Why you shouldn't build for Armor in Path of Exile 2

Armor is the most direct form of Physical damage resistance in Path of Exile 2. Although the vast majority of damage you take is indeed Physical, Armor is still notably underpowered. Recent findings by Redditor u/Bluedot55 suggest it is weaker than in the first game by a significant margin, meaning it's far more efficient to use any non-armor-based defense solution to make builds.

It's partially owing to other forms of defense being more efficient than intended. Nonetheless, the state of Armor — as of writing — is underwhelming and it's sensible for a Warrior to go for a Chaos Inoculation build in Path of Exile 2.

Note: The article is subjective and reflects the author's opinion.

POE 2 armor formula testing and estimates byu/Bluedot55 inpathofexile

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Armor is not great in Path of Exile 2, but it probably won't get any better

Armor isn't going to get you the biggest thing you want (Image via GGG)

To get a full breakdown of a full Armor formula, check out our dedicated guide on defense and resistance in Path of Exile 2. Long story short, the (later peer-reviewed) testing done by BlueDot55 shows that you need nearly 2.5 times as much Armor as Path of Exile 1 to get the same relative Physical damage resistance.

The character sheet may show you an estimated damage resistance based on your level, but the actual mitigation is based on the magnitude of the incoming Physical damage instance. A simplified explanation is that the bigger the total incoming DPS, the lesser the percentage of it gets reduced by your Armor.

The average basic attack from a boss can hit around 3000 damage, and to obtain the maximum amount of mitigation from that (90%), you would need approximately 3,24,000 Armor. In other words, Armor will never get you high damage resistance against a boss and rightfully so — it was never meant to be a tool for facetanking boss mechanics.

The problem lies in more than just a less favorable mitigation formula: it's that Armor is not reliable against mobs either. Monsters can gain various methods to break your armor, whether as a part of their ability kit or as a modifier. It's the same problem with Overwhelm damage in the first game: a system that outright nullifies one of your pillars of defense.

In its current state, melee classes also lack the auxiliary martial defense tools from the first game. There's no Fortify, Determination Aura, or any innate damage mitigation from Endurance charges.

Theoretically, active blocking in Path of Exile 2 does let you withstand a great deal of punishment. However, while it adds flavor points to the gruff Warrior class, shields are a tool useable on any character without building for Armor.

The reason Armor is in a particularly bad state is how it can be contrasted against Energy Shield, the up-and-coming meta bodyguard tool. It is surprisingly easy to get your Energy Shield up to multiple thousands. You can, in fact, just spec into high Life modifiers and then put on a Ghostwraithe to instantly obtain a far more reliable protection against bosses than donning 20,000 Armor rating.

To make things worse, Armor does not benefit from any damage conversion shenanigans. In the first game, for example, you could use the Divine Flesh Keystone to convert 50% of all Elemental damage to Chaos, and then use Fourth Vow to let Armor mitigate Chaos damage.

Instead, it's the other way around in Path of Exile 2. You can use the Cloak of Flames to convert 40% of all Physical Damage to Fire, and then use Fire Resistance to get a consistent damage reduction on it. For Infernalist Ascendancy users, it can be paired up with Altered Flesh to get 60% damage re-routing out of the gate that does not need to worry about Armor Break woes.

It's unlikely that Armor will get buffed to be in line with Energy Shield. The balanced formula that Path of Exile 2 developers are trying will sooner nerf Energy Shield. Still, it's worth remembering that the game is in its Early Access stage, and more tools could come into play that make Armor more useful.

As of writing, a little Armor can be a good option to add some more durability, but completely investing in it as your primary defensive layer is ill-advised.

Check out our other guides on the game:

• Path of Exile 2 Skill Gems and Gemcutting guide
• Path of Exile 2 Endgame systems guide
• Path of Exile 2 Item Crafting guide
• Path of Exile 2 Runes and Sockets guide