In PoE 2, visual stuff can get weird fast, and armor color is one of those things players notice before they can explain it. If you saw a strange tint or effect on your gear and started digging around, that reaction makes sense. In practice, the first thing I'd do is separate "what the armor looks like" from "what the armor is doing." A lot of players jump straight to loot theories, when it might just be a visual layer, a lighting issue, or something tied to the way the game is rendering the scene. If you're sorting through a ton of loot and currency at the same time, checking Path of Exile 2 Currency can help keep the economy side of things out of the visual confusion, since the two get mixed up more than people admit.

Why does my armor look like it changed color in PoE 2

From what I've seen, the safest answer is that a color shift on armor doesn't automatically mean anything special happened to the item. Players often assume it has to be an equip effect, a hidden modifier, or some rare cosmetic trigger, but PoE 2 can be messy visually. A darker area, a different angle, or even other effects on the character can make the same armor look totally different. That's w***[/swear]'d be careful about calling it a feature right away. If the change is only visible in one spot or only on one screen, it may be more about presentation than gameplay. I could be wrong, but most players will probably notice the effect first in motion, then realize the item itself never actually changed.

The other trap is reading too much into a screenshot without context. Was the character standing in a weird light source? Was there an aura, a temporary buff, or a nearby effect changing the tone? Those details matter, and without them, people end up chasing ghosts. If you're trying to figure it out yourself, swap zones, unequip and re-equip the armor, and compare it in town versus combat. That usually tells you more than staring at a still image. If the look stays the same everywhere, then maybe you've got something real. If it only appears in one place, I'd treat it as a display quirk first.

Is this tied to PoE 2 reliquary vault searches or something else

At this point, I wouldn't connect the armor color question directly to PoE 2 reliquary vault stuff unless you actually have in-game proof. The search term may show up alongside this topic, but that's not the same as a confirmed link. Players do this all the time with PoE 2 rumors: one visual oddity, one vague search term, and suddenly people are treating it like a hidden mechanic. Usually that goes nowhere. The better move is to verify the source of the effect in-game, then search around it, not the other way around. If you're also checking item trades while testing visuals, poe 2 trade is the place most players will probably use to compare gear value and avoid paying attention to the wrong thing.