Armour: what stands between you and the blow.

The pieces

There are five pieces. Four make up a set of plate: a Helmet, a Cuirass (the chest piece, worth the most), Greaves (the legs) and Boots. The fifth is a Shield, worn on the arm.

Each piece is forged at a Forge Bench from three parts: a shell of metal, stone or hard material, a liner of fibre, hide or an insulator, and fittings of metal. The shell decides how much the piece protects. Units of each part a piece takes:

Piece	Shell	Liner	Fittings
Helmet	5	2	1
Cuirass	10	4	2
Greaves	7	3	1
Boots	4	2	1
Shield	6	3	2

Armour goes in the gear slots for helmet, cuirass, greaves, boots and shield. It does not share slots with the suits, so you can wear both at once.

How much a set is worth

A complete set's armour points come from its shell material's tool score: 6 + 14 times the score. A piece has its share of that: helmet 20%, cuirass 40%, greaves 25%, boots 15%. The shell material also sets the tool tier, so armour climbs the same ladder as tools.

Shell material	Whole set	Helmet	Cuirass	Greaves	Boots	Shield turns
Leather	16	3	7	4	2	12%
Flint	34	7	14	8	5	18%
Copper	45	9	18	11	7	22%
Bronze	51	10	20	13	8	24%
Iron	61	12	24	15	9	28%
Steel	77	15	31	19	12	34%
Titanium	82	16	33	21	12	35%
Tungsten	90	18	36	23	14	38%
Nova Alloy	140	28	56	35	21	45% (the most)

Stone, granite and bone also make armour. Stone's set is worth 28, and bone's 30. Soft materials such as plant fibre and raw hide are worth very little.

Sets and their bonus

• Two pieces of one material: +10% armour points.
• Three pieces of one material: +15%.
• Four pieces (a full set): +25%, and the set gains a perk of its metal.
• The set is the material you wear most of, as long as at least two pieces share it.

The perk of a full set depends on what it is made of:

Made of	Perk
Hide, fibre, wood or bone	Half the harm from a fall.
Rock, ceramic, glass or crystal	Half the harm from fire and lava.
Tier 4 or higher (iron, steel, titanium, tungsten, Nova)	Two fifths less harm from explosions.
Tier 7 (the very best)	A tenth less from everything.
Any other metal	A tenth less from creatures.

How armour cuts a blow

• Your worn armour points (with the set bonus) give a cut of points / (points + 120). A set of 61 points cuts about a third of a blow; the cut never goes past 70%.
• A fall is taken on your legs, so only half of the cut applies to it.
• Armour only stands against physical harm: blows from creatures and legends, blasts, falls, fire, lava, and the thorns of Hookbramble. It does not touch hunger, cold, pressure or the air.
• A set's perk is worked out on top of the cut.

The shield

A worn shield turns a share of each blow and blast: 8% plus 5% for each point of tool score in its shell, up to 45%. Fire and falls are not turned. The shield turns twice as much when you crouch behind it, to at most 80%. You also raise it with the guard button (see Melee, dodging and blocking).

Wear

Every blow that lands takes one point of wear from each worn armour piece, the shield included. A piece that wears out is lost from its slot, and you are told that it broke. Each piece's durability depends on its materials: tougher shells and liners last longer.

Tips

• Four matching pieces are worth far more than four of mixed metal. Aim for a full set.
• Iron and steel sets give the best protection against explosions, so take them to a fight with rockets or grenades.
• A shield is the best defence against a charging creature: block with it, then crouch behind it.
• Armour does nothing for hunger, cold or the air: you still need a suit to go deep. See Suits and gear.

← Back to the wiki · Last updated 25 October 2026. Mantlenaut is in alpha, so things change.