Before I ask my question, I want to answer some predictable responses.
I am aware that my questions are detailed and that an answer might not be known with certainty. Please don't post to tell me that you don't know or that you assume no one knows.
If you want to speculate on the answer, I have no problem with that. Just make sure you state that you are speculating to avoid confusing people who might use the forum search looking for the answers to similar questions.
Question 1: I know that shields are delt extra damage from axes. Does the "armor" of a shield prevent the damage before or after this bonus is applied? For example, let's assume an axe does 3x damage to a shield.
If the axe swings for 20 damage, and the shield has 10 resistance, does it deal 20x3 = 60 - 10 = 50?
Does it deal (20-10)x3 = 30?
Question 2: The shield skill gives an 8% damage mitigation per rank to a shield. Is this applied to the axe damage before or after the shield's resistance (armor rating) is subtracted from the swing?