Understand Guardian Armor
Useful when…
- Reducing damage taken by squadmates within Affinity Range while Vex Armor is active.
- Restoring Chroma's health over time and extending Vex Armor through squad kills.
Vex Armor effects and conditions
Guardian Armor is a Chroma augment for Vex Armor. It reduces damage taken by squadmates within Affinity Range by 75%. Squad kills restore Chroma's health over 3 seconds and increase Vex Armor's duration by 1 second. The health restoration scales with rank: 2% at rank 0, 4% at rank 2, and 5% at rank 3. The damage reduction is listed as 75% at each of those ranks. The kill-triggered effects depend on squad kills, and the protection is limited to squadmates within Affinity Range.
Mod fit and investment
The augment is a Rare standard Chroma mod with Zenurik polarity, base drain 6, and maximum rank 3. Its fusion costs are 30 Endo and 1,449 Credits for rank 0 to 1, 60 Endo and 2,898 Credits for rank 1 to 2, and 120 Endo and 5,796 Credits for rank 2 to 3. Rank increases improve the health restored on squad kills; the listed 75% squad damage reduction and 1-second duration increase per squad kill do not change across the rank examples. Consider ranking it for the stronger health restoration if that benefit matters to your use of Vex Armor, while accounting for its drain and the slot it occupies.
Other Chroma augments
The candidate augments change different abilities or conditions. Vexing Retaliation is a Conclave augment for Vex Armor that triggers a 9 m burst after taking 150 damage, with different status effects depending on whether shield or health damage triggers it. Afterburn modifies Spectral Scream and launches a projectile when the ability is deactivated. Everlasting Ward modifies Elemental Ward so allies who leave its radius retain the effect for the remaining duration. These effects do not provide Guardian Armor's stated squad damage reduction and kill-triggered health restoration; they are alternatives when you want to modify those other mechanics.
Limitations
Guardian Armor's protection applies to squadmates within Affinity Range, and its healing is tied to squad kills. The provided effect does not establish that the damage reduction protects Chroma himself, nor does it specify how the reduction interacts with other effects; avoid assuming either behavior from this description alone.
Limitations and tradeoffs
- Its squad protection has an Affinity Range condition.
- The rank increases improve kill-triggered health restoration, while the listed damage reduction remains 75%.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Assuming the 75% damage reduction applies beyond Affinity Range or protects Chroma himself.
- Expecting the health restoration and duration extension without squad kills.
- Confusing Guardian Armor's Vex Armor effects with the separate Conclave Vexing Retaliation augment.