It's easy to let go of oneself as a dad in The Forest especially after the son gets kidnapped by cannibals or mutants, or cannibal mutants. But even players will have to thoroughly take care of their in-game daddy Leblanc if they are to find poor Timmy. Apart from the usual survivalism and taking care of their character's basic level for the hierarchy of needs armor also goes a long way in staying alive.
Of course, The Forest put players in a rather impromptu survival situation so players shouldn't expect anything fancy or rigid. All armor pieces in this game are either crude or creepy. Still, beggars can't be choosers and any port in a storm is fine for anyone playing The Forest. So players will want to prioritize crafting these armor pieces or maintaining them based on their usefulness.
6 Rabbit Fur Boots
Stats:
- Cold Protection - 20%
Crafting materials:
- Rabbit Fur - 3
- Rope - 2
The Rabbit Fur is almost a mandatory piece of clothing for anyone looking to venture out in the cold parts of the map, near the mountains. It adds a significant amount of cold protection and ensures that players don't freeze to death. Now for actual protection against attacks, it doesn't really do anything.
This piece of armor is just a pair of boots, after all. They are not to be used for an assault on cannibal camps. They do, however, provide a bit of stealth bonus since they muffle the player's footsteps a bit. That makes them somewhat decent for sneaking. Still, there's already a more dedicated armor for that purpose.
5 Lizard Skin
Stats:
- Armor - 20
Crafting materials:
- Lizard Skin - 1
The Lizard Skin is one of the earliest bonafide armor players can wear in The Forest. They offer decent enough protection and are visibly seen around the forearms in first-person view for two pieces. These babies are a couple of no-nonsense bracers and leather jackets and players should always strive to keep them on if they're expecting bad company or want to go ham on the cannibal camps or caves.
The best part about them is that they're practically given for free. Players only need one unit of lizard skin to craft this for both arms. Since lizards are nearly everywhere, then this armor is pretty much available mostly all over the map. On the plus side, hunting for lizard skin also ensures a steady supply of meat.
4 Warmsuit
Stats:
- Cold Protection - 100%
Crafting materials:
- Raccoon Skin - 1
- Boar Skin - 4
- Deer Skin - 6
- Rabbit Fur- 1
- Cloth - 2
- Rope - 2
The Warmsuit is the ultimate must-have for those ready for prolonged trips to the mountains or anywhere there's snow in The Forest. It offers full cold protection and players can even use it to swim in cold waters without worrying too much about their character's temperature. The Warmsuit comes with a drawback, sadly as players can mix it with other armor types since it occupies all slots.
That makes combat more difficult in cold areas since the Warmsuit provides no physical protection whatsoever. It only has one purpose. But at the very least, it makes up for its limited utility by being indestructible. Seeing the cost needed to craft such an armor, that's more than a redeeming quality as it's quite tedious to obtain all kinds of animal skin for crafting.
3 Bone Armor
Stats:
- Armor - 40
Crafting materials:
- Bone - 6
- Cloth - 3
Bone Armor is a direct upgrade to the Lizard armor and it's one of the more respectable armor pieces in the game, especially for metal rock fans. In any case, Bone Armor caters to an all-or-nothing approach. Wearing a full set is noisy. In fact, the Bone Armor is one of the loudest armor types in the game, and players might as well treat wearing it as an announcement.
It's a proclamation that they're out for blood and want to add more pieces to their armor. Each piece adds 40 armor, for a total of 400 (10 pieces). This generous armor value ensures that players are as combat-ready as they can be. Pair it with the katana and it's easily one of the most reliable ways of clearing cannibal camps or mutant nests in the caves.
2 Creepy Armor
Stats:
- Armor - 80
Crafting materials:
- N/A, drops from adult mutants
The Bone Armor might be a favorite for some, but it's not the best nor the most protective. Creepy Armor holds that latter spot as it provides a whopping 80 armor per piece (a total of 800 for 10 pieces). This essentially turns the players into a tank who can trade blows even with mutants which is ironic since this armor is made from their skin.
In that regard, it's even more disturbing than the bone armor as it's literally just monster skin draped all over the characters. Obtaining the Creepy Armor is quite the process, however. This armor supposedly only drops from Girl mutants (these are the tall, lanky ones). Killing one will make it drop three Creepy Armor pieces in its place so players will have to hunt down four for the complete set.
1 Stealth Armor
Stats:
- Armor - 20
- Stealth - 10%
Crafting materials:
- Lizard Skin - 1
- Leaf - 15
For a good balance between accessibility and versatility, none can't beat the Stealth Armor in The Forest. It has the same stats as the Lizard armor but is better since it adds to Sealth. It even cranks up the player's Sealth to 100% as a missing piece (on Normal difficulty).
To that end, it's the preferable option once players have accumulated enough leaves. That's easy enough if they're always breaking small plants. It's also a lot better than mud when it comes to Stealth since this armor won't wash off or lose its sneaking bonus when it rains. Overall, players can't go wrong with this. It not only aids in avoiding lethal encounters but also provides a failsafe in case sneaking fails.