Padding

[Seven Samurott]

What kind of padding is typically used in Leather Armor, Metal Helments, and Boots?

[TheAverageGortsby]

Whatever you need. They're fairly self-explanatory.  Soft padding is probably your choice for stealth sets, or for limiting armor penalty in boots/helmets.  High density padding is maybe helpful in the mid-game for getting your DR up high enough to be really really tanky, but very high quality metal more or less makes that a moot point, and the benefit is tiny anyway.  Insulated padding in leather armor now makes you immune to freezing, which is situationally helpful.  Galvanic is probably my padding of choice when I don't need extra stealth, just because electrical resistance isn't terribly common.

[Seven Samurott]

So regarding cold and electric resistance, how much do you really need them? As you said electric resist is fairly rare but is electric damage common late game?

[TheAverageGortsby]

So regarding cold and electric resistance, how much do you really need them? As you said electric resist is fairly rare but is electric damage common late game?

You don't need any of either. You can get through the game with no DR or DT of any kind, in fact, but that would be the sort of thing you'd only want to do as a self-challenge.  There are three or four places in the game for each of cold and electric where having resist can be helpful, but except for the Gauntlet (and maybe that's been fixed?) there are no places where either cold or electric resist in any quantity would make the difference between a situation  where you cannot win and one where you can.  Energy resist can be useful; Bio obviously can; and of course physical.  But cold and electricity are things you're only likely to find frequently when fighting groups of psionic enemies, and your better bet by far is just not to let them attack you in the first place.

[Bruno]

So regarding cold and electric resistance, how much do you really need them? As you said electric resist is fairly rare but is electric damage common late game?

It is good to have mechanical and electric resistance if you are likely to be ambushed by lurkers/muggers/other stealthy melee enemies who might wield electrogloves/knives. Or if you like to fight melee in close combat in general, shock melee weapons are quite common and hit hard.