In Monster Hunter Now, armor pieces aren’t just used to bump up your defenses. They also come with Equipment Skills, passive buffs that can increase your damage, make you more resilient, or give unique attributes. These Skills can be unlocked by simply leveling and Overgrading each piece. Even so, some armor might have Skills that are much more useful than the others. Below, we have listed the seven best armor sets and their Skills from Monster Hunter Now that you should consider using for your hunts. Please note that this list isn’t ranked from best to worst or vice-versa but simply lists all the best Armor Skills that you should consider using.
Monster Hunter Now: What are The Best Armor Sets and Skills You Should Craft?
1. Kulu-Ya-Ku, Best Armor for Lock On in Monster Hunter Now
- Best armor pieces:
- Kulu Headpiece: Lock On Lv 1 (Grade 2); Critical Eye Lv 1 (Grade 4)
You might dismiss it since this armor comes from a weaker monster. But the Chapter 2 objective forced you to equip the headpiece and try out the Lock On Skill. As this tutorial shows, the Kulu-Ya-Ku armor set is one of the best early-game pieces that you can craft in Monster Hunter Now.
Activating Lock On adds target markers on a monster and helps you aim at specific body parts. You can easily attack the monster’s weak points, dealing yellow or red damage, and break more parts, too. More part breaks mean more materials! Combine it with your basic Leather Armor for additional Attack, Defense, and Health Boost. The Kulu-Ya-Ku set should carry you until you’ve unlocked the Rathian set in mid-game.
2. Rathalos, Best Armor for Attack in Monster Hunter Now
- Best armor pieces:
- Rathalos Helm: Attack Boost Lv 2; Fire Attack Lv 1 (Grade 6)
- Rathalos Mail: Weakness Exploit Lv 1; Weakness Exploit Lv 2 (Grade 6)
- Rathalos Vambraces: Fire Resistance Lv 1; Attack Boost Lv 1 (Grade 6)
- Rathalos Greaves: Fire Resistance Lv 1; Weakness Exploit Lv 1 (Grade 6)
Now, if you want to maximize your damage output, then you can’t go wrong with Rathalos. The Rathalos Armor Set in Monster Hunter Now will be unlocked once you have crafted 30 armor pieces. You’ll definitely want to grab the headpiece for the Attack Boost, which gives an 8% damage boost without having to Overgrade. You can use the other armor parts, too, or mix and match them with Anjanath and Rathian sets.
3. Paolumu
- Best armor pieces:
- Lumu Vambraces: Concentration Lv 1; Divine Blessing Lv 1 (Grade 4); Concentration Lv 2 (Grade 6)
- Lumu Coil: Divine Blessing Lv 1; Divine Blessing Lv 2 (Grade 6)
Sometimes, the defense can be the best offense. That’s where Paolumu and Divine Blessings come. From Level 1 to 3, it will cut damage taken by half, and you can push it further to 80% with Level 5! However, if you want to maximize Divine Blessings, you will also need Legiana’s chest piece. Add some Health Boost from the Rathian set, and you should be able to tank most hits. The Paolumu Armor Set in Monster Hunter Now will be unlocked once you have crafted 15 armor pieces.
4. Anjanath
- Best armor pieces:
- Anja Mail: Special Boost Lv 1; Special Boost Lv 2 (Grade 6)
- Anja Coil: Fire Resistance Lv 1; Special Boost Lv 1 (Grade 6)
For Anjanath, you will want to focus on Special Boost. This Armor Skill increases Special Skills’ damage by up to 30%. Which is extremely useful for taking down higher-starred monsters. You need to craft 20 armor pieces to unlock the Anjanath set in Monster Hunter Now.
5. Rathian, Best Armor for Defense in Monster Hunter Now
- Best armor pieces:
- Rathian Helm: Health Boost Lv 2; Poison Attack Lv 1 (Grade 6)
- Rathian Vambraces: Lock On Lv 1; Burst Lv.1; Burst Lv 2 (Grade 6)
- Rathian Greaves: Health Boost Lv 1; Health Boost Lv 2 (Grade 6)
This guide has mentioned Rathian’s name often, right? It shouldn’t come as a surprise, considering the Armor Skills contained in this set. First, with this, you can finally ditch the Kulu-Ya-Ku Headpiece for Rathian Vambraces. Aside from Lock On, Burst is also a pretty good damage buff if you can keep attacking.
Wearing the Helm and Greaves will also maximize the Health Boost Armor Skill, giving you 50 more Health. These three pieces can be combined for both damage or defense-oriented loadouts. Just like the previous armor, the Rathian set is only unlocked once you’ve crafted 20 pieces in Monster Hunter Now.
6. Tobi-Kadachi, Best Armor for Dodging in Monster Hunter Now
- Best armor pieces:
- Kadachi Helm: Reload Speed Lv 1; Artful Dodger Lv 1 (Grade 6)
- Kadachi Mail: Evade Extender Lv.1; Thunder Attack Lv.1 (Grade 4)
- Kadachi Vambraces: Evade Extender Lv.1; Artful Dodger Lv.1 (Grade 4); Evade Extender Lv.2 (Grade 6)
- Kadachi Greaves: Artful Dodger Lv 1; Thunder Resistance Lv 1 (Grade 4)
Speaking of defense, there’s another way to take less damage than by just tanking attacks. You can try using Evade Extender or even Artful Dodger. Evade Extender, as its name says on the can, increases the range of your dodges. Meanwhile, Artful Dodger makes it easier for you to perform Perfect Evade. This can be performed by swiping as you’re getting hit by an attack. Performing one successfully will boost your next damage.
Personally, if I had to choose one, I’d go with Evade Extender. I find keeping my distance and going for a monster’s tail is much more reliable than attempting a Perfect Evade. But if you’re confident in your dodging skills and you’re playing at smooth 60 FPS, then, by all means, use Artful Dodger.
7. Barroth
- Best armor pieces:
- Barroth Helm: Defense Boost Lv.1 (Grade 2); Offensive Guard Lv.1 (Grade 4)
- Barroth Mail: Offensive Guard Lv.1 (Grade 2); Offensive Guard Lv.2 (Grade 6)
- Barroth Vambraces: Guard Lv. 1 (Grade 2); Guard Lv.2 (Grade 6)
- Barroth Coil: Defense Boost Lv.1 (Grade 2); Guard Lv. 1 (Grade 4)
Last but not least is the Barroth set. At the moment, Sword and Shield is the only weapon with a guard mechanic available in the game. Nevertheless, if you’re a Lance or Gunlance player in the mainline titles, you might want to hold on to this set. Since this is the best armor that gives you Guard and Offensive Guard Skill in Monster Hunter Now. Capcom and Niantic have also promised to add more weapons in future seasons. Let’s see how long it takes until we can get more shield weapons, including Charge Blade, in this game.
Related:
All Special Skills in Monster Hunter Now (& How They Work)
Monster Hunter Now is now available for Android and iOS.
