Modifier

For item properties, see Item Affix.

Modifiers change the magnitude of statistics. Some common modifiers include life, mana regeneration, weapon damage, attack/cast speed, movement speed, and attributes. Modifiers can come from the passive tree, items, and other sources.

Modifier scope and stacking

All modifiers are either local or global.

Modifiers are applied in this order:

1. Local flat modifiers
2. Local percentage modifiers
3. Global and skill flat modifiers
4. Damage conversion
5. Global and skill multiplicative modifiers
6. Global and skill percentage modifiers

Local, global, and skill

Local modifiers are found exclusively on items. They are only effective when the item itself is being used; for example, a local modifier on a weapon in one hand will not affect attacks made with a weapon in the other hand. Confusingly, a modifier may be local on one type of item but global on another. Local modifiers include the following:

Accessories (amulets, rings, belts):

• None

Armours (shields, helmets, body armours, boots, and gloves):

• Added or increased defenses
• Shield block chance
• Socketed gem levels

Flasks:

• All mods

Weapons:

• Added accuracy
• Attack speed
• Attribute requirements
• Critical strike chance
• Damage (all types)
• Socketed gem levels

All other modifiers are global and affect the entire character, subject to tags. For example, increased defenses from shield would only affect the portion of defenses that come from your shield. However, it is a global modifier despite only affecting a single item.

Modifiers from skills are treated the same as global for purposes of computing a skill's effects, though they only apply to that particular skill. When support skills are linked to an active skill, all modifiers from all the linked skills apply to all aspects of the skill. For example, the increased Fire damage modifier from a quality will affect any fire damage dealt by the skill it is linked to, even the fire damage that is not added by the support itself.

Flat, percentage, and multiplicative modifiers

Flat modifiers do not have percentage signs and often (but not always) use the word "adds" or "additional". They stack additively with other flat modifiers of the same scope.

Percentage modifiers have percentage signs and use the words "increased" or "reduced". They stack additively with other percentage modifiers of the same scope. For example, two global modifiers of +100% increased produces a total of +200% increased (3x).

Multiplicative modifiers have percentage signs and use the words "More" or "Less". They stack multiplicatively with other multiplicative modifiers of the same scope. For example, two global modifiers of +100% More (2x each) produces a total of +300% More (4x).

Modifier types

Some modifiers are subtypes of other modifiers. Modifiers of the supertype will affect statistics of the subtype but not vice versa.

Some words have special meanings:

• If the word "and" is used (e.g. "armour and energy shield"), it is effective on statistics that are any of the listed types.
• If a modifier lists several types without the word "and" (e.g. "elemental damage with maces"), it is only effective on statistics that are all the listed types.
• If the word "while" is used in conjunction with an item type (e.g. "while wielding a staff"), the modifier is effective globally whether the statistic applies directly to the item or not. For example, "while wielding a staff" would apply to spells as well, even though spells are not cast using the staff.
• If the word "with" is used in conjunction with an item type (e.g. "with claws"), the modifier is effective only when that item is being directly used.

Converted statistics count as both the type converted from and converted to, but can only be affected by a particular modifier at most once.

Damage types

All damage is of exactly one damage type, unless converted or added from another damage type, in which they keep their previous damage type(s) in addition to their new damage type.

• Chaos
• Elemental
  • Fire
    • Burning
  • Cold
  • Lightning
• Physical

Source types

Mines, traps, and totems use skills as if the player had used them. Otherwise, all sources have exactly one source type and do not take on the source type of their creator. For example, if a Mine creates a Trap, the Trap is not affected by Mine modifiers even though it was created by one.

• (Player): Unless otherwise specified, modifiers affect the player and skills used by the player.
• Mine
• Minion
  • Specific minion type
• Totem
• Trap

Skill types

All effects have at most one skill type. Most effects are either Attacks or Spells. Damage over time is a separate type. Some effects are none of these three, mostly those having to do with detonations: Bear Trap, , Vaal Detonate Dead, , Infernal Blow, and monsters with Volatile Blood.

• Attack
  • Weapon
    • One-handed melee weapons
      • Specific weapon
    • Two-handed melee weapons
      • Specific weapon
  • Melee (note that this is not a supertype of melee weapons)
    • Unarmed
• Cast
  • Spell
    • Curse
• Damage over time
  • Burning

Other types

• Area
• Attributes
  • Dexterity
  • Intelligence
  • Strength
• Buff
  • Aura
• Defenses
  • Armour
  • Evasion
  • Energy Shield
• Duration
• Projectile
  • Bow
• Status effect
  • Ignite
  • Freeze
  • Chill
  • Shock
• Stun
  • Block (recovery)

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)