Armor Rework Wishlist

[WolvenCreator]

I am specifically excited for armor being modular!! I'm a big fan of pauldrons, especially styles that raise the metal into shoulder points and/or neck protection in an artistic way. It's literally the only reason why I would ever wore heavy armor (I hate heavy armor) in skyrim - I wanted the Empire's raised, thick pauldrons at the start and that's all buuut I had to have the rest of the armor attached too. I also really loved the banded and steel armor sets for the same reason, BUT ALSO because the banded armor gave the impression (to me) that it was really a bunch of pieces of armor put together rather than a perfectly designed whole-body set. Though, the general steel armor also has a great appeal to me. Pauldrons and fitted set visually.

Empire Armor (Skyrim Inpso)

Banded/Steel Armor (Skyrim Inspo)

If I can make bits and pieces over time, like a pauldron set (It would be cool if the shoulder could be separate from chest - if not in armor, then at least in decoration!), each of different materials depending on the resources available to me over time, then I am so thrilled! I haven't ventured into leather or metal armor yet in VS despite having around a hundred hours logged (I'm a slow progress player... and I'm addicted to starting new worlds) and now I'm actually trying to rush forward a bit so I can mess around with the armor system as it currently is and hopefully be less intimidated when the update comes. But... MODULAR!! Modular armor!! Yes, please!! I would download the mods to get a little closer to that (layered sets and whatnot), but... I don't want more mods. I just want this update! I'm so excited for a modular armor system!

Also... pouches/bandoleers? Am I pushing too far? :3 

That aside, something else I would love to see is the layering effect. You can have a fur cloak over your armor, for example, or shoulder fur that actually helps hold heat in winter. Hoods, too! Oh, man. Leather and Linen hoods would be awesooome.

Edited May 27 by WolvenCreator

[LadyWYT]

23 hours ago, WolvenCreator said:

You can have a fur cloak over your armor, for example, or shoulder fur that actually helps hold heat in winter.

Or don a linen surcoat to keep yourself from baking to death in hotter climates.

If I'm recalling correctly though, armor itself can be rather insulating from the cold, especially with the padding that goes underneath. Not that it's not possible to freeze to death in a suit of armor, but cold weather tends not to be as much of a concern as hot weather. Heat exhaustion/heat stroke is a rather big concern in the case of the latter, since the user's bodyheat doesn't really have anywhere to go.

[excs]

On 5/20/2026 at 11:39 AM, MKMoose said:

There's this set, among the concepts, possibly hinting at something that at least matches Jonas tech visually, even if it doesn't end up having significant special functionality:

Better scrap

[DeanF]

Coin armor.  But made with gears.

 

[Perdido Street]

This might come a little out of left field being a grand-strategy series, but (with the exceptions of the Warhammer fantasy trilogy, and some cultural depictions in Rome 1) the historical Total War games from CA feature excellent representations of armor from across the world and different time periods. Not only are the in-game models very good, but there is a lot of art available from that studio's design process - showing both the fine details of armor models and the historical research behind it.

There is an official art book available (amazon.com/Art-Total-War-Samurai-Legions/dp/1783292164), but a lot of the concept art can also be found for free online:

• A portfolio from Senior Concept Artist Sarah Duchiewicz - https://telthona.artstation.com/projects/za6O2?album_id=1216366;
• another from Artist Nikolay Toshev - nikolaytoshev.artstation.com/projects/kN4W9A;
• and one more from Art Director Lulu Zhang - artstation.com/artwork/0X5Dz8;

-ex (a late Roman/early medieval era concept from Total War: Attila):

Edited June 6 by Perdido Street
added more links to some excellent portfolios + grammar

[LadyWYT]

19 minutes ago, Perdido Street said:

Warhammer fantasy trilogy

I mean...some of the 40K stuff would make for some pretty awesome Jonas tech power armor, with a few tweaks. 

[Perdido Street]

15 hours ago, LadyWYT said:

some of the 40K stuff would make for some pretty awesome Jonas tech power armor, with a few tweaks. 

Honestly, the gear crested helmets of the Skitarii (or really anything having to do with the Mechanicus in 40k) is such a vibe... one not too far off from Jonas tech

    

Edited June 6 by Perdido Street

[LadyWYT]

1 hour ago, Perdido Street said:

Honestly, the gear crested helmets of the Skitarii (or really anything having to do with the Mechanicus in 40k) is such a vibe... one not too far off from Jonas tech

    

Don't forget the Iron Hands...at least, I think that's the right chapter. And the Necron faction, though I'm not sure they quite fit the aesthetic. Space Wolves would be great too.

[Deepblue38]

I wonder if it is possible to have specialty armours that fufill a specific purpose alongside being armour like for example old fashion diving suits that were made of metal allowing you to stay underwater for longer by giving you a grace period where you dont consume oxygen and also making it so you sink to explore underwater ruins with it ebing more armoured so you can sink in water making it more armoured but it having a much greater speed debuff on land with it deminishing when in water, or an armour that is built like a bullet proof vest giving greater resistance to projectile damage but does less against blades these ar just some i could think of on the spot but i think it would be cool to specialise your armour in terms of how you want to use it not just looks plus i also loved the bioshock games and want to recreate the big daddies from the games

 

Edited June 9 by Deepblue38

[Deepblue38]

On 6/6/2026 at 4:58 PM, LadyWYT said:

Don't forget the Iron Hands...at least, I think that's the right chapter. And the Necron faction, though I'm not sure they quite fit the aesthetic. Space Wolves would be great too.

i feel like the necrons could work just change the color they give off since its more green in the necrons make the armour primarily from jonas parts or from scanged drifters ect but it would probably need a new type of enemy that is very skeleton like since that is their main theme alongside the ancient egytian stuff its alot of skeletons and as of now the game doesnt have much i terms of metal skeletons but you could make a mould from animal skeletons with clay pour metal in the mold in parts so you can remove the pieces of bone allowing room for the metal which you break like an anvil and you peice the peices together with solder giving the armour that metalic skeleton look

[Perdido Street]

On 6/8/2026 at 9:22 PM, Deepblue38 said:

peice the peices together with solder giving the armour that metalic skeleton look

Technically there is a type of armor like this called Jack Chain. It is a kind of cheap-light protection for the arms or legs (made of plate-metal, or hardened leather, splints linked via chain), typically tied/sewn onto a Gambeson or "Jack". 

  

At least in the realm of existing-metal armors, it definitely has the most "bare-bones" appearance.

• An interesting fact: Though there are examples of individuals wearing Jack Chains, or things like them, these only come from central Europe, and even there they were never widespread. However, 'authenticity' aside, Jack Chains are incredibly common in modern re-enactments, and for good reason, as they are cheap-functional protection against getting one's limbs broken (so, it's this odd reversal where in the past there was so much other armor circulating in the economy of Europe that soldiers could often buy or steal better protection without having to resort to Jack Chains, whereas today, when the only way your going to get metal armor is by custom ordering it, Jack Chain being the cheapest actually does translate into it being the most common).
  • For my source - here is a discussion on the topic given by a medieval arms researcher in the UK, Matt Easton, on youtube :scholagladiatoria - What was this Medieval Armor and did it ACTUALLY EXIST?

Edited June 12 by Perdido Street
spelling + accuracy

[e8747e6c4e0ceedb55ae841fe9]

I'd like to be able to wear a hood, sash, maybe a cape over armor, but I'm guessing any of that stuff is to be covered in the 'decoration' layer. I'd also love it if we could smith some filigree into metal armor. If I had both, I would absolutely recreate the Fallen Knight set from DS3.

[Loosebearings]

I think it would be cool to see different surface finishes that could be applied to each different metal. Such as a blackened or blued finish to iron/steel, different colored oxides and surface rusts. Maybe we could use the grinding wheel to give pieces a bright, shiny look? There could also be dyes and paints for a more colorful look to the armor.

[RoastBEEF]

Love all these ideas, and am excited for this update!!!

For my own two cents:

would love more helmet variety, such as kettle helmets.

Would love elk armor options, along with more quilted/tailored armor.

Would love ceremonial pieces that require gems and precious metals. (The Jonas powered armor idea is fun too…)

would love more options for bracers.

Good luck to the team, can’t wait!

[LigerTitan]

I would love if you guys added viking armor because my ancestry is from Norway and no horns real viking armor

[EchosofaDreamer]

I don't know if this has been said yet, but moss armor? I'm thinking like, as a decoration layer, obviously. Something like the Moss Knight? (Patchwork Paladin on instagram if you want to see what I'm referring to) Or maybe something ocean themed. Japanese Samurai style armor could be cool too? Specifically lacquerware, and Heian period armors. ō-yoroi (Heavier, more ornate, made for archery) and dō-maru (lighter, easier to move in, more suited to foot soldiers) armor. Haramaki was supposed to be easier to make, and might be better for earlier game armors? Though Haramaki came into play during the Muromachi period if I remember right? But yeah! 

[Facethief]

Y’know, I hadn’t thought of it earlier, but wearing a carpet/basket-like material for light armor should be an option, especially for mounts. Bonus points if you can craft it from tapestries.

[Junolight]

I would love to see the addition of "half plate" versions of armor/chest pieces (I don't know the proper terminology), ones that only cover the front torso/chest with plate and only leather straps in the back, akin to the acolyte body armor from Irakonul's Forlorn Additions mod:

That style? of light armor is probably what most medieval soldiers used to wear, being cheaper than full plate. More lightweight styles of armor like half plate would also be great for visually representing the less combat focused playstyles of those like me who care more for mobility for exploration and building than protection for combat.

Again, referencing Irakonul's armor design, adding more shape and depth styles for chest pieces would be great to see, as current vanilla armor is generally very flat and relies more on its texture for visual interest. Also, it would be really cool to see hooded variations of leather, cloth/gambeson, and even chain head armor, as well as variations with a cowl or face covering.

Either way, really excited for whatever you and the team make!

[williams_482]

"Half plate" usually refers to almain rivet, a "just the important stuff" stripped down version of plate armor which included a helmet, chest- and back-plates, pauldrons for shoulder and upper arm protection, and tassets to protect the hips and waist. It was designed to be the most cost effective way to armor large numbers of soldiers, maximizing the amount of protection relative to the material and labor costs required to produce it. This was an extremely popular armor choice in the 15th and 16th centuries, contemporary to the classic but much more expensive full-plate knight armor already in the game. 

Note that this armor does not skimp on back protection, and nor do the vast majority of historical armors which include chestplates. Back protection is extremely important! There's a whole lot of vulnerable organs which can be damaged by an attack from behind, and although soldiers would virtually never have their backs to an opponent while the battle was going well, if it went poorly the losers would usually wind up backs to and running away. Fleeing soldiers becoming extra vulnerable to projectiles or pursuers is no help to them or to their ruler/employer, who wants them alive and able to fight another day. Further, there's very little mobility cost to this back protection: that part of the torso doesn't need to move much anyway, and it's a part of the body where the added weight is manageable.

Where almain rivet does skimp on protection is the arms and legs, which are much more difficult for an enemy to target and benefit more from retaining mobility than the head, torso, shoulders, and hips. 

It's common for modern artistic portrayals of premodern armor to present a chestplate as a relatively flat, forward-mounted piece which doesn't protect the sides or back. I.e. a plate over the chest. Not an unreasonable interpretation of the word, but not an accurate one. Most real chestplates were much closer to tubes than flat plates, with both front and back protection which wraps all the way around to cover the sides as well. 

[LadyWYT]

On 7/17/2026 at 8:10 AM, williams_482 said:

Fleeing soldiers becoming extra vulnerable to projectiles or pursuers is no help to them or to their ruler/employer, who wants them alive and able to fight another day

Back protection is also very important, because not only is it preferable to have live soldiers than dead ones, but it's preferable to keep your living troops as uninjured as possible. Injured soldiers won't be able to fight as effectively, if they can even fight at all, and cost more resources to take care of, and lots of injuries can still damage the army's morale even if there weren't that many deaths. From a pure strategic standpoint, sometimes it's more ideal to inflict massive injuries on an enemy army without necessarily killing them, forcing them to spend more supplies, inhibiting their army's mobility, and damaging their morale.

[Liefeling]

I'd love to see the addition of hoods that can be worn on top of the armor, mostly because cool. Other than that maybe armors that look a bit bulkier ? I understand there might be some restrictions due to the player model but a lot of armors and even clothes look quite lanky and uncanny to me because of the strange proportions, some bulky armor, hoods and capes could help that. 

[LadyWYT]

4 minutes ago, Liefeling said:

but a lot of armors and even clothes look quite lanky and uncanny to me because of the strange proportions

The main offender here, I think, is the arms and torso of the player model. The average person's arms(hands included) tend to end around the groin; the player character's/NPCs' arms though seem to extend to about the middle of the thigh, thus making the arms look too long and the torso too short. It's not the worst, and you do end up getting used to the look after a time, but it's also rather difficult to unsee once you notice it.

 

8 minutes ago, Liefeling said:

Other than that maybe armors that look a bit bulkier ?

While I wouldn't mind bulkier armor/clothing options, I think this would be better covered by a "body type" option in character creation. The current default could be "average", with slim, fat, and muscular types as variants that players and NPCs alike could use. That is a lot of work though, since it means eight different variants to account for(four for male models, four for female models). Still, I think players would have a lot of fun with it, and it would help provide more visual interest amongst NPCs, as well as help better flesh out their personalities.

[Liefeling]

On 7/20/2026 at 6:26 PM, LadyWYT said:

a "body type" option in character creation

That is actually SUCH a good idea. Honestly sounds like the perfect fix to the issue. You're right in that it does mean a lot more work though so i don't expect it to happen, but god would that be a cool addition !!

[ifoz]

While a body type option would be fun (and the game supports such things, as seen with the clothing the traders wear - they're internally Seraph-sized, but trimmed down to fit the trader model) I also think just giving certain clothes 3D detailing could also go quite a long way.
Some jackets/coats having the sleeves flair slightly at the ends instead of just being flat, more gloves being worn over the sleeves and given 3D geometry, etc.

Quite a few of the gloves feel too flat to me actually, things like fur gloves and the different craftable mittens should probably be worn over the top of sleeves (unless the sleeves belong to something that would realistically be bulkier itself, like a fur coat or parka).

Edited Wednesday at 08:52 AM by ifoz

[HugoCortell]

Since everyone has already suggested cool as heck armours (go Chinese armour, ashigaru sets, and fancy swiss hats, go!!), I'd like to see two things:

1. More fashion focused light armour. Colourful stuff with feathers and satchels. 
2. More jury-rigged armour. What did the miners that fought the nobles and their soldiers in the tunnels wear?

There's an opportunity for a sort of "pre-apocalyptic" armour set that would really fit into the game, every day mining protections turned into makeshift armours. Cool stuff to find in ruins. Idk.

Edited yesterday at 12:13 AM by HugoCortell