With monsters and Shinra tech constantly trying to kill you, you need to be well-protected! Each playable character has their own specialties and different armor will benefit each character in different ways. To help you narrow down your builds, we’ve recommended the best piece of armor for each of your party members.

Armor’s sole purpose is to provide defense, making it possible to absorb damage. You want to try to equip the right gear and get the most out of everyone’s strengths.
 

1. Cloud 

Cloud Strife has great balance and versatility.

The Cog Bangle is one of the best items to equip Cloud. It’s easy to obtain and provides a clean balance between physical and magical defense. Cloud is a very adaptable character who can fit into any playstyle, whether you want to go ham and hit hard or throw spells around and set everything on fire!! 

• Balanced Defense: It has the second highest strength and magical defense next to the Chain Bangle. These balanced stats will work well for different enemy types. 
   
• Materia Capabilities: It also provides an opportunity for materia growth with 3 slots, and two of them are linked! This makes it ideal for elemental materia if you're in areas where you're prone to fire or lightning damage, for example.
   
• Versatility: If you don’t plan on having Cloud as a secondary spell caster, then these slots will be useful for any materia that will boost HP, or provide other abilities such as Steal and Asses. 

Cog Bangle Full Details: 

• Physical Defense - 39 
• Magical Defense - 39 
• Materia Slots - 3 (2 Linked) 
• Drops after defeating the Valkyrie boss at the end of Chapter 15. After this, another one can be purchased from the Shinra Shop for 4000 gil. 

2. Aerith

The materia slots make this an excellent item for Aerith.

The Chain Bangle is one of the best pieces of armor in the game.. Not only does it provide the highest balance of defense, but it also has great materia capacity as well. Aerith has the lowest HP out of the group, but she also has the highest MP and Spirit.

She spends most of her time behind the action, sending out magic damage from a distance and providing support to the rest of the team. Her typical role is that of the healer, similar to the White Mage in classic Final Fantasy titles. So having an armor piece with 2 pairs of linked materia will let you get the most out of her ideal play style. 
 

• Highest Balanced Defense: It has the highest balance of both physical and magical damage. This will be helpful as you start to go up against harder end-game bosses and possibly Hard Mode after completing the main story. As you’re unable to use items on that difficulty, you’ll want to do everything you can to keep Aerith alive. 
   
• Materia: The Chain Bangle offers two pairs of linked materia slots, which give four all together. The only other armor piece to have that kind of materia capacity is the Force Bracelet, but with significantly higher defense, the Chain Bangle is the obvious choice of the two. This materia capability is perfect for Aerith, who, as the spellcaster, needs as many slots for materia as possible to get the most out of what she can do. 
   
• End Game: Because Aerith has two linked materia slots, she can equip a lot of materia to keep herself and the party healed and buffed, while also leaving room for offensive spells. This gives her more room for materia combos like magnify-healing, elemental materia (fire, ice, lightning) for defense, or even using AP Up to make your magic materia as strong as possible in the end game. Even having the extra slots, whether linked or not, will give Aerith plenty of magic to choose from in the heat of end-game fights and post-game content. 
   

Chain Bangle Full Details: 

• Physical Defense +50 
• Magical Defense +50 
• Materia Slots - 4 slots (2 Pairs of Linked Slots) 
• Found in the 2nd Ward of the Drum during the quest “Deliverance from Chaos” in Chapter 17.

3. Barret 

Barret's capacity for how much damage he can take will soar!

Iron Maiden is one of the strongest items in the game, but it comes at a price. It has the highest physical defense out of all the others, but at the cost of materia slots. Barret’s naturally low MP limits his abilities as a spellcaster, but if you’re focusing on his tank role, this is the best item to equip. It will make his naturally high defense even more beastly, allowing him to take an insane amount of damage.
 

• Highest Physical Defense: With a whopping +124 in physical defense, this will make Barret a brick wall. If you don’t actively control Barret, having Provoke somewhere in your weapon materia slots can be beneficial that way, Barret can engage the enemies’’ attention while the rest of the team deals out close combat damage. 
   
• Close Combat: If you do decide to switch up Barret’s playstyle and have him use weapons like the Wrecking Ball, then equip this to ensure the damage can bounce off of him. His melee weapons will allow him to get in close to deal out area damage, but since he’s also taking their aggro, he’ll be getting hit a lot harder than before. 
   
• End Game Defense: If you’re doing harder post-game content or Hard Mode, this can help you out. With enemies hitting harder and the inability to use items, this will make Barret all the harder to kill. The lack of materia slots means he won’t be able to heal any party members, so be sure to have everyone's materia sorted out before going into any fights. 
   

Iron Maiden Full Details: 

• Physical Defense +124 
• Magical Defense + 20 
• Materia Slots - None 
• Can be stolen while fighting the M.O.T.H Unit. It can also be found in the Shinra Showroom. (Chapter 16) 

4. Tifa 

An "alternative" bangle for Tifa that offers versatility.
 

The Gothic Bangle is another great piece of armor that offers great balance and versatility, making it perfect for Tifa. It has materia slots for increasing Tifa's strength and ATB gauge or for spellcasting potential. Similar to Cloud, Tifa can be given pretty balanced builds, and the equal stats and materia make the Gothic Bangle perfect. 
 

• Balance: The Gothic Bangle provides equal physical and magical defense stats. With Tifa being in close combat at all times, she’ll be taking a lot of physical and magical damage.
   
• Magic Materia: While Tifa has the second-lowest MP, (with Barret having the lowest), she can still dish out a good amount of magic damage or provide solid team support with another Healing materia or Revive materia. 
   
• Buffs and Boosts: If spellcasting isn’t part of your playstyle, then using these slots for materia like HP UP, Deadly Dodge, or even ATB Stagger will allow Tifa plenty of opportunities to hit hard. 
   

Gothic Bangle Full Details: 

• Physical Defense +33 
• Magical Defense +33 
• Materia Slots - 3 Unlinked 
• Can be found in the Train Graveyard during Chapter 11. 

You may also be interested in:

• Final Fantasy VII Remake 5 Easter Eggs You May Have Missed
• 5 Facts Revealed from the Final Fantasy VII Remake Ultimania
• Final Fantasy VII Remake Part 2 Release Date to Be Announced
• FF7 Remake Best Accessories For Each Character
• [Top 10] FF7 Remake Best Weapons For Each Character
• FF7 Remake Best Armor For Each Character
• [Top 5] FF7 Remake Best Materia For Each Character
• [Top 10] FF7 Remake Best Armors That Make You Hard To Kill