Blocking

"Block" redirects here. For the passive skill, see Block (passive skill).

Blocking is a means of preventing damage from enemy attacks by using a shield, staff or dual wielded weapons.

Mechanics

Blocking a hit prevents all damage and harmful on hit effects such as status ailments. The attack must be a hit in order to be blocked, therefore block does not work against damage over time.

Chance to block

The chance to block is a random roll made per attack/cast; it is not entropy-based like evasion. Block has the following base stats No results

The base chance to block attacks is determined by which type of shield or staff is used. The maximum block chance cap applies to both attacks and spells. However, certain skill gems, unique items and Ascendancy class skills can raise or lower the maximum block chance.

Additional block chance can be gained from passive skills, items, and Tempest ShieldTempest ShieldSpell, Lightning, Chaining, Duration
Level: (1-20)
Cost: (7-16) Mana
Cast Time: 0.25 sec
Critical Strike Chance: 6.00%
Effectiveness of Added Damage: 60%Requires Level 16Enchants your shield with the power of storms, which lashes out to deal arcing lightning damage to attackers when you block them. Blocking refreshes the duration of Tempest Shield.Per 1% Quality:1Superior2Anomalous3Divergent1% increased Lightning DamageChains +0.1 Times+0.05% Chance to Block Attack Damage while holding a Shield
+0.05% Chance to Block Spell Damage while holding a ShieldDeals (24-284) to (36-426) Lightning Damage
+3% Chance to Block Attack Damage while holding a Shield
Chains +1 Times
Base duration is 12 seconds
+3% Chance to Block Spell Damage while holding a ShieldPlace into an item socket of the right colour to gain this skill. Right click to remove from a socket.. Attack block and spell block chance are often granted separately with attack block being more common.

Chance to block against projectiles

Any modifier that has X% additional Block Chance against Projectiles will apply to projectile attacks and can be made to also apply to projectile spells with the appropriate X% of Block Chance applied to Spells statistics.

Hit effects

The general rule is that blocking prevents the attacker's on hit effects from stats, excluding things skills actively do when they hit. But blocking will not prevent the defender's when hit effects, because preventing those could make blocking a negative thing for the defender.

Certain stats, such as "Gain 1 Endurance Charge every second if you've been hit recently", were originally classified under enemy's hit effects and thus were prevented by blocked hits. This interaction was fixed in patch 3.11.1c.

Hits from skills like Glacial HammerGlacial HammerAttack, Melee, Strike, Cold
Level: (1-20)
Cost: 5 Mana
Attack Damage: (165-215)% of base
Effectiveness of Added Damage: (165-215)%Hits enemies, converting some of your physical damage to cold damage. If an enemy is frozen and is on less than one third life, they will shatter when hit by Glacial Hammer. If striking three times in a row, the third strike will freeze enemies more easily. Requires a Mace, Sceptre or Staff.Per 1% Quality:1Superior2Anomalous3Divergent2% increased Duration of Cold Ailments0.5% increased Attack Speed1% increased Area of EffectDeals (165-269)% of Base Attack Damage
60% of Physical Damage Converted to Cold Damage
25% chance to Freeze enemies
35% increased Duration of Cold Ailments
(10-29)% increased Effect of Cold Ailments
+(2-4) to Melee Strike Range
Every third successive strike Freezes enemies as though dealing (200-390)% more Damage
Adds (2-75) to (3-113) Cold Damage against Chilled EnemiesPlace into an item socket of the right colour to gain this skill. Right click to remove from a socket. and Viper StrikeViper StrikeAttack, Duration, Melee, Strike, Chaos
Level: (1-20)
Cost: 5 Mana
Attack Damage: (90-135)% of base
Effectiveness of Added Damage: (90-135)%Hits enemies, adding some of your physical damage as chaos damage and inflicting poison which will be affected by modifiers to skill duration. If dual wielding, will strike with both weapons. Requires a claw, dagger or sword.Per 1% Quality:1Superior2Anomalous3Divergent4Phantasmal0.5% increased Attack Speed
0.5% increased Poison Duration1% of Physical Damage Converted to Chaos Damage1% increased Chaos Damage0.5% chance to also Poison a nearby Enemy when you inflict PoisonDeals (90-135)% of Base Attack Damage
60% of Physical Damage Converted to Chaos Damage
60% chance to Poison on Hit
Base duration is 4 seconds
(5-169) to (7-254) Added Chaos Damage
Each Weapon Hits separately if Dual Wielding, dealing 20% less Damage
30% Less Attack Speed if Dual Wielding
+(0-2) to Melee Strike RangePlace into an item socket of the right colour to gain this skill. Right click to remove from a socket. will still apply because block doesn't prevent a successful hit. However, skill effects based on damage like PuncturePunctureAttack, Projectile, Duration, Melee, Strike, Physical, Bow
Level: (1-20)
Cost: 6 Mana
Attack Speed: 70% of base
Attack Damage: (134-164)% of base
Effectiveness of Added Damage: (135-165)%Punctures enemies, causing a bleeding debuff, which will be affected by modifiers to skill duration. Puncture works with bows, daggers, claws or swords.Per 1% Quality:1Superior2Anomalous3Divergent4PhantasmalBleeding inflicted by this Skill deals Damage 0.5% fasterProjectiles Pierce 0.1 additional TargetsMelee Strikes target 0.1 additional nearby Enemies0.5% chance to Maim on HitDeals (134.74-164.56)% of Base Attack Damage
Base duration is 8 seconds
(3-75) to (4-113) Added Attack Physical Damage
(30-49)% more Damage with Bleeding
Causes Bleeding
+(0-2) to Melee Strike RangePlace into an item socket of the right colour to gain this skill. Right click to remove from a socket. are essentially blocked.

Reflected damage

Reflected damage can be blocked; however blocking reflected damage will not trigger on-block effects.

Block duration

When an attack is blocked, the game has already calculated how much damage and if the attack would have caused a stun. If it would have caused a stun, the blocking animation is played, stunning you briefly. If it would not have caused a stun, then you get a "free" block with no animation.

Faster Block and Stun Recovery and Increased Block Recovery modifiers reduce the length of the blocking animation.

The following formula is the complete calculation for the duration of the blocking animation (in milliseconds). If you cannot be stunned, the block animation will never play.

<math display="" style="background-color:transparent; padding:0;"> \color[RGB]{163,141,109} \begin{align} \text{Block Duration} & = { {350}\over{1 + \text{Block and Stun Recovery} + \text{Block Recovery} } } \end{align}

   </math>

Status ailments have no affect on your block chance, but being frozen will prevent the block animation from playing if it otherwise would and chilled will make it take longer to play (since those two work by decreasing the speed at which your character plays animations).

Miscellaneous

The Gladiator Ascendancy skill Versatile Combatant changes your spell block to be equal to your attack block chance instead.

Soul of the Brine King Major Pantheon power provides the unique modifier You cannot be Stunned if you've been Stunned or Blocked a Stunning Hit in the past 2 seconds.

The Soul of the Brine King can be upgraded to grant an additional #% increased Stun and Block Recovery.

Modifiers on Items

Generic

No results found

Influenced

No results found

Corrupted

No results found

Jewels

No results found

Abyss Jewels

No results found

Active skill gems

Main page: List of block related skill gems

Related base stats

The following active skill gems have stats related to block:
There are currently no active skill gems that have stats related to block.

Related quality stats

The following active skill gems have quality stats related to block:

Skill gem
Bone OfferingBone OfferingMinion, Spell, Duration Level: (1-20) Cost: (16-33) Mana Cast Time: 1.00 secRequires Level 12Consumes a corpse, granting all of your minions the power to block both attacks and spells. The skill consumes other nearby corpses, increasing the duration for each corpse consumed.Per 1% Quality:1Superior2Anomalous3DivergentGrants Minions 0.5% increased Cast Speed2% less Skill Effect Duration Minions recover 5 Life when they BlockGrants Minions +0.1% Chance to Block Attack Damage Grants Minions +0.1% Chance to Block Spell DamageBase duration is 5 seconds Grants Minions +(25-35)% Chance to Block Attack Damage Grants Minions +(25-34)% Chance to Block Spell Damage Additional 1 seconds Base Duration per extra corpse Consumed Minions recover (11-594) Life when they BlockPlace into an item socket of the right colour to gain this skill. Right click to remove from a socket.				12

Support skill gems

Main page: List of block related skill gems

Related base stats

The following support skill gems have stats related to block:
There are currently no support skill gems that have stats related to block.

Related quality stats

The following support skill gems have quality stats related to block:

Skill gem
Block Chance Reduction SupportBlock Chance Reduction SupportSupport, Duration Icon: B Level: (1-20)Requires Level 18Supports any skill that hits enemies.Per 1% Quality:1Superior2AnomalousSupported Skills have 0.25% reduced Enemy Block ChanceSupported Skills have 2% increased Overpowered EffectEnemies have -(10-20)% chance to Block Attack or Spell Damage from Supported Skills Enemies have -(20-29)% chance to Dodge Attack or Spell Hits from Supported Skills Supported Skills inflict Overpowered for 4 seconds when Blocked Overpowered applies -5% chance to Block Attack and Spell DamageThis is a Support Gem. It does not grant a bonus to your character, but to skills in sockets connected to it. Place into an item socket connected to a socket containing the Active Skill Gem you wish to augment. Right click to remove from a socket.				18

Related unique items

A number of unique items give bonuses to block, either by directly granting additional block chance, or indirectly by enhancing it in various ways. Note: Only unique items with explicit block-related mods are listed here. Of course, all shields and staffs have implicit chance to block and they also apply on uniques, but they are not shown here.

Additional Block Chance

Item		Stats

Additional Block Chance while Dual Wielding

Item		Stats

Additional Spell Block Chance

Item		Stats

% of Block Chance applied to Spells

Item		Stats

Maximum Block Chance

Item		Stats

ES/Life/Mana gained on Block

Item		Stats

ES/Life/Mana recovered on Block

Item		Stats

Block during flask effect

Item		Stats

Minion Block

Item		Stats

Miscellaneous

Item		Stats

Passive skills

There are passive skills that grant blocking bonuses.

Chance to block with shields

These passive skills grant additional chance to block with a shield equipped. No results found for the given query.

Chance to block with shields or while dual wielding

These passive skills grant additional chance to block with a shield equipped or while dual wielding. No results found for the given query.

Chance to block while dual wielding

These passive skills grant additional chance to block while dual wielding. No results found for the given query.

Chance to block with staves

These passive skills grant additional chance to block with a staff equipped. No results found for the given query.

Chance to block spells with shields

These passive skills grant additional chance to block spells with a shield equipped. No results found for the given query.

Chance to block for minions

These passive skills grant additional chance to block for minions. No results found for the given query.

Block recovery

These passive skills grant increased block recovery. No results found for the given query.

Miscellaneous

No results found for the given query.

Ascendancy skills

The following Ascendancy class skills are related to blocking: No results found for the given query.

Keystone passive skills

The following Keystone passive skills are related to blocking: No results found for the given query.

Cluster jewel passives

The following cluster jewel-only passives are related to blocking: No results found for the given query.

Version history

Version	Changes
3.11.1c	Fixed a bug where blocking a Hit did not always count as having been Hit for the sake of some "have been hit Recently" modifiers.
3.4.0	Chance to Block and Chance to Block Spells have been reworked. Now, there is simply Chance to Block Attack Damage and Chance to Block Spell Damage. Sources that previously caused some portion of your block chance to apply to spells now grant Chance to Block Spell Damage at a specific value and do not require other sources of block. Secondary damage can now be blocked, dodged, evaded, and spellblocked depending on its source.
1.3.0	Block chance has been reduced, replaced, or removed throughout the tree. Spell block in the Witch area has also been reduced slightly.