Best Armor Sets In Ghost Of Tsushima (& How To Get Them)

Armor is a fun way to customize how Jin looks in Ghost of Tsushima and get some much-needed boosts to help you defeat the Mongol invaders. No matter what play style you have, there is an armor set that will match and give you benefits that help further your experience in the game.

Some of these armors give massive health boosts, while some increase the amount of damage you deal. Today, we hope to answer which armor set you should be looking for, which ones are the best, and how you obtain them.

Updated on October 17, 2025, by Mark Sammut: Ghost of Yotei is officially out, so most people are probably playing through Atsu’s story as we speak. However, Jin’s journey will not be forgotten anytime soon, and Ghost of Tsushima will continue to be discovered indefinitely. Consequently, we have added an intro section going over the general importance of armor sets and upgrades.

How Important Are Armor Sets And Upgrades In GoT?

Ghost of Tsushima is not a particularly difficult game, and a major reason is that Sucker Punch gives players versatile tools to deal with most situations. As you play through the campaign, you will gradually unlock new armor sets that have very different bonuses that are clearly designed to emphasize playstyles, be it stealth or direct combat. Unlike some other games where it might be best to stick with one set, GoT encourages you to constantly swap out armor depending on your circumstances, so do not be afraid to experiment and change things.

Now, this raises a bit of an issue when it comes to armor upgrades, as it can be difficult to know which pieces are worth upgrading. Firstly, you should prioritize your katana above everything else, as it will be by your side throughout the campaign. With the Director’s Cut and New Game+, GoT has 15 armor sets, 12 of which can be upgraded four times. For the first act, try to avoid wasting resources on upgrading armor, as you should mostly be fine with the base version. This will also give you ample time to discover your preferred type of character, so you can then upgrade the armor sets that fit your preferred build type. In Act 3 and New Game +, you will want to upgrade 2/3 sets completely.

14

Deadly Rival’s Attire

Dress Like A Gruff Antagonist

Contrary to Jin Sakai’s sleek Ghost armor and more honorable samurai armor, his eventual rival Ryuzo would opt for a messier attire — complete with a hat that concealed most of his face for the added thrill. Players with earlier versions of the game can dress similarly with the Deadly Rival’s Attire. When equipped, this armor will enhance a player’s Ghost of Tsushima gameplay with boosts to Health as well as melee and Ghost weapon damage.

Originally, players could only get this armor during New Game + from Baku the Voiceless for 50 Ghost Flowers. However, this armor became a separate dye for the Kensei Armor with Patch 2.04 with the Director’s Cut. Still, the Deadly Rival’s Attire is very much designed for late-game playthroughs, and new players will not get a chance to give it a go. New Game+ is slightly harder than the vanilla version of Ghost of Tsushima, so this armor set’s effects can be useful; that said, the game is really not that hard, and most fully upgraded gear should be good enough.

13

Archery Master’s Attire

Brag About That Accuracy

Unlocked only during a New Game+ playthrough, Jin Sakai can only wear the Archery Master’s Attire from Baku the Voiceless for 25 Ghost Flowers. Upon acquisition, wearing the Archery Master’s Attire in one’s Ghost of Tsushima gameplay will grant Jin with bonuses as long as he’s using the Longbow and the Half Bow – increased nocking and reload speed, additional Concentration, and even half Concentration recovery on a headshot.

The attire itself consists of traditional archery attire with a lower half seemingly dirtied by mud. The attire itself is the same attire worn by Sensei Ishikawa. Although Patch 2.04 of the Director’s Cut removed the armor and turned it into a dye for Tadayori’s Armor, the Steam release of Ghost of Tsushima gave this as a reward for players who linked their PlayStation account to their Steam account.

12

Fundoshi

Fresh From The Hot Springs

Badass protagonists often have their “barely had the time to get dressed” moment of unadulterated awesomeness, and Jin Sakain has the Fundoshi as his example of such an occasion. Acquired after finding and resting at 18 Hot Springs, this garb allows players to dress Jin in a fundoshi or traditional Japanese underwear… and settle with that.

However, the attire isn’t without its perks. Somehow, while wearing this, Jin will no longer make noise whenever he runs or sprints. Not only that, upgrading this undergarment will reduce enemy detection speed by 40%. Despite being barely clothed, the attire is similar to the opening attire of Dante from Devil May Cry, wherein the opening segment would have Dante slowly dress himself up as demons suddenly attack the trailer he’s staying in.

11

Hero of Tsushima Armor

Become A Myth, Not A Ghost

Originally worn by Harunobu Adachi, Tsushima Island’s best swordsman, the Hero of Tsushima is a complete armor set that will be granted to Jin Sakai as he aids in the defense of Tsushima Island. The Clan Adachi origins of Harunobi Adachi are reflected in the armor, as its symbolism and colors reflect the clan. This makes the armor seemingly a direct “upgrade” to the Samurai Clan Armor.

When equipped, the armor extends its near-mythical status to Jin, endowing him with a boost in Health and damage reduction – two stats that will increase by a large amount when the armor is upgraded during New Game +. The game can be originally acquired via the Digital Deluxe, Digital Deluxe Upgrade, Special Edition, and Collector’s Edition of Ghost of Tsushima. The mythical status of the armor made its way to Ghost of Tsushima: Legends as one of the wearable gear of the Samurai Class.

10

Traveler’s Attire

Uncover the Fog of War And Discover Secrets

As stated by the armor, it is “perfect for those with a long journey ahead.” It is most likely given to you as your first armor set because all you need to do is talk to a merchant and they hand it over to you. It fits the appearance of a wanderer extremely well, while also giving the player bonuses that help them discover every artifact they can.

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With this armor, players can set their guiding winds to track the different artifacts they can discover, while at the same time clearing more fog of war off the map and providing spider-sense-like artifact abilities that make the controller vibrate whenever one is close by.

9

Tadayori’s Armor

Become An Expert Archer

For players who enjoy using the bow to its fullest extent, Tadayori’s Armor may be the right choice. All players know that the combat in Ghost of Tsushima doesn’t really allow for all ranged combat, but this armor certainly helps by increasing concentration time, reload and draw speeds, and adding more time to the concentration meter with each headshot.

Watch out though, because this armor doesn’t offer any increase to health or defense, so players will remain a little squishy with it. Those still interested in this amazing archer’s armor can receive it for completing the Legend of Tadayori mythic tale.

8

Ronin Attire

The Classic Samurai Outfit

For players who want to look like every other classic samurai movie protagonist, look no further than the Ronin Attire. It is perfect for players who want to charge into battle but still love to sneak around since it gives bonuses to both stealth and melee damage.

Not only that, but it decreases the enemy detection speed whenever the player leaves tall grass. Now when players inevitably get caught sneaking around Mongol territory, they can fight their way out with style. This armor set is acquired by completing the mission Blood on the Grass, which is unlocked during act one.

7

Samurai Clan Armor

Best Armor for Pure Defense

The Samurai Clan Armor is perfect for players who aren’t so good at parrying and can’t help but take damage. It provides some much-needed resolve each time the player takes damage while increasing maximum health and reducing the damage taken. It’s clear that Sucker Punch knew there would be people struggling to keep the Mongols from killing them.

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This armor is given early in the game by Lady Masako, during the first mission the player completes for her.

6

Sakai Clan Armor

Massive Increase to Standoff Streaks

Gamers can all agree that there is something magical about standing off against an enemy, waiting for him to strike, and then cutting him down with a single blow. It’s a classical move in many samurai films that is beautifully brought to life in Ghost of Tsushima.

For those who love charging into battle with a family insignia in armor that may or may not bring back haunting memories of watching one’s father die, then try out the Sakai Clan Armor. It increases the player’s standoff streak up to five when fully upgraded, while also increasing maximum health and damage. Jin can receive it from the story mission Ghosts from the Past.

5

Kensei Armor

Increases Effectiveness of Ghost Weapons

While similar in look to the Ronin Attire, this armor is slightly better and is more focused on giving bonuses to players who like to use ghost weapons. What makes this armor so useful is the devastating bonus that reduces the damage an enemy struck by ghost weapons causes.

That same ability also decreases the enemy’s defense. On top of that bonus, this armor also increases all resolve gains and increases the damage dealt by all ghost weapons. Remember sticky bombs? Those can now pack a serious punch to a lot of enemies. This armor is found by completing the Six Blades of Kojiro mythic tale in act two.