Modifier

For a full list of all prefixes and suffixes, see Item Affix

Modifiers are bonuses applied to items to increase their usefulness. They are determined by an item's affixes, each of which corresponds to a certain stat or attribute bonus. Some common modifiers include life, mana regeneration, weapon damage, attack/cast speed, movement speed, and attributes.

A magic item can have up to one prefix and one suffix, never two prefixes or two suffixes. Rare items can have up to three prefixes and three suffixes. Unique items do not have affixes, but are instead given specific modifiers. A randomly generated rare item (from a drop or Orb of Alchemy) receives between four and six affixes randomly, with a 1/12 chance of 6 affixes, 4/12 chance of 5 affixes, and 7/12 chance of 4 affixes.

All modifiers have a level associated with them, and will only appear on items with an item level greater than or equal to the modifier's level.

The keywords "More", "Less", "Increased", and "Reduced" indicate how a mod stacks with other mods of the same type.

"Increased" and "Reduced" mean that all applicable mods of that type are added up, then applied. For example, two passives which give "8% Increased Energy Shield" would provide a total of 8 + 8 = 16% Energy Shield

"More" and "Less" mean that that bonus is a multiplier. Effects with "More" or "Less" are rarer and more powerful than "Increased" and "Reduced", and are usually limited to skills, Unique Items, and Keystone Passives. For example, if a player has "30% More Spell Damage on Low Life" from Pain Attunement, as well as "50% More Spell Damage" from Righteous Fire, they will gain a total of 1.5 * 1.3 = 95% more spell damage.

Modifier Stacking

In general, integer modifiers are applied before percentages. Percentage modifiers using the words "% increased" or "% reduced" stack additively with one another, while "% more" and "% less" modifiers stack multiplicatively. Multiplicative effects also affect each other, which results in a greater impact.

When dealing with weapons, some modifiers that are listed on the weapon itself are applied first, before mods from other pieces of equipment, skills, and so on. This includes anything affecting physical damage, such as increased physical damage, added physical damage, quality etc., and also attack speed and local critical strike chance, It does not include elemental damage mods.

Similarly, when dealing with armour, evasion, and energy shield on armour, any modifiers affecting those stats that are listed on the piece of armour are applied first. This includes quality and any other mods directly affecting armour, evasion, or energy shield amount. It does not include mods affecting the energy shield recharge delay or regeneration rate, only the amount of energy shield.

Quality behaves differently on armour and flasks than on weapons. On armour and flasks, it stacks multiplicatively with other modifiers on that piece of equipment.

Quality on weapons stacks additively with other % modifiers on the weapon.

Diminishing marginal utility of “increased” modifiers

Because increased modifiers are additive, the increase of total value by adding more and more 8% increased nodes becomes less effective. If you have 100 base Life, adding 8% increased life is worth a total of 8 health points or 8% of your total life. If you have 100 base life and 250% increased life, adding 8% increased life is still worth a total of 8 health points, but this only accounts for 2.3% of your total life.

Case 1

Total Life before 8% node = 100

Total Life after 8% node = 100 * (100 + 8 )/100 = 108

Increase in flat HP = 108 -100 = 8

Increase in % = 8/100 = 8%

Case 2

Total Life before 8% node = 100 * (100 + 250)/100 = 350

Total Life after 8% node = 100 * (100 + 250+8 )/100 = 358

Increase in flat HP = 358 - 350 = 8

Increase in % = 8/350 = 2.3%

Multiple “Less” and “More” modifiers

“less” and “more” modifiers are applied multiplicatively as shown above. 30% “Less” Damage and 30% “more” Damage does not equal 100% Damage, but rather 91% Damage. To Counteract 30% Less Damage you need 42,8% “more” Damage.

apply 30% LESS dmg to a value of 100

100 * (100-30)/100 = 70

apply 30% MORE dmg to the result of the reduction

100 * (100-30)/100 * (100+30)/100 = 91

find MORE multiplier to result in no dmg loss after a LESS multiplier is applied

100 * (100-30)/100 * (100+x)/100=100

100 * 70/100 *(100+x)/100 = 100

70* (100+x)/100 = 100

70/100*x = 100 - 70

x = 30/70*100

x = 42.8

However, multiple sources of „more“ multipliers greatly improve the damage.

50% “more” damage from level 1 concentrated effect, and 30% “more” damage from level 1 remote mine add up to:

100 * (100+50)/100 * (100+30)/100= 195

That is a 95% increase of the base damage.

Example

Imagine I have 100 life, and two passive skills that give "15% increased Maximum Life". These stack additively, so the result is

100 + (100 * .15) + (100 * .15), or

100 * (1 + .15 + .15) = 130 life

Now I equip an item that gives +40 life, and choose a passive skill that grants +20 life. The integer bonuses are applied first, so I end up with

(100 + 40 + 20) * (1 + .15 + .15) = 160 * 1.3 = 208 life

Now I choose two passive skills that gives "10% more Maximum Life". These are multiplicative, so they are applied separately.

(100 + 40 + 20) * (1 + .15 + .15) * 1.10 * 1.10 = 251.68 life

Note that if they were additive, the result would be

(100 + 40 + 20) * (1 + .15 + .15 + .1 + .1) = 240 life

Advanced Example

Showcasing increased modifiers from different sources and the effect of multiplicative modifiers. You are Witch using a level 10 Fireball Spell linked with a level 7 faster projectiles

Passive skills:

20% increased Elemental Damage with Spells

21% Increased Spell Damage

22% Increased Fire Damage

23% Increased Projectile Damage

24% Increased Fire Damage

8% Increased Elemental Damage

6% Increased AOE Damage

Modifiers from Equipment

15% Increased Spell Damage

16% Increased Fire Damage

Modifiers from linked Skills

13% Increased Projectile Damage

Case 1: Fireball + Faster Projectiles

Base average Damage: 85 – 128 = 106.5

Total Damage:

106.5 * (100 + “Passives”(20 + 21 +22 +23 +24 +8 +6) + “Items”(15 +16) + “Skills”(13)) /100 = 285.42

Case 2: Fireball + Faster Projectiles + a 12% Spell Damage Node

Total Damage:

106.5 * (100 + “Passives”(20 + 21 +22 +23 +24 +8 +6 +12) + “Items”(15 +16) + “Skills”(13)) /100 = 298.2

(That is a 4.5 % increase in total Damage: 298.2/285.42-1)

Case 3: Fireball + Faster Projectiles + lvl1 Concentrated Effect (50% More Damage)

106.5 * (100 + “Passives”(20 + 21 +22 +23 +24 +8 +6) + “Items”(15 +16) + “Skills”(13)) /100 * “Conc.Effect”(100+50)/100 = 428.13

(That is a 50 % increase in total Damage: 428.13/285.42-1)

Case 4: Fireball + Faster Projectiles + lvl20 LMP (30% Less Damage 38% increased Damage)

106.5 * (100 + “Passives”(20 + 21 +22 +23 +24 +8 +6) + “Items”(15 +16) + “Skills”(13+38)) /100 * “LMP”( (100-30)/100 = 228.12

(That is a 20.1 % decrease in total Damage: 228.12/285.42-1)

Case 5: Fireball + Faster Projectiles + lvl20 LMP + lvl1 Concentrated Effect (30% Less Damage 50% More Damage 38% increased Damage)

106.5 * (100 + “Passives”(20 + 21 +22 +23 +24 +8 +6) + “Items”(15 +16) + “Skills”(13+38)) /100 * “LMP”( (100-30)/100 * “Conc.Effect”(100+50)/100 = 342.18

(That is a 19.9 % increase in total Damage: 342.18/285.42-1)