3 | Item: casts B7 Saber | wK | N | R | - | - | - | Find: Sunken Shrine |
| Zeus gloves / Gauntlets | 15000 | 6 | 3 | Item: casts B3 Thundara | K | N | R | - | - | - | Find: Trials Citadel |
| Opal/Diamond gloves | 20000 | 8 | 3 | - | K | - | - | - | - | - | Find: Sunken Shrine, Flying Fortress |
Shields[edit | edit source]
| Name | Price | Def | W. | Special effects | wK | tN | rR | mM | wW | bB | Locations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wooden/Leather shield | 15 | 2 | 0 | - | wK | N | - | - | - | - | Buy: Pravoka Find: Terra Cave |
| Iron shield | 100 | 4 | 0 | - | wK | N | - | - | - | - | Buy: Pravoka, Elfheim |
| Buckler | 2500 | 2 | 0 | - | wK | tN | rR | - | - | - | Buy: Crescent Lake |
| Silver/Mithril shield | 2500 | 8 | 0 | - | wK | N | - | - | - | - | Buy: Crescent Lake Find: Terra Cave, Mt.Gulg |
| Flame shield | 10000 | 12 | 0 | Element: fire | wK | N | - | - | - | - | Find: Mt. Gulg |
| Ice shield | 10000 | 12 | 0 | Element: ice | wK | N | - | - | - | - | Find: Ice Cavern |
| Opal/Diamond shield | 15000 | 16 | 0 | - | K | - | - | - | - | - | Find: Sunken Shrine, Flying Fortress |
| Pro-Cape / Protect Cloak | 20000 | 8 | 2 | - | wK | tN | rR | - | wW | bB | Find: Flying Fortress, Chaos Temple |
| Aegis shield | 40000 | 16 | 0 | Prevents "petrify" | K | - | - | - | - | - | Find: Mirage Tower |
Recommendations[edit | edit source]
Buy armor parts only if a character has an empty slot. This means only purchase armor parts early in the game: body armor in Cornelia, gloves in Pravoka, caps in Elfheim, shields in Pravoka and Crescent Lake.
After that, every useful armor part can be found for free in chests and dungeons. Purchasing further armor parts would be a waste of money.
When equipping armor parts, give priority to those with special properties.
| The only armor parts recommended for purchase | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Armor type | Name | Shops | Users |
| Body armors | Leather armor Chain armor |
Cornelia (Chapter 1) Cornelia (Chapter 1) |
Thief, Monk Warrior, Red Mage |
| Shields | Leather shield Buckler |
Pravoka (Chapter 2) Crescent Lake (Chapter 4) |
Warrior Thief, Red Mage |
| Gloves | Leather gloves | Pravoka (Chapter 2) | All! |
| Headgear | Leather cap | Elfheim (Chapter 3) | All! (buy 2, the 3rd one can be found in the bottom left room of the castle with the first boss in Final Fantasy I, and the 4th one is found for free using the Mystic Key) |
Notable armor sets[edit | edit source]
Armor parts can be grouped into sets. The parts in a set have generally some of the following in common: (1) same name; (2) same users; (3) nearby location; (4) similar special properties.
Light armor[edit | edit source]
These armor parts can be used by every character, with justy few exceptions. In particular, they are the only armor parts that can be worn by the White Mage/Wizard and the Black Mage/Wizard.
| Name | Part | Price | Def | W. | Special effects | Characters | Locations | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter set (tot. def. = 3) | |||||||||||
| Clothes | Body | 10 | 1 | 2 | - | All! | Buy: Cornelia Find: several | ||||
| Leather gloves | Hands | 60 | 1 | 1 | - | All! | Buy: Pravoka | ||||
| Leather cap | Head | 80 | 1 | 1 | - | All! | Buy: Elfheim Find: Chaos Temple | ||||
| Intermediate armlets | |||||||||||
| Copper armlet | Body | 1000 | 4 | 1 | - | All! | Buy: Elfheim Find: Marsh Cave | ||||
| Silver armlet | Body | 5000 | 15 | 1 | - | All! | Buy: Melmond Find: Marsh Cave | ||||
| Ruby armlet | Body | 50000 | 24 | 1 | - | All! | Buy: Gaia Find: Trials Citadel | ||||
| Diamond armlet | Body | 65000 | 34 | 1 | - | All! | Find: Sunken Shrine | ||||
| Wizard set (tot. def. = 41) | |||||||||||
| Ribbon | Head | - | 1 | 1 | Prevents status ailments | All! | Find: Sunken Shrine, Waterfall Cave, Flying Fortress | ||||
| Protection Ring | Hands | 20000 | 8 | 1 | Prevents "instant-death" | All! | Buy: Gaia Find: Flying Fortress, Chaos Temple | ||||
| Protect Cloak | Shield | 20000 | 8 | 2 | - | All (except Monk/Master) |
Find: Flying Fortress, Chaos Temple | ||||
| Black robe | Body | - | 24 | 2 | Item: casts B4 Blizzard2 | Black Wizard | Find: Flying Fortress | ||||
| White robe | Body | - | 24 | 2 | Item: casts W6 Invis2 | White Wizard | Find: Flying Fortress | ||||
Heavy armor[edit | edit source]
These armor parts are mainly used by the Warrior/Knight and by the Ninja. Some parts can be used by the Thief and the Red Mage/Wizard, but these two classes will generally get better protection from the light armor parts.
Some notes:
- Steel set: all the parts were named "Iron" in the NES version.
- Leftovers set: the Bronze gloves can be found for free; the Buckler shield is a must for the Red Mage/Wizard and for the Thief; the Knight's armor should be avoided because it is extremely expensive and it has the worst weight in the game.
- Mithril set: Silver in the NES version.
- Elemental sub-sets: equip two parts that protect from different elements; note that there is no protection from thunder element.
- Diamond set: Opal in the NES version.
- Ultimate set: all parts have special effects; if your team includes both Knight and Ninja, split this set between them.
| Name | Part | Price | Def | W. | Special effects | wK | tN | rR | mM | Locations | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leather armor | Body | 50 | 4 | 8 | - | wK | tN | rR | mM | Buy: Cornelia, Pravoka | |
| Starter set (tot. def. = 20) | |||||||||||
| Chain plate | Body | 80 | 15 | 15 | - | wK | N | rR | - | Buy: Cornelia, Pravoka | |
| Leather shield | Shield | 15 | 2 | 0 | - | wK | N | - | - | Buy: Pravoka Find: Terra Cave | |
| Helmet | Head | 100 | 3 | 3 | - | wK | N | - | - | Buy: Elfheim Find: Mt.Duergar | |
| Steel set (tot. def. = 37) | |||||||||||
| Iron shield | Shield | 100 | 4 | 0 | - | wK | N | - | - | Buy: Pravoka, Elfheim | |
| Steel plate | Body | 800 | 24 | 23 | - | wK | N | - | - | Buy: Pravoka, Elfheim Find: Marsh Cave, Mystic key | |
| Steel gloves | Hands | 750 | 4 | 5 | - | wK | N | - | - | Buy: Melmond Find: Western Keep, Trials Citadel | |
| Grand helm | Head | 450 | 5 | 5 | - | wK | N | - | - | Buy: Melmond Find: Mt.Duergar | |
| Leftovers set (tot. def. = 38 helm) | |||||||||||
| Bronze gloves | Hands | 200 | 2 | 3 | - | wK | N | - | - | Buy: Melmond Find: Elfheim Castle | |
| Knight's armor | Body | 45000 | 34 | 33 | - | wK | - | - | - | Buy: Melmond | |
| Buckler | Shield | 2500 | 2 | 0 | - | wK | tN | rR | - | Buy: Crescent Lake | |
| Mithril set (tot. def. = 38) | |||||||||||
| Mithril shield | Shield | 2500 | 8 | 0 | - | wK | N | - | - | Buy: Crescent Lake Find: Terra Cave, Mt.Gulg | |
| Mithril mail | Body | 7500 | 18 | 8 | - | wK | N | rR | - | Buy: Crescent Lake Find: Mt.Gulg | |
| Mithril gloves | Hands | 2500 | 6 | 3 | - | wK | N | - | - | Buy: Crescent Lake Find: Mt.Gulg, Ice cavern | |
| Mithril helm | Head | 2500 | 6 | 3 | - | wK | N | - | - | Buy: Crescent Lake Find: Mt.Gulg, Flying Fortress | |
| Elemental sub-sets (tot. def. = 52 helm) | |||||||||||
| Flame armor | Body | 30000 | 34 | 10 | Element: fire | wK | N | - | - | Find: Mt. Gulg | |
| Flame shield | Shield | 10000 | 12 | 0 | Element: fire | wK | N | - | - | Find: Mt. Gulg | |
| Ice armor | Body | 30000 | 34 | 10 | Element: ice | wK | N | - | - | Find: Ice Cavern | |
| Ice shield | Shield | 10000 | 12 | 0 | Element: ice | wK | N | - | - | Find: Ice Cavern | |
| Zeus gauntlets | Hands | 15000 | 6 | 3 | Item: casts B3 Thunder2 |
K | N | R | - | Find: Trials Citadel | |
| Diamond set (tot. def. = 74) | |||||||||||
| Diamond armor | Body | 60000 | 42 | 10 | - | K | - | - | - | Find: Sunken Shrine | |
| Diamond helm | Head | 1000 | 8 | 3 | - | K | - | - | - | Find: Sunken Shrine | |
| Diamond shield | Shield | 15000 | 16 | 0 | - | K | - | - | - | Find: Sunken Shrine, Flying Fortress | |
| Diamond gloves | Hands | 20000 | 8 | 3 | - | K | - | - | - | Find: Sunken Shrine, Flying Fortress | |
| Ultimate set (tot. def. = 70) | |||||||||||
| Giant's gloves | Hands | 10000 | 6 | 3 | Item: casts B7 Saber |
wK | N | R | - | Find: Sunken Shrine | |
| Healing helm | Head | 10000 | 6 | 3 | Item: casts W3 Heal1 |
K | N | - | - | Find: Mirage Tower, Flying Fortress | |
| Dragon mail | Body | 60000 | 42 | 10 | Elements: All! | K | - | - | - | Find: Mirage Tower | |
| Aegis shield | Shield | 40000 | 16 | 0 | Prevents "petrify" | K | - | - | - | Find: Mirage Tower | |
Armor introduced in Dawn of Souls[edit | edit source]
Light armor parts[edit | edit source]
Armor parts that can be worn by White Mage/Wizard and Black Mage/Wizard.
| Name | Part | Price | Def | W. | Effects | wK | tN | rR | mM | wW | bB | Locations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elven cloak | Shield | 55800 | 9 | 0 | Agl 1, Int 1 | wK | tN | rR | mM | wW | bB | Find: Earthgift Shrine Buy: Whisperwind Cove |
| Bard's tunic | Body | 67300 | 20 | 3 | Prevents "Mute" | wK | tN | rR | mM | wW | bB | Find: Hellfire Chasm, Whisperwind Cove Buy: Whisperwind Cove |
| Zephyr cape | Shield | 51000 | 4 | 1 | - | wK | tN | rR | mM | wW | bB | Find: Whisperwind Cove Buy: Whisperwind Cove |
| Three-mages set | ||||||||||||
| Sage's surplice | Body | 70000 | 25 | 2 | Int 5 | - | - | rR | - | wW | bB | Find: Hellfire Chasm, Lifespring Grotto Buy: Whisperwind Cove |
| Wizard's hat | Head | 46600 | 4 | 1 | Int 5 | - | - | rR | - | wW | bB | Find: Whisperwind Cove Buy: Whisperwind Cove |
| Two-mages set | ||||||||||||
| Sage's mitre | Head | 45200 | 5 | 1 | MP 10%, Int 5 | - | - | - | - | wW | bB | Find: Hellfire Chasm, Lifespring Grotto, Whisperwind Cove Buy: Whisperwind Cove |
| Gaia gear | Body | 35 | 2 | Prevents "Stone" | - | - | - | - | - | bB | Find: Lifespring Grotto | |
| Light robe | Body | 35 | 2 | Int 5 | - | - | - | - | wW | - | Find: Whisperwind Cove | |
Medium armor parts[edit | edit source]
Armor parts that cannot be worn by Warrior/Knight, White Mage/Wizard and Black Mage/Wizard.
| Name | Part | Price | Def | W. | Effects | wK | tN | rR | mM | wW | bB | Locations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red cap | Head | 8 | 1 | Str 4, Agl 3, Sta 2, MP 25% |
- | - | rR | - | - | - | Find: Lifespring Grotto, Whisperwind Cove | |
| Red jacket | Body | 24 | 2 | Element: fire | - | tN | rR | - | - | - | Find: Whisperwind Cove | |
| Monk set | ||||||||||||
| Kenpo-gi | Body | 28 | 1 | Str 3 | - | - | - | mM | - | - | Find: Earthgift Shrine, Lifespring Grotto, Whisperwind Cove | |
| Power vest | Body | 38 | 1 | Str 15 | - | - | - | mM | - | - | Find: Lifespring Grotto | |
| Twist headband | Head | 3 | 1 | Str 15 | - | tN | - | mM | - | - | Find: Hellfire Chasm | |
| Thief set | ||||||||||||
| Black cowl | Head | 8 | 1 | Agl 3, Str 3, Sta 3 |
- | tN | - | - | - | - | Find: Earthgift Shrine | |
| Thief's gloves | Arms | 6 | 1 | Agl 5 | - | tN | - | - | - | - | Find: Hellfire Chasm | |
| Thief's armlet | Body | 30 | 1 | Agl 5 | - | tN | - | - | - | - | Find: Whisperwind Cove | |
| Black garb | Body | 40 | 2 | Agl 10 | - | tN | - | - | - | - | Find: Whisperwind Cove | |
Heavy armor parts[edit | edit source]
Armor parts that cannot be worn by White Mage/Wizard and Black Mage/Wizard.
| Name | Part | Price | Def | W. | Effects | wK | tN | rR | mM | wW | bB | Locations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crystal ring | Arms | 9 | 1 | Prevents Sleep, Stop |
K | N | - | M | - | - | Find: Lifespring Grotto | |
| Hero's shield | Shield | 16 | 1 | Prevents all statues | K | N | - | - | - | - | Find: Lifespring Grotto | |
| Feathered cap | Head | 4 | 1 | - | wK | tN | rR | - | - | - | Find: Lifespring Grotto | |
| Tiger mask | Head | 8 | 2 | Str 3, Agl 2, Sta 1 |
K | N | - | M | - | - | Find: Lifespring Grotto, Whisperwind Cove | |
| Genji set | ||||||||||||
| Genji gloves | Arms | 6 | 2 | Prevents Poison, Stone |
wK | N | - | - | - | - | Find: Lifespring Grotto | |
| Genji shield | Shield | 14 | 0 | Prevents Poison, Stone |
wK | N | - | - | - | - | Find: Lifespring Grotto | |
| Genji helm | Head | 9 | 3 | Prevents Poison, Stone |
wK | tN | - | - | - | - | Find: Whisperwind Cove | |
| Genji armor | Body | 35 | 19 | Prevents Poison, Stone, Insta-Death |
wK | N | - | - | - | - | Find: Whisperwind Cove | |
| Crystal set | ||||||||||||
| Crystal gloves | Arms | 10 | 3 | Prevents Stone | K | N | - | - | - | - | Find: Lifespring Grotto | |
| Crystal shield | Shield | 15 | 0 | Prevents Stone | K | N | - | - | - | - | Find: Lifespring Grotto, Whisperwind Cove | |
| Crystal helm | Head | 10 | 3 | Prevents Stone | K | N | - | - | - | - | Find: Whisperwind Cove | |
| Crystal mail | Body | 44 | 10 | Prevents Blind, Mute, Stone |
K | N | - | - | - | - | Find: Whisperwind Cove | |