So I guess 0 body armor and 2 body armor is negligible, just get the most hp I can. I was trying to make a peasant gear alt.
I thought axes completely ignored body armor and just ate away at the hp. That's why high hp shield are good against axes but overall bad against other weapons too. While a high body armor low hp shield is bad vs axes but good vs swords. Which is why shields that have inbetween stats are the best.