Mechanic

Armour Break

Armour Break lowers a target's Armour by a specified amount. Reaching 0 applies Fully Broken Armour, which removes the target's Armour benefit and has additional effects against monsters.

0.5.4d

Current data

Catalog version 0.5.4d

No direct 0.5 patch change is linked to this page. The displayed values are current for catalog version 0.5.4d.

What Armour Break does

Current rules

Armour Break is a timed reduction to the target's Armour. If the reduction reaches 0, the target becomes Fully Armour Broken for 12 seconds, or 4 seconds for players. Non-player targets with Fully Broken Armour also take 20% increased Physical damage from Hits. Players do not take that additional damage.

Armour is reduced by a stated amount: Each source states how much Armour it breaks or which part of its damage determines that amount. Armour Break is not a percentage reduction unless the source explicitly uses percentage wording.
Reaching 0 applies Fully Broken Armour: When Armour Break brings the target's Armour to 0, the target becomes Fully Armour Broken. The state lasts 12 seconds on non-player targets and 4 seconds on players.
The extra damage rule is monster-only: A non-player target with Fully Broken Armour takes 20% increased Physical damage from Hits in addition to losing its Armour benefit. Patch 0.2.0e removed that increased Physical Hit damage from players.
Normal and Magic monsters use multipliers: Players break three times the stated Armour against Normal monsters and two times the stated Armour against Magic monsters. The definition does not give that multiplier to Rare or Unique monsters.
Breaking below 0 needs an explicit effect: An effect such as Imploding Impacts must explicitly allow Armour to be broken below 0. Negative Armour is capped at the inverse of the enemy's base Armour and makes Physical Hits deal more damage.
Fully Broken Armour can be consumed or upgraded: Some Skills and Supports consume Fully Broken Armour for another effect. Sunder instead applies Sundered Armour, which adds another 20% increased Physical damage taken from Hits and prevents further Armour Break.

Skills, Supports, and items that use Armour Break

6 cases

Armour Breaker

This Mace Strike directly breaks a listed amount of Armour. Its exact break value scales with the gem level.

Related: Armour Breaker, Armour, Physical, Hit

Armour Break I, II, and III

These Supports make supported Hits break Armour from a portion of Physical damage dealt. Higher variants can add an Endurance Charge chance when the supported Skill Fully Breaks Armour.

Sunder

Hitting a target with Fully Broken Armour applies Sundered Armour, adding a further Physical Hit damage-taken effect rather than merely refreshing ordinary Armour Break.

Related: Sunder, Physical, Hit

Exploit Weakness

Supported Skills deal more damage against enemies with Broken Armour but cannot Break Armour themselves. It also cannot support Skills that consume Broken Armour.

Related: Exploit Weakness, Hit

Ironbound

Arrows return after piercing a target that had Fully Broken Armour, connecting the target state to Pierce and Returning Projectiles.

Physical Damage12-20Critical Hit Chance5%Attacks per Second(1.21-1.27)Armour(100-150)RequiresLevel 11, 23 Dex(25-35)% chance to Chain an additional time+(100-150) to Armour(5-10)% increased Attack Speed+12% to Block chance(3-5)% increased Block chance per 100 total Item Armour on Equipped Armour ItemsHits with this weapon have (1-2) to (4-5) Added Physical Damage per 1% Block ChanceArrows Return if they have Pierced a target which had Fully Broken ArmourEach crest was a Thane's word, bolted to Ivor's bow.They would join the Count's side, or die by his hands., Pierce, Returning Projectiles

Sculpted Suffering

Hits with this weapon break Armour from 40% of their damage, and enemies killed by Hits while Fully Armour Broken Shatter.

Physical Damage(39-44) to (49-55)Critical Hit Chance7%Attacks per Second(1.6-1.67)Weapon Range1.3RequiresLevel 22, 41 Str+(5-10)% to Critical Damage BonusAdds (21-26) to (25-31) Physical Damage(10-15)% increased Attack SpeedBreaks Armour equal to 40% of damage from Hits with this weaponFully Armour Broken enemies you kill with Hits ShatterThe Abyssals were created, not born,and every moment in the light was agony., Shatter, Hit

Rare monster modifiers

1 linked

Breaks Armour

Break Armour equal to 1000% of Physical Damage dealt.

Limits and exceptions

6 rules

Armour Break changes Armour and does not directly lower Elemental or Chaos Resistances.
The 20% increased damage effect applies only to Physical damage from Hits unless another effect changes the rule.
Fully Broken Armour lasts 12 seconds on non-player targets but only 4 seconds on players.
Players do not take the additional 20% increased Physical Hit damage from Fully Broken Armour.
Armour cannot normally be broken below 0 without explicit wording.
A Skill that consumes Fully Broken Armour removes the state as part of paying that effect's condition.

Related mechanics

MechanicArmour

Armour reduces applicable damage from Hits. By default it applies only to Physical Hit damage, and its reduction depends on the raw damage of each Hit rather than providing one fixed percentage.

MechanicPlant

Plant Skills create persistent plants, vines, fissures, pustules, or ground effects. Certain water-based Skills and other explicit effects can Overgrow them, applying the distinct Overgrown benefit written on each Plant Skill.

MechanicLucky

A Lucky value is rolled twice and the better result is used. Luck applies only to the roll named by the modifier, such as Hit damage, Critical Hit chance, Block chance, or Deflect chance.

MechanicShatter

Shatter is the corpse-destruction result when a Frozen monster is killed. Shatter does not deal damage by itself, but Herald of Ice, Frozen Vortex, unique items, and other effects can change what qualifies or add a payoff when the event occurs.