About Armor

Armor is a defensive stat found on gear and granted by the Determination aura in Path of Exile. Investing in POE Currency to acquire or craft superior weapons and items can help defeat monsters and bosses with ease.

Armor Function

The physical damage reduction shown on a character's sheet becomes redundant when armor is present. Armor provides physical damage reduction based on the total damage of the hit compared to the total armor of the defender. Armor is more effective against numerous smaller hits than a few larger hits.

Armor Calculation

The physical damage reduction provided by armor can be calculated using the equation where AR is the total armor of the defender and damage is the total physical damage of the hit taken. For instance, a hit of 1000 physical damage with 10,000 armor would mitigate 66% of the damage, reducing it to 667 damage.

Armor Only Works VS Physical Hits

It's crucial to note that armor only prevents physical damage by default. In Path of Exile, enemies may deal multiple types of damage in a single hit, and armor will only interact with the physical damage portion of the hit.

Investing in path of exile currency can make a significant difference in the game by providing access to better gear, resulting in a more effective armor system to mitigate physical damage.

If you're looking to better understand how armor functions and how it interacts with additional physical damage reduction in Path of Exile, you've come to the right place.

Armor is a defensive stat that can be found on gear you equip and is also granted by the Determination aura. However, the physical damage reduction shown on your character sheet is redundant if you have armor, as the physical damage reduction provided by armor is scaled based on the total damage of the hit compared to the total armor of the defender. Armor is much more effective against numerous smaller hits rather than a few larger hits.

In contrast, additional physical damage reduction is a fixed percentage that provides a specific amount of reduction regardless of how much physical damage you are taking. This stat can be found on specific gear, such as strength and strength hybrid body armors and shields, and on endurance charges and the buff provided by Summon Chaos Golem.

When calculating damage reduction, the armor calculation is applied to the total physical damage taken from the hit to determine the percentage of reduction that armor will provide. Once calculated, any additional physical damage reduction is then added to the total percentage reduction that armor will provide to determine the total amount that the hit will be reduced by.

It's important to note that armor only works against physical hits, and does not interact with damage over time effects such as Bleeding.

Armor in Path of Exile does not interact with Damage over Time (DoT) effects, such as Bleeding. However, there is a stat called Additional Physical Damage Reduction (PDR) that can reduce all physical damage, including DoT effects. Additional PDR is a fixed percentage that is not affected by the amount of damage taken, unlike armor. It is found on certain gear, such as strength and strength hybrid body armors and shields, as well as on endurance charges and the buff provided by Summon Chaos Golem.

When calculating damage reduction, the percentage reduction provided by armor is calculated first, followed by any additional PDR. For example, if you have 25,000 armor and three endurance charges (each providing 4% additional PDR), your total physical damage reduction would be 67.5%. However, the maximum total physical damage reduction is capped at 90%, meaning that you cannot exceed this amount even with additional PDR.

It is important to note that there are a few modifiers in the game that can make armor prevent other types of damage. For example, the Transcendence keystone applies the armor calculation to elemental damage, while Doryani's Prototype body armor prevents your lightning resistance from reducing damage taken and instead applies the armor calculation to lightning damage taken. Additionally, the Juggernaut's Unbreakable node provides a small percentage of armor to elemental damage taken, while still retaining its original function.

Lastly, the Overwhelm modifier allows attackers to bypass a certain amount of physical damage reduction, meaning that it is possible to take more damage than expected. However, Overwhelm cannot go below 0% physical damage reduction.