About the dmg reduction from knights armor...

If I use knights gauntlets, the dmg reduction from gauntlets is universal right? (Meaning I can get hit anywhere and it will still reduce damage by 2). Also, in order for dmg reduction to stack, do I have to put an absorption rune in the knights gauntlet?

For number 2, i'm not so sure the rune is universal I believe and would stack for all your armor(if you put all different runes of absorption or any other rune for that matter on your armor only 1 takes effect)

As for number 1 no it will only reduce the damage done to your gauntlets, your armor is regionated and so is the damage done from what I've heard, so if my e were to have fire resistance on the pants and chest I could still get hit in the head(via meteor shower or whatever) and I'd take more damage than if I got hit by a fireball to the chest

Dmg reduction from Knight's armor applies to whole body, so you only need one piece. Absorption rune stacks with that piece of Knight's armor.

The fact that it effects everything has to be a bug. That defeats the point of even getting all the ascalon armor or knights armor. Perhaps they have fixed it since whoever did the tests to conclude you only need one item? I think its time for a retest.

So if I use a platemail helm with a superior absorption rune, and knights gauntlets, I won't get -5 total dmg reduction? I will only get -5 dmg reduction total if I socket the sup. absorption rune in the knight gauntlets right?

The rune can go in any piece of armor and still stack with the gauntlets.

A while ago there were some pretty detailed tests done by some guild that were quoted in these forums, and they seemed to show that absorbtion was universal, that Ascelon armor (-2 damage) and knights (-3 damage) did stack, and that one absortion rune would stack as well. So max absorbtion would be -8, with one piece each of Ascelon and knight's armor, and a sup absorbtion rune.

Has anyone seen hard data to disprove this? It seems right in my experience...

So Knights boots, ascalon gauntlets and whatever on the chest with a sup absorb will give you a universal -8 damage?

ive herd that they dont stack and are not universal, but i have also herd that they do and are. Sometimes i wish arena net would just give us answers to stuff like this ;d