Armor types

Armor is the gear that a character wears to reduce damage from attacks.

Basics
Sometimes the difference between a few intense seconds of near-death in combat and a -15% death penalty is just in the kind of armor you wrap around yourself. Your primary profession determines what sorts of armor you can wear. Listed here are the types of armor available to each class, as well as where to get it, how much it costs, and what it does. Note that, with a few exceptions, most armor effects do NOT stack. Wearing a super sturdy helm is not going to help you much when an attacker stabs you in the chest. These are the percentages for how frequently attacks hit a specific piece of armor:
 * Head - 12.5% of physical attacks (this goes up if the enemy is on higher ground than you.)
 * Chest - 37.5% of physical attacks, as well as all direct damage spells.
 * Hands/Feet - 12.5% of physical attacks (each)
 * Legs - 25% of physical attacks.

Each profession has access to a "Standard" Armor, as well as other armor sets. For example, the Ranger's Standard Armor is the Leather Armor, which provides +30 AL against elemental attacks. Other armor sets tend to provide additional bonuses. For example, a Ranger can purchase a Drakescale Vest, Gloves, Leggings, and Boots, known collectively as Drakescale Armor (or the Drakescale Set). This Armor provides bonus against fire damage, in addition to the +30 AL against elemental attacks that is standard for all ranger armors. The bonuses for a few armor sets are global, meaning only one piece of armor is needed for the bonus to be applied to the whole body, and equipping more than one piece will not increase the bonus effect. A few other armor sets have various penalities as a trade-off for their bonuses. Thus, the standard armor isn't always the worst armor in terms of bonuses (or the lack thereof), depending on what you value.

Most armor sets do not have a corresponding headgear. Typically, each class has a "standard" piece of headgear that has the same armor characteristics of their Standard Armor. In place of set headgear that provides various bonuses (such as +AL against piercing, +AL against lightning damage, etc.), each character has a selection of headgear that provides a +1 to a single attribute. For example, there are five pieces of Mesmer Headgear available: The standard mask, and a mask for each of the four Mesmer attributes: +1 Domination Magic, +1 Fast Casting, +1 Illusion Magic, and +1 Inspiration Magic. The sole exception is the warriors, who have both attribute headgears and set headgears for most sets (which also provide attribute boosts on top of the set bonuses).

Finally, there are some independant armor items available for Necromancers and Warriors. Necromancers can purchase Bloodstained Boots, which decrease the casting time of corpse-exploitation skills. Warriors can purchase Stonefist Gauntlets, which increase knockdown time.

If you're interested in what a particular set of armor looks like, a good way to check is by creating a PvP character and playing with the equipment selection available. This won't have nearly all the armors available, but it will have at least three varieties to check out. Pictures are also generally available here within the articles for each armor type.

Starting Out
When you start the game as a PvE character, you are provided with a set of armor with the standard armor attributes and the lowest possible armor level for your profession. Like other starter equipment, you cannot sell or salvage your starter armor.

Collectors
The standard armor for your profession can be obtained by trading with collectors. You provide the collector with a certain number of a specific monster drop to obtain the armor. While crafters also provide the standard armor, the collector version has a different look. At higher levels, the monster drops that collectors are looking for tend to end up cheaper and easier to come by than gold and crafting materials for the crafter.

For a list of armor collectors and their locations, see here.

Crafting Armor
For crafting armor, you need to pay the Armor Crafter some gold and you have to bring him the necessary common and in some cases rare crafting materials.

For crafting normal armor, the cost is between 150g and 1500g per piece, plus various material depending on the type of armor. Most of the crafters are in cities or outposts.

For crafting "15k armor", the cost is either 8000g or 15000g per piece. These have the same stats as those with 1/10 the cost, but they have a distinguished appearence. Crafters for "15k armor" are located in the outposts of Marhan's Grotto and the Granite Citadel in the Southern Shiverpeaks.

For crafting "Fissure armor", the cost is either 8000g or 15000g per piece, and Ectoplasm and/or Obsidian Shards are required. The crafter for these sets of armor is in The Fissure of Woe. This armor has the same stats as the 15k armor of its type, but looks even more distinguished.

PvP
PvP characters only have access to one armor piece per body location, chosen at character creation. The good news is, the armor is free and at max armor level. For armor sets that have the same bonus stats, only one of those sets is available for PvP characters. The standard armor is not available at all.

All Armors available for PvP only characters are listed at PvP Armor. Check the Armor Sets section for more information on stats and art work.

Special Events

 * Pumpkin Crown (Headgear) - Halloween 2005

Armor Sets
Note: Energy and Energy Regeneration modifications are summed over all four pieces of armor in the same set (the pieces contribute unequally), whereas AL bonuses are for each piece of armor (unless otherwise noted).

* This bonus is global, meaning only one piece of armor is needed for the bonus to be applied to the whole body. Equipping more than one piece will not increase the bonus effect.

Discontinued Sets
These armor sets can be found at some fansites, but I believe that they have all been discontinued. They are listed here for historical purposes, and to eliminate confusion, when comparing this list to those on other sites.
 * Adept's Armor (Elementalist)
 * Regal Armor (Mesmer)
 * Silk Armor (Monk)
 * Blasphemer's Armor (Necromancer)
 * Pagan Armor (Necromancer)