Elden Ring Best Helms

Elden Ring offers its players a wide option of various equipment for them to utilize in the battle residing within the Lands Between. Armor is easily the second most important aspect of equipment on a player's character, as armor decides how much damage the player can withstand, whether it be physical or magical.

Helms in Elden Ring are practically the cherries on top for armor sets in Elden Ring, and a large amount of them actually have abilities that can strengthen the stats of a player when worn. There are dozens upon dozens of different helmets, hats, and more for players to set in the top slot of their character's armor.

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Updated on January 13, 2025, by Vlad Mazanko: With nearly 200 helms available in Elden Ring and its Shadow of the Erdtree expansion, choosing the right one for a character build can be a daunting task. As with other pieces of defensive gear, players need to weigh several factors before settling on a specific helm, including hidden stat boosts that might enhance their build.

Some players may prioritize their character's appearance, choosing helms that fit their aesthetic vision, while others focus on optimizing their stats, paying close attention to poise and defensive attributes above everything else. To help players expand their selection of the best helms, this updated list highlights some of the top options from both the base game and the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion.

1 Fire Knight Helm

Sturdy Helm Packed With Hidden Bonuses

While not the most visually striking in the game, the Fire Knight Helm can be a solid choice for players looking to maximize their stats through equipment. In addition to its strong defensive capabilities, particularly great against physical damage, slash attacks, and fire, the helm also boasts high Robustness. However, the main reason why someone may prefer this over other helmets in Shadow of the Erdtree are small but useful bonuses: a 2% increase to maximum Health, a 5% boost to Stamina, and a 4% enhancement to Equip Load.

Obtaining the Fire Knight Helm in Shadow of the Erdtree relies entirely on luck. Players must farm the formidable Fire Knights in the Shadow Keep until the helm drops. As always, boosting Arcane or Item Discovery using Silver-Pickled Fowl Foot, Silver Horn Tender, and Silver Scarab is highly recommended for better results.

2 Rakshasa Helm

Warrior's Helm Offering Damage Boost

Bloody beautiful, the Rakshasa Helm is both visually striking and highly practical, offering one of the highest Robustness stats among mid-weight headgear. Despite below-average protection across the board, the standout feature of the Rakshasa Helm (and its complete armor set) is its minor boost to all damage. However, this comes with a trade-off: for every 2% increase in damage dealt, the player also takes 2% more damage. While this risk-reward balance might not suit every build, it can be invaluable for players aiming to quickly melt bosses' health bars with a well-optimized, high-damage setup.

The full Rakshasa armor set, including the Rakshasa Helm, is earned by defeating the Rakshasa boss in the Eastern Nameless Mausoleum in Shadow of the Erdtree. This area is only accessible through a secret coffin journey from Shadow Keep, making it an easy location to overlook.

3 Briar Helm

Rugged Headgear Designed For Aggressive Rolling Tactics

The Briar Helm is another knightly-inspired piece of headgear in Elden Ring, featuring a menacing design that promises pain for enemies and a touch of intimidation for its wearer. True to its class, the Briar Helm boasts high Robustness and excels at mitigating physical damage, effectively reducing strike, slash, and pierce attacks. Its unique albeit niche perk comes from its barbed-wire design, granting a thorn effect. When wearing the Briar Helm or Briar Armor, the character inflicts minor damage to enemies by rolling through them. However, the damage is minimal, making this perk more of a stylistic touch than a game-changer, even for players who heavily rely on rolling in combat (aren't we all?).

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The full Briar set is worn by the Bell Bearing Hunter bosses and can be purchased from Enia at the Roundtable Hold after defeating Elemer of the Briar, the boss found in The Shaded Castle in Altus Plateau. Thankfully, Elemer isn't even the toughest of his kind in the game, making the set relatively accessible for most players.

4 Verdigris Helm

Heavy Yet Incredibly Effective Protection

The Verdigris Helm acts as the Shadow of the Erdtree's counterpart to the Bull-Goat Helm from the base game, delivering unparalleled defense against physical damage, albeit at the cost of significant weight. Its design may also appeal to players favoring the aesthetics of a heavily armored melee knight. In addition to its exceptional physical defense, the Verdigris Helm stands out for its impressive Robustness and Immunity resistances, as well as its strong protection against Lightning attacks.

The Verdigris Helm, along with the rest of the Verdigris set, is worn by the Moore NPC in Shadow of the Erdtree. Sadly, players can only obtain the set by killing this peaceful warrior, which can happen at various points during the expansion's story.

5 Bull-Goat Helm

Poise Provider With Great Defensive Stats

The Bull-Goat Helm has been tossed around the Elden Ring community as the best helm in the game when it comes to wearing heavy armor. That is because despite the Bull-Goat Helm weighing 11.3, it provides the highest poise value, making it a prime choice for tanky players. Additionally, it provides exceptional resistance to physical damage with a rating of 7.5, along with impressive stats in other resistances and defenses, including solid magic defense. Players who can afford to wear such heavy protection have only to choose between this and Verdigris Helm for the best results.

To obtain the amazing Bull-Goat Helm, along with the rest of the heavy knight set, players must heavily prepare to defeat the Great Horned Tragoth for Patches and the Volcano Manor.

6 Pelt Of Ralva

For Fierce Warriors With Norse Blood In Their Veins

This unique helm serves as an alternate headgear option for the Iron Rivet Set in Shadow of the Erdtree, replacing the Fang Helm. While players can obtain the full Iron Rivet Set by defeating the Red Bear boss (who, despite the name, is a humanoid rather than an actual bear), acquiring the Pelt of Ralva requires taking down Ralva the Great Red Bear in Scadu Altus, a real bear. The bear hierarchy in this expansion can be a bit confusing!

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The Pelt of Ralva not only looks fantastic — especially for those who appreciate Viking-inspired designs — but also provides solid defense stats and comes with a unique combat bonus. This helm increases the damage of the Roar of Rugalea incantation by 15%, similar to the effects of the Roar Medallion and Godfrey Icon talismans. Even better, these bonuses can be stacked to maximize damage output.

7 Greatjar

It's Like A Jar, But Better

In Elden Ring, the Jar helm became iconic, thanks in large part to the efforts of one Tarnished known as Let Me Solo Her. Shadow of the Erdtree introduces the Greatjar, a bigger and better version of this unusual headgear, offering unique bonuses and making throwable-focused builds even more exciting.

Like the original Jar helm, the Greatjar boosts the power of all thrown pots by 16%. However, unlike its predecessor, this new helm also grants bonuses to Hefty pot throwables, not just Cracked and Ritual pots. Given the strength of some Hefty pot items in the expansion, the Greatjar can be particularly useful when facing troublesome enemies like Furnace Golems.

8 Circlet Of Light

Miquella's Final Gift

The Circlet of Light is a reward for defeating the final boss in the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion, and as expected, it's one of the best headgear options in Elden Ring. Despite its lightweight design, this helm boasts impressive stats and features a simple yet elegant design, with a beautiful golden glow encircling the wearer's head.

In addition to its aesthetic appeal, the Circlet of Light provides a boost to Intelligence, Faith, and Arcane, each by one point — essentially adding three levels of progress to any character. Moreover, it enhances the damage of the powerful Light of Miquella incantation by 10%. If only more helmets in Elden Ring were as versatile and powerful as this divine circlet.

9 Curseblade Mask

Stylish And Deadly

Among the most challenging new enemies in Shadow of the Erdtree are the Curseblades, notorious for their ambush tactics and formidable combat skills. Defeating one of these enemies can reward players with the Curseblade Mask, a potent and stylish helm with strong defenses and immunities. The standout feature of this mask is the five-point bonus to Dexterity, making it a favorite for many combat builds.

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However, the Curseblade Mask also comes with a downside — it reduces flask effectiveness by 7%. This drawback isn't too severe, especially when paired with the Crimson Seed Talismans. For Tarnished who rely on Dexterity and want to look cool while battling their foes, this mask is a must-have.

10 Horned Warrior Helm

Invaluable For Pure Strength Tarnished

The Horned Warrior Helm is a powerful counterpart to the Curseblade Mask, tailored specifically for pure Strength builds. This helm increases Strength by five points while sharing the same 7% reduction in flask effectiveness. In addition to its awe-inspiring design, it offers some of the best physical defenses in Shadow of the Erdtree, boasting high Robustness, which significantly boosts resistance to Hemorrhage and Frostbite.

Obtaining the Horned Warrior Helm can be challenging, as players must farm the rare and powerful Horned Warrior enemies found throughout the Realm of Shadow. On the bright side, these enemies also drop plenty of Smithing Stones, making the farming process consistently rewarding.