“It’s dangerous to go alone! Take this.” – a famous phrase from The Legend of Zelda, after which the main character is given a sword that should prove useful during his journey.
Although the best defense is a good offense, it wouldn’t be wise to go out without a suitable defensive gear that will protect you from different kinds of dangers.
| Game | Armor Suit | Release | Genre | Developer | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Fallout 4 Game Of The Year Edition | Power Armors | 2017-09-26 | RPG | Bethesda Game Studios |
 | Half-Life 2 | HEV Suit Mark V | 2004-11-16 | Action & Shooter | Valve |
 | Mass Effect Trilogy | N7 Armor | 2012-11-06 | Adventure | |
 | Halo The Master Chief Collection | Mjolnir Powered Assault Armor | 2020-11-17 | Action & Shooter | 343 Industries |
 | Starcraft 2 Wings Of Liberty Heart Of The Swarm | CMC Powered Combat Suit | 2010-07-27, 2013-03-12 | Strategy | Blizzard Entertainment |
 | Gears Of War 4 | COG Armor | 2016-10-11 | Action & Shooter | The Coalition |
 | Dark Souls III Deluxe Edition | Havel’s Set | 2016-04-11 | RPG | FromSoftware |
 | Crysis | CryNet Nanosuits | 2007-11-13 | Action & Shooter | Crytek Frankfurt |
 | Dead Space 3 | Resource Integration Gear | 2013-02-08 | Adventure | Visceral Games |
 | Bayonetta | Bayonetta’s Hair | 2017-04-11 | Action & Shooter | Nex Entertainment |
Fallout series – Power Armors
| Release date: | 1997-2018 |
| Genre: | Action Role-Playing |
| Developer: | Bethesda Game Studios |
Let’s start with the Fallout series, where massive steel armor suits are quite a common sight. Living in the world that suffered from a nuclear apocalypse and where the radiation levels are still dangerously high in certain areas forced people to come up with a solution – power armors.
Power armors are designed not only with protecting people from enemy shots and explosions in mind, but they are also extraordinarily resistant to radiation, making them a must-have piece of equipment if one wishes to explore the post-nuclear wild. X-01 found in Fallout 4 is especially powerful in this matter, and it outclasses all other armors found in the game by far in terms of base stats and customization options.
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Half-Life 2 – HEV Suit Mark V
| Release date: | 2004-11-16 |
| Genre: | Action & Shooter |
| Developer: | Valve |
Maybe not the best in terms of protection it gives, but surely best in terms of being one of the most recognizable armors in video games. Hazardous Environment Suit Mark V, an upgraded version of HEV Suit Mark IV known from the first Half-Life, is a specialized armor suit worn by the protagonist, Gordon Freeman.
It gives him access to various utilities he can use to make his life easier, including enhanced running and jumping modules, morphine administrator, Geiger counter, heads-up display, flashlight, radio, and more. And on top of that, the suit creates a protective barrier that can absorb some damage before Gordon starts losing his health points, and it can be recharged later.
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Mass Effect II & III – N7 Armor
| Release date: | 2012-03-06 |
| Genre: | RPG |
| Developer: | BioWare Edmonton |
Mass Effect games are all about exploring various planets scattered across the universe, meeting different races, doing side missions, developing character and collecting treasures, but most importantly, taking care of the alien threat that, if not stopped, will destroy all advanced civilizations.
Having a proper armor suit in this case would certainly make the task easier – that’s why Mass Effect’s iconic N7 armor is available from the beginning. Customizable to a certain degree and with additional health bonuses, it will surely prove useful on the battlefield.
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Halo 3 – Mjolnir Powered Assault Armor
| Release date: | |
| Genre: | First-Person Shooter |
| Developer: | Bungie |
Sometimes armor is not just an additional expendable layer of defense. Sometimes armor is you. In Halo you are playing as Master Chief, a man who was never seen without his iconic green armor suit and helmet.
Master Chief is a biochemically-enhanced soldier who was trained to be a weapon from an early age, making him a deadly and tough opponent. His Mjolnir combat exoskeleton only makes him an even more powerful being by further enhancing his strength, speed, agility, reflexes, and durability.
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StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty – CMC Powered Combat Suit
| Release date: | 2010 |
| Genre: | Strategy |
| Developer: | Blizzard Entertainment |
Next we have a massive terran exoskeleton known as CMC from Starcraft. CMC stands for Cirion Multinational Corporation (or Confederate Marine Corps, depending on who you ask), and it’s a combat suit that comes in many different variants, one more technologically advanced from the other.
Its main purpose is to provide a solid defense against forces of Zerg and Protoss, but it’s just as effective at defending against other Terrans. It also comes with a variety of utilities, including limited life support, air conditioner, visor system, aim enhancement, and more.
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Gears of War series – COG Armor
| Release date: | 2006-2019 |
| Genre: | Action & Shooter |
| Developer: | The Coalition |
Gears of War is a well-known franchise, and it happens to have some interesting armors in it that also deserve to be mentioned on the list. Just like CMC, Coalition of Ordered Governments armor comes in different versions designed specifically to fit the needs of people having different roles on the battlefield.
Cadet armor, Hot Weather armor, Cold Weather armor, Medic armor, Destroyer armor, Marine armor, Commando armor, and so on. Although these mostly provide a solid defense, they are often not covering the entire body, which makes them less effective. On the upside, they are better suited for higher mobility.
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Dark Souls III – Havel’s Set
| Release date: | 2016-04-11 |
| Genre: | RPG |
| Developer: | FromSoftware |
Dark Souls III is a dark fantasy game full of twisted and corrupted creatures. It’s also a game when it’s not uncommon for players to die hundreds of times over the course of the entire game. To die less you need a good set of armor, and the massive armor carved in rock known as Havel’s Set might do the job for you.
However, it’s not accessible until much later in the game, so keep that in mind – it will be more useful in New Game Plus. What makes it stand out when compared to other armors is its defensive values. Sure, you move like a turtle while wearing it, but you can easily withstand even the deadliest blows.
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Crysis series – CryNet Nanosuits
| Release date: | 2007-2013 |
| Genre: | Action & Shooter |
| Developer: | Crytek |
Nanosuit is a state-of-the-art battle suit that appears in Crysis. The CryNet Nanosuit 2 is an upgraded version of the original one we saw in the first Crysis. It’s unique, because making it required reverse-engineering the captured Ceph technology.
However, the effort was well worth it – the resulting armor allows its wearer to gain truly superhuman abilities while not limiting his movement at all. The improved version is even more durable and resistant to damage of all sorts, including radiation, but there’s more – it can also fix itself and make the wearer somewhat immortal due to its regenerative powers and the ability to store user’s personality and body. And it looks awesome.
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Dead Space 3 – Resource Integration Gear
| Release date: | 2013-02-08 |
| Genre: | Adventure |
| Developer: | Visceral Games |
In Dead Space 3 you will be tasked with dealing with an alien threat once and for all. Such a demanding mission will require using the best equipment available, and that’s why your character will use Resource Integration Gear.
It’s quite popular kind of armor suit in the universe you’ll be playing in – most people use some kind of RIG, but depending on the wearer’s profession it may look different and can have different tools and systems installed. It’s interesting how armor’s features are also a part of game’s HUD – the armor shows your current ammo and health status, displays inventory, and it also highlights various world interaction options.
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Bayonetta – Bayonetta’s Hair
| Release date: | 2017-04-11 |
| Genre: | Action & Shooter |
| Developer: | Nex Entertainment |
While not exactly an armor, it was just too tempting to not include this one on the list, mainly due to its uniqueness. You see, Bayonetta wears a suit made out entirely of her hair, and it’s not even a poetic metaphor, it’s literally her hair.
Things get easier to understand once you realize she’s a witch and she can manipulate things however she likes – she can even use the hair to summon powerful demons that will aid her during the battle. How convenient.
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Gear up with the best armor
Good armor is a vital part of the equipment of anyone thinking about going on a dangerous mission, no matter if it’s a medieval or sci-fi fantasy world. It provides an additional layer of defense and protects the user’s health from various types of damage, be it sword cuts, gunshots, radiation, or demonic fireballs of death. Sci-fi power armor suits additionally can have some valuable tools installed, making the wearer’s work easier. These may include a holographic display, a radio, a flashlight, air filters, rocket jumping system, life support module, and so on.
Video games are a result of someone’s imagination, meaning that armors can be whatever developers want them to be. They don’t even have to be made from conventional materials, such as steel – some examples we’ve seen above include the usage of alien technology, solid rocks, and even hair, so it seems that there’s no limit in one’s creativity.