Physical damage forms the foundation of POE2's combat system. It's the most common damage type and serves as the base for many conversion and scaling mechanics that enable powerful build combinations.
Understanding physical damage is crucial because it can be converted to other damage types, allowing you to benefit from both physical and elemental damage modifiers. This conversion mechanic is key to many endgame builds.
Physical damage comes in two main forms: hit damage and damage over time effects like bleeding. Each has distinct scaling mechanics and defensive counters that you need to understand for effective building.
Physical hit damage is reduced by armor, making it less effective against heavily armored targets. However, armor penetration and overwhelming force can bypass this defense.
Critical strikes with physical damage have a chance to cause bleeding without any special modifiers, providing a natural synergy for physical damage builds.
Physical damage reflection can be deadly - always check map modifiers and consider conversion strategies if reflection is a concern.
Impale is a powerful physical damage mechanic that stores a portion of hit damage and releases it over subsequent hits, enabling massive damage scaling.
Damage conversion follows a strict order: Physical → Lightning → Cold → Fire → Chaos. Understanding this order is crucial for planning conversion strategies.
Converting 100% of physical damage to elemental types lets you double-dip on damage modifiers and ignore physical reflection mechanics.
Partial conversion can be powerful when combined with effects that scale with multiple damage types. For example, converting 50% to fire lets you benefit from both physical and fire modifiers.
Some skills have built-in conversion - check skill gems carefully when planning your build to take advantage of these natural synergies.
Elemental damage in POE2 is divided into three types: Fire, Cold, and Lightning. Each has unique properties and status effects that can dramatically impact your combat effectiveness.
Understanding elemental penetration and resistance mechanics becomes increasingly important in endgame content where enemies have high resistances.
Elemental damage can be scaled through various means, including conversion, penetration, and exposure effects. Combining these mechanics effectively is key to maximizing damage output.
Fire damage excels at consistent damage over time through ignites, making it particularly effective for boss fights and sustained damage scenarios.
Cold damage provides powerful control through freeze and chill effects, offering both offensive and defensive benefits through enemy control.
Lightning damage has the highest damage variance but provides shock for damage amplification, making it excellent for burst damage builds.
Combining different elements can provide both damage and utility through various status effects, but requires careful build planning.
Enemy elemental resistances cap at 75% by default, making penetration and resistance reduction crucial for high-level content.
Exposure effects provide a powerful way to reduce enemy resistances, stacking with penetration for maximum effect.
Multiple sources of penetration stack additively, allowing for specialized builds that can effectively ignore enemy resistances.
Some endgame bosses have additional resistance mechanics that require specific strategies to overcome.