Horizon Forbidden West BEST Armors [Top 10]

Our Horizon Forbidden West best armor guide is here to help you select the right armor that offers maximum protection.

Armors in Horizon Forbidden West play a great role in keeping Aloy alive. The enemies will get tougher as you play through the game, and they’ll eliminate you instantly if you don’t have good armor on you. Today, to help you out, we are going to create a Horizon Forbidden West best armor guide, thanks to which you’ll be able to survive longer in combat.

Key Takeaways
  • There are a total of 44 armor sets available in the game and I have chosen the best 20.
  • Equipping the right armor for Aloy is extremely important while playing Horizon Forbidden West.
  • Every player should know the best armor sets there are in the game, some of these include;
    • Carja Stalker Elite is the best trapping armor. It has six skills, two of which focus on traps. 
    • Nora Thunder Warrior has skills that help you take down enemies from a great distance. 
    • Osearm Artificer set is the best in the Horizon Forbidden West, which offers a great advantage in melee-based fights.

Horizon Forbidden West Best Armors

Let’s have a quick look at the comparison between the Armor Sets that Aloy can equip in the game:

ArmorBest ForClassRarityShock ResistaceMelee Resistance Impact ResistaceAcid ResistanceFrost Resistance
Nora TrackerBest Armor For Traps MasteryInfiltratorVery Rare32.017.021.0-27.020.0
Tenakth TacticianBest Armor For Stealthy AssassinationHunterLegendary35.036.035.0-40.033.0
Utaru WinterweaveBest Armor For Traps And Resource GatheringInfiltratorLegendary36.035.035.0-42.035.0
Tenakth VanquisherBest Armor For Surviving Low HP SituationsSurvivorLegendary37.033.034.050.036.0
Carja Stalker EliteBest Armor For Machine DominationTrapperLegendary35.032.030.0-38.050.0
Nora Thunder WarriorBest Armor For Stealth MasteryHunterLegendary33.034.050.035.0-40.0
Carja TraderBest Survival Mastery ArmorTapperVery Rare0.022.023.0-25.0-25.0
Carja Behemoth TrapperBest Traps Efficient ArmorTapperVery Rare20.021.020.018.00.0
Oseram VanguardBest Armor For Long-Ranged CombatSurvivorVery Rare-24.034.021.00.018.0
Oseram ArtificerBest Armor For Melee CombatWarriorLegendary33.051.035.036.0-40.0

The most powerful armors in Horizon Forbidden West are the legendary ones, but you’ll acquire them later on in the game. In our guide, I will mention armors belonging to most of the rarity levels so that you can select armors for the early and mid-game. Also, keep in mind that I will be discussing what the armors offer when they are at their maximum level.

Before I get to the list of the best armor, it is important to mention that the following list is based on my personal choice.

More From Exputer: Horizon Forbidden West Face Paint

Carja Stalker Elite

Best Traps Efficient Armor
Description Armor Outfit for trapper’s art, fitted with planting from a Stalker
Class Trapper
Rarity Legendary
Resistance
  • Melee: 32
  • Impact: 30
  • Fire: -38
  • Frost: 50
  • Purgewater: 33
  • Shock: 35
  • Acid: -38
  • Plasma: 30
Skills +1 Low Profile, +1 Nimble Crafter, +1 Quick Trapper. +1 Quiet Movement
How to get Purchase for 54 Arena Medals, 900 Metal Shard
  • Why I Chose This: The armor provides unmatch trap efficiency coupled with faster crafting and increased trap capacity.

The Carja Stalker Elite is easily the best Horizon Forbidden West armor when it comes to trapping. We have mentioned some other ones in our list as well, but this one is better than all of them.

When fully upgraded, the Carja Stalker Elite has a total of six skills to offer. One of them is called Quick Trapper, and as its name suggests, it allows you to place traps faster on the field. It has another skill called Nimble Crafter, thanks to which you’ll be able to craft tools, traps, and potions faster.

Carja Stalker Elite
Carja Stalker Elite

The remaining skills offered by the Carja Stalker Elite focus on placing more traps on the field, increasing the Smoke Bombs capacity, and allowing Aloy to move around quietly.

Overall, the Carja Stalker Elite is the best Trapper armor. If you like to play around with traps, then this one is for you.

How To Get Carja Stalker Elite 

This is yet another armor that is a little difficult to acquire as you will need to gather 54 Arena Medals for it, after which you’ll be able to buy it from the Arena’s Merchant. 

  • The best armor for trapping.
  • Improved trap efficiency with the skills provided at max level.
  • Acquiring the armor is time-consuming.

Nora Thunder Warrior

Best Armor For Long-Ranged Combat
Description Ultimate Ranged Combat armor, fearsome as the Thunderjaw
Class Hunter
Rarity Legendary 
Resistance
  • Melee: 34
  • Impact: 50
  • Fire: 38
  • Frost: -40
  • Purgewater: 35
  • Shock: 33
  • Acid: 35
  • Plasma: -38
Skills +1 Concentration Regen, +1 Deep Concentration, +1 Heavy Weapon, +1 Stamina Regen, +1 Stealth Ranged
How to get Purchase for 54 Arena Medals, 900 Metal Shard
  • Why I Chose This: One of the best armors for long-ranged attacks that deal great damage and has faster recovery than any other armor.

If you’re someone who likes to take their targets down from a great distance, then the Nora Thunder Warrior armor is for you. This is because the Nora Thunder Warrior armor has skills that help significantly in taking down enemies that are far away quickly and easily.

The armor has a skill called concentration which boosts your concentration limit to a great extent. Another skill called Deep Concentration prevents the concentration from draining quickly.

As for the other skills, they focus on recovering concentration faster, regenerating the weapon’s stamina faster, and increasing the amount of damage of attacks executed while in stealth. There is also a skill called Heavy Weapon that increases the amount of damage heavy weapons deal.

Nora Thunder Warrior
Nora Thunder Warrior

Overall, if you want something that can help you become the master of ranged kills, then you should opt for the Nora Thunder Warrior armor. 

How To Get Nora Thunder Warrior 

Just like the armor mentioned above, you can purchase the Nora Thunder Warrior armor for 54 Arena Medals from the Merchant sitting outside the Arena. 

  • Excels in long-range combat.
  • Great damage and a bunch of other skill buffs at max level.
  • Lacks in close-combat and is time-consuming to acquire.

Oseram Artificer

Best Armor For Melee Combat
Description Ultimate armor with built-in buffs to Aloy’s melee attacks
Class Warrior
Rarity Legendary 
Resistance
  • Melee: 51
  • Impact: 35
  • Fire: 33
  • Frost: -40
  • Purgewater: 35
  • Shock: 33
  • Plasma: -40
  • Acid: 36
Skills +1 Power Attack, +1 Resonator Damage, +1 Resonator Buildup, +1 Resonator Blast +2 Melee Damage, +2 Critical Strike 
How to get Complete all Oseram contracts.
  • Why I Chose This: The best armor when it comes to melee combat dealing massive damage with powerful attacks and skills.

Now, it comes down to the best armor. In the game, most of your fights are going to be melee-based. And if you have the Osearm Artificer armor equipped, then you’ll be able to end the conflicts quickly. 

Just like all the other legendary armors in Horizon Forbidden West, the Oseram Artificer also has a total of six skills to offer. The first one can increase the damage of Power Attacks, the second one helps energize the spear faster, and the third one deals more damage when energizing a target. There is also a skill called Resonator Blast that allows you to deliver a powerful attack that deals a lot of damage. 

Horizon Forbidden West best armor
Oseram Artificer

Overall, the Oseram Artificer is Horizon Forbidden West’s best set. If you want something that can help you dominate every fight, then you should get the Oseram Artificier without wasting a single second. 

How To Get Oseram Artificer 

To get your hands on this legendary armor, you will need to complete all of the Oseram contracts. The process may be pretty time-consuming, but it will be worth it as you’ll get the best armor in the game.

  • Excels in melee-based combat scenarios.
  • All skills acquired at max level enhance melee combat.
  • Great damage-dealing capabilities.
  • Acquisition of this armor can be time-consuming.
  • Lacks in long-ranged combat.
  • Updated: 20th March 2023.
  • Added: Armor Stats.
  • Alternative Armor Sets 
  • Here are some other Armor Sets in Horizon Forbidden West that can help you survive longer in combat and provide maximum protection.
  • Blacktide Quen Commander: Specializes in Resonator Strikes, enhanced damage, speed, and duration, but vulnerable to fire attacks.
  • Quen Deadeye: Stealth-oriented Legendary outfit that improves your ranged attacks.
  • Nora Thunder Warrior: Excels in ranged combat with significant bonuses, but is vulnerable to frost attacks.

Alternative Armor Sets 

Here are some other Armor Sets in Horizon Forbidden West that can help you survive longer in combat and provide maximum protection.

  • Blacktide Quen Commander: Specializes in Resonator Strikes, enhanced damage, speed, and duration, but vulnerable to fire attacks.
  • Quen Deadeye: Stealth-oriented legendary outfit that improves your ranged attacks.

My Opinion On The Best Armor

horizon forbidden west hours
My hours in HFW (PSN: Liontamer55460)

If you ask me, in terms of stats and viability, the Nora Thunder Warrior is easily the best armor you can use. Furthermore, if you’re reading this in 2023, Transmog is finally a feature in the game. So, if you want to make Aloy look good and stylish while slaying machines, my favorite aesthetically pleasing armor is definitely between either the Carja Stalker Elite or the Tenakth Vanquisher, with the latter giving me Monster Hunter Armor vibes.

The Nora Thunder Warrior’s Concentration perks really helped for the endgame, not to mention it gave me an edge during my NG+ Playthrough as well, so you just can’t go wrong with it if you’re using a ranged build.

Did you find this helpful? Leave feedback below.

Thanks! Do share your feedback with us. ⚡

How can we make this post better? Your help would be appreciated. ✍

Subscribe to our newsletter and get up-to-speed gaming updates delivered to your inbox.

We don’t spam! Read more in our privacy policy.


Usama Mehmood is a Games Specialist, and writer on eXputer who's either hunting for the richest loot in Destiny 2 or endlessly playing his favorite games such as Yakuza or Final Fantasy. Usama has been gaming for 15+ years during which he has accumulated 4000+ hours on Destiny 1 & 2. His constant adoration for video games has allowed him to pursue eXputer as a platform to showcase his striving talents in writing helpful articles. Get familiar with Usama's extensive gaming library on his Steam, PSN, and Xbox profiles.

Experience: 2+ Years || Mainly Covers Reviews And Guides || Education: Bachelors in Physiotherapy.

Related Articles

Join Our Community

Enjoyed this article? Discuss the latest gaming news, get expert help with guides and errors, and chat about all things gaming on eXputer Forums and Discord Server. Connect with fellow gamers who share your passion by becoming a part of eXputer's community.