Better to prioritize max block/life or max res first for Hardcore?

if you are in melee range both
if you are not in melee range res

Ah alright thanks a lot. Was more specifically talking about a light jav.

maybe go for a compromise. at some point more def gives only a slight increase in the chance not to get hit. so there is no point to 'maximize' defense...

You typically have low-medium life with amazon, 1000-1500 hit points. Having high defense isn't going to save you if you are overwhelmed. I always found high resistances much more important since they ignore defense and always hits. Boss monsters packs such as oblivion knights can fire mass volley from just about off screen, and sometimes the projectile animations gets overwritten or disappears, which may be a nasty surprise, being hit by 8-12 of those simultaneously can result in a quick death if you have low resistances.

Undead archers also deals afaik 50% fire damage, a boss pack can deal big damage. Fire resists help mitigate that damage.

Then focus on not being engaged in melee, being tactical. If your merc use fortitude non eth, you can borrow it to proc chilling armor in the fire pylons in river of flame, to boost defense. Only lasts about 4 minutes though.

This post was edited by Taurean on May 24 2022 11:15am

Is Sanctuary still a viable runeword for lightning javs for max res in hell? Was debating using one over a stormshield and foregoing res charms.

Prioritize walking over running

mosers shield w pdiamond if u absolutely need res on a budget

I was running travincal with that shield setup for last week or so and it was better than expected.

Thanks for all the info everyone, looks like I'll gear more to focus on res.