Elemental damage is a big part of playing “The First Descendant.” It can be really strong, but to know if it’s too powerful, we need to understand how it works.
Let’s look at how elemental damage works with weapons:
What is Elemental Damage?
Each weapon in “The First Descendant” can inflict different types of elemental damage, such as fire, electricity, chill, and toxic.
However, abilities function differently in terms of elemental damage and need separate consideration.
How Elemental Damage Works?
Weapons and Elements
- Some weapons naturally have elemental damage
- Mixed elements prevent the efficient application of damage over time (DOT) effects.
- It’s best to increase the element your weapon already has
Example: The Tamer uses fire attacks, and the Hero Scar uses toxic attacks.
Chances of Triggering Effects
| Weapon Speed | Example | Status Effect Chance |
|---|---|---|
| Fast | SMGs | About 4% |
| Medium | Assault rifles | About 17% |
| Slow | Sniper rifles | About 33% |
Damage Over Time (DoT) Effects
Here’s the information sorted in a tabular format:
| Effect | Duration | Damage Frequency | Special Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fire | 5 seconds | Every 0.5 seconds | Can make enemies panic |
| Toxic | 5 seconds | Every 0.5 seconds | Can stack up |
| Electricity | 3 seconds | Every 0.5 seconds | Might paralyze enemies |
| Chill | Instant | No extra damage | Stuns enemies |
How Damage is Calculated
- DoT damage is based on the initial damage dealt when triggered. Critical hits and headshots further amplify DoT effects.
- For example, an initial fire DoT from a crit can inflict significantly higher damage continuously.
Strengths of Elemental Damage
- High Damage Potential: When effectively utilized, elemental damage can output significant damage, especially with stacking toxic effects or leveraging critical hits.
- Versatility: With different elements to work with, players can tailor their damage types based on enemy weaknesses and resistances.
- Stun Capability: Chill can incapacitate enemies, affording strategic advantages.
Limitations and Balancing Factors
- Enemy Resistances: Elemental damage effectiveness varies greatly. For example, normal enemies have petty resistance, but bosses can resist up to 50% of certain elemental damages.
- Proc Rate Dependency: Rapid-fire weapons face lower proc rates, making it harder to consistently apply powerful DoT effects.
- Non-Stackable Effects: Except for toxic, most DoT effects cannot stack. Overlapping effects may not refresh or reapply, leading to potential DPS loss.
Is Element Damage Too Strong?
How strong element damage is in “The First Descendant” depends on how you use it and your game plan. While it can deal big damage and be very useful, it’s kept fair by things like how tough enemies are against it, how often it works, and how well you mix different elements. If you make mistakes, like promoting the wrong element or picking the wrong targets, it won’t work as well.
So, while element damage is strong, calling it too strong would miss the point of how misleading and deep it can be to use right. Pro players who get how it works and use it well might make it seem too strong, but it usually takes careful planning and smart moves to pull off.
