Armor rating
From Guild Wars Wiki
Armor rating is a statistic that determines how much damage a character will take from most sources of physical damage and elemental damage.
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[edit] Armor rating characteristics
Armor protects a character from damage, reducing the total amount of non-armor-ignoring damage by a certain percent. The broadest simplification is that every 40 armor rating points beyond a base of 60 provides 50% damage reduction. So, a character with 100 armor rating takes half as much damage as one with 60 armor rating, while a character with 140 armor rating takes half the amount of a character with 100 armor rating (and one quarter of the damage the character with 60 armor rating takes).
The inverse is true, in that, a character with 20 armor rating takes double the damage as one with 60 armor rating. For this reason it is generally considered important for a character to have a set of armor with the maximum armor rating possible for their profession.
Armor is localized, not additive. A character with 5 pieces of 70 armor rating armor does NOT have 350 armor rating. Instead, a random hit on this character will guarantee damage reduction given by 70 armor rating. If a character wears lower or greater armor rating armor on one or more body parts, it increases the odds that damage against the character will be calculated with those armor rating values.
For instance, a character wearing 4 pieces of 60 armor rating armor, but one piece with 100 armor rating, will take "full" damage when struck on an armor piece with 60 armor rating, and occasionally take half damage, when they are struck on the armor piece with 100 armor rating.
Different armor locations have different chances to be hit. The chest has the highest chance to be hit with three out of every eight attacks, followed by the legs with two out of eight, and the lowest chance of one in eight to the feet, hands and head. Armor cost and bonuses often reflect this, with the material costs and insignia bonuses tripled for the chest and doubled for the legs.
| Area | Chance | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Chest | 3/8 | 37.5% |
| Legs | 2/8 | 25% |
| Feet | 1/8 | 12.5% |
| Hands | 1/8 | 12.5% |
| Head | 1/8 | 12.5% |
Armor ratings and stats vary according to a character's profession. This means each profession will have a different maximum armor rating, different stats and different protection against various types of damage. See basic armor for more information.
The damage multiplier can also be found with the equation
if the attacker is level 20.
[edit] Overview
All armor and shields have an armor rating defining how well it defends against damage in combat. The scale is logarithmic, with every 40 points reducing the damage by half. Likewise, reducing armor by 40 would result in double damage. Armor points are localized to their location and do not add together. Armor pieces that come with an Armor bonus or have an Insignia will add to that piece only. However, bonuses from a shield, focus item, weapon bonus, or skills are global in that they will add their effect to any piece hit.
In general, physical and elemental damage is reduced by the target's armor rating. While the majority of attack damage falls under this category, a number of skills, especially under the Mesmer, Necromancer, and Monk lines, deal damage that ignores armor. All bonus damage from attack skills is armor-ignoring, so all Warrior and Ranger skills that confer +XX damage deal the specified damage regardless of armor level; the base attack damage inflicted at the same time as these skills is affected by armor.
Having 60 armor rating is regarded as the baseline, so a spell that reads "Deals 100 fire damage to target foe" would deal the full 100 damage to a foe with 60 armor but only 50 damage to a foe with 100 armor. However, other conditions such as the level of the caster and the target will also influence damage; every level above or below 20 of the attacker increases or decreases the baseline by 2.5 AL.
Note that some effects increase (Frenzy) or decrease (Dark Escape, Mantra of Flame) damage without modifying armor; these are effective against all damage regardless of whether it respects armor.
Armor penetration directly reduces the effective armor rating of the target, thereby increasing the damage dealt. For example, hitting a 60 AL target with 25% armor penetration will reduce the effective armor rating of the target to 45, thus increasing damage by approximately 30%.
Armor enhancing skills do not stack beyond +25 armor; without this restriction a player could easily acquire an extremely high armor rating making them nearly impervious to armor-respecting damage. A single skill can still bypass this cap, but using further armor-enhancing skills will have no effect. If several skills are used which bypass this cap (for example Kinetic Armor and Armor of Earth at high attribute levels), only the skill with the highest armor bonus will apply.
[edit] Armor tables
The table below lists how much damage you should take from normal attacks and spells, normalized to level 20's at 60 armor.
| Armor | Damage multiplier | Armor | Damage multiplier | Armor | Damage multiplier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 2.828 | 40 | 1.414 | 80 | 0.707 |
| 5 | 2.594 | 45 | 1.297 | 85 | 0.648 |
| 10 | 2.378 | 50 | 1.189 | 90 | 0.595 |
| 15 | 2.182 | 55 | 1.091 | 95 | 0.545 |
| 20 | 2.000 | 60 | 1.000 | 100 | 0.500 |
| 25 | 1.834 | 65 | 0.917 | 105 | 0.459 |
| 30 | 1.682 | 70 | 0.841 | 110 | 0.420 |
| 35 | 1.542 | 75 | 0.771 | 115 | 0.386 |
The table below lists how much damage you should take from normal attacks and spells, based on a change in armor level. (E.g. if you had 60 armor and were taking spell damage of 100, how much damage would you take if your armor was reduced by 20? 100 * 1.4142)
| Armor change | Damage multiplier | Armor change | Damage multiplier | Armor change | Damage multiplier | Armor change | Damage multiplier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| -40 | 2.0000 | -20 | 1.4142 | +1 | 0.9828 | +21 | 0.6950 |
| -39 | 1.9656 | -19 | 1.3899 | +2 | 0.9659 | +22 | 0.6830 |
| -38 | 1.9319 | -18 | 1.3660 | +3 | 0.9493 | +23 | 0.6713 |
| -37 | 1.8987 | -17 | 1.3426 | +4 | 0.9330 | +24 | 0.6598 |
| -36 | 1.8661 | -16 | 1.3195 | +5 | 0.9170 | +25 | 0.6484 |
| -35 | 1.8340 | -15 | 1.2968 | +6 | 0.9013 | +26 | 0.6373 |
| -34 | 1.8025 | -14 | 1.2746 | +7 | 0.8858 | +27 | 0.6263 |
| -33 | 1.7715 | -13 | 1.2527 | +8 | 0.8706 | +28 | 0.6156 |
| -32 | 1.7411 | -12 | 1.2311 | +9 | 0.8556 | +29 | 0.6050 |
| -31 | 1.7112 | -11 | 1.2100 | +10 | 0.8409 | +30 | 0.5946 |
| -30 | 1.6818 | -10 | 1.1892 | +11 | 0.8265 | +31 | 0.5844 |
| -29 | 1.6529 | -9 | 1.1688 | +12 | 0.8123 | +32 | 0.5743 |
| -28 | 1.6245 | -8 | 1.1487 | +13 | 0.7983 | +33 | 0.5645 |
| -27 | 1.5966 | -7 | 1.1290 | +14 | 0.7846 | +34 | 0.5548 |
| -26 | 1.5692 | -6 | 1.1096 | +15 | 0.7711 | +35 | 0.5453 |
| -25 | 1.5422 | -5 | 1.0905 | +16 | 0.7579 | +36 | 0.5359 |
| -24 | 1.5157 | -4 | 1.0718 | +17 | 0.7448 | +37 | 0.5267 |
| -23 | 1.4897 | -3 | 1.0534 | +18 | 0.7320 | +38 | 0.5176 |
| -22 | 1.4641 | -2 | 1.0353 | +19 | 0.7195 | +39 | 0.5087 |
| -21 | 1.4389 | -1 | 1.0175 | +20 | 0.7071 | +40 | 0.5000 |
The table below lists how much damage you should take from normal attacks and spells, normalized to level 20's at 60 armor. It is an extended version of the first table, listed to show how the extremes of armor affect damage.
| Extended armor rating and damage multiplier table. | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 2.8284 | 40 | 1.4142 | 80 | 0.7071 | 120 | 0.3536 | 160 | 0.1768 | 200 | 0.0884 | 240 | 0.0442 |
| 1 | 2.7798 | 41 | 1.3899 | 81 | 0.6950 | 121 | 0.3475 | 161 | 0.1737 | 201 | 0.0869 | 241 | 0.0434 |
| 2 | 2.7321 | 42 | 1.3660 | 82 | 0.6830 | 122 | 0.3415 | 162 | 0.1708 | 202 | 0.0854 | 242 | 0.0427 |
| 3 | 2.6851 | 43 | 1.3426 | 83 | 0.6713 | 123 | 0.3356 | 163 | 0.1678 | 203 | 0.0839 | 243 | 0.0420 |
| 4 | 2.6390 | 44 | 1.3195 | 84 | 0.6598 | 124 | 0.3299 | 164 | 0.1649 | 204 | 0.0825 | 244 | 0.0412 |
| 5 | 2.5937 | 45 | 1.2968 | 85 | 0.6484 | 125 | 0.3242 | 165 | 0.1621 | 205 | 0.0811 | 245 | 0.0405 |
| 6 | 2.5491 | 46 | 1.2746 | 86 | 0.6373 | 126 | 0.3186 | 166 | 0.1593 | 206 | 0.0797 | 246 | 0.0398 |
| 7 | 2.5053 | 47 | 1.2527 | 87 | 0.6263 | 127 | 0.3132 | 167 | 0.1566 | 207 | 0.0783 | 247 | 0.0391 |
| 8 | 2.4623 | 48 | 1.2311 | 88 | 0.6156 | 128 | 0.3078 | 168 | 0.1539 | 208 | 0.0769 | 248 | 0.0385 |
| 9 | 2.4200 | 49 | 1.2100 | 89 | 0.6050 | 129 | 0.3025 | 169 | 0.1512 | 209 | 0.0756 | 249 | 0.0378 |
| 10 | 2.3784 | 50 | 1.1892 | 90 | 0.5946 | 130 | 0.2973 | 170 | 0.1487 | 210 | 0.0743 | 250 | 0.0372 |
| 11 | 2.3376 | 51 | 1.1688 | 91 | 0.5844 | 131 | 0.2922 | 171 | 0.1461 | 211 | 0.0730 | 251 | 0.0365 |
| 12 | 2.2974 | 52 | 1.1487 | 92 | 0.5743 | 132 | 0.2872 | 172 | 0.1436 | 212 | 0.0718 | 252 | 0.0359 |
| 13 | 2.2579 | 53 | 1.1290 | 93 | 0.5645 | 133 | 0.2822 | 173 | 0.1411 | 213 | 0.0706 | 253 | 0.0353 |
| 14 | 2.2191 | 54 | 1.1096 | 94 | 0.5548 | 134 | 0.2774 | 174 | 0.1387 | 214 | 0.0693 | 254 | 0.0347 |
| 15 | 2.1810 | 55 | 1.0905 | 95 | 0.5453 | 135 | 0.2726 | 175 | 0.1363 | 215 | 0.0682 | 255 | 0.0341 |
| 16 | 2.1435 | 56 | 1.0718 | 96 | 0.5359 | 136 | 0.2679 | 176 | 0.1340 | 216 | 0.0670 | 256 | 0.0335 |
| 17 | 2.1067 | 57 | 1.0534 | 97 | 0.5267 | 137 | 0.2633 | 177 | 0.1317 | 217 | 0.0658 | 257 | 0.0329 |
| 18 | 2.0705 | 58 | 1.0353 | 98 | 0.5176 | 138 | 0.2588 | 178 | 0.1294 | 218 | 0.0647 | 258 | 0.0324 |
| 19 | 2.0350 | 59 | 1.0175 | 99 | 0.5087 | 139 | 0.2544 | 179 | 0.1272 | 219 | 0.0636 | 259 | 0.0318 |
| 20 | 2.0000 | 60 | 1.0000 | 100 | 0.5000 | 140 | 0.2500 | 180 | 0.1250 | 220 | 0.0625 | 260 | 0.0313 |
| 21 | 1.9656 | 61 | 0.9828 | 101 | 0.4914 | 141 | 0.2457 | 181 | 0.1229 | 221 | 0.0614 | 261 | 0.0307 |
| 22 | 1.9319 | 62 | 0.9659 | 102 | 0.4830 | 142 | 0.2415 | 182 | 0.1207 | 222 | 0.0604 | 262 | 0.0302 |
| 23 | 1.8987 | 63 | 0.9493 | 103 | 0.4747 | 143 | 0.2373 | 183 | 0.1187 | 223 | 0.0593 | 263 | 0.0297 |
| 24 | 1.8661 | 64 | 0.9330 | 104 | 0.4665 | 144 | 0.2333 | 184 | 0.1166 | 224 | 0.0583 | 264 | 0.0292 |
| 25 | 1.8340 | 65 | 0.9170 | 105 | 0.4585 | 145 | 0.2293 | 185 | 0.1146 | 225 | 0.0573 | 265 | 0.0287 |
| 26 | 1.8025 | 66 | 0.9013 | 106 | 0.4506 | 146 | 0.2253 | 186 | 0.1127 | 226 | 0.0563 | 266 | 0.0282 |
| 27 | 1.7715 | 67 | 0.8858 | 107 | 0.4429 | 147 | 0.2214 | 187 | 0.1107 | 227 | 0.0554 | 267 | 0.0277 |
| 28 | 1.7411 | 68 | 0.8706 | 108 | 0.4353 | 148 | 0.2176 | 188 | 0.1088 | 228 | 0.0544 | 268 | 0.0272 |
| 29 | 1.7112 | 69 | 0.8556 | 109 | 0.4278 | 149 | 0.2139 | 189 | 0.1069 | 229 | 0.0535 | 269 | 0.0267 |
| 30 | 1.6818 | 70 | 0.8409 | 110 | 0.4204 | 150 | 0.2102 | 190 | 0.1051 | 230 | 0.0526 | 270 | 0.0263 |
| 31 | 1.6529 | 71 | 0.8265 | 111 | 0.4132 | 151 | 0.2066 | 191 | 0.1033 | 231 | 0.0517 | 271 | 0.0258 |
| 32 | 1.6245 | 72 | 0.8123 | 112 | 0.4061 | 152 | 0.2031 | 192 | 0.1015 | 232 | 0.0508 | 272 | 0.0254 |
| 33 | 1.5966 | 73 | 0.7983 | 113 | 0.3991 | 153 | 0.1996 | 193 | 0.0998 | 233 | 0.0499 | 273 | 0.0249 |
| 34 | 1.5692 | 74 | 0.7846 | 114 | 0.3923 | 154 | 0.1961 | 194 | 0.0981 | 234 | 0.0490 | 274 | 0.0245 |
| 35 | 1.5422 | 75 | 0.7711 | 115 | 0.3856 | 155 | 0.1928 | 195 | 0.0964 | 235 | 0.0482 | 275 | 0.0241 |
| 36 | 1.5157 | 76 | 0.7579 | 116 | 0.3789 | 156 | 0.1895 | 196 | 0.0947 | 236 | 0.0474 | 276 | 0.0237 |
| 37 | 1.4897 | 77 | 0.7448 | 117 | 0.3724 | 157 | 0.1862 | 197 | 0.0931 | 237 | 0.0466 | 277 | 0.0233 |
| 38 | 1.4641 | 78 | 0.7320 | 118 | 0.3660 | 158 | 0.1830 | 198 | 0.0915 | 238 | 0.0458 | 278 | 0.0229 |
| 39 | 1.4389 | 79 | 0.7195 | 119 | 0.3597 | 159 | 0.1799 | 199 | 0.0899 | 239 | 0.0450 | 279 | 0.0225 |
[edit] Notes
- Armor rating from body armor and insignia is area-specific, but armor rating from skills, shields, weapons and focus items is global, affecting all hit locations.
