Tier 1 Defense perks:
Does anybody actually use the 25% Hitpoints perk? Since direct hitpoint damage is pretty rare, I’ve always thought 20% more armor — combined with utility’s Brawny (50% reduced armor fatigue) just outclassed it completely. Even if you leveled up Hitpoints at every opportunity, you’d only get them up to about 100 ish, with Colossus, that’s… maybe a soft max of 150? At level 11? Whereas if you level Fatigue at every opportunity instead, you could simply wear better armor, even without Brawny, for a much better final tank.
I mean, doing the math: Two levels of Hitpoints, could be about 8 more final damage you can take…. whereas 8 ish Fatigue max, means you can wear 20 more body armor AND 20 more head armor. Worth it?
Taking hitpoint damage inflicts morale damage too. Why on earth would you build Colossus, when you could take Battle Forged, Dodge, OR 25% Shield defense?
Colossus increases your final tank by about 5-8% (when you can take it, at first Tier, when it matters most), whereas Battle Forged reduces damage to armor by 20% (not sure if it applies to the Head, but even if it doesn’t, that’s still about 15% total damage reduction); Dodge decreases chance to be hit, at least once per battle, by roughly 5% I believe, and getting hit at all is pretty catastrophic in this game; and the Shield bonus (admittedly only good for shielders) is just plain awesome for survival– as the first perk purchased, along with a Heater Shield, you’re pretty much set to avoid all damage until you’re up against mid-level foes.
I can understand wanting to be tankier, but honestly, taking Colossus over any other perk– especially the ones that lower your chance to be hit outright — seems sub-optimal. On top of that, you can have 300 total armor points, but less than half that of Hitpoints, and you can’t swap out your damaged Hitpoints between battles for fresh ones, like you can with armor and shields.
IMO, I might consider taking Colossus if it added flat HP in addition to the % max, and/or increased the Healing rate — there are some heroes that really can use more hitpoints, but it’s tough to take one of your 3 level up boosts in hitpoints. Fatigue, Weapon Proficiency, and Melee Defense trump, it would seem to me.
