The defense skill, what does it do?

[Dunbar]

So there are talents that can raise your defense skill, as well as a slew of items that have +defense on it. To clarify: I am talking about your defense skill, it's on your skill tab with your other skills like weapon skills and tradeskills. I am not talking about armor or AC.

Now the talents give you +10 defense for 5 talent points. The going theory (or so I have read on the boards) is that this allows you to defend yourself as a character 2 levels higher than you really are. So a level 60 character ordinarily has a max of 300 defense. With this talent, they have 310 defense, so in theory are treated as level 62 characters when defending against attacks...presumably making you take less damage. In the game if you fight mobs 2 levels lower than you, they will hit less and do less damage.

Ok, seems like a bargain, even without knowing exactly how much defense affects your opponent's chance to hit or damage. We can all see that a level 16 mob will do more damage against you when you are level 16 than when you are level 18. However, I had a look in thottbot. There are many pieces of armor and some weapons that add +defense. Assuming you collect the best of the best (and hardcore gamers certainly will if it's as overpowered as I think it is), and take the talent as say a warrior or paladin, you can get +150 defense or so.

+150. At level 60, that's 450 total defense skill. Meaning you defend yourself as a level 90 character?!?

This can't be right. If it is right, then whoever assembles the items for that level of defense will be the ultimate tank, and close to unkillable.

So my question is, what exactly does the defense skill do?

[oper]

i've been wondering the same thing myself. but i have been unable to obtain the information. I simply cant find any site detailing the effect of defence points.

could some über kewl beta dewd, enlighten us please?

[TheImp]

maybe we need to do some testing in-game?

PvP would seem to allow very good opportunities for testing this sort of thing.

Anyone interested?

[Loboleal]

My guess is that Defense skill is used to determine attacker's chance to miss.

In your example, 450 total skill defense would be like fighting against a lvl 90 but only taking into account chance to miss. Other stats would be related to a lvl 60 character

From PvE perspective, maybe that difference won't be noticable when fighting vs elite monsters because they will have a lot of weapon skill (I'm guessing), and their chance to miss you would be pretty low.
From PvP perspective, Defense skill may be a determinant skill for a successfull PvP'er

I would like to test it, but I'm in Europe, so no WoW for me yet :)

Edit:
I've found something in www.thottbot.com:

The Defense skill modifies the skills - Parry, Dodge and Block and also reduces the chance of you falling victim to a critical strike or spell. Every lvl your defense cap goes up 5.
Posted by Rythos on 2004-11-27 17:34:49

[Batch]

I am doing some calculations on rogues dodge chance and the only conclusion I got right now is that you get +0.04% dodge chance per point of defence.

[Geev]

Wow this is a very interesting topic, by looking at thottbot getting a suit of +150 defense shouldnt be impossible, hopefully some testing on this can be done. If it modifies the parry/dodge/block and reduces crit chance like on something 30 levels above you, it should be truly effective. I know I miss tons against mobs like 6 levels above me.

[renideo]

I'd love to know what it does as well. I've also heard it lowers the chance of a critical strike effecting you, and given the fact critical strike chances scale (your chance to get one decreasing each level unless you sustain it via talents, agility and so on), I have to wonder if it is indeed a strongly comparitive value, as suggested.

I really know nothing about any of this though, indeed I haven't played the game. Forgive my idle interest, save of course to answer it.

[Batch]

Defence does also add 0.04 to block chance per point (shield) and from how it looks my guess is since it adds 0.04 perpoint to both dodge and block that it also adds 0.04 per point to parry.

This would mean that an extra 150 defence would add:
0.04% dodge chance * 150 = 6% to dodge chance
0.04% block chance * 150 = 6% to block chance
0.04% parry chance * 150 = 6% to parry chance

[NotAgain]

Originally Posted by Batch

Defence does also add 0.04 to block chance per point (shield) and from how it looks my guess is since it adds 0.04 perpoint to both dodge and block that it also adds 0.04 per point to parry.

This would mean that an extra 150 defence would add:
0.04% dodge chance * 150 = 6% to dodge chance
0.04% block chance * 150 = 6% to block chance
0.04% parry chance * 150 = 6% to parry chance

6% in regards to what? If you have 450 total how will it act against 300? How will 300 stand towards 200, its the relations between the attack skill and the defense skill that matters. You can't just say you'll add 6%, because against different attackers it will work differently.

[Scorch_Hellfire]

what im wondoring is... what exactly do attack power, attack rating, and defense rating do?...

now im guesstimating based on my knowledge of d2... that attack rating is ur percent chance of hitting stuff and i guess that means that defense rating would be the percent chance of u blocking stuff?...