the ram exotic helm year 2

The Ram: What You Can Live Through?

The Ram is an Exotic helmet for the Warlock that, among other things, increases the overall armor stat for the wearer. With the vast majority of strong PvP weapons had their damages slightly tuned down since the December Weapon Update, there is a surprising amount of both weapons and subclass abilities that it’s able to stand up to.

Keep in mind that all 3 Warlock subclasses are all capable of hitting the same level of Max Armor via their own skill trees. Therefore, each Warlock subclass is capable of tanking the same things below (excluding the ones involving Radiance, as that is Sunsinger only). I also tested chest armor that will give your Warlock additional armor depending on your subclass. This chest armor is available for all subclasses, and yes, it stacks with The Ram.

Here is what you’re able to live through while wearing the Year 2 version of this helm:

Grenades & Other Subclass Abilities

  • Being directly stuck by a Bladedancer flux grenade

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    • Being directly stuck by a Defender Magnetic grenade, if you remain mobile

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    • A direct hit from a Gunslinger/Sunbreaker incendiary grenade, plus the ensuing damage-over-time

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    • A direct hit from a Striker Titan shoulder charge

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All of the above are tankable by just wearing The Ram. You do not need to also be wearing the +armor chest gear.

Radiance (Sunsinger)

  • A Radiant Skin Warlock can tank a Hunter Golden Gun shot while wearing just The Ram. If you’re using Fireborn, even while wearing Ram and +armor chest gear, you will be killed.

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  • Also while in Radiant Skin, a Warlock with The Ram and +armor chest gear can tank a direct hit from a Sunbreaker titan Hammer of Sol. Pretty handy…gives you the ability to actually challenge incoming Sunbreakers with a good chance of success.

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Against Frequently Used Weapons

Auto Rifles

  • Monte Carlo: A standard max armor Warlock killed in 13 bodyshots, while Ram wearers are capable of tanking 14.
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  • Zhalo Supercell: A standard max armor Warlock killed in 13 bodyshots, while Ram wearers are capable of tanking 14
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  • Doctrine of Passing: A Ram wearing Warlock is capable of tanking 1 extra bodyshot, and extra 1 headshot.
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Pulse Rifles

Heavy Weapons

Scout Rifles

Snipers

    • Thousand Yard Stare: wearing both Ram and +armor chest, a Sunsinger using Fireborn can self-revive and tank a headshot from the Thousand Yard Stare. Very helpful for Skirmish, Salvage, and Trials. Although remember that for Trials, you still may die, as level difference is also factored in for that gametype.

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Thorn and The Last Word

Starting with Thorn. Despite being only available as a Y1 weapon, Thorn usage has spiked hard lately, particularly in 3v3 playlists. Even though it has been nerfed since the days of the “hand cannon meta”, it’s still highly favored for being able to pull off a guaranteed 3 bodyshot kill in Year 2, not to mention that being able to deal damage-over-time is a great way to put instant pressure on your opponents.

Wearing the Ram, you’ll be able to tank the standard 3-shot-walk-away tactic. If the Thorn user switches to ‘Aggressive Ballistics’ to increase damage output at the cost of range, wearing Ram and the +armor chest gear, you will still be able to tank the Thorn 3 shot.

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Moving on to The Last Word, which I’m sure many of you have noticed has also been on the rise the past few weeks, to the point where it’s become the #1 primary in Rumble, as well as a top 3 most-used primary in almost every other playlist. Wearing the Ram, you’re able to tank the following: 2 Hipfire Headshots, 4 ADS bodyshots, and a combination of 2 ADS headshots + 1 ADS bodyshot.

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You will also be able to survive 1 ADS bodyshot, plus a direct hit and all damage-over-time from a Viking Funeral Firebolt grenade. This is all with standard max stability / Soft Ballistics Last Word. Switching to ‘Aggressive Ballistics’ will allow you to kill Ram wearers in the same # of shots as non-Ram wearers, but making that switch will noticeably cut the range / stability on your Last Word.

As evidenced in this article, The Ram is as powerful as ever, and comes highly recommended in PvP.