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    Diablo IV Guide: Understanding Damage Over Time (DOT)

    Posted:2024-10-30

    Source IGZ

    Hello, and welcome to the Diablo IV Beginner’s Guide. In this article, we’ll explain an important damage type in the game—Damage Over Time (DOT). DOT is a form of damage that accumulates over time rather than being dealt instantly. Unlike direct damage, DOT effects cannot trigger critical strikes or overpower attacks, so they appear as white damage. One classic example is the Necromancer’s Shadow Blight build, which stacks heavy shadow-based DOT damage. While occasional direct damage in this build can crit, the primary damage source remains DOT, eliminating the need for crit or overpower stats.

    Types of DOT in Diablo IV

    In Diablo IV, there are four main types of DOT: Bleed, Burn, Poison, and Shadow. These are divided into two categories: Status DOT and Area DOT.

    Status DOT Status DOT directly affects the enemy, causing them to bleed over time. Examples include the Barbarian’s “Rend,” the Rogue’s “Poison Imbuement,” and the Sorcerer’s “Fireball,” all of which apply DOT directly to enemies, causing continuous damage over time.

    Area DOT Area DOT creates a specific damage zone, and enemies take damage only while within that area. Examples include the Necromancer’s “Blight” and the Sorcerer’s “Meteor.” If enemies leave the area, they stop taking DOT damage.

    Some skills, like the Sorcerer’s “Blizzard,” may seem like area-based DOT but actually deal Frost Damage and don’t fall under the official DOT categories of Bleed, Burn, Poison, or Shadow.

    How DOT is Triggered

    Most DOT effects require an initial direct hit to activate the DOT. For instance:

    The Barbarian’s “Rend” skill deals initial physical damage, followed by 5 seconds of bleed damage as a DOT.

    The Sorcerer’s “Meteor” inflicts direct fire damage upon impact, with additional burning DOT over the next 3 seconds in the affected area.

    This setup is akin to a bee sting: the initial sting is the direct damage, while the lasting pain represents the DOT effect.

    Summary

    Overall, DOT effects in Diablo IV are intuitive and add unique gameplay dynamics. We hope this guide has given you a clearer understanding of the DOT mechanics. Thanks for reading, and see you next time!