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Why doesn't resistance work?

AuthorMessage
Survivor
Jun 08, 2009
32
I've noticed one of my wizards has like a 78% resistance to Ice magic. As I understood it, this meant that incoming Ice spell damage was supposed to be reduced by 78%. However, as I fought Ice monsters, I was noticing that this resistance counted for very little, and I was getting hit for nearly full damage. It was reduced, but nowhere near the level that it should have been. This has been an issue with pretty much all my guys- great resistance in the character stat page, very little real defense in battle. Is this being calculated properly?

Administrator
Hello,

Could you share a little more information so that we could investigate? What items are you wearing that give you the total 78% resistance? Which monsters are you battling and what spell are they casting that seems to be bypassing your resistance?


community@wizard101.com
Mastermind
Apr 13, 2011
398
Professor Greyrose on Sep 11, 2015 wrote:
Hello,

Could you share a little more information so that we could investigate? What items are you wearing that give you the total 78% resistance? Which monsters are you battling and what spell are they casting that seems to be bypassing your resistance?
...And do they have armor pierce of any kind?

Survivor
Jun 08, 2009
32
It was a level 99 balance wizard. He has 23% ice resistance from his gear, 13% from a pet (general resistance), and 42% ice resistance from a jewel. He was figting some of the hundred legger type creatures in Krysalis, and I noticed that whenever they cast snowman or ice wyvern, they were doing very nearly full damage (they had no buffs, and I had no shields up). However, as I tried fights on other worlds, I noticed similar trends- so it doesn't seem to be world-specific or one type of creature. I thought that perhaps the jewel wasn't being added in, or maybe it's not a true percentage like critical and it's actually a lower percentage than what's shown. The math just isn't adding up.

Archon
Sep 17, 2012
4162
Are you sure you aren't confusing 78 resist and 78% resist? The first subtracts 78 damage from incoming hits. The second subtracts 78% of the incoming damage. Resist jewels for example do not give percentage resist, they reduce flat damage.

Explorer
Feb 26, 2009
58
Morgrim Stormtalon on Sep 11, 2015 wrote:
I've noticed one of my wizards has like a 78% resistance to Ice magic. As I understood it, this meant that incoming Ice spell damage was supposed to be reduced by 78%. However, as I fought Ice monsters, I was noticing that this resistance counted for very little, and I was getting hit for nearly full damage. It was reduced, but nowhere near the level that it should have been. This has been an issue with pretty much all my guys- great resistance in the character stat page, very little real defense in battle. Is this being calculated properly?
Actually I was doing pvp im level 90 balance (not that good) wearing waterworks gear it gives 16 or 17 res to everything. so this guy is death and uses scarecrow I think no res. and it happened with a life guy as well.

Archon
Sep 17, 2012
4162
Morgrim Stormtalon on Sep 12, 2015 wrote:
It was a level 99 balance wizard. He has 23% ice resistance from his gear, 13% from a pet (general resistance), and 42% ice resistance from a jewel. He was figting some of the hundred legger type creatures in Krysalis, and I noticed that whenever they cast snowman or ice wyvern, they were doing very nearly full damage (they had no buffs, and I had no shields up). However, as I tried fights on other worlds, I noticed similar trends- so it doesn't seem to be world-specific or one type of creature. I thought that perhaps the jewel wasn't being added in, or maybe it's not a true percentage like critical and it's actually a lower percentage than what's shown. The math just isn't adding up.
You can't get 42% resist from a jewel. That's 42 resist, meaning it lowers the damage by 42, not 42%. Flat resist is just damage and has no % sign next to it. It's pretty useless.

Survivor
Jun 08, 2009
32
Interesting- when it comes to resistance (listed under the damage stats on the character page), I mouse over it and it clearly said 78%. I wasn't aware that the jewels were capable of a flat amount reduction- i.e. a +42 ice gem reducing damage by 42 points and not 42%. Is that how they really work? Is there an official ruling on that?

With PvP, I imagine the other wizards stats- especially at level 90- can overcome a 16 or 17% resistance rather easily. If their main school damage is 60% or better, it may not look like your resistance is working, but it probably is.

The thing that made me notice the lack of protection was fighting things that had little or no attack bonuses, no buff spells, no blades, no spears up, and their spells were doing nearly full damage. Minor annoyance really, until some of the tougher bosses were tearing me up, and I couldn't figure out where all my protection went.

Administrator
Morgrim Stormtalon on Sep 14, 2015 wrote:
Interesting- when it comes to resistance (listed under the damage stats on the character page), I mouse over it and it clearly said 78%. I wasn't aware that the jewels were capable of a flat amount reduction- i.e. a +42 ice gem reducing damage by 42 points and not 42%. Is that how they really work? Is there an official ruling on that?

With PvP, I imagine the other wizards stats- especially at level 90- can overcome a 16 or 17% resistance rather easily. If their main school damage is 60% or better, it may not look like your resistance is working, but it probably is.

The thing that made me notice the lack of protection was fighting things that had little or no attack bonuses, no buff spells, no blades, no spears up, and their spells were doing nearly full damage. Minor annoyance really, until some of the tougher bosses were tearing me up, and I couldn't figure out where all my protection went.
Yes, jewels give you a flat resistance amount rather than a percentage.

When viewing the resistance section of your character sheet, the top row shows numbers that are percentages and the bottom row shows flat resistance numbers.


community@wizard101.com