+5 armor +30 HP

What are the numbers?

I want some solid proof that one is better then the other, other then for Degen.

Anyone know anything about this?

Could post a link, but directing you would let you see all the articles available. From the main Guru page, click on Articles & Guides. Then click on Gameplay. Then click on Game Mechanics. This should answer your question. Plenty of good stuff with each click too.

To me it's a wash. I'd say statistically the +5 armor is better, but then you figure in all the armor ignoring stuff you run into... *shrug* a wash.

Never gave me any info, that is why I asked here.

depends on what you are getting hit with. dark/chaos/holy damage. in this case 30hp would be best.
physical/elemental in this case +5 armor is better
and 30 hp is ofcourse better for degen as you said yourself.

let me just put it to you this way, if you are a warrior the +30hp will be best, why because as a warrior you already have high armour and you will not or should not be the target of other warriors.
You will be the target of mesmers and necros and elem and the 1st 2 will be doing armour ignoring damage to you and degen also the extra armour or health wont help you much against elem spike so a monk will be best for that.
hope this helps

It's there indirectly in the guide on the charts. We'll round off numbers to prove the point, which is essentially Muffen Man is right.

There is approx. a 10% dmg. reduction from Armor 60 to Armor 65.
There is approx. a 5% dmg. reduction from Armor 95 to armor 100.

At a constant damage over time, it is far more profitable for a caster to use the +5 armor mod and a warrior to use the +30 hp mod. (And we're not even considering the % difference from 60 to 95)

Still, exactly what you're fighting makes a big difference. Ideally, have one of each on similar items and interchange as you need to.

Different situations require different things.

Sometimes the +5 defense is better, other times you're better off with +30 hp.

Btw I don't think that holy, chaos and other damage ignores armour completely.

Afaik, armour will protect against all types of damage.
Gladiators armour has 80 al and another 20 vs physical.

This would mean:
80 vs everything
100 vs physical

I believe chaos belongs to the everything.

The +5 on weapons is also vs everything so it should help vs chaos/holy or whatever...

Base AL only protects against weapon damage and elemental spells. Light, Holy, Chaos, Dark, and Shadow damage from spells all bypass armor and do the damage listed.


As for the topic at hand, If you are level 20, and you have Drok armor, and recieving only damage that is affected by armor, and not getting healed, +5 AL is better, but a little bit. But it's a little enough difference that just about 40 points of armor ignoring damage will balance that back out. But getting healed tips it back in the AL's favor. and as was mentioned before, the higher your AL already is, the less 5 more really helps.

It's just a mess, and can't really be said one is better than the other. +30HP is better against spiking, +5AL is almost always going to be better in drawn-out fights.

Take a monk to the isle of the nameless with the +5 ele armour and take both a +30hp and a +5 armour weapon. then let the master of lightning hit you with lightning orb with and without the +5 armour weapon.

then you can see a practical example of the damage reduction. now, just keep in mind, that this reduction will apply to all damage. however, with the +30 hp mod, once some damage has eaten past that 30hp, it no longer has an effect. so the hp mod really only negates the first 30 damage whereas the +5 armour will reduce all damage somewhat.

in the end, i think both are well balanced and taking either is a suitable option.

Take both, and switch as neccasary.

on warriors, the +30HP is far more usefull, becuase they already have high AL, and the actual damage difference between 80 and 85, or 100 and 105 ain't that big. You're also more likely to get hit by degen (tainted = disease, faintheartedness, ...), so +30HP is def usefull ... On casters the armor is slightly better taking you get hit by damage that takes armor into account

Only damage that is labelled as amor-ignoring ignores armor, be it holy, dark, chaos, elemental or physical. Although I admit that there are skills that ignore armor without it beeing mentioned,

A wand/staff with chaosdamage f.ex. does not ignores armor.