Path of Exile 2 is one of the most complicated ARPGs in existence, with so many moving parts that it’s impossible to keep track of them all without putting hundreds upon hundreds of hours into the game. Being stumped by a niche mechanic in PoE 2 is not an anomaly but rather a part of the experience.
One of these mechanics is called Elemental Ailment Threshold, which dictates how easy or hard it is to inflict Elemental Ailments on a target. While most players will be familiar with the term itself and the general gist of what it entails, there are a lot of intricacies that aren’t explained through the in-game tooltips. Here’s the breakdown.
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How Does Elemental Ailment Threshold Work in PoE 2
Elemental Ailment Threshold is a stat that dictates how hard it is to inflict Elemental Ailments on the target. This functions the same for both the player and enemies.
- For players, the Elemental Ailment Threshold is equal to half of their Life, plus any special modifiers.
- For monsters, the Elemental Ailment Threshold is equal to their maximum Life, plus any special modifiers.
Bosses typically have special formulas for Elemental Ailment Threshold that are unique to them.
Ailment Threshold only looks at the maximum Life of a character; it does not interact with Elemental Resistances, Energy Shield, Evasion, Armor, etc. The only stat that matters for the Elemental Ailment Threshold is Life. This means that the less Life your character has, the lower their Elemental Ailment Threshold will be.
Certain passives can make it so that the Elemental Ailment Threshold scales off of Energy Shield, instead of Life. This is very useful for ES-focused builds with low Life.
Exiles can use skills, passives, support gems, jewels, and gear pieces with certain modifiers to increase their own Elemental Ailment Thresholds or make their Ailments more effective against enemies.
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All Elemental Ailments and Their Effects in PoE 2
Elemental Ailments are status effects typically inflicted by elemental damage like Fire, Lightning, and Frost. There are five Elemental Ailments (Ignite, Shock, Freeze, Electrocute, and Chill), each corresponding to a damage type. All of these Ailments interact with Elemental Ailment Threshold differently. Here’s the breakdown.
- Ignite (Fire): Deals damage over time.
- Shock (Lightning): Lowers the target’s defenses.
- Freeze (Frost): Freezes the target.
- Electrocute (Lightning): Immobilizes the target.
- Chill (Frost): Slows the target.
Ignite (Fire Damage)
Ignite has a 25% base chance to be applied per 100% of the elemental ailment threshold. This means that if the elemental ailment threshold is 100, and you receive a fire attack dealing 100 damage (pre-resistances), there is a 25% chance that Ignite will be inflicted upon you. Do note that this calculation is based on Raw damage, not effective damage. In PoE 2, if you have 75% Fire Resistance and receive a Fire attack dealing 100 Fire damage, you’ll only be affected by 25 Fire Damage because of your resistance. In this instance, 100 is Raw damage, and 25 is effective damage.
Note that the Damage over time applied by Ignite is mitigated by Fire Resistance, even though the application of Ignite bypasses Fire Resistance.
Shock (Lightning Damage)
Shock works essentially the same way as Ignite, with there being a 25% chance to be inflicted by Shock per 100% of elemental ailment threshold raw damage.
Freeze (Cold Damage)
The more cold damage you receive, the more the Freeze meter will build up, with the target ending up becoming frozen when it completely fills up. The higher the elemental ailment threshold, the slower this buildup will be. After a character is frozen once, applying Freeze the second time will be harder, and the same for the subsequent attempts.
Electrocute (Lightning Damage)
Electrocute works in the same way as Freeze. However, unlike Freeze, not all sources of Lightning Damage have the possibility of inflicting Electrocute. By default, Lighting damage only inflicts Shock, and only certain Lightning skills and abilities cause Electrocute buildup.
Chill (Cold Damage)
Any source of cold damage will inflict Chill, slowing down the target to a maximum of 50%. However, inflicting Chill requires meeting a minimum threshold of cold damage per hit. Additionally, the more cold damage dealt in quick succession, the bigger the magnitude of the Chill being inflicted.
Bleed, Poison, and Stun are not considered Elemental Ailments and therefore are not affected by the Elemental Ailment Threshold.
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Should You Choose Increased Elemental Ailment Threshold Venom Draught
Upon the completion of The Slithering Dead quest, Servi will offer players the choice between three Venom Draughts, with three different rewards.
- Venom Draught of Stone: 25% increased Stun Threshold
- Venom Draught of the Veil: 30% increased Elemental Ailment Threshold
- Venom Draught of Clarity: 25% increased Mana Regeneration Rate
This is a non-reversible choice, making it crucial to make an informed decision. All three options have different merits, but the exact choice you make depends on what your build is and what it’s good at. The 30% increased Elemental Ailment Threshold is a great choice as it is one of the only ways to increase the base threshold.
9/10
- ESRB
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M For Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Nudity, Violence
- Engine
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Proprietary Engine
- Multiplayer
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Online Multiplayer, Online Co-Op
- Franchise
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Path of Exile
- Early Access Release
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December 6, 2024