No I tested it with cloth gear, and seen retail video's armor doesnt matter, here check for yourself
2:45 on wards
3:15 on wards "THIS ABILITY IS PHYSICAL DAMAGE SO IT IS NOT NEGATED BY YOUR ARMOR, BECAUSE IT DOES 100% OF YOUR MAX HP AFTER ARMOR"
And to your statement yes you need priest shields I doubt defensives will save you as it is 100% of your MAXIMUM HP.
I don't mean to be rude but could you maybe only comment true factors because it confuses the devs i'm sure.
Updated the thread with another issue.