Monster Hunter World (MHW)

What Does Defense Do?

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This is a guide to the Defense Stat in Monster Hunter World (MHW) Iceborne. Read on to learn about the Defense Stat, what damage does it reduce, and how to increase it.

What is the Defense Stat

Reduces Damage Taken

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Defense is directly linked to the damage you take against monsters. The higher your defense, the less damage you take from enemy attacks. Raising defense comes naturally due to the need of crafting higher ranked gear so this is one of the least priority skill you need to look at.

How to Increase Defense

Increase Via Equipping Armor

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Armor is the primary way of raising your character's defense. The higher the rarity, the higher defense they can give. Armor can also be updgraded to increase the amount of defense it gives.

Augmenting Armor

Endgame Armor can also be augmented. This removes the armor's current level limit, allowing the player to increase it's level even further.

Increase Via Items

Items such as Armorskins can increase your defense temporarily. There are also items that provide passive bonuses such as the armortalon. When in need of more defense, items are your best bet at increasing it for the current hunt.

Increase Via Food (Felyne Cantene)

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The Cantene can offer stat bonuses to aid hunters in their mission. When the monster is dealing high damage to the player, it is susggested that the player eat a meal that increases their defense by a large amount.

How Much Defense Should I Aim to Have?

1000 Is a Great Target

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Naturally Leveled endgame Iceborne Armor will be able to reach the high 900s. Augmenting your whole armor should allow you to break the 1000 Armor cap, with health boost and canteen meels, this amount of Defense should be enough for you to survive all attacks once.

Aim For Other Defense Skills Once 1000 Is Hit

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Skills like Divine Blessing and Guts are great skills to aim for in order to increase your survivability at this point. Further raising your defense at the late stages of the game will prove futile with monsters still being able to kill you in 2 hits no matter how much defense you slot in. The 1000 Defense is enough to make you survive any attack from full health to avoid those OHKO moments.

MHW Related Links

All Beginner Guides

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Beginner's Guide | How to Play MHW

Monster Hunter World Guides

Base Game Guides
Story Walkthrough and How to Unlock Iceborne Money Farming Guide
Food Guide and All Canteen Ingredients Best Timing for Well-Done Steak
Best Weapons for Beginners How to Pause Quests
How Do Quest Rewards Work? How to Track Monsters
What is Critical Distance? How to Use Wedge Beetles
How to Use the Chat Functions Character Creation Guide
How to Use the Training Area List of Crafting Recipes
List of Poogie Costumes How to Break Rank Caps
Monster Threat Levels How to Raise Hunter Rank Fast
Post-Game Content How to Find ??? Rathian Tracks
Weapon and Armor Augments Explanation of Each Status Effect
How To Capture Monsters How To Hunt Monsters
How To Mount Monsters Monster Parts and Weaknesses Guide
How to Join a Friend's Expedition Monster Crown Size Guides
How to Get the Dragoon Jump Emote Tailraider Safari Guide and Best Items to Get
Argosy Guide and Best Choices How to Aim Cannons
Alpha or Beta Armor Lucky Voucher Effects
Bowgun Special Ammo Guides How to Equip Skills
Difference of Cut and Blunt Damage Type Hunting Horn Notes and Effects
Unchangeable Features Turf Wars and List of Matchups
List of Trophies and How to Unlock (MHW) -

Stat Guides

Stat Guides
What Does Attack Do? What Does Defense Do? What Does Elemental Resistance Do?
What Does Affinity Do? What Does Elemental Attack Do? What is Elderseal?

How to Track Grimalkynes

Grimalkyne Tribes
All Grimalkyne Tribes and Rewards
Bugtrappers Protectors Troupers
Plunderers Gajalaka Boaboa

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