Maximizing Your Damage Absorption

In the tradition of the other Dressing For Success articles, this is a guide to maximizing damage absorption.

Damage Absorption reduces the damage you take by a factor of (√(DA/10)-1) * 10%, but capped at 90%, which is reached at 1000 points of DA. Note that DA is completely separate from Damage Reduction, which acts prior to DA.

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Legend
Ultra rares and Raffle House/Radio prizes	Tradable and still obtainable, but rare
Semi-rares and war hero drops
Mr. Store/KoL Con accessible derivatives	Tradable (directly or ingredients or zone access consumable), unlimited generation to those who own source, source no longer obtainable
Mr. Store/KoL Con items and inaccessible derivatives	Tradable, but no longer obtainable
Other limited time content
Clan Dungeon non-tradables	Untradable, but still obtainable
Other non-tradables
Non-tradables from past holidays and world events	Untradable, and no longer obtainable
*	Single-equip restriction, or two-handed/three-handed weapon
^	Equipment disappears at the end of the day or the equipment (or its associated enchantment) has a limited duration

Hat	Shirt	Pants	Mainhand	Offhand
hangman's hood 250 sponge helmet 200+40 intimidating coiffure 225 antique helmet 200 Brimstone Beret 200 battered old top-hat 200 cursed eyepatch 200 El Vibrato helmet 200 Frosty's old silk hat 200 Hodgman's porkpie hat 200 hardened slime hat 200 longhaired hippy wig 200 Ol' Scratch's stovepipe hat 200 orange peel hat 200 straw hat 200 wreath of laurels 200 duct tape fedora 195 stone baseball cap 195	Mer-kin breastplate 200+40 snailmail hauberk 165+60 chamoisole 200 Chester's muscle shirt 200 Hodgman's disgusting technicolor overcoat 200 letterman's jacket 200 sea salt scrubs 200 shark jumper 200 duct tape shirt 195 bat-ass leather jacket 180	Greatest American Pants with Super Structure invoked 100+500 corroded breeches 200+50 Oscus's flypaper pants 200+50 square sponge pants 200+30 drafty drawers 225 antique greaves 200 Brimstone Boxers 200 Chester's cutoffs 200 cursed breeches 200 Danglin' Chad's loincloth 200 eelskin pants 200 El Vibrato leg guards 200 hardened slime pants 200 hobo dungarees 200 Hodgman's lobsterskin pants 200 mostly rat-hide leggings 200 Ol' Scratch's ol' britches 200 old patched suit-pants 200 Oscus's dumpster waders 200 Zombo's grievous greaves 200 duct tape dockers 195 black greaves 160+30 plexiglass pants 180	duct tape sword 40 big bass drum* 8	Zombo's shield 50 (Turtle Tamers only) catskin buckler 50 keg shield 50 spongy shield 50 teflon shield 50 washboard shield 50 (Turtle Tamers only) stinky cheese wheel 1-50 duct tape sword 40 Mer-kin roundshield 40 padded tortoise 20 St. Sneaky Pete's Day‎-shield (detour shield, rxr shield, slippery when wet shield, speed limit shield, stop shield, yield shield) 10
Accessory	Familiar equipment	Outfit	Effects and buffs	Passive skills, non-buff skills and others
spiky turtle shoulderpads* 75 stainless steel suspenders* 60 tiny plastic Ed the Undying 30	Disembodied Hand with duct tape sword 40	Terrycloth Tackle 20	Hammertime pants * 3 Inscrutable exoskeleton 300 Memory of Resilience 200 Astral Shell 80 Ghostly Shell 80 Chock Full o' Nanites 50 Tranquilized Mind 50 Unusual Fashion Sense 50 Well-Oiled 30	Tao of the Terrapin hat + pants Hide of the Walrus 40 Hide of the Otter 20

Notes

• Note that Antique Arms can break in the middle of combat, making them a less advantageous choice than their power might indicate.
• Since DA is capped at 1000, players might wish to use less powerful (but perhaps more reliable, or enchanted differently) equipment than listed above. (In fact, with Hammertime, a player can max out with just a 200 power hat and 200 power pants.)

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