Elden Ring: Best Armor For Samurai & How To Unlock Them

Learn about the best Samurai armor sets in to Elden Ring, and find optimal protection, aesthetics, and enhance your gameplay experience.

By Daniyal Sultan Malik

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August 31, 2023

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Elden Ring, one of the masterpiece video games in the Soulsborne genre, offers unique classes & a vast array of armor sets tailored for different playstyles. For the Samurai class, renowned for its agility and precision, selecting the right armor is paramount to making the best Samurai Build. That is why I have listed here the top 5 best Samurai Armor Sets in Elden Ring that you should get if you’re going with this class of character.

Key Takeaways

Equipping the best armor for the Samurai class in Elden Ring ensures a balance between defense against physical and magical attacks.
While the primary function of armor is protection, many players also consider the aesthetic appeal of the armor sets, with some sets offering personalization options.
Higher poise provided by certain Samurai armor sets in Elden Ring can be invaluable.
It ensures the player isn’t easily staggered by enemy attacks, which is essential for both long-range and close combat.

Why Trust Us: With over 800 hours of experience playing Elden Ring, Daniyal has accumulated enough experience to provide a detailed guide.

Quiz Time

Prepared to venture into the Shadow Lands? Brush up on your knowledge about Elden Ring by partaking in our quiz which goes through the most vital information and facts.

Best Samurai Armor Sets In Elden Ring Comparison

Here is an overview of the best Samurai Armor Sets in Elden Ring showcased along with Physical, Vitality, Holy, Lightning, Robustness, Strike, Magic, and Weight stats:

Serial No	Name of Armor Set	Best For	Physical	Vitality	Holy	Lightning	Robustness	Strike	Magic	Weight
1	Briar Armor Set	Balance	25.6	80	24.4	24.1	140	23.2	24.5	25.2
2	White Reed Armor Set	Immunity	20.6	120	22.1	25.8	100	22.1	120	19.8
3	Ronin Armor Set	Resistance to Deathblight	23	140	25.6	28.3	125	23	23.4	21.1
4	Land of Reeds Armor Set	Early-game progression	19	120	23.6	25.8	13	20.6	20.4	19.8
5	Black Knife Armor Set	Stealth	22.5	54	22.5	13.5	108	21.6	17.5	21.8

1. Briar Armor Set

The Most Balanced Samurai Armor In Elden Ring.

Physical	25.6
Vitality	80
Holy	24.4
Lightning	24.1
Robustness	140
Strike	23.2
Magic	24.5
Weight	25.2

Immunity	113
Focus	86
Vitality	80
Poise	27
Robustness	140

Why I Chose This: When it comes to pure Physical Defense stats, nothing beats out the Briar set, which is why it tops my list for the best armor set you can get as a Samurai build.

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The Briar Set is the best Samurai armor Set in Elden Ring in terms of overall abilities. It provides a good balance between defense against physical attacks and Magical abilities, although it is quite heavy.

Talking about the looks, if you want to have the appearance of a Samurai, this set may not be suitable. It is better suited for players with a blood build in Elden Ring. The Set consists of four pieces of Armor: chest armor, helmet, gloves, and leg Armor.

How To Get

After defeating Elemer of the Briar in Elden Ring, the last boss in The Shaded Castle, you can get the Briar Set.

Then, you can buy it from Finger Reader Enia in Roundtable Hold.
The Briar Set is better in fights and has more stability than other sets.
Additionally, you can hurt your enemies when you roll to dodge, making them more powerful.

The Briar Set has much higher poise than all the other sets on the list of the best armor for samurai in Elden Ring, making it extremely effective in battles. Another important thing about Armor is that when you roll and hit an enemy in front of you, the Armor itself can cause damage to them.

Great for meta builds.
Reliable and versatile.
Impressive defense stats.

Heavy
Challenging to get.

2. White Reed Armor Set

The Best Immunity-focused Samurai Armor.

Physical	20.6
Strike	22.1
Holy	22.1
Lightning	25.8
Robustness	100
Vitality	120
Weight	19.8

Why I Chose This: The Okina Mask is considered one of the best in-game helms because of its passive ability, and fortunately, I’m happy to report that the complete armor set is just as useful against late-game bosses.

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The Armor of the White Reeds is crafted using iron plates joined together which can noticeably alter your Immunity thanks to the helm piece. This Armor Set is widely known and desired, mainly because of its attractive and appealing design.

The Set consists of four parts: the Okina Mask, White Reed Armor, White Reed Gauntlets, and White Reed Greaves. The White Reed Armor can be found in Spirit Callers Cave at the Mountaintops of the Giant in Elden Ring.

How To Get

White Reed Armor items [Image by eXputer]

You must finish a series of Quests to obtain the full Set of White Reed Greaves Armor. You will also require a special key called the stonesword key to enter a cave.

You can buy this key from Merchants or Twin Maiden Husks and finally, you can get the Okina Mask by defeating the formidable Enemy known as Bloody Finger Okina in the Church of Repose.

Okina was defeated in Elden Ring [Image by eXputer]

The stats of the White Reed Greaves Armor Set are truly impressive in Elden Ring. With its high Poise, it excels in close combat, and the Okina Mask significantly boosts your Immunity while also granting a decent increase in Focus.

Highly popular among the community.
Top-tier Immunity stats.
Great weight-to-defense ratio.
One of the few armor sets with a passive ability.
Lightweight.

Extreme late-game item.
Challenging to get.

3. Ronin Armor Set

The Best Deathblight-resistant Samurai Armor.

Physical	23
Strike	23
Holy	25.6
Lightning	28.3
Robustness	125
Vitality	140
Weight	21.1

Immunity	167
Focus	132
Poise	15
Vitality	140
Robustness	125

Why I Chose This: Death Blight is an annoying part of the PvP meta, which is where this armor set’s utility shines.

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When I talk about the looks and more personalization of your character Ronin Set in Elden Ring is the best Samurair armor without a doubt. The Headwear of this Set looks incredibly cool and gives off a strong and intimidating vibe. The Armor pieces of Ronin’s Set include the Iron Kasa, Ronin’s Armor, Gauntlets, and Greaves.

The Ronin’s Set is considered to be a medium-powered Armor that provides normal Damage reduction. Compared to other medium Armor Sets, it is slightly lighter in weight as you will see in the stats.

How To Get

To acquire the Ronin’s Set in Elden Ring, you must finish Yura’s Quest line in the game. It’s important to note that even though you’ll see Yura wearing the Armor, you can’t obtain it by defeating him.

The only way to obtain Ronin Armor Set Armor is by heading to the Mountain tops of the Giants and completing the Quest.
During this Quest, Yura will transform into Shabiri, and afterward, you can find the Armor in the Zamor Ruins in Elden Ring.

Great for PvP.
Amazing Holy and Lightning Defense.
High average Physical Damage Negative stats.

Considerably heavy.
Easy to miss.

4. Land of Reeds Armor Set

The Best Early-game Samurai Armor In Elden Ring.

Physical	19
Strike	20.6
Holy	23.6
Lightning	25.8
Robustness	13
Vitality	120
Focus	130

Robustness	13
Focus	130
Poise	120
Vitality	120
Immunity	143

Why I Chose This: Of course, when starting your journey as a Samurai Build, I was surprised to see how the beginner armor set faired against the early-game and mid-game challenges.

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The Land of Reeds Armor is another of the best samurai armor in the Elden Ring, especially if you choose the samurai class. It is made up of iron strips that are joined together. Talking of the medieval Armor looks, the Elden Ring also allows you to personalize your Land of Reeds Armor by deciding whether to keep or remove the fur detailing.

This choice can add a touch of legendary flair to your appearance. The Land of Reeds Armor Set consists of four pieces: Chest Armor, Helmet, Gauntlets, and Leg Armor. The modest amount of Poise provided by this Armor Set can help you resist being staggered frequently by Enemy attacks.

How To Get

You can acquire Land of Reeds Armor set at the Isolated Merchant’s Shack in the Dragonbarrow area. The merchant there offers the complete collection for a price of 4500 runes.

Additionally, going with the Samurai as the starting class in Elden Ring grants you access to this Armor.

Easy to get.
Great for early-game progression.
Low requirements.

Weaker in terms of defense stats.
Gets overshadowed by several armor sets on this list.

5. Black Knife Armor Set

The Best Stealth-focused Samurai Armor In Elden Ring.

Physical	22.5
Strike	21.6
Holy	22.5
Lightning	13.5
Robustness	108
Vitality	54
Focus	54

Why I Chose This: If you find yourself in a situation where you’d prefer not to engage with enemies, my first recommendation would definitely be this armor set.

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The Black Knife Set is well known due to its association with the notorious Black Knife assassins. These traitors played a significant role in the downfall of the Elden Ring by stealing the Rune of Death and committing regicide against Marika’s firstborn.

Additionally, the Black Knife Armor Set includes items that greatly enhance stealth abilities, making them highly desirable for sneaky tactics. The Armor Set in Elden Ring consists of four pieces: the Black Knife Hood, Armor, Gauntlets, and Greaves.

How To Get

Black Knife Armor Items [Image by eXputer]

To obtain the Black Knife Armor Set, you need to go to the Consecrated Snowfield in Elden Ring.
To enter this area, you must acquire the Secret Haligtree Medallion and then go to Liturgical Town.

Great for stealth and mobility.
Visually appealing.
Strong Physical Damage Negation.

Tedious to get.
Terrible Vitality stats.
Poor defense against magic.

Other Honorable Mentions

While compiling my top 5 list for the Best Samurai Armor, I encountered several other viable options that are worth mentioning. However, due to various individual factors, I chose not to include them:

Raya Lucaria Soldier Set: Offers weaker physical defense, rendering you more vulnerable to melee attacks.
Lionel’s Set: An excellent option, but it has immense weight and limited Dexterity scaling compared to other sets I selected above.
Twinned Set: Although it has decent poise and offers balanced defenses against physical, magic, and fire damage, its acquisition is difficult.
Raging Wolf Set: Despite having good early and mid-game viability, its defensive capabilities might fall short against late-game bosses and enemies.

If you found this article insightful, here are a few more that could capture your interest: Elden Ring BEST Sword of Night And Flame Build, BEST Armors & Locations, and Elden Ring Best Shields & How To Get guides.

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