Introduction
The Armor skill lines were once again changed in the history of The Elder Scrolls Online with the arrival of Update 29 - otherwise known as the Flames of Ambition DLC. It had a significant adjustment in regards to the hybridization of the Light and Medium Armor passives with Update 31 - known as the Waking Flame DLC.
In addition to reworking and readjusting the values of each Armor passive in the three skill lines, it is no longer required for a player character to wear five pieces of Light, Medium or Heavy Armor to be able to take use of the last two passives in the respective armor skill line.
However players still need to wear five pieces of Light, Medium or Heavy Armor to actually use the armor skill per skill line (Annulment, Evasion, Unstoppable).
Light Armor Penalties
Each piece of Light Armor does the following:
- Increases damage taken from Martial Attacks by 1%.
- Increases the cost of Block by 3%
- Decreases damage done with Bash by 1%
Light Armor Bonuses
Each piece of Light Armor does the following:
- Reduces damage taken from Magical attacks by 1%
- Reduces the cost of Roll Dodge by 3%
- Increases Movement Speed while Sneaking by 5%
- Reduces the cost of Break Free by 5%
- Reduces the cost of Bash by 3%
Light Armor Passives
Grace - Reduces the effectiveness of snares applied to you by 4% for each piece of Light Armor worn. Reduces the cost of Sprint by 3% for each piece of Light Armor worn.
Evocation - Increases your Magicka recovery by 4% for each piece of Light Armor equipped. Reduces the Magicka cost of your abilities by 2% for each piece of Light Armor equipped.
Spell Warding - Increases your Spell Resistance by 726 for each piece of Light Armor equipped.
Prodigy - Increases your Weapon & Spell Critical rating by 219 for each piece of Light Armor equipped.
Concentration - Increases your Physical & Spell Penetration by 939 for each piece of Light Armor worn.
Light Armor Skill(s)
*You need to be wearing five pieces of Light Armor to use this skill.
Annulment (Base Skill) - Convert a portion of your Magicka into a protective ward, gaining a damage shield that absorbs X damage for 6 seconds. Damage shield strength capped at 50% of your Maximum Health.
Harness Magicka (Morph) - Convert a portion of your Magicka into a protective ward, gaining a damage shield that absorbs X damage for 6 seconds. Damage shield strength capped at 50% of your Maximum Health. While active, whenever the shield absorbs damage, you restore X Magicka. Each piece of Light Armor worn increases the Magicka restored by 33%. This effect can occur up to 3 times.
Dampen Magicka (Morph) - Convert a portion of your Magicka into a protective ward, gaining a damage shield that absorbs X damage for 6 seconds. Damage shield strength capped at 60% of your Maximum Health. Each piece of Light Armor worn increases the amount of damage absorbed by 6%.
Medium Armor Bonuses
*Medium Armor has no Penalties unlike Heavy or Light Armor as explained by the devs.
Each piece of Medium Armor does the following:
- Reduces the cost of Sprint by 1%
- Reduces the cost of Sneak by 5%
- Reduces the cost of Block by 3%
- Reduces damage taken from Area of Effect by 2% for 2 seconds after you use Roll Dodge.
- Increases Movement Speed by 2% while immune to Crowd Control.
Medium Armor Passives
Dexterity - Increases your Critical Damage and Healing Done by 2% for each piece of Medium Armor equipped.
Wind Walker - Increases your Stamina Recovery by 4% per piece of Medium Armor equipped. Reduces the Stamina cost of your abilities by 2% per piece of Medium Armor equipped.
Improved Sneak - Reduces the cost of Sneak by 7% for each piece of Medium Armor equipped. Reduces the size of your detection area while Sneaking by 5% for each piece of Medium Armor equipped.
Agility - Increases your Weapon & Spell Damage by 2% for each piece of Medium Armor worn.
Athletics - Increases the Movement Speed bonus of Sprint by 3% for each piece of Medium Armor equipped. Reduces the cost of Roll Dodge by 4% for each piece of Medium Armor equipped.
Medium Armor Skill(s)
*You need to be wearing five pieces of Medium Armor to use this skill.
Evasion (Base Skill) - Shroud yourself in mist to gain Major Evasion, reducing damage from area attacks by 20% for 20 seconds.
Elude (Morph) - Shroud yourself in mist to gain Major Evasion, reducing damage from area attacks by 20% for 20 seconds. While this effect is active, when you take damage from a direct area of effect attack you gain Major Expedition for X seconds, increasing your Movement Speed by 30%. Each piece of Medium Armor worn increases the duration of this ability.
Shuffle (Morph) - Shroud yourself in mist to gain Major Evasion, decreasing damage from area attacks by 20% for 20 seconds. Each piece of Medium Armor worn removes and grants immunity to snares and immobilizations for 1 second.
Heavy Armor Penalties
Each piece of Heavy Armor does the following:
- Increases damage taken from Magical attacks by 1%
- Reduces the Movement Speed bonus of Sprint by 1%
- Increases the cost of Roll Dodge by 3%
- Increases the size of your detection area while Sneaking by 10%
Heavy Armor Bonuses
Each piece of Heavy Armor does the following:
- Reduces damage taken from Martial attacks by 1%
- Increases the amount of damage blocked by 1%
- Increases damage done with Bash by 3%
- Reduces your damage taken while immune to Crowd Control by 2%
Heavy Armor Passives
Resolve - Increases your Physical and Spell Resistance by 343 for each piece of Heavy Armor equipped.
Constitution - Increases your Health Recovery by 4% for each piece of Heavy Armor equipped. You restore 108 Magicka and Stamina when you take damage for each piece of Heavy Armor equipped. This effect can occur once every 4 seconds.
Juggernaut - Increases your Max Health by 2% for each piece of Heavy Armor equipped.
Revitalize - Increases the Magicka or Stamina your Heavy Attacks restore by 4% for each piece of Heavy Armor worn.
Rapid Mending - Increases your healing received by 1% for each piece of Heavy Armor worn.
Heavy Armor Skill(s)
*You need to be wearing five pieces of Heavy Armor to use this skill.
Unstoppable (Base Skill) - Intensify your physical presence to gain Major Resolve, increasing your Physical Resistance and Spell Resistance by 5948 for 20 seconds. Also grants you immunity to knockback and disabling effects for 6 seconds, but reduces your Movement Speed by 65% for the duration.
Unstoppable Brute (Morph) - Intensify your physical presence to gain Major Resolve, increasing your Physical Resistance and Spell Resistance by 5948 for 20 seconds. While this effect persists, each piece of Heavy Armor worn decreases the cost of Break Free by 5%. Also grants you immunity to knockback and disabling effects for 6 seconds, but reduces your Movement Speed by 65% for the duration.
Immovable (Morph) - Intensify your physical presence to gain Major Resolve, increasing your Physical Resistance and Spell Resistance by 5948 for 23 seconds. Also grants you immunity to knockback and disabling effects for 6 seconds, but reduces your Movement Speed by 65% for the duration. Each piece of Heavy Armor worn increases the amount of damage you block and the potency of the snare by 5%.
Undaunted Mettle
It is possible to gain up to a maximum of an extra 6% stat boost to your Health, Magicka and Stamina pools should you wear three different types of armor after investing two skill points into the Undaunted Mettle passive.
Otherwise known as "5-1-1", players can wear 5 pieces of heavy armor, 1 piece of light armor and 1 piece of medium armor to gain stats. They can also wear 5 pieces of medium or light armor and correspondingly 2 separate types of armor with whatever combination they choose to go with.
This concept is separate from the facts that some tanks go with "6-1" (6 heavy, 1 medium/light) to compensate for the Immovable penalty of the Heavy Armor skill (you are unable to roll dodge with 7 heavy using Immovable) or that Magicka DPS go with some setups wearing "5-2" (5x Light with Medusa/Elfbane which are heavy armor sets).
Due to the armor changes post-U29, it's more than likely that 5-1-1 may fall out of fashion depending on the specs of both the player and the group in PvE regardless of their role due to other changes such as the base max Health boost to 16,000 while 7 medium armor will remain in vogue for Stamina DPS. In PvP we may see an increase in 7 medium setups for Stamina PvP builds with 5-1-1 still being popular for magicka setups.
*You need to be wearing five pieces of Medium Armor to use this skill.