Piercing

Why is we have % Armor Piercing on so many weapons? If it was a Pierce focused weapon, it makes sense. It’d make some sense on Physical ones as well. It can be argued to be thematic on Daggers, as well, and it certainly doesn’t matter on Caster weapons in most cases…

But why is it on things like Empowered Will Of Fate? It’s an Elemental Rifle. Clearly made for attacking, clearly made for Elemental… Yet it has Armor Piercing. What?

It’s not the only weapon, but I came across it on this one, and I’d like a reason. Armor Piercing specifically removes Physical Damage that could be being converted into a something else that the build could actually USE. Things like Vortex of Souls have no Armor Piercing, so it’s hardly decided by the weapon type alone. It could be simply because Will has base physical damage and Vortex doesn’t… But in many cases that simply begs the question, why is there Physical on a weapon clearly made for Elemental? Should it not just be base Elemental, as Vortex is base Aether?

Am I the only one confused as to the reasoning behind these things? It might be okay if we had as many sources of Pierce conversion as we do Physical, or if things that converted Physical also converted Pierce… But we don’t, so instead Pierce is specifically lowering your damage output.

Armor piercing occurs last so it’s not ‘specifically removing physical damage that could be converted into something else’. If you stack enough conversion, armor piercing doesn’t occur.

What ASYLUM said. You lose nothing.

This is useful to know, yes.

Still… WHY is it even there? Just to be there? Is there some reason I’m missing, or is it indeed as uneeded as it seems to be?

But why is it on things like Empowered Will Of Fate? It’s an Elemental Rifle. Clearly made for attacking, clearly made for Elemental… Yet it has Armor Piercing. What?

Thematically i assume, who’s to say the gun is or isn’t shooting bullets that are 100% pure magic or magical energy? They’re still bullets and have some impact or piercing to them. Vortex evident by it’s pure damage doesn’t not seem to fire bullets any more.

I guess Thematics would be the only excuse. Arg. I hate it when something is done just for thematics.

I assume it is there so you get hurt by piercing damage, like all other 2-handed ranged weapons, when a mob uses it.

There is a problem with Armor Piercing on weapons, but it is concerning Physical damage builds. Pure or hybrid, except Piercing, of course.

A Physical damage build would have much higher +Phys Dmg% than +Pierce Dmg %.
The more Armor Piercing on your weapon, the more damage you lose.

As of now, most Phys/Pierce builds are all or nothing.
Get 0% Armor Piercing, such as Axes, for Physical damage.
Get 100% Armor Piercing for a Pierce damage build, with Dermapteran Slicers/Blades of Nadaan constellation/Sinister weapon prefix.

This problem has been discussed before, but no solution is in sight yet.

The good thing for physical builds though is that they have a good amount of options for weapons without armour piercing - Warborn Gavel, Bonescythes, Aetherwarped Cleavers and to a lesser extent, Leviathan and Stonefist Rebuke are all options that come to mind.

Gun users still have a problem but they are capable of working past it and still being viable.