[B_part]

To improve your armor skills, just take a load of armorer's hammers and health potions and head for the country. Find a Nix Hound (or some critter good enough to hit you but lame enough to scratch you barely) and let him bash you. Success guaranteed.

To improve weapon skills, take a chitin weapon, which deals a nonexistant damage and go around hitting critters.

Remember: it doesn't matter what you hit or what you get hit by, but only how many times this happens. So there is no need to summon a Golden Saint to train, although in this way you can get hearts and shields and weapons for free..