Board Thread:Wiki Discussion/@comment-4680574-20150312041242/@comment-16047389-20150312200942

I only worry about resistances on shields, while armor I build for pure aesthetics. The only situations in which armor matter are if you are taking hits, and considering the ability to parry most physical attacks form players, the existence of i-frames, and the predictability of attacks from bosses and enemies (in my honest opinion) if you are getting hit at all, by ANYTHING, then you're effectively failing to take advantage of an oppurtunity to have taken no damage at all.

To me, armor isn't a solution to a problem, it's a salve to lessen the sting of failing. The only exception to this rule, would be the existence of poise, in which the intention is to allow yourself to be hit so that you can trade off a stronger attack. However, even this I don't look at as a valid strategy. If the opponent is allowing you to trade, and they're taking the worst of it, then they are failing to adapt to the situation.

My philosphy on combat, has always been that the winner should be the one with a better sense of timing, foresight, and strategy, than who has the biggest weapons and the thickest armor.