Ankheg Plate Mail is a type of plate mail in Baldur's Gate (game) (and Enhanced Edition), Baldur's Gate: Siege of Dragonspear, Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn (and Enhanced Edition), and Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal.
Acquisition[]
Baldur's Gate / Enhanced Edition[]
A free set of the armor in Nashkel
- One set of ankheg armor can be found at a farm patch in Nashkel (coordinates 183, 2745).
- Slay an Ankheg and take its shell to Taerom Fuiruim at the Thunderhammer Smithy in Beregost.
In the classic game, he will charge 4,000 
to craft the shell into armor. About ten days later the shiny new armor will be ready to collect. In the Enhanced Edition it costs the same but will be finished in three days, or 2,000 more can be paid to have it ready in just one day.
Regardless of game versions or how fast you want the armor made, Taerom will only craft one piece of Ankheg armor for your party; afterwards he will only buy Ankheg shells for 500 .
Siege of Dragonspear[]
In addition to being able to import the two sets from Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition, Onoroth in Bloodbark Grove has one for sale.
Baldur's Gate II / Enhanced Edition[]
To obtain this armor in Shadows of Amn, bring a shell to Cromwell in the Athkatla Dock District. He will charge you 5,000 to make the armor and you need to help him for a day. You can do this more than once.
Gameplay[]
In the base game, Ankheg Plate armor is unique as it's the only plate armor made from the shell of an animal, rather than metal. That makes it highly valuable to certain characters/classes, and less so for others. (
Baldur's Gate II (2001)
This icon indicates content in the original Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn campaign that's only available if Throne of Bhaal is installed.: In SoD and BG2, more lightweight, non-metallic armors become available such as Rhino Beetle and Dragonscale).
Druids: In 
Baldur's Gate:
Enhanced Edition (2012)
This icon indicates content from the Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition campaign., Ankheg Plate is the best armor Druids can wear since it is non-metallic. If a Druid is in your party this armor is very valuable for the AC it provides, especially if taking the role of 'combat medic', since cure spells have to be cast at touch range.
Fighters: By raw numbers, Ankheg Plate is weaker by 2 AC vs. piercing/missile weapons, and 1 AC vs. slashing compared to Full Plate Armor, but equal vs. crushing weapons. Additionally, in the classic game you can't wear protection items such a Ring of the Princes or Cloak of Protection +1 with Ankheg Plate Mail. Full Plate Armor is a better choice if you also want protection gear for armor and saving throws bonuses.
Baldur's Gate:
Enhanced Edition (2012)
This icon indicates content from the Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition campaign.: In Enhanced Editions, the armor is non-magical, and may be used with items that magically boost armor class, which changes it to be one of the better options, even for front-line fighters and paladins.
Low Strength value: Ankheg armor is nearly as strong as Full Plate, but as light as Studded Leather Armor. Its low strength requirement of 8 also allows weaker companions like Viconia to wear it and gain decent protection. The low weight also makes it a good back-up armor for Fighter / Mages and Cleric / Mages to keep in their inventory and put on once they have exhausted their arcane spells, so as to survive better in melee.
Description[]
| “ | This plate mail has been expertly crafted by Taerom Fuiruim of Beregost. Sheathed in the chitinous scales of the ankheg, it provides a greater degree of protection than traditional plate mail and is not susceptible to rust. As any world-weary adventurer will tell you, however, the best appreciated aspect of ankheg mail is its light weight and low encumbrance. Monsters come and go, but fatigue is a constant enemy. | ” |
— Baldur's Gate | ||
| “ | This plate mail has been expertly crafted. Sheathed in the chitinous scales of the ankheg, it provides a greater degree of protection than traditional plate mail and is not susceptible to rust. As any world-weary adventurer will tell you, however, the best appreciated aspect of ankheg mail is its light weight and low encumbrance. Monsters come and go, but fatigue is a constant enemy. | ” |
— Baldur's Gate II | ||
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
Ankheg Plate Mail is most likely based on Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (2nd Edition) Field Plate since they share the same modifiers, although the Ankheg Plate has a base AC of 1 instead of 2. This discrepancy is could be explained by being personally crafted for the player by a master armorer.
External Links[]
- Ankheg plate mail on the Forgotten Realms Wiki, a wiki for the Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting Forgotten Realms.