FF4's armor is character-locked. Cecil and Kain wear heavy armor (helms, mail, shields, gauntlets), Rydia and Rosa wear robes and hats, Edge gets ninja-specific gear, and Yang uses light armor. Temporary party members like Cid, Edward, Tellah, and the twins have limited equipment pools. In the Pixel Remaster, gear from departing party members returns to your inventory automatically, so you won't lose anything when characters leave.
The endgame armor progression runs through three tiers: Diamond (purchasable at Tomra), Genji (Cave of Bahamut treasure), and Crystal (Lunar Subterrane monster chests). Crystal Mail at 25 DEF is the strongest body armor, but Adamant Armor at 30 DEF tops everything if you can farm the Pink Tail. Two Ribbons from the Lunasaur fight on B7 prevent all status effects and should go on Rosa and Rydia; they're critical for the Flan Princess grind and the Zeromus fight.
Body armor
The biggest defense boost per slot. Heavy armor (Iron through Crystal Mail) is restricted to Cecil and Kain. Robes go to your casters: Black Robe adds +5 Intellect for Rydia, White Robe adds +5 Spirit for Rosa. Light Robe from the Land of Summons gives both +5 Intellect and +5 Spirit, making it the best general-purpose caster armor until the Lunar Subterrane. Minerva Bustier on B6 gives +10 to both stats and is Rosa/Rydia exclusive. Kenpo Gi and Black Belt Gi are for Yang and Edge; the Black Garb from Lunar Subterrane B1 is Edge's endgame body piece.
| Armor | DEF | EVA | MDEF | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clothes | 1 | 10% | 0 | 50 Gil |
| Leather Garb | 2 | 10% | 1 | 200 Gil |
| Gaia Gear | 3 | 10% | 3 | 500 Gil |
| Iron Armor | 4 | – | 1 | 600 Gil |
| Sage's Surplice | 5 | 10% | 5 | 1,200 Gil |
| Kenpo Gi | 5 | 20% | 2 | 4,000 Gil |
| Hades Armor | 7 | – | 2 | Treasure |
| Black Belt Gi | 8 | 30% | 3 | Treasure |
| Black Robe | 8 | 10% | 7 | 10,000 Gil |
| Demon Armor | 9 | – | 3 | 3,000 Gil |
| Black Garb | 10 | 70% | 5 | Treasure |
| White Robe | 10 | 10% | 9 | Treasure |
| Knight's Armor | 11 | – | 3 | 8,000 Gil |
| Light Robe | 12 | 10% | 9 | 30,000 Gil |
| Mythril Armor | 13 | – | 4 | 17,000 Gil |
| Flame Mail | 15 | – | 4 | 30,000 Gil |
| Ice Armor | 17 | – | 4 | Treasure |
| Minerva Bustier | 18 | 40% | 12 | Treasure |
| Diamond Armor | 19 | – | 4 | 40,000 Gil |
| Genji Armor | 21 | – | 5 | Treasure |
| Dragon Mail | 22 | – | 7 | Treasure |
| Crystal Mail | 25 | – | 8 | Treasure |
| Adamant Armor | 30 | 10% | 15 | Treasure |
Helms & hats
Leather Cap and Feathered Cap cover the early game for everyone. Wizard's Hat and Sage's Miter are the caster upgrades, with Gold Hairpin at +10 Intellect being the premium option. For Cecil and Kain, the progression goes Demon Helm, Mythril Helm, Diamond Helm, Genji Helm, and Crystal Helm. Kain also gets the Dragon Helm from the Lunar Subterrane. Green Beret and Black Cowl are Edge's only real options; grab the Black Cowl from the Sealed Cavern.
| Armor | DEF | EVA | MDEF | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leather Cap | 1 | 5% | 1 | 100 Gil |
| Headband | 1 | 10% | 1 | 450 Gil |
| Feathered Cap | 2 | 6% | 3 | 330 Gil |
| Wizard's Hat | 3 | 7% | 5 | 700 Gil |
| Iron Helm | 3 | – | 0 | 150 Gil |
| Green Beret | 5 | 12% | 3 | Treasure |
| Sage's Miter | 5 | 8% | 7 | 2,000 Gil |
| Hades Helm | 5 | – | 1 | Treasure |
| Demon Helm | 6 | – | 1 | 980 Gil |
| Black Cowl | 7 | 14% | 4 | Treasure |
| Gold Hairpin | 7 | 10% | 10 | 20,000 Gil |
| Light Helm | 7 | – | 2 | 4,000 Gil |
| Mythril Helm | 8 | – | 2 | 3,000 Gil |
| Diamond Helm | 9 | – | 2 | 10,000 Gil |
| Dragon Helm | 12 | – | 5 | Treasure |
| Genji Helm | 13 | – | 4 | Treasure |
| Crystal Helm | 15 | – | 6 | Treasure |
Shields
Cecil and Kain only. Shields provide evasion bonuses on top of raw defense. The Flame Shield and Ice Shield offer elemental resistance, which can be situationally useful in the Tower of Babel. Aegis Shield from the Land of Summons has the highest magic defense of any shield. Genji Shield from the Cave of Bahamut and Crystal Shield from the Lunar Subterrane round out the endgame options. The Dragon Shield is Kain-exclusive.
| Armor | DEF | EVA | MDEF | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iron Shield | 1 | 20% | 0 | 100 Gil |
| Demon Shield | 2 | 24% | 1 | Treasure |
| Light Shield | 2 | 24% | 1 | 700 Gil |
| Flame Shield | 3 | 28% | 2 | 1,250 Gil |
| Mythril Shield | 3 | 26% | 2 | 1,000 Gil |
| Ice Shield | 3 | 30% | 2 | 10,000 Gil |
| Diamond Shield | 4 | 32% | 2 | 15,000 Gil |
| Aegis Shield | 4 | 34% | 5 | 20,000 Gil |
| Genji Shield | 5 | 36% | 3 | Treasure |
| Dragon Shield | 6 | 38% | 4 | Treasure |
| Crystal Shield | 7 | 40% | 5 | Treasure |
Gloves & armlets
Iron Armlet, Silver Armlet, and Ruby Ring are equippable by everyone and cover the early-to-mid game. Ruby Ring is unique in that it has 0 physical defense but +3 magic defense, making it useful in the Magnetic Cavern where metallic equipment is disabled. Rune Armlet from Dwarven Castle adds +3 to both Intellect and Spirit, which is the best caster option until endgame. Diamond Armlet from Tomra works for everyone. Cecil and Kain get exclusive access to Gauntlets, Mythril Gloves, Diamond Gloves, Genji Gloves, and Crystal Gloves.
| Armor | DEF | EVA | MDEF | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ruby Ring | 0 | 10% | 3 | 1,000 Gil |
| Iron Armlet | 2 | 10% | 2 | 100 Gil |
| Iron Gloves | 2 | – | 0 | 130 Gil |
| Hades Gloves | 3 | – | 1 | Treasure |
| Silver Armlet | 4 | 10% | 4 | 650 Gil |
| Demon Gloves | 4 | – | 0 | 800 Gil |
| Rune Armlet | 5 | 10% | 8 | 2,000 Gil |
| Power Armlet | 5 | 10% | 3 | Treasure |
| Gauntlets | 5 | – | 1 | 3,000 Gil |
| Diamond Armlet | 6 | 10% | 8 | 4,000 Gil |
| Mythril Gloves | 6 | – | 2 | 2,000 Gil |
| Diamond Gloves | 7 | – | 3 | 5,000 Gil |
| Genji Gloves | 9 | – | 4 | Treasure |
| Dragon Gloves | 10 | – | 5 | Treasure |
| Crystal Gloves | 12 | – | 6 | Treasure |
Accessories
Two accessories matter. Protect Ring provides +5 DEF and +5 MDEF, and you'll find two in the Lunar Subterrane. Put them on Rosa and Rydia (or whoever doesn't have a Ribbon). Ribbon prevents every status ailment in the game; equip these on Rosa and Rydia before the Flan Princess grind to block the Berserk status they spam. Both Ribbons come from the Lunasaur fight on Lunar Subterrane B7.
| Armor | DEF | EVA | MDEF | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Protect Ring | 5 | 15% | 5 | Treasure |
| Ribbon | 5 | 12% | 10 | Treasure |