Damage reduction

In Guild Wars, damage reduction refers to any of three methods of reducing incoming or outgoing damage.

• Subtractive (or Absorption) reduces or prevents damage by a fixed amount.
• Percentage (or Fixed Fraction) reduces damage by a percentage of the total incoming damage.
• Threshold (or Damage Cappers) prevents the damage from exceeding a percentage of a certain threshold, almost always the target's health.

Subtractive damage reduction

Subtractive damage reduction, also known as absorption, reduces or prevents damage by a fixed amount.

Subtractive damage reduction against all damage

The following provide damage reduction against all damage:

• Skills
  • Binding rituals
    • Union
  • Enchantment spells
    • Life Sheath (elite): only the next source of damage
    • Mark of Protection (elite): also heals the target for health equal to the amount which damage is reduced by
    • Reversal of Damage: only the next source of damage
    • Reversal of Fortune: only the next source of damage, also heals the target for health equal to the amount which damage is reduced by
    • Reverse Hex: only the next source of damage
    • Shield of Absorption
    • Shielding Hands
    • Stoneflesh Aura
    • Shadow Form (elite)
    • Armor of Unfeeling (PvP): only while activating a Binding Ritual
    • Armor of Sanctity: only from foes suffering from conditions
    • Intimidating Aura: only from foes with less health than you
  • Shouts
    • Call of Protection: only affects your animal companions
  • Stances
    • Shield Stance
  • Skills
    • Defy Pain
• Other effects
  • Armor of Salvation (item effect): generated by using Armor of Salvation
  • Lightbringer title effect: only against demonic servants of Abaddon
  • Phase Shield (effect): generated by activating Phase Shield (monster skill)
  • Shielding Urn: generated by dropping a Shielding Urn
  • Shield of Saint Viktor: generated by dropping a Urn of Saint Viktor
  • Shield of Saint Viktor: generated by Celestial Summoning

Subtractive attack damage reduction

See also: Skills that prevent critical hits

• Skills
  • Attack skills
    • Distracting Blow
    • Distracting Strike
  • Enchantment spells
    • Life Bond: redirects half of damage against target ally to the monk, redirected damage is then reduced
    • Shadow Form (elite)
  • Flash enchantment spells
    • Grenth's Aura
  • Hex spells
    • Calculated Risk
    • Empathy
    • Siphon Strength (elite)
    • Dulled Weapon
  • Skills
    • Spiritleech Aura
  • Stances
    • Balanced Stance: only extra damage from critical hits
  • Weapon spells
    • Nightmare Weapon

Subtractive damage reduction against physical damage

The following reduce all incoming physical damage:

• Runes of Absorption: -1 (minor), -2 (major), -3 (superior); these do not stack.

• Inscriptions for Shields and focus items:
  • "Run for your Life!": -1...2 while in a stance
  • "Sheltered by Faith!": -1...2 while under the effects of an enchantment
  • "Nothing to Fear": -1...3 while Hexed
  • "Luck of the Draw": -5 (11...20% chance)

• Knight's Insignia: -3 (local protection only, i.e. to the specific area protected by the armor to which it is applied)

Percentage damage reduction

Percentage damage reduction, also known as fixed fraction, lowers damage by a fixed fraction of the original damage; it stacks multiplicatively.

• Skills
  • Enchantment spells
    • Aura of Faith (elite)
    • Life Barrier (elite)
    • Mist Form (elite)
    • Veil of Thorns: only spell damage
  • Shouts
    • "There's Nothing to Fear!"
    • "They're on Fire!": only against damage from burning foes
  • Stances
    • Mantra of Earth: only earth damage
    • Mantra of Flame: only fire damage
    • Mantra of Frost: only cold damage
    • Mantra of Lightning: only lightning damage
    • Dark Escape
    • Smoke Powder Defense
  • Skills
    • Ether Prism (elite)
    • Armor of Unfeeling: only affects your spirits within earshot
• Other
  • Lieutenant's Insignia
  • Stone Spores (environment effect)

Percentage attack damage reduction

• Skills
  • Attack skills
    • Dual Shot: from self
    • Triple Shot: from self
    • Twin Moon Sweep (PvP): from self
  • Enchantment spells
    • Life Attunement: from allies
  • Stances
    • Flurry: from self
• Conditions
  • Weakness

Threshold damage reduction

Threshold damage reduction, also known as damage cappers, prevent all damage above a certain threshold (generally a percentage of the target's maximum health), while having no effect on damage below that threshold.

• Skills
  • Binding Rituals
    • Shelter
  • Enchantments
    • Protective Spirit
    • Protective Bond: only attacks or spells
  • Item spells
    • Defiant Was Xinrae (elite)
  • Weapon spells
    • Xinrae's Weapon (elite)

See also

• Order of damage modifiers