so what is the best Enigma base for a necro?

sorry if this is being asked many times but I'm about to get my first one, so having some kind of trepidation fearing I might make some wrong choice on the base, the gist I've read so far seems to be going with Mage Plate for lower requirement on str hence more points toward vitality, wondering isn't Archon Plate optimal I understand it has higher requirement, but wouldn't higher defense make up for the vitality? I'm not going with Dusk Shroud unless someone really convinces me, aesthetically, it looks too shabby for my taste lol

it's up to you...if you are min/maxing then you want the most def possible for the low req...if say you are using a Monarch for Spirit then you need higher str for that so you could use a heavier armor anyway...I recently got a Chains of Honor on my sorc and when I had the runes I told my self either arcon plate or Dusk Shroud, which ever i got firt...i got a Dusk Shroud, so she has it...i did try on every armor type first and I didn't mind the Dusk Shroud on the sorc...I would choose look over anything..if I thought it was ugly, I wouldn't use it...the amount of deffense isn't going to make or break your toon...it's the other stats

Realistically, your total def will always suck, regardless of the armor you choose. That's just part of being a necro. Sure, more is still better, but it'll never be worth really writing home about and is typically not worth dropping any vitality for.

Because of that, speaking purely in terms of performance, you want the highest def armor that you don't need to invest any points into str for while typically also making sure it remains a light armor (mage, shroud, archon, that kind of thing).

You start out with 15 str. Adding torch and anni to that puts you at 55. That's on the dot enough to use a Mage Plate without spending a single point on str. A Dusk Shroud would be your next best choice but would require another 22 str which you often enough don't get for free. That's why mage plates are such a popular choice.

All that having been said..I for one would never use anything other than an Archon Plate. Ever. But that's just a personal matter of Principle - everything any of my chars use is the elite version of whatever it is.

another thing is look at these armors, these are all the elite armors. base/#filter=Body%20Armor%2C%20Can%20ha ... 2C%20Elite

you can compare all the defense and str req...at the top end you can get a Sacred Armor with 600 base def...to a dusk with 467..assuming perfect. So a 133 def difference....I'm not a number cruncher so I couldn't tell you how much avoidance 133 def is worth.

I went with Mage Plate and am happy. Looks good, lower str requirement. My comment is about if you find yourself a middle or upper-middle class citizen and have to share your Enigma (or like me, hoarding runes and too cheap to make a new one at the moment). If you respec everyone to ultra low strength, just know that you can essentially wear nothing without sharing the armor. A little annoying but works.

Im rocking a dusk and I think it is awesome tbh and it is easy to share but still got high def (also it looks amazing on amazon)
Imo the only armor that looks dope on the necro is the sacred/ Ancient Armor type and it isnt worth it since it has the super high str req. Id go mp or ds all the way.

i ended up going with a MP, a safe choice, as for the Enigma, it really opens up necro, before that, I always use a puzzler as off hand, but it never felt right, I'm also amazed by how quicker now I can do a single run with Andy and Meph...

Anything but Dusk Shroud. My God is that the worst, No ones rocked a vest like that since the 80s. Personally, I use Archon Plate just more def than Mage Plate. Not like it really matters.