Arctic Armour

Why doesn't arctic armour help against the fire damage from cinder elementals (the ground after they roll)? Or maybe this isn't fire damage?

The damage left by the elementals is a damage over time effect, and thus arctic armour does not reduce the damage it deals.

I see pretty much only complaints in the thread, which is disappointing - apparently everyone just wants massive benefits basically for free. The spell is fine, you're not really supposed to keep it on at all times unless you really build and gear for it (and if you do, it is insanely good). The overwhelming extra cost for movement is there exactly to keep you from moving around with it, without punishing you for repositioning slightly in the middle of a fight by say, automatically shutting down if you move, or slowing your movement whenever it's on.

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ebrl wrote:

The spell is fine, you're not really supposed to keep it on at all times unless you really build and gear for it (and if you do, it is insanely good).

I agree. In the beginning I really thought this skill was OP as hell, but as time went on it became obvious that yes, it has powerful benefits, but they come with a great cost.

I'm currently using a level 20 full quality arctic armour with inner force. I keep it on permanently, except in half regen maps where the drain is ultimately a bit too high for permanent usage.

Normally though, even with the total moving degeneration (241.2 per second) I still have about 15 mana per second left over. I've worked it into my build in such a way that it's pretty much a mandatory skill at this point. It's well worth it to get a 300 damage reduction to any fire/phys hits even though I have virtually no armour to further augment the effect. With decent armour, I'm sure a mid-high level gem is absolutely crazy and thus the mana drain should definitely not be lowered (at least not by a significant amount) from what it is at the moment.

I have a question which only a developer or a player of firsthand experience can answer.

Does the fire damage mitigation work against reflected fire damage? I'm plannig to make an EA build and was wondering if i can use this spell to counter reflected fire damage.

Level 14 and below artic armor is pretty easy to keep up all of the time. Level 15 and above artic armor really starts adding some serious survivability. At level 15 and above (level 17 gem right now), I have to watch my mana if I have to kite around, and turn it off while running around the map. I have it linked to faster casting so it barely noticeable to activate/deactivate while moving around, and my mana regen is very good, so turning it off for a second or two while running will put me at full mana.

I really like this spell on my EB totems shadow, it is just a wonderful spell for that character, and really adds to the experience of playing the character with the extra management. You have to have a very high mana regen to make this spell come into its own, but it is a fantastic spell when you can sustain it. A+ on this ability from me.

With the new addition of 'Atziri's Foible', this skill becomes possible to use with almost any class!

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azmodael wrote:

I have a question which only a developer or a player of firsthand experience can answer.

Does the fire damage mitigation work against reflected fire damage? I'm plannig to make an EA build and was wondering if i can use this spell to counter reflected fire damage.

I run an EA Templar with level 18 'always on' AA and can say with some certainty that it does reduce reflected damage, though I've not tested extensively by any means.

If you do decide to make the build I'm sure you'll have plenty of fun and discover just how incredible the skill is at high levels, so much so that certain bosses can just be ignored as any real threat. Stand and shoot, dead. Done. Fun.

That is exactly why this skill is stupid. Instead of being tied in as an alternative to the path of health nodes, making an interesting ability for melee characters to use it is completely tailored to ranged classes who have an extra buff against the few projectiles that could still hit them.

Arctic Armour is bad design it needs a complete overhaul. I'm thinking frost armour from WC3 where melee that strike an unit with frost armour get their movement speed and attack speed lowered.

To be honest this is done better in diablo 3 and that says a lot.

http://www.diablowiki.net/Ice_Armor

You can say a lot, but that stuff is very interesting:

Whenever you are struck by a melee attack, your Armor is increased by 20% for 30 seconds. This effect can stack up to 3 times.


That could easily fit in PoE without being OP. 0% to 60% increased armor in 20% increments if you get hit? Reflect cold damage, chilling and potentially freezing mobs?

I find this spell to be bad design and one of the changes and additions to the game that hasn't really helped the game. Arctic armour is on my list with the Chaos damage changes since CB. That is the list of additions and changes that didn't do anything for the game or had a negative impact.

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Ozgwald wrote:

frost armour from WC3 where melee that strike an unit with frost armour get their movement speed and attack speed lowered

Have you even tried the skill? Arctic Armor does this?

I also had problems with this skill at first, but then realised that it's like the "Mana Shied" skill in PoE.

If you build around Arctic Armor you will have an EXTREMELY strong defense against fire and physical damage, moreso than armor could provide.

The only problem with this skill is the extreme mana cost involved, but with the addition of the new unique "Atziri's Foible" this makes it much easier.

This is where GGG surprises me, instead of making "just another mana shield" skill, they release Arctic Armor, and instead of then changing that skill when people complain about it, they introduce a new unique :)

Good work I say