Resistance: Difference between revisions

Resistance over 99% results in immunity to that element. Only the Conviction and Lower Resist skills are able to break an immunity though the reduction is 1/5 normal. For example, [[Fallen]] on Hell difficulty have 110% fire resistance. To break that immunity, you need to apply at least 55% lower fire resistance, such as a level 6 [[Conviction]] aura provides. That would reduce the monster to 99% resistance, and from that point additional lowering of resistance is possible at the usual 1/1 ratio, though the skill that broke the immunity shall remain at the 1/5 reduction.  If both Lower Resist and Conviction are present on the same creature then both are added together before the immunity is broken, which means that both are working at the 1/5 reduction even if only one would have been sufficient.

There are four main elemental attacks in Diablo II: Fire, Cold, Lightning, and Poison. Each class can resist, or reduce damage from, these attacks by using items or skills.

[[Paladin]]s have several Auras that can reduce elemental damage, including Resist Cold, Resist Fire, Resist Lightning, Cleansing, which reduces Poison's duration, and Salvation (available at level 30), which provides resistance to Cold, Fire, and Lightning.

Melee characters should consider wearing resistance-providing equipment at all times, as they are the least likely to avoid elemental attacks. Ranged characters might wish to keep a set of "resistance gear" in your Backpack, Horadric Cube, or Stash. When you run into trouble with monsters, put on your gear until the battle is over. Jewelry is best suited to this, as it only takes up a 1x1 space in your inventory. Depending on your character class, you may wish to keep a shield with high resistances in your alternate Weapon Tab. You can switch to this shield when facing monsters with deadly elemental attacks. Charms also work very well for adding additional resistances, especially "Resist All" Charms. As you play later Acts and higher difficulties, Resistances will become very important. You may find that in Hell Difficulty you'll have a difficult time surviving without a lot of resistances.

==Ranged vs Melee Characters==

Resistances are very important for melee, or hand-to-hand combat, characters. When fighting against monsters that have ranged elemental attacks, they can side step or dodge, but not always. Characters using melee weapons have to close in on a monster to kill it, exposing them to more elemental attacks. Resistances will reduce the amount of damage they take, allowing them to fight longer, survive otherwise impossible battles, and waste fewer Healing Potions. Some elemental attacks are difficult to avoid, such as those used by Undead Horrors, Willowisps, Unique monsters, and Bosses. In these situations, even fighters with ranged attacks may want to improve their resistances.

;Minimum Resistance

Your base resistance levels are determined by the game's difficulty:

;Negative Resistance

Having negative resistances actually increases the damage players and creatures receive.

==Lightning Resistance==

Lightning Resistance comes in most handy against Lightning-Enchanted Unique monsters. Each time you hit a Unique Lightning monster, it will release a Charged Bolt to each of the four corners of the screen. The more you hit the monster, the more Charged Bolts it releases. High Lightning Resistance may save you in these situations.

==Physical Resistance==

While it isn't displayed on the Character Screen either, this Resistance reduces Physical damage just like the Elemental Resistances lower or increase Elemental damage. On items it is displayed as "Damage Taken Reduced by x%", and Amplify Damage lowers this by 100%, Decrepify by 50%. It is then lower capped at -100% and upper capped at 50%.

After Straight Magical Damage Reduce and Resistances modified the damage done Absorb first heals a player/hireling, then reduces the damage done. Since it heals first, the double reduction rule only counts when a player or hireling is not at full life. A drawback is that if one would end up with a negative amount of life after resistances, you will die before Absorb reduces the damage done.

[[category:basics]]