Raid: Shadow Legends Debuffs / Buffs
Buffs, Debuffs and Instant Effects
Updated for December 2021
Within Raid: Shadow Legends, champions and bosses can apply a number of buffs, debuffs and instant effects that impact your champion’s ability to perform their role. There are 3 main effects:
- Buffs – Effects you can place on your allies to improve their abilities
- Debuff – Effects you place on your enemies to reduce their abilities and for them to take more damage
- Instants – Effects you can activate instantly on your allies or enemies i.e. a Heal or Buff Removal
Remember: to place any effect on an enemy champion, you will need to ensure your champion has enough accuracy to beat the opponents Resistance value. Likewise if you want to resist an enemy effect you need to have enough resistance. You can use our Raid Stages Tool (free account required) to view every opponents stats and make a decision on how much Accuracy or Resistance you need.
Understanding each effect will be vital in building your champions correctly and also which champions are better suited for each encounter. Below is a complete list of the effects you will face in the game.
Buffs
Ally Protection:
The caster champion takes 25/50% of damage inflicted upon the target champion (calculated before any buff/multiplication on the damage). Self-inflicted damage and Poison do not trigger this effect. Each champion uses their respective DEF values for damage mitigation.
Block Damage:
Depending on the champion being used for block damage, either the champion casting the ability becomes immune to all forms of damage, OR the team on the field becomes immune for the set number of turns indicated on the champion casters skills.
Block Debuffs:
The casting champion (depending on whether this ability is for the whole team or just this individual champion) becomes immune to all Debuffs. Instant negative effects such as Decrease turn meter are not affected and work as normal.
Continuous Heal:
A continuous heal ability will buff an ally which activates every time they take a turn. The heal will be proportional to their Maximum HP with 7.5% or 15% depending on the strength of the buff. This is a good heal over time ability but relies on you staying alive to activate it. Spot heals are stronger if you need to boost an ally fast!
Counterattack:
When attacked, the champion(s) with this buff will attack back at their attacker using their default skill. This attack only deals 75% of normal damage from the default skill. This does not count as a turn and does not affect the turn meter. When attacked with a multi-hit skill; the champion with this buff will only return the attack once.
Increase Accuracy:
Increase accuracy boosts your allies’ accuracy by either 25% or 50% depending on the skill level. This makes it dramatically easier for your team to land their respective debuffs on the enemies and therefore beat your enemy foes. Accuracy is needed to combat resistance when landing a debuff on your enemy and is required for any ability that manipulates turn meter too.
Increase Attack:
Increases the champions battle ATK / current ATK value by 25/50%. Certain champions enable this across all your champions on the field.
Increase C.RATE (Crit Rate):
Increase the champions C.RATE by 15/30%. Certain champions enable this across all your champions on the field.
Increase DEF (Defense):
Increases the champions battle DEF by 30/60%. Certain champions enable this across all your champions on the field.
Increase SPD (Speed):
Increases the champion’s speed by 15/30%. Certain champions enable this across all your champions on the field.
Reflect Damage:
Any champions that are attacked when this buff is active will reflect a proportion of the damage back at the attacker for 15/30% of the damage inflicted (depending on whether they have a minor or major reflect damage buff on them).
Revive on Death:
Revive on death is a skill in Raid Shadow Legends that can revive either you or your allies upon being killed by enemies. This buff will revive you with 30% HP and 0% Turn Meter.
Shield:
The champions HP bar is reinforced with a shield effect. Damage is calculated normally but is applied to the shield first rather than the champion’s HP bar (unless the attack ignores shields). When the buff expires the shield is removed from the champion and further damage applies as normal.
Unkillable:
The champion that applies this buff becomes immune from death throughout the duration of the skill. The HP bar will NOT go below 1HP until this buff is removed/expires. Further damage once this buff is removed is calculated as normal. Depending on the champion casting the buff, this can be applied to several champions or just him/herself.
Strengthen:
Depending on the champion casting this buff, it can decrease incoming damage between 15% to 25%. This buff can be applied to one or several champions, depending on the champion casting the ability.
Veil / Perfect Veil:
Any champion with a Veil or Perfect Veil Buff will be hidden from view from your enemies and therefore un-targetable. If all of your team has this Buff the enemy can again select their champion of choice. Any AOE damage will still register. Veil also reduces the damage you take by 7.5% and Perfect Veil will reduce the damage you take by 15%.
Increase C.DMG (Critical damage)
When Increase C.DMG is applied, the champion attacking will have their critical damage increased between 15-30% depending on the champion used to cast the Debuff. Some champions within the game are capable of applying this Buff to all enemies on the opposing side.
Stone Skin
When placed, Removes all debuffs from the Target, makes them immune to all other debuffs except for Bombs and reduces incoming damage by 85%. Bombs will deal 300% increased damage.
Debuffs
Block Buffs:
All buffs applied to the champion with this Debuff active are automatically blocked and have no effect.
Block Active skills:
Prevents the champion with this Debuff from using their active skills (only when this Debuff is active). The champion can only use their default or passive skills for the duration of the Debuff.
Block Passive skills:
Prevents the champion with this Debuff from using their passive skills (only when this Debuff is active). The champion can only use their default or active skills for the duration of the Debuff.
Heal Reduction:
Any healing received by the champion with this Debuff active is reduced between 50% or 100% depending on the champion’s skill description.
Block Revive:
Block revive is an effect that prevents an enemy from being revived by their allies. This is particularly strong against the Ice Golem Dungeon where the boss is able to revive his fallen allies and in the Arena where often we face a team with champions that can revive their allies.
Bomb:
When this Debuff is placed it is seen as a countdown when this Debuff expires the affected champion suffers direct damage that ignores their DEF value. The damage inflicted by the bomb scales in accordance with the Stat indicated within the champion’s skill description.
Decrease ACC (Accuracy):
When this Debuff is applied, it reduces the champion’s battle accuracy by 25 to 50% dependant on the champion used to apply. This is in accordance with the champion’s skill description.
Decrease ATK (Attack):
When this Debuff is applied, it reduces the champion’s battle ATK by 25 to 50%. (dependant on the champion used to apply). This is in accordance with the champion’s skill description.
Decrease DEF (Defence):
When this Debuff is applied, it reduces the champion’s battle DEF by 30 to 60% (dependant on the champion used to apply). This is in accordance with the champion’s skill description.
Decrease SPD (Speed):
When this Debuff is applied, it reduces the champion’s battle total speed by 15 to 30% (dependant on the champion used to apply). This is in accordance with the champion’s skill description.
Freeze:
When this Debuff is applied, the affected champion(s) will be unable to move until the Debuff expires. Champions receive 75% of Normal damage whilst under this Debuff. Cooldowns do not refresh whilst the affected champion(s) is under this Debuff.
HP Burn:
While the Debuff is active, at the start of the affected champions turn, they and all their allies take damage equal to 3% of their respective MAX HP. There can only be one HP burn Debuff active on one champion at a time.
Hex:
This is a special debuff in that it doesn’t have impact on the champion with the debuff until another champion interacts with it. The impact of Hex champions is normally significant and can lead to powerful damage.
Leech:
Any champion that attacks a champion with this Debuff active heals for 18% of inflicted damage.
Poison:
Damages the target champions by 2.5/5% of their MAX HP at the beginning of their turn. Damage scales in accordance with the target champion’s MAX HP. Buffs like block damage will ignore the incoming damage. If a shield is active on the target champion the Poison will be applied to the shield first.
Poison Sensitivity:
When this Debuff is applied, Poison damage taken by the recipient is increased by 25%/50% depending on the champion used to apply this Debuff.
Provoke:
The champion with this Debuff can only attack the champion that applied the Debuff for the indicated amount of turns under the champion’s skill description. ONLY the default skill will be used throughout the duration.
Sleep:
The champion with this Debuff applied is unable to act/ take their turn until the Debuff expires. Cooldowns are not refreshed while sleep is active. If a champion is attacked whilst asleep, that attack WILL wake them up and their Turn Meter will continue as if they had never been asleep.
Stun:
The champion with this Debuff is unable to act/ take their turn until the Debuff expires. Cooldowns are not refreshed whilst this Debuff is active.
Weaken:
When this Debuff is applied, the champion that this has been applied to receives increased damage by 15/25% depending on the skill description of the champion who applied the Debuff.
Fear / True Fear:
When the Fear Debuff is applied, the enemy champion will have a 50% chance on their turn to skip their turn without their ability activating.
True Fear is an enhanced version of Fear, when an enemy with True Fear attempts to use a skill there is a 50% chance of the skill not activating, and if successful that skill will also go on cooldown!
Decrease C.DMG (Critical Damage)
When Decrease C.DMG is applied, the opposing champion being attacked will have their critical damage reduced by either 15% or 25% depending on the champion used to cast the Debuff. This effect is multiplicative (i.e. 200% Critical Damage will be 150% when debuffed by 25% debuff)
Decrease C.RATE (Critical Rate)
When Decrease C.RATE is applied, the opposing champion being attacked will have their critical rate reduced by either 15% or 30% depending on the champion used to cast the Debuff. This effect is additive (i.e. 70% Critical Rate becomes 40% when debuffed with 30% debuff)
Petrification
When placed, removes all buffs from the target Champion and blocks any other buffs from being applied while the debuff is active. Enemies under petrification will skip their turn and their skills cooldown will remain the same whilst the debuff is active. Additionally, damage is reduced by 60% for petrified enemies except for damage dealt by Bombs which are increased by 300%.
Instants
Boss Effects
There are a number of unique effects that a boss will place. Below we list them in one location but check our guides on each boss to learn more about the encounters.
Buffs
Life Barrier – Hydra Head
When placed, Life Barrier creates a Shield on the target for a number of turns. This Barrier will receive incoming damage before any other shield effect or the target’s HP. If the Barrier is depleted the target is stunned for 1 turn. If the Barrier is not depleted, the target is fully healed.
Poison Cloud – Hydra Head
When placed, Poison Cloud blocks all damage from Poison Debuffs and converts all incoming attacks to weak hits. If the target of the buff is under the effects of HP Burn, then both effects are neutralised.
Vengeance – Hydra Head
When placed, increases the target’s damage by 300% for 1 turn and triggers an immediate AoE attack.
Serpent’s Will – Hydra Head
When a new Hydra Head is grown, this head will receive this buff reducing all incoming damage by 75%
Digesting – Hydra Head
This hydra head has recently devoured an enemy champion. The head receives additional HP. If the head is not defeated by the time this buff expires then the devoured champion is removed from the battle (cannot be revived or returned to your team). If the head is defeated, the champion is returned to your team.
Debuffs
Pain Link – Hydra Head
Target’s an enemy champion creating a link with the Hydra Head of Suffering. 15% of the damage received by the Head is taken as damage by the target champion.
Instants
Mark of the Hydra – Hydra Head
Marks a champion for devouring. After the counter is reduced to 0 the champion is devoured by a head and the head receives the Digesting Buff. Champions who are devoured are no longer part of your team, cannot attack or take turns.
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I find myself a little confused as to how the game interprets debuffs. I have been using Ma’shalled for quite some time now, and only just noticed in arena that when I apply A2 (leech/truefear) debuff on an enemy that has some sort of counterattack (buff or relentless), I do in fact get counterattacked before I get my extra turn. Is this intended? I’m not actually damaging the opponent, so I never expected any counterattacks. If it is intended, do all debuffs work this way? Outlaw Monk’s poison, for example? (Of course who’d use him in arena anyhow, but still I wonder.) If Tayrel launches his special, he actually hits the opponent for damage and then has the chance to debuff. It is the act of hitting that launches the counterattack, and that makes sense to me. I would expect a “soft” debuff like Ma’shalled’s leech or Outlaw Monk’s poison, or even Occult Brawler’s auto poison before his turn, to work like Diabolist’s A3 turn meter. I have never had that proc a counterattack. But if leech should proc counterattack, shouldn’t Madame Serris’s debuffs proc it as well? I know she removes the counterattack first, but if the buff removal fails, but a debuff goes on, shouldn’t that result in a counterattack as well? It hasn’t thus far for me. The whole thing seems clear as mud.
The reason they counterattack when ma’shalled places true fear, is because their is a mastery in the def tree that causes the champion to counterattack whenever
an ally receives a stun/sleep/freeze/fear/true fear debuff. Hope that helps!
Please add Hex debuff. Also would you mind clarifying your last sentence under HP burn? “However, if multiple champions on the team are Debuffed with HP burn, it will work as normal and apply their full damage.” not sure what you mean by their full damage. thanks!
This is just meant to mean that if you have multiple champions with AoE HP Burn applications, that any one enemy can only have 1 HP Burn on them at a time. However, just because they can only have 1 HP Burn does not mean that they can’t take damage from it more than once per round.
Example, Venus places HP burn on 8 spiderlings in the spider dungeon. Every time any one of those Spiderlings takes a turn, the entire enemy team takes 3% max health damage, to include the spiders that don’t even have HP burn as a debuff themselves, totaling 24% max health damage on every single enemy (unless your team kills some before their debuff can tick). Does that make sense?
Please add which champions have these buffs/debuffs in their kits.
Check the menu on the left-hand side of the screen mate, we have champion lists for each debuff and buff
If you have hp burn & Freeze debuffs on an enemy, do they still only take 75% dmg?
Covered well. Thank you.
Couldn’t find a better place to post this … sorry … I really appreciate the Faction Tier List. It’s been very helpful. I have been working on Dwarves faction. Can you please look at and add Fodbor the Bard? Helpful kit and high dmg multipliers. Also, check how Dilgor is ranked – it seems like he is ranked in too many places. While you’re at it, you could add the new lego.
Block revive doesnt need accuracy? I’ve had the ads in ice golem resist a few of Queen Evas ancient curse, more often if i’m under decrease accuracy
its deffo not the block revive they are resisting
Yes they can resist “block revive”. I’ve had them resist Armiger’s block revive. Can’t be resisting anything else from that skill.
so does an aoe atk hit harder following a dec def or weaken ? or does it do more damage following dec def increase crit dmg ???
Thank you for a great website. When I’m in Minotaur I see that he have a buff called Rage. Can’t find it in your list. Do you know what it does?
Rage increases the damage minotaur does by 400%
Used to have a page that tells which champions perform each buff/debuff. Seems you have unlinked it and posted this page instead. Not much use to be honest. Can you bring back the old page that tells what champs do what?
That is still there, it’s on the right-hand side.
I agree with Googenheimer. I was looking for the page that shows buffs/debuffs for each champion, because i was looking for a champion with a specific buff. This page isn’t very usefull.
If Raid created a Reduce Resistance Debuff, that would be nice. Or am I missing this one?
Well, now it’s coming!
THE ” X” debuff ain’t on the list…
When there are 2 champions in a fight with the same debuff ability, how does the system decide which debuff has priority? i.e. If Geomancer puts up HP Burn and then Drexthar hits the same target with his A1 that can place an HP Burn, what are the required conditions for Drexthar’s HP burn to replace Geomancer’s burn?
Hi. As far as I’ve gathered, if the target is already under a debuff, but the attackers debuff would be applied for more turns, it will be replaced. So, say there’s only 1 turn left on geomancers hp burn, drexars hp burn will replace it. If geos is on 2 turns, and drexars would also be for 2 turns, it simply won’t apply the buff. HOWEVER, the game checks if the mastery procs, so if it would, the 3 turn hp burn would replace the 2 turn.
Since geo requires the hp burn to be his for the magic to happen, I would recommend not bringing any other champ that can apply hp burn. Can’t think of any other champ that this would be important for, but if there are, then the same rules would apply.
Hope this helped, and sorry if I’m mistaken on this.
I’d like to respectfully request that this page link to the characters that have that ability. I know that’s a big request, but a logical one. Ty.
If you look in the sidebar there is a buffs and debuffs section – this has pages for every champion for each of them
Mother Cybele is misplaced in the list for Block Damage champions. She is listed in Team Block Damage, but her skill is a Target Block Damage.
Can anyone please explain why my Sicia Flametongue (Force affinity) , fully booked, does NOT land HP Burn on all spiders in the Spiders Den stage 22/25 (magic affinity)? She has 354 Accuracy, and i use her as lead with her acc aura thats 404 accuracy. I know a weak hit doesnt land a debuff, but weak hits cant happen against weak affinity right?
Messaged Plarium few times all they said was send some proof/ pics and we will get into it
It could be the 3% fail chance that (almost) every debuff cast have. But if its loads more often than 3%, there’s something wrong…
Well of course they said send some proof, they have to know what they are looking at, to be able to figure out where, if anything is possibly not functioning correctly. You have to take into account how many people, presumably, message them on a daily basis saying something isnt working and 9.9 times outta 10 it is working fine, just lack of knowledge or understanding.
None the less, i agree with StygN, its probably the default 3% fail chance, (which is prolly more than 3% with the way they do calculations.).
It’s a bug thing with Sicia. Because the spider spawns 2 spiderlings every time one of your champs gets a turn. it doesn’t count the fact that there are 10 spiderlings on the field. Even if she were to place HP Burn on all spiderlings and the main boss spider, she doesn’t get an extra turn because the mechanic still tries to spawn two new spiders. Broken
IDK where to postr this on, but you NEED to upgrade Elhains masteries. SHE DOES NOT NEED ACCURACY FOR HER ABILITIES, pls change her “standard” masterie build, it sucks!
[…] Buffs and Debuffs […]
Need the emblems on the hydra head buffs and debuffs. The words are great, but I have no idea what those things look like because they are new. Come on