Living Armor

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

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.

Living Armors utilize advanced sword techniques from both the Fighter and Mystic Knight vocations, wielding a sword modeled after Saving Grace in one hand and a shield similar to Dragon's Faith in the other.

Related quests

 * An Unseen Rival III (slay the two Living Armor in the Catacombs, acquire this quest from the Arisen's Refuge following the Dark Bishop's defeat). Be aware that to receive this quest, the current backlog must be fewer than three. If more than three Request Board quests are active, the backlog must be reduced to three or less in order for this quest to become available.

Rewards

 * Fae-Silver Plate
 * Phantom Orb
 * Bitterblack Armor Lv.1
 * Bitterblack Novelty Lv.2
 * Bitterblack Weapon Lv.2
 * Rift Crystals
 * Diamond
 * Fuligin Ore

Tactics (Offensive)

 * When fighting in the Sparyard of Scant Mercy, the Arisen can stand on the edge by the entrance from The Bloodless Stockade. Luring the Living Armor with ranged attacks or by having him chase you up the stairscan cause the Living Armor to leap off of the edge, causing massive damage. This will kill the living armor in 2-4 falls. As the Living Armor will die within the battlefield, all rewards are still obtainable.
 * Immune to all debilitations.
 * Weak against Holy enchanted weapons (such as Ascalon, Heaven's Key, Totem Mace, Dwells-In-Light, Cursed Light, etc.). Holy Affinity enchantments from Mages and Sorcerors can wear off and will need to be recast mid-battle. The Perpetuation augment can extend the duration of applied enchantments, but a permanently enchanted weapon is recommended; an additional Holy buff from a Mystic Knight, Sorcerer or Mage will increase its Holy damage.
 * The external armor is more effectively damaged with physical strikes and will break off once the Living Armor's health reaches halfway. Since the external armor is more vulnerable to physical damage than Holy weapons, switch from physical swords/daggers to Holy swords/daggers once the armor is destroyed is recommended. Magick users should use a spell that incorporates physical damage, such as the High or Grand versions of Bolide, Gicel or Seism, then switch to magick-only spells once the outer shell has broken.
 * The inner spectral aura can ONLY be damaged by magic and enchanted weapons, similar to ghost-type enemies. Physical weapons MUST be enchanted in order to damage it.
 * Lure the Living Armor to the edge of a cliff, get behind it and use a Knockback skill like Terrible Bend, Deathly Arrow or Dragon's Maw to inflict heavy fall damage or death. This will forfeit any reward drops if it kills the Living Armor outright.

Vocation specific

 * Fighters:
 * Fighter vs Living Armor. One on one duel. No damage.n's Maw with a Holy enchanted sword (like Ascalon or Cursed Light) is effective against multiple Living Armor. Wait for the Living Armor to engage another target and attack its side or rear flank (avoiding its large shield). Dragon's Maw will "override" any attacks the Living Armor may dispense and will prevent the Arisen from sustaining damage while the skill animation is occurring.
 * Equip the Proficiency augment and bring stamina curatives to extend the number of times the Arisen can spam this skill.
 * Sheltered Fusillade from the rear flank can score multiple strikes very quickly.
 * Warriors:
 * Dwells-In-Light (Holy enchanted) or Boltbringer (Thunder enchanted) are excellent longsword choices for Warriors against Living Armor.
 * Charge Arc of Deliverance/Arc of Obliteration (10 seconds) prior to entering the combat zone once a Living Armor is spotted. Then walk toward the Living Armor and unleash the skill for devastating results.Strider vs 3 Living Armor
 * Striders:
 * Brain Splitter skill with Heaven's Key daggers is very effective.
 * Use Hundred Kisses on its back and then dodge roll to the other side when it turns around to counterattack.
 * Spamming Cutting Wind will quickly attack the Living Armor from two opposite flanks.
 * Rangers:
 * A clean shot to the shield or head with Deathly Arrow can send it flying backwards over a cliff.
 * Use Hundred Kisses on its back and then dodge roll to the other side when it turns around to counterattack.
 * Spamming Cutting Wind will quickly attack the Living Armor from two opposite flanks.Solo Assassin vs Living Armor. No damage.
 * Assassins:
 * Use Masterful Kill near a cliff and immediately hit it with Mighty/Terrible Bend to the shield or head to send it over the edge.
 * Use Hundred Kisses on its back and then dodge roll to the other side when it turns around to counterattack.
 * Spamming Cutting Wind will quickly attack the Living Armor from two opposite flanks. Powder Barrage can also be used to send them over the edge.
 * Magick Archers:
 * Sixfold/Ninefold Bolt is the fastest and easiest way for a Magick Archer to dispatch Living Armor, as it damages both the external armor and the inner spectral aura.Magick Archer vs 2 Living Armor (using Ricochet Hunter)
 * Shadowshackle/Shadowsnare can only slow them down, but not lock it in place due to its size.
 * Ricochet Hunter can quickly whittle down its Health in narrow corridors.
 * Explosive Bolts/Rivets are effective as they usually bypass the shield and land on its stomach and upper thighs.  With enough Explosive Bolts the Living Armor can be tossed up in the air and stunned.
 * Immolation can also be an effective measure, as it continually burns out the armor's health as long as you stay relatively close to it.
 * Mystic Knights:Mystic Knight vs 4 Living Armor. A tactical demonstration.
 * An elementally-enchanted trap of a Ruinous Sigil set in conjunction with a Great Cannon will quickly destroy both forms. Set the Ruinous Sigil first then the Great Cannon, since the Great Cannon's animation concludes with a blow, alerting the Living Armor instantly. Step back a few paces in a direct line to ensure the Living Armor goes right into the sigils; while it takes damage, quickly set another trap-- if necessary. If these sigil traps are set near the Holy Furor Beacons in the Bloodless Stockade, setting one off to fire the trap when the Living Armor is close can instantly kill a full-health Living Armor.
 * Regular light attacks and Focused Bolt from Volant White will also damage Living Armor, but any Mage's staff is significantly more effective against Living Armor when buffed with Holy Affinity, Blessed Trance, Hallowed Invocation or Holy Pact.
 * Sorcerers:
 * Focused Bolt is the preferred tactic here once the outer shell breaks.
 * High Fulmination can quickly kill them or force them to constantly block, allowing other party members to attack them from behind. Try to keep as much distance as possible while still dealing damage to avoid being interrupted.
 * Levin and Frigor damage both outer and inner forms.
 * High Miasma doesn't scratch the outer shell, but inflicts significant damage to the inner shell once the Living Armor lowers its shield.
 * High Bolide does good damage to Living Armor but targeting can be random and unpredictable.
 * Regular light attacks from the Hallowed Dragon or Talarian White archistaves will also damage Living Armor, but buffing any archistave with Holy Affinity or Holy Pact makes the Focused Bolt significantly more deadly.


 * Mages:
 * Like the Sorcerer, the preferred tactic is the holy-buffed Focused Bolt once the outer shell breaks.
 * High Comestion or High Frigor will knock the Living Armor off its feet and leave it momentarily vulnerable.
 * Levin and Frigor damage both the outer and inner shells.
 * The healing aura of High Anodyne will damage the Living Armor.
 * Regular light attacks and Focused Bolt from the Volant White staff will also damage Living Armor, but any Mage's staff is significantly more effective against Living Armor when buffed with Holy Affinity, Blessed Trance, Hallowed Invocation or Holy Pact.

Tactics (Defensive)

 * Living Armor are very skilled Mystic Knights who will block most attacks, so attack from the rear to bypass its large shield. Players who employ frontal attacks will be knocked down by its Shield Strike counterattack. Living Armors can and will Perfect Block frontal attacks.
 * Watch out for Stone Forest! Living Armor will stand still to charge this Mystic Knight skill with a red aura glowing around their head. This skill has a wide field of damage around the Living Armor and it will send the Arisen soaring into the air, set them on fire, and the Arisen will take fall damage. Rather than trying to interrupt this attack, simply run clear of the blast area.
 * Be wary near cliff edges, as the Living Armor's attacks can easily knock the Arisen and pawns off the edge to their deaths.
 * Their shields are so big that they can cause hit box detection problems, often nullifying parts of multi-hit attacks that would ordinarily damage an enemy. Thus the best window of opportunity to inflict damage is when they have just finished an attack or when distracted by pawns.
 * Living Armor are also vulnerable from the rear as their shields do not protect their backs, which is a significant vulnerability of both Fighter, Mystic Knight and a shield-equipped Assassin.
 * Living Armor have very high knockdown capability. Instant Reset will quickly return the Arisen back to the feet. Use the dodge roll (a dagger skill) to avoid its attacks.
 * Due to their invincibiilty frames, Dragon's Maw and Full Moon Slash can be used as a defensive move to avoid incoming attacks. Even if the Arisen swings and misses, the Arisen will not be injured or knocked down.
 * The Sanctuary augment can be a valuable defensive augment. It will reduce damage taken by 50% when the Arisen is in mortal danger.
 * Occasionally the Living Armor will disengage from the fight and walk away. This allows the Arisen to heal and save the game with the accumulated damage inflicted on the Living Armor intact.
 * If facing multiple Living Armor, try luring them out one or two at a time to limit the size of the skirmish. Living Armor 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.
 * In The Black Abbey, Living Armor can be lured up the stairs. Climb onto the ledge and the Living Armor will fall off, sustaining considerable fall damage. Two falls from the second floor will destroy a Living Armor outright, as can be seen in the video below. This method provides a safer way to remove the outer armor without engaging the Living Armor in combat. Also you can use a knockdown skill to help it fall.
 * Using Holy Pact stacked with Perpetuation significantly extends the duration of a buff. if the recipient of this buff is wearing L3 Gauntlets with the bonus enchantment of "Extends duration of attribute boosts applied to you,"  then the buff will last for six and a half minutes.  This is a significant strategic advantage for a character with high physical attributes and little magick when up against Living Armor.
 * In a like manner, if a Mystic Knight is equipped with L3 Gauntlets with the bonus enchantment of "Extends duration of attribute boosts applied to you,"  and is using the augment Perpetuation, this will give a Mystic Knight with a lesser magick stat a similar significant strategic advantage since a Blessed Trance or Hallowed Invocation will last longer.

Tactics (Pawn-specific)

 * Recruit pawns with Holy enchanted weapons (like the Ascalon sword, Cursed Light or Heaven's Key) since magic weapon damage is the only way a melee vocation can significantly hurt Living Armor's inner spectral aura.
 * Fighter, Warrior, Strider and Ranger pawns :
 * Pawns wielding (non-enchanted) physical weapons can only damage the outer armor, but not the inner spectral core.
 * Pawns wielding elemental enchanted weapons either permanently enchanted (like the Heaven's Key daggers or Ascalon sword) or buffed (with spells like Holy Affinity or Holy Enchanter) can damage both the outer armor and the inner spectral core of Living Armor.
 * Cutting Wind/Shearing Wind is extremely effective on Living Armor since their shields leave them open to attack from behind. The return pass of Cutting Wind/Shearing Wind specifically strikes the back of an enemy; unlike Brain Splitter, Cutting Wind/Shearing Wind never misses.
 * Mage pawns:
 * Consider hiring a Mage pawn with the Legion's Might staff for a support party member. The Legion's Might staff will automatically revive the equipped pawn whenever it runs out of HP. This Mage pawn can continue to heal, buff, and distract enemies indefinitely while the Arisen focuses on pressing the attack.
 * High Frigor and a holy-buffed Focused Bolt are a Mage's most effective spells against Living Armor.
 * High Brontide is effective against Living Armor when used by the Arisen, but not by pawns. Because High Brontide must be used in close quarters, a pawn is unlikely to stand their ground and crack the electrical whip on approaching Living Armor, instead electing to jump clear of the Living Armor's range (thus cancelling the spell entirely).
 * Sorcerer pawns :
 * High Fulmination or Grand Fulmination is very effective against the Living Armor when cast on dagger- or sword-wielding allies. If a Sorcerer pawn casts a different spell than High Fulmination, press the Go! or left D-pad HELP command once to interrupt its spell, and until the pawn starts to cast High/Grand Fulmination instead. When the lightning field is coursing through the party, dagger or sword strikes will deliver that damage to the Living Armor, destroying its second form very quickly.
 * Sorcerer pawns will generally spend most of the fight jumping around to avoid Living Armor, unless the Arisen and other pawns specifically run interference so they can cast without interruption. Their holy-buffed Focused Bolt, High Fulmination, High Bolide and High Gicel are all very effective against Living Armor.

Pawn Bestiary Knowledge
For full informations, refer to the Pawn Bestiary Knowledge page or the according section on the Phantom page.

Enemy specific :
 * Weak to Holy (may be a specific flag to trigger separatly from Ghosts family)
 * Break armor once Half HP as been reached
 * Attack from behind when blocking

In addition to witnessing these techniques, it is necessary for Pawns to participate in killing 50 Living Armors either with their own Arisen or while travelling with others.

Media
Videos=  File:Larmorkill|Mystic Knight easily slays 3 Living Armor. File:7 Living Armor vs solo Strider with only Rusted Bow F, no damage, Hard mode|Demonstration of the "Lure them off a cliff" technique. This technique works with all vocations, as long as the Arisen is standing on this specific spot to avoid damage. File:7 Living Armor vs full party, Arisen undamaged, Hard mode-0|With pawns, a Rusted Bow won't work so use a Dragon's Ire bow instead. Aggro the Living Armor to make them pursue the Arisen instead of pawns. File:Living Armor C, Big spells vs small spells effectiveness demonstration|Big spells like Bolide and Seism takes a long time to charge and have limited effectiveness. Small spells like Levin and Frigor charge faster and damage both the outer and inner forms, while Miasma utterly devastates the inner form when it lowers its shield.