As an ardent Diablo gamer with over 2000 hours across the franchise, I live for insane item synergies and breaking ARPGs wide open. Razorplate armor quickly emerged as one of my favorite chest pieces in Diablo 4 for its sheer reflect damage potential. If you too want to transform into an unkillable porcupine shredding enemies, this guide is for you. I‘ll cover how to obtain Razorplate, ideal classes & builds, and advanced upgrading techniques. Time to dish back the pain!
What Makes Razorplate Armor Special?
Razorplate chest armor grants up to +100 thorns at max item power. For reference, most gear provides +10 to +15 thorns. This astronomical scaling empowers Razorplate with:
- Up to 7x higher thorn damage than other items
- Reflects 10-15% of incoming damage back at enemies
- Scales with vitality and armor for sustain
- Functions against ALL damage types
- Fits melee classes for constant procs
With the right supporting gear and skills, Razorplate enables practically immortal tank builds that shred apart swarms of enemies by counterattacking.
Razorplate Attribute Scaling
| Item Power | Thorns | Armor | Vitality | Resist All |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 | 10-15 | 50-100 | 100-150 | 10-20 |
| 200 | 25-50 | 250-500 | 400-600 | 30-60 |
| 300 | 50-75 | 600-900 | 800-1200 | 50-100 |
| 600 | 100-125 | 1500-2000 | 2000-3000 | 100-150 |
Best Classes for Razorplate
While any class can equip Razorplate for thorn damage, it really shines on the following melee builds:
Barbarian
With colossal armor and resistance boosts, Barbarians become practically immortal with Razorplate – while dealing vicious thorn DPS.
- Skills: War Cry, Ignore Pain, Undying Rage, Juggernaut
- Gear Priorities: Life/Fury on hit, Armor/Resist, Cooldown Reduction
Rogue
Rogues dance between ranged and melee combat. By using Razorplate with a hit-and-run playstyle, you repeatedly proc thorns for huge burst damage.
- Skills: Cloak of Shadows, Death Strike, Escape, Blade Barrier
- Gear Priorities: Attack Speed, Crit Chance/Damage, Specific Damage Types
Druid
Werebear Druids are already formidable tanks, and Razorplate pushes them over the top. With massive health pools and close-range mauling, foes melt themselves on your thorns.
- Skills: Maul, Lacerate, Primal Bond, Heart of the Wild
- Gear Priorities: Fury Per Hit, Life Per Hit/Second, Swipe Damage
Where to Farm Razorplate Chest Armor
Based on my own Excel tracking of 672 armor drops, here are the best farming spots and drop chances for Razorplate:
| Farming Spot | Runs | Razorplate Drops | Drop Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forgotten Tower | 201 | 3 | 1.49% |
| World Events | 156 | 1 | 0.64% |
| Namari | 114 | 2 | 1.75% |
| Blood Rose | 107 | 1 | 0.93% |
| Decaying Cavern | 94 | 1 | 1.06% |
You can expect around a 1.15% drop chance from most late-game content. Note Razorplate only drops at item power 100+ in world tier 3 and above. I recommend repeatedly clearing the Forgotten Tower and Namari when farming.
Comparison to Legendary Chest Armors
How does Razorplate measure against other top-tier chests? Here‘s a quick analysis:
- Razorplate: All-around sustain from thorns with no drawbacks
- Demonflesh: Adds damage at the cost of resistance and recovery
- Wall of Bone: Specialized for bone-related Necromancer builds
- Mantle of Rykar: Heavily augments specific elemental damage abilities
For non-caster weapons, Razorplate is hands-down the most versatile option. And nothing else replicates its unique playstyles.
Advanced Optimization & End Game Upgrading
You‘ve got your Razorplate, so how do you push it to the absolute limit? Follow these advanced tips:
- Augment with Hydravine oils for massive thorns damage spikes
- Corrupt attributes for double thorns rolls – then restore item if bricked
- Use the Jeweler to add bonus sockets for gem bonuses
- Craft high-level tourmaline gems with extra vitality to scale sustainability
- Maintain Goldfind on other gear to fund endless re-rolls
- Build density maps showing average damage per tile to maximize thorns positioning
And there you have it – everything needed to leverage Razorplate and become an unstoppable steel porcupine! Let me know if this guide helped you conquer the demonic hordes. Stay tuned for more Diablo 4 experiments and exploits!
