Defense is useless?

I'm forgetting where I read it, but I want to know if this is true. It all sounded very hypothetical, for end game use mostly, but if I focus my gym time on the three other stats alone I could likely boost them much more quickly than if I were to split my points up four ways. Or is that stupid and I'm screwing myself by not keeping Defense up?

I think the point of the post I read was that Defense is, in comparison to the other stats, less useful, making it mathematically better to focus on the other stats alone as that 30% or so boost to each will make you much stronger than if you had split the four stats up evenly. Just curious if that's true. I'm sure Defense is useful, it wouldn't exist as a stat otherwise I'd hope, but if it's considerably less so I'd like to consider ignoring it, or at least minimizing my commitment to it.

Starting out I'd say working on 1/2 stats (Speed and Strength) would work well. You'll see faster gains and it won't feel like such a slog as doing all 4. When you've build yourself up a bit with a high happy property and can use ecstacy - you'll find it easier to pull the 1 or 2 stats left behind back up to where you want them.
In general, no it isn't useless - but there are all sorts of stat builds to choose from.

So, as far as stat builds go, what have you seen/used that was maybe more effective/powerful? Do you mean attacking versus defending, or are there more variables?

I believe with the new system Balanced stats are the way forward

http://www.torn.com/loader.php?sid=attackLog&ID=010da5d35282f999d00434b6871dcad0

i like how this fight can last for so long when i have double his stats

Exactly, higher stats are not as effective any more.

1 billion defense should stop him from even hurting me

in my opinion with the new system it all depends on the user like ched said in one if his posts i cant quote him but i remember it exactly it went something like this

-If User A has double defense of User B then user B will deal half damage to user A.-

so now i personally would have to take in account their strength dexterity and speeed, and all the other factors like crits armor weapon exp and boosters!!!!. Now if you go just based by stats i would think investing sufficient time into dex and defense is very good
Why? Because based on what i see alot of people whore strength and speed so they wann HIT and HIT HARD!
So if you think logically you want to dodge the hit and if you get hit get hit for less !!! Then i would say train strength as your next stat and keep speed on equal terms with strength!

Just my opinion

Awesome, thanks all, the more help the merrier.

In the new system think as strength as 7x stronger than defense.

Defense is a joke now and I won't ever touch it again. Watching players beat me with half my total when their strength is higher that mine but the rest of their stats are less than half of my own it just confirms that strength is far more overpowered than it ever has been.

i see what you mean but you have to take other things into consideration like weapons used and stat boosters armor (body armor helmets and all the new stuff they added) plus the dexterity to miss attacks plus the speed to actually hit attacks then you need to take into account the weapons mastery level.

Honestly it would take too much time to calculate i doubt anyone will ever sit and calculate the values of strength/defence and how much damage is dealt and recieved when wearing certain types of armor or using certain types of weapons. Now if this info is available it is only avalable through Ched which he will enver disclose or some people like mysef have played this game since 2005 and through knowledge just know how the game works but i will telll you this : in torn i think with the new system how i would train and i think looking at BodyBaggers stats i think he predicted this as well i think you want to

1)when you get hit , take less damage because it will happen either way

2) Hit often and dodge as often as possible( this is why dexterity has other benefit besides dodging hits i dont recall of the top of my head what they are)

3)hitting hard sure but that can be boosted with critical hit merit upgrade and weapon experience so strength is not so important. (as a tip I believed the whole DRUG FREE stats makes no difference as long as you rehab and then you attack youll be fine or as long as you not addicted/dont have the drug effect but i do belive when you take drugs constantly your fighting performance is weakened so rehabing is usefulll to get back to full potential then you are back to normal self)

I remember back in the day when noone trained dex and it would be just who got the first big hit or a crit. then people started to wonder OOO maybe i can dodge hits DURP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just join the Army and stay there till you get to the General position. Save up 7000 job points while you're working on your other stats. Once you get 5-7k job points cash em and you'll pretty much have capped your defense

If you'd have taken the short second to read what I had actually posted, perhaps you will see that I had already spied said people and also seen that all my stats were higher than theirs except for strength. I work in a TV Network so I can spy as an ability. The only thing I can't see are the passives, which I also have tons of.

Strength is the ONLY stat worth training now. There is little point in the others once you have at least 50 mil or so of each.

Speed is just as important as strength. No point in having high strength if you can't hit your opponent

I did see see that but since their only high stat was strength there is so much more to explain to you honestly I am tired of repeating myself to you , you don't see the point I'm making to that's your problem sir . Someone with a brain who reads this will. I'm actually getting tired of typing this on my iPad .
-sha-

Lets see... Since attacking 2.0 was released on October 10th you have made exactly a very mere 4 attacks...

In that same time, I have personally made 743 attacks in the new system.

Preach what you think all you want, the facts are that I have 186 times more experience in the new attacking system than you have.

Yet you still think you know better than I do.

So suck on my small brain with those numbers f**k head.

No need for profanity young man. Im just giving my ideas and sharing my experience in torn as an old player. You think you know better , good for you i wish you best of luck.
-shahost - SAY ELLO TO MY LIL FREND!!!! :D

Didn't mean to start a war...