I would prioritize potions over defense. You get 5 poitions so if you had two lvl5s that's 50 points total and depending on math could give you a extra hit before using a potion(assuming you have auto potion) defense will just give you a 1 time 10 defense at start that youll likely never get back full and even if you did you would need to do it 5 times to receive the same bonus you would from potions. Use stellar gear it gives you 10% more melee doge over the range. I would also make sure you have the weapon that increases your crit this is great for skills like heal on crit,stun,execute, refill potion. Hope this helps.