Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom — Best Early Game Armor in TotK

Pinpointing the best TotK early game armor can stir debate. There are over 40 armor sets in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, but settling on the best of the best comes down to a lot of factors. However, you still need to protect Link from the beginning, so we put together a list of the top Tears of the Kingdom early game armor to help you survive your first steps across Hyrule. Our guide also includes their exact locations and coordinates.

Best Early Game Armor in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Archaic Warm Greaves

The very first piece of TotK armor that you should get is the Archaic Warm Greaves. It’s not only the first armor you can find in the game (it’s in the tutorial Sky Islands), but it also provides you with Cold Resistance, which is vital for traversing the cold areas around Hyrule.

Here’s how to get cold resistant armor in Tears of the Kingdom for more details on how to obtain Archaic Warm Greaves, and our guide on how to get full Archaic armor set.

Climbing Gear Armor Set

Once you land on the surface of the Kingdom of Hyrule, we suggest getting the Climbing Gear armor set as soon as possible. It not only improves your defense stats and provides Cold Resistance, but it also increases your climbing speed on most slippery slopes.

The good news is that you don’t have to spend a dime to get all three pieces of this armor set. Here’s how to get Climbing Gear in Tears of the Kingdom.

Hylian Armor Set

Coming in third on our list of best early game armor in TotK is the Hylian set. If you’ve been able to earn some Rupees already and you’re willing to spend them, then travel to the armor shop in Lookout Landing (-0208, 0083, 0019) and purchase the Hylian armor set.

• Hylian Hood (70 Rupees)
• Hylian Tunic (130 Rupees)
• Hylian Trousers (120 Rupees)

Each piece of the Hylian armor set has a base 3 Defense stat for a total of 9 DEF. Costing you only 320 Rupees total, that’s a great deal in the Tears of the Kingdom early game.

Barbarian Armor Set

Once you become more familiar with the areas surrounding Lookout Landing, you’ll be able to obtain much better armor for free. The Barbarian armor set has a charged attack stamina bonus for collecting and equipping all three pieces. Here’s where you can find them all:

• Barbarian Leg Wraps (Walnot Mountain Cave, East Necluda: 3931, -2068, 0129)
• Barbarian Helm (Robred Dropoff Cave, West Necluda: 2487, -1467, 0013)
• Barbarian Armor (Crenel Hills Cave, Hyrule Field: 0484, 0729, 0041)

Each Barbarian armor piece can be found in a chest at the end of their respective caves. Note that the chest piece is hidden behind a pile of breakable rocks.

Zora Armor Set

The TotK Zora armor set is also known as the “swimming set,” becuase it increases your swim speed if you collect and equip all three pieces together. Unlike the other best early game Tears of the Kingdom armor sets, this one is much harder to find. The pieces are scattered all over the map. Here’s where to find them:

1. Speak to Yona at Zora’s Domain (Lanayru Great Spring: 3331, 0545, 0243).
2. Complete “Restoring the Zora Armor” main quest.
3. Return to Yona to receive the Zora chest armor.
4. Speak to Yona again to start “A Token of Friendship” side quest.
5. Receive Zora Greaves as a reward at Ancient Zora Waterworks (Lanayru Great Spring: 3595, 0342, 0211).
6. Go back to Zora’s Doamin and speak to Khira and Chroma.
7. Find the Zora Helmet on the Floating Scales Island (4073, 0530, 0604).

The Floating Scales island is located to the east of the Sky Wellspring island. You can easily reach it using the paraglider.

Champion’s Leathers

The final piece of the best TotK early game armor we recommend getting is a single chest piece not part of any set: The Champions Leathers. It has an excellent base stat of 5 DEF. Here’s how to get it:

1. Reach the Hyrule Castle (-0254, 1092, 0456).
2. Enter the Throne Room.
3. Use any source of fire, such as fire weapon, to light up the two fire pits in the room.
4. This action will open the tomb with the chest inside.
5. Open that chest and pick up Champion’s Leather.

Those are the best early game armor sets in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Stay tuned for more Tears of the Kingdom tips and tricks articles right here.