Monster Hunter Wilds secret armor sets and how to get them

Secret armor sets in Monster Hunter Wilds are the cherry on top of a game packed with interlocking systems.

Acquired through rare materials often only accessible via trading with various in-game merchants, and other, even more obtuse means, it won’t be easy to grab the full set.

Thankfully, we’ve done the hard work for you, rounding up all the required materials and the armor set details to help you get all of them.

Ranging from silk hoods to the physical embodiment of death, Monster Hunter Wilds’ secret armor sets are certainly varied — here’s how to unlock all of them, and why you’d want to.

What are secret armor sets in Monster Hunter Wilds?

While the majority of armor sets in Monster Hunter Wilds are crafted from the remains of foes you’ve vanquished, secret armor sets won’t appear in your Smithy menu until you have the required raw materials.

These range from rare goods like Sild Cotton to completing a certain quest, or just getting very lucky with the in-game Supply Ship.

As for why you’d want to wear such a set, they come with their own Skills which can trigger in-game, but many don’t make a full set. For example, while the Battle set has five pieces of armor, the Sild set comprises of only two.

How to trade for secret armor set materials

Many of the sets below require trading, but there’s no point doing this until High Rank because the materials can’t be earned until that point.

You can speak to the various vendors throughout Wilds’ different biomes, but it’s much easier and less time-consuming to speak to Nata. After reaching High Rank, he’ll be found in every base camp, but he will have the ability to handle trades from all the vendors.

It’s worth noting many of them require the Ancient Wyvern Coin currency, so be sure to stock up.

How to get all secret armor sets in Monster Hunter Wilds

Here are all secret armor sets, their requirements, and skills at a glance:

For more a closer look at each armor set…

This four-piece outfit is inspired by the in-game Kunafa tribe, and you’ll need to get Dalthydon Wool from trading with Kilama (or Nata, as we mentioned above).

Doing so will reward you with this set of armor which is strong against Thunder but weak to just about everything else. The Palico Rally Skill will increase your buddy’s attack and defence by 20% at this rate, which is not to be sniffed at.

Suja Textiles can be purchased from traders, and taking it to the Smithy will trigger a single item — a coil for your Hunter.

Don’t let that put you off, though, since it offers the Level 3 Divine Blessing Skill. This reduces damage taken by a whopping 50% when active, meaning it’ll be worth wearing for tougher fights. On its own, the coil is ideal against Ice, too.

This cosy-looking pair of items comes from the Sild Cotton item which you can pick up from a vendor.

Believe it or not, it’s strong against the Dragon element, but it is weak against Fire, Water, Thunder, and Ice. The big draw is the Botanist Skill, which at Level 3 adds an extra consumable while gathering anything but mushrooms – ideal for material farming runs.

Again, swap your materials (or Wyvern coins) for Azuz Tanned Leather and you’ll be rewarded at the Smithy with a helmet, chestpiece, and boots.

Azuz armor comes in three parts, and the perk variety is nice. Heroics gives you attack and defence buffs when you’re on low health, while Geologist means more items while gathering from mining outcrops and bone piles. Best of all, Maximum Might adds 20% of Affinity at this level, too (think of it as critical hit chance).

This unsettling Death Stench armor requires the Sinister Cloth material. In my experience, while you can trade for it, it can be gathered by NPCs, too — saving your coins. It can give you a big buff to attack.

The Resentment Skill gives you additional attack damage, which stacks with the Sneak Attack-focused Ambush for potentially big gains in terms of output. Add in Stun Resistance and Intimidator to help keep monsters from attacking you first and you can do major damage at the start of a hunt.

It’s strong against Dragon-type, but weak against Thunder.

The Butterfly Armor set comes from the Great Hornfly, which can be found at the Scarlet Forest vendors, or via gathering.

It’s good to have against Thunder and Dragon types, but is weak to Fire or Water. The big draw is Constitution, which hits level 5 here meaning your stamina depletion is reduced by half – giving you more energy to hit harder, while Evade Window offers a greatly increased invulnerability window at Level 5.

No, that’s not a typo — you can use the Great Hornfly for two different armors sets, with each offering its own stats. You’ll need five of them for the full set, though.

The Skills here are focused on resistance to Poison and Paralysis, as well as using Heroics for an attack buff when wounded. Foray helps you deal big damage against monsters suffering from either of those status effects, while Flayer will help you open wounds.

An armor set with more Skills you can shake a Great Hibiscus at, the Melahoa outfit is stylish and functional.

It’s weak against Fire, Ice, and Dragon elements, but it does do well against Thunder. Its skills combine to help avoid poison, paralysis, and bleeding status effects, while also buffing health recovery and tool cooldown while letting you consume mushrooms in the open world.

Scarred Scale has been particularly rare in my time with Monster Hunter Wilds, but it can be purchased with Ancient Wyvern Coins when it does appear.

This five-piece set offers sleep and bind resistance, as well as the chance to snag a free meal, lower stamina depletion while dodging or blocking, and even for sprinting. If you’re building your Hunter around being nimble, this might be a good way to go – just beware of its weakness to Water and Thunder.

Drearisite Scraps can be found from Azuz merchants, so keep your coins handy in case they pop up for trading.

This set offers a series of defence buffs, like Iron Skin that prevents a monster from lowering your defence at all at Level 3, as well as the very handy Partbreaker which means it’s easier to break parts of a monster and destroy wounds.

No trading for this one, but it’s sadly still a little tricky to get hold of. You’ll need the Supply Ship to furnish you with a Commission Ticket, so my advice is to check it regularly and snap them up whenever you see them.

Its only real high-level stat is Agitator, which buffs attack and affinity when large monsters are enraged, but that feeds into Maximum Might which can buff affinity again by another 10%. Add in Divine Blessing, and you’ve got a decent all-rounder which is ideal for Fire and Water monsters.

As with Artian weapons, you’ll unlock the Artian armor set by completing the “What We Protect” optional quest.

Strong against Dragon-type monsters but weaker with Water and Thunder, Artian armor has some resistance Skills and the always useful Earplugs one preventing a monster’s roar from rooting you to the spot. It also has Flayer to help you create and exploit a monster’s wounds.