Damage Reduction Order

Hi, I have searched around but am yet to find a thread clearly defining the damage reduction order.

There are several coponents to the reduction:
1. Armor
2. Runes
3. Spells
4. Shields

Does anyone know what order the damage reduction is taken into account, or the algorithm that it works on?

This has been bugging me for quite some time.

Well, armor level (AL) and damage reduction (as in -2 while enchanted) are the two main components. Armor, spells, and shields provide AL, while armor, runes, and shields can also provide damage reduction.

Stealing from Ensign's guide (here), armor level is calculated at:
[Defensive Adjustment] = 2^((60 - [Armor Level]) / 40)
Essentially, at 60 AL, you take 100% normal damage. At higher than 60 AL, you take less, at lower you take more.

After damage has been worked through that, you then apply damage reduction. So if after all that you were hit for 20 damage and you have 5 damage reduction, you get hit for 15 damage.

There's a lot more to it, considering other things like bonuses from attacks and all, but that should be enough to answer your main question.

I had a look at Ensign's guide, it really well done, but it doesnt help with the order for damage reduction by spells.

Say for example I have protective spirit up on a warrior and he has a damage reduction shield of -2 while enchanted with a maximum 360 health. He is hit for 50 damage.

Will the protective spirit act first, making the maximum damage he can take 36 then the -2 damage reduction making his damage 34 (ignoring armor and runes). Or will the -2 damage reduction apply first, making it pretty much useless?

Thanks for your insights

Bump, anyone else got any ideas?

Spells such as prot spirit always take effect last, I believe.

Spells upon spells are a more complicated matter. Some spells have priority no matter what, while others are prioritised in the order which you cast them. That in itself takes trial-and-error to figure out.

So that means that later in the game shields with damage reduction are pretty much useless?

Pretty much... But good if your monk doesn't use prot spirit too often on you.