Defense - Monster Hunter World

Defense in Monster Hunter World (MHW) is a stat that equals the total protection the Player or Monster has against Raw (Physical) Damage.

For a more complete rundown on combat with Monsters, see Weapon Mechanics and Elemental Resistances.

Defense, Incoming Damage, and Effective Health

Incoming Raw Damage is subjected to a multiplier that depends on the Player's Defense value.¹

The formula for reducing incoming Raw Damage is:

For example, having a Defense value of 300 will multiply a Monster's physical attack damage by:

Incoming Raw Multiplier = 80 / (80 + 300)
or approximately
Incoming Raw Multiplier = 0.21

This multiplier allows Defense to alternatively be considered as a multiplier to the Health bar; i.e. taking one fifth of incoming damage is the same as having five times as much "effective health."
In this vein, for every 80 points of Defense the effective multiplier to the health bar is raised by one. This means that the end result of Defense scales linearly.

For example:

Incoming Raw Multiplier = 80 / (80 + 0) = 1; Effective Health = 1
Incoming Raw Multiplier = 80 / (80 + 80) = 0.5; Effective Health = 2
Incoming Raw Multiplier = 80 / (80 + 160) = 0.33; Effective Health = 3
Incoming Raw Multiplier = 80 / (80 + 240) = 0.25; Effective Health = 4

When considering Defense in terms of Effective Health, this multiplier should be applied to the current value for maximum health, which can be raised by Skills and Items.

Following these examples, the formula for Effective Health Multiplier could also be interpreted as: EHP = (DEF / 80) + 1

Improving Defense in Monster Hunter World

• Players can equip Armor that increases their Defense against Attack Power
• Players can equip Charms that increase their defenses against Attack Power
• Players can seek out Skills that increase their Defense against Attack Power
• Certain Weapons provide protections against Attack Power

Armor, Weapons and Skills with Defense

• The Defense Boost Skill increases player's Defense stat.
• The Fortify Skill increases player's Defense stat by +15%
• The Dragon Resistance Skill increases player's Defense stat by +10.
• The Fire Resistance Skill increases player's Defense stat by +10.
• The Water Resistance Skill increases player's Defense stat by +10.
• The Thunder Resistance Skill increases player's Defense stat by +10.
• The Ice Resistance Skill increases player's Defense stat by +10.
• The Heroics Skill increases player's Defense stat by up to +40 when under 35% health.
• The Iron Skin Skill prevents status Defense Down
• Charms with Defense Bonuses are:
  • Defense Charm I
  • Defense Charm II
  • Defense Charm III
• The Armors with the best raw Defense are:
  • Kulve Taroth Beta Set (β) (360)
  • Kulve Taroth Alpha Set (α) (360)
  • Xeno'jiiva Beta Set (β) (360)
  • Xeno'jiiva Alpha Set (α) (360)
  • Commission Beta Set (β) (350)
  • Commission Alpha Set (α) (350)
  • Guild Cross Beta Set (β) (340)
  • Guild Cross Alpha Set (α) (340)
• The Weapon categories that provide good Defense are:
  • Sword & Shield
  • Lance
  • Hunting Horn can provide boosts.
  • Uragaan Weapons

¹ Information taken from a Reddit post made by user ryz

Note: See Master Rank Armor and Charms if you own Iceborne expansion.