Armor Rating

Armor Rating, a type of Resistance (Blades) in is a measure of how effective a piece of armor is at absorbing and minimizing attacks. Armor reduces, but does not negate, the amount of physical damage received, as well as a negligible amount of elemental damage, although not nearly as effectively as the former.

Armor
The higher an armor's armor rating, the more effective it is at all times as they are passive unlike shields. Armor rating and block rating can be combined with great effectiveness. For some light armors, some armor is more effective at resisting certain kinds of damage, this can include elemental damage, or physical damage.