Aspect of Disobedience

The Aspect of Disobedience is a Defensive Aspect. It can be imprinted on Helms, Chest Armors, Pants, Shields and Amulets. It can be used by any class.

has undergone significant changes in recent seasons. Initially regarded as the top Aspect defensively, it now appears somewhat lackluster.

This Aspect increases your Armor, but with its separation from Resistances, it no longer contributes to reductions in Fire, Lightning, Ice, Poison, and Shadow Damage. Now, it solely enhances Physical damage reduction, covering Direct Damage from non-elemental sources and Bleeding Damage.

The generation of this Aspect is also a point of discussion. It heavily depends on the attack style of your character, the speed of attacks, presence of area of effect (AoE) or Damage over Time (DoT) effects, etc. This variability can make the Aspect extremely easy or difficult to maintain. Each stack of the bonus armor has its own timer, leading to potential loss of armor at critical moments in combat if not constantly replenished.

Moreover, this Aspect cannot be generated out of combat, introducing a brief vulnerability period at the start of an encounter.

While the Aspect of Disobedience provides a considerable boost to armor and Physical damage reduction, players may benefit more from an Aspect offering broader damage reduction. For example:

Aspect of Disobedience = Physical Damage Reduction
Aspect of Might = Reduction across Fire, Lightning, Ice, Shadow, Poison, and Physical Damage

Clearly,

Aspect of Might

offers more comprehensive protection than the Aspect of Disobedience.

Another drawback of the Aspect of Disobedience relates to the mechanics of armor penalties. The Aspect is only effective if your armor rating exceeds the monster's armor penalty. Classes with lower base armor might find no benefit from this Aspect.

Consider this scenario: facing a level 154 monster with an armor penalty of 6000, your armor rating is 4000. Equipping the Aspect of Disobedience raises it to 5900. However, since this does not surpass the monster's 6000 armor penalty, the Aspect of Disobedience offers no advantage in this situation.