Stats & combat mechanics

What does Luck actually do?

Luck improves the odds of rarer upgrade choices when you level up. That is the effect described by the run-stat tooltip. It is not the Critical Strike stat, and the description does not establish a bonus to boss equipment drops or to every chance-based talent.

This makes Luck a choice about future offers. If the current wave is already overwhelming you, compare it with a card that immediately improves damage, coverage or survival. That is a practical trade-off, not a measured rule that Luck should always be taken early or skipped late. The checked description does not give the rarity-roll formula.

Critical chance, critical damage and Echo

More columns → Swipe, or focus the table and use the arrow keys.

Trigger wording matters. For example, the checked Mage Ignite talent creates a burn from a Fire critical strike. Paladin Daybreak connects Holy Shock critical strikes to a free Holy Wrath and includes a trigger limit. Increasing attack frequency does not remove a stated limit. Inspect the individual ranks and prerequisites in the talent planner.

Can damage over time crit?

A critical hit can create a DoT; that does not establish that its individual ticks can independently crit. Ignite and Deep Wounds explicitly turn part of a critical hit into damage dealt over time. The descriptions reviewed do not resolve one universal tick-crit rule for every burn, bleed, poison and curse, so this guide does not claim that all DoTs can—or cannot—crit.

For a particular spell, isolate it from crit-triggered burns and other damage effects, record several ticks before changing critical chance, then repeat with the same ranks, gear, target type and damage bonuses. Identify the damage source, not just a large floating number. If those conditions cannot be held steady, the comparison cannot settle the rule.

Two separate DoT stats do have explicit descriptions:

• DoT Stacks: how many copies of each of your DoT effects one enemy can carry at once.
• DoT Haste: faster ticks. The upgrade description explicitly says this means more ticks and more damage within the same duration; it is not merely a shorter effect.

DoT duration, stack count and tick speed are therefore separate upgrades. Check which one an offer actually changes before replacing another part of the build. No universal haste cap is inferred here from the description's unfilled cap placeholder.

Cooldowns and temporary haste

The Cooldowns stat describes spells returning sooner. Some abilities and talents instead say cooldowns recover faster, sometimes only for a limited duration. Read that condition before treating the bonus as permanently active.

There are also spell-specific timing rules. Divine Shield's checked description says its cooldown starts after immunity ends. Its time from one activation to the next therefore includes the immunity duration. A free proc can have its own rate limit, separate from the spell's ordinary cooldown.

Use the live spell tooltip and cooldown display to compare the actual spell you are building around. The checked text alone does not justify adding all cooldown percentages together or presenting a universal recovery formula.

Targets, area and conditional damage

Targets adds recipients to spells that pick targets. Area increases spell areas and ranges. Neither label, by itself, establishes an accuracy or miss-chance formula. More targets help only when there are eligible additional enemies; a larger radius helps only when enemies enter it.

The run-stat descriptions also distinguish these damage conditions:

Match a conditional bonus to a condition your setup actually supplies. The broad Damage description lists level, gear, talents, jewelry and buffs as contributors; it does not specify the order in which every modifier combines. Damage Reduction has an explicit 60% maximum in the checked stat tooltip.

Do summons inherit every upgrade?

Use the specific summon description. The client has a separate Pet Damage stat. The Doomguard description says its Shadow Bolts inherit upgrades, while the Pit Lord's Felseeker specifically inherits Searing Pain upgrades. Those statements do not establish that every player-spell modifier affects every pet attack.

Summon limits matter as much as the icon. The checked Legion Gate description limits lesser demons to 12, while Demonic Supremacy makes the Infernal and Doomguard permanent, allows at most one of each and prevents lesser-demon summons. A plan that combines incompatible summons will not be repaired by more Pet Damage. Read the relevant ability notes alongside its talent requirements before committing points.

Compare two runs fairly

Use a familiar zone and difficulty. Keep the game version, class, race, permanent equipment and account bonuses the same, then change one talent or item. Record the change before starting so a better result is not automatically credited to the wrong upgrade.

Repeat the comparison before calling a result reliable. A single successful attempt is a useful observation, but it does not establish an optimal build or a universal damage formula. The class point plans provide starting hypotheses and alternatives to try.