View source for Armor

[[Armor]] is [[equipment]] that provide defense against direct damage in combat and also provide [[attribute]] bonuses. Depending on the [[class]] or [[job]], the adventurer will be able to equip different types of armor.
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== Armor slots ==
*[[File:Head slot icon1.png|link=Head]] '''[[Head]]'''
*[[File:Body slot icon1.png|link=Body]] '''[[Body]]'''
*[[File:Hands slot icon1.png|link=Hands]] '''[[Hands]]'''
*[[File:Legs slot icon1.png|link=Legs]] '''[[Legs]]'''
*[[File:Feet slot icon1.png|link=Feet]] '''[[Feet]]'''
*[[File:Shield slot icon1.png|link=Shield]] '''[[Shield]]'''

Armor is divided into five standard slots, besides [[shield]]s – useable only by [[gladiator]]s, [[paladin]]s, and low level [[thaumaturge]]s and [[conjurer]]s: head, body (or "chest"), hands, legs, and feet.

== Armor types==
Most armor is equipable by multiple jobs/classes based on the following categories.

===Fending===
Fending armor is equipable by all {{Tank}} [[Tank]]s.
* {{GLA}} [[Gladiator]]
* {{MRD}} [[Marauder]]
* {{PLD}} [[Paladin]]
* {{WAR}} [[Warrior]]
* {{DRK}} [[Dark Knight]]
* {{GNB}} [[Gunbreaker]]

===Healing===
Healing armor is equipable by all {{Healer}} [[Healer]]s.
* {{CNJ}} [[Conjurer]]
* {{ACN}} [[Arcanist]]
* {{WHM}} [[White Mage]]
* {{SCH}} [[Scholar]]
* {{AST}} [[Astrologian]]
* {{SGE}} [[Sage]]

===Striking===
Striking armor is equipable by the following '''{{Melee DPS|name=y}}'''.
* {{PGL}} [[Pugilist]]
* {{MNK}} [[Monk]]
* {{SAM}} [[Samurai]]

===Maiming===
Maiming armor is equipable by the following '''{{Melee DPS|name=y}}'''.
* {{LNC}} [[Lancer]]
* {{DRG}} [[Dragoon]]
* {{RPR}} [[Reaper]]

===Scouting===
Scouting armor is equipable by the following '''{{Melee DPS|name=y}}'''.
* {{ROG}} [[Rogue]]
* {{NIN}} [[Ninja]]
* {{VPR}} [[Viper]]

===Aiming===
Aiming armor is equipable by all '''{{Physical Ranged DPS|name=y}}'''.
* {{ARC}} [[Archer]]
* {{BRD}} [[Bard]]
* {{MCH}} [[Machinist]]
* {{DNC}} [[Dancer]]

===Casting===
Casting armor is equipable by all '''{{Magical Ranged DPS|name=y}}'''.
* {{THM}} [[Thaumaturge]]
* {{ACN}} [[Arcanist]]
* {{BLM}} [[Black Mage]]
* {{SMN}} [[Summoner]]
* {{RDM}} [[Red Mage]]
* {{PCT}} [[Pictomancer]]
* {{BLU}} [[Blue Mage]]

== Acquisition ==
{{see also|Leveling Gear Guide|Endgame Gear Guide}}
Armor can be acquired through various means depending on the type and rarity. All players are given a set of starting armor when they create a character. Beyond that, some common methods of acquisition are:

* Crafted armor, typically made by {{ARM}} [[Armorer]], {{LTW}} [[Leatherworker]], or {{WVR}} [[Weaver]].
* Dropped in [[duties]] as loot.
* As a reward for completing [[quest]]s.
* Purchased from various [[NPC]]s with a variety of [[currencies]].
* Purchased from other players via the [[Market Board]] (the sole source of {{HQ}} [[High Quality]] crafted gear for {{gil}} [[Gil]]).

[[Rarity]] is as follows: {{rarity|basic}} &rarr; {{rarity|aetherial}} &rarr; {{rarity|dungeon}} &rarr; {{rarity|tomestone}} &rarr; {{rarity|relic}}. Rarity does not indicate anything about an item's power, merely how it is obtained. For gear power, see [[Item Level]].

== [[Glamour]] system ==
{{main|Glamour}}
In ''[[Final Fantasy XIV]]'' the [[glamour]] system is used to change the appearance of equippable items. Most physical items allow glamours to be cast on them, as long as the physical item's [[Item Level|ilvl]] is equal or higher than the glamour chosen. Similarly most physical items can be [[Dye (action)|dyed]]. Glamours can be understood as physical items whose appearance will be projected on other physical, target items. There are two ways of applying glamours:
* Casting a glamour directly on an armor piece by right-clicking it and choosing "{{action icon|Cast Glamour}}". The player will be prompted to select the glamour in their inventory. This option requires one {{item icon|Glamour Prism}} per piece.
* Applying a previously built "{{action icon|Glamour Plate}}". When selecting a glamour plate each armor piece on the plate will be applied to its respective slot, including any dyes applied to the glamour plate's pieces. This option has no extra requirements.

==Lore==
As with arms, nations have pursued the research and development of superior armor throughout the history of warfare. Modern "armor" includes not only protective suits of plate and mail, but also garb tailored to provide offensive benefits for mages and the like.

===For Disciples of War===
The use of defensive gear dates back to ancient times, when combatants would affix wood or leather to their bodies to protect vital organs, though armor in the modern sense did not come about until the advent of bronze. Early metal armor consisted of only a simple plate of hammered bronze for the chest; however, it took on a more recognizable form with the invention of lamellar armor, made of many smaller metal plates strapped together. This concept was further refined to create scale mail and chain mail, which offered greater defense and superior mobility. Advances in armorcraft then made it possible to cover oneself head to toe in nearly solid metal in the form of plate armor. With several types of armor available, preferences for heavy armor among cavalry and light armor among infantry began to emerge, and over time, armor became increasingly specialized by combat role, giving rise to the many varieties seen today.

====Acton====
Actons were originally designed to be worn under armor, their thick padding meant to absorb impact and protect the wearer’s skin from being rubbed raw. They were eventually modified to be suitable for wearing alone, and are most commonly donned as light armor or craftsman’s attire today.

====Leather Harness====
The leather harness was designed for use in the Coliseum, and thus provides only sparse coverage so as to allow those in the stands to observe combatants' muscular forms. Its popularity among Ala Mhigan refugees in Ul’dah indicates that no small number of them have taken to the bloodsands.

====Scale Mail====
As the name indicates, scale mail is constructed by overlapping small, flat pieces to resemble the skin of a fish or snake. Because it is comparatively simple to make, it is both inexpensive and prolific—traits that make it popular amongst fledgling adventurers. Though modern suits are most often metal, some are made of materials harvested from particularly hardy scalekin.

====Plate Armor====
Plate armor encases the wearer entirely in sheet metal, and therefore excels in defense; however, its sheer bulk means that it leaves much to be desired in terms of mobility. For this reason, suits lacking pauldrons and other heavy components have become common, as they can be worn by even those without the strength to equip full plate.

===For Disciples of Magic===
Defensive properties are not necessarily of primary concern to a Disciple of Magic when selecting battlegarb. Of greater import is each piece’s ability to aid in the channeling and manipulation of aether.

As the first to harness aetherial magicks, the shamans of the Second Astral Era were, naturally, also the first to seek out items with the power to enhance their incantations’ potency and swiftness. These items—which included branches from sacred trees, the fangs and claws of fell beasts, and crystals and gems imbued with aether—were first used as ritual implements, then developed into the earliest magical arms, armor, and accessories. With the discovery of aetherially conductive silken and metallic thread, weavers began incorporating these materials into fabrics and embroidered designs to create magic-enhancing vestments. As the enduring popularity of flowing robes and cowls attests, full-body garb has remained the ideal attire for magic users ever since.

====Robe====
The best known example of magical garb, the robe, is also the simplest. Though modern robes are oft bedecked with gems or metal, these are not mere adornments, but rather additional aetherial conduits.

====Doublet====
Like the acton, the doublet was originally developed as a padded inner layer to be worn under armor, but it has since come into common use as a jacket. The type preferred by the magically inclined does, of course, incorporate materials which promote increased aetherial conductivity.

====Halfrobe====
Though full robes make the most of their wearer’s aetherial control by covering the entire body in focus-enhancing material, they are undoubtedly an impediment to movement. Halfrobes and gowns, with their shorter hemlines, were created in answer to this conundrum, and today are available in an ever-increasing array of diverse designs.

====Shawl====
Whatever arcane power a combatant might possess, none can defy the Coliseum’s strict code of dress, which demands skin be unburdened by bulky fabrics. Thus are shawls designed to balance the needs of the mage with the desires of the paying customer.
<ref>Encyclopaedia Eorzea: Volume II, page 223-224</ref>

==References==
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{{items}}
[[Category:Armor]]