Found the article below on AC on one of the forums. Hope it helps some of you.
Armor Class, better known as AC is quite a popular topic in DDO. You will hear a lot of players mutter these two letters when they talk non-stop about the character they are playing or the build that they are planning to create in the near future.
So, what is AC? Based on the DDO Wiki, it represents the number that a monster must have to hit you. With that said, this means the higher the AC, the better. A different way of looking at it is that the higher AC you have. The less squishy you are because you will not be hit by monsters as much. The creatures that hit you must register an attack roll higher than your AC in order to get a hit.
This sounds pretty much common sense, but then, why do a lot of players don't build a high AC character? In fact, some players dismiss AC as a worthless statistics. The reason is that at higher levels, creatures have increasing To Hit bonus. So no matter how high your AC is, there are more chances of you getting hit than being missed on an attack.
We don't know for sure if there's something wrong in the way the AC system is working or DDO creatures just have an insanely high to hit bonuses that it makes AC worthless. If you ask me, AC still matters, whether the monsters hit you a lot. Think about this, there will be times that these creatures will miss you and that time could spell the difference between succeeding and failing a quest or a raid. With that said, let's review the factors that affect your AC.
What You Need To Know About AC
1. DDO gives all characters regardless of race and class, a Base AC of 10.
2. To compute for your AC, you will need to take into account the following bonus types:
Armor Bonus. This is the bonus to AC you get from the armor you are wearing. You can get it from feats, items, and spells.
Feats (Warforged only)
-Adamantine Body +8
-Composite Plating +2
-Mithral Body +5
Items
-Armor +1 to +13
-Docent +1 to +5
-Armored Bracers +1 to +7
-Black Widow Bracers from Waterworks +4
-Delera's Vestment from Delera's Tomb +2
-Ironweave Robe from VON 6 chest +5
-Jeeka's Spangle from Stealthy Repossession +2
-White Dragonscale Robe +5
-Robe of Magi from Black Mausoleum +5
-Blue Dragonscale Robe +4
-Dragoncrafted Robe +4
-Giantcrafted Robe +4
-Beta Noir bracers +4
-Shroud of the Abbot +4
-Elcrafted Robe +3
-Thanatos Weave Robe +2
-Robe of Arcane Puissance +3
Spells
-Mage Armor +4
Shield Bonus. This is the bonus to AC you get if you use a shield. Shield bashing will cause you to relinquish your bonus hence reducing your AC. But if you have the Improved Shield Bash feat, you will not suffer the reduced AC. Sources of shield bonus can be from feats, items and spells.
Feats
-Two-weapon defense when dual wielding +2
Items
-Shields +1 to +9
Spell
-Shield spell +4
Dodge Bonus. This is a bonus to Ac that stack with other dodge-related bonuses.
Sources:
Feats
-Combat Expertise +5 (gives -5 penalthy to attack rolls)
-Defensive Fighting +2 (gives -4 to hit)
-Dodge +1
-Mobility +4 (while tumbling only)
-Uncanny Dodge +4 (Barbarian and Rogue only)
-Improved Uncanny dodge +6 (Barbarian and Rogue only)
Enhancements
-Favoured Defense I, II, III +2 to +4 (Ranger only vs. favoured enemies).
-Fighter's Dodge +1 (Fighter only, requires Dodge feat)
-Fighter's Combat Expertise I, II, III +2 to +4 (fighter only)
-Fighter's Mobility I, II, III +1 to +2 (Fighter only. requires tumbling and Mobility feat)
-Giant Dodger I +4 vs. attacks from giant-type creatures (Dwarf only)
Items
-Chaosgarde Bracers from Xorian Cipher +2 (Lawful alignment)
Racial
-Darf +4 vs. attacks from giant-type creatures
Spells
-Haste +1
Dexterity Bonus. This is your bonus to AC equal to your dexterity modifier. It may be limited or capped by the kind of armor or shield you use, as well as your encumbrance level.
-Stat: DEX (-1-+8, +8 based on 20 base + 3 level ups + Tome +3)
-Item: “Dexterous” prefix (+1-+3, need increments of 2 after achieving base of 10 DEX to get each incremental +1 bonus)
-Enhancement: Ranger DEX 1-3 (stacks with racial, but not other class, DEX enhancements)
-Enhancement: Rogue DEX 1-3 (stacks with racial, but not other class, DEX enhancements)
-Enhancement: Halfling DEX 1-2
-Enhancement: Elf DEX 1-2
-Enhancement: Drow DEX 1-2
Spell: Cat’s Grace (+2 – doesn’t stack with any equipped Item
Deflection Bonus. This type of bonus is affected by a spell or magic effect that makes attacks veer off harmlessly. The bonuses stack with all other bonuses except other deflection bonuses.
Items
-Armor or Shield of Stability +2 (True Neutral alignment only)
-Iron Manacles from Delera's Tomb +4 (Chaotic alignment only)
-Spectacular Optics from South Threnal +3
-Kundarak Warding Bracers from Von 6 +3
-Ring of the Silver Concord from Von 6 +2
-Cloak of Shadows +2
Spells
-Shield of Faith +2 to +4
-Protection from Evil +2 (from attacks from evil creatures)
-Protection from Chaos +2 (from attacks from chaotic creatures)
Natural Armor Bonus. This represents a creature's hide or magical effects that make skin thicker (e.g. Barkskin). It does not stack with each other.
-Item: Pre-order Amulet +1
-Item: Hammer of Life +2
-Spell or Potio: barkskin +2 to +5
-Item: Ring of Balance from Invader Tokens +2
-Item: Hammer of Life +2
-Spell: Madstone Rage +4 (Madstone Boots from Reaver Raid)
-Enhancement: Bladesworn Transformation +4 (warforged only)
Insight Bonus
-Item: "Of Parrying" +1 (Randomly generated)
-Item: Ethereal Bracers from Ghost of Perdition +1
Size Modifier
-Race: Halfling +1
Luck Bonus
-Spell: Recitation +2 (cleric spell)
Miscellaneous Bonus
-Action: Blocking +2
-Feat: Paladin's Aura of Good: +1 to +4 (versus evil)
-Enhancement: Fighter's/Paladin's Action Boost I to V +2 to +6
-Enhancement: Hero's Companion +1 to +3 (Halflings provide this to party members)
-Enhancement: Human Versatility Armor Class =2 to +5 (Human only)
-Spell: Tenser's Transformation Spell +4 (Wizard/Sorcerer spell)
Each of these bonuses stack with each other. Multiple bonuses of the same type will usually not stack except for Dodge Bonus and Miscellaneous Bonus.
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Based on the list of sources of AC, what can be the highest AC we can get? Taking into consideration the rule of stacking and the limitations of certain races or classes, here's a possible build with a really nice AC.
Armor Class At Level 14
10: Base
13: +5 Mithral Full Plate
9: +5 Mithral Tower Shield
6: Dodge (Dodge Feat/Chaosgarde Bracers/Chattering Ring)
5: Deflection (+5 Protection)
3: Natural Armor Bonus (Seal of Earth)
9: DEX Bonus: 28 DEX (Fighter/Dwarven Armor Mastery III)
2: Paladin’s Aura (Bulwark of Good I)
5: Combat Expertise
62: TOTAL
ADD SELF-BUFFS
1: Haste
1: Parrying Weapon
2: Blocking
5: Fighter's AC Boost IV (20-second buff)
ADD OTHER BUFFS
2: Ranger Barksin
2: Paladin with Bulwark III
1: Halfling Hero's Companion (for 20 seconds)
2: Recitation Spell
Total Possible AC: 78.
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It's a bit tough to get to an AC higher than 50 because it will take certain adjustments. It will also entail a certain mix of classes. As shown in the example, you are looking at a Dwarven fighter with a splash of paladin. The additional buffs you can get will also depend on the party make-up and if the party members have the AC-enhancing spells. At 62 AC without buffs, you can perhaps stay alive longer because there is a chance you will be missed by attacking monsters. But still, we cannot guarantee success because we are not full informed about the to-hit bonus of higher level creatures, but still a 60+ AC must count for something. If you can boost it to 78, then I'm pretty sure it's very difficult to take you down.
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