Today we will be looking into the mechanics of Armour Stacking in PoE 3.23. This guide is intended as a one-stop resource for those new to the concept or just trying to refine their skills. Our detailed guide explores the intricacies of Armour Stacking. Discover essential tips, skills, ascendancies and more that will ensure you dominate the battlefield.

• The Basics of Armour Stacking
• Skills for Optimal Performance
• Damage Conversion Clarified
• Ascendancy Choices
• Types of Armour Stacker Builds
• What is the skill that armor stacker use in PoE 3.23?

↖ The Basics of Armour Stacking

• What Is It?: Armor stacking is a powerful melee build strategy for Replica Dreamfeather sword. This special item enhances attack damage based on your armor value.
• Armor Sources: Boost your armor with Grace and Determination auras, Iron Reflexes Keystone for evasion conversion, aura effect stacking on top of it all. Also take note of Grasping Mail chest with mods that enhance both armor and evasion.

↖ Skills for Optimal Performance

• Choose Wisely: You need to choose skill that’s compatible with a sword. The most popular are Smite, Lightning Strike and Molten Strike.
• Attack Skills Nuance: When using skills such as Molten Strike, remember to include Smite which adds lightning damage; this is crucial for your damage output.

↖ Damage Conversion Clarified

Not a Priority: Unlike many builds, armour stackers do not require damage conversion to reach full potential. Meanwhile wrath and smite auras are responsible for over 90% of your damage not the physical damage of your weapon itself.

↖ Ascendancy Choices

• Scion – It provides central position in passive tree, access to different nodes with aura effect bonus from various areas around passive tree while also providing more passive points at Scion starting area and significant bonuses like free fortify/intimidate.
• Chieftain – Ideal for Doryani's Prototype users offering resistance synergies; free melding of the flesh and unique damage scaling.
• Champion – Known for a boost in Aura effect, free fortify, intimidate, taunt. However, aura effect may be lower than Scion's.
• Juggernaut – It offers benefits that are similar to Transcendence but without its negative effects; easy accuracy and stun/freeze immunity which makes it a newbie friendly choice.

↖ Types of Armour Stacker Builds

• Doryani's Prototype – Cheap and high damage output but watch out for lightning degen.
• Resistance Stacker – Uses Grasping Mail mods for stacking resistances combined with armor and evasion.
• Transcendence Build – Extremely tanky with Transcendence Keystone however requires rare/expensive poe items.

Armor Stacker will tipically have:

• 90% Elemental Resistance
• 90% physical resitance
• 5 Million DPS at bottom end budgets 20 mill or so on build with no Mageblood belt
• most are a CI build so no need to worry about chaos damage.
• Shield users with Aeigis will have Max block and spell block and recover FULL Energy Shield on block!
• Can Do most content.

Some Downsides:

• Requires some game knowledge to build.
• will die to lightning degen if you are using doryanys prototype.
• Can be Expensive to build depending on market price for items.

↖ What is the skill that armor stacker use in PoE 3.23?

Most like to use smite since we are stacking lots of arua effect. Smite has an aura that gives lightning damage when we hit a target. This counts as an aura as well which scales with all of our other auras. So it is preferred this way. Nevertheless, you can also use other skills including Lightning Strike. 

In fact, any skill that could be used with a sword can be used! However, you have to use smite as a separate skill to gain the damage boost from smite's aura.

Related: PoE 3.23 Armor Stacking Guide | Part 2

The interesting thing about the Path of Exile 3.23 is that it combines the attack and defense possibilities. You can create an armor-based build that suits the way you play, by choosing the appropriate skills and ascendancy points.