Summary
InDungeons & Dragons, your armor class (or AC) is very important. The higher your AC is, the more difficult it is for enemies to hit you, meaning your precious hit points will remain safe and sound, and your character gets to be conscious a bit longer. Thus, increasing this number is important to you, and there’s only so much you’ll be able to get through your ability scores.
Luckily, there are other ways to increase it, such as through magical armor or other items. Whether you’re a Dungeon Master looking to reward your low AC players or you’re an adventurer angling for what item to save up for, here are the best magic itemsto boost your AC.
Updated on July 27, 2025, by Lucas Olah:Many items that increase AC for those who really need it were already here, making sure spellcasters wouldn’t get hurt too easily, along with an extra shield and sword for those who use them. That said, tanks also need to improve their AC further to make sure they can keep doing their job during high-level stories, so we increased this list with a few armor choices for the party’s frontliner.
Sometimes, The Best Solution Is The Simplest One
Rarity
Uncommon for +1 Shields, Rare for +2 Shields, and Very Rare for +3 Shields
Effect
Increase the AC by two plus the bonus stated above. A +1 shield increases AC by three, for example.
Giving your players amazing items with different effects is amazing, but we still need simpler magical items to give as loot during low levels of play. That said, an extremely simple thing you may do if you’re out of ideas is to give them a shield that offers more than two extra points for their AC.
Just be extra careful with their levels; a +3 shield can be a massive game-changer during low levels. Also, you can get other shields with different effects and give them a +1 or +2 to make them even better.
Different Items, Same Logic
Rare for +1, Very Rare for +2, and Legendary for +3
Adds the bonus above to the armor’s AC. A +1 chain mail would give you an AC of 17 rather than the normal 16.
you may apply what we said to shields above to any piece of armor, meaning that characters who don’t (or can’t) use shields can still benefit from some extra AC. Because of that, it’s easy to make useful loot for any character through this method.
Also similar to shields, you’re able to also take an already magical armor with unique effects and still stack it up with an AC bonus - just bear in mind that the item might get too powerful if you do this.
To give your players agency over their own improvements, you’re able to create NPCs that can improve armor, shields, or other items, turning a regular shield into a +1, then a +2, or a +3 — for the right price, of course.
+1 bonus to AC and saving throws.
The Ring of Protection is a classic for a reason. It’s a simple and cheap way to boost your AC and give you a nice little bonus for your saving throws. You may be wondering how a +1 could come in handy, but trust us, when your DM lets you know that you only just made the DC against a dragon’s acid breath by one, you’ll realize just how glad you are for that ring.
The best thing about these rings is that due to their cheapness, you’ll likely be able to get them early on, which is great as they’re best suited for low-level adventurers.
Uncommon
+1 bonus to AC and saving throws while you wear this cloak.
The Cloak of Protection is appealing for all the same reasons that the Ring of Protection is, in that it’s something that is quite cheap and quite easy to attain at lower levels, making it a very accessible way to help bump up your AC.
In addition, it can actually stack with items such as a Ring of Protection, so you can use both items.
Rare
+2 bonus to AC if you are wearing no armor and using no shield.
If you’re looking for something a little more effective, the Bracers of Defense are one of your best bets. These are best used for characters who don’t have any armor, so monks, barbarians, or spellcasters such as sorcerers and wizards are perfect for this. They will enable them to get a decent boost of their AC.
The best part about the Bracers of Defense is that it will give those who are more vulnerable, especially spellcasters who don’t tend to wear any armor, the best boost for their AC, and it also stacks with spells they may use, such as Mage Armor.
Don’t forget that you can stack any items that have different names. As we mentioned before, you can use Cloak of Protection and Ring of Protection at the same time, and even the Bracers of Defense, too. Just let your friends have some of the loot, though.
Two of the same ring won’t stack together, however, even if you have enough fingers for all of them. Your DM will also likely veto multiple items that go into the same part of your body, like wearing multiple cloaks or bracers, for (hopefully) obvious reasons.
Very Rare
+1 to AC, resistance to a damage type based on the scales used to make the armor, and a few tricks to track dragons and resist their attacks
By default, this armor is a +1 scale mail, which gives you an AC of 15 plus your dexterity modifier (maximum of two - or three if you have medium armor master). Still, the DM can choose to use this stats on a different armor.
The armor will give you resistance to a damage type, and this damage type will basically be chosen by the DM, as it depends on what scales were used to make the armor. The options are fire, cold, lightning, acid, or poison.
Lastly, this armor will also give you an advantage in saving throws against Frightful Presence and breath weapons from dragons, and it also lets you track dragons within 30 miles of you.
+2 to AC and the ability to reduce the distance you get pushed.
This is a plate armor by default, which would give it an AC of 18. With the bonus, the base AC of this armor is 20, which is already an excellent number, being the equivalent of having a free shield with your armor - though you can add a shield here to increase your AC further.
Still, you can use your reaction anytime someone moves you without your consent, and your reaction will decrease the distance you’ll be moved by ten feet. Other than your reaction, there’s no cost for this feature, so you can use it every round.
Legendary
+3 to AC, immunity to fire, Primordial language, and walking on molten rock as if it were regular ground.
The Efreeti Chain is marked as any heavy armor, so it’s up to the DM which one it is - though the name implies a chain mail, it could be as heavy as plate armor, though a +3 plate armor can make things hard for the DM.
Along with that, you become immune to fire damage and can use molten rock - aka lava - as solid ground. And you get the Primordial language as a plus, which is not the coolest part, but it’s fun for roleplaying reasons.
+1 to AC, and anyone can wear it regardless of proficiency.
This is a chain shirt, which provides an AC of 14 plus up to two points of your dexterity modifier. With a +1, this is then a 15 plus bonuses. It also doesn’t give you disadvantage on stealth checks, but that’s how any chain shirt works - we just thought we should mention it.
The fun part here is that you can use it even if you don’t have proficiency in medium armor, so a spellcaster can use it to keep themselves safe even if their build didn’t accommodate medium armor proficiency along the way.
+2 to AC against ranged attacks and the ability to redirect ranged attacks toward you.
This shield AC bonus is circumstantial, but not only does it give you a bonus, but it also makes you better at your tanking job - if that’s your role in the party. It gives you a +2 to AC (along with the regular +2 shields, so it’s a +4 total) against any ranged attack, and, despite the name, this also applies to spell ranged attacks.
Along with that, if anyone who’s five away from you uses a ranged attack on someone else, you can use your reaction to have said attack aimed toward you, protecting your ally in the process. And since the attack will probably have a disadvantage and you have an extra AC, the chances of you getting hit are low.
