Horizon Forbidden West Armor: Where are the best armor and outfits?

Horizon Forbidden West's best armor isn't going to be obtained easily. The trials of the road have stripped Aloy of her best armor and left her in search of a new outfit in Horizon Forbidden West.

However, she has more than just physical damage to protect against, with resistances to status conditions like acidic corrosion, electric shock, and frozen brittleness to consider when picking the armor to wear.

Horizon Forbidden West Best Armor

There are lots of different armor sets to choose from, but once you find one you like, it will probably stay equipped for most of the game.

You’re fighting different types of machines so often, that it’s not really practical to keep swapping before every engagement.

More likely, you will find an armor set with passive buffs that you like, stick with that, then swap to something new when you pick up one of the best armor sets in the late-game. With that in mind, we've put together some suggestions for the best armor in Horizon Forbidden West for all stages of the game.

What is the best early game armor in Horizon Forbidden West?

Nora Anointed

That’s right, before you pass into the Forbidden West proper, Aloy’s starting armor set is perfectly good.

What it lacks in physical resistance, it makes up for with two great bonuses: Concentration Regen and Potent Medicine.

These will make it tough to get a meaningful upgrade until you’ve made it through Barren Light and into the lands beyond.

Since you won’t want to be swapping armor all the time, take this as a precedent. Look for the best bonuses on armor that you will get the most use out of, and stick with that rather than fiddling over a few points of some resistance or another.

What is the best mid game armor in Horizon Forbidden West?

Nora Sentinel

Following on from your first set of Nora armor, the Nora Sentinel set is easy to upgrade, has a useful Concentration buff, good physical resistance, and is strong against the common shock and fire types.

With a free weave slot to round out its weakness to acid or purgewater, it’s easy to wear this set for most of the game.

Oseram Wayfarer

If you’re looking to step away from your Nora heritage however, take a look at the Oseram Wayfarer set.

While its physical defenses aren’t quite as good, who needs those if you’re not getting hit? The evader boost makes Aloy’s dodge roll more effective, which will be very powerful against some of the biggest machines in the Forbidden West.

It’s also at least neutral against every elemental type except shock, and can be upgraded or have a weave added to lessen that weakness.

What is the best late game armor in Horizon Forbidden West?

The late game armor sets in Horizon Forbidden West have their rewards, but also their risks. Despite having huge resistances to many elements, they can also have big weaknesses before being upgraded.

Also beware of minor spoilers below for the ultimate reward of the Oseram salvage contract series of missions.

Nora Thunder Warrior and other arena armor sets

Outside of quest rewards, the best armor in Horizon Forbidden West is found at the Arena near the throne of the Tenakth chief in the Memorial Grove.

You will have to work to get it, and the weapons there are just as worthy of your medals, but they are extremely powerful.

I think the best one of the three is the Nora Thunder Warrior, thanks to its buffs to Concentration and weapon stamina regeneration. However, it is weak to the common cold and plasma elements, which can make taking on things like the Shellsnapper very difficult.

Based on your playstyle, you could also make cases for the Carja and Tenakth sets as well.

Oseram Artificer

Pummeling your way through all of the Oseram contracts is definitely worth your time, since it nets you one of the best armor sets in Horizon Forbidden West.

While the melee focused bonuses of the Oseram Artificer set aren’t the most useful, it has huge physical defenses to make up for it.

And even though it is also weak to cold and plasma, you have to make contingencies for all of these sets, and upgrade them to lessen the risk.

What’s more, it’s probably my favourite looking outfit too, and having the story connection to the salvage contracts is gratifying.

For more on how to make Aloy the best she can be, here's our full Horizon Forbidden West guide.

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