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About Magic Armor
Magic armor is easy to obtain, with many named enemies dropping one or two random pieces of magic armor when slain. Town vendors also sell magic armor occasionally. You can easily recognize magic armor, even when it's among several other items on the floor, because the names of all magic armor are colored violet. Unless you purchased the armor from a vendor, you need to identify it before you can equip it, using a Scroll or Tome of Identify. After you rescue Deckard Cain in Act I, you can also speak with Deckard Cain in the main town of any act to identify items for free. Magic armor has a 25 percent chance of having only a prefix, a 50 percent chance of having only a suffix and a 25 percent chance of having both. The prefix and suffix are chosen randomly when the armor is generated and determine what bonuses the armor provides.
Possible Prefixes
Thirty-two possible bonuses can be granted by prefixes on magic armor, although several of them are limited to only certain types of armor. Possible bonuses include increased attack rating, damage and maximum damage, additional magical damage dealt with every attack, additional defense, increased health, mana and stamina, increased stamina regeneration, magic resistances, additional skill levels for all skill trees of a certain class or only a specific skill tree, increased light radius and additional chance of finding magic items. Some additional prefixes exist but are only available on magic weapons.
Possible Suffixes
Thirty possible bonuses can be granted by suffixes on magic armor, although several of them are limited to only certain types of armor. Possible bonuses include increased strength and dexterity, increased minimum and maximum damage, additional magical damage dealt with every attack, increased attack or cast rate, health regeneration, health and mana leech, reductions to physical and magical damage taken, reductions to the length of poison and freezing, faster movement speed, faster recovery from hits, lowered item requirements, increased light radius, extra gold from monsters and additional chance of finding magic items. Some additional suffixes exist but are only available on magic weapons.
Considerations
Although rare, unique and set armor are generally better than magic armor. The ease of obtaining magic armor and the useful prefixes and suffixes make magic armor good beginner gear and may be useful even in harder difficulties. Magic armor can also be useful to equip your mercenary. However, the wide variety of available prefixes and suffixes means that you are very likely to find magic armor that is completely useless for your character.