How Damage Types and Status Effects Work

Choose a supported type

Default: commit only when the current squad already owns or can still reach an attack with that type, and its linked status or special effect solves a named problem. This assumes the required Weapon, Ability, Item, or Badge choices remain reachable. The cost is spending scarce run choices, Item slots, or permanent Badge points on support that does not improve attacks with another type. If that premise fails, stay flexible and take a general damage, timing, or defense choice instead.

1. Name the job first: damage over time, control, Armor reduction, damage reduction, status refresh, or another concrete need.
2. Open the support map below. Count only sources that this squad and profile can actually acquire.
3. Count tags that match the selected attack. Each matching tag adds 2% direct damage.
4. Decide whether reaching 10 matching tags is realistic before paying for the type’s special effect.
5. For mixed attacks, use the highest matching family once. Do not add or multiply the families.
6. If the reachable path cannot supply the job or threshold, stay flexible and take a general damage, timing, or defense choice instead.

The important split is direct damage versus status behavior. A build can gain direct damage from a tag even when its status roll is fixed, already reliable, or irrelevant to the target in front of you. Eligibility is not a recommendation: a type can have many sources across the whole roster while the current three-Survivor squad can reach only a few.

Audit current support

The current set contains 153 Weapon, Ability, and final-branch records. 129 carry at least one listed damage type; 24 add no attack-type tag. The 42 multi-type attacks count once under every type they carry, so the type totals are coverage counts, not a sum of unique attacks.

Current support by type

A multi-type attack appears in every matching total below. Count only the choices that your current squad and permanent unlocks can still reach.

Fire

Burn. Elemental Badge family.

17 attacks across 7 Survivors.

• 5 matching Weapons
• 12 Abilities or final branches owned by Tank, Engineer, Huntress, Ghost, Pyro, Mechanic
• Items: Fire Extinguisher, Icon of Cinder, Spoil Canister, Warm Ice Cream
• Badges: Elemental Badge, Heat Badge

Electric

Electrify. Elemental Badge family.

28 attacks across 7 Survivors.

• 6 matching Weapons
• 22 Abilities or final branches owned by Tank, Engineer, Huntress, Ghost, Pyro, Mechanic
• Items: Battery Leakage, Biofuel Energy, Icon of Tempest, Jacob's Ladder
• Badges: Elemental Badge, Thunder Badge

Chemical

Toxify. Elemental Badge family.

12 attacks across 7 Survivors.

• 4 matching Weapons
• 8 Abilities or final branches owned by SWAT, Tank, Engineer, Huntress, Ghost, Medic, Pyro
• Items: Battery Leakage, Biofuel Energy, Icon of Pestilence, Plague's Visage
• Badges: Elemental Badge, Soul Badge

Ice

Freeze. Elemental Badge family.

18 attacks across 7 Survivors.

• 4 matching Weapons
• 14 Abilities or final branches owned by Tank, Engineer, Huntress, Ghost, Medic, Pyro, Mechanic
• Items: Fire Extinguisher, Icon of Stillness, Special Snowflake, Warm Ice Cream
• Badges: Elemental Badge, Glacier Badge

Explosive

Implosion. Physical Badge family.

30 attacks across 8 Survivors.

• 3 matching Weapons
• 27 Abilities or final branches owned by SWAT, Tank, Engineer, Huntress, Ghost, Medic, Pyro, Mechanic
• Items: The Bomb
• Badges: Bomber Badge, Physical Badge

Kinetic

Injure. Physical Badge family.

38 attacks across 7 Survivors.

• 21 matching Weapons
• 17 Abilities or final branches owned by SWAT, Huntress, Medic, Pyro, Ranger
• Items: Expired Sushi, Nail Bat, Nine Inch Nails, Slingshot
• Badges: Gunner Badge, Physical Badge

Slashing

Bleed. Physical Badge family.

31 attacks across 7 Survivors.

• 11 matching Weapons
• 20 Abilities or final branches owned by SWAT, Tank, Huntress, Ghost, Mechanic, Ranger
• Items: Bleeding Edge, Bloody Axe, Expired Sushi, Nail Bat
• Badges: Carver Badge, Physical Badge

Start with the filtered Weapon link for the type. Then check the named Survivor kits for Abilities and final branches, followed by the exact Items and Badges. A global source count does not prove that the source is unlocked, in the current squad, still in the offer pool, or affordable.

Calculate direct damage

The direct-damage multiplier for one matching tag family is:

direct damage multiplier = 1 + matching tags × 0.02

At 0 tags, the multiplier is 1×. At 9 tags it is 1.18×, at 10 tags it is 1.2×, and at 20 tags it is 1.4×.

This rule applies to all 7 current damage types, including ExplosiveExplosiveImplosion: 5% fixed chanceEach Explosive tag adds 2% direct damage before other modifiers.. The 10-tag threshold does not create a jump in direct damage. It unlocks a separate effect while the direct multiplier keeps following the same 2% per-tag line.

Do not treat the multiplier as final DPS. Attack timing, Critical, enemy Armor, later damage modifiers, and target count still happen in their own stages.

Calculate status chance

The 6 timed status types use the status’s base chance plus the shared tag-table bonus:

status chance = (base chance + tag-table bonus at matching tags) × global chance multiplier

FireFireBurn: 10% base chance · 3s base durationEach Fire tag adds 2% direct damage before other modifiers., ElectricElectricElectrify: 10% base chance · 1s base durationEach Electric tag adds 2% direct damage before other modifiers., ChemicalChemicalToxify: 10% base chance · 5s base durationEach Chemical tag adds 2% direct damage before other modifiers., IceIceFreeze: 10% base chance · 3s base durationEach Ice tag adds 2% direct damage before other modifiers., and KineticKineticInjure: 10% base chance · 3s base durationEach Kinetic tag adds 2% direct damage before other modifiers. start at 10%. SlashingSlashingBleed: 5% base chance · 5s base durationEach Slashing tag adds 2% direct damage before other modifiers. starts at 5%. At 10 tags the shared bonus is 9%, so a 10% status reaches 19%.

Scented CandleScented Candle+50% status effects apply chance. -15% status effects duration.Unlock: Fire Walk With Me · Item Pool weight 10 multiplies the result after the base chance and tag bonus have been added. At 10 FireFireBurn: 10% base chance · 3s base durationEach Fire tag adds 2% direct damage before other modifiers. tags, Burn therefore moves from 19% to 28.5%. The Item also multiplies all 6 status durations by 85%.

Status chances can display above 100% at extreme tag totals because the rule adds a base chance to a table that tops out at 92%. Once the comparison value is at least 100%, the random roll cannot fail, but the rule output itself is not clamped back to 100%.

Cross the tag threshold

The first 10 tags serve two jobs at once: they raise direct damage and the normal status application chance, then unlock the type’s special effect. Chance-based specials start a second calculation with the tag count shifted down by 10.

special chance = (special base chance + tag-table bonus at tags - 10) × special multiplier

That is why the ElectricElectricElectrify: 10% base chance · 1s base durationEach Electric tag adds 2% direct damage before other modifiers. special starts at 2.5%, not 5%. Its result receives a 0.5× multiplier. At 20 matching tags, the chance is 7%.

The IceIceFreeze: 10% base chance · 3s base durationEach Ice tag adds 2% direct damage before other modifiers. and SlashingSlashingBleed: 5% base chance · 5s base durationEach Slashing tag adds 2% direct damage before other modifiers. specials use the shifted table without that half multiplier. At 10 tags, each starts at 5%. The latter roll happens on each Bleed tick and makes that tick deal 5× its normal damage. At 20 tags, both chances reach 14%.

The Burn, Toxify, and Injure statuses, plus ExplosiveExplosiveImplosion: 5% fixed chanceEach Explosive tag adds 2% direct damage before other modifiers., do not turn the threshold into another generic chance row. Their special effects have their own trigger or fixed result, shown below.

Read each status

Burn is the only status here that keeps independent damage instances. Each instance deals 30 damage every 0.5 seconds for a base 3 seconds. Every 3 Full applications transfer Burn to nearby enemies after the 10-tag special is unlocked. Low applications do not count as Full stacks.

Electrify is a stun with a base 1-second duration. Its promoted application lasts 1.5× as long. The 10-tag special deals 100 ElectricElectricElectrify: 10% base chance · 1s base durationEach Electric tag adds 2% direct damage before other modifiers. damage in a 3 range when its shifted chance succeeds.

Toxify deals 15 damage every 1 second for a base 5 seconds. Its 0.9 movement multiplier means a 10% slow. At 10 ChemicalChemicalToxify: 10% base chance · 5s base durationEach Chemical tag adds 2% direct damage before other modifiers. tags, an affected enemy creates an explosion on death with 1.5 base range and a 1.5× damage multiplier.

Freeze lasts 3 seconds and uses a 0.75 movement multiplier, a 25% slow. At the threshold, the shifted special roll can replace the ordinary result. The Item-only aura uses a separate base and a 0.5× multiplier; at 10 IceIceFreeze: 10% base chance · 3s base durationEach Ice tag adds 2% direct damage before other modifiers. tags it is 5%.

Injure lasts 3 seconds and applies its 20 Armor reduction. At 10 KineticKineticInjure: 10% base chance · 3s base durationEach Kinetic tag adds 2% direct damage before other modifiers. tags, an affected enemy also deals 15% less damage to the player.

Bleed deals a fraction of current HP every 1 second for a base 5 seconds. The fractions are 10% for regular enemies, 5% for Elites, 2% for bosses, 0.5% for Super Elites, and 0.25% for arena bosses. Its super Item changes the tick interval to 0.5 seconds.

Burn, Toxify, and Bleed use a minimum tick damage of 10. The other 3 statuses do not use that minimum because they are control or debuff effects and do not deal periodic damage.

Reapplying Electrify, Toxify, Freeze, Injure, or Bleed refreshes one active instance. A Full application can promote a Low one, while a later Low application does not downgrade an existing Full status. Burn instead keeps each damage instance and counts Full applications for its transfer trigger.

Handle the fixed-roll exception

ExplosiveExplosiveImplosion: 5% fixed chanceEach Explosive tag adds 2% direct damage before other modifiers. has no timed status row. A successful Implosion refreshes and reapplies the other active statuses on the target. Its chance remains 5% at the minimum, threshold, and maximum matching-tag totals.

ExplosiveExplosiveImplosion: 5% fixed chanceEach Explosive tag adds 2% direct damage before other modifiers. tags still raise matching direct damage. At 10 tags, the separate special adds 10% explosion radius. The BombThe BombExplosions generated with Explosive type damage are +30% bigger. +4 to Explosive damage type tag.Unlock: Ragdoll Physics · Item Pool weight 10 adds another 30% radius and grants +4 matching tags. Keep those radius bonuses separate from the fixed Implosion roll.

Apply status Items

Each timed status has one duration Item and one super-effect Item. Duration Items multiply the status’s base duration by 2 and grant +4 matching tags. Super-effect Items grant +2 matching tags and enable their own effect.

For Burn, the base 3 seconds becomes 6 seconds with Spoil CanisterSpoil CanisterBurn status lasts twice as long. +4 to Fire damage type tag.Unlock: Just Want To Watch The World Burn · Item Pool weight 10. Scented CandleScented Candle+50% status effects apply chance. -15% status effects duration.Unlock: Fire Walk With Me · Item Pool weight 10 alone changes it to 2.55 seconds. With both Items active, the result is 5.1 seconds because both multipliers apply.

Icon of CinderIcon of CinderBurning enemies have a chance to explode on every tick, dealing 100% Fire type damage. +2 to Fire damage type tag.Unlock: Phoenix Rises · Item Pool weight 10 gives Burn ticks a 5% explosion chance and 300 FireFireBurn: 10% base chance · 3s base durationEach Fire tag adds 2% direct damage before other modifiers. damage. Icon of StillnessIcon of StillnessFrozen enemies can emit an aura that freezes other enemies nearby. +2 to Ice damage type tag.Unlock: Armed Through The Night · Item Pool weight 10 enables the freezing aura calculated from the shifted IceIceFreeze: 10% base chance · 3s base durationEach Ice tag adds 2% direct damage before other modifiers. count. The other 4 super Items change their matching status in different ways, so do not reduce them to a shared damage multiplier.

Replace a status

The 6 replacement Items each swap one type’s normal status for another. Every replacement Item grants +2 tags to both named type families. The direct attack keeps its own damage-type handling; the Item changes the status application attached to it.

Use a swap when the replacement status serves the build better than the default one. The Item also occupies a slot and adds both tag families, so either family may move toward its threshold.

Handle mixed damage

When one attack lists several damage types, calculate the tag multiplier for each matching family and use the highest one once.

For an attack with 4 FireFireBurn: 10% base chance · 3s base durationEach Fire tag adds 2% direct damage before other modifiers. tags and 17 IceIceFreeze: 10% base chance · 3s base durationEach Ice tag adds 2% direct damage before other modifiers. tags:

• Matching FireFireBurn: 10% base chance · 3s base durationEach Fire tag adds 2% direct damage before other modifiers. multiplier: 1.08×
• Matching IceIceFreeze: 10% base chance · 3s base durationEach Ice tag adds 2% direct damage before other modifiers. multiplier: 1.34×
• direct damage uses 1.34×, the higher result

Do not multiply 1.08× by 1.34×. The attack has multiple eligible families, but the direct-damage stage selects the maximum matching modifier.

Status application remains its own roll. The highest direct multiplier does not merge Burn, Freeze, and every other status into one combined chance.

Diagnose a stalled type build

Check the failure in this order:

1. The attack does not carry the type. Open the filtered Weapon set or the owning Survivor kit and verify the type on the exact attack. A Team tag does not make every hit use that type.
2. The source is outside this squad. A large roster-wide total cannot help a run when the owning Survivor was not recruited.
3. The source is still locked or no longer reachable. Check the Weapon path, Ability branch, Item unlock, Badge rank, and sibling-choice cost before counting it.
4. The tag count belongs to another family. Only a type listed on the attack can supply its direct multiplier.
5. The mixed hit was calculated by combining families. Replace the sum or product with the single highest matching multiplier.
6. Direct damage was confused with status chance. Calculate the direct multiplier first, then run the linked status roll separately.
7. The build is below 10 tags. The ordinary multiplier and status can still work, but the threshold effect is not unlocked.
8. The threshold special uses a shifted chance. At 10 tags, the shifted count starts at zero; apply any effect-specific multiplier after that lookup.
9. A status-swap Item was treated as a new direct type. Keep the attack’s listed damage types and replace only the applied status.
10. A partial result was called DPS. Timing, Critical, targets, enemy Armor, resistance, misses, area, and temporary modifiers remain separate.

If the first reachable fix costs more choices than the named effect is worth, stop investing in that type. The safe alternative is a general stat or defensive choice that helps the current squad without requiring the missing source chain.

FAQ

Does every damage tag add direct damage?

Yes. Each matching tag adds 2% direct damage for all 7 types. An attack with several types uses the highest matching tag multiplier once.

Do damage tags raise status chance?

The 6 timed statuses use the shared tag chance table. ExplosiveExplosiveImplosion: 5% fixed chanceEach Explosive tag adds 2% direct damage before other modifiers. does not. Implosion stays at 5% even though matching tags still raise direct damage.

What happens at the matching-tag threshold?

The type’s special effect unlocks. Chance-based specials start from a shifted tag count of zero at 10 total tags, while Burn transfer, Toxify death explosion, Injure damage reduction, and the ExplosiveExplosiveImplosion: 5% fixed chanceEach Explosive tag adds 2% direct damage before other modifiers. radius bonus use their own rules.

Does the global status Item multiply the base or final chance?

Scented CandleScented Candle+50% status effects apply chance. -15% status effects duration.Unlock: Fire Walk With Me · Item Pool weight 10 multiplies the sum of base chance and the tag-table bonus. At 10 tags, a 10% status is 19% before the Item and 28.5% after it.

Do the global status Item and a duration Item stack?

Yes. The duration Item multiplies by 2, and Scented CandleScented Candle+50% status effects apply chance. -15% status effects duration.Unlock: Fire Walk With Me · Item Pool weight 10 multiplies by 0.85. Burn’s 3 seconds becomes 5.1 seconds with both.

Does Burn refresh like the other statuses?

No. Burn keeps independent damage instances and counts Full applications. After the 10-tag special is unlocked, every 3 Full applications transfer Burn. The other 5 timed statuses refresh one active instance.

Does a status-swap Item change direct damage type?

No. The swap record replaces the status and grants both named tag families. Direct attack damage continues to use the attack’s own damage types.