Player experience and preference trumps expert advice. If it works for gamers, then that's the way it should be. The Ascent dishes out a veritable armada of armor and empowers players to make their own decisions regarding which piece of gear is best suited for protection.
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So why have a list at all? Well, with respect to the opinions of those who have played the game, there are pieces of gear that are, statistically speaking, superior. Somebody might be thinking they have a helmet that works for them, only to discover that this exact helmet has an upgrade further down the line. So after a lot of analysis, these are the very best pieces of gear in the game.
11 Head Armor – PF-40 Velocity Helmet
This piece of gear might be the last place on this list, but it might be the most important piece players get for a while. It's the only piece of armor in this tier that isn't classified as epic or legendary, and it can be acquired early on.
Aside from looking like a futuristic dream come true, the score of 45 in ballistics defense is absurd, considering other pieces of head armor that are acquired at this stage of the game are usually between zero and ten. And the boost to maximum energy and health can't be ignored for early and mid-game survivability. It's better than every other head armor item except for two.
10 Leg Armor – D-50 Netslinger Pants
Players still learning about how armor works will want to equip something like the D-50 Netslinger Pants at first. They're incredibly well-rounded, defending against every outside source by at least a score of 30.
Generally, players can completely ignore the Balance attribute, so that boost isn't worth much, but the boost to maximum energy is useful for every build. There are more specialized options, but Indents who need to do a little bit of everything will get a lot out of these.
9 Leg Armor – Runner Trousers
There is a lot of love and hate for The Ascent, the forums have been filled with high praise and stinging criticism. Take the Runner Trousers, for example. Nobody can be happy how, in the middle of an exciting cyberpunk-themed world, these pants look like plain black slacks.
But then a look at the stats changes this hate to love, as the defenses are all 38 or above. Better yet, these pants boost critical hit chance and tactical charge gained, two favorites for offensive-minded players.
8 Torso Armor – P-50 Upper Protection Package
While the game certainly has some fixes to take care of, there are some aspects of the game that play out perfectly. The P-50 Upper Protection Package is perfectly balanced, literally, by adding five to the balance skill.
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Even better, they have a whopping 56 protection against ballistics and at least 38 protection against every other damage source. With this one, enemies are going to have a difficult time finding any weakness.
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6 Leg Armor – E-60 Trackstomper Leg Rig
Here's some free advice for all the beginners out there: Of all the four defensive categories, ballistic protection is the most important. All other damage sources can largely be dodged with a moderate amount of talent and evasion rolls.
These pants have the second-best ballistics protection of all pants. What's more, they give a full three points to critical hit rate, a player favorite. And if that's not enough, the E-60 Trackstomper Leg Rig tacks on two more points to vital signs, boosting maximum health.
5 Head Armor – E-60 Whisper Heavy Rig Helmet
Anybody who spent a lot of time customizing the Indent's face might have some nasty feelings about this helmet. It puts a thick sheet of metal over the character's face, covering it completely.
Thankfully, it has the stats to back it up. Every defensive category is a minimum of 50. The bonuses don't stop at incredible defense, though. The motorics attribute gets a boost of five points, improving gunplay for anybody who dons this helm.
4 Torso Armor – Custom Flatliner Rig
It's a tough choice between this piece and the Custom Sec-5 Rig. Offensive-minded players will find this to be the better choice because it adds three points into the cybernetics attribute.
This is the attribute that governs critical strikes and tactical charging, so it's widely considered the best attribute in the game for most builds. The extra balance is negligible, but the minimum of 50 in every defensive category makes the Custom Flatliner Rig a worthy selection for torso armor.
3 Torso Armor – Custom Sec-5 Rig
So what was the tiebreaker for these and the other worthy torso item? The extra set of arms on the shirt certainly helped, they look rad and they move along with the Indent's arms while in motion.
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But no, it wasn't just the looks. A score of 63 in ballistics protection makes it the stronger torso armor in the game against the one attack that matters the most. The bonuses to the biometrics attribute on top of weapon handling and aiming also make notable contributions to both offense and defense.
2 Leg Armor – P-50 Propulsion Protectors
Gamers will have a lot of differing opinions on the best weapons once they figure out how to upgrade their guns. But there is little contention over what their favorite pants will be. These snow pants with shinguards are the best for every build conceivable.
The P-50 Propulsion Protectors boost one of each attribute. These are determining factors for each skill in the game, so they boost any build and round out builds nicely. Oh, and don't forget that ballistics protection that ranks best-in-class.
1 Head Armor – Custom Mechrhino Helmet
Taking it all in, the Custom Mechrhino Helmet might no appear overwhelmingly great. Three of its four defenses are in the twenties and boosting max health and armor by two points apiece is nice, but hardly game-breaking.
This all comes down to ballistics damage resistance. At 64, this is the best score in the game for all armor, not just helmets. The more players can reduce bullet and melee damage done to them, the better off they'll be, no matter how many other bells and whistles other armor pieces have.
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