WHAT BASE DO YOU MAKE ENIGMA IN?
What base do you make Enigma in?
Archon Plate for the win?
People often automatically go for an Archon Plate because it's the highest defense light armor.
However, some would argue the strength requirement of an Archon Plate is too high to justify the increase in defense. Some other candidates include a
- Mage Plate: 55 str
- Dusk Shroud: 77 str
- Wyrmhide: 84 str
- Scarab husk: 95 str
- Archon Plate: 103 str
Given that both the Wire Fleece and Great Hauberk have both higher strength requirements and lower base defense than an Archon Plate, they can be ignored unless preferred for cosmetic reasons. The same goes for a Cuirass compared to a Mage Plate.
Classes Base Strength
Given you have a +20 stats Annihilus and Hellfire Torch, a +5 Mara
- Amazon: base 20 (+45) = 65
- Assassin: base 20 (+45) = 65
- Necromancer: base 15 (+45) = 60
- Barbarian: base 30 (+45) = 75
- Sorceress: base 10 (5+45) = 55
- Druid: base 15 (+45) = 60
- Paladin: base 25 (+45) = 70
We can see that unless you are a Barbarian or Paladin, you're still far off the strength requirement needed for any of the other bases besides Mage Plate. Which would mean you'd have to invest in strength points that might not help your build.
My conclusion
For Barbarian or Paladin, go for the Archon Plate, if you are investing in strength. For any other class, I would go for a Mage Plate or Dusk Shroud.
What do you think?
With the exception of the self wielding Infinity (Nova Sorc being the typical example) or Sorcs who use 2 handed staves, almost every sorc build guide has Spirit in a monarch as best in slot.
And rightly so. Spirit probably is the best off hand runeword for any caster. But with monarch requesting 156str the discussion about the strength requirement of the armor becomes obsolete.
A lot of builds in other Classes list the Spirit Monarch also as BIS, again making the whole discussion purely theorethical.
One could even argue the need to use a light plate (because it has no speed reduction) while crafting Enigma when the whole point is to stop running around but instead teleport to where you want to be, but then again it's never harms to be a bit quicker on your feet.
If I find a 3os Archon plate I'll use it, but a mage plate is just as good imho. Especially as a caster you do not want to be in the thick of things and defense on your armor should not be your n°1 priority.
I see your point. Especially if you are going to wear War Travelers, then this is not an argument.
So let's say this only counts for builds that don't use a Spirit Monarch :D
Unless the class has an actual way to buff the armor number via a skill, my main criteria for the armor are the looks. If the strength req for a particular exceptional armor is high, I just get the elite or, in some cases, normal version.
Besides, a slight movement speed decrease does not have an actual impact, if you consider the speed bonus from enigma and the teleport.
imo i use dusk shroud for all my chars accept for pally and barb. for them i use archon plate. reason for this is. its nothing to be able to use a dusk shroud. yes you may need to invest a few points in strength but the defense you get out ways the few points you lose in health. also most builds you come across want you to have skill gc's with + life on them. so if your going to have gc's or sc's with + life you may aswell spend those points in strength to optimize your survivability. as for using a spirit monarch i try not to. instead i use a Lidless wall. less strength req and works well with any build.