We previously discussed the Akkala Ancient Tech Lab, in which, upon successful completion of an associated task, Link will be able to purchase the Ancient Armor set. This set consists of a Helm; a Curaiss (which Itzal dubbed cure-ass); and Greaves (also known as grievances, likewise courtesy of Itzal’s propensity to award nicknames).
First point to be made: The Ancient set is simply the best.
Sure, the Barbarian armor is great. The Wild set, too.
But for our money, nothing compares to the Ancient set. Each piece starts with a base defense level of 4, the highest in the game; only the Soldier’s and Wild sets share the level 4 base. What’s more, even at their lowest, un-upgraded level, each Ancient piece provides a measure of Guardian damage resistance. (That sound you hear is Itzal snoring, as he never bothered to understand armor levels and set bonuses; he just thinks the Ancient Armor is dashing.)
Now, it’s true that Lynels have laid us low more than once, and those stupid Octoroks can bring our hearts down faster than a Yiga Blademaster. Guardian damage resistance won’t help with those enemies. But Guardians themselves? Urgh. If you haven’t yet mastered the perfect parry against a Stalker – or maybe you want to practice – you’ll want all the Guardian resistance you can get. Upgrade the entire set twice, and you’ll also receive an 80 percent Ancient Proficiency bonus. That doesn’t mean you will be 80 percent more adept at fighting, but when you do strike a blow with an Ancient or Guardian weapon, you’ll be striking with 80 percent more damage. (Itzal: And you’ll look good doing so.)
Second point to be made: The Ancient armor set isn’t cheap, neither in rupees nor in upgrade materials. The three pieces together will set Link back a whopping 6000 rupees in addition to the requisite ancient materials – which are themselves hard to come by. Plus, there’s the additional cost in materials to upgrade.
So, you might be thinking, why not get the Barbarian or Wild set instead? They’re free. And that’s true, but those sets must be earned, and each presents a challenge to do so. After we’d bought our Ancient armor and a bit of Ancient gear, we found it much easier to tackle the Lomei Labyrinth, where the Tu’Kaloh shrine and the Barbarian Helm are located (which we did, later, but that’s another story). Also, the Barbarian armor requires Lynel parts, the acquisition of which is hardly a walk in the park, to upgrade to the set-bonus second level.
In contrast, the Ancient set only requires more Ancient materials to get to the second, bonus level. Yes, you’ll need star fragments and Giant Ancient Cores for that set’s final upgrade, but by then, you’ll be a lean, green, fighting – mmmm, now it sounds as though we’re talking about a different set of armor. So let’s talk about it. The Hero of the Wild set requires you to have first cleared all 120 shrines. Don’t know about you, but that took us a while to finish. Hence, our fondness for the Ancient set.
Third and final point: Don’t purchase the Ancient Helm if you’re the proud owner of a Champion Amiibo, because any of the Divine Helms dropped by the Champion Amiibos substitutes for the Ancient Helm to achieve the set bonus. Save yourself 2000 rupees! In addition, you’ll get the special effect from the Divine Beast related to the helm: a swim speed bonus for Vah Ruta, cold resistance for Vah Medoh, et cetera. (It must be noted that the Divine helms are rather ugly. In the Vah Rudania helmet, you enjoy extra flame resistance, but you’ll pay for it in wearing what looks to be a vintage diving helmet. Then there’s Vah Ruta’s helm, which includes an elephant trunk. Need we go on? Itzal gladly will. But: 2000 rupees saved!)
In short: We love our Ancient Cure-asses and most especially our Ancient Grievances. Really, we can’t let go of them.
We don’t, however, have a cocktail pairing for them. We thought about the Armour Cocktail, a riff on the Manhattan, which clever Demelza found through research. But Demelza generally doesn’t like “brown liquor,” and Itzal loathes sherry and therefore refuses to replace bourbon with it as this recipe suggests. Instead, you can drink whatever you like while wearing the Ancient Armor. And Itzal will live to fight another day for pairing a real Manhattan with BOTW…