Hal’s Workshop in the Norgandian Settlement crafts 11 head, 11 body and 11 leg recipes once his list is fully open. Open the “Workshop” menu and the “Manufacturable Gear” list. The stat lines show your current stats and the stats with the piece equipped; each row also shows its weight, Manufacturing Cost and Required Materials. The screen therefore shows your own stat with the piece equipped, so its figures are higher than the piece’s own; the tables give each piece’s own values, and the order is the same either way. The rankings below follow Defense, with Magick Defense shown alongside.
Quick answer: The highest-Defense piece in each slot comes from a “???” row that opens after “Village Defense”: head is the Smithed Ashen-White Hood (265), body the Smithed Ancient Kingdom Plate (458), legs the Smithed Argent Cuisses (322). Some vocations cannot wear the top body and leg pieces and take the next one they can.
How the list is ranked and when the rows open
“Best” refers to the craftable item with the greatest Defense for its slot. The tables include gold and materials, though neither determines the ranking. Since equipment eligibility varies by vocation, each vocation’s top choice is the highest-ranked item it can equip. Only Hal’s armour is included; cloaks and appraisal relic armour are excluded. These rankings use the Manufacturable Gear list. For every recipe with gold and materials see every Hal recipe, gold and materials; for how the list grows see how to unlock more Hal recipes and the ??? rows; for warmth, the cloaks and how to stay warm in Norgan’s whiteouts.
The rows unlock in two stages. After the side quest “Hammer and Tongs” each slot shows 5 armour rows. After the side quest “Village Defense” each slot shows 11 rows, and three of them per slot display “???” with a black silhouette and a “???” name and description. Those “???” rows still print their Required Materials, Manufacturing Cost, weight and stat change, and the piece each one makes is named in the tables below. In every slot, the highest Defense comes from a “???” row.
In the initial list, some body and leg items show a thermal value of 10, represented by the snow-and-wind icon beneath “Debilitation Res”; every “???” item lacks that value.
Best head armour ranked by Defense
| Piece | Defense | Magick Defense | Who can wear it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smithed Ashen-White Hood | 265 | 200 | All nine vocations |
| Smithed Prophetic Diadem | 263 | 198 | All nine vocations |
| Smithed Warding Hood | 250 | 258 | All nine vocations |
| Smithed Thermal Bevor | 210 | 170 | All nine vocations |
| Smithed Band of Equilibrium | 208 | 160 | All nine vocations |
| Smithed Oathtaker’s Hood | 193 | 219 | All nine vocations |
| Smithed Rivet-Studded Circlet | 176 | 135 | Fighter, Archer, Thief, Warrior, Mystic Spearhand |
| Smithed Duskplume Headband | 172 | 140 | All nine vocations |
| Smithed Inkleaf Circlet | 158 | 190 | Archer, Mage, Sorcerer, Mystic Spearhand, Magick Archer, Trickster |
| Smithed Frost-Hunter’s Band | 148 | 96 | All nine vocations |
| Smithed Talisman Band | 140 | 166 | All nine vocations |
Smithed Ashen-White Hood tops the slot at Defense 265 and can be worn by every vocation. It comes from a “???” row and costs 12,000 G, using Curvestone x1 and Bloodstained Plate x2. If you want the highest Magick Defense instead, the Smithed Warding Hood reaches 258 (Defense 250) for the same 12,000 G and is also open to all nine vocations, trading Bloodstained Plate for Maleficent Heart x2.
Lower down, the Smithed Frost-Hunter’s Band is one of the two cheapest head recipes at 5,000 G and needs only Azure Ore x1.
Best body armour ranked by Defense
| Piece | Defense | Magick Defense | Who can wear it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smithed Ancient Kingdom Plate | 458 | 358 | Fighter, Warrior, Mystic Spearhand |
| Smithed Windclad Deel | 432 | 370 | Archer, Thief, Warrior, Magick Archer, Trickster |
| Smithed Sovran-Sigil Robe | 412 | 490 | Mage, Sorcerer, Mystic Spearhand, Magick Archer, Trickster |
| Smithed Northbound Cuirass | 412 | 289 | Fighter, Warrior, Mystic Spearhand |
| Smithed Swifthunt Half-Jacket | 398 | 303 | Archer, Thief, Magick Archer |
| Smithed Robe of Hallowing | 350 | 438 | Mage, Sorcerer, Trickster |
| Smithed Raider’s Tunic | 350 | 198 | Fighter, Warrior, Mystic Spearhand |
| Smithed Snowraven Vest | 340 | 207 | Archer, Thief, Trickster |
| Smithed Indigo Coat | 285 | 370 | Mage, Sorcerer, Magick Archer |
| Smithed Norgandian Tunic | 285 | 142 | Fighter, Thief, Warrior, Mystic Spearhand |
| Smithed Highland Coat | 235 | 265 | Archer, Mage, Sorcerer, Magick Archer, Trickster |
Smithed Ancient Kingdom Plate holds the highest Defense at 458, but only Fighter, Warrior and Mystic Spearhand can wear it. It costs 20,000 G and needs Curvestone x2, Baleful Hoof x1 and Bloodstained Plate x3. Archer, Thief, Magick Archer and Trickster take the Smithed Windclad Deel at 432 instead, which shares the same cost and materials.
For Magick Defense the Smithed Sovran-Sigil Robe leads at 490 (Defense 412), again at 20,000 G, open to Mage, Sorcerer, Mystic Spearhand, Magick Archer and Trickster. Each of these three top body pieces comes from a “???” row.
Best leg armour ranked by Defense
| Piece | Defense | Magick Defense | Who can wear it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smithed Argent Cuisses | 322 | 209 | Fighter, Thief, Warrior, Mystic Spearhand |
| Smithed Spectral-Hide Hosen | 302 | 215 | Archer, Mage, Thief, Sorcerer, Magick Archer, Trickster |
| Smithed Fiend Tramplers | 292 | 287 | Archer, Mage, Sorcerer, Mystic Spearhand, Magick Archer, Trickster |
| Smithed Coldmarch Cuisses | 227 | 183 | Fighter, Archer, Warrior, Mystic Spearhand |
| Smithed Infiltrator’s Hosen | 218 | 172 | Archer, Thief, Warrior, Magick Archer |
| Smithed Snowskip Skirt | 212 | 233 | Archer, Mage, Thief, Sorcerer, Magick Archer, Trickster |
| Smithed Skirmisher’s Breeches | 180 | 132 | Fighter, Thief, Warrior, Mystic Spearhand |
| Smithed Cragsman’s Boots | 174 | 139 | Trickster, Magick Archer, Mage, Archer, Mystic Spearhand, Sorcerer, Thief |
| Smithed Whitesilk Breeches | 162 | 166 | Archer, Mage, Sorcerer, Magick Archer |
| Smithed Hunter’s Snowboots | 155 | 120 | All nine vocations |
| Smithed Snowstrider Boots | 148 | 125 | All nine vocations |
Smithed Argent Cuisses leads at Defense 322 for Fighter, Thief, Warrior and Mystic Spearhand, costing 15,000 G with Curvestone x1, Midnight-Black Tatter x1 and Bloodstained Plate x2. Archer, Mage, Sorcerer, Magick Archer and Trickster cannot wear it and take the Smithed Spectral-Hide Hosen at 302 instead. The highest Magick Defense in the slot belongs to the Smithed Fiend Tramplers at 287, also 15,000 G. All three are “???” rows.
Top Defense picks for each vocation
Body and legs split by what each vocation may equip, so the highest-Defense pick differs.
| Vocation | Body (top Defense) | Legs (top Defense) |
|---|---|---|
| Fighter | Ancient Kingdom Plate (458) | Argent Cuisses (322) |
| Archer | Windclad Deel (432) | Spectral-Hide Hosen (302) |
| Mage | Sovran-Sigil Robe (412) | Spectral-Hide Hosen (302) |
| Thief | Windclad Deel (432) | Argent Cuisses (322) |
| Warrior | Ancient Kingdom Plate (458) | Argent Cuisses (322) |
| Sorcerer | Sovran-Sigil Robe (412) | Spectral-Hide Hosen (302) |
| Mystic Spearhand | Ancient Kingdom Plate (458) | Argent Cuisses (322) |
| Magick Archer | Windclad Deel (432) | Spectral-Hide Hosen (302) |
| Trickster | Windclad Deel (432) | Spectral-Hide Hosen (302) |
Ranked by Magick Defense instead, the Smithed Sovran-Sigil Robe (490) is the body pick for Mage, Sorcerer, Mystic Spearhand, Magick Archer and Trickster, and the Smithed Fiend Tramplers (287) is the leg pick wherever the vocation can wear them.
Best picks before “Village Defense”
Until “Village Defense” opens the “???” rows, the strongest pieces Hal can make are from the first list of 5 per slot.
- Head: Smithed Rivet-Studded Circlet (Defense 176; Fighter, Archer, Thief, Warrior and Mystic Spearhand) and Smithed Duskplume Headband (172; all nine vocations).
- Body: Smithed Raider’s Tunic (350; Fighter, Warrior, Mystic Spearhand), Smithed Snowraven Vest (340; Archer, Thief, Trickster) and Smithed Indigo Coat (285; Mage, Sorcerer, Magick Archer).
- For legs, Smithed Skirmisher’s Breeches provides 180 Defense and suits Fighter, Thief, Warrior, and Mystic Spearhand. Smithed Cragsman’s Boots offers 174 Defense and is wearable by Archer, Mage, Thief, Sorcerer, Mystic Spearhand, Magick Archer, and Trickster.
Once “Village Defense” is complete, come back to the “Workshop” menu and the “???” rows appear in each slot and hold its highest Defense. You will know the full list is active when every slot shows 11 rows, including three “???” entries.
