Special armors in Monster Hunter Stories 3 provide powerful bonuses that can significantly improve your survivability and combat efficiency. However, many of their recipes are hidden behind quests, chests, or trading options. This guide covers all special armor recipe locations and explains how you can unlock each set during your adventure.
All Special Armors
In Monster Hunter Stories 3, there are special armors that help make combat easy for you, so knowing how to get the recipes for them is important. Here’s a simple breakdown of all special armors and how to get them:
Leather Armor
The Leather Armor is a classic one in the game. It comes with 20 points of defense at level 1. It gives you a slight boost in double attack damage with your monster and improves defense against water element attacks. To get this armor, you’ll need to pay 150 bronze trading points to the merchant by using the special goods menu option.
Bone Armor
The Bone Armor is one of the early armors you can acquire in the game. It too starts with 20 points of defense at level 1, and you can get it in the same way as the Leather Armor. This armor helps boost non-elemental attacks and improves your defense against thunder-element attacks as well.
Hunter Armor
The Hunter Armor starts with 20 points of defense at level 1 and provides a slight boost to non-elemental defense. The armor also provides resistance against ice element attacks with no elemental weakness. To acquire it, you’ll need to pay 150 bronze trading points to the merchant.
Edel Armor
The next armor is Edel Armor; this one gives you a whopping 42 points of defense at level 1 and is easily one of the best ones you can use early in the game. The armor comes with an item saver medium that gives you a low chance of using an item for free. This is especially useful during the early game.
To acquire the armor, you’ll need to complete the one-star Azura side quest where you’re tasked with finding the Regal Fin in the western part of the lower middle island at Mirror Lake. The armor has double resistance against water element attacks; however, it’s doubly vulnerable to thunder attacks. The armor has three deco slots, and the defense maxes out at 82.
Alloy Armor
The Alloy Armor is another early-game armor in the series. Just like the Edel Armor, the Alloy Armor also starts with 42 points of defense at level 1. The armor provides you with resistance against non-elemental attacks but is somewhat weak against thunder attacks. To get the armor, you’ll need to travel to Ashen Pass. There, you’ll find the recipe for the armor inside a chest on a mini island with a tree.
Yukumo Armor
The Yukumo Armor is one of the fan favorites in the game, and it starts with 54 points of defense at level 1, along with two armor skills. The first is Critical Medium, which increases your crit rate, and the second is Evasion Medium, which improves your dodging. To get the Yukumo Armor, you’ll need to complete the two-star Shepardan quest called “Finding a Crystal Lizard.”
To locate the crystal lizard, you’ll need to go back to Azuria and teleport to the Blightstone Woods Catavan Stand. From there, you’ll need to head to the southeast corner of the circular area where the feral Brachydios is located to find the crystal lizard. The armor’s defense maxes out at 98, which gives it slightly more durability than the armor sets previously mentioned.
Guardian Armor
The Guardian Armor recipe can be acquired as early as chapter 2 in the game when you first get to Dragonreach, but the recipe is located in an area that’s hidden, so you might miss it easily. The exact location is visible partially on the map and is northeast of Catavan Stand. Finding the exact dig point for the armor recipe can be a real challenge, so you’ll need to spend some time looking around. However, we’ve marked the exact location for you.
The armor starts with 68 points of defense at level 1 and an increased resistance against non-elemental attacks with no elemental weakness. The armor also has three deco slots, which is good; it also grants Health Boost Medium and Divine Blessing Medium. Its defense maxes out at 116, making it a nice mid-game option.
Azure Armor
To get the Azure Armor, you’ll need to complete Kora’s Chapter 3 Ally side quest, Cave Kids. The armor starts with 68 points of defense at level 1 and has all Element Defense Medium. There’s Panacea Medium that helps you resist abnormal status effects, and then there’s Potential Medium that reduces damage when you’re at 50% or less health. The Azure Armor also buffs resistance to fire attacks, but is weak against water and ice attacks. The armor’s defense maxes out at 116.
Rhopessa Armor
The Rhopessa Armor easily has one of the best designs in the game for use on your female hunters. The armor starts with 78 points of defense at level 1 and shows resistance to dragon attacks. The Rhopessa Armor comes with Dragon Defense Boost Small and shows double resistance against thunder attacks, making it very useful.
Now, the armor is weak against ice and shows double weakness towards fire, so you’ll need to be careful with that. To acquire the Rhopessa Armor, you’ll need to complete the two-star Search for Moonglow Nettle quest. You’ll need to start by talking to a sick woman in the city of Hunter’s Galilead. She can be found in the northern part of the city.
After accepting the quest, change the time of day to nighttime. Then head to the giant frozen elder dragon located in the middle of the desert, the one you can climb. Climb all the way to the top, look up at the sky, and you should see the rare creature floating around. After that, return to the woman to complete the quest and receive the armor. The armor maxes out at 128, and while it is not the highest, it still makes the set viable for the endgame.
Artian Armor
Now, if the lore about the Artian Armor is true, then it’s an advanced armor with a rare metal that comes from a lost civilization. The armor starts with 104 points of defense at level 1 and can be upgraded to 136 at level three, which is pretty nice. The armor has double resistance against dragon element attacks, and it is also resistant against ice attacks. However, the armor is weak against water and doubly weak against thunder.
The armor provides you with the Soul Kinship Large skill, which helps in filling your kinship gauge at a faster rate, and it also provides you with the Dancer Medium, which boosts attack and defense whenever you’re at full health. The Artian armor can be found inside a chest that you can find in a hidden area in Death’s Maw. The area can be accessed through a dig point that’s located halfway through Death’s Maw in the eastern section of the map.
High Metal Armor
This one is a classic and viable for endgame because it starts with 106 points of defense at level 1 which can go up to 138 at level three. It provides you with Health Boost Large and Anti 1-Hit KO which helps you in fighting tough bosses. The armor also offers resistance against non-elemental attacks, especially against ice-attacks where it gives you double resistance, and is weak against water and thunder. The recipe for this armor can be found inside a chest in the Glacial Caps, directly north from the ice-shelf Catavan.
Damascus Armor
Lastly, the Damascus Armor starts with 134 points of defense at level 1 and goes up to 164 at level three. The armor provides Elemental Defense Boost, Panacea Medium, and Tenacity which is great for survival. The armor works well against water because of its double resistance to elemental attacks and is weak against fire and thunder.
The recipe for the Damascus Armor can be found past a bridge northwest in the Sarathus region. To reach it, you’ll need to get through a Devil Joe, which should be manageable once you’ve progressed this far in the game.
