stacking ac

[Lonewolfe]

does anyone know for SURE about the ac stacking of the new set items, crafting and the prestige enhancement lines.

Example:
1. The stalwart defender III enhancement line grants 3 ac, 3 more to blocking ac and adds 6 dr if you carry a shield and 3 additional blocking dr. It is also supposed to expand your dex bonus on amor by 2 and tower shields by 3.
2. The Levik's defender set grants 3 insight ac.
3. The stalwart set grants 2 ac.
4. Crafted weapons and armor can grant 4 insight ac.

(All of this is gathered form Ron's wonderful build planner, but I haven't actually used all of these on my ftr, so I am assuming at this time that these stats are correct. Please correct me if this info is wrong.)

My question is do all of these ac bonuses and dr bonuses stack? I understand the dodge stacking system, but haven't heard anything about the insight or item set bonuses stacking. Thanks in advance for sincere responses.

[Thanimal]

99.9% sure: Insight bonuses do not stack (with each other -- i.e. just the largest one counts).
90% sure: The various Stalwart bonuses, on both AC and DR, all stack with each other and with whatever your AC and DR were without them.

[SimVerg]

Don't believe anyone has tested the set bonus stacking but 1+4 stack(or 1+2 if you get the full set).

[Lonewolfe]

Don't believe anyone has tested the set bonus stacking but 1+4 stack(or 1+2 if you get the full set).

explain this, I'm not sure what you are referring to exactly.

[mediocresurgeon]

Correction: Full Levik's set (Bracers, Tower Shield, Dragontouched armor) is +5 insight to AC. (Normally people don't wear full Levik's set though, because with the same item slots you can have +2 dodge from bracers and +4 insight on your armor, netting you +1 AC over Levik's.)

Insight does not stack with itself. Dodge bonuses and "untyped" AC bonuses (such as from Defender of Siberys, which grants +4) are the only types of AC that stack.

[Lonewolfe]

99.9% sure: Insight bonuses do not stack (with each other -- i.e. just the largest one counts).
90% sure: The various Stalwart bonuses, on both AC and DR, all stack with each other and with whatever your AC and DR were without them.

I know insight from crafting doesn't stack, just wonderred if it did on this new system.

does the dr stack with the wf enh's and feats in a non-barbarian toon?

[mediocresurgeon]

does the dr stack with the wf enh's and feats in a non-barbarian toon?

No.

[Thanimal]

No.

Really? That's very disappointing, and yet another reason to never use an actual shield!

[Lonewolfe]

Really? That's very disappointing, and yet another reason to never use an actual shield!

no kidding. Thanks for the help even though the answers really don't impress me much. No stacking dr is ridiculous IMHO. And if the new stuff doesn't stack, then it seems to trivialize those items somewhat. Like you said, why take leviks set and dt armor when you can get better by not completing the set. That really seems silly to me. My thought process was that I could make an old fashioned s&b with really good ac, dr and dmg. Of course, it appears now that silliness rules. Why shouldn't a midget mut with sticks in his hands and robes on his back have better ac than a beefed up ftr incased in an inch of steel holding a car hood in his hand? Makes perfect ddo sense to me

[Thanimal]

No stacking dr is ridiculous IMHO. <snip> Of course, it appears now that silliness rules.

Agree on both points.

It seems to me that Turbine has been a bit skittish on DR from day 1. Very little of it stacks, making it impractical to make a character whose main defense in DR. They sorta made DR "relevant" with grazing blows, but I still don't really see how that's a good idea overall. And it seems assbackward to try to make DR significant by introducing some weird mechanic that it works against, rather than making it worthwhile in the first place!