Armour and shields
Some heavier pieces lower your Evasion, so when you look at new armour, check Armor and Evasion together.
A Stoneborn can't wear body armour at all, however high their STR. They can still wear a helmet, boots and the other pieces, and those still count towards their defence.
Body armour
| Item | Requirement | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Hardened Armor | STR 3 | Body armour. |
| Scale Armor | STR 4 | Body armour. |
| Runeguard Tunic | WIS 4 | Needs WIS. |
| Monk Tunic | DEX 5 | +4 Evasion. |
| Chain Armor | STR 6 | −8 Evasion. |
| Moonsteel Armor | STR 6 | Body armour. |
| Whispering Armor | DEX 7 | Needs DEX. |
| Plate Armor | STR 8 | −10 Evasion. |
You don't need high STR to wear body armour: three of these pieces ask for WIS or DEX instead.
Helmets, boots, gloves and masks
| Item | Requirement | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Plate Helmet | STR 6 | −6 Evasion. |
| Plate Boots | STR 6 | −8 Evasion. |
| Crimson Mask | WIS 5 | Blood Mage only. |
| Gloves of the Sun | WIS 6 | Needs WIS. |
| Mindstep Sandals | DEX 5, WIS 5 | Needs both. |
Plate Helmet and Plate Boots come with their own Evasion penalties. Wear them with Plate Armor and you're taking penalties from three pieces at once, so compare the whole set, not just the body armour.
Shields
| Shield | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Iron Shield | STR 4 |
| Knight Shield | STR 6 |
| Moonsteel Shield | STR 8 |
| Shield of Wind | DEX 4, WIS 4 |
| Shield of Protection | STR 4, DEX 4 |
| Shield of Lethander | WIS 5 |
The shield doesn't have to go to your strongest hero. Shield of Wind and Shield of Lethander don't need any STR, so a hero with low STR can carry them too. Check the requirement before you hand one out.
A two-handed weapon needs both hands, so whatever the hero held in the other one – a shield or something else – has to come off. When you weigh attack against defence, count what you lose there too.
What the tables don't tell you
A requirement doesn't tell you how much Armor a piece gives, and neither does the Evasion penalty. The item tooltip shows the real protection and any other effects – compare those with what the hero is wearing now.
A higher STR requirement doesn't make a piece better, either. Whether it helps depends on the hero's class, how many free hands they have, their other attributes and what they already wear.