In wild heartsyour armor isn’t just a visual reminder to other players of the dreaded Kemono you killed. There’s a satisfying amount of depth to the customization in EA’s new action-RPG that will have you toiling for valuable crafting materials as you seek to hone in on the best build for your hunter.
Boasting a larger than life arsenal of weapons, in Wild Hearts the best offense may not be good defense, but it certainly helps. Picking the right gear before you go hunting can provide a serious advantage over your target, increasing your resistance to their attacks, negating status ailments, and granting a variety of passive bonuses.
This Armor of Wild Hearts guide is a handy primer for anyone looking to learn more about the game forge armor system and upgrades At best starting choices And change appearance.
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How to Get Armor in Wild Hearts
Just like weapons, you can craft armor almost anywhere when playing Wild Hearts.
Although Natsume’s Forge in Minato seems like a good place to find new gear and upgrades, you can assemble a Field Forge while exploring Azuma. It’s one of the many Karakuri Dragon structures Wild Hearts has to offer, allowing hunters to build stand-alone camps between Kemono battles.
For the full list of Dragon Karakuri available in the game, see our complete Wild Hearts Karakuri guide for more information.
The forge menu is fairly simple, with each column representing one of the armor sets available for crafting. Each piece of armor has its own unique combination of stats, including a base defense rating, resistance stats for the five different elements in the game, and associated skills.
In order to forge armor you will need to collect certain crafting materials, most armor sets inspired by one of the Kemono in the game. matching armor, especially since some rare materials can only be earned by cutting Kemono’s tails and other parts when enraged.
Wild Hearts Armor: Human and Kemono paths explained
You’ll notice that every piece of armor in Wild Hearts has a Human, Kemono, or Neutral alignment, moving you along a sliding scale between the three. In the game’s lore, those who want to pursue technological advancements take the former path while those who believe in the balance of nature favor the latter.
The impact of this Path system on gameplay isn’t immediately clear at first, but it goes without saying that it can have a significant impact on the optimal use of your weapons and armor.
When viewing either forge, you may notice that some attached weapon and armor skills are grayed out with a colored path alignment symbol next to them. This means that these skills will only activate when wearing armor with a matching alignment.
For example, the Wrack Blade upgrade for the Karakuri Katana has an attached skill called Tiger’s Den that increases attack, but makes it harder to recover from ailments. However, this is a Kemono Path skill and will not activate if you are wearing Human Path equipped armor. This adds a wrinkle to the game’s RPG customization that some will find frustrating while others see it as a way to deepen that sense of immersion in the game world.
How to Upgrade Armor in Wild Hearts
Wild Hearts does not feature a typical armor upgrade system. Where weapons can be upgraded using the game’s extensive upgrade tree, armor upgrades work a little differently.
When you visit Natsume in Minato or use Field Forge, you will see that the armor crafting menu has three tabs: Forge, Human Path Modification, and Kemono Path Modification.
Once you’ve crafted a piece of armor, you can then craft Human and Kemono Path versions of it by accessing the other two tabs. These armor variants are not only aesthetically different, they also offer superior defense and bonus abilities. However, as explained earlier, choosing Human or Kemono modifications can unlock/lock particular attached skills. It’s not an early game dealbreaker, though it’s something you’ll want to keep in mind.
What is the best armor for beginners in Wild Hearts?
When you first start out in Wild Hearts, one of your first priorities should be to ditch your hunter’s tattered robes – this samurai-style outfit looks cool, but offers little protection against the mythical beasts that you are. about to meet.
As mentioned in our Wild Hearts beginner tips, you shouldn’t get too hung up on trying to unlock full armor sets, at least not to start with. You’ll find that as soon as you eliminate the next Kemono on your kill list, new gear will be available to craft at the forge that’s almost always better than what you’re wearing. It’s not until Chapter 3 that you’ll feel compelled to dig deeper into armor stats, how they work, and ways to optimize your build for those tougher late-game battles.
That said, there are two good armor options to consider when first encountering Kemono. The Young Samurai and Basara sets both offer a good base defense rating and protection against most elemental damage types, though both are weak against fire, which can make your first Lavaback hunt a bit more difficult.
Both sets also offer decent tethered skills, increasing your base health and attack power, as well as your dodge distance, depending on how you mix and match these armor pieces. On top of that, crafting materials are pretty easy to get when fighting battles against Ragetail, Sapscourge, and Kingtusk Kemono. This grinding phase presents a good window to learn the ropes in Wild Hearts while experimenting with different weapon types. Some of the remaining Kemono parts can then be used to create Human and Kemono Path mods for your Young Samurai and Basara armor sets.
How to Change the Appearance of Armor in Wild Hearts
Armor designs in Wild Hearts are great, especially when you start unlocking Human and Kemono mods. Chances are you’ll fall in love with some cool looking armor, but refuse to wear it due to its poor stats or attached skills. Luckily, Wild Hearts lets you customize the look of your character’s gear, similar to Monster Hunter’s “Layered Armor” system. However, there are a few hoops you need to jump through.
Note that this option is not unlocked until you complete the main story. Once you have, pay Yatarō a visit – the sulky kid next to Nastume’s Forge – to unlock armor. Coating that will change its appearance. This requires you to have already crafted the gear you want to replicate the appearance of, as well as some magic orbs and a large wad of gold.
Good luck in Wild Hearts!
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