Posted by Proud Blade on April 16, 2000 at 19:49:53:
In Reply to: What does armor class do for me. I have -400 and dont notice a difference from -100. posted by ac-man on April 16, 2000 at 17:27:23:
> Also why do all the mages use aura and shield wands if it does nothing?
Aura, shield, and barrier are not used because of the ac bonus they give. They are used because they reduce incoming damage, effectively giving you a lot more hit points.
As far as AC, this has been discussed many times on the forum. To summarize what I know of it:
1) At low levels ,it makes a difference. Mobs and players will miss you with attacks when your AC is low enough.
2) At higher level, it doesn't matter at all. All attacks hit unless they are dodged/parried/blocked/whatevered.
3) At higher levels, dex only matters because of the effect it has on skills. (Notably dodge, but many skills work better for you, and worse against you, when your dex is high enough.
All of the above points are based on my own observations. YMMV.