Status effects play a big part in the combat of Lords of the Fallen. Players can take advantage of the same negative effects that enemies and the environment use on them, usually to devastating effect, depending on a character's build and loadout.
Lords of the Fallen: Magic Schools Explained
There are three schools of magic for players to make use of in Lords of the Fallen; here is how each of them works.
Dealing with status effects can be a little confusing at first, especially since Lords of the Fallen doesn't immediately say what each ailment actually does. This guide covers all the information players need to know so they can fight with and against status effects more effectively.
Lords of the Fallen Status Effects
The way status effects work in this game is very similar to other Soulslikes. When a player is hit by an attack that inflicts status effects, a bar will appear on the lower portion of their screen. When the bar is filled up, the effect will trigger. The same concept applies when players are hitting enemies. It's impossible to tell how full a target's status effect bar is, but a clear visual effect will be visible on an enemy once a status effect is successfully triggered.
The full list of status ailments is as follows:
- Bleed - Inflicts heavy Physical damage when the bar is filled. Additionally, it increases the Physical damage taken by afflicted entities.
- Poison - Inflicts damage over time
- Burn - Inflicts damage over time
- Ignite - Inflicts heavy Fire damage when triggered and increases the Fire damage taken by affected entities
- Frostbite - Reduces the maximum posture of affected enemies. Players have their stamina bars cut by half instead.
- Smite - Strikes targets with a bolt of Holy lightning and makes them more vulnerable to Holy damage when triggered.
Though technically not a status effect in a traditional sense, Wither is still something that players need to always actively think about. Whenever blocking attacks or taking direct Wither damage, the affected entity's health bar becomes partially grayed out relative to the damage taken.
When the Withered target gets hit again, all the gray health disappears. If an enemy's health bar is completely withered, they become vulnerable to Umbral Finishers, bypassing the need to stagger or parry them to break their posture.
Status effects can be removed by using Cure consumables of the relevant item. On the other hand, status effects can be inflicted by using ailment-inflicting weapons like Bloody Glory or applying Salts to a weapon. Multiple status effects can be inflicted at the same time, making Ignite and Burn particularly effective.
Lords of the Fallen is available now on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.