GameBanshee Forums

It appears there are the following types of armor in the game:

Class specific (mage, warrior, etc)
No rating armor (does not specify light/med/heavy)
Light armor (typically leather)
Medium armor (typically splintmail, scalemale)
Heavy armor (typically plate)

Are there any negatives, or positives, that you are aware of for each type as it relates to the different classes and specs?

I'm wanting to play a warrior with a focus on a bow (ala ranger) class that can (if needed) dual wield or go sword and board as needed. However, to wield my bow weapon, should I stick with light armors or is it OK to use Heavy warrior type armor?

There are several classes of armour:

Clothing and robes (which don't give a penalty to fatigue)
Light Armour (Leather and the like, mostly low in fatigue)
Medium (Scale/Chain/Splint, high single digit penalties to fatigue)
Heavy (Heavy versions of medium armours, double the penalties)
Massive (your standard plate mail and above, huge penalties to fatigue but great armour)

Occasionally, its better to equip a lower armour type (a tier 6 light armour is better sometimes than a tier 3 or 4 medium armour, and the strength requirement might be lower). Also, if you equip the same type of armour/boots/gloves, you get a "set bonus" which generally lowers the fatigue penalty and might give you a bonus to defence, but I'm unsure about that.

Essentially, the fatigue penalty and strength requirements are the problems with equipping them with certain classes. Mages obviously won't have the strength points to equip Massive Armour (well, you could, but then the Mage wouldn't be all that great) and the fatigue penalty would make them eat up Mana very quickly in combat.

The Master Archery talent offsets the attack speed with a bow while in Heavy Armour.