It's a game where you can thrust 8 foot long ultra greatswords through peoples chests and they get back up, and some people can shoot kamehamehas etc etc.
Also, you could wear armor as dense as Havel's IRL and one swing from a claymore and you're down for the count, so it's realistic. The damage negation differences is enough to make sense, Havel's reduces about 2x as much as leather which is being generous really..
I got so, so, so sick of people in DkS1+2 wearing Havels and taking next to no damage, having near infinite poise spamming R1 with Estocs and Rapiers forcing me into a parry heavy playstyle. I'm glad that in DkS3 I can use whatever weapon I want because people have to play with their brain or they'll get flinched and combo'd for half their health.
I'm honestly not calling anyone out but the people complaining about absorption and poise are PVE carebears or terrible PVP players. Bloodborne did it so so right, glad we have a very similar armor system in this. Chunky armor was such a massive crutch for some people, DkS3 weeds them out. Best of the series really. Now we just need to get rid of Greatshields or nerf them somehow and it's perfect.