Elements
How defence elements and damage types interact, including the multi-element stacking rule and the full affinity chart.
Every creature in KTM2 carries one or more defence elements. Incoming damage is compared against each of them, and the result multiplies your damage before armour is applied.
The multiplier
| Match | Multiplier |
|---|---|
| Damage type the element is weak to | +25% |
| Damage type the element resists | −25% |
| Anything else | ±0% |
Stacking across multiple elements
When a creature has several elements and your damage type is effective against more than two of them, each layer beyond the second adds another 10%.
This is the reason a single “best” weapon does not exist. Against a triple-element enemy the difference between the right and wrong damage type is roughly 2.6×.
Damage types vs defence elements
Not every damage type is something a creature can be. Thirteen elements can be worn as defences; several more exist only as damage:
Defence elements — Normal, Dragon, Shard, Arcane, Fire, Water, Frost, Wind, Earth, Soul, Astral, Light, Dark
Damage-only types — Lightning, Blast, Flame, Melee, Execute, Healing, Wither, Thorns, Trident
Healing appearing as a damage type is not a bug: against Soul and Dark, a heal is a weapon.
Affinity chart
Normal
- Astral
- Nothing
The default. Almost everything hits it for exactly its listed damage.
Dragon
- Dragon
- Everything else
Only dragon damage gets through cleanly. Bring the right weapon or bring patience.
Shard
- Soul
- Blast
- Trident
- Thorns
- Melee
- Earth
Armour-like. Physical pressure bounces; concussive and soul damage do not.
Arcane
- Arcane
- Astral
- Nothing
Resists non-magical "magic" such as poison, and melee-flavoured spells.
Fire
- Water
- Frost
- Fire
- Flame
- Wind
- Blast
Water
- Frost
- Lightning
- Fire
- Flame
- Water
- Melee
Frost
- Melee
- Execute
- Fire
- Flame
- Lightning
- Frost
- Wind
- Water
Brittle. Straight physical force shatters it as readily as heat.
Wind
- Fire
- Flame
- Thorns
- Lightning
- Melee
Earth
- Blast
- Earth
- Trident
- Thorns
- Melee
- Normal
- Wind
- Lightning
Soul
- Light
- Dark
- Healing
- Soul
- Execute
- Melee
- Normal
- Thorns
- Astral
Healing hurts it. Undead and spectral enemies usually carry this.
Astral
- Soul
- Light
- Dark
- Arcane
Light
- Dark
- Wither
- Everything else
Only its opposite lands. Everything else is shrugged off.
Dark
- Light
- Healing
- Everything else
Same rule as Light, mirrored — and healing is a weapon against it.
Building around it
- Elemental vulnerabilities (Attributes & effects) let you create a weakness rather than wait for one. Apply
ignite, then hit with Wind. - The nested spell power attributes (
aether_power→dys_aether→elemental_power) exist so a hybrid build can carry several schools without a separate stat line for each. - Element gems (Gems & sockets) add a proc from a configured magic school, which is the cheapest way to cover a school your weapon does not have.