I have a confession to make. Every time I roll a new character in Baldur's Gate 3, I tell myself I'll finally try heavy armor. Plate looks cool, right? And then twenty minutes later I'm sneaking around with a high-dexterity build and quietly sliding back into medium armor, because it's just the sweet spot. It gives you real protection without turning your character into a clanking tin can who fails every Stealth check.

Even in 2026, with the game long past its launch window and the modding scene doing absolutely wild things, the base game's medium armor list still holds up. So here's my personal ranking, from the humble starter set to the piece I will happily bankrupt a character for.

Quick Reference Table

8. Scale Mail — Everyone Starts Somewhere 🐣

Look, it's not exciting. It's 14 AC plus up to +2 from Dexterity, and it gives you disadvantage on Stealth. But it's everywhere. Fighters start with it, half the enemies you loot in Act 1 are wearing it, and you can buy it from basically any merchant with a pulse. If you're running a Cleric — or you're like me and you always give Shadowheart something better than her starting gear — this is the early-game workhorse. It buys you time to save gold for the good stuff.

7. Adamantine Scale Mail — Crit Immunity Is Ridiculous 🛡️

Sixteen AC plus Dexterity, minus one to all incoming damage, and enemies literally cannot land critical hits on you. A natural 20 just becomes a normal hit. That single property has saved more of my runs than I can count, because nothing ends a fight faster than a random crit deleting your tank.

It also inflicts Reeling on anyone who hits you, which stacks a -1 penalty on their next attack rolls for two turns. The catch? You forge it at the Adamantine Forge in the Underdark, and you only get two items per playthrough. Choose carefully. I usually pick this plus a shield or a weapon, and I never regret it.

6. Yuan-ti Scale Mail — The Dex Cap Breaker 🐍

Here's where medium armor gets interesting. Instead of capping your Dexterity bonus at +2, this thing lets you add the whole thing to its 15 AC. Max out Dex at 20 and you're sitting at 20 AC in Act 2, with no Stealth penalty and a +1 to initiative. You can buy it from Quartermaster Talli at the Last Light Inn, which means you don't have to fight anyone for it — you just need the coin.

5. Psionic Ward Armour — For My Githyanki Friends 🧠

Fifteen AC plus up to +2 Dex, and every successful saving throw against a spell heals you for 1d4. That's a nice little trickle of sustain. But the real prize is the Githyanki-only bonus: resistance to psychic damage, which turns your character into a genuine nightmare for every Mind Flayer in the game.

You'll have to earn it, though. Ch'r'ai Tska'an ambushes you on the road out of the Shadowlands toward Baldur's Gate, and you have to loot it off her corpse.

4. Dark Justiciar Half-Plate — The Evil Choice 😈

The rare version sits at 16 AC and gives you advantage on Stealth while obscured plus advantage on Constitution saves. It also grants Shar's Aegis, a Shield of Faith variant that bumps your AC by two and punishes attackers with 1d4 necrotic damage.

If you let Shadowheart kill the Nightsong, it upgrades to a very rare version with 17 base AC. That's a heavy narrative price to pay, and I won't pretend I make that choice often. But mechanically? It's excellent.

3. Flame Enamelled Armour — Fireproof And Fast 🔥

Sixteen AC, resistance to fire, +2 to initiative and saving throws, and a free once-per-long-rest cast of Fire Shield: Warm. That last one reflects 2d8 fire damage at anything that hits you in melee, which pairs beautifully with a high-AC build. It's in a chest in a restricted area of Wyrm's Rock Fortress, so bring your best lockpicks — or your best sword.

2. Unwanted Masterwork Scalemail — Uncapped And Affordable 💰

Sixteen AC with no Dexterity cap and fire resistance. Dammon sells it in Act 3, assuming he survived long enough to reach the city. It's not the strongest option on this list, but it's the one I buy when I'm short on gold or when both my main character and a companion need uncapped medium armor. Practical beats flashy sometimes.

1. Armour of Agility — The Best In The Game 🏆

Seventeen base AC, your entire Dexterity modifier, no Stealth penalty, and +2 to saving throws. A character with 20 Dexterity hits 22 AC from the armor alone. Add a shield, a cloak, a ring, and whatever else you've hoarded, and you can push into the high twenties. At that point enemies need a natural 20 just to touch you — and remember, some of the armors above stop those from critting.

Gloomy Fentonson sells it at Stormshore Armoury near the Lower City Central Wall waypoint. It is expensive. Buy it anyway. I've never once regretted emptying my pockets for this thing, and I doubt you will either.