Armor penetration

Lethality redirects here. For the 2013 Mastery, see Lethality.

 Armor penetration is a champion statistic that determines the amount of a target's  armor that will be ignored when the user deals physical damage. Percentage armor penetration and Lethality have no effect if the target's armor is less than or equal to 0.

Armor reduction is an effect that reduces the target's armor for a period of time, by an amount or percentage. Flat armor reduction can reduce armor values below 0, while percentage armor reduction cannot.

It is important to note that penetration treats the target's resistances as being multiplied by a percentage or reduced by a flat amount, in contrast to reduction which applies to the target's resistances as a whole.

All champions have 0 base armor penetration and lethality, but they can be increased by items, runes, and with certain champions' passive ability effects.

Starting in V6.22, lethality replaced flat armor penetration as a statistic, and offered 40.33% − 100% (based on target's level) of the value as penetration. In V7.14, it was changed to scale with the user's level instead of the target's level, offering 62.22% − 100% (based on level) of the value as penetration. In V14.1 lethality was changed back to no longer scale by level; it grants the full amount of flat armor penetration at all levels, but keeps the name to differentiate it from percent armor penetration and emphasize its relative effectiveness against low-armor enemies rather than high-armor enemies. In V14.9, lethality was updated to be handled as an innate statistic rather than a scripted one.

Order of calculations

Armor penetration and armor reduction are considered in the following order:

1. Armor reduction, flat
2. Armor reduction, percentage
3. Armor penetration, percentage
4. Armor penetration, flat (Lethality)

Base armor and bonus armor are calculated separately.

Flat armor reduction

The target's armor is reduced by an amount. Flat armor reduction stacks additively and is distributed proportionally between base armor and bonus armor.

Example: 15 armor reduction against a 20 base armor and 40 bonus armor target will reduce base armor by 5 and bonus armor by 10, so the target will be reduced to 45 armor ((20 − 5) + (40 − 10) = 45).

Flat armor reduction can reduce a target's armor below zero. For example, if an enemy with 10 armor has their armor reduced by 25, the enemy will have −15 armor.

Percentage armor reduction

The target's armor is multiplied by a percentage (100% − the listed reduction). Applies to both base and bonus armor. Percentage armor reduction stacks multiplicatively and is ignored if the target's armor is 0 or less.

Example: 30% armor reduction multiplies the target's armor to 70%, so a target with 20 base armor and 40 bonus armor will be reduced to 42 armor ((20 × 0.7) + (40 × 0.7) = 42).

Percentage armor reduction reduces more armor on targets with higher armor. For instance, with 40% armor reduction, a target with 200 armor will lose 80 while a target with only 50 armor will lose 20.

With 40% armor reduction, the physical damage dealt to a target with 50 armor is only increased by around 15%, whereas the physical damage dealt to a target with 200 armor is increased by around 36%.

If one wanted to calculate the total armor reduction after two consecutive percent armor reductions, the following formula may be useful:

$CumulativePercentArmorReduction=r_{1}+r_{2}-r_{1}r_{2}$

Each r is the individual percent armor reductions. For example, the calculation of two armor reductions, 20% and 30%, would yield the following:

$CumulativePercentArmorPenetration=r_1+r_2-r_1r_2=(.2)+(.3)-(.2)(.3)=44\%$

Percentage armor penetration

The target's armor is treated as being multiplied by a percentage for purposes of damage calculation (100% − the listed penetration). Percentage armor penetration stacks multiplicatively and is ignored if the target's armor is 0 or less.

Example: 30% armor penetration causes the target to take damage as if its armor was multiplied by 70%, so a target with 20 base armor and 40 bonus armor will be treated as though it had 42 for purposes of damage (the target's actual armor value will not change, however) ((20 × 0.7) + (40 × 0.7) = 42).

Because the target's actual armor value does not change, anything else depending on that value also doesn't change.

Percentage armor penetration reduces more armor on targets with higher armor. For instance, with 40% armor penetration, a target with 200 armor will be considered as having 80 less while a target with only 50 armor will be considered as having 20 less.

Gold Value

• Percent armor penetration has a gold value of 41.666667 per point.

Percentage bonus armor penetration

Percentage armor penetration that applies only to bonus armor.

Example: 30% bonus armor penetration multiplies the target's bonus armor to 70% without affecting base armor, so a target with 20 base armor and 40 bonus armor will be treated as though it had 48 for purposes of damage calculation (the target's actual armor value will not change, however). (20 + (40 × 0.7) = 48).

If the unit has multiple sources of percentage bonus penetration, they stack multiplicatively:

Example: 10% armor penetration and 30% bonus armor penetration. (20  × 0.9)) + (40 × 0.7 × 0.9)) = 43.2).

Because the target's actual armor value does not change, anything else depending on that value also doesn't change.

Percentage bonus armor penetration reduces more armor on targets with higher bonus armor, but will not have an effect against base armor. For instance, with 40% bonus armor penetration, a target with 200 bonus armor will be considered as having 80 less while a target with only 50 bonus armor will be considered as having 20 less. In contrast, a target with any amount of base armor and no bonus armor will be considered as having the same value.

Lethality

Lethality is the statistic that represents and grants flat armor penetration.

The target's armor is treated as being reduced by an amount for the purposes of damage calculation, but cannot be reduced below 0. Flat armor penetration stacks additively.

Example: 20 lethality on a user will cause a target to take damage as if its armor was 20 less, so a target with 30 armor will be treated as though it had 10 for purposes of damage calculation (the target's actual armor value will not change, however).

Because the target's actual armor value does not change, anything else depending on that value also doesn't change.

Gold Value

• Lethality has a gold value of 30 per point, for more details see this page.

Examples

Given 10 flat armor penetration and 45% bonus armor penetration, and the target is affected by 30 flat armor reduction and 30% armor reduction;

• Target A has 300 armor (100 base and 200 bonus armor).
  • The 300 is reduced to 270 (90 base and 180 bonus armor) by the 30 armor reduction.
  • The 270 is reduced to 189 (63 base and 126 bonus armor) by the 30% armor reduction.
  • The 189 is considered to be 132.3 (63 base and 69.3 bonus armor) by the 45% bonus armor penetration.
  • The 132.3 is considered to be 122.3 by the 10 armor penetration.
  • Target A takes damage as if it has 122.3 armor.
• Target B has 18 armor.
  • The 18 is reduced to −12 by the 30 armor reduction.
  • The −12 is not affected by any further calculations because it is less than 0.
    • Target B takes damage as if it has −12 armor.

Lethality as scaling

The following have their stats improved based on the amount of lethality acquired:

Champion abilities

• Pyke's Gift of the Drowned Ones, Ghostwater Dive, Phantom Undertow, and Death from Below

Items

• Axiom Arc

Increasing lethality

Champion abilities

• Aphelios' The Hitman and the Seer

Items

This table is automatically generated based on the data from Module:ItemData/data.

Item	Cost	Amount	Availability
Axiom Arc Axiom Arc	3000	18	Nexus Blitz, Arena, Classic Summoner's Rift 5v5, All Random All Mid
Duskblade of Draktharr Duskblade of Draktharr	0	20	Arena
Edge of Night Edge of Night	3000	15	Nexus Blitz, Arena, Classic Summoner's Rift 5v5, All Random All Mid
Flesheater Flesheater	0	18	Arena
Guardian's Dirk Guardian's Dirk	500	11	Arena
Hellfire Hatchet Hellfire Hatchet	2500	12	Arena
Hubris Hubris	3000	18	Nexus Blitz, Arena, Classic Summoner's Rift 5v5, All Random All Mid
Kinkou Jitte Kinkou Jitte	0	12	Arena
Opportunity Opportunity	2700	15	Nexus Blitz, Arena, Classic Summoner's Rift 5v5, All Random All Mid
Profane Hydra Profane Hydra	3200	18	Nexus Blitz, Arena, Classic Summoner's Rift 5v5, All Random All Mid
Prowler's Claw Prowler's Claw	0	20	Arena
Regicide Regicide	0	15	Arena
Serpent's Fang Serpent's Fang	2500	15	Nexus Blitz, Arena, Classic Summoner's Rift 5v5, All Random All Mid
Serrated Dirk Serrated Dirk	1000	10	Nexus Blitz, Classic Summoner's Rift 5v5, All Random All Mid
Spectral Cutlass Spectral Cutlass	2500	21	Arena
Talisman of Ascension Talisman of Ascension	0	0	Arena
The Brutalizer The Brutalizer	1337	5	Nexus Blitz, Classic Summoner's Rift 5v5, All Random All Mid
The Collector The Collector	3000	10	Nexus Blitz, Arena, Classic Summoner's Rift 5v5, All Random All Mid
Umbral Glaive Umbral Glaive	2600	15	Nexus Blitz, Classic Summoner's Rift 5v5, All Random All Mid
Voltaic Cyclosword Voltaic Cyclosword	3000	18	Nexus Blitz, Arena, Classic Summoner's Rift 5v5, All Random All Mid
Youmuu's Ghostblade Youmuu's Ghostblade	2800	18	Nexus Blitz, Arena, Classic Summoner's Rift 5v5, All Random All Mid

Item passives

• Opportunity

Increasing percent armor penetration

Champion abilities

• Darius' Apprehend
• K'Sante's All Out
• Nilah's Formless Blade
• Pantheon's Grand Starfall

Items

This table is automatically generated based on the data from Module:ItemData/data.

Item	Cost	Amount	Availability
Last Whisper Last Whisper	1450	18%	Nexus Blitz, Classic Summoner's Rift 5v5, All Random All Mid
Lord Dominik's Regards Lord Dominik's Regards	3000	35%	Nexus Blitz, Arena, Classic Summoner's Rift 5v5, All Random All Mid
Mortal Reminder Mortal Reminder	3200	30%	Nexus Blitz, Arena, Classic Summoner's Rift 5v5, All Random All Mid
Perplexity Perplexity	2500	22%	Arena
Serylda's Grudge Serylda's Grudge	3000	30%	Nexus Blitz, Arena, Classic Summoner's Rift 5v5, All Random All Mid
Talisman of Ascension Talisman of Ascension	0	0%	Arena

Item passives

• Terminus

Reducing armor

Champion abilities

Percentage Reduction

• Briar's Head Rush
• Garen's Judgment
• Jarvan IV's Dragon Strike
• Jayce's Transform Mercury Cannon
• Kayle's Radiant Blast
• Kog'Maw's Caustic Spittle
• Mordekaiser's Realm of Death
• Nasus' Spirit Fire
• Olaf's Undertow
• Rell's Break the Mold
• Renekton's Dice (Empowered)
• Sion's Roar of the Slayer
• Trundle's Subjugate
• Vi's Denting Blows
• Wukong's Crushing Blow

Flat Reduction

• Corki's Gatling Gun
• Rell's Break the Mold
• Rengar's Thrill of the Hunt

Items

Percentage Reduction

• Black Cleaver

Monsters

Flat Reduction

• Baron Nashor's Void Corruption

Notes

• Armor penetration will apply to any and all sources of physical damage.
  • It will apply to the damage dealt to almost every type of unit, including turrets but not other structures (Inhibitors are the only building with armor).
• Armor reduction will affect the physical damage from any unit source.
• Percentage penetration is applied before flat penetration.
• Turrets and Dragons have 30% armor penetration.
• Gangplank's Powder Keg is special cased to ignore a percentage of the target's armor with its damage.
• Yasuo's Last Breath grants him a buff that causes the damage dealt by his critical strikes to ignore a percentage of the target's bonus armor.

Trivia

Highest Lethality

Last updated: January 20, 2024, patch V14.10

The highest amount of lethality any champion can obtain is 127.

• Items:
  • Certainty - 27
    • This item grants an additional 10 lethality at the highest level with its passive effect, Preparation.
  • Youmuu's Ghostblade - 18
  • Voltaic Cyclosword - 18
  • Hubris - 18
  • Axiom Arc - 18
  • Profane Hydra - 18
• Relevant mathematics:
  • Items = 27 + 10 + 18 + 18 + 18 + 18 + 18 = 127 lethality
    • This is further increased to 160 lethality with Aphelios when The Hitman and the Seer is included in the equation (127 + 33 = 160), which grants 33 lethality when lethality is fully leveled. This is the highest amount of lethality in the game that only Aphelios can obtain.

Highest Armor Penetration (%)

The highest amount of percentage armor penetration any champion can obtain is 35% with Lord Dominik's Regards.

The highest amount of percentage armor penetration obtainable in the game is 61% with Darius when he has Lord Dominik's Regards and his Apprehend is at rank 5.

• Relevant mathematics:
  • (1 - 0.4) × (1 - 0.35) = 0.39
    • 1 - 0.39 = 0.61 × 100% = 61% armor penetration

Media

Armor reduced indicator

Armor and magic resistance reduced indicator

See also

• Armor
• Magic penetration
• Champion statistic

References

Champion statistics