Armor Penetration: What does it mean in gaming?
World of Warcraft – Stats & Physical Damage Scaling
Armor Penetration, often shortened to ArP, is a stat that allows a player’s physical attacks to ignore a portion of the target’s armor, resulting in increased damage output. It was especially prominent in WoW: The Burning Crusade and Wrath of the Lich King expansions, where melee DPS classes like Warriors, Rogues, and Hunters would stack ArP to maximize their performance in raids and PvP. The more Armor Penetration you had, the less armor your target could use to reduce your physical damage, making it one of the most valuable stats for physical damage dealers during its peak.
This stat was removed from later expansions, but it remains iconic for players in Classic and WotLK servers.
How does Armor Penetration work in WoW Classic?
Armor Penetration affects physical damage by reducing the effectiveness of enemy armor. Here’s how it scales in gameplay:
- Physical Damage Boost: Increases raw damage dealt by attacks like melee swings and ranged shots.
- Hard & Soft Cap: Players aim to reach the ArP cap for maximum effectiveness—100% armor ignored.
- Scaling with Gear: Trinkets, set bonuses, and procs often contain high ArP values for burst damage windows.
- PvP Dominance: Allows for armor-shredding builds that melt plate-wearers and tanks.
- In Wrath of the Lich King Classic, ArP stacking is a top priority for min-maxers. Want to get BiS ArP gear fast without RNG burnout? Use our WoW Classic Gearing Services or Raid Boosts and go straight to high-impact damage.
References
- WoWHead: Armor Penetration Explained (WotLK)
- Icy Veins: ArP Stat Priority by Class
What’s next?
Armor Penetration was a meta-defining stat for a reason. If you're playing WotLK Classic and want to hit those DPS breakpoints, Onlyfarms.gg has the gear and boosts to get you there faster.