In Soulcalibur IV, all characters, including custom characters, possess three areas of armor (or equipment): High, Middle, and Low. When a character has taken severe damage in one of these areas (from High, Middle, or Low attacks, respectively), the armor breaks with an audible shattering sound in a phenomenon called Equipment Destruction. After a piece of equipment has been destroyed, it remains so for every round of the battle. Damage taken to the shattered area is increased (e.g. if the head armor breaks, any High attacks deal more damage). The destruction of the equipment is visible on the character's body: High equipment destruction usually breaks the character's hat (if applicable), Middle breaking his jacket or armor, and Low breaking his boots or greaves. Both custom characters and