Best Armor Infinity Engine
The ranking of best Infinity Engine armor is as follows:
- Does the armor sport enough Armor Class for us to feel safe relative to enemy THAC0/BAB?
- How easy is its acquisition, and is its usefulness long-lasting?
Such traits are decisive factors in how an armorset ranks.
Of secondary concern are:
- Are elemental resistances, immunities or damage reduction conferred?
- Is exploit-free arcane spellcasting or thieving possible?
 |
| Left to Right: Full Plate Mail, Mithral Chain, Ankheg Plate |
To be clear, the ranking takes into account not just the armor itself but also puts great weight on its ease of acquisition (accessibility) and its ongoing viability over the course of the campaign (how much use it gets).
For example, whoop-dee-doo if an end-game armor grants two points of AC over an armor that grants great defense for 100% of a campaign. Clearly, the former is a laughing stock in comparison. The ranking also presupposes foreknowledge of cRPG Itemization and fairly deep knowledge of the campaigns; this write-up is for veterans. I'm not taking into account Heart of Fury mode itemization for Icewind Dale 1 and Icewind Dale 2; such tacked-on modes of play are of secondary concern.
As a rule, armor contributes most to our Armor Class score, aka AC. This has clearly been shown in AC Lords: The Supertankers. Armor is most important for tanky physical-based damage dealers who are in the front line, drawing the aggro, but it can also noticeably increase the survivability of backrowers such as Druids, Clerics, Bards and archers.
As a rule, armor contributes most to our Armor Class score, aka AC. This has clearly been shown in AC Lords: The Supertankers. Armor is most important for tanky physical-based damage dealers who are in the front line, drawing the aggro, but it can also noticeably increase the survivability of backrowers such as Druids, Clerics, Bards and archers.
When taking into account its encounter design and strict arcane scroll itemization, armor is most important in IWD1. No other Infinity Engine game calls for an armored front line like IWD1 does. After IWD1, armor is most important in Baldur's Gate 1 followed by Baldur's Gate 2: SoA.
Armor is able to keep pace with enemy THAC0 in BG1, IWD1, and SoA, but not in Throne of Bhaal or Planescape: Torment. And armor also does not keep pace with enemy BAB in IWD2.
 |
| Drow Full Plate +5 (AC -4) |
Armor is less useful in IWD2 and basically irrelevant in PS:T. In IWD2, the benefits of armor are not only Dexterity-capped but are also easily outstripped by basic buffs on top of scaling Dexterity and Wisdom bonuses to AC.
In PS:T armor is as rare as swords, or rather, wholly unitemized. TNO cannot wear armor, companion armor is abstracted or untransferable, and tailoring Grace/Annah bodice/vest might as well be flavor-only for all the benefits they confer.
Of course, this does not mean that Armor Class is of no concern in IWD2 and PS:T - far from it. It's just that armor itself is not at the forefront of defense in those two games; other factors are.
cf. Planescape: Torment Guide.
Overall, and as per shields, Infinity Engine armor design and itemization is unimaginative; thus, disappointing. There are almost no examples of armor flaunting cool perks in addition to the par-for-the-course bonus to AC.
Overall, and as per shields, Infinity Engine armor design and itemization is unimaginative; thus, disappointing. There are almost no examples of armor flaunting cool perks in addition to the par-for-the-course bonus to AC.
Take the overrated Red Dragon Scale for example. The heroic BG2 party slays Firkraag the dragon and all his scale yields from Cromwell is AC -1 magical armor that confers 50% fire resistance? That is a joke when one considers that Full Plate Mail, Ring of Protection +2 and Ring of Fire Resistance matches that by midway BG1.
There are so many ways BioWare could have made that armor more interesting. How about adding an on-equip, retributive Fireshield Red, for example? But no, they went crazy on BG2 Best Weapons and ignored the possibilities of armor and shields. What they should have done is nerfed weapons and unnerfed armor and shields.
Every other armorset is a distant second to the ones ranked above. You will note that most of the above five armors fail to tick the following two boxes:
- Are elemental resistances, immunities or damage reduction conferred?
- Is arcane spellcasting or thieving possible?
Again, these are of secondary concern. Yes, many armors exist that tick these boxes, but they either come too late, lack AC, or are magical in nature (which is actually a con, not a pro).
And yes, there are some magnificent armorsets on the Infinity Engine. Take for example Aslyferund Elven Chain, which flaunts AC 0, Immunity: Non-magical weapons, and does not disable spellcasting by virtue of being elven chain. But how late does it come, how much use does it really get, and how powerful is the weapon immunity in ToB? Or how about Human Flesh Armor, which flaunts all-saves +5 and 20% MR? But how specific is its use? And again, post-Underdark? The game's over and in ToB it's a joke except if worn by UAI thieves/bards (who can stack its MR with other sources for MR 100%).
There are also a couple of interesting Icewind Dale 2 armors of which the Chain of Drakkas is prime. This AB+7 armor requires no proficiency, does not penalize spellcasting or thieving skills, and can be worn by one and all. But how late does it come? Or how about the cool damage reduction armors such as Abishai and Cornugon Hide? Same old story: they come too late; the party's over. And the DR just isn't good enough, anyway.
 |
| Aslyferund Elven Chain |
There are also a couple of interesting Icewind Dale 2 armors of which the Chain of Drakkas is prime. This AB+7 armor requires no proficiency, does not penalize spellcasting or thieving skills, and can be worn by one and all. But how late does it come? Or how about the cool damage reduction armors such as Abishai and Cornugon Hide? Same old story: they come too late; the party's over. And the DR just isn't good enough, anyway.
How about Dragon Armor BG2? Overrated, as I said. FPM matches Dragon Armor ACs and elemental resistances are not only easy to get, but are all but useless to veterans. I can't remember the last time I said to myself, "Gee, better get some elemental resistances going for this battle!" -- not even when soloing Berserker BG2 did I ask that question. As well, Shuruppak's Plate invokes nothing more than a shrug of the shoulders when we find it. +1 Dex? At best, it results in +1 AC for someone like Minsc. Again, no imagination employed whatsoever.
So there we have it. The disappointment of armor design on the Infinity Engine. So disappointing, that armors available in BG1 take four of the top five positions, and an IWD series exclusive takes 5th. BG2: SoA armor itemization is insipid, and Throne of Bhaal is an epic banality not just when it comes to armor, but across the board.
So there we have it. The disappointment of armor design on the Infinity Engine. So disappointing, that armors available in BG1 take four of the top five positions, and an IWD series exclusive takes 5th. BG2: SoA armor itemization is insipid, and Throne of Bhaal is an epic banality not just when it comes to armor, but across the board.
I like how you consider how early one can obtain items as part of their value, as this is generally ignored but actually makes a huge difference in how useful they are. One encounters a similar problem with character builds too, where a player might design one that is great at max level but of dubious value throughout the majority of the game.
ReplyDeleteAgreed.
DeleteThe Ankheg plate is so good early on, considering how easy it is to get, that I sometimes think it's overpowered. I remember back when I first played BG when my friend told me that there's this awesome armor hidden somewhere in Nashkel. Oh, the joys of pixel hunting for hours without success.
ReplyDeleteBtw. I always call plate mail in BG2 'the turtle shell' for its silly icon.
Oh, god yes. That is one ugly-ass icon. The original BG one is much better. (Added some icon pics to the post.)
Delete