Elemental Ailment Threshold

A player's base Ailment Threshold is half maximum Life. For example, 4,000 maximum Life gives 2,000 base threshold before increased, reduced, flat, or additional threshold modifiers. Monsters instead use level-based Ailment and Poise Threshold values that are independent of monster Life. The threshold is only the comparison value: each ailment still has its own rule for chance, Magnitude, buildup, duration, and which stage of Hit damage it compares.

Player base is half maximum Life

Content Update 0.2.0 changed player base Ailment Threshold from all maximum Life to half maximum Life. A character with 4,000 maximum Life therefore starts from 2,000 base threshold before other threshold modifiers are applied.

Higher threshold is defensive

Raising Elemental Ailment Threshold makes Elemental Hits less likely to apply the relevant ailments and lowers the Freeze and Electrocution Buildup received. Lowering a target's threshold has the opposite effect.

Threshold is not one universal formula

The ailment decides what is compared with the threshold. Flammability from a Hit uses qualifying pre-mitigation Fire damage, while current Chill, Shock, and direct Freeze documentation use damage taken after mitigation. Freeze and Electrocution also have buildup rules. Do not apply one damage stage to every ailment.

Monster threshold scales with level

Monster Ailment and Poise Thresholds scale with monster level and are independent of monster Life. A normal level 65 monster has 9,723 Ailment Threshold and 11,376 Poise Threshold; at level 80 those base values are 26,029 and 55,927. Monster rarity applies its own multipliers.

Poise handles Immobilisation

Freeze, Electrocution, Pin, and Stun are Immobilisation effects and use a separate internal comparison value called Poise on monsters. Public stats can still refer to Ailment, Freeze, Electrocute, or Stun Threshold, so read the exact scope of the modifier instead of treating every threshold label as interchangeable.

Bleeding and Poison chance are separate

Bleeding and Poison require an explicit numerical chance or guaranteed application. Their application chance is not calculated from Elemental Ailment Threshold, although their Magnitudes can still be based on damage from the Hit.

Threshold is not avoidance

Ailment Threshold changes the damage comparison used for application, Magnitude, or buildup. Chance to avoid an Ailment is a separate defensive check, and 100% avoidance prevents that Ailment even from effects that normally bypass an application roll.

Specific thresholds can differ

Modifiers may name Elemental Ailment Threshold, Ailment Threshold, Freeze Threshold, Electrocute Threshold, or Stun Threshold. A broad Elemental Ailment Threshold modifier affects the elemental ailment family, while a specifically named threshold applies only to its stated mechanic.

Energy Shield can add threshold

Energy Shield does not contribute to base player Ailment Threshold by default. Explicit effects can add a percentage of maximum Energy Shield as additional Ailment Threshold, such as Atmohua's Soul Core of Retreat and the bonded effect of Craiceann's Rune of Recovery.

Chaos Inoculation no longer collapses it

Content Update 0.5.0 fixed Chaos Inoculation setting maximum Life to one from incorrectly changing player Stun and Ailment Threshold calculations. Current threshold planning should not use half of one Life for a Chaos Inoculation character.