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Living Armor

Living Armor is an Enemy in Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen.

Overview[]

QUOTE DD2
Living Armors are huge animated suits of armor, haunted by an ominous blue light emanating through the cracks in their armor. It is said that they are a collection of souls who have died holding grudges or regrets, manifested into a single physical entity of sorrow and rage. They will not stop, even if the armor binding them is destroyed.
Official description [translation] [1]

Living Armors can be found on Bitterblack Isle. They utilize advanced sword techniques from both the Fighter and Mystic Knight vocations; they wield a sword modeled after Saving Grace in one hand and a shield similar to Dragon's Faith in the other.

Armors have two forms - the initial armored form which can be damaged by physical blows, and a second purely ghostly form that can only be damaged by magick.

Type
Skeletons or Ghosts
Experience
gained
Base Experience of 35,000

Can be more or less depending on a few factors such as:

Location

Gransys


Bitterblack Isle

Items

Additionally : Rift Bicrystal (common), Bitterblack Novelty Lv.2, Bitterblack Armor Lv.1, Bitterblack Weapon Lv.2, Bitterblack Armor Lv.2 (rare), Bitterblack Weapon Lv.1 (very rare)

Quests


Stats[]

Stats Health Attack Defense Magick
Attack
Magick
Defense
Weight
82,000 3,300 660 1,350 1,500 / 300 † ??
Relative
Damage
Taken
Slash Bash FIRE BASED
Fire
ICE BASED
Ice
LIGHTNING BASED
Thunder
HOLY BASED
Holy
DARK BASED
Dark
70% / 0% ‡ 100% / 0% ‡ 100% 100% 100% 100% 40%
Sources: Dragon's Dogma - ドラゴンズドグマ & Dark Arisen (www10.atwiki.jp) and in-game testing.
The second spectral form is 'sundered' with the loss of much of the creature's armor at half health.
Magick Defense in the spectral form is much reduced
The creature is effectively resistant to all physical blows once the armor is sundered

Attacks[]

Attack Type Description
Compass Slash Phys Spins with its blade extended, slicing through multiple foes with a huge range.
Stone Forest Mag Channels magick into earth, causing powerful pillars of stone to erupt around it. Can lift targets off the ground, knocking them down, and may inflict Burning.
Takedown Phys Releases a stabbing strike straight forward and appends a tackle to a forceful jab. 
Hindsight Sweep Phys Quickly ducks back before countering with a slashing charge.
Shield Strike Phys Slams close-ranged targets with its massive shield, knocking them back and breaking their guard.
Antler Toss Phys Lowers itself and then drags its blade skyward in a deadly arc, sends targets into the air. 
Onslaught Phys Performs a three-hit combo with its sword.
Broad Slash Phys Repositions itself around its target while cutting a broad swath with its sword, potentially hitting around its target's shield.
Downthrust Phys Slams the pommel of its sword down on the ground, crushing anyone standing directly in front of it. This attack is completely unblockable.
  • Living Armor's physical attacks also include a small magickal component (non Core Skills).

Tactics[]

'Sundering'[]

Bypassing_spectral_phase_of_Living_Armor

Bypassing spectral phase of Living Armor

Living Armor's physical armor breaks as it is reduced in health. Some damage is observed at 70% health, and the armor is completely removed at 50% health. Once fully 'sundered' the Armor is a purely spectral entity and immune to physical attack.

  • The initial 'unsundered' form is weaker to physical attacks, especially Blunt Damage.
  • The inner sundered spectral aura can only be damaged by magick and enchanted weapons, similar to other ghostly enemies.
    • The sundered or spectral form has lower Magick Defense than the armored form.

Physical strikes that do enough damage to pass the half health threshold can reduce the initial health of the spectral form. Furthermore the Armor is not sundered until the subsequent hit allowing one (or two) extra physical attacks on an armor with less than half health.

  • Even attacks that do no damage, such as blocked shield strikes will sunder it when it has low enough health.
  • If a Living Armor was reduced from over 70% health to under 50% health not one but two hits are required to sunder it - the first hit merely damages the armor. This allows Arisen that are strong enough to take around a third (>35%) of an Armor's health in one shot to destroy it without having to resort to magick attacks.
    • Some attacks, seemingly a single shot may not work as planned - this includes Great Gamble which counts as two hits - the simple arrow, and the 'gamble' shot..
  • (Glitch) (Exploit) Reloading a save with an already sundered Living Armor will cause it to revert to the unsundered form, but still with low health if it is nearby. This hybrid form can be damaged by one physical attack before it becomes spectral again. Using strong attacks like Arc or Gamble skills may allow the creature's defeat without resorting to magick.

Offensive[]

  • Coin Purse of Charity can damage both forms.
  • Their large shields will nullify many attacks - the best time to inflict damage is when they have just finished an attack or when distracted by pawns.
    • Living Armors are also vulnerable from the rear as their shields do not protect their backs.
    • Any attack will force Living Armor to assume a guard stance. Following with a Shield Storm or Mighty Bend to the shield will open it for further attacks.
    • Frontal attacks will eventually be knocked down by its Shield Strike counterattack.
    • Generally constantly attacking will force it to block disrupting almost all of its attacks. And using ranged attacks of considerable rate from afar will pin it down in one place without any retaliation.
  • The weak spot is located in between its sallet and chestplate.
    • The spot may be a hard target. Mighty Bend skill allows hitting the spot reliably from the front on the same level, even through block, to devastating effect.

Fall damage[]

The living armor is susceptible to Fall Damage, and not just falls off cliffs and into abysses - however it must lifted to a substantial height for it to receive damage.

The damage from falls is usually massive (at least or more than half its health) . Furthermore it doesn't sunder the Living Armor to its ghostly form when the half health threshold is crossed.

  • (Exploit) This can allow the physically resistant second phase to be bypassed without magick attacks.
  • (Glitch)Pc x256 This damage can be erratic or unreliable (may be more consistent at 60fps).

Tactics :

  • Lure the Living Armor to the edge of a cliff, and use a skill with high knockback like Terrible Bend, or Dragon's Maw to inflict heavy fall damage or death.
  • Skills shown to lift the armor high enough for damage include Fearful Din (direct hit), Arc of Obliteration, and Powder Barrage.
  • When fighting at the The Black Abbey or Sparyard of Scant Mercy, the Arisen can jump to a ledge near the elevated entrance (over tree roots). On luring the Living Armor it will attempt a leap to follow the Arisen, but misjudge it and usually fall to the arena below, causing massive damage.

Defensive[]

  • Most of this creature's attacks are physical. However when using melee attacks that are not a typical fighter's Core Skills each attack also has a magickal component.
  • If the Armor stands still and an orange casting sigil appears, it indicates it is charging the dangerous Stone Forest attack.
    • The creature is particularly vulnerable to knockdown whilst intoning, casting, and recovering from casting the spell.
  • Living Armors have very high knockdown capability. Instant Reset will quickly return the Arisen back to the feet. Use the dagger skill Forward Roll to dodge its attacks.
  • Be wary near cliff edges, as the Living Armor's attacks can easily knock the Arisen and pawns off the edge to their deaths.
  • If facing multiple Living Armors, try luring them out one or two at a time to limit the size of the skirmish. Living Armors tend to hold their positions until an enemy approaches their personal space, so lure one away then fall back to engage them one at a time.

Vocation specific[]

Fighter[]

Strider[]

  • Downpour Volley and Fracture Dart can be used to hit the Armor behind the shield.
  • Due to the wide-hitting nature of many of the Armors' attacks, it is difficult to climb.
  • Brain splitter using perma enchant Daggers during phantom form.

Mage[]

Warrior[]

  • Consider use of Exodus Slash to evade the Living Armors attacks.
  • Arc of Deliverance can be safely charged before approaching this enemy and may have sufficient Knockdown power to send the brute airborne rendering it briefly vulnerable in its knocked-down state.

Ranger[]

  • Great gamble while equipping Blast arrow and using strength boost item 4x. Potentially able one shot them.
  • Consider pinning the Armor in place with ranged attacks to give the party and opportunity to attack its back.
  • Deathly Arrow can have sufficient Knockdown power to hurl the brute backwards. Exploit its lack of defense whilst it's still down, or send it off a cliff.
  • Whilst the armor casts it becomes vulnerable to being knocked (and so potentially Fall Damage) up by Fearful Din

Sorcerer[]

  • Consider initially using spells with a physical component, such as Bolide, Seism, or Gicel. When its armor is sundered, the brute is more vulnerable to other spells.
  • Maelstrom typically performs poorly against the first form but can immobilize the brute.
  • Miasma will deal fair amount of damage to spectral form and unlike other direct attacks, will not be blocked.
  • A single Fulmination will be blocked by a Living Armor, sustaining the Fulmination will pin it in place. It is possible for two Sorcerers with Fulmination to trivialize a single Living Armor.

Assassin[]

Magick Archer[]

Mystic Knight[]

  • Perfect blocks coupled with shield counters may be used to damage the spectral form without the need to attack from behind.
    • The armored form is only reliably damaged by Perfect Flame Riposte. Ripostes from the other elements are generally blocked by the shield.
  • Attack power is also greatly boosted by use of the mace Sickening Skull.

Pawn Bestiary Knowledge[]

For the foe knowledge flags for Living Armor see the skeleton section in the Bestiary.

Despite its apparent ghostly form, this creature shares at least one knowledge flag with other skeletons.

Pawn chatter[]

"A tremendous suit of armor walks!"
"Are those the soldiers that guard this place?" (no Bestiary knowledge)
"Over there! Living Armor!"
"It's every blow is fearsome strong!"
"The armor is sundered?"
"Brute force is the only way to rend their mail!"
"Physical attacks no longer work!"
"What evil dwells within that armor?!"
"Rgh, damn their shields! Strike from the rear!"
"Let's circle round the back!"

Gallery[]

References[]

  1. Official website (archived)
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