Knock down

A knock down or KD causes a target to temporarily fall down. Knocked down characters cannot move, activate skills with an activation time or aftercast delay, or switch weapons. Knock downs mostly function the same as standard interrupts; however, since they are technically different game mechanics, KDs can interrupt through skills such as Mantra of Concentration.

Unless otherwise stated, a knock down lasts 2 seconds; it can be extended to 3 seconds using Stonefist Insignias or certain skills. Junundu Tunnel and Reaper's Sweep can knock down for 3 seconds; three other skills can knock down for 4 seconds (Choking Breath, Backbreaker, and Psychic Instability). A knocked-down target cannot be knocked down again until they get up; however, they can be knocked down again the instant they begin to rise (see quarterknocking).

Some foes carry Stun on Critical Hit, causing knock down to foes against whom they score a critical hit. Others carry Stun Immunity which prevents them from being knocked down. Characters inside a Siege Devourer or Desert Wurm are immune to knock downs.

A small number of foes, including Shiro Tagachi, can be difficult or impossible to knock down for other reasons.

Enhancements

• The warrior armor upgrade component Stonefist Insignia increases the duration of all knock downs inflicted by the Warrior by 1 second. This upgrade cannot extend durations beyond 3 seconds.
• The skill Earthbind sets a minimum duration of knock downs to 3 seconds. It also bypasses Stun Immunity, but has no effect on other skills that prevent knock downs.

Related skills

Skills that cause knock down

Unconditional knock downs These skills always cause knock downs on foes: Backbreaker (elite) — for 4 seconds with Strength 8 or higher. Devastating Hammer (elite) Earth Shaker (elite) — on target and adjacent foes. Grapple — on target and the user. Hammer Bash Magehunter's Smash (elite) Shove (elite) Spike Trap (elite) — on nearby foes once triggered. Signet of Judgment (elite) Earthquake/Dragon's Stomp — on target and nearby foes. Gale Lightning Surge (elite) Meteor — on target and adjacent foes. Meteor Shower — up to three times, on target and adjacent foes. Shock — on target touched foe. Entangling Asp Grasping Was Kuurong (elite) — on nearby foes. "You Move Like a Dwarf!" Brawling Headbutt — on target touched foe. Devourer Siege — on target and nearby foes. Hidden Rock — with the user's next snowball. Junundu Siege Junundu Tunnel — for 3 seconds, on adjacent foes. Mega Snowball Siege Devourer Swipe — on nearby foes. Ursan Rage — on adjacent foes. Sugar Shock — for 10 seconds Conditional knock downs These skills inflict knock downs on foes under certain conditions: "Coward!" (elite) — if target is moving. "None Shall Pass!" — on nearby, moving foes. Bull's Charge (elite) — if the user hits a moving foe with a melee attack. Bull's Strike — if target is moving. Counter Blow — if target is attacking. Enraged Smash (elite) — if target is moving. Griffon's Sweep/Leviathan's Sweep — if target blocks the skill. Heavy Blow — if target is suffering from weakness. Irresistible Blow — if target blocks the skill. Shield Bash — on the next foe using an attack skill on the user, if that skill is a melee attack. Yeti Smash — on adjacent foes suffering from a condition. Pounce - if hit foe is moving. Bestial Pounce/Savage Pounce — if hit foe is casting a spell. Tripwire — on crippled foes. Balthazar's Pendulum (elite) — if a foe attempts to knock down target ally, prevents the knock down on the target. Bane Signet — if target is attacking. Judgment Strike — if target is attacking Shield of Judgment (elite) — on foes that attack the target ally. Psychic Instability (elite) — for 2-5 seconds, if it interrupts a skill. Signet of Clumsiness — on foes activating an attack skill. Churning Earth — on foes moving faster than normal. Gust — if nearby foes are attacking or moving. Mind Shock (elite) — if the target has less energy than the caster. Slippery Ground — if target is moving or blind. Stoning — if target is suffering from weakness. Whirlwind — on adjacent, attacking foes (nearby foes if overcast). Unsteady Ground — on attacking foes. Water Trident (elite) — if target is moving. Horns of the Ox — if no foes are adjacent to target. Iron Palm — if target is suffering from a hex or condition. Mark of Instability — if hit by a dual attack from the user. Scorpion Wire — if the target is a certain distance from the caster. Trampling Ox — if target is crippled. Wastrel's Collapse (elite) — if target is not using a skill. Wanderlust (elite) — if spirit's target is not moving Reaper's Sweep (elite) — for 2-3 seconds, if a dervish enchantment is removed. Shield of Force — on adjacent, attacking foes if the user is attacked. Choking Breath — for 4 seconds, on foes casting a spell. Club of a Thousand Bears — if target is non-human. Great Dwarf Weapon — gives all attacks a chance to knock down. Ice Breaker — on anyone striking the user. Skills that knock down their user: Desperation Blow/Drunken Blow Grapple — on target foe and the user.

Skills that prevent knock downs

These skills can be used to prevent one or more knock downs: Balanced Stance — on the user. Dolyak Signet — on the user. Steady Stance (elite) — on the user. Aura of Stability — on other ally. Balthazar's Pendulum (elite) — on an ally, knocks down the foe whose knock down was prevented. Ward of Stability — on allies inside the ward. "Brace Yourself!" — on other ally. Fleeting Stability — on the user. "Don't Trip!" — party members within earshot. "I Am Unstoppable!" — on the user. Dwarven Stability — on the user if drunk when activated. Ice Fort — on the user. Raven Flight (PvE-only; elite; while using Raven Blessing) - on the user.

Skills that benefit from knocked down foes or allies

Specifically benefit from knocked down foes These skills have additional effects if specifically targeting knocked down foes: Crushing Blow — causes a deep wound. Lacerating Chop — causes bleeding. Overbearing Smash — causes dazed. Renewing Smash — recharges itself and gives energy. Steelfang Slash — gives extra adrenaline. Bestial Mauling — causes daze. Melandru's Shot — causes bleeding and crippled. Holy Strike/Stonesoul Strike — deals extra damage against knocked down foes. Fetid Ground — causes poison. Aftershock — deals more damage. Bed of Coals — causes burning. Rending Aura — causes attack skills to remove enchantments. A Touch of Guile — prevents the foe from attacking. Junundu Bite — the user gains health. Low Blow — causes additional damage and cracked armor. Also benefit from a knocked down foe or ally These skills also have effects if targeting a knocked down foe or affecting a knocked down ally: "Fear Me!" — the user has an additional chance of a critical hit with melee attacks against stationary foes (since knocked down foes cannot move). Protector's Defense — the user and adjacent allies have a chance to block if the user does not move (since a knocked down user cannot move). Sloth Hunter's Shot — deals more damage if target foe is not using a skill (since a knocked down foe cannot use a skill with an activation time). Waste Not, Want Not — energy gain if target foe is not attacking or casting a spell (since a knocked down foe cannot attack nor cast a spell with an activation time). "Stand Your Ground!" — additional armor if affected party member is not moving (since a knocked down ally cannot move). Cruel Spear — causes deep wound if target foe is not moving (since a knocked down foe cannot move).

Skills that require knocked down foes

These skills have no effect unless targeting knocked down foes: "I Meant to Do That!" — (on self) gives adrenaline. "On Your Knees!" — recharges stances. Belly Smash — causes AoE blind. Pulverizing Smash — cause weakness and a deep wound. Brambles — cause bleeding and damage. Supportive Spirit — heals an ally if damaged while knocked down. Falling Lotus Strike — gives energy. Falling Spider — causes poison. Lift Enchantment — removes an enchantment. Earthbind — causes the knock down to last at least 3 seconds, the spirit loses health. Awe — causes daze.

Notes

• Some creatures do not have an animation for being knocked down. Instead, they perform the animation for being interrupted and stand motionless until the knock down is over.
• Knock downs are most often used as interrupts and snares.
• Characters are knocked down when consuming Battle Isle Iced Tea.
• Warriors and Elementalists have more knock down skills than the other professions.
• Necromancers and Paragons are the only professions without any skills that can cause knock downs.

Anomaly.When used on a foe during casting, they often keep casting for 1-2 seconds more, or until the cast finishes; then it spontaneously fails. This doesn't affect gameplay.

Anomaly.Shadow stepping while knocked down effectively removes the knocked down state, but adds a delay on the effects of skills activated afterwards until their animations "catches up" (in a manner similar to activating skills after resurrection).

Bug.If a creature is knocked down while their projectile attack is mid-flight, such as a bow projectile attack, the projectile will not hit its destination until that creature would no longer be stunned.

PvP tactics

As stated above, knocked down characters cannot use skills with an activation time or aftercast delay. Even a single knock down can make a difference in combat, and knock downs can be used for various purposes.

• A common tactic is to knock down monks while spiking another character, to prevent monks from healing them.
• Knocking down (and otherwise snaring) flag and relic runners and kiting players is a good tactic.
• Knock-lock is the technique of repeatedly inflicting knock downs on targets to shut them down.

Trivia

• The game sometimes refers to knock down as stun in some internal (and normally inaccessible) skill descriptions.