Much like all Souls games, Demon's Souls has a hidden endgame. No, it's not the countless attempts at reliving the hourly torment and agony through New Game Plus until the pain of the struggle is numbed away. That "other" endgame would be the so-called "fashion souls" by the community. It's where players mix-and-match the best armor sets they can find.
That takes more experience than it appears since Demon's Souls is a tough game and one simply can't go all out with looking pretty only to neglect their stats. So balancing out armor aesthetics and functionality is the name of the game here. Luckily, players need not fear missing out on the best armor stats just to look good because here are the best of both worlds.
Most Fashionable: Imperial Spy Armor
Ever wanted to look like the shadiest and stabbiest tough guy (or gal) in Boletaria while still maintaining some respectable defense, the Imperial Spy Armor might just be the perfect garb. It's available for the Demon's Souls Remake version and a welcome addition since the original was lacking in some stylish armor sets.
In any case, the Imperial Spy set is just oozing with that mysterious aura with the hood, the full-facial covering, and the dark shade of the leather and cloth parts. The only thing missing is a full robe or a cape for that medieval fantasy vigilante look. The whole set is obtainable in the Prison of Hope area.
Most Useful: Fluted Armor
For the most well-rounded armor, players don't need to look further than the Fluted set. It's not something that will turn heads but the stats are ample and protective enough for anyone looking to make the most out of their weight and mobility ratio.
The Fluted set only weighs in at 30 and provides one of the best protection stat against physical attacks. It's not that great against magic though so players will want to keep a reserve for such situations. Knights are fortunate enough to start with this armor but other classes can find it in Prison of Hope.
Most Fashionable: Red-Eye Knight Armor
The Red-Eye Knight set doesn't look good in the stat department and doesn't even come close to offering the same amount of defense as the Fluted set. Still, it more than makes up for that in the looks aspect as it's one of the more noble-looking shards of metal in the game.
It's also only available for the Remake and is perfect for those wanting to look serious in the game. The Red-Eye Knight set is aggressive and loud, perfect for looking formidable especially with the high plume on the helmet. Sadly, this one is only available in the Digital Deluxe Edition.
Most Useful: Gloom Armor
There are not many drawbacks in wearing the Gloom Armor; it's a perfectly secure armor with amazing stats against sneaky combat tactics such as Bleed, Poison, and Disease. For physical protection, it's only slightly worse than the Fluted set and weighs around the same.
The only downside in wearing it is that players end up looking like a villain or a black knight. That's not exactly a bad thing for many fans since the Gloom armor looks great in shiny oil slick black. In order to get this dark armor, players will have to defeat Yurt, the Silent Chief.
Most Fashionable: Penetrator Armor
Of course, if players want to look like a more stylish villain-wannabe in Demon's Souls, they could opt for something more menacing such as the Penetrator set with advanced edginess and sharper spikes. It's also darkly-shaded and the cuirass looks more flowy and flashy.
The gauntlets have sharpened pointy ends, keeping in tune with the "penetrator" theme. More importantly, the helmet comes with a single horn, giving the players the appearance of an evil rhinoceros out to gore hapless PVP invaders. The stats are also not that bad compared to the weight but players have to go through a long trek in Tower Knight Archstone for it.
Most Useful: Brushwood Armor
Now there's a useful armor set that's both good-looking and practical stat-wise. It has one of the highest physical defense out of all the armor sets in the game though players will have to make sacrifices in mobility since the weight of all the pieces adds up to a whopping 45.
With all the beefy physical bulwark it offers, don't expect it to be great against the elements and damage-over-time attacks like Poison. This one's purely for trading physical blows against enemies. In order to have this golden armor, hunting down Biorr, of the Twin Fangs is a must.
Most Fashionable: Blue-Eye Knight Armor
If the Red-Eye Knight armor made players sad as it's only available in the Digital Deluxe Edition, then an alternative that's available for all versions of the Remake would be the Blue-Eye Knight Armor. It's similar enough to the Red-Eye variant but still distinct with its friendlier glow.
The helmet is also less aggressive and more fitting for those who want their players looking like guardians. The helmet has fewer spikes or plumes and the eyes are bright blue. The rest of the armor looks nearly identical to the Red-Eye variant. All four parts are scattered throughout the game world.
Most Useful: Dull Gold Armor
Even light armor sets can be good enough especially for those looking for more mobile characters. The Dull Gold set doesn't offer much as an armor and it's slightly worse than the Gloom armor for physical defense.
It's also not good or even decent for other forms of damage but the Dull Gold armor weighs in only at 25. If players don't plan on getting hit too much, then it's more than enough and can even help them be more evasive. The best way to snag this one is by prying it off from Selen Vinland's corpse.
Most Fashionable: Rogue's Armor
Hooded armor sets are always some of the best in all Souls games and that's why for the maximum dapper, the Rogue's set is quite unmatched. It looks a bit like the Imperial Spy set but without the face covering.
Why use this one over that? Because the Rogue's set has a cape and has some gold trimmings that make the player look like an elegant thief or assassin. Never mind the stats, they're all bad except for the weight which is 9.1; this one is about looking beautiful amidst all the monstrous dregs of Boletaria.
Most Useful: Ancient King Armor
For many, the Ancient King's set is perhaps the most well-balanced armor in the game due to its weight of only 20 and the decent amount of protection. Among all the functional and useful armor sets mention, it has the worst in terms of physical defense but all that is offset by how light it is.
Appearance-wise, it's not too shabby. A bit weathered but the mask should complete the look and make characters look competent at the very least. This armor is available after defeating Old King Doran, so get to honing that boss-slaying skill because there's no other way.