The best armor in Ghost of Tsushima depends on how you fight: the Sakai Clan Armor is the strongest pick for open sword combat, the Ghost Armor is the best for stealth, and the Iki Island expansion's Sarugami Armor is the highest-reward choice for players who can hit Perfect Parries consistently. Gosaku's Armor, Kensei Armor and Tadayori's Armor each win in their own niche, and the smart approach is to switch sets to suit each fight.
We checked every perk and unlock below against the Ghost of Tsushima Fandom wiki's individual armor, tale and trophy pages, and the official PlayStation Blog notes for the 1.1 update in November 2026.
How Armor Works
Only body armor changes how Jin plays. Headbands, hats, helmets and masks are cosmetic, and so are dyes. Each armor set carries three perks, and upgrading it at an Armorer improves one of those perks per level. In the main game each set has four levels, and New Game+ adds a fifth.
Upgrades cost supplies plus cloth: linen for the early levels, leather from level III, and silk from level IV, which is why silk tends to be the bottleneck for players trying to max several sets. The 1.1 update also added armor loadouts, which let you attach a set of charms and vanity items to each armor, so switching from a stealth build to a dueling build takes one menu change rather than six. Our best charms guide covers which charms pair well with each set.
One more rule worth knowing: once a set reaches level III, its appearance stops changing, and you can switch back to any earlier look of that armor without losing the upgraded effects.
The Best Armor for Each Playstyle
If you only want the short answer, these are the sets most worth upgrading first.
- Open combat: Sakai Clan Armor. Jin's father's armor raises melee damage and health, extends the Standoff streak, and gives a chance to Terrify enemies after a Standoff win. At level III it reaches a major melee bonus and a massive health bonus, and the wiki notes its bonuses stack with the Charm of Inari's Might.
- Stealth: Ghost Armor. It cuts enemy detection speed by 25 percent at level I and 40 percent from level II, reduces the kills needed for Ghost Stance by up to 2, and gives kills a chance to Terrify nearby enemies, rising to 30 percent at level IV.
- Parry specialists: Sarugami Armor. It disables the normal parry entirely, but Perfect Parries become a chain of up to three attacks, Perfect Dodges damage nearby enemies, Resolve gains increase, and the timing windows for both get wider.
- Durability: Gosaku's Armor. More health, more Stagger damage, and health restored when you kill a Staggered enemy. It suits players who fight head-on and break guards with heavy attacks.
- Tool users: Kensei Armor. More Resolve, and Ghost Weapons deal 15 percent more damage at level I and 30 percent from level III. Enemies hit by a Ghost Weapon deal 25 percent less damage and take 25 percent more, doubling to 50 percent at level IV.
- Archers: Tadayori's Armor. Faster nocking and reloading (15 percent at level I, 30 percent from level II), longer Concentration, and headshots that refill part of the Concentration meter.
Two other sets matter for specific moments. The Traveler's Attire has no combat perks but tracks Artifacts with the Guiding Wind, clears extra fog of war and vibrates the controller near collectibles, which makes it the best set for cleanup. The Mongol Commander's Armor disguises you out of combat, massively slowing Mongol detection, while also raising health and reducing damage.
The Ronin Attire, which Ryuzo gives Jin during "Blood on the Grass," is an underrated hybrid. It reduces enemy detection speed (10 percent at level I, 20 percent from level II, 30 percent at level V), adds melee damage, and makes enemies much slower to spot you right after you leave pampas grass while crouched. It suits players who start a fight with a stealth kill or two and then finish it with the sword, and it is one of the few sets whose body look never changes as it levels; only the straw hat upgrades. The Hero of Tsushima Armor, included with the Digital Deluxe content and the Director's Cut, gives a major health boost and moderate damage reduction from the start of Act 1, which makes it a strong early pick, but the wiki notes its advantage fades once the story sets arrive, and it cannot be upgraded until New Game+.
Every Armor Set and How to Get It
Most sets are tied to story tales or Mythic Tales, so you will pick them up naturally if you follow the main questline and the blue Mythic markers. The table lists every set the wiki tracks in the current version of the game.
| Armor | How to get it | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| Traveler's Attire | Gift from the first Merchant | Exploration and Artifacts |
| Samurai Clan Armor | The Tale of Lady Masako (Masako Tale 1) | Damage reduction, health, Resolve |
| Ronin Attire | Blood on the Grass | Stealth and melee |
| Tadayori's Armor | The Legend of Tadayori (Mythic Tale) | Archery |
| Sakai Clan Armor | Ghosts from the Past | Melee, health, Standoffs |
| Ghost Armor | From the Darkness | Stealth and Terror |
| Gosaku's Armor | The Unbreakable Gosaku (Mythic Tale) | Health and Stagger |
| Kensei Armor | The Six Blades of Kojiro (Mythic Tale) | Resolve and Ghost Weapons |
| Mongol Commander's Armor | Fit for the Khan | Disguise, health, damage reduction |
| Sarugami Armor | The Legend of Black Hand Riku (Iki Island) | Perfect Parry and Perfect Dodge |
| Fundoshi | Complete 18 Hot Springs | Cosmetic until New Game+ |
| Hero of Tsushima Armor | Digital Deluxe content and the Director's Cut | Health and damage reduction |
| Broken Armor | Default | None |
| Deadly Rival's Attire | Baku the Voiceless, 50 Ghost Flowers (New Game+) | Cosmetic |
A few of these take real work. Gosaku's Armor sits behind a stone door in the Old Togo Rice Fields that needs six keys, one from each liberated farm: Aoi Village, Iijima Farmstead, Koshimizu Farmstead, Kuta Farmstead, Ohama Fishing Village and Yagata Farmstead. The Mongol Commander's Armor needs you to liberate General Bartu's Camp, General Dogshin's Camp, Kawachi Whaling Village and Morimae Brewery, and both generals challenge you to a duel after their camps fall.
Which Sets to Upgrade First
Resources are limited early, so spread them carefully. A practical order for a first playthrough looks like this:
- Your main combat set to level II or III. Before the Sakai Clan Armor arrives in Act 2, that usually means the Samurai Clan Armor, which reduces damage, adds health and grants Resolve when you get hit. It is the most forgiving set while you learn the combat.
- The Ghost Armor, once you receive it. Detection speed drops to 40 percent at level II, a big jump for a modest cost, so it pays off immediately if you like clearing camps quietly.
- The Sakai Clan Armor to level III. This is where it gets the massive health increase, which makes duels and big open fights noticeably safer.
- Kensei or Tadayori's Armor, depending on your tools. Kensei suits players who throw kunai, sticky bombs and smoke constantly; Tadayori's suits those who soften camps with headshots.
- The Traveler's Attire last. Its perks only matter for collectible hunting, so it can wait until the cleanup phase.
Keep the Samurai Clan Armor's perks in mind for boss duels too. Taking damage grants 15 percent Resolve at level I and 30 percent at level IV, so even a messy duel keeps feeding you heals. If parries are what keep getting you hit, our parrying guide will help more than any armor upgrade.
Iki Island and New Game+ Changes
The Iki Island expansion adds the Sarugami Armor, from the Mythic Tale "The Legend of Black Hand Riku." It is a high-risk set: without the normal parry, a mistimed block just takes the hit. It rewards players who can read enemy timing and punishes those who cannot, so try it against regular Eagle Tribe patrols before you trust it in a duel. Iki also restricts the Sakai Clan Armor's dyes and upgraded helmets until you finish the tale "Massacre at Kidafure Village," a detail worth knowing before you sail. Our Iki Island guide covers the rest of the expansion.
New Game+ changes armor in two ways. First, every upgradeable set gets a fifth level; for example, Ghost Armor V reaches 50 percent detection reduction and a 40 percent Terrify chance, and Tadayori's Armor V raises nocking speed to 45 percent. Second, the Hero of Tsushima Armor, the Mongol Commander's Armor and the Fundoshi can only be upgraded in New Game+. Baku the Voiceless also sells new dyes, including ones for the Kensei, Sakai Clan and Ghost Armor, for Ghost Flowers. Our New Game+ guide explains how Ghost Flowers work.
Dyes, Looks and Rewards Worth Chasing
Dyes are purely cosmetic, but several are tied to achievements and make good goals:
- Ghost Armor ending dyes: the final story choice awards either Righteous Punishment or Vow of Vengeance, depending on which option you pick.
- Ghost Transcendent: a Ghost Armor dye awarded for earning the Platinum trophy.
- Wind shrine rewards on Iki: completing the Shrine of Ash gives the Ghost of Sparta dye for the Sakai Clan Armor, the Shrine in Shadow gives Armor of the Colossus for the Ghost Armor, and the Blood-Stained Shrine gives Yharnam Vestments for the Kensei Armor.
- Jin from Yarikawa: a Sakai Clan Armor dye received during "Journey into the Past," the tale that opens Iki Island.
The trophy list rewards variety too: Slay asks for 30 pieces of vanity gear, and Monochrome Masters needs a purchase from both the Black and White Dye Merchants.
Skipping the Resource Grind
Maxing several armor sets is mostly a hunt for silk and leather. If you would rather put your hours into the duels, the store's post-tutorial modded save starts right after the tutorial with max rank, all stances unlocked, and max cloths, goods, metals and wood, so every Armorer upgrade is affordable as soon as you find the set. You still earn each armor through its tale, which keeps the story intact.
It is for PS4 and PS5 only, it is applied to your own profile, and you need to own the game. The full list of services is on the store's Ghost of Tsushima page.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the strongest armor?
For open combat, the Sakai Clan Armor. For stealth, the Ghost Armor. For expert parrying, the Sarugami Armor from Iki Island.
Where do you get the Ghost Armor?
You receive it during the story tale "From the Darkness" near the end of Act 2. It cannot be missed.
Do masks and hats give bonuses?
No. Only body armor has perks. Headgear, masks and dyes are cosmetic.
How many armor sets are there?
The Fandom wiki counts 14 sets plus the Sakai Horse Armor, after the Archery Master's Attire was turned into a dye in patch 2.04.
How do you get the Sarugami Armor?
Complete the Iki Island Mythic Tale "The Legend of Black Hand Riku," which starts at Fune's Refuge after "A Raider's Return."
Can armor be upgraded past level IV?
Yes, in New Game+, which adds a fifth upgrade level to every upgradeable set.