Armor

Armor is defensive equipment designed to provide protection from the hostile environments and equally as hostile enemies of the Heleus cluster.

Overview
There are four categories of armor pieces available to the Ryder - Arms, Chests, Helmets, and Legs.
 * Some armor sets have less armor pieces: Heleus Defender, Deep Space Explorer, and Scavenger sets, which only have two pieces (Armor and Helmet).
 * Depending upon the choice to be either a female or male Ryder, all armor will change in appearance slightly. The female version of armor is slightly smaller and more feminine in nature. The male version of armor is slightly larger and more muscular in nature. There is no difference in armor performance based on gender.
 * Armor can be found dropped from enemies, looted from containers, purchased from merchants, or by crafting at a research center.
 * Armor can only be changed at a Loadout station or using the Item Pickup menu.
 * Ryder starts the game with a set of Rank I Initiative Armor.
 * Each armor piece counts as one item towards the Inventory item limit.

Customization

 * Armor can be enhanced during development with augmentations, four in the chest piece, two each in the arms, legs, and helmet. (The full-body piece in the Heleus, Deep Space Explorer, and Scavenger sets has the same augmentation slots as a chest component and doesn't accept augmentations meant for arms or legs.)
 * Chest pieces can also be enhanced with fusion mods, untested Remnant technology with impressive benefits and equally impressive penalties. Fusion mods cannot be used with the Deep Space Explorer or Scavenger sets.
 * Armor appearance can be customized in the Wardrobe in the Pathfinder's Quarters on the Tempest.
 * Squadmate armor is fixed and is unable to be changed or customized.

Armor availability
Blueprints for researched and Andromeda Initiative-issued armors are unlocked at specific levels. Found and purchased armor levels up on the same schedule as AI-issued blueprints. Once a new tier is unlocked, prior tiers will not be found or available for purchase during gameplay.

Technology types
Armors fall into three technology types based on where their supporting tech comes from.
 * Milky Way Research.png Milky Way armors use proven Andromeda Initiative technologies. Milky way armors provide the largest variety of choices for defense including combat, exploration, and defensive focused platforms.


 * Heleus Research.png Heleus armors incorporate technologies from civilizations in the Heleus Cluster of the Andromeda galaxy. Heleus armors are combat focused and increase battle capabilities.


 * Remnant Research.png Remnant armors use experimental materials and technologies based on the mysterious Remnant. Remnant armors provide strong defense and restoration properties not found with other armor technologies.

Rarity
Armor falls into one of four categories: common, uncommon, rare, or ultra rare. Each armor rarity icon corresponds to a color coding. As rarity increases, the value of the armor increases as well.

Armor that is crafted uses the same icon, no matter the rarity.

Bonuses

 * Using all pieces from the same armor set provide no additional bonuses.
 * Choosing to mix and match armor pieces from different armor sets incurs no detrimental effects.

Merchants
Armor can be purchased from the following merchants:
 * Armor Merchant - Kadara Market, Kadara
 * Armor Merchant - Common Area, Nexus
 * Cody Holdren - Pelaav Research Station, Havarl
 * Jackson Cross - Taerve Uni, Voeld
 * Jezra - Atrium, Port Meridian
 * Merchant - Prodromos, Eos
 * Merchant - Hjara Station, Voeld
 * Oniijev - Marketplace, Aya

Achievements and trophies
The following achievements and trophies can be earned which are related to Armor:
 * Craftsmanship.png Craftsmanship