In Monster Hunter Wilds, your first armor choice-between the sleek Hope set, the classic Leather, and the sturdy Chainmail-might seem like a crucial decision, but does it really matter? While each offers unique looks and slight stat differences, the truth is your starting armor is just a temporary stepping stone on the path to hunting mastery. Whether you favor style or early utility, you’ll soon be upgrading to stronger gear, making this initial choice more about personal flair than survival advantage.
To make the choice more confusing, you can also mix and match these pieces before you proceed into the game proper, without knowing what exact impact they have. The good news is this choice doesn’t really matter, and doesn’t lock you out of anything – which this guide about whether there is a best starting armor choice in Monster Hunter Wilds will go into detail about.
Is there a best starting armor choice in Monster Hunter Wilds?
In Monster Hunter Wilds, there is no definitive best starting armor choice among Hope, Leather, and Chainmail sets. Each set offers unique visuals and slightly different stats, but the initial selection mainly affects your character’s appearance during the opening cutscenes and does not restrict gameplay. Players can mix and match pieces from these sets, but the differences are minor and the starting armor is relatively weak overall. It is recommended to choose based on personal aesthetic preference and to upgrade your armor as soon as possible after beginning the game, as the starting sets will quickly become outclassed by armor crafted from monster materials.
Making the best starting armor choice for you in Monster Hunter Wilds should come entirely down to which armor you like the appearance of. This is because the hope, leather, and chainmail sets will be all available to you regardless of the choice, and this initial choice only impacts what you see in the opening cutscenes at the start of the game.
(If you want some additional context about all three pieces, the leather and chainmail armor are returning sets that have appeared in previous Monster Hunter games, while the hope set is entirely original to Monster Hunter Wilds.)
Whatever you decide, you have the option to change your armor when you visit your tent in the basecamp, which is a mandatory step in the opening 30 to 40 minutes of the main story.
Something important to know is these three armor sets are pretty weak, so we’d encourage you swap out of your starting armor choice with crafted armor from the smithy as soon as you’re able, as these pieces will be outpaced in terms of stats as soon as you slay your first monster or two.
Don’t worry about creating complete sets yet; we recommend you upgrade your armor piece-by-piece as soon as you have enough materials to do so, with the goal of building up your overall defense stat, even if it means you’re combining a random assortment of gear.
If you are concerned about appearances, you’ll be able to equip layered armor in the tent with any cosmetic items you have access to (such as from pre-order bonuses or the deluxe edition), and/or when you craft High Rank versions of monster armor, where their appearance will override the looks of your equipped pieces while keeping the stats underneath.
Which armor set offers the best balance of defense and skills early on in Monster Hunter Wilds
The Jagras Armor Set offers one of the best early-game balances of defense and useful skills in Monster Hunter Wilds. It provides decent defense along with the Attack Boost skill to increase damage output and Stamina Surge to enhance stamina regeneration, making it ideal for stamina-reliant weapons and agile playstyles. Another strong early choice is the Bone Armor Set, which boosts survivability with Health Boost and speeds up charge times for charge-based weapons via the Focus skill. For players favoring evasion, the Kulu Armor Set combines good defense with Critical Eye for increased affinity and Evade Extender to improve dodging effectiveness. Among these, Jagras Armor is often recommended as the best overall early balance between defense and skills for newcomers.
How does Guardian Ebony balance offense and defense with skills like Divine Blessing and Burst
The Guardian Ebony armor set in Monster Hunter Wilds balances offense and defense effectively through its key skills, notably Burst and Divine Blessing. The Burst skill increases your attack power and elemental damage after landing five consecutive hits, making it ideal for fast-hitting weapons like Dual Blades and Insect Glaive. This offensive boost is further enhanced by the set bonus “Ebony Odagaron’s Power,” which extends Burst’s duration and amplifies its attack power when wearing two or four pieces of the set.
On the defensive side, the Guardian Ebony set grants the Divine Blessing skill, which provides a chance to reduce incoming damage significantly-up to 50% at level 3 when activated. Although Divine Blessing activates probabilistically rather than constantly, its damage reduction is substantial, especially against high-damage hits, making it a valuable survivability tool during intense fights.
In summary, Guardian Ebony offers a dynamic balance: it boosts your offensive output through Burst while providing situational but powerful damage mitigation via Divine Blessing. This combination suits aggressive playstyles that rely on sustained offense without sacrificing crucial survivability.
