In League of Legends, understanding how armor penetration and armor reduction work is crucial to maximize your damage output. Both mechanics are essential for dealing with tanky opponents and increasing the effectiveness of your physical damage dealers. Let's delve into how armor penetration and armor reduction interact and affect the final damage dealt in the game.

Armor Penetration

Armor penetration is a stat that allows your physical damage to bypass a percentage of the target's armor. This means that the higher the armor penetration value you have, the more effective your attacks will be against enemies with high armor values. Armor penetration can come from items, runes, champion abilities, or masteries.

When calculating damage with armor penetration, the game takes into account the target's armor value and reduces it by the percentage of armor penetration you have. For example, if you have 30% armor penetration and your target has 100 armor, your attacks will treat the target as having only 70 armor (100 - 30% of 100 = 70).

Armor Reduction

Armor reduction, on the other hand, decreases the actual armor value of the target rather than bypassing a percentage of it. This can be a powerful tool when facing tanky champions with high armor values. Armor reduction can come from items, champion abilities, or other game mechanics.

When armor reduction is applied to a target, their armor value is directly decreased by the specified amount. For instance, if you apply 20 armor reduction to a target with 100 armor, their effective armor value becomes 80 (100 - 20 = 80). This makes your physical damage more impactful against the target.

Interaction between Armor Penetration and Armor Reduction

So, how do armor penetration and armor reduction interact when both are present in a game? The order in which these effects are applied can significantly impact the final damage output. Generally, armor reduction is applied first, followed by armor penetration.

For example, if you have an ability that reduces the target's armor by 20 and then you have 30% armor penetration from items, the calculation would be as follows: If the target has 100 armor, the armor reduction will bring it down to 80 armor, and then the armor penetration will further reduce it to 56 armor (80 - 30% of 80 = 56).

Maximizing Damage Output

To maximize your damage output in League of Legends, it's essential to understand how armor penetration and armor reduction work together. When facing tanky opponents, a combination of armor reduction and armor penetration can be incredibly effective in shredding through their defenses.

It's crucial to build items and choose champions that synergize well with these mechanics to deal with high-armor targets effectively. Additionally, coordinating with your team to make the most out of armor reduction and penetration abilities can lead to successful team fights and objectives control.

Conclusion

Armor penetration and armor reduction are vital tools for physical damage dealers in League of Legends. By understanding how these mechanics interact and optimizing their usage, players can increase their damage output and effectiveness in battles. Mastering the intricacies of armor penetration and reduction can give you a significant edge over opponents and help secure victory on the Rift.