AC-how does it workFollow

I know that AC helps you absorb damage but does anyone know how it's calculated? It seems that different types of armor increase you AC more than others. It would make sense that plate would protect you more than leather but does anyone know the calculator? If there is a website out there that breaks down the numbers I would love to know about it. Thanks

Two things about armor affect AC. One, most armor gives you straight AC. Two, Agility will give you AC, but not enough to have you concentrate on getting it over other stats, like STA and STR. Take a look at my magelo below, look at each piece of armor, they all have a AC number. These all add up together, and in combination with AC that comes from your defence skill, plus AC that comes from AGI give you a total, and in Reinmon's case is 900 something.

Fact is the same piece of armor gives you more AC "number" the higher your lvl. I would be interested to learn if that increase is solemnly based on lvl or on other stats too

To answer the original question, there are two types of AC. In Beta testing, they were displayed seperately; damage mitigation AC and damage avoidance AC. Damage mitigation is derived from the "raw" AC of your equipment. It reduces the amount of damage you take in melee/ranged combat, which is part of the reason plate-class characters (warrior, paladin, shadowknight, etc) tank better. They generally take less damage than a chain class character (ranger, rogue, berserker, etc.).

The second portion of your AC, the avoidance factor, is determined by your defense skill and agility. There is definitely a connection between "raw" AC and defense skill; the higher your skill, the more composite AC you get when adding a piece of equipment with AC. I'm not sure of the exact relationship, though. This component helps you avoid being hit. There are other factors, such as monk AC bonuses, racial bonuses, skills like dodge, parry, riposte, disciplines, AA skills, etc, but that's not exactly AC.