Armor Types in DnD 5e

by Brandon Gregory

Knowing what kind of armor to choose (light, medium, or heavy) can confuse newcomers and veterans. For instance, you might expect medium armor to protect better than light, but that’s not always true. Here’s a breakdown.

Many of these use a Dexterity bonus, which is your Dexterity Modifier. You can see this on your character sheet above your Dexterity score, but to calculate it, subtract 10 from your Dexterity score, divide by 2, and round down if you have a decimal. For instance, a Dexterity score of 16 will equal a modifier of 3; a score of 17 will also be 3.

Armor Comparisons

Heavy Armor

Heavy armor protects well but inhibits movement. You gain the armor bonus but no dexterity bonus. There are strength requirements on heavy armor. All heavy armor imposes disadvantage on stealth checks.

Heavy armor is best for characters who need a high strength. Even if you’re not going to max Strength, increasing it can help with weapon attacks that might be useful for non-martial characters like Clerics. To wear the best heavy armor (Plate), aim for at least 15 Strength.

Fighters and Paladins have proficiency with heavy armor; additionally, some Artificer and Cleric subclasses gain this proficiency. You can also gain proficiency by multiclassing into these classes or taking the Heavily Armored feat.

Ideal stat: 15 Strength
Top AC: 18

Medium Armor

Medium armor protects pretty well and allows for a little more movement. You gain the armor bonus and some of your dexterity bonus (up to 2). There are no Strength requirements for medium armor, although some can be quite heavy. Some medium armors impose disadvantage on stealth.

Medium armor is best for characters who don’t need to max Strength or Dexterity. Classes that are not proficient in heavy armor, like Barbarians and Rangers, choose medium armor for Strength builds due to its lower Dexterity requirement. Many Cleric subclasses lack heavy armor proficiency, so medium armor is a top pick for them (since bringing Dexterity to 14 is easier than bringing it to 20).

Artificers, Barbarians, Clerics, Druids, Fighters, Paladins, and Rangers have proficiency in medium armor. Additionally, some Bard and Warlock subclasses get access to medium armor. You can also gain proficiency by multiclassing into these classes or taking the Moderately Armored feat.

If you take the Medium Armor Master feat, you can gain up to a +3 bonus if you have 16 Dexterity. This feat also removes the disadvantage on Stealth that some medium armors have.

Ideal stat: 14 Dexterity
Top AC: 17

Light Armor

Light armor doesn’t offer as much protection but allows for superior mobility. You gain the armor bonus and your full Dexterity bonus. There are no Strength requirements for light armor, and true to their name, they are light. The only light armor that imposes disadvantage on stealth is Padded armor, which is not normally worn by player characters.

Light armor is best for characters who plan to max Dexterity. Some classes, like Bard and Warlock, may not max Dexterity but still choose to wear light armor as it’s the best armor they have access to.

Light armor proficiency is common. The only classes not proficient with light armor are Monks, Sorcerers, and Wizards. You can also gain proficiency by multiclassing into these classes or taking the Lightly Armored feat.

Ideal stat: 20 Dexterity
Top AC: 17

Which armor should I wear?

The first question to ask is which armor your character can wear. (Breakdown below.) Some classes, like Fighter, have proficiency in all three; some classes, like Ranger, only go up to Medium armor; some will have no armor proficiencies and rely on other means of protection.

With those options in mind, the second question is whether you want to focus on Strength or Dexterity (or neither). Generally, if a class has access to all three types, it will be better to focus on Strength and wear heavy armor or focus on Dexterity and wear light armor. With max Dexterity, light armor has the same protection as medium armor and is only 1 point behind heavy armor. Most martial classes have options for both Strength- and Dexterity-based characters. If you don’t need maxed Strength or Dexterity (like a Cleric), you can go for medium or heavy armor, aiming for 14 Dexterity or 15 Strength.

What about aesthetics?

You may want to make your armor choice based on aesthetics. For instance, you might envision a character wearing a gambeson but not want to use padded armor in-game, which has disadvantages compared to leather armor. In this case, there are two things to remember.

First: flavor is free. If you want to imagine your character wearing scale mail but don’t want to take a hit to your AC, wear half-plate and just call it scale mail. You’ll need to clear this with your DM, but small changes like this are easy cases for flavoring existing mechanics.

Second: it’s alright to make an unoptimized character. If you have a fencer character, light armor is the most optimized choice, but you might want to wear medium armor for aesthetic reasons even though it imposes disadvantage on stealth. This is fine. Unless you’re at a table that prioritizes optimization, making unoptimal choices won’t hurt the game.

It’s more important to have a character you like to play than a character that squeezes every little point out of the mechanics of the game. Understand the optimization, but play what you want.

Class Breakdown

Artificer

The Artificer class itself gets access to light and medium armor. For Artificers besides Armorer (more on that in a moment), your armor choice depends on whether you want to max Dexterity. If you plan on making your primary attack a crossbow or gun, it might make sense to max Dexterity, but weigh that against the option of maxing Intelligence (your spellcasting stat) first. Alchemists are more of a Support subclass and will probably have better options than making weapon attacks frequently; Artillerists can be support characters or Strikers; Battlesmiths can use Intelligence as their attack stat and don’t need Dexterity or Strength. Light armor can work if you plan to max Dexterity, but medium armor is a better fit if your focus is Intelligence.

The Armorer subclass has a feature that not only grants proficiency in heavy armor but also removes the Strength restrictions, making that a great option for any Armorer not concerned with stealth. If you are concerned with stealth, some options make light armor work well.

Barbarian

Barbarians get access to light and medium armor but also have an option for unarmored defense that takes 10 plus their Dexterity modifier plus their Constitution modifier. Dexterity-based barbarians are possible, but many of their iconic features only work with Strength, so it’s generally better to max Strength, meaning light armor is out. Choosing between medium armor and unarmored defense depends heavily on how much you’re pumping Dexterity and Constitution. If you can get a total +7 modifier between Dexterity and Constitution, you can match half plate.

Early game, it’s usually easier to go with medium armor. By mid-tier, you’ll have had several more chances to boost your stats, but also bear in mind that you’ll probably have +1 or +2 armor at this point. If stealth is important to you, unarmored defense doesn’t bring the penalty that half plate brings.

Bard

Most bards only get access to light armor, so Dexterity is an important stat for them. Some of the more martial-focused subclasses (College of Swords and College of Valor) get access to medium armor; however, martially focused bards will probably want a good weapon stat, and Dexterity is still an easier pick for them than Strength, so light armor can work well if you’re going to max out Dexterity.

Cleric

The Cleric class gets access to light and medium armor, but some subclasses (Forge, Life, Nature, Order, Tempest, Twilight, War) also gain access to heavy armor. Dexterity Clerics are possible but usually require proficiency with martial weapons since there are few simple finesse weapons. Builds can be all over the place, so use the general advice above to pick your armor.

Druid

Druids can’t wear metal armor. It’s up to you and your DM to determine how far that goes (Does studded leather count as metal armor? Can you get a breastplate made out of a tough animal hide or non-metal material?), but Druids have notoriously low AC. With a strict interpretation of the rules, you can shoot for 14 Dexterity and wear hide armor (the entry-level medium armor) for 14 AC or leather armor and max Dexterity for an AC of 16. Druids are also proficient with shields, which helps a bit, but it’s a good thing a lot of your attack spells are ranged.

Note that Druids also get access to Barkskin, a 2nd level spell that boosts your AC to 16. The spell lasts for 1 hour and does not require concentration. Barkskin might be a better choice for some Druids if you can give up the spell slot.

Fighter

Fighters have access to light, medium, and heavy armor and work equally well with either Strength or Dexterity. Generally, either max out Strength and go with heavy armor, or max out Dexterity and go with light armor. If you want to take the Medium Armor Master feat, though, medium armor can outpace light armor for Dexterity-based Fighters.

Monk

Monks cannot wear armor and use a lot of their class features. They get a class feature at level 1 for unarmored defense that instead makes their AC equal to 10 plus their Dexterity modifier plus their Wisdom modifier.

Paladin

Much like Fighters, Paladins have access to light, medium, and heavy armor and work with either Strength or Dexterity. Generally, either max Strength and go with heavy armor or max out Dexterity and go with light armor. If you want to take the Medium Armor Master feat, though, medium armor can outpace light armor for Dexterity-based Fighters.

Ranger

Rangers get access to light and medium armor, so Dexterity builds are probably going to be best for them with light armor. Strength builds are possible, but it’s generally easier to multiclass into either Fighter or Cleric to get access to heavy armor than to make a Strength build work with medium armor. That is possible, but your stats will be stretched pretty thin.

Rogue

Rogues are all about Dexterity and only have access to light armor, so that’s an easy choice.

Sorcerer

Sorcerers don’t get access to any armor, although they get access to the Mage Armor spell, which sets your AC at 13 plus your Dexterity bonus (equivalent to +1 Studded Leather Armor). The spell lasts 8 hours and does not require concentration.

Warlock

Warlocks get proficiency with light armor, making Dexterity important. The Hexblade subclass also gets proficiency with medium armor and shields.

Wizard

Like Sorcerers, Wizards don’t get access to any armor, although they get access to the Mage Armor spell, which sets your AC at 13 plus your Dexterity bonus (equivalent to +1 Studded Leather Armor). The spell lasts 8 hours and does not require concentration. Note, though, that the Bladesinging subclass gets proficiency with light armor.

About the Author

Brandon Gregory

Brandon Gregory is a web developer and writer in the Kansas City area. He's been playing TTRPGs since 2020 and is involved in the disability-related TTRPG podcast Tales from the Crips. He's into classic movies, mental health, and, of course, DnD. Also, he's in a band. One time, they rocked so hard it killed a man.