As for what makes these special, well… they have better stats than the standard variants you can craft via the Technology Tree.
On top of that, some of these special pieces of equipment aren’t available at all from the Technology Tree. This is the case for pretty much every accessory in the game, actually!
Out of the two options, dungeon diving is the one that can get you rarer equipment, but what you get is completely random.
Sometimes you get Rare special armor and accessories, other times you get Schematics to craft them, and sometimes you simply get absolutely nothing for your troubles. Such is the nature of randomness!
Nonetheless, you should just get your strongest Pals and dive inside any of the dungeons you want. Defeat the boss and go into the exit room, which almost always has a large purple crystal and two chests.
Simply open up these chests and you’ll get some special armor and/or accessories! If you’re lucky, that is.
You can repeat dungeons as many times as you want, at least, but the layout changes every time. Also, higher-level dungeons are more likely to give you better and rarer special equipment.
Lastly, just make sure tovisit every single Merchant in the game and buy the Schematics for special equipment from them. You’ll be able to craft the special equipment as long as you hold the respective Schematic in your inventory.
However, do note that the game really means your inventory. Having the Schematic in a chest in your base doesn’t count!
Venezuelan gamer cursed by being interested by most games, resulting in a ridiculous backlog he’ll never be able to conquer. Been gaming for over two decades now! Few things exemplify his wide variety in gaming tastes as the fact that he’s a big fan of both Souls games and the Atelier series at the same time. Also a big fan of Yakuza/Like a Dragon, Deadly Premonition, Zero Escape, and Dead Rising, among others. Considers Lost Judgment and Sekiro to both be masterpieces.