Melee Defense

Effects

Melee defense protects against damage from melee techniques. For specific details on how damage is reduced see the combat page. Defense (unlike evasion) cannot reduce damage below 1-2 points.

In addition to the following, any To Your Highest Defense bonuses when Melee Defense is your highest, and Reactive defense can also reduce Melee damage if you are dealt more than 5 damage at once.

Legend
Limited items	Quest items
Unearthly items	No trade items
Derivative unearthly	Normal items

Melee Defense Bonuses

Hats
+3	chained halloween mask, guard helm
+2	blast visor, blindshot visor, dashing hat, honorary hardhat, Integrated Rams helmet, immersive visor, Midgard heavy helmet, passthrough visor, stained glass helm (with Eclipse), Stainless Skulls helmet, steel mask, WildCats helmet
+1	alien museum mask, chained museum mask, crude skull mask, fiery museum mask, giant paper mache head, knit cap, lucky cap, Midgard hardhat, OmniTech hardhat, polysteel mask, Third Eye mask, unlucky cap, wrapped museum mask
Weapons
+10	commemorative mop (without offhand)
+6	commemorative mop, reinforced drone leg (without offhand), worm mandible (without offhand)
+5	molting mandible (when you don't have an offhand), palace spear
+4	buzzing TZR, extended spider leg (without offhand), hardened blade, orange hilt blade, reinforced chain, shark hide baton, shining blade, steel baton, steel length (when you don't have an offhand), twisting silver blade
+3	black silver blade, close combat shotgun, glowing support (without offhand), modernized rifle, polysteel support (without offhand), refined crystal, reinforced drone leg (with offhand), replica katana, spider leg rifle, Wormslayer
+2	artificial bone knuckles, cavalry saber, costume saber, defense knife, manhole cover (when you don't have an offhand), Midgard heavy gauntlets, plastic scythe (without offhand), princely sword, replica sword, silk whip (with Web Control), spear bug, spider drone leg, steel knuckles
+1	thick baton
Offhand Items
*	shield of scales (2, plus 1-2 for each serpent suit part, +4 for Shield of Scales effect)
+4	bloodied tray, failed cyberarm (with Eclipse and a dream effect), shield bug
+3	gargoyle wing, heavy riot shield, mite carapace, shock shield, survivors' origami shield (with Eclipse)
+2	anniversary pocket mirror (with +Melee Defense Weapon or mislit rusted sword), articulated worm sculpture, catering tray, crocodile shield, decorative pumpkin (with Eclipse) detached spider charm, failed cyberarm (with Eclipse), Fenris tome, gel shield, Halloween brick wall, honorary catering tray, hungry doll, Idoru nurse, management baton, manhole cover shield, shaky manhole shield, sheet of white plastic, shield of scales, show Vigilante pistol, skull pile, twisted polysteel heart
+1	ballistic shield, bypassed datareader, clay worm, foam brick wall, foam tombstone, locked datareader, plain tombstone, Midgard riot shield, silvered shield, translucent pumpkin ribbon
-4	fragile branch
Shirts
+4	ephemeral shawl (with Eclipse), prototype coat w/Entrapping Coat
+3	crystalline sweater, dinosaur sweater, dual armored vest, festive hat sweater, festive tree sweater, gingerbread sweater, hardened gang jacket, holiday sweater, lined coat, llama sweater, nostalgic sweater, professional cookie sweater, red nosed sweater, reindeer sweater, ribbon sweater, shark hide jacket, shark hide vest, snowflake sweater, snowman sweater, worm scale shirt, wreath sweater
+2	crocodile hide jacket, decorated punk jacket, fused breastplate*, gang scuba, lead vest, painted dress, punk jacket, scaled gang jacket, silk vest (with Web Control), thick vest, Vine Shirt (with no shirt equipped), wetsuit top
+1	all weather coat, biofeedback vest, costume spikes, gutter leathers, hustler's coat, janitorial shirt, mimetic vest, old jacket, torso wrappings, unlined vest
Pants
+5	elegantly torn pants* w/Hardened Patching
+3	achromatic slacks, elegantly torn pants* w/Reinforced Patching, lined pants, shark hide pants, worm moltings, worm scale pants
+2	blood rose pants w/Swaying Blood, corduroys, crocodile pants, designer vines, elegantly torn pants* w/Patched Pants or Scuba Patching or Steel Patching, heavy containment pants, ReflexCoil pants, scaled pants, silk pants (with Web Control), spacious cargo pants, survivors' origami pants, unsealed pants, wetsuit pants, work pants
+1	clubbing pants, containment suit pants, fused plates*, infested containment pants, honorary punk pants, mimetic pants, mountaineer pants, punk pants, reinforced pants, sheet of scales, smelly old pants, unlined pants, zombie pants
Gadgets
+2	Midgard Player w/Hidden Harmony or Ocean Harmony, vine bracelet
+1	numbing IV, Teso game console
Cyberware (Cybereyes)
-2	targeting cybereye
Cyberware (Cyberarms)
+2	bone plated cyberarms, hardened cyberblade
+1	elbow spikes, scaled arm
-2	Omnibody arms, recalled cyberarms
Cyberware (Cyberlegs)
+2	bone plated cyberlegs, muscular cyberlegs
-2	Omnibody legs
Cyberware (Bodyware)
+3	corroded dermal plates, tubegrown bones
+2	visible organs
Furniture
+1	commemorative fountain (with Eclipse)
Effects
*	+1 for each Bone effect beyond the first: (Bone Eye, Bone Spikes, Bone Scales, Calcified Organs)
+4	Chitin Hands, Concrete Perspective (with Eclipse)
+3	Fire In Your Belly, Overindulged, Pumping Adrenaline, Vine Husk
+2	Bone Spikes, Bone Scales, Chained by Regret, Creating Distance, Crystal Armor, Defensive Boon, Fearsome Strength, Hardening Venom, Incredible Numbness, Inspired Force, No Pain, Petrified Flesh, Released Fly, Survival Bulwark, Swaying Blood
+1	Calcified Organs, Fused Armor*
-3	Broken Bone, Torn Flesh
-4	Artificial Rage, Blackstone Teeth, Rasping Teeth, Stitched Up, Wrecker
-5	Frigid Bones
Skills
+EvP	Swordbreaker
+3	Stellar Appreciation (with Eclipse)
+2	Appearance is Everything (in construction worker disguise), Ocean's Touch

* See item for additional bonuses or restrictions