Elden Ring Tarnished Edition: All New Armour Sets and Where to Find Them
One of the things I love about Elden Ring is that finding a new piece of armour can completely change the playstyle of your Tarnished. Sometimes you’re looking for better protection, sometimes you’re chasing a particular build, and sometimes you just want to look incredibly cool while inevitably being flattened by a boss. The Tarnished Edition adds four new armour sets to Elden Ring, and the good news is that some of them can be obtained fairly early in the game. I’ve spent some time tracking them all down, and while a couple will require you to make some progress through the story, others can be picked up without defeating a single boss. So, let’s take a look at all four new armour sets, where you can find them, and whether they’re worth adding to your Tarnished’s collection.
The Idus Knight Set
Let’s start with one of the easiest sets to obtain: the Idus Knight Set. In fact, you can get this one before you’ve even set foot in the Lands Between. The Idus Knight is one of the new starting classes, so simply choose it during character creation, and you’ll begin your adventure already equipped with the set. If you’ve chosen another class, don’t worry. You can also purchase the armour later in the game, along with the Silver Grooved Shield, from a merchant in Liurnia. To get it, travel to the Grand Lift of Dectus Site of Grace and head south until you reach the Church of Bellum. From there, follow the stone ramp down, and you’ll find the merchant selling the set. The entire set costs 4,500 Runes, which isn’t a huge amount of money, especially once you’ve started building up your Rune stash. What I like about the Idus Knight armour is that it’s a nice balance between protection and appearance. It has a cool design, provides fairly good defence, and the complete set weighs around 17 kilograms, making it a reasonable option without immediately pushing you into a heavy equip load. In fact, I liked this set enough that I used it all the way until I reached Altus Plateau during my playthrough, and best of all, you don’t need to defeat a single boss to get it. So, if you’re looking for a solid early-game armour set that you can simply walk over and buy, the Idus Knight Set is a great place to start.
Idus Knight Set — Quick Details
Location: Church of Bellum, Liurnia
Cost: 4,500 Runes
Bosses required: None
Weight: Around 17kg
Alternative: Choose the Idus Knight starting class
The Heavy Knight Set
If the Idus Knight armour isn’t quite heavy enough for you, the Heavy Knight Set might be more your speed. Once again, you can make life incredibly easy for yourself by choosing the Heavy Knight during character creation, which gives you the set right from the beginning. But, just like the Idus Knight, you can also purchase the armour if you chose a different starting class. For this one, you’ll want to head to the Weeping Peninsula and find the Isolated Merchant’s Shack. Travel to the Fourth Church of Marika Site of Grace and head south, passing the ruins along the way. Eventually, you’ll come across a small shack containing the merchant. The armour is available to buy right there. The complete set costs 4,500 Runes, making this another surprisingly affordable way to give your early-game Tarnished a significant defensive upgrade. The Heavy Knight Set is essentially what it says on the tin, it’s shiny metal armour, it provides excellent poise, and it makes your Tarnished look like they’re ready to stand in the middle of a battlefield and politely ask everyone to hit them.
The downside is the weight. You need to keep an eye on your equip load because this set can push you into a heavy load if the rest of your equipment is also on the heavier side. That’s going to have a noticeable effect on your dodge roll, so you’ll want to make sure your build can comfortably carry it. Personally, I’d recommend looking at this set if you’re building a strength-focused character and want to embrace the tankier side of Elden Ring. While you’re at the merchant, there’s another reason you might want to stop here: the Zweihander is also available to purchase. Pairing the Heavy Knight Set with a big strength weapon like the Zweihander can make for a particularly satisfying early-game setup. Once again, you don’t need to defeat any bosses to get your hands on this armour.
Heavy Knight Set — Quick Details
Location: Isolated Merchant’s Shack, Weeping Peninsula
Cost: 4,500 Runes
Bosses required: None
Best suited to: Strength/tank builds
Alternative: Choose the Heavy Knight starting class
Leontiel’s Set
Things get a little more complicated with our third set. The Leontiel’s Set isn’t something you can simply wander over to a merchant and purchase. You’re going to have to prove yourself in battle first. And by “prove yourself,” I mean you’re going to have to take down Starscourge Radahn. Radahn can be found in Caelid, but before you can face him, you’ll need to make some progress through the game and unlock access to Altus Plateau by visiting the area. To get to the Altus Plateau, you will need both 2 Dectus Medallions halfs or take a hidden path. Once you’ve defeated Radahn, leave the area and then return to the Starscourge Radahn Site of Grace. From here, you’ll need to head north towards the pillars in the area. Once you’re in the right location, run east a bit while still in the ruins, you’ll eventually be invaded by Leontiel’s Knight. This is where things get interesting. Defeat the invader, and you’ll be rewarded with the complete Leontiel’s armour set, as well as Leontiel’s Greatsword. The armour itself is a good option if you’re looking for something that sits comfortably in the medium-weight category, giving you a nice balance between protection and mobility.
But the Greatsword is the more interesting reward. The weapon packs a serious punch and comes with a built-in shield mechanic, making it a particularly interesting addition to your arsenal. It doesn’t rely on status effects either, so if you’re looking for a weapon that simply hits hard rather than building up Bleed, Frostbite or another status, this could be worth experimenting with. Of course, you do have to defeat Radahn before you can even begin the process of getting it, so this isn’t one for a brand-new Tarnished. But if you’ve already beaten the Starscourge, it’s definitely worth making the trip back to Caelid to see if you can trigger the invasion.
Leontiel’s Set — Quick Details
Location: Caelid, after defeating Starscourge Radahn
How to obtain it: Defeat Leontiel’s Knight
Bosses required: Starscourge Radahn
Weight: Medium
Reward: Complete armour set + Leontiel’s Greatsword
The Goldmask Set
Finally, we have the Goldmask Set. Unfortunately, this is the one I wasn’t able to capture footage of during my own playthrough. Why? Because I missed it.
And Elden Ring being Elden Ring, missing the opportunity means you can eventually find yourself completely locked out of the reward. The Goldmask Set is tied to the Goldmask and Brother Corhyn questline, so you’re going to need to make some progress through their story before you can get your hands on it. You’ll eventually need to reach the Erdtree Sanctuary in Leyndell and solve a particular puzzle involving an incantation. Specifically, you’ll need to use Law of Regression at the appropriate location. Once you’ve completed the puzzle and triggered the necessary interaction, you’ll be invaded by the new enemy.
Defeat the invader, and you’ll receive the new Goldmask-related equipment, including the armour set and the Erdtree Flail. The set itself is very different from the first three. Rather than surrounding your Tarnished with layers of metal, this is a lightweight cloth-based outfit. That makes it much more appealing for players who want to maintain a light equip load and prioritise mobility. The big warning here is that this one is missable. I unfortunately discovered that the hard way. If you progress too far through the story and defeat Maliketh, the Black Blade, Leyndell changes and you can lose access to the opportunity to obtain the set. So, if you’re planning on collecting every piece of new Tarnished Edition equipment, I’d recommend making this one a priority before pushing too far into the endgame.
Goldmask Set — Quick Details
Location: Erdtree Sanctuary, Leyndell
How to obtain it: Progress the Goldmask questline and complete the Law of Regression puzzle
Bosses required: Story progression required
Weight: Lightweight
Important: Can be missed if you progress too far through the story
Reward: Goldmask armour set + Erdtree Flail
Which New Armour Set Should You Get?
And there we have it: four new armour sets to add to your Tarnished Edition collection. If you’re looking for something early and easy, the Idus Knight Set is probably my pick. You can buy it without defeating a boss, it looks great, and I found it good enough to carry me all the way to Altus Plateau. For a strength-focused tank build, the Heavy Knight Set is worth considering, particularly if you pair it with a heavy weapon such as the Zweihander. If you’ve already defeated Radahn, don’t forget to return to Caelid and hunt down Leontiel’s Knight for the Leontiel’s Set and Greatsword. And finally, if you’re collecting everything, make sure you deal with the Goldmask Set before progressing too far into the story. Unlike the first three sets, this one can be missed, and that’s one mistake I unfortunately made myself. The Tarnished Edition has added some genuinely interesting new equipment to Elden Ring, and thankfully, most of it doesn’t require you to go hunting through some obscure corner of the Lands Between. Although, knowing Elden Ring, there’s still a very good chance something will try to kill you on the way there.
Good luck, Tarnished.
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