Armor Sets
Armor in this game gives you defense and elemental resistance and set bonuses and wearing multiple pieces from the same set unlocks extra passives which is pretty standard but what the game doesn't tell you is that armor doesn't affect your movement speed or dodge timing at all which means you can wear the heaviest armor with zero penalty and I only figured this out like 40 hours in and felt so stupid. Really stupid. Because I'd been running around in light armor thinking I was faster the whole time and I wasn't and honestly that's one of those things I wish someone had told me from the start and I've tested this pretty thoroughly at this point like I put on the Order Sentinel Armor which should by all logic slow you down and did the same dodge and the distance was identical and I just sat there staring at the screen for a bit because what even is game logic anyway but the point is you should pick armor based on defense and set bonuses and don't worry about weight or speed or any of that because it literally doesn't matter and I will die on this hill.
Phantom Blade Garb
UncommonYour starter armor basically. Balanced defense with +5% attack speed and the attack speed bonus stays relevant longer than you'd think and honestly I wore this way past the point where I should have upgraded because the speed felt good and I didn't want to lose it which is probably not optimal but whatever.
+8 Defense Set (2): +10% Crit DamageOrder Sentinel Armor
RareHeavy armor from the Order's elite guards and it has high defense but slightly reduced Sha-Chi generation so you trade resource economy for survivability and it drops from Order Sentinel mini-bosses which you'll fight anyway if you're doing the Order storyline.
+15 Defense Set (3): +20% Parry WindowHealer's Robes
UncommonDefense is terrible. Like really bad. But the HP regen and Sha-Chi recovery are solid and if you're good at dodging these robes make you basically unkillable through attrition and you get them via Healer's Circle side quests and honestly I underestimated these at first but on Wayfarer difficulty they're almost brokenly good.
+4 Defense Set (2): +30% HealingIron Wall Set
CommonBoring but reliable. Early game special. That's it.
+6 Defense Set (2): +5% Damage ReductionShadow Stalker Gear
RareLightweight gear designed for speed and it increases movement speed and dodge distance and that Ghoststep bonus is actually insane because the 3-piece set makes Ghoststep cost zero bars which completely changes how you approach combat and you find it in late-game areas so you'll have to wait but it's worth it.
+5 Defense Set (3): Ghoststep costs 0 barsDragon Lord Armor
LegendaryHidden in a secret boss arena and if you fully upgrade this thing the defense rivals any set in the game and it gives fire resistance and a chance to ignite attackers which is basically free damage and the Flame Aura from the 3-piece set does 5 fire damage per second to anything near you and it's honestly kind of broken and I love it and I've used this set for basically all my Hellwalker playthrough because it just makes everything easier and the secret boss that drops it is actually one of the harder fights in the game so you absolutely earn this armor and when you finally get it you feel like a god and the flame aura alone makes mob fights a complete joke. It's that good.
+18 Defense Set (3): Flame Aura (5 fire damage/sec)Accessories
Accessories give passive stat bonuses and unique effects and you can equip up to 3 at a time and finding the right combination for your build makes a huge difference and I've spent way too long testing different accessory combos and some of them have hidden interactions that the descriptions don't mention. Obviously. Because why would the game tell you useful information and stuff like that. Anyway here are the accessories I've actually used and whether they're worth the slot or just vendor trash basically.
Jade Pendant
CommonIncreases max HP by 10% and you find it in the starting area and it's boring but effective and honestly I still use this sometimes on Hellwalker difficulty because 10% more HP is the difference between dying in 2 hits vs 3 and that matters a lot and it's basically the only common accessory that stays useful through endgame which is kind of wild when you think about it.
+10% Max HPSha-Chi Charm
UncommonReduces Sha-Chi decay delay by 1 second which doesn't sound like much but it actually makes a noticeable difference in longer fights where you're not attacking constantly and I run this on basically every build. It's just universally useful.
Decay Delay +1sBlood Amber Ring
RareLifesteal for 3% of damage dealt and it drops from the Snake Sovereign boss and honestly this ring is a game-changer for aggressive builds because you can basically heal through damage instead of stopping to use items and it synergizes amazingly with fast weapons.
3% LifestealWindwalker Boots
Uncommon+15% dodge distance. Found early. Surprisingly noticeable.
+15% Dodge DistanceOrder Seal
RareBoosts damage against Order enemies by 20% and it drops from the Order's Emissary and if you're doing Order-heavy sections this is basically a free 20% damage buff and that's huge.
+20% vs OrderPhoenix Feather
LegendaryAuto-revive with 30% HP once per boss fight and it gets consumed on use but restocks at rest points. And this thing has saved so many boss attempts where I had the boss at 5% and then died to some random attack and the revive let me close it out and honestly I never take it off for progression content and it's probably the single best accessory in the game for bossing and farming etc don't sleep on it.
Auto-Revive (1/boss)Consumables & Materials
Consumables give you temporary buffs or healing and materials are for weapon evolution and crafting and you find both throughout the world or buy them from merchants and you should actually use them. Like actually. Don't hoard. I used to save everything for some imaginary harder boss that never came and then I finished the game with 50 Healing Salves in my inventory like an idiot and now I just use stuff whenever I need it because you'll find more and the game is more fun when you're not constantly worried about wasting items. So here's what each consumable does and whether it's actually worth hunting for or just whatever.
Restores 30% HP with a 3-second use animation and it's the most common consumable and honestly just use these freely because you'll find more constantly and there's no reason to hoard them.
Instantly grants 2 Sha-Chi bars and it's a rare drop so use it strategically and honestly I save these for boss fights when I know I'll need the burst and don't just pop them randomly or whatever.
+20% weapon damage for 30 seconds and they're common in weapon chests and a 20% damage boost is huge so pop one before a boss phase that you struggle with and the damage spike is very noticeable.
Basic evolution material and you find it in basically all regions and you'll need a lot of it for weapon upgrades so pick it up whenever you see it and don't sell it like I did on my first playthrough because you'll regret it.
Rare evolution material for +3 and +4 upgrades and it only drops from bosses and it's very limited per playthrough so plan your upgrades carefully because you can't get enough to max everything in one run and I learned that the hard way.
Refunds all skill points and you can buy them from merchants after the mid-game point and honestly these are essential for experimenting with different builds without having to start a new character and I've used at least 5 of these across my playthroughs.