Of Fortitude Vs. Of Defense

I know that this has probably been discussed elsewhere before, however, I used the Search function and was not able to find anything but stuff in the sell forum.

On martial weapons, what is greater use to a warrior, a mod of fortitude or that of defense. I realize fortitude allows more room dmg and degen, while defense reduces the dmg before you even recieve it. I guess one should be asking, how much dmg will +5 armor actualy prevent?

I would like to see people discuss this in a mature and educated way. If anyone knows the finer ways of how the dmg system works and can provide actual numbers, that would be awsome.

P.S. Please no posts just stating +30HP PWNS +5AL SUCKS! or something in that vein.

Also, if this is in the wrong part of the forum, I appologize, I could not find an area that suited it better.

The armor works best for melee and fighting situations, but the fortitude is better for keeping degen at bay... they are better in different situations, but each is good. I think fortitude is more sought after for the same reason as sundering... it just sounds nice or something. They are both decent mods I'd say

http://www.guildwarsguru.com/forum/s...php?t=10076078

well +30 does pwn, but +5 armor is nice, but in the long run that +5 armor may be usefull on something like an assassin to prevent some of him getting hit too hard, but for something like a warrior, the +5 armor is piddle, and they tend not to get raged on too hard but they tend to get degened and casted, in which case the +30 health is more helpful. Also the +5 armor the damage reduction compared to no plus armor is decent, but not too great, but, if it was +10 then the change would be marginal enough to make some serious use out of it. That's just my two cents.

+5AR is better in the long run.

There had been several discussion on this and experiment had been conducted. +5AL really is better than +30hp. However, like vampiric is better than 20/20 sundering...+30 fort is still more expensive than +5AL

Degen is more of a problem than +5 armor... on a warrior, I doubt you will notice the difference between +5 and normal...

Yes you can do that math and conclude that over x years +5 will reduce damage resulting in a gain of X health blah blah blah... the fact is, no one really cares about long ass durations to try and justify that +5 mod... it's more important to have plenty of hp than it is to reduce damage by .xx so over the course of x hits you justify the mod... not to mention degen goes right past that +5.

People like to think they are special and conclude that they, with their +5, are superior because everyone else is just a +30 loving nub, but the fact is +30 is superiour, for more subtle reasons than just "over time +5 will actually have the same effect as a +1000 hp mod". Go out and get 60 dp, and use a +5 mod, then switch to +30... decide for yourself if hp or +5 armor is more important.

Co-sign

Now just for curiosity's sake, who actually uses a +5al mod on their weapons?

The reason I made this post was to get advice for upgrading my axe. I have a Max Dmg inscribable req 9 axe. Currently it is Vamp 3/-1, 15^50, +30hp. I have a defense mod, and have considered switching it over.

All my hero's weapon have +5AL mod on it (if the weapon doesn't come with a fort mod)

Defense provides more protection overall. At the moment in PvP however, Fortitude is superior in the sense that as a Warrior, you'll be taken down by armour ignoring skills.

dude leave your axe the way it is, it's perfect as is, but if you are going to change it ATLEAST salcage the +30 mod so you can get some C@$H.. Have fun making your decision.

Kij

Please don't let this turn into a thread like the old Vamp vs AP (remember the flame-fests there?)...

But yeah... +5 armor will do more for you against damage affected by armor. +30 Health will do more for you against degen and against armor-ignoring damage. So in PvP, right now +30 > +5, but it's a matter of preference.

I forget the exact numbers, but the situation was something like this: you have a standard 480 Health. With a +5 armor mod, more than 30 damage will be prevented before you die, provided all the damage is affected by armor, thus making it more useful than +30 Health in that situation. However, in PvP, +30 is still the king because not only do we see Spiritual Pain everywhere, but the +xx damage from attack skills is armor ignoring too. Since there's so much armor-ignoring damage being thrown around in PvP, +30 Health is superior as it will see more effectiveness than +5 armor.

I like both, each have a use given the circumstance. But really, in response to the quoted text, how often do you get 60dp? In DoA, maybe... In PvP, yeah, it happens... but overall PvE? You're much better off with a +5 in most situations. As said, though, in areas (or matches) with lots of degen/armor ignoring damage, Fortitude wins out.

So it just depends on the situation. I'd suggest just having both and switch out accordingly. Heck, some people switch between 15^50 and 20v50.

In PvE, +5AL is utterly, unquestionably superior...

...On casters. Your armour rating plays a huge role in determining how much aggro you'll take.

Obviously, less of a problem for warriors. I've been running armour mods on mine anyway, but that was on the grounds that the two are pretty close to each other effectiveness-wise but the Defensive mod is one-tenth the price.

My other trick is to put a Defensive mod on my Vampiric weapons and Fortitude on the "standby" set - that way you can keep reducing damage while you're actually attacking, but have an extra +30hp to switch to when you actually get into trouble. The +30 health has no actual effect on gameplay* until you're about to die, after all.

Note: I'll always take Defensive mods on the semi-squishy combat classes, especially Assassins. The lower your base AL, the more those little bonuses matter.

*OK, barring percentage health sacrifice.

This topic has been discussed many times.