Ursine Armor - Heavy Attack Based?

[Graesholt]

I’ve gotten to the point in the game where I think it’s about appropriate to craft me some Witcher Gear, and looking at the stats online, I have concluded that I’d like to have Ursine Gear for contracts/bosses (Dem Quen Perks) and Feline Gear for most other things.
When looking online, Feline is explained to be Light Armor/Stamina Regen/Fast Attack Based, and Ursine is described to be Heavy Armor/Adrenalin Gain/Heavy Attack Based.

I get, due to the set bonus of Feline Armor, why people would say it’s Fast attack based, even though, as far as I can tell, the pieces provide a flat attack power bonus to neither fast nor heavy attack. Fast attacks are arguably also more strategic when wearing Feline, given its low protection.

However, I do not understand why people say that Ursine armor is Heavy Attack Based. Again, nowhere in the stats do I see any bonus to fast or heavy attack. Is it just more efficient for a wearer to absorb hits and dish out heavy ones? Would I still be able to fast attack a lot and dodge-roll like a champ if I wanted?

Asking this because (being a hack and slasher at heart) I like to fast attack, and I want to know how much I will have to curb my playstyle/strategy.
Thanks (:

[AfkForCoffee]

Originally posted by Graesholt:

it IS just more efficient for a wearer to absorb hits and dish out heavy ones.

This. When you start to get levels the per hit damage of heavy strikes is REALLY nice but overall fast attacks do more damage over time (DPS that is). Also against some of the swarming little enemies fast attacks are just more efficient as heavy strikes can be dodged by the enemy so Aard is nice for that.

[Drake]

It's mainly for 2 things.
First it's an heavy armor. So that means you can use the bear technique passive, which gives bonus damage to heavy attacks and a bonus to max health for each part of heavy armor worn.

Second, it's heavy armor. So that means slower endurance regen, which is very good with the rend passive (3rd in the heavy attack skill line). Rend makes your heavy attacks do more damage the less endurance you have, so the slower your endurance regen, the more you can profit from the passive (which deals some stupid damage with the proper build).

[tonypa]

Originally posted by Graesholt:

However, I do not understand why people say that Ursine armor is Heavy Attack Based. Again, nowhere in the stats do I see any bonus to fast or heavy attack. Is it just more efficient for a wearer to absorb hits and dish out heavy ones? Would I still be able to fast attack a lot and dodge-roll like a champ if I wanted?

It is mostly because you can get Bear School Techniques - Each piece of Heavy Armor increases your strong attack 5% and maximum health by 5%.

But you do not have to use that talent at all. I use all 3 Witcher gears (Griffin, Cat, Ursine), swapping them out whenever I level up enough to get new quality for one of these. It is not like wearing Ursine set will make your fast attacks totally useless, difference, specially at lower levels, is fairly small and gaining more armor from higher level gear is usually more important.

When looking at the stats, remember that increasing something by % only becomes useful when the base number is high enough. If you doing 100 damage, having 1% more is totally pointless. However, with base damage 4000 (my level 60 Geralt currently has 4030), it could be worth to have % increase.

Same way, at lower level, you want just to raise Armor value which simply reduces damage you receive. 20 armor is better then 15 armor because you take 5 less damage. But as you level up, all the enemies start to hit you for 3000 so having 5 more or less armor changes nothing. At high level you want to get items with % damage reduction instead. 40% resistance to damage from monsters means you only lose 1800 HP instead of 3000.

[Graesholt]

Originally posted by Sajah:

It's mainly for 2 things.
First it's an heavy armor. So that means you can use the bear technique passive, [...]

Second, it's heavy armor. So that means slower endurance regen, which is very good with the rend passive [...]

Originally posted by tonypa:

It is mostly because you can get Bear School Techniques - Each piece of Heavy Armor increases your strong attack 5% and maximum health by 5%.

I totally forgot about that talent. I knew I had to be overseeing something ;P
Thanks for the answers, I feel like I get it now ;P