Contributes

Read the complete contribution line. "All Damage from Hits with this Weapon Contributes to Freeze Buildup" means the Physical, Fire, Cold, Lightning, and Chaos damage in qualifying Hits with that weapon are summed for Freeze Buildup. It does not convert those types to Cold Damage, and it does not make unrelated Hits contribute.

Default damage types

Ailments normally use named damage types. Fire contributes to Flammability and Ignite Magnitude, Cold contributes to Chill Magnitude and Freeze Buildup, Lightning contributes to Shock chance, Physical contributes to Bleeding Magnitude, and Physical plus Chaos contribute to Poison Magnitude.

Relevant damage is summed

When an effect allows another damage type to contribute, every relevant type is summed for the one named calculation. All Damage means all five damage types, but only inside the Hit, weapon, target, and mechanic scope written on the modifier.

Contribution is not conversion

The contributing damage keeps its original type for the Hit. Contribution changes only which damage is counted for the named chance, buildup, or Magnitude calculation, so it does not grant Cold, Fire, Lightning, Physical, or Chaos scaling to another type.

Chance and buildup can enable application

When a modifier makes damage contribute to Shock chance, Freeze Buildup, or another chance or buildup calculation, that damage can help meet the application requirement. The target's threshold and the named mechanic's other rules still apply.

Poison and Bleeding still need permission

Poison and Bleeding use contributing Hit damage for Magnitude, not for their application chance. All Damage contributing to Poison or Bleeding Magnitude does not apply the Ailment unless the Hit also has a chance or another explicit way to inflict it.

Scope words are mandatory

With this Weapon limits the effect to Hits made with that weapon. Against Poisoned or Bleeding targets checks the enemy state. Damage taken from Hits applies to Hits received by the wearer. These qualifiers are part of the mechanic, not descriptive text.

Also adds while instead of replaces

Also Contributes adds another valid damage type without removing the default contribution. Instead of replaces the named default relationship. The Three Dragons therefore reroutes specific elemental damage between Ignite, Chill, Freeze, and Shock calculations.

The same wording can target non-Ailment buildup

Contribution wording is also used outside Ailments. Chainsting makes all damage from Hits with the weapon contribute to Pin Buildup. Pin then follows its own buildup and threshold rules rather than Ailment rules.