Defense's role is as an interesting distraction to take the player's time and focus away from offense. Defense is not its own reward. The reward for managing defense is more time for offense (like living). Defense will always be secondary, but it doesn't have to be irrelevant.

Defense is a response. This is why parry mechanics are so common. You either have to be told when to block or guess in a turn-based game, both of which feel bad. That's why defense is more about healing triage or buff management if attacks cannot be reacted to.

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