Guides

Best Heavy Armor in Dune Awakening

Best heavy armor in Dune Awakening: which sets to take for PvE and PvP, what to avoid, and the stats of every piece: armor and damage resistances.

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Contents
What to pickWhat to avoidTipsRankingTorsoHandsHeadLegsFeet

Heavy armor is for fighting: the most protection at the cost of weight. Here are the sets really worth wearing and what they protect you from.

What to pick

  • For PvE: 6Bulwark Chest — The best heavy armor for a gunner: the full set gives 25% light dart, heavy dart, concussive and energy mitigation plus top armor. It fits when you shoot without a shield and take darts head-on.
  • All-round pick: 6Circuit Gauntlets — They lower the power use of everything running on your power pack: shield, suspensor belt, cutteray, energy weapons. People wear them even in light loadouts in place of the regular gloves.
  • All-round pick: 6Power Harness — As much armor as the Bulwark Chest plus extra power reserves: your shield soaks more hits and your cutteray and suspensor run longer. A good chest both for fights and for mining.
  • For PvE: 6Combat Exoskeleton Chestpiece — Gives +10% melee damage. It’s the one heavy piece worth wearing on a melee build: a single chest among light armor, not a full heavy set.
  • For PvP: 6Executor's Chestpiece — A set for explosives and rockets: the full set gives 40% concussive mitigation and weakens blade protection less than other heavy armor. But it greatly increases stamina costs.
  • Early game: 5Mendek's Chestplate — The Bulwark set one tier lower: the same dart, concussive and energy mitigation. Use it until you reach tier 6 materials.

What to avoid

  • 6CHOAM Heavy Chestplate — A full heavy set on a melee build is a trap: together it lowers blade mitigation by 40% and makes dashing more expensive. Melee players are better off in light armor.

Tips

  • The main downside of heavy armor is negative blade mitigation: every heavy piece lowers it, and a full CHOAM heavy set by 40%. Against melee players in PvP that really shows.
  • Heavy armor makes dashing cost more stamina, light armor makes it cheaper. If you dodge a lot, mix: a heavy chest with light Ix-core Leggings.
  • Gunner loadout: Bulwark or Power Harness on the chest, Circuit Gauntlets, the rest Bulwark. Against rocket users in PvP you can take the Executor set instead.
  • Heavy armor pays off when your shield is down: the Holtzman shield already stops fast darts, while fire and slow blades go through both the shield and heavy armor.

Ranking

Each group lists the best options from best to worst: what each one is for and its in-game numbers. If something isn’t listed, it isn’t worth taking.

Torso

  1. 1
    6Power Harness ★Power
    Armor
    525
    Blades
    -12%
    Physical
    6%
    Darts
    6%
    Heavy darts
    6%

    This Unique heavy chest armor comes with additional power reserves to assist House forces in mining and suspensor usage.

    Blueprints →
  2. 2
    6Bulwark Chest ★Gunner
    Armor
    525
    Blades
    -12%
    Physical
    8%
    Darts
    8%
    Heavy darts
    8%
    Energy
    8%

    This Unique armor is handed out to the legal representatives of CHOAM, such as lawyers and tax collectors. Unfortunately the bright orange CHOAM logo tends to make them more of a target, despite the reinforcement.

    Blueprints →
  3. 3
    6Combat Exoskeleton Chestpiece ★Melee build
    Armor
    525
    Blades
    -12%
    Physical
    6%
    Darts
    6%
    Heavy darts
    6%

    In addition to its base stats, this Unique heavy armor grants +10% melee damage to the wearer. This advanced armor comes with a muscle memory tech system.

    Blueprints →
  4. 4
    6Executor's Chestpiece ★PvP
    Armor
    525
    Blades
    -9%
    Physical
    12%
    Darts
    6%
    Heavy darts
    6%

    This Unique heavy armor has internal layers of reinforced metal to protect House troops from darts, however the bulk of this armor greatly increases stamina costs.

    Blueprints →
  5. 5
    5Mendek's Chestplate ★Early game
    Armor
    425
    Blades
    -12%
    Physical
    8%
    Darts
    8%
    Heavy darts
    8%
    Energy
    8%

    Mendek had this Unique armor conditioned as a reminder of the battle, sometimes wearing it to remind himself of what it must have felt like to be trapped in those caves, with no way to escape.

    Blueprints →

Hands

  1. 1
    6Circuit Gauntlets ★Must-have
    Armor
    263
    Blades
    -6%
    Physical
    3%
    Darts
    3%
    Heavy darts
    3%

    A Unique heavy armor gauntlet that recon squads use to optimize power usage on connected Power Packs.

    Blueprints →
  2. 2
    6Bulwark Gloves ★Gunner
    Armor
    263
    Blades
    -6%
    Physical
    4%
    Darts
    4%
    Heavy darts
    4%
    Energy
    4%

    This Unique armor is handed out to the legal representatives of CHOAM, such as lawyers and tax collectors. Unfortunately the bright orange CHOAM logo tends to make them more of a target, despite the reinforcement.

    Blueprints →
  3. 3
    6Executor's Gauntlets ★PvP
    Armor
    263
    Blades
    -5%
    Physical
    6%
    Darts
    3%
    Heavy darts
    3%

    This Unique heavy armor has internal layers of reinforced metal to protect House troops from darts, however the bulk of this armor greatly increases stamina costs.

    Blueprints →
  4. 4
    5Station Gauntlets ★Early game
    Armor
    213
    Blades
    -6%
    Physical
    3%
    Darts
    3%
    Heavy darts
    3%

    These Unique gauntlets were developed for use on the power station at Mysa Tarill.

    Blueprints →
  1. 1
    6Bulwark Helmet ★Gunner
    Armor
    350
    Blades
    -8%
    Physical
    5%
    Darts
    5%
    Heavy darts
    5%
    Energy
    5%

    This Unique armor is handed out to the legal representatives of CHOAM, such as lawyers and tax collectors. Unfortunately the bright orange CHOAM logo tends to make them more of a target, despite the reinforcement.

    Blueprints →
  2. 2
    6Executor's Helmet ★PvP
    Armor
    350
    Blades
    -6%
    Physical
    8%
    Darts
    4%
    Heavy darts
    4%

    This Unique heavy armor has internal layers of reinforced metal to protect House troops from darts, however the bulk of this armor greatly increases stamina costs.

    Blueprints →
  3. 3
    5Mendek's Helmet ★Early game
    Armor
    283
    Blades
    -8%
    Physical
    5%
    Darts
    5%
    Heavy darts
    5%
    Energy
    5%

    Mendek had this Unique armor conditioned as a reminder of the battle, sometimes wearing it to remind himself of what it must have felt like to be trapped in those caves, with no way to escape.

    Blueprints →

Legs

  1. 1
    6Bulwark Leggings ★Gunner
    Armor
    350
    Blades
    -8%
    Physical
    5%
    Darts
    5%
    Heavy darts
    5%
    Energy
    5%

    This Unique armor is handed out to the legal representatives of CHOAM, such as lawyers and tax collectors. Unfortunately the bright orange CHOAM logo tends to make them more of a target, despite the reinforcement.

    Blueprints →
  2. 2
    6Executor's Pants ★PvP
    Armor
    350
    Blades
    -6%
    Physical
    8%
    Darts
    4%
    Heavy darts
    4%

    This Unique heavy armor has internal layers of reinforced metal to protect House troops from darts, however the bulk of this armor greatly increases stamina costs.

    Blueprints →
  3. 3
    5Mendek's Pants ★Early game
    Armor
    283
    Blades
    -8%
    Physical
    5%
    Darts
    5%
    Heavy darts
    5%
    Energy
    5%

    Mendek had this Unique armor conditioned as a reminder of the battle, sometimes wearing it to remind himself of what it must have felt like to be trapped in those caves, with no way to escape.

    Blueprints →

Feet

  1. 1
    6Bulwark Boots ★Gunner
    Armor
    263
    Blades
    -6%
    Physical
    4%
    Darts
    4%
    Heavy darts
    4%
    Energy
    4%

    This Unique armor is handed out to the legal representatives of CHOAM, such as lawyers and tax collectors. Unfortunately the bright orange CHOAM logo tends to make them more of a target, despite the reinforcement.

    Blueprints →
  2. 2
    6Executor's Boots ★PvP
    Armor
    263
    Blades
    -5%
    Physical
    6%
    Darts
    3%
    Heavy darts
    3%

    This Unique heavy armor has internal layers of reinforced metal to protect House troops from darts, however the bulk of this armor greatly increases stamina costs.

    Blueprints →
  3. 3
    5Mendek's Boots ★Early game
    Armor
    213
    Blades
    -6%
    Physical
    4%
    Darts
    4%
    Heavy darts
    4%
    Energy
    4%

    Mendek had this Unique armor conditioned as a reminder of the battle, sometimes wearing it to remind himself of what it must have felt like to be trapped in those caves, with no way to escape.

    Blueprints →

Armor is overall protection; the percentages show how much less damage of each type you take.

★ marks a unique item. Unique blueprints often turn up in the Deep Desert — see what's where this week on the Deep Desert this week page.

The calculator will work out how many resources a craft needs.

What is the best heavy armor in Dune Awakening?

For a gunner the best heavy armor is the Bulwark set or the Power Harness on the chest, for PvP against explosives the Executor set, and Circuit Gauntlets belong in any loadout. A melee build only needs the Combat Exoskeleton Chestpiece from the heavy line.