I say "basically correct" because his discussion omits the effects of resistances. Pre-12.0, armor and resistances stacked. Post 12.0, armor and resistances still stack, but it is their flat stats that stack, not their net percentages. In other words, if you have 1000 rating armor and 1000 rating physical resistance, you have 2000 net overall armor verses physical damage, and that net percentage will be lower than if the armor and physical resistance percentages stacked. This can throw off testing people do when they are testing with something that has resistances, but doesn't factor in the fact that the resistances alter the armor calculations.
This is all as of when I last checked, which was a while ago. Kabam has changed underlying mechanics without patch notes in the past, although I don't think this has changed behavior.
Resistances are an enigma by themselves. Tbh, I think it is a rather redundant game mechanic. It does the same thing as armor, but it differentiates between types of attacks, even though the game only does invisibly. Maybe if resistances simply substracted base attack rating, it would become something unique. But then physical and energy attacks should get different colours.
I wouldn't say they are redundant, but I think they were not well-thought out at the beginning of time, and flat stats further mushed them into being a less significant stat. Resistances are basically typed armor that can't be broken. That's not entirely redundant, but it probably isn't interesting enough to pay for their conceptual space in the game.
I think how they *should* work is that armor should conceptually be something that is sort of a "shell" in mechanics if not concept that blocks damage, but critical hits can "penetrate." Resistances would be the stuff "inside" the shell that also reduces damage, and critical hits don't avoid, but different types of damage do.
I agree. Maybe armor should be the equivalent of crit: an overall damage reduction mechanic but especially reduces damage from Special Attacks, and resistance the equivalent of Fury and reducing base attack rating.
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