Starfield armor guide – stats, sets, how to get

Starfield armor plays a crucial role in keeping you alive and in fighting shape as you take on spacers and explore inhospitable planets. It wouldn’t be a Bethesda Game Studios game without armor and weapons, after all. The space exploration RPG has a variety armor you can equip to keep your character protected from all the hostile worlds and alien wildlife.

Here’s are breakdown of Starfield armor, how it works, where to get it, and all the armor sets we’ve found so far. It’s also worth checking out our Starfield tips and tricks to get your started on the right foot. For a more focused guide on what armor is worth picking up, check out our guide to the best Starfield spacesuits.

All armor in Starfield

Here are all the armor sets in Starfield we’ve found so far:

• Deep Recon
• Deep Mining
• Constellation
• Explorer
• Mercenary
• Mark 1
• Bounty Hunter
• Navigator
• Mercury
• Space Trucker
• SY-920
• Shocktroop
• Trackers Alliance
• Navigator
• Mantis
• Ecliptic
• Pirate Assault
• Pirate Survival
• Ground Crew

Where to find armor in Starfield

Armor is looted from dead enemies, obtained as quest rewards, found in lockers, cabinets, locked chests, on the ground, and on mannequins throughout Starfield. You can also buy armor from different merchants and NPCs across the Settled Systems.

How armor works in Starfield

The main function of armor is, of course, protection and damage reduction. Different pieces and sets offer different levels of protection against various environmental hazards and damage types – physical, energy, and electromagnetic. Some are more mobile and lightweight, others heavier but with better defence. Others have special bonuses such as extra carry capacity.

Armor is available in different rarities:

• Normal (gray)
• Rare (teal)
• Epic (purple)
• Legendary (gold)

Depending on the rarity of the armor, you’ll get extra buffs such as a chance to stagger enemies, reduced oxygen consumption, and reduction in damage for different weapon types.

You can also give armour to your Starfield companions to help improve their survivability.

Armor pieces

Going a little more specific, there are four armor slots:

• Helmet
• Spacesuit
• Pack
• Apparel

Helmets and Spacesuits are fairly self-explanatory. These are the two armor components that have damage protection and major stats attached to them.

Packs meanwhile are effectively jetpacks. Since there aren’t any land or air vehicles in Starfield, these packs are crucial to travel, combat, and exploration once you’re planet-side.

Apparel refers to what you wear underneath your spacesuit.

Starfield armor stats

There are three types of armor stats – damage, hazard, and functional. Let’s go through each of them.

Damage armor stats

Primary armor stats cover:

• PHYS – an armor rating for physical damage protection.
• ENGY – armor resistance to energy weapons and energy-based attacks.
• EM – resistance to electromagnetic attacks.

Hazard armor stats

These denote damage resistances to environmental hazards.

• THERMAL – armor protection from extreme heat or cold.
• AIRBORNE – airborne toxins, such as noxious gases and airborne contaminants.
• CORROSIVE – protection against chemical and toxic atmospheres, and weather phenomena like acid rain.
• RADIATION – determine protection against radiation.

Functional stats

These stats are more functional that the ones above.

• Mass – determines how heavy your armor is to carry.
• Value – how much your armor will sell for at vendors and shops.

Remember though that sometimes the best defence is a good offence. If you want a guide to all the Starfield weapons you can wield, and the starship weapons you can mount on your spacefaring vessels, we’ve got you covered. Otherwise, check out our Starfield Sabotage quest walkthrough, where to get Digipicks, the best Starfield reactor, and our Starfield Delivering Devils quest walkthrough.

How do I find armor in Starfield?

The best ways to find armor is to loot bodies, visit vendors and shops, complete quests, or keep an eye out for lootable items as you explore facilities and buildings.

How many armor sets are in Starfield?

There are dozens of armor sets in Starfield.

Does Starfield have armor?

Starfield has armor, broken down into four categories – spacesuits, helmets, apparel, and packs.