Armor and sets
Your main armor pieces are helmet, suit, gauntlets and boots. Check the required class and level before equipping them. The former level-125 armor sets now require level 130; their stats and drop odds are unchanged.
Manaya's Core level 140 armor
Male and female sets are available for Hero Knight, Blader, Ranger, Billposter, Jester, Ringmaster, Psykeeper and Elementor. Each piece requires level 140, its matching class and the correct male/female version.
Farm finished pieces from Somaria Reactor Hard or Expert, or collect complementary materials from all three Normal dungeons and craft your selected pieces at Marche in Flaris. Helmets, gloves and boots need one Reactor Fragment, one Forge Fragment and one Citadel Binding Fragment each; suits/robes need two of each. A full four-piece set costs five of each material across four recipes.
See dungeon entry, drop chances and crafting. Higher-tier clears can award armor for any supported class and version; your party's classes do not restrict the pool.
Choosing an upgrade
Compare the piece's defense and useful bonus stats, then consider its rarity, awakening and set membership.
Replacing one piece with a stronger-looking item can lose a set bonus. Check the number of matching pieces you will still wear before making the swap.
Two kinds of set bonus
Matching pieces: named sets award bonuses for wearing the required number of pieces. Read the item's set information for the exact requirement and effects.
Upgrade bonus: the four main armor slots also grant a bonus based on their lowest upgrade level. A +10 suit with +3 boots still uses +3 for this shared bonus.
A practical order
- Pick armor you can equip and expect to keep.
- Check whether completing its set helps your character.
- Improve the lowest-upgraded piece to raise the shared upgrade bonus.
- Compare awakenings and rarity before replacing a piece.
Helmets, suits, gauntlets, boots, weapons and shields can receive regular awakening. Gear piercing is disabled here.
Upgrading can destroy an unprotected piece. Read upgrade costs and protection.