Grounded Best Armor Tier List: All Armor Sets Ranked

The backyard in Grounded is not safe, and you need protection against the hazards lurking to get you. For this, you have the armor sets in the game to help you. There are options, and options mean tough choices but don’t worry, Exputer’s Grounded Best Armor Tier List will help you make the right choice.

First and foremost, let us compare each Grounded armor set stats:

The Armor set consists of 3 pieces in Grounded, and it gives you certain advantages, which include a boost to stamina, strength, and the ability to take more damage. These perks are unique to each armor set, and you must be fully aware of which armor will be best for the different scenarios you have to face in the game. 

The Smithing Station can upgrade these armor sets to increase their durability and other aspects. Wearing the full set results in a Set Bonus, and each set in the game is unique. But not all armors are the best, and using the wrong armor can make you watch your downfall in the game in anguish. So to avoid that, let’s get into the main topic now.

S Tier

The game’s armor sets are built concerning players’ different needs, and ranking them is highly subjective. Still, during our time in the game, we had picked these 4 armors that made our playthrough easy with our different builds, and we would consider them an absolute must.

Widow Armor Set

The Widow Armor set consists of the Widow Hood, Widow Spaulder, and Widow Leggings. This armor made it to our S Tier because of several reasons. We loved it for how light it is as it makes it very easy to move around. This armor’s perks are aligned with making your movement in fights easy.

The set bonus made it very easy for us during high-impact fights. After you kill a creature, your speed is given a boost alongside your stamina. Also, it gives you the status effect of the Parry Poison.

This status effect occurs when you are successful in a perfect block, which results in a chance to poison your enemies and finish them off. 

Recipe of the Set

The Widow Hood can be made with 2 Black Widow fangs, 3 Super Spider Venom, and 5 Lint Ropes. The Widow Spaulder can be made with 2 Black Widow Fangs, 4 rusts, and 5 Lint Ropes, and the Widow Leggings can be made with 2 Black Widow Fangs, 4 Rusts, and 5 Pond Moss.

Set Bonus: Death Impetus

Class: Light Armor

1. It decreases the damage by 10%
2. It gives a boost of 5% extra stamina to use.

Assassin’s Armor Set

The Assasin’s Armor Set consists of the Assasin’s MAsk, the Assasin’s Chestplate, and the Assasin’s Greaves. Like the Window Armor set, this is another lightweight armor we recommend. We have placed it in the S Tier against the bulky enemies; we could not find better armor.

Primarily because of two reasons, the first one is how it boosts stamina, and secondly, it results in taking less damage.

These are the exact two things you would need against bulky enemies. Also, it would be wise to pair it with a critical weapon, as this armor boosts your chances to hit a devasting critical blow to your enemy because of the Critical Clean set bonus.

Recipe of the Set

The Assasin’s Mask can be made from 1 Mantis Head combined with 2 Mantis Chunks and 10 Pond Moss. While the Assasin’s Chestplate has a recipe that needs you to have 1 Mantis Claw, 2 Mantis Chunks, and 10 Pupa Leather, and for the Assasin’s Greaves require 1 Mantis Claw, 2 Mantis Chunks, and 10 Lint Ropes.

Set Bonus: Critical Clean

Class: Light Armor

1. It will ensure that the damage you take is decreased by 10%.
2. The Set will give your stamina a 5% boost.

Black Ox Armor Set

The Black Ox Armor Set consists of the Black Ox Helm, the Black Ox Harness, and the Black Ox Leg wraps. It is perhaps one of the best-looking armor on our Grounded Best Armor Tier List.

The stunning charger is probably our favorite set bonus in the game. The main thing that this armor does is that it charges or, in other words, boosts your charged attacks. It reduces the time it takes to reset your charged attack’s stamina and boosts your ability to stun the opponents.

These were some reasons we put it in the S Tier. Still, the main reason, in our opinion, is how this set is well-rounded and reduces your damage by 20%. Also, the stamina drain is reduced by 15%, and when you couple this with its ability to boost your charged attacks, especially the melee charge attacks, you have a killer set.

Recipe of the Set

The recipe to make this set is easy; you would need 2 Black Ox Horns combined with 3 Black Ox Parts and 2 Pupa Leather, while for the Black Ox Harness, you would need 4 Black Ox parts combined with 4 Lint Ropes and 1 Pupa Leather. The Legwraps need 2 Black Ix Parts, 2 Lint Ropes, and 5 Dust Mite Fuzz.

Set Bonus: Stunning Charger

Class: Medium Armor

1. A 20% reduction in damage.
2. A boost of 15% to stamina.

Ladybug Armor Set

The Ladybug armor set is among the most popular in the game and has been in our S Tier despite numerous updates. It consists of the Ladybug Faceplate as the head, the Ladybug Chestplate as the upper body protection, and the lower body; you have the Ladybug Shin Guards.

If you are one of those people who are not great at fighting, then this set is a must because there is not another well-rounded armor set in the game that gives you a greater defensive advantage than this set.

We placed it on the S Tier because we had a great blocking ability. If you are one of those who have mastered the blocking, then the number of ways your health regenerates is many. For example, it will regenerate your health after a successful block while also it boosts your damage-taking ability by a whopping 30%. 

Even though we said that the Tier List is subjective and if your blocking is not good, you would be butchering us in the comments for putting it in the S Tier, so a heads up before you do that.

Recipe of the Set

The head can be made from 1 Ladybug head, 2 Ladybug parts, and 3 Berry Leather, while the upper body needs 2 Flower Peral, 4 Ladybug parts, and 4 Berry leather. The lower body needs 5 Ladybug parts, 4 berry leather, and 4 Flower petals.

Set Bonus: Scarlet Embrace

Class: Heavy Armor

1. 30% reduction in damage.
2. 25% boost to stamina.

A Tier

These 4 armors just fell short of the S Tier. We would suggest you play the game and make your conclusion because these armor from the A Tier can be easily placed or exchanged with any of the armor sets in the S Tier.

Roly Poly Armor

This armor set is the first on the A Tier of our Grounded Best Armor Tier List. The Roly Poly Armor Set consists of the Roly Poly Helmet, Breastplate, and Legplates.

If you are going for a fight in which you are against a colossal enemy, then pick this armor. It can cause a big restriction in your free movement as it is very heavy, which means a 30% boost to damage resistance. 

First, the Stun Block and the invincible shielding are some of the best set bonuses. The Stun Block is perfect if you are great at blocking, as it increases the chances of an enemy being stunned, the heavy enemies generally take time to get to their feet, so you can easily finish them off.

Coming to the invincible shielding set bonus is amazing and will buy you time to repair your shield upon a successful block.

It did not make our S Tier because we like to go in sleeky, and to get the best out of it, you need to go bulky and maybe pair it with a Meat Shield Mutation. Head to our Grounded Mutations Tier List to learn more about this mutation. Besides this, the other most annoying thing about it is the stamina regen delay, as it can cause a 25% stamina drain.

Recipe of the Set

The head of the set can be made with 5 Lint Ropes, 3 Roly Poly Shells, and 5 Pupa Leather. For the Breastplate, you need 2 Roly Poly Parts, 4 Roly Poly Shells, and 7 Pupa Leather. The Lower Body Legplates require 8 Roly Poly parts, 3 Roly Poly Shells, and 6 Lint Ropes.

Set Bonus: Invincible Shielding and Stun Block

Class: Heavy Armor

1. 30% damage reduction
2. 25% Drain in stamina

Antlion Armor

The Antlion Armor Set has the Antlion Wide Brim as the head, the upper body as the Antlion Poncho, and the Lower body are the Antlion Spurs.

Between this and the bee armor, we were confused as we were unsure which one to put in the A Tier, but ultimately we went with the Antlion Set. The worst thing is we are sorry we had to start with it, but man, it is not easy to form this armor set, but the grind is worth it. We would have placed it on the S Tier if it was not the case.

Post the grind, the sizzle protection, and the quickdraw are worth it. The Sizzle effect can make your life in the game very hard, and thus it is very welcoming, at least for us, because we had to face problems with the Sizzle effect. Meanwhile, the Quickdraw will aid you greatly if you use crossbows and bows.

As they will reload faster, you will be able to take advantage of them in combat. But a heads up for you is always using it with weapons focused on the range.

Recipe of the Set

The head can be made from 5 Antlion Parts, 3 Silk Ropes, and 1 Boiling Gland. The upper body can be made from 3 Antlion PArts, 2 Antlion Pincers, and 2 Silk Ropes, while for the lower body armor, you would need 6 Antlion Parts, 1 Antlion Pincer, and 3 Bee Fuzz.

Set Bonus: Quickdraw and Sizzle Protection

Class: Medium Armor

1. 20% damage reduction
2. 15% extra stamina usage

Fire Ant Armor

The Fire Ant Armor consists of the Fire Ant Helmet, Chestplate, and Legplates. It can only be crafted using the pieces from Fire Ants. As you can see, this is better than the Black Ant Armor you will find in the next tier of our Grounded Best Armor Tier List.

First, we recommend you go in all sleek with this armor set as the set bonus; the Acidic Splash is more devasting that way. This way, of course, you are compromising on the defensive side of things, but with good healing updates and shields, you can compensate for that. 

We placed it on the A Tier because of how balanced it is. The protection is fair enough, and the stamina drain of 15% is not bad. If you just start the game and craft this armor set, you will be surprised at how good it is. We are particularly indifferent about the Acidic Splash, as it can give devasting acid damage to your enemies on melee attacks but can weaken you in the process.

This would have been a perfect armor set had it not been for the damage you have to incur because of the acidic splash. Secondly, the Fire Ant Armor will only protect you against the Fire Ants, not all types of ants, well, to be fair, it is not a big reason to put it on the A Tier, but the other reason is a major one.

Recipe of the Set

For the helmet, you would need 1 Fire Ant head, 3 Fire Ant parts, and 2 Lint Ropes, while the Chestplate requires 5 Fire Ant Parts, 2 Fire Ant Mandibles, and 2 Lint Ropes. The Lower Body LEgplates need 6 Antlion parts, 2 Lint Rope, and 4 Dust Mite Fuzz.

Set Bonus: Acidic Splash

Class: Medium Armor

1. Damage Reduction by 20%
2. 15% extra usage of the stamina

Moth Armor

The Moth Armor Set, the last armor set of the A Tier of our Grounded Best Armor Tier List, consists of the Moth Wrap as your head armor, the Moth Robe for your upper body’s protection, and the Moth Leggings as the lower body’s protection.

I am sure you would have known by now that we are suckers for lightweight armor, and this is another one we love a lot. It surely is not the Ladybug armor that will reduce the damage you take by 30%, but the 10% is really good if you use ranged weapons and moves and know how to dodge and block well.

It is placed on the A Tier for good reasons; the first one is that it enables the Ranged Cut Perk. It helps any ranged weapon in the game to add bleed to its shots, and thus, it is a no-brainer to put this on the A Tier.

Now that it was not placed on the S Tier of our Grounded Best Armor Tier List, the reason behind it is all the things that we mentioned above, from the ranged cut park to the Wind Run and Jumpstart, need a lot of luck. They are not easy to land, but if luck is with you and somehow you have mastered them (we couldn’t), then you are in the good.

Recipe of the Set

The head armor can be crafted using 2 Moth Scale, 2 Moth Fuzz, and 5 Lint Ropes. The upper body armor needs 5 Moth Fuzz, 3 Pupa Leather, and 5 Lint Rope. Meanwhile, crafting the Moth Leggings on the workbench will need you to have 4 Pond Moss, 4 Moth Fuzza, and 2 Pupa Leather.

Set Bonus: Wind Run and Jumpstart

Class: Light Armor

1. Reduces damage by 10%
2. 5% extra stamina usage

B Tier 

Spider Armor

The Spider Armor Set is from the Tier 2. It has a Spider Hood to protect your head in the game, a Spider Shoulder Huard for your upper body, and Spider Knee Pads to protect your lower body in the game.

Some Grounded Gamers think that this armor set is not easy to make, but it took us less than 30 minutes into the game to build this armor. The Spiders are not very hard to kill in the game, and we think people find it hard to do so, which results in them grinding for this armor more than they should have.

The armor is not worthless, as it can make you move very fast because of the 15% boost to your stamina, and it has a very good resistance of 20% against damage. You may place it higher, but we felt the grind (keeping in mind most players) is not something worthy of your time.

Recipe of the Set

The head can be made from 2 Spider Fans, 3 Spider chunks, and 2 Berry Leather, while the upper body needs 5 Spider Chunks, 3 Berry Leather, and 4 Silk Ropes. Also, let’s not forget the lower body, which needs 4 spider Chunks, 4 Silk Rope, and 2 Berry Leather.

Set Bonus: Hunter’s Prowess

Class: Medium Armor

1. A 20% Damage Reduction
2. 15% Extra Stamina Usage

Bee Armor

The Bee Armor set is again from Tier 2. The Armor consists of the Bee Face Mask, the Bee Shoulder Pads for the upper body, and the Bee Shin Guards that take care of your lower.

First, let’s talk about the good things about Bee Armor. Then, we will go towards the below-average things that made us rank it in the average armor tier of our Grounded Best Armor Tier List.

Weapons like bows are the best bet with this armor set, as the Pollen Shot set bonus will help you slow down your opponent if you hit the enemy perfectly with an arrow. If you upgrade your armor set with time, this becomes better, and there are other good things about it, too, like when we upgraded our crossbow in the game, it had become a piece of cake to kill small bugs in the game, but here come things which made us put it on the B Tier.

If you want a similar armor, go for the Antlion Armor, as it has a better reload speed and, when the set bonus kicks in, then a much better fire rate of arrows than the Bee Armor The Antlion armor has a 20% damage reduction and 15% extra stamina usage compared to the 10% damage reduction and 5% extra stamina usage of the Bee Armor.

Recipe of the Set

The Bee Face Mask can be made easily from 5 Bee Fuzz, 2 Web Fiber, and 1 Berry Leather, while the Bee Shoulder Pads need 4 Bee Fuzz instead of 5, 1 Bee Stinger, and 3 more Berry Leathers than the Bee Face Mask. Finally, the lower body shin guards need 4 Bee Fuzz, 4 Web Fibers, and 4 Berry Leather.

Set Bonus: Pollen Shot

Class: Light Armor

1. 10% damage reduction
2. 5% extra stamina usage

C Tier

The C Tier consists of armor sets that are below average but not completely useless and can be used to good effect in certain situations.

Red Ant Armor

The Red Ant Armor is a Tier 1 Armor Set. The armor set consists of the Red Ant Helmet for the head’s protection; the Red Ant Arm Guards protect your upper body, while you have the Red Ant Knee Guards for the lower body.

First, let’s talk about the Set Bonus. The HumAnt will ensure that red ants in the game will not attack you, but if you initiate an attack, then be ready for them to attack you. The Red Ant Armor Set also boosts your hauling, and you can carry additional items.

The Grass Harvesting speed increases with this Armor Set; you take 10% less damage, and your stamina drain is decreased by 5%. The Armor is good, but nothing extraordinary. With a basic set bonus and overall basic stats, you can craft it easily, and it is just how an average armor set should be.

Recipe of the Set

The recipe is fairly simple; you will need 1 Red Ant Head, 3 Red Ant Parts, and 5 Mite Fuzz for the head; the upper body protection needs 5 red Ant Parts, 2 Acid Glands, and 2 Mite Fuzz. Lastly, for the lower body protective Knee Guards, you will need 6 Red Ant parts, 2 Crude Ropes, and 4 Mite Fuzz.

Set Bonus: HumAnt

Class: Light Armor

1. 10% damage reduction.
2. 5% extra stamina usage.

Koi Scale Armor

The Koi Scale Armor set consists of the Koi Scale Helmet, the Koi Scale Chestplate, and the Koi Scale Greaves. The set is very good-looking, and we love that about it, but in the end, many things make it an average set.

If you need this set, you have to look in the ponds; in the game, there is one major pond. It needs grinding as, in our opinion, the underwater life in the game still needs developing. The most important thing you need to keep in mind after acquiring this set is that you need to be able to block well; if you are bad at it, then you need other armor, not this one.

The Dazzling Riposte set bonus requires you to block perfectly, and once you are successful, the enemy will be stunned, and you can finish it. Besides this, the statistical boost you get from this armor is nothing great, and other things associated with this set are not worthy of discussion. This a perfect example of an average set that requires grinding that you may want to avoid.

Recipe of the Set

The Recipe is a bit hard, to be honest. For the helmet, you need 2 Koi Fish scales, 2 Eelgrass Strands, 2 Lilypad Wax, and 3 Silk Ropes. The upper body chest plate needs 5 Koi Fish scales, 3 Eelgrass Strands, 3 Lilypad Wax, and 2 Sunken Bones.

Set Bonus: Dazzling Riposte

Class: Light Armor

1. 10% Damage Reduction
2. 5% extra Stamina Usage 

D Tier

The last tier of our Grounded Best Armor Tier List consists of the useless armor sets and better avoided. Maybe they will get good in future updates, but we would not recommend them for now.

Black Ant Armor

The Black Ant Armor set is a tier 2 set. The Black Ant Helmet protects the head, the Black Ant Chestplate protects the upper body, and Black Ant Legplates protect the lower body.

Remember that you are not protected against the Black Ants in the game. We wondered why it was called the Black Armor then! Besides this, there is not much to put into words; it is a very basic armor and will give you basic protection against damage and good stamina regeneration, but the Set Bonus is terrible, and we never liked it.

An armor we would avoid; if you can get the best out of the Set Bonus of this Armor Set, then good, but we didn’t manage to find it very helpful. 

Recipe of the Set

You need 1 Black Ant Head, 3 black Ant Parts, and 5 Bee Fuzz for the helmet. The Chestplate needs 5 Black Ant parts, 3 Black ANt Mandibles, and 2 Bee Fuzz. The lower body legplates need 6 Black Ant Parts and 2 silk ropes with 4 Bee Fuzz.

Set Bonus: Pincusion

Class: Medium Armor

1. 20% Damage Reduction
2. 15% Extra Stamina Usage 

Clover Armor

The Clover Armor Set, the last armor of our Grounded Best Armor Tier List, consists of the Clover Hood for the head, the Clover Poncho for the Upper Body, and the Clover Shin Guards for the lower body.

This is one of the easiest armors to make in the game. It doesn’t do anything that great and is one of the most basic armors in the game. First, it will reduce your hunger in the game, regenerate your health, and a moist set bonus will reduce your thirst rate. There is a basic damage reduction and stamina efficiency, but we would never recommend it for any fight. Maybe you can say it is good for exploration where the dangers are not many.

Recipe of the Set

The Clover Hood needs 4 Clover Leaves and 1 Crude Rope, while the upper body armor needs 6 of the clover leaves and 3 crude ropes. The body needs 3 clover leaves, 2 crude ropes, and 2 sprigs.

Set Bonus: Moist

Class: Light Armor

1. A 10% damage reduction
2. 5% extra stamina usage

Acorn Armor

This is a tier 1 armor set. The head is the Acorn Face Mask, which is very ugly. The upper body is the Acorn Chestplate, while the lower body’s protection is the Acorn Leg Plates. This is the most horrible-looking armor in the game.

This armor will constantly attract ants and smaller bugs, which is very annoying. Yes, it will beef up your defensive stats. The sleek effect of this armor is pretty useless and if you are thinking about using this beyond level 4, think otherwise because you can have the ladybug armor, and it is far better.

The Uncrackable set bonus will boost your stun gauge, which is useful. Maybe the other useful thing about this armor is that in multiplayer mode, you can use it to attract the ants and smaller bugs to help your friends; other than that, it is rightfully the worst and the last armor set of our Grounded Best Armor Tier List.

Recipe of the Set

Grab 1 Acorn Shell, 5 Mite Fuzz, and 3 Crude Ropes to make the head; for the upper body, you would need 3 Acorn Shells, 6 clover Leaves, and 4 Crude Ropes. The Lower body is simple; it needs 2 Acorn Shells, 4 sap, and 4 Crude Rope.

Set Bonus: Uncrackable 

Class: Heavy Armor

1. 30% damage reduction
2. 25% extra stamina usage

Tier List Criteria 

Our Grounded Best Armor Tier List includes all the Armor in the game. We shall rank them from best to worst to aid you with the game:

• S Tier: The Best Armor
• A Tier: The second-best Armor
• B Tier: Average Armor
• C Tier: Below-average Armor
• D Tier: Armor best avoided

The above tier ranking was formed based on the superiority of certain armor sets based on their base kit, how they adapt to conditions, the effect of upgrading them in the Smithing Station, and the overall process of upgrading. 

Disclaimer

This Tier List is based on how long we’ve been playing the game. We spent a lot of time in the game, and as a result, we were able to create this Tier List. So, while we are convinced that the information you see is correct, we cannot guarantee that you will agree with our Tier List ranking 100% because a Tier List is subjective.

Winding It Up

The Grounded Best Armor Tier List concludes here. We ranked all major armor sets from best to worst, with a reasonable rationale for each, and we’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below. Meanwhile, check out our other Grounded stuff below.

Next:

• How To Reach Upper Yard
• How To Get Acid Glands
• How To Get Club Of Mother Demon
• Grounded Best Controller Settings