ENGINEER ARMOR

Engineer armor is "heavy" armor, focused much less on shields and notably more on armor values. As a result, if you shoot for armor pieces of this type you'll have very good damage absorption (expect 50%+ damage absorption) yet notably weak shields. It will make you a tougher adversary to kill but, likely, a less offensive one. The reason why is explained in just a moment.

ALL of the Engineer armor pieces require STRENGTH and POWER; two attributes of high interest to a "pure" Engineer build.

When I say "pure" I mean a build heavily focused on a drone and bots for both offensive and defensive purposes. The goal of a "pure" build is high durability, mobility, and extreme robot action. The pure engineer will be harder to kill than a comparable Marksman but will do much less damage directly. However, foes will have to deal with very powerful robots and a fast moving (and frequently disappearing) main target all at once. Additionally, pure Engineers will have the capability to utilize the most potent mods, mixing and matching them in lethal combinations to suit their tastes--the downside being that they will have to do so on less preferable weapons that their Marksman counterparts will brandish with ease.

Engineer armor pieces are notable in that they provide two things to the engineer who has worked up the attributes capable of donning a full set of "Quartermaster" gear--significant damage absorption and increases to minion damage. Please note that the latter, and in fact ANY of the "+minion x" affixes on gear is not working correctly or at all.

How do you recognize Engineer armor? Aside from the presence of the "+x% minion damage" affix found only on Engineer pieces, you can also go by the name and sub-name of the armor item, "Quartermaster" is most common. Here is a list of name prefixes that appear on Engineer specific armor, along with the level range (min/max) and additional bonuses you will find with them:

**Note that some of the above types also appear as affixes with different bonuses, such as "Harmonic" which provides increased resistance to phase effects. Having said that, I don't believe that Harmonic can appear as an affix on Harmonic armor--but I could be wrong.

As a final note on Engineer armor and attribute allocation; if you chose to go this route your best bet is to lay heavily into Power and nearly as heavily in Strength to make certain that you'll have extremely high damage absorption and a massive power pool for casting and application of mods. If you do, you may find it complimentary to use a few weapons with in the Hunter selection that also demand Strength (and Accuracy, to a lesser extent), namely:

Laser Rifles (for medium and long range) Rocket Pistols (for short to medium range) Close-Ranged Weapons (such as the bladesaw for short and medium)

Of the latter, a few are particularly notable, such as Cosgrove's Carnage which does Physical and Spectral Direct damage as well as Fire and Toxic splash! But you gotta have a solid strength score to wield that bad boy--something right up a "pure" Engineer's build path. Your Marksman buddies can sulk in jealous envy!

     MARKSMAN ARMOR

Marksman armor and build strategies will take you down a different path than the Engineer, altogether. Instead of high armor values you'll find very high shield ratings and regeneration with virtually no armor. This isn't as bad as it sounds, though it does mean you have to be cautious when encountering foes with shield penetration and overload attacks.

ALL Marksman specific armors require Accuracy and Stamina to don. Going for a "pure" Marksman build will result in you being a virtual master with weaponry and, to boot, have a lot of hit points. Against foes who can't bypass your shields quickly, you'll hardly blink at their efforts. Even when facing those who can, your high hit points will generally carry you through to either a tactical retreat or a quick death for the foe, either way.

With that in mind, Marksman specific armor is easy to recognize as it offers no armor and high shield ratings. Additionally, all Marksman armor pieces provide bonuses to targeting reticle accuracy--helping to magnify your lethality and ability to go "full auto" for longer durations without suffering DPS loss (something your Engineer buddies will be envious of, to be sure!).

Here is the list of Marksman specific armor pieces, including their level range and additional bonuses that appear:

     GENERAL/HUNTER ARMOR

In addition to the two class specific armors, a subset of armor of more general application exists, permitting "pure" builds to find pieces to fill out their equipment when class specific gear isn't available, or for "mixed" builds who desire to have a better balance of armor and shields.

Unlike the class specific armor pieces, the "general" hunter armor pieces do not have a static bonus type that appears on every piece. However, they do offer a more balanced mixture of armor and shields in a ratio roughly even to the value of both. Having said that, several of the "general" pieces fall within the Arcane set type and may consistently provide bonuses to evasion or speed or both.

All of the "general" pieces demand Strength and Stamina as requisites, making them a half-way point between the Marksman and Engineer and fairly easy to fit into for either, should they have a little extra Stamina (for Engineer) or Strength (for Marksman) to spare.

At the same time, if you do NOT go for a build strategy pursuing one or other of the class specific armor types, you may find yourself in some stat trouble, should you have an odd mix of attribute allocation. As a result, a "mixed" build character would be wise to invest some notable points in both Strength and Stamina, recognizing at the same time that many Legendaries suited for "pure" builds may be eternally out of their reach (or difficult at best).

In effect, that is the choice--armor, shields, or some mixture, and should you pursue one or the other, to recognize that pieces of armor (and weapons alongside) may be placed outside your practical options. All the same, they also represent less desirable weapons or armor for your particular build, and you should just give those item types a nod of appreciation and not worry yourself too much! Just keep in mind that there will be glorious drops far more suitable to your build if you stay the course and you'll create a more potent and focused build at the same time.

Here are the "general" pieces: