Albion Online is a popular multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) known for its extensive gear customization options. In this comprehensive guide, we will provide a detailed overview of all the different classes of gear available in Albion and discuss their unique characteristics and usage. Whether you are a solo player or part of a group, understanding the intricacies of gear is crucial to optimizing your gameplay and achieving success in the world of Albion.
Introduction to Gear in Albion Online
In Albion Online, every piece of gear, including helmets, chest pieces, and shoes, comes with specific stats attached to it. These stats determine various aspects of your character’s abilities, such as HP, energy, damage, healing, armor, magic resistance, and crowd control duration or resistance. While all gear pieces provide some HP and energy, the chest piece stands out as the most important part of an armor setup. It significantly influences your damage output and tankiness.
Furthermore, different classes of armor offer distinct combinations of stats, making them suitable for specific roles and playstyles. Cloth armor excels in high damage but low tankiness, plate armor prioritizes tankiness over damage, and leather armor strikes a balance between the two.
Now, let’s delve deeper into each class of gear individually to understand their applications and efficacies.
Plate Armor - The Stalwart Defender
Plate armor is the least commonly used armor in Albion Online but plays a vital role in group dynamics and PVE activities. While it is not recommended for solo players, plate armor shines when used by tanks. It increases threat generation, allowing tanks to hold aggro against mobs and bosses, and provides increased resistances for effective tanking and healing. Plate armor is also useful in PVP situations, thanks to its crowd control duration enhancement.
If you enjoy taking the frontline and bearing the brunt of enemy attacks, plate armor might be the right choice for you. As a beginner, the Guardian armor is an excellent starting point.
Cloth Armor - The Lethal Spellcaster
Cloth armor is the most widely used armor class in Albion Online, primarily favored by DPS (damage per second) and healer builds. It offers the highest damage output and healing capabilities, making it the go-to option for most DPS-centered and healing-focused playstyles, whether in solo or group play. However, cloth armor’s low defensiveness makes it vulnerable, so strategic positioning and support from tanks and other teammates are crucial.
For solo players aiming to maximize DPS, cloth armor is the ideal choice, either coupled with defensive spells or in Glass Cannon builds. In group play, healers and ranged DPS players rely on cloth armor to maximize their output while standing behind tanks and supports. The Cleric robe is a recommended starter choice for cloth armor.
Leather Armor - The Versatile Blend
Leather armor strikes a versatile balance between offense and defense, making it a popular choice for a variety of activities in Albion Online. It is commonly used in melee DPS builds and is especially favored by solo PVP players. In PVE scenarios, leather armor provides a slower but safer alternative to cloth armor when facing tougher mobs. While it offers slightly lower damage compared to cloth armor, its increased tankiness alleviates the strain on healers and provides better survivability in PVP encounters.
As a melee DPS player or someone seeking a balanced solo build, leather armor is an excellent option. Consider starting with the Mercenary jacket for leather armor.
Choosing the Right Helmets and Footwear
In Albion Online, helmets and footwear primarily serve utility functions, providing additional abilities and enhancements to complement your chosen playstyle. While the specific stats of the helmets are generally insignificant, it is the abilities that come with them that matter.
Plate helmets offer defensive utility, bolstering your defense in various ways. Cloth helmets provide offensive utility, debuffing or damaging opponents. Leather helmets grant personal utility, empowering your character with damage reflection or reduced cooldowns.
When selecting a helmet, consider the utility it provides and how it aligns with your intended playstyle. Soldier helmet (plate armor), Mage cowl (cloth armor), and Hunter hood (leather armor) are recommended starter choices.
Similarly, the stats of footwear in Albion Online are relatively insignificant, and the abilities they offer take precedence. The second slot Sprint ability shared among footwear classes is often the best choice. Plate footwear provides healing, cloth footwear restores energy, and leather footwear reduces cooldowns. The third slot unique abilities can also be valuable in specific situations.
Boots enhance mobility, allowing you to move faster for a short period. The choice of boots is highly dependent on your build and intended activities. Soldier boots (plate armor), Scholar sandals (cloth armor), and Mercenary shoes (leather armor) are solid options for starters.
Mix and Match for Optimal Results
Unlike other MMORPGs, Albion Online does not offer set bonuses for wearing a full set of the same type of gear. In fact, many experienced players prefer to mix and match different types and classes of armor to maximize their build’s effectiveness. Once you have decided on the chest piece that suits your playstyle, feel free to experiment with different helmets and footwear to find abilities that complement your build.
Weapons - Choosing Your Tool of Destruction
Albion Online boasts a wide array of weapons, each with unique characteristics and abilities suited to different types of content. While discussing each weapon in detail would make this guide excessively long, let’s provide an overview of weapon lines and their design philosophies.
Every weapon line in Albion is designed to excel in specific types of content. For instance, a normal bow is great for killing single mobs and excels in solo PVP encounters, while a longbow shines in group PVP and is effective against groups of mobs. Ultimately, each weapon line offers options that are viable for various types of content, ensuring that you can find a weapon suitable for your preferred playstyle.
Certain weapon lines excel in ranged DPS, focusing on high damage from a distance. Fire staffs, curse staves, frost bows, and crossbows fall under this category. For players who prefer melee DPS, weapon lines such as daggers, axes, swords, spears, and war gloves offer a mix of damage and survivability. Tanks can rely on hammers, maces, and quarterstaves for locking down and controlling opponents. For healing, the holy and nature weapon lines are the way to go. Lastly, utility support players can choose arcane staffs to buff their teammates and debuff enemies.
Conclusion
In conclusion, gear plays a pivotal role in determining your success in Albion Online. Understanding the different classes of gear, their unique stats, and their applications for various playstyles is crucial for optimizing your build and excelling in both PVE and PVP encounters. Additionally, knowing how to mix and match armor pieces and choosing the right weapons further enhances your gameplay experience.
With this ultimate guide to gear in Albion Online, you now have a solid foundation to embark on your journey in the world of Albion. Remember to experiment, adapt, and continuously refine your build as you progress through the game. Good luck, and may your adventures be filled with glory!
