Sons of the Forests BEST Armors [All Ranked]

What good are you against the mutants if you don't use the Best Armor in the game?

The Best Armor in Sons Of The Forest can vary heavily based on the benefits they provide, as each one is drastically different from the other in both visuals and protection. There are six different armor set types in the game, which will need to be crafted with the necessary crafting components and conditions in order to use them. 

Important: While a majority of the armor can be crafted with the required materials, other armor, such as the Tech and Golden armor, will need to be acquired through other means, such as using a 3D printer to obtain special crafting materials for the Tech armor.

Sons of the Forest Armors Comparison

Sons Of The Forest features over six armor types, each providing varying levels of defense crucial for survival. Here’s a quick overview of all the in-game armor types ranked according to their strengths and weaknesses:

Armor Set NameBest ForDescriptionCrafted / Found
Leaf Armor SetBest Early Game Defensive Armor.This armor set Improves your hide and sneak abilitiesCrafted: 10 Leaf and 1 Cloth
Hide Armor SetBest Early Armor For Enhanced Survival.This armor set allows you to stay warm plus offers
protection during combat situations
Crafted: 2 Hide and 1 Cloth
Bone Armor SetBest Early-Mid Defensive Armor.This armor set provides you with protection during
combat situations.
Crafted: 4 Bone, 1 Rope, and 1 Duck Tape
Creepy Armor SetBest Distinct Looking Defensive Armor.This armor set provides with a layer of mutant skin
that can be worn as an armor and offer you protection
Found: Skinning Mutants that can be found
in Caves, and Bunkers.
Tech Armor SetBest Defensive Armor With A Unique Crafting Method.This armor set provides you with more durability than
other armors.
Crafted: 1 Tech Mesh, 1 Battery, 1
Circuit Board, 1 Duck Tape, and 1 Wire
Golden Armor SetThe All-Time Superior Defensive Armor.This armor allows the reduction of demonic damage by
70%.
Found: Can be obtained from a secret
underground facility

6. Leaf Armor

Best Early Game Defensive Armor.
sons of the forest leaf armor
The leaf armor (Image by eXputer)
  • Why I Chose This: The defense this armor provides greatly helps in the early game progress.
  • Crafting Materials: 10x Leaves, 1x Cloth

The leaf armor set can be found pretty much right from the beginning of the game, as you can start collecting its crafting materials right after you’re done with the intro sequence. The crafting process is pretty simple; you’ll need about ten leaves which can be easily gathered in a matter of seconds by simply slashing away at nearby bushes and hedges in the world.

Lastly, Cloth is a resource material that maintains its importance from the first game, as you will need to craft almost half of the important items. It can be found with ease in encampments and other ruin shelters and in bulk quantities, too, from suitcases and boxes while venturing inside caves. While it certainly doesn’t offer the best protection, you may need anything that you can get your hands on right from the early going of the game.

  • It is craftable early on in the game.
  • Easily obtainable items that are used for crafting.
  • Good defense.
  • Low durability.
  • Limited customization.

5. Hide Armor

Best Early Armor For Enhanced Survival.
sons of the forest hide armor
Hide armor (Image by eXputer)
  • Why I Chose This: Provides good defense, resulting in increased survivability which is easily crafted.
  • Crafting Materials: 2x animal Hide, 1x Cloth

The Hide armor set is another gear that you craft fairly early on in the game, but it is at the bottom of our list solely due to the fact that the animal hides that you end up using can instead be used for other craftable items. But again, that’s just our personal preference, as we hardly ever found the need to craft the armor. Animal hides can be easily found by the nearby deer and moose roaming in the lands and carving their skin.

There isn’t any significant boost to defense with the armor as much as we hoped it’d provide, but if you have any extra hides to spare or hunt down, then by all means, feel free to craft this armor so that it can help you overcome most obstacles in the beginning.

  • Provides basic defense.
  • Available early in the game with a simple crafting process.
  • Lacks customization and effectiveness.

4. Bone Armor

Best Early-Mid Defensive Armor.
sons of the forest best armor
Bone armor (Image by eXputer)
  • Why I Chose This: The reliable factor this armor provides with enhanced defense which can prove helpful for early to mid-game progress.
  • Crafting Materials: 4 Bones, 1x Duct tape, 1x Rope

As shown in our image above, the Bone armor was our go-to set to use in the original game as playing with friends; we used to dive head first into the deadly mobs of cannibals, kill them, and then torch their bodies in a pile in order to harvest a large number of bones. So using these bones, you are able to craft various amounts of bone armor for your character with relative ease.

In Horizon Forbidden West, duct tape and rope can be scavenged from abandoned encampments across the world. Unlike in The Forest, rope cannot be crafted, only collected. Bone armor provides robust defense, especially in early-to-mid-game stages, making it highly recommended for surviving enemy attacks. Hoarding defeated cannibals on a bonfire with friends yields a significant bone supply for crafting.

  • Easily obtainable crafting materials.
  • Great defensive capabilities.
  • Less advanced customization options.

3. Creepy Armor

Best Distinct Looking Defensive Armor.
sons of the forest creepy armor
Creepy armor (Image Captured by Us)
  • Why I Chose This: The distinct appearance it has on top of the high-level defensive capabilities it provides which result in high survival chances.
  • How To Find: Skins of mutant enemies & cannibal variants

As depicted in our image above that we entailed, the creepy armor doesn’t necessarily require any crafting components, as you simply need to equip it on your character. It is acquired by skinning Mutants which are the monstrous enemies that you can find attacking you at night or during other random intervals of the game. The most common places that you can find them are the underground caves and tunnels scattered around the map.

In Sons Of The Forest, unique ashen-colored and blind cannibals offer bone and creepy armor upon death. Creepy armor, previously top-tier, boosts the health bar’s armor stat. Although newer options exist, it remains a valuable choice if mutants haven’t been defeated for alternative gear.

  • No crafting requirement can be directly equipped.
  • High defense boost.
  • Limited availability.
  • Requires you to engage in combat scenarios for acquisition.

2. Tech Armor

Best Defensive Armor With A Unique Crafting Method.
sons of the forest tech armor
Tech armor (Image Captured by Us)
  • Why I Chose This: The uniqueness and defensive capabilities on top of the distinct acquisition method.
  • How To Find: You must first craft Tech Mesh from a 3D printer and then use them to craft the armor.
  • Crafting Materials: 1 Tech mesh, 1x wire, 1x duct tape, 1x batteries, 1x circuit board

The Tech Armor is one of the brand-new gear featured in the game, but the only catch is that you can only unlock it through a specific method. This is done by using the 3D printers, as you need to use them to materialize tech mesh, a crafting material that we will then use to craft the actual armor shown in the image above.

sons of the forest 3d printer
The 3D printer locations (Image credit: Map Genie)

We have enlisted the locations of each of the 3D printers in the world using the interactive map image. The 3D printers themselves will be located in an underground facility, but caution is advised as you’re venturing here as they will be powerful mutants located here.

To craft Tech Mesh for armor, you’ll need 250ml Resin each, available in the 3D printer or nearby cartons. Combine Tech Mesh with the mentioned materials to craft the armor, albeit at a significant resource cost. Despite this, the substantial damage mitigation it offers justifies the investment.

  • High-level protection against enemy attacks.
  • Can be crafted using materials that can be easily found.
  • Can be confronted with enemies while trying to access the 3D printers.

1. Golden Armor

The All-Time Superior Defensive Armor.
Sons Of The Forest How To Get The Golden Armor
The Golden Armor (Image Captured by eXputer)
  • Why I Chose This: The superior defense this armor provides allows for tanking enemy attacks with ease.

The Golden Armor, showcased in the provided image, stands out as the most potent armor in the early access version of the game. Obtainable only in the end-game stages, its unique feature is its immunity to damage from encountered enemies. While some argue that the tech armor surpasses its utility, many players still find value in acquiring it post-main storyline completion in Sons Of The Forest, especially with friends.

The defensive properties somewhat exceed anything else, making it one of the best ones to use in the entire game, at least in the current state. However, as one might’ve already expected, it isn’t a cakewalk to hunt it down as there is seemingly no possible way to receive it in the game’s earlier moments. Similar to how you obtain the creepy armor, it is essentially an item you have to pick up and equip but from a secret underground facility.

  • Best defense compared to all other armor.
  • Able to tank massive amounts of enemy attacks.
  • Available in the end stages of the game.
  • Requires a heavy investment of time and effort to acquire.

The Wrap-Up

According to a recent Subreddit Post, there was a slight debate on whether the Golden armor was any good in comparison to the Tech armor. It is safe to say that both offer their unique protection and damage reduction aspects. Still, at the end of the day, you will need the former, as it essentially allows you to access a locked golden door found during late-game events.

Although Sons Of The Forest is still in early access, the game managed to sell over two million copies with ease right from the initial launch. The game enhances the elements of its prequel even further, as choosing the right spot for your base and then fortifying it with Defensive walls never gets old. You might even make several things easier for yourself, such as getting the Rebreather to dive underwater and the Log Sled for ease of traversal.

However, for now, though, this wraps up our guide to the best armor in the Sons Of The Forest. If you have any further questions about the guide or would like to point out your favorite armor, then be sure to let us know all about it in the comments section below! As always, eXputer wishes you luck!


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Irfan Ansari is a Senior Editor and Guides Writer on eXputer. He has seven years of Video Game Journalism experience and has been gaming for more than 22 years. Over his editorial career, he has gained experience at multiple sites, including TheGamer and VeryAli Gaming. Irfan has also earned a degree in Writing and Editing from the University of Michigan. Learn some more about Irfan's gaming journey on his Steam, PSN, and Xbox profiles.

Experience: 7+ Years || Worked for TheGamer and VeryAli Gaming

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