The Golden Armor is a mid-ranked heavy armor in Final Fantasy XII that boosts the wearer's Defense by 21 (Zodiac) or 20 (original) and Strength by 4. It is metallic for the purposes of the Magnetize debuff present in the boss battles against Vinuskar and Ultima.
Obtain[]
Original[]
In the original PlayStation 2 version, the Golden Armor is sold for 3,200 gil in Rabanastre after defeating Belias, and in Jahara and Mt Bur-Omisace.
It is found as a treasure in Paramina Rift's Freezing Gorge (50% chance to appear, 50% chance for gil, 50% chance the item treasure is Golden Armor without the Diamond Armlet equipped 
). It rarely drops from the Aerieel.
The Golden Armor is made in the bazaar in the "Golden Garb" set by selling three Iron Carapaces (from Leynir, Mesmenir, and Scythe Mantis), two Tanned Hides (from various enemies, e.g. Slaven), and three Dark Magicite (from various enemies, e.g. Zombie).
Zodiac[]
In the updated Zodiac versions, the Golden Armor is sold for 2,900 gil in Jahara and Mt Bur-Omisace. It is found as a treasure in the rainy Giza Plains' Tracks of the Beast (80% chance to appear, 50% chance for gil, 50% chance the item treasure is the Golden Armor without the Diamond Armlet equipped), as well as in Trial Mode Stage 56 with the Diamond Armlet equipped. It still rarely drops from the Aerieel and is made in the bazaar set "Golden Garb" with the same items as before. It is now also the common steal from the Melt in Trial Mode Stage 12.
Use[]
Golden Armor is a mid level armor giving 21 or 20 Defense depending on version and 4 Strength. The strength bonuses make heavy armor ideal for frontline fighters, and the Golden Armor is a good armor to equip over any inferior equipment the player may have on anyone who attacks physically, although a gun-wielder does not benefit from the strength-boost.
In the Zodiac versions, Uhlan, Knight, Time Battlemage, and Foebreaker can equip it, and so it is only useful to buy if the player has chosen these License Boards for the party. In The Zodiac Age versions, after fighting Belias the player can choose two License Boards per party member and so more characters can benefit from heavy armor, as it is usually a good idea to match jobs that use different types of armor to bolster light armor jobs' strength, and to give more durability to spellcasters.