What is armor against?

Ok, i know how armor works, and that if an attack deals 10 damage i will get 5 damage with a 100 armor and 10 damage with a 60 armor and 20 damage with a 20 armor.

But is armor only against weapon damage?

Will i get only half the damage from a bane signet if i got 100 armor?

Will i get double damage from firestorm if i have a 20 armor?

Is armor against skills or only against weapons?

All normal damage is affected by armor, whether it be a sword or fireball. Some spells bypass armor entirely (most smiting, blood nukes, crystal wave, etc) and degens are not impacted by armor.

Levels play a factor as well, higher level = more damage for spells other than the bypass armor variety.

If a skill deals elemental damage, then armor works against it. If the damage is holy, shadow, or nameless (as with mesmer spells), then armor won't help. Armor always works against attacks, except for the Smite skill.


There are a few exceptions that can probably be put down to mis-described skills. Dust Trap is listed as earth damage but ignores armor, for instance.

ok thank you very much!

Somewhat inaccurate. Attack damage from a weapon or pet is affected by armor, any +damage to an attack (from Winnowing, Order of Pain, etc.) ignores armor. The damage listed in an attack skill always ignores armor. For non-attack skills it depends, but generally Smiting spells, Shadow-type Necromancer spells, and Mesmer spells that deal damage ignore armor. Determining armor ignorance by damage type leads to a few inconsistencies, however.