Soldier's Armor Guide — The Best General-Purpose Defense Set

The Soldier's Armor is TotK's best all-around defense armor — high base defense, upgradeable to maximum tier, and available without any special quest or password. It's the go-to defense set for players who want maximum survivability during normal exploration and combat. This guide covers where to find it and how to upgrade it.

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Where to Find Soldier's Armor

The Soldier's Armor set is sold at the Bargainer Statues in the Depths — using Poes (the Depths currency).

Poes: Collected from glowing blue wisps scattered throughout the Depths. Each wisp yields 1-5 Poes. Spend them at Bargainer Statues (located at major Depths locations).

| Piece | Poe Cost | |-------|----------| | Soldier's Helm | 150 Poes | | Soldier's Armor | 150 Poes | | Soldier's Greaves | 150 Poes | | Full set | 450 Poes |

Alternative source: The Soldier's Armor can also occasionally be found in chests at Hyrule Castle and military ruins scattered across Hyrule — but the Bargainer Statue is the most reliable source.

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Why Soldier's Armor Is the Best Defense Set

Per piece: High base defense — higher than most purchasable armor Upgradeable: Can be upgraded to ★★★★ at Great Fairy Fountains No set bonus: The set has no special bonus — it's purely defense

At ★★★★: The highest raw defense in the game among non-glitch sets. Combined with any buff food (Tough Elixir, Tough food), it makes Link nearly unkillable in normal combat.

Comparison at ★★★★:

| Armor | Defense at ★★★★ | |-------|---------------| | Soldier's Armor | Highest general defense | | Barbarian Armor | Lower defense, high attack bonus | | Snowquill Armor | Cold resistance focus, moderate defense | | Phantom Armor | Cannot be upgraded — fixed mid-tier |

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Farming Poes for the Full Set

450 Poes needed for the full set.

Where to farm Poes:

• Depths Lightroot areas: Poe wisps cluster near Lightroots (activated light beacons)
• Depths corridors: Follow the road network through the Depths — wisps line the paths
• After Blood Moon: Poe wisps respawn after Blood Moons underground (same as surface enemies)

Efficient Poe route:

1. Fast travel to any activated Lightroot
2. Collect all wisps in the surrounding area
3. Move to the next Lightroot via Depths road
4. Repeat

With a solid Lightroot network, 450 Poes can be collected in 30-45 minutes of Depths sweeping.

Bargainer Statue locations:

• Great Abandoned Central Mine (central Depths)
• Multiple fixed locations throughout the Depths
• Each Bargainer Statue offers the same items — visit any of them

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Upgrade Materials

Great Fairy required.

| Level | Materials per piece | |-------|-------------------| | ★ | 3× Bokoblin Fang, 3× Amber | | ★★ | 3× Bokoblin Horn, 5× Amber | | ★★★ | 4× Lizalfos Horn, 4× Topaz | | ★★★★ | 4× Blue Lizalfos Horn, 4× Opal |

Most accessible upgrade path in TotK:

• Bokoblin materials: common from any Bokoblin camp
• Amber: standard gem, found everywhere
• Topaz: Akkala/Hebra ice caves, sells for 180r but save some for upgrades
• Opal: lake/river beds, farmable via Zora Armor swimming

All ★★★★ materials are common — the Soldier's Armor is intentionally designed to be upgradeable without exotic drops like Lynel Guts or Gleeok Horns.

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Soldier's Armor vs Phantom Armor

| Feature | Soldier's Armor | Phantom Armor | |---------|----------------|---------------| | Obtainable | 450 Poes | Free (Depths labyrinths) | | Base defense | High | Very high | | Upgradeable | Yes — to ★★★★ | No | | End result at ★★★★ | Highest defense | Cannot reach ★★★★ |

Verdict: Phantom Armor is stronger early (higher base defense, free). Soldier's Armor is stronger late (can be upgraded to ★★★★, outscales Phantom at max tier).

Use Phantom Armor for mid-game survival without upgrade investment. Switch to Soldier's Armor once you have Poes and Great Fairy access for long-term endgame defense.

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Soldier's Armor Use Cases

Best for:

• General exploration where you want maximum defense
• Fighting tough enemies without a dedicated combat build
• Players who prioritize survival over offensive optimization

Not ideal for:

• Players focusing on damage output (use Barbarian Armor instead)
• Environments requiring resistance armor (desert, cold, fire — use appropriate resistance sets)
• Stealth playthroughs (Stealth Armor is better there)

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Quick Tips

• Poes = Depths exploration reward — you'll collect Poes naturally while activating Lightroots. Don't grind specifically for Poes early — collect them passively and buy the set when you have enough.
• Amber for ★ and ★★ — Amber is the main early upgrade material. It's a common drop from ore deposits everywhere. Don't sell all your Amber early.
• Topaz farming (Akkala) — Akkala ice caves reliably drop Topaz. Farm there for ★★★ materials.
• All 4 Great Fairies needed for ★★★★ — the 4th Great Fairy costs the most to unlock (Stable Trotters quest chain). Don't block your ★★★★ upgrades by skipping the Great Fairy chain.
• Soldier's Armor is your endgame foundation — if you're not doing a specific armor set playthrough (stealth, attack, resistance), Soldier's Armor ★★★★ is the default best-in-slot for any content.

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See also: Depths Guide | Best Armor Sets Guide | Great Fairy Guide