Damage over Time

Introduction

Damage Over Time (DoT) is a powerful mechanic in Torchlight Infinite, enabling players to deal sustained damage to enemies through debuffs rather than direct Hits. Combined with mechanics like Affliction and Reaping, DoT builds offer a unique and effective playstyle that can lead to some of the most devastating builds in the game. Mastering these mechanics unlocks the potential for high damage and deep customization, making DoT an essential component of advanced build crafting.

TL;DR: Key Mechanics of DoT, Affliction, and Reaping

• DoT: Inflicts Life-draining debuffs on enemies.

• DoT Skills like Black Hole or Frost Terra apply damage over time to enemies in their area of influence.

• Ailments (Trauma, Ignite, Wilt) deal DoT based on Base Ailment Damage.

• Affliction: A stacking debuff that multiplies DoT damage, with a maximum of 100 stacks for 2x damage.

• Reaping: Causes DoT to "jump ahead in time," instantly removing Life equal to the damage dealt over the Reap Time.

• Reap Purification: Enhances Reap by removing additional Life per debuff but removes the DoT debuff after.

Master these mechanics to create powerful DoT builds that dominate enemies in Torchlight Infinite!

What Is Damage Over Time (DoT)?

Damage Over Time (DoT) is a core mechanic in Torchlight Infinite that applies Life-draining debuffs to enemies.

Unlike Hit-based builds, DoT does not deal direct damage and cannot:

• Crit.

• Deal Double Damage.

• Benefit from added damage modifiers.

Instead, DoT builds rely on Affliction and Reaping to amplify their lethality, offering high sustained damage potential.

Types of DoT

Skill Damage Over Time

• Certain Persistent Skills, like Black Hole and Frost Terra, apply DoT directly to enemies.

• These debuffs last as long as the Skill influences the enemy.

• Most DoT Skills cannot stack with themselves (exceptions include Frost Terra, Flame Jet, and Corrosive Shot).

Ailment Damage Over Time

• Trauma, Ignite, and Wilt are Ailments that deal DoT.

• Ailments are applied via Hits and scale with Base Ailment Damage.

Ailment-Specific Mechanics

Trauma:

• Cannot stack.

• Applying a stronger Trauma overwrites weaker ones and refreshes the duration (4 seconds).

Ignite:

• Can stack but is capped.

• Weaker stacks are overwritten when the cap is reached.

Wilt:

• Stacks infinitely.

• Duration is short (1 second) and stacks cannot be refreshed or overwritten.

Affliction: Multiplying DoT Damage

Affliction is a stacking debuff that increases the damage enemies take from DoT. Each stack adds +1% DoT damage, maxing out at 100 stacks for a 2x damage multiplier.

Key Points:

• Affliction stacks are refreshed by dealing DoT.

• The debuff lasts for 4 seconds.

• Affliction Effect modifiers further amplify its potency.

Even small amounts of Affliction inflicted per second are sufficient to take advantage of this powerful mechanic, especially against bosses.

Reaping: Unleashing Instant Damage

Reaping is unique to Torchlight Infinite and allows your DoT to "jump ahead in time." Enemies instantly lose Life based on the damage your DoT would deal over the Reap Time.

Key Points:

• Reap is not direct damage but scales with your DoT DPS and Reap Time modifiers.

• Reap has a cooldown that can be reduced with Reap Cooldown Recovery Speed.

• Multiple Reap sources can affect the same enemy simultaneously.

Enhancing Reaping:

• Short-cooldown Reap sources are ideal for sustained damage.

• Reaping Duration modifiers multiply the damage dealt over the Reap Time.

Reap Purification: A Game-Changing Talent

Found in the Psychic Talent Tree, Reap Purification redefines how Reaping interacts with your DoT.

Mechanics:

• Removes all DoT debuffs from the enemy after the Reap.

• Deals additional Life removal for each removed debuff, scaling with the debuff’s remaining duration.

• Note: Reap Purification’s damage is not affected by Reap Duration modifiers.

Build Considerations:

• Skill DoT builds benefit greatly as their debuffs automatically reapply.

• Ailment DoT builds must reapply stacks quickly for maximum damage.

• Avoid using Wilt with Reap Purification due to its short duration and infinite stacking.

Building Around DoT

Scaling DoT Effectiveness

To create powerful DoT builds, focus on these sources:

Base Ailment Damage:

• From Weapons, Equipment, Talents, and Support Skills.

Affliction Effect:

• Found on Equipment and in the Psychic Talent Tree.

Skill Duration (for DoT Skills).

Ailment Duration (for DoT Ailments).