Armor and Armor Absorption: Locational Hits and Physical Damage Mitigation

Armor is a Physical-only layer

Armor is not generic defense against all damage. Know exactly where it applies.

• ▸Armor mitigates Physical damage only. Elemental damage such as Fire or Cold is untouched by it - that is what resistances are for (see the resistances article).
• ▸Pierce damage's defining trait is that it ignores armor. Against pierce-heavy enemies, melee or ranged, your defense is Pierce Resistance, not armor.
• ▸Internal Trauma, the physical damage-over-time, is not reduced by armor either; Physical Resistance handles it.
• ▸Physical Resistance is a separate layer from armor, and both reduce physical damage: armor is location-and-value dependent mitigation, resistance is a flat percentage. Stacking both makes you tougher against physical.
• ▸Your armor values are visible on the Character Window. Each armor piece provides the base value for its location, and '+n% Armor' bonuses raise every location's value.

Locational hits: every hit rolls one body part

Grim Dawn armor is locational - the armor that matters is the hit location's, not your total.

• ▸Every physical attack randomly selects one body location: head 15%, shoulders 15%, torso 26%, arms 12%, legs 20%, feet 12%.
• ▸Only the selected location's armor value enters the calculation - high armor elsewhere does not help.
• ▸The belt is never hit directly; its armor value is added to the other locations.
• ▸Even the least likely locations (arms, feet) sit at 12% - roughly one hit in eight. Leave one slot outdated and it becomes a recurring cause of death.
• ▸The official guide states outright that upgrading equipment is equally important across all armor slots. While leveling, prioritize evening out armor values over looks or minor affixes.

The 70% absorption math: 30% always lands, excess passes through

Armor is not a wall that zeroes damage. Two cases cover the whole calculation.

• ▸Armor Absorption defaults to 70% - it decides what percentage of damage within your armor value gets cut.
• ▸Case 1: the hit is at or below the location's armor value - damage x (100% - 70%) = 30% gets through. Example: a 500 physical hit on a 600-armor location deals 150.
• ▸Case 2: the hit exceeds the armor value - final damage = original damage - armor value x 70%. Everything above the armor value passes through whole. Example: a 1,000 hit on a 600-armor location deals 1,000 - 420 = 580.
• ▸So unless absorption reaches 100%, damage never drops to zero - and the further the enemy's hit exceeds your armor, the worse your effective reduction gets. The heavier the hits get on higher difficulties, the more armor upgrades pay off.
• ▸Absorption can be raised by '+n% Armor Absorption' bonuses on equipment - the official guide shows a +20% example. Whether armor value or absorption helps more is conditional: when hits are at or below your armor value, only absorption increases mitigation (case 1) and extra armor changes nothing; when hits exceed it, mitigation equals armor value x absorption (case 2), so both matter and the better buy depends on your current values and the bonuses actually available.

In practice: raising armor and what to prioritize

• ▸1. Gear upgrades are the foundation. While leveling, periodically check that each location's armor value fits your level and replace the most outdated slot first.
• ▸2. '+n% Armor' bonuses multiply every location's value, so they grow stronger as your base pieces improve.
• ▸3. Belt armor is distributed to the other locations, so belt upgrades contribute more defense than they appear to.
• ▸4. Against physically dangerous enemies, treat armor value, Physical Resistance, and Internal Trauma coverage (also Physical Resistance) as one package. If pierce hurts, the answer is Pierce Resistance, not armor (see the resistances article).
• ▸5. Some components and augments add armor or physical defense; see the components-and-augments article for slot assignments.
• ▸6. Since armor does nothing against elemental damage, the standard defensive order is: cap resistances at 80% first, then stack armor. Armor is never a substitute for resistances.

1. Official Grim Dawn Game Guide: Combat — Confirms locational hits and their chances (head 15 / shoulders 15 / torso 26 / arms 12 / legs 20 / feet 12), the 70% default absorption, excess damage passing through, the equal importance of all slots, and a +20% absorption bonus example.
2. Grim Dawn Japanese Wiki: Combat Mechanics — Confirms armor applying to Physical only (not Internal Trauma), Pierce ignoring armor, belt armor distributing to other locations, the 70% absorption two-case formulas, and the Japanese terminology.
3. Official Crate Forum: Grim Dawn v1.2.1.6 + Hotfix — Official patch notes for the verified version.