Defense builder

[Jomini]

O.K. So lately I have noticed a few people asking for defense formulas, or help on how to build a defense based character. I will discuss the aspects of what makes a good defense character, some of the choices you can make, and some common mistakes.


The Formula:

•Defense = ((Dexterity*2) + (Total Armor Defense*(Armor Skill * .03)) + (Shield Armor * (shield skill * .03)) + ((Primary Weapon Skill + Secondary Weapon Skill)/2)) * (1. Stance Modification)


STATS

First it is important to look at you stats. When building a character an efficient stat layout is important, but you also have to have a purpose for you character as well. Str (strength) affects damage output on melee characters and attack rating on all characters using str based weapons. Dex (dexterity) affects damage output on melee characters,and attack rating on all characters using dex based weapons. Dex also increases defense, because of this, melee characters, using dex based weapons, are a popular choice. Int (intelligence) will affect casting damage, spell attack rating, and will allow for both extra training points, and will raise overall training ability. Con (constitution) gives both health points, and stamina. Finally spi (spirit) gives both mana, and will affect the low end damage range for spells.


Earlier I stated that int will give extra trains, which may cause a stir. The reason I said this, is because when you raise int, each of your skill trains will raise at a 6:1 ratio. Meaning that for every 6 point put into int, there is one less point you have to train into armor, weapon, or dodge skill. This is very important in characters that will not be using dex based weapons.


RUNES

Often when people make defense characters the first thing they decide to do is take the lucky rune at creation. While lucky will help with defense, it is not ALWAYS the best choice. For example, a def based nightstalker will often have about 1900 def. When taking Lucky, your defense will increase about 95, allowing you to be close 2k defense. Many scouts will approach 2400 defense, meaning lucky will allow an extra 120 def. If this is the case, the points used for lucky, could be more appropriately used in dex for more damage, or in con for more health and stam.

It is also important to note, that certain discs will allow a character to wear armor that provides better defense, which will be discussed later, and that some discs allow self buffs which will help def as well.


CLASS

When choosing a class, there are many reasons to look at each. Some classes have abilities and powers you wish to have, others get special items that help with defense. For example, healers and fighters both get shields, but only the fighters can use the vorgrim shield. If you are building your character around a piece of gear, the class you choose may affect if you character is able to use that gear.



PROFESSION

The profession you choose is a very important part of building a def based character. The profession will not only affect the weapons able to be chosen, but will also determine the bonus provided by def stance. Professions will determine the buffs you can use on yourself, and the abilities you are able to use. Below I will give a list of professions, and their weapon modifier ( for the above formula), and the professions that have buffs which will help defense.



WEAPON

Weapon choice has little to do with defense so I will only touch on it lightly. There are many options when making def based characters, from str based melee weapons, to damage based dex weapons, to proccing dex based weapons. While I usually suggest a dex based weapon on defense characters, a few characters should use str based weapons, for the weapon powers that will be granted. An example of this is the sword wielding templar. The sword powers are a higher rank for templars, and will provide an attack rating cut. If you wish to know more about proccing weapons, there are many guides available for these.



ARMOR

Armor choice will vastly affect the defense your character is able to choose. As we all know there are three types of armor: heavy, medium, and light. Each of these has its purpose, its advantages, and its disadvantages. Light armor will give less of a defensive bonus, but will have the lightest dex penalty based on weight, where as the heavy armor will have the exact opposite effect. Below I will list the armor modifier for all 100% armor, the dexterity given by each set, and the weight penalty for each. I will also provide the shield modifier for both the vorgrim fighter shield, and the other 100% shields.






MODIFIERS:


Stance modifiers:
Assassin - 1.17
Barbarian - 1.15
Bard - 1.23
Chaneller - 1.13
Confessor - 1.19
Crusader - 1.25
Doomsayer - 1.19
Druid - 1.17
Huntress - 1.19
Nightstalker - 1.17
Prelate - 1.23
Priest - 1.25
Ranger - 1.19
Scout - 1.25
Sentinel - 1.17
Templar - 1.19
Thief - 1.25
Warlock - 1.21
Warrior - 1.25


Powers and buffs by class:
Bard- group def, int buff, dex buff
channy - def buff, healer buffs
Sader - def buff, grp deff buff, healer buffs
Doomy - def buff, passive buff, weapon buff, healer buff
druid - dex buff, int buff, healer buffs
huntress - dex, transform
prelate - def, healer buffs
priest - group def, def, and healer buffs
ranger - dex, dex, transform
thief - aoe atr cut
warlock - def, dex, int buffs




All modifiers listed can be applied to the formula given at the beginning of this discussion, all buffs and bonuses should be applied before multiplying, to help determine the defense that will be given. If you feel as though something I said was wrong, feel free to point it out, I am human, wrote this late at night, and have had nobody look over it for me. Often it's something I have overlooked and it will be changed quickly and thanks will be given, otherwise, I will verify what you claim and adjust accordingly. That doesn't mean to just claim you disagree with what I say, if you feel that all I have said here is wrong feel free to write your own thread.
Thanks for reading, I tried to keep it short for those of us with the shorter attention spans.

[Hilde]

This is how you up your post count the proper way, looking forward to Tuesday btw.

[Kally]

What's tuesday?

[Regro]

I will post my lists of modifiers, buffs, and armor stats tuesday night, hoping to give people the quick read, as the numbers are details that aren't needed at this time.

This ^^

[Jomini]

updated, but i still need vorg LA pics, i am missing these for some reason. and thanks hilde

[Shammy]

Originally Posted by Kally

What's tuesday?

Way to read the guide .

[Alyriel]

Good guide Jom. Do you still need vorg la numbers?

[Jomini]

wouldn't hurt, need weight too

[Alyriel]

Vorg la:

piece / weight / def / dex bonus

hood / 1 / 30 / 12
vest / 3 / 51 / 12
gloves / 1 / 22 / 12
legs / 1 / 34 / -
boots / 2 / 22 / -
sleeves / couldnt find

[unfringed]

I'm hoping your dex penalty numbers aren't based solely on the armor's weight.

Because the dex penalty is completely seperate.