It’s always the cool-looking weapons in the Final Fantasy series that get all the love, especially when it comes to standouts like Cloud’s Buster Sword, Barret’s Gatling Gun, and even Aerith’s staff weapons. However, while the armour pieces may not be not as flashy, they have just as much importance on the battlefield as the weapons in Final Fantasy VII Remake.
As one would expect from armour, selecting the correct pieces to keep that party protected and knowing their strengths and weaknesses will go a long way in deciding the outcome of the fight. There are a lot of items in the game to collect and it can take a long time to get them all, but knowing which ones are worth investing in will make the experience much smoother. Let’s take a look at the best armour pieces in the game.
Updated on June 29 2023, by Jack Webb: Final Fantasy VII Remake has plenty of decent armour and accessories to choose from. This list has been updated to show a few more options than before, taking into account the Intergrade expansion.
16 Rune Armlet
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- Obtained by completing Tifa Vs. SOLDIER Trainees in the Shinra Combat Simulator.
The Rune Armlet has the second-highest magic defence stat, coming in at 62. This is just a few points less than the Astral Cuff, making it an excellent piece of armour for whoever needs more magic defence, especially if you have the Astral Cuff on another party member.
Another excellent aspect of the Rune Armlet is that it has respectable Material slots, especially compared to the Astral Cuff. You have two linked slots and one single slot for Materia, giving you enough options to slot in your abilities.
15 Iron Bangle
- The Iron Bangle can be purchased from the Sector 7 weapons shop in Chapter 2.
The Iron Bangle is a solid piece of armour that is described in the game as “an armband crafted from iron. A sophisticated accoutrement with a reasonable price tag.”
It has a slot for Materia and has well-balanced defence stats against magic and physical attacks, scoring 16 on each. While it is a pretty basic piece of armor it will likely stay attached to your chosen party members until at least Chapter 5, if not beyond. While the Midgar Bangle, Shinra Bangle, and the Corneo Armlet offer better stats, they can only be obtained via some promotional DLC codes, making the Iron Bangle more easily accessible.
14 Studded Bracer
- The Studded Bracer is available in Chapter 8: The Budding Bodyguard and will be a reward for completing the side quest “Paying Requests.”
The Studded Bracer is a piece of armour that is described in the game as a “spiky bracer worn to express one’s inner rebel.” The Studded Bracer is great for tank characters or those who need more defence. The best part is you can get a few copies of this armour piece.
While it has weaker magic defence stats than the Iron Bangle at a value of just 10, its physical defence of 40 makes it a great choice for Cloud, who has naturally good magic defensive stats in other areas. This armour will also become available in the Wall Market Weapons Shop for 3,200 Gil after Aerith has joined the party.
13 Mythril Armlet
- The Mythril Armlet is worn by Aerith by default when she joins the party during Chapter 8 in the “Budding Bodyguard” quest.
The Mythril Armlet is the magical opposite of the Studded Bracer. It has 40 magic defence and 10 physical defence and two Materia slots. It is the perfect choice for characters with lower magic defence stats.
It can also be purchased at the Wall Market Weapon Shop after Chapter 8, and there is one that can be found north of the Sector 5 town at Station Way. Having multiple of the same item is never a bad thing.
12 Titanium Bangle
- The Titanium Bangle is obtained as a reward for completing the boss fight in Chapter 7: A Trap Is Sprung.
- It can also be purchased after the battle from the Sector 5 Slums Weapons Shop and the Wall Market Weapons Shop for 2,000 Gil.
The Titanium Bangle is described in the game as being a standard issue for all Shinra military units. Just like the Iron Bangle, it is perfectly balanced with its stats sitting at 25 for both physical and magic defence, making it one of the best items in the game.
11 Gothic Bangle
- The Gothic Bangle will become available in Chapter 11: “Haunted from the Maintenance Hall” area on the east side of the Switchyard after interacting with crane consoles and obtaining it from a chest.
Like the Iron and Titanium Bangles before it, the Gothic Bangle is designed to be perfectly balanced, offering the players equal protection. It has magic and physical defence stats of 33 and three single Materia slots. Armour with matching physical and magic stats are great all-rounder items, granting a buff all around.
You can find this item in a chest during the Train Graveyard section of the game, but if you happen to miss it you can pick another one up from the Sector 5 Weapon Shop or in the Sector 6 Slums after clearing that part of the story.
10 Force Bracelet
- One can be found in the Feed Storage area part of the Drum 3rd Ward.
While the Force Bracelet has downright terrible stat, it does have a significant number of Materia slots. With nine Defence and nine Magic Defence, this is almost made up for by the fact its four Materia slots are all linked together.
There are various benefits for linking Materia together, and this piece of armour gives you plenty to play around with if you can stomach the poor stat numbers. This amour can be found after beating the story-related Swordipede boss, as well as bought from the Junk Shop during INTERmission.
9 Cog Bangle
- The Cog Bangle will be available in Chapter 15: The Day Midgar Stood Still after defeating the Valkyrie.
The Cog Bangle is a well-balanced piece of armour with physical and magic defensive stats of 39 equally. It also has three open Materia slots that can help raise physical and magical stats even further.
It can be obtained from the item shop in the Shinra Combat Simulator Lounge for 4,000 Gil during Chapter 15: Belly of the Beast. The Cog Bangle can be earned as a reward for winning the Cloud vs. SOLDIER Trainees battle on the Simulator. Generally speaking, this piece of armour is a step up from the Gothic Bangle, complete with the same amount of Materia slots.
8 Supreme Bracer
- The Supreme Bracer is a piece of armour that will become available from the Shinra Tower Item Shop during Chapter 16: Belly of the Beast.
The Supreme Bracer doesn’t have very high magic defence stats at just 16, but it’s a great piece of armour in the physical department with a defensive stat of 62.
It is a bangle that is designed to be used by Shinra’s elite guards and has three Materia slots. It's a good fit for Aerith due to her natural role as the team's magic caster. It can also be obtained as a reward for completing the Barret vs. SOLDIER trainees in the Shinra Tower’s battle simulator.
7 Chthonian Armlet
- The Chthonian Armlet is available as part of the story content found in the INTERmission expansion.
The Chthonian Arlmet is balanced with its magic and physical defensive stats at 42. However, aside from its perfectly acceptable defensive properties, it provides the wearer with a strength boost. This effect is further enhanced when the user also has the Gozu or the Mezu Drive accessories equipped.
Thanks to its strength-boosting properties, it would help make Sonon a tank fighter when combined with his natural physical strength and his best-performing weapon the Indurate Staff, which features the Fighting Spirit ability. It is obtained after defeating Don Corneo’s thugs in Chapter 1.
6 Firebird Armlet
- The Firebird Armlet is exclusively available in the INTERmission DLC mission.
The Firebird Armlet is only available in the DLC chapter INTERmission as part of Final Fantasy VII Remake: Intergrade featuring Yuffie. It can be obtained after defeating Scarlet in INTERmission Chapter 2.
It’s a useful piece of armour that can be equipped for either Yuffie or Sonon. It has physical and magical defensive stats of 46. In addition to its strong stats, it prevents the user from incapacitation for one turn in battle. With Yuffie as the default lead, it’s a good piece of armour for her, to ensure she stays active.
5 Iron Maiden
- The Iron Maiden is a powerful armour that is obtained from the Shinra Towers in chapter 16: Belly of the Beast after the party has obtained the keycard.
The Iron Maiden has excellent physical defensive stats at 124 but its magic defense is a more conservative 20. However, its biggest drawback is that it has no Materia slots at all. It's a solid choice for Tifa as she's a close-quarters fighter that lands multiple combos.
You can get another one of these fantastic pieces of gear by stealing it from the M.O.T.H Unit miniboss. Generally speaking, this should be given to Tifa, but having two gives you better stats across the board for your party.
4 Astral Cuff
- The Astral Cuff can be obtained in Chapter 17: Deliverance from Chaos in Sector 0, Shinra Electric Power Company. It is on level 4 behind a glass window that Barret needs to shoot.
- It will also be given as a reward for defeating the boss Jenova Dreamweaver.
The Astral Cuff armour piece is the opposite of the Iron Maiden in that it has massively high magic defence at 124 and its physical defence is 20.
Unfortunately, the Iron Maiden has no Materia slots at all. As a result, It's a good fit for Barret as he has the highest natural HP in the party. Alternatively, it could be equipped to Tifa if her HP stats have been upgraded via the weapons upgrade menu (or attached HP boosting Materia).
3 Ninja Armlet
- The Ninja Armlet is an armour piece that is only available as part of the INTERmission expansion featuring Yuffie.
The Ninja Armlet is Yuffie’s starting weapon for the INTERmission expansion content. It would be easy to assume that its stats aren’t that great with its defensive capabilities sitting at 38 for both physical and magic. It is equipped to Yuffie by default from the opening chapter.
However, it’s one of the best pieces of armour in the game because it allows the wearer to double their AP for all the Materia that is attached to it. Furthermore, it has three available Materia slots, two of which can be combined. So, the potential for levelling up a Materia’s power is very high indeed.
2 Volant Armor
- The Volant Armlet is exclusively available in the INTERmission DLC mission.
The Volant Armlet is exclusive to the DLC chapter INTERmission as part of the Final Fantasy VII Remake: Intergrade.
It is one of the best items in the INTERmission DLC because it triples the amount of AP earned for all Materia that is set into the armour.
In addition, the Volant Armlet is perfectly balanced with both its physical and magic defence stats at 44 each. It can be found in a chest inside Shinra Building, in B14 Advanced Weaponry: Maintenance INTERmission during Chapter 2: Covert Ops.
1 Chain Bangle
- The Chain Bangle can be obtained at level 5 in the Shinra Tower after winning the battle against the Sledgeworm.
The Chain Bangle armour piece has the most balanced defensive stats in the game. It has physical and magic defensive stats of 50, along with four Materia slots or two paired slots.
After a scene with Professor Hojo, it can be found by walking into the next room and looting the chest in the corner.