Pillars of Eternity Wiki

In response to patch v1.3.7.0.1377 to Pillars of Eternity (June 6, 2024), the random loot tables shown on the wiki have been updated. These changes may take time to propegate.

As a result, random loot data is no longer accurate to old versions of the game, including all console ports. We'll be working to provide a mechanism to switch between pre-patch and post-patch loot for console players.

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This article is about armor in Pillars of Eternity and expansions. For armor in Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire, see Armor (Deadfire).
Armor

Concept art of various Armor types

Armor encompasses all items a character may wear, that provide the wearer defensive bonuses during combat, particularly increasing its Damage Reduction (DR). There are several types of armor and shields available, each armor type has three quality levels: normal, fine, and exquisite. Armor is worn in the body slot, while shields used as part of Weapons sets.[1]

There are no restrictions on what armor or shield characters can use, but the mechanics of classes may lend themselves better to certain weights. E.g., many monk abilities (both active and passive) are powered by Wounds. You acquire Wounds by taking damage, after armor. Several monk and barbarian abilities are effective for a certain amount of time rather than a certain number of attacks, which encourages faster attacks -- both from the choice of weapon and from a lower armor speed penalty. Paladins have more targeted-use abilities and "Zealous" auras but are not especially durable. I.e., the party gains the most benefit from having them on the front lines, but they do not need to be especially fast-acting, so heavier armor often makes more sense for them.[2]

Damage reduction (DR)[ | ]

Main article: Damage Reduction

Every type of armor has a single base Damage Reduction rating, and several strengths and weaknesses against certain Damage Types, which would affect its effectiveness(DR) against such attacks. [3] Additional protections may be added through crafting. Armor with higher DR comes with some drawbacks however, as the heavier armors correlates with speed penalties affecting action speed.

Examples

The target wears armor, that has 12 DR but is 40% worse against crushing attacks, so the DR for crushing attacks would only be 7.2. An attack that deals 15 crushing damage would reduce Endurance by 7.8 points (15 - (12 * 0.6) ) and an attack that deals 15 slashing damage would reduce it by 3 points (15 - 12).

Plate Armor normally has 12 damage reduction, calculated at 125% for piercing and slashing damage, and only 50% for shock damage, resulting in 15 damage reduction for piercing and slashing, but only 6 for shock. It is then enchanted to superior quality (+6 damage reduction). This will result in regular damage reduction becoming 18 (12 + 6), piercing and slashing damage reduction becoming 22.5 (18 x 1.25), and shock damage reduction becoming 9 (18 x .5).

Armor types[ | ]

Class Type Recovery speed Base DR Elemental DR Description
Light -0% 0 -
Items in italics are quoted directly from the game.

This outfit is extremely simple, consisting of little more than a rough shirt and breeches made from uncomfortable material.

-15% 3 -
Items in italics are quoted directly from the game.

Offering minimal protection, cloth armor consists of layers of wool or linen cloth. Though it does not provide much protection, it is the least restrictive type of body armor.

-20% 4 5 PierceFreeze
3 BurnCorrode
Items in italics are quoted directly from the game.

Padded armor consists of heavily quilted wool or linen and offers modest protection against crushing attacks. Though it cannot protect against heavy attacks, it does not slow its wearers down much.

-25% 5 5 CrushPierce
3 Corrode
Items in italics are quoted directly from the game.

Hide armor is commonly worn by woodsmen, Glanfathan explorers, and those who favor speed over protection. Hide armor is made of layers of soft leather. Though its construction often requires multiple layers to provide dependable protection, it does little to slow its wearer in combat.

Medium -30% 6 9 Slash
3 Corrode
Items in italics are quoted directly from the game.

Stiffer and more durable than ordinary hide armor, leather armor is shaped and boiled in oil to achieve its distinctive finish and toughness. Leather armor is often chosen by adventurers who want a balance of protection and speed.

-35% 7 9 SlashFreeze
5 Pierce
Items in italics are quoted directly from the game.

Scale armor is made of overlapping small plates of metal or horn sewn to a leather backing. It offers a balance of protection and speed.

-40% 8 10 Pierce
7 BurnFreeze
Items in italics are quoted directly from the game.

Breastplates are popular for offering a modest amount of protection without the restrictive movement of heavier mail and full suits of plate armor.

Due to their widespread use by warriors from the Vailian Republics, the fashion of clothing and padding worn under breastplates typically reflects Vailian styles.

Heavy -45% 9 14 Slash
5 Crush
Items in italics are quoted directly from the game.

Mail armor is quite popular for its protective qualities, especially against slashing attacks. Mail is comprised of thousands of small rings of steel that form a flexible mesh. Normally worn over a padded jacket, mail protects well but restricts its wearer in combat.

-50% 10 13 Crush
8 Corrode
Items in italics are quoted directly from the game.

Despite its unassuming appearance, brigandine provides impressive protection to its wearer at a cost of speed in combat. It is made of dozens of steel plates sandwiched between canvas or leather. The plates are held in place by distinctive rivets across the surface of the brigandine.

-50% 12 15 PierceSlash
6 Shock
Items in italics are quoted directly from the game.

The heaviest armor in regular use by adventurers and soldiers, plate armor protects its wearers from all but the most severe blows. It is comprised of three layers: the base padding, a suit of mail, and the top layer of steel plates.

DR overview[ | ]

Armor Base DR Slash Slash Pierce Pierce Crush Crush Burn Burn Freeze Freeze Shock Shock Corrode Corrode
Cloth 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Robe 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
Padded 4 4 5 5 3 4 4 3
Hide 5 5 6 5 5 6 5 3
Leather 6 9 6 6 6 6 6 3
Scale 7 9 5 7 7 9 7 7
Breastplate 8 8 10 8 7 7 8 8
Mail 9 14 9 5 9 9 9 9
Brigandine 10 10 10 13 10 10 10 8
Plate 12 15 15 12 12 12 6 12

See also[ | ]

Development notes[ | ]

The dev team were consciously trying to capture a late 80s-late 90s AD&D aesthetic with a lot of armor sets e.g. the "high fantasy" armor looks similar to Dungeons and Dragons Concept art from Larry Elmore and Keith Parkinson except the women, who often wore little of anything in those concept art. Mostly realistic armor, but with some features exaggerated. Due to the size of characters, some elements needs to be exaggerated or they just disappear. E.g. the scales on the scale armor are pretty large and the same is true for the rings on the mail armor.[4]

References


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