Defense

Defense simply is the number that determines how much damage you can absorb per hit. Experimentally, the formula appears to be (defense rating / 2) = damage reduction.

Defense can be increased by equipping armor and or accessories.

Here is a list of armors, accessories, and their respective defense bonuses. The highest possible defense bonus (48) is obtainable by equipping full molten armor, as well as five cobalt shields or obsidian skulls or some combination thereof.