Unearthing the Vulture Armor in Divinity: Original Sin 2
Ah, the Vulture Armor in Divinity: Original Sin 2. This coveted set, particularly prized for its unique bonuses and thematic design, can be a bit of a treasure hunt for players. If you've been scouring the world of Rivellon, wondering where to snag these powerful pieces, you've come to the right place. This guide will walk you through the exact locations and methods for acquiring each component of the Vulture Armor set.
The Components of the Vulture Armor Set
The Vulture Armor is a four-piece set, consisting of:
- Vulture Mask
- Vulture Body Armor
- Vulture Gauntlets
- Vulture Boots
Each piece offers significant stat boosts and special abilities that can dramatically enhance your character's combat effectiveness. The set bonus, when all four pieces are equipped, is particularly potent, often revolving around increased critical hit chance and damage, or resistances that synergize well with certain builds.
Locating the Vulture Armor Pieces: A Step-by-Step Breakdown
The Vulture Armor is not found in one convenient location. Instead, its components are scattered across different acts and require specific actions or exploration to obtain.
Act 1: The Vulture Mask
The first piece you're likely to encounter is the Vulture Mask. This is tied to a specific questline involving the Magisters and a pivotal decision.
Location: Fort Joy Ghetto
How to Obtain:
- You'll need to progress through the main questline in Fort Joy until you reach the area known as the Fort Joy Ghetto.
- Engage with the "Spirit of the Ghetto" quest. This quest involves dealing with the suffering of the outcast Magisters and the enslaved people.
- As part of this quest, you'll encounter a Magister named Guard Ruan. He is often found near the gates of the ghetto or patrolling the area.
- You will have a choice of how to deal with Guard Ruan. If you choose to persuade or fight him, you can loot his body after the encounter.
- Among Guard Ruan's belongings, you will find the Vulture Mask. It is crucial to loot his body after the encounter to secure this item. If you miss this opportunity, you may not be able to acquire it later in this playthrough.
Act 2: The Vulture Body Armor and Vulture Boots
The next two pieces, the Vulture Body Armor and the Vulture Boots, are found in the treacherous region of the Reaper's Coast, specifically within the Drudgery Freehold.
Location: Drudgery Freehold (Reaper's Coast)
How to Obtain:
- Progress through Act 2 until you reach the Reaper's Coast.
- The Drudgery Freehold is a significant dungeon-like area filled with hostile enemies and environmental hazards. You'll typically enter this area as part of a quest that involves investigating the local lizard population or dealing with an entity known as the "Voidwoken."
- Navigate through the Drudgery Freehold carefully. Be prepared for combat and traps.
- The Vulture Body Armor is found in a specific chest within the Freehold. Keep an eye out for a chest that often contains high-tier loot. It's usually located in a more prominent or well-guarded area of the Freehold.
- The Vulture Boots are also located within the Drudgery Freehold, often in a similar chest or on the body of a powerful enemy guarding a key area. Pay close attention to any large treasure chests or unique enemy encounters.
Tip: It is highly recommended to have a character with high "Wits" or lockpicking skills to open any locked chests that may contain these items. Alternatively, you can use spells like "Forced Exchange" or "Teleportation" to manipulate the environment and access otherwise unreachable loot.
Act 3: The Vulture Gauntlets
The final piece, the Vulture Gauntlets, is located in Arx, the capital city of the Divine.
Location: Arx - The Cathedral
How to Obtain:
- Advance to Act 3 and enter the city of Arx.
- Your primary objective here will lead you towards the Arx Cathedral. This is a major quest hub with numerous encounters and story developments.
- Within the Cathedral, you will eventually come across a specific encounter that triggers the appearance of the Vulture Gauntlets. This often involves a fight against a formidable enemy or a complex puzzle.
- One of the most consistent ways to acquire the Vulture Gauntlets is by defeating the boss encounter in the lower levels of the Cathedral, often associated with a ritual or a confrontation with powerful entities.
- After defeating the boss, loot their body or the surrounding environment for the Vulture Gauntlets.
Note: The specific circumstances for obtaining the Vulture Gauntlets in Act 3 can sometimes be tied to specific quest choices or the order in which you tackle certain objectives within the Cathedral. However, defeating the main boss of the lower Cathedral area is generally the most reliable method.
Why is the Vulture Armor so Good?
The Vulture Armor set is renowned for its synergistic bonuses. While the exact stats can vary slightly depending on the level of the items when you find them, the set generally provides:
- Increased Critical Hit Chance: This is a cornerstone of the set, allowing your characters to land devastating critical strikes more often.
- Increased Critical Hit Damage: Critically hitting isn't just about hitting more; it's about hitting harder, and this set excels at that.
- Attribute Bonuses: Typically, you'll see boosts to Strength, Finesse, or Intelligence, depending on the specific pieces, making it versatile for different character archetypes.
- Unique Abilities: Some pieces might grant access to special skills or passive effects that further enhance combat prowess, such as increased movement speed or defensive buffs.
- Resistances: The set often provides valuable resistances to elemental damage or status effects, making your characters more durable.
The combined effect of these bonuses makes the Vulture Armor an excellent choice for any damage-dealing character, especially those built around critical hits, such as rangers, rogues, or certain warrior builds.
Frequently Asked Questions about the Vulture Armor
How do I know if I missed a Vulture Armor piece?
The best way to know if you've missed a piece is by checking your inventory for all four components. If you've progressed past a certain act or completed a key questline related to a specific piece's location and don't have it, it's highly probable you missed it. Some items are only available through looting specific corpses or chests during precise quest moments.
Can I get the Vulture Armor at any level?
The Vulture Armor pieces will scale in level with you to a certain extent. However, the power of the stats and bonuses will be more significant if you acquire them at higher levels when they naturally appear as loot. You can technically find them earlier, but their effectiveness will be diminished.
What happens if I kill Guard Ruan before getting the Vulture Mask?
If you defeat Guard Ruan without looting his body, you will get the Vulture Mask. However, if you bypass him entirely, or he dies in a way that prevents looting (which is rare), you may miss out. The key is that his body must be lootable for the mask to be accessible.
Are there other sets as good as the Vulture Armor?
Divinity: Original Sin 2 has a plethora of excellent armor sets, each with its own strengths. The Vulture Armor is top-tier for critical hit-focused builds, but other sets might be better for different playstyles, such as those focusing on elemental damage, survivability, or specific schools of magic.

