Offensive/Defensive Ability?

[Lillis]

In the stats window, in the secondary-tab there's offensive and defensive abilities. I'm a bit confused, i don't understand what these do? Are they like attack/defense rating?
Also, what does armor do? Does it reduce the physical damage you take or does it reduce the chance of getting hit by physical attacks?
Thanks in advance.

[RyanPaul]

Offensive/Defensive ability are your chance to hit and miss, and your chance to have enemies miss you, respectively.

Armor reduces the damage you take when you do get hit. Correct me someone if I'm wrong, but I believe armor reduces damage from ALL types of damage except piercing. I'm in doubt whether or not it reduces damage from elemental attacks.

[frankenparrot]

Also for Off/Def ability...they directly relate to your chance to have a critical attack and protect from a critical attack. For a critical attack, your offensive ability has to be a certain number over the enemies defensive ability. To protect, vice versa.

For armor...reduces all damage except piercing and elemental.

[ScottyBones]

I wish one of the developers could clear up how armor works. I don't understand why it wouldn't give some protection from piercing damage.

[RyanPaul]

I wish one of the developers could clear up how armor works. I don't understand why it wouldn't give some protection from piercing damage.

It doesn't give protection from piercing damage because that would defeat the point of piercing damage. Its SUPPOSED to be damage that ignores armor.

What I don't really understand is why armor gives no protection from elemental attacks. I also don't know which types of damage count as elemental. It doesn't make sense to me why armor would protect you from bleeding or something, but not fire.

[frankenparrot]

Fire, cold, and lightning are the elementals if I remember correctly. I think the reason the armor does not block these is because you can get modifiers in the forms of specified resistances from rings, ammy, etc. The others are the physical resistances. I am not sure about life and vitality resistance because they were not covered in depth in the demo. Hope this helps. :)

[Lillis]

I agree with RyanPaul on the Piercing Damage thing; what's the meaning if armor would give protection against it...

I came to think on another thing while reading about some of the skills, but instead of spamming new threads I'll just post it in this one since it'll get bumped anyway.
+X Energy Reserved. What does that mean? I've read it on a couple of different skills (among them Rogue/Blade Honing).
Thanks for all the replies by the way! =)

[Matheau]

As I recall, it means that if you have 100 energy and you use a 20 energy reserved skill, then while that skill is active, it is as though you only would have 80 energy as your maximum.

[Lillis]

Ah, so using the skill won't actually drain any mana... I mean energy, but you need to have that amount... well, reserved? Did i get that right?

[Matheau]

Yes, Active Energy Cost is the one that drains energy.

[Lillis]

Ah, ok, then, thanks for clearing that up for/to me. =)

[ScottyBones]

It doesn't give protection from piercing damage because that would defeat the point of piercing damage. Its SUPPOSED to be damage that ignores armor.

What I don't really understand is why armor gives no protection from elemental attacks. I also don't know which types of damage count as elemental. It doesn't make sense to me why armor would protect you from bleeding or something, but not fire.

I just looked at the set items and they do have armor with special modifiers that protect againist piercing and elemental damage. I expect that if you are wearing armor that you should have some protection form arrows, spears, and swords that do piercing damage.

[frankenparrot]

There is protection from all damage types. Just have to find them. :)

[Phillip Marcus]

I'm biting on my lip on this - another day or so and I can give some much more detailed information about how defenses work.

Another note - with the editor, you're going to be able to find out some game mechanic details in greater detail than you might first expect (a few things are exposed that I was surprised to see, which is pretty cool, as they can easily be changed for custom maps).

[Batman]

Oooo, Phillip, you little tease..............

[slackman]

damage types and armor/resistances in this game seem pretty confusing to me. but then, i've only played the demo, maybe that's why. but most games (im talking rpgs here) have different damage types associated with weapons, and differing armor resists differing damage types. leather armor would not be very resistance to piercing attacks from a dagger or arrow, but metal armor would. this also usually include's "natural" armor on the denziens you're trying to slay. so, for example, an undead skeleton would naturally have resistance to piercing weapons such as swords and arrows and would perhaps have a negative resistance to crushing weapons such as a mace. but from what im hearing, people seem to think it doesn't work that way in this game. does anyone know for sure?

[bildo84]

Yep, which is why it might be good to find some gear with a +Energy Regen stat on it. Helped out my storm/defense guy in the demo. I had one skill that would consistently drain 1 energy, and once I got an energy regen weapon, I was good to go and keep that skill on at all times.