The story and setting of Baldur's Gate 3 get most of the attention, but those familiar with RPGs and tabletop gaming have their eye on the gear. Items of Rare quality have a distinct blue color scheme and are better than Uncommon items but not as good as Very Rare (purple) or Legendary (orange).
There are some distinct Rare armor pieces in Act 1 of Baldur's Gate 3, but they become easier to buy or find as the game progresses into Acts 2 and 3. Vendors might sell them, they might be given as quest rewards, or appear as loot from chests, lockboxes, a hidden stash, or from dead enemies.
8 Spidersilk Armor
The Spidersilk Armor is one of the earliest Rare pieces the player can find. It's worn by Minthara, one of the three bosses in the Shattered Sanctum, and if the protagonist so chooses they can visit the Goblin Camp even before the Druid Grove.
This light armor piece gives the wearer a +1 to Stealth checks, so it is ideal for a Rogue or Ranger. The user also gets an advantage on Constitution saving throws.The player can get this armor by killing Minthara and looting this piece from her corpse, but it's also possible to recruit her into the party and access her gear that way.
7 Shield of Scorching Reprisal
It's one of the more decorative shields in the game along with being a useful Rare armor piece, and it's not even necessary to slay a monster or unlock a chest to get it. However, a Perception and a Strength check are required to find the rubble under which it's buried. If the player uses Speak With Dead on a body named Marcus, he'll mention it.
The shield can be dug up near the bridge that leads to Last Light Inn. It not only adds +2 to a character's armor class, but also gives them the Shield Bash ability. This reaction can send an attacker prone if they fail a Dexterity check.
6 Boots of Speed
Every RPG seems to have a version of these boots. In Baldur's Gate 3, they're part of a larger drama that involves a runaway slave. The boots were stolen from Sargeant Thrinn, a Druegar working in Grymforge, by a gnome named Thulla.
The player can find Thulla seeking refuge and the Myconid Colony in the Underdark. Whether the player saves her life or lets her turn into a mushroom zombie, they'll still get her boots as a reward or can buy them from her. These boots give the wearer the ability to double their movement speed for a turn, and give their enemies a Disadvantage on Opportunity attacks.
5 Absolute's Protector
An ideal piece of armor for those players that bear the Absolute's Brand, this shield reduces their damage from all spells by 1. It also has the standard Shield Bash ability, which functions as a reaction, and gives the bearer the power to cast Fire Shield: Chill, a level 4 Evocation spell.
The shield can be looted from an NPC named Disciple Z'rell. He's one of the fighters waiting at the entrance to Moonrise Towers during the pursuit of Ketheric Thorm, and it can be looted from his corpse.
4 Enraging Heart Garb
A Barbarian will benefit the most from this Rare piece of armor, as it gives the wearer two extra turns of Wrath while they're raging. It can still benefit a character that's proficient in light armor by giving them a +2 to their Constitution stat, though this still maxes out at a score of 20.
A vendor named Lann Tarv in Moonrise Towers sells this armor piece, and it's nice to have for the final battle. Save up to 300 gold to buy it.
3 Bracers Of Defense
An armor piece that's also popular in the Dungeons & Dragons universe on which Baldur's Gate 3 is based, the Bracers of Defense are one way to give a character without a high armor class a +2 boost to their AC. That means it's best to give them to a spellcaster, a Monk, or a Barbarian, characters that typically don't use armor or shields.
In BG3, these bracers are one of the many useful and interesting items found in the Necromancer's Cellar, which is underneath the Blighted Village.
2 Drow Studded Leather Armor
Rare light armor that's ideal for Rogues and Rangers, players can loot this item from the Lolth's Cultist's cache in the Underdark. This is an obscure location between the Mage Tower and Selune's Fort that's easy to miss without a high Perception ability.
It gives the wearer a +1 bonus to Stealth checks, and according to the description, it's specifically designed to blend in with the world of the Underdark.
1 Ketheric's Shield
The name gives the location of this shield away. It's a drop from Ketheric Thorm, the boss of Act 2, who waits at the end of the adventure through Moonrise Towers after the player passes through the Mindflayer Colony.
Along with the Shield Bash and a value of 300 gold, which makes it nice as a resale item, the shield also gives the bearer the Arcane Enchantment ability. That means a bonus to spell attacks and Spell Save rolls, so a nice item for a spellcaster who also has a Shield Proficiency.
Baldur's Gate 3 is available now on PC and PS5.