I have similar build, switch axe user, except I fit speed eating, wide range and high defense. No fortify
, airborne, recovery and evade.Defense is noticeable.I’ve reached 1250, I can take a bite or scratch and just use health steal to heal up, back when I was under geared w 950 or so defense, it’s maybe 40 percent or more than half w each melee.fire resistance is better, avoid one shot breath( not blue flame). 1500 is rock steady defense or somthing, doubt you can reach that( if you can, you sacrifice too much crit and attack to make time limit). I run four fatalis beta w alateron beta legs. Legs has 2 four slot and one level two slot. Legs naturally gives 3 defense, one hard will push it to 6. Plus elem meal L and good defense items, I can survive explosion breath. I also zsd spam, main point of defense is to force spam to work w rock steady mantle. Three charge in a row won’t kill my character.