Counter FOH question

[the Langolier]

I think you might be confused as to what absorb does. It does NOT absorb elemental damage in the form of healing power to your character. An item with absorb actually absorbs that amount of damage itself, i.e. negates it. For instance, say you are hit with 100 fire damage, and you have a ring with 30% fire absorb equiped. When you get hit, the ring reduces the damage by 30%, down to 70 dmg as if the ring itself had "absorbed" the damage. After this is when personal character resistances come in. Now say you have 50% fire resistance. The final damage is 70-70*50% = 35 dmg. Note how the damage reduced by resistances is only 35 dmg in this case, whereas it would have been 50 dmg without absorb. The TOTAL damage reduced is still greater with the absorb though (reduced to 35 dmg instead of just 50 dmg)