gww>Gwido at 19:40, 21 June 2026

2026-06-21T19:40:58Z

New page

{{Effect infobox
| name = Death Penalty
| campaign = Core
| description = You have been weakened by [[death]].
| concise description = You have been weakened by death.}}

==Definition==

[[Death Penalty]] (''DP'') is an effect that decreases a character's maximum [[health]] and [[energy]] by 1-60%. It is acquired by [[death|dying]] and can be reduced by gaining [[experience]] in PvE and killing enemies in PvP, countered by [[Morale Boost]]s, or removed by [[consumable]]s.

In [[Hard mode]], [[Resurrection Shrine]]s will not work if every [[party]] member has 60% Death Penalty; a [[wipe]] will return your team to the last [[town]] or [[outpost]].

== Acquisition ==

* Each time a character dies they suffer a 15% DP in [[post-Searing]] [[PvE]] and many [[PvP]] areas. Consecutive deaths stack, up to a maximum of 60%. [[Animal companion|Pets]] in PvP suffer DP, but not those in PvE.
* The monster skill [[Touch of Dhuum]] inflicts 15% Death Penalty.

=== Exceptions ===
Certain types of death never result in DP:

* Deaths in [[town]]s during [[Special event]]s.
* Non-damage based PvE deaths due to game mechanics, e.g. due to [[Sulfurous Haze]], crushing machines (e.g. in [[Sorrow's Furnace]]), or being hit by [[Boulder]]s.
* Deaths in [[pre-Searing Ascalon]].
* Deaths due to the effects of [[Vengeance]], [[Unyielding Aura (PvP)]], [["By Ural's Hammer!"]], or [[Death Pact Signet]].
* Dying shortly after [[resurrection]] (5 seconds in PvP, 14 in PvE).
* Deaths in these PvP arenas or missions: [[The Crag]], [[Alliance Battle]]s, [[the Jade Quarry]], and [[Fort Aspenwood]].

== Counters ==
Death Penalty can be removed, reduced, or countered in several ways.

=== Gameplay Mechanics ===
Death Penalty is reset
* when the party enters an [[outpost]].
* when the party [[resign]]s, even if the resign doesn't move the party to an outpost.
* between PvP matches.

Death Penalty can be reduced:
* In PvP, killing an enemy player removes 2% DP for each living teammate.
* In PvE, gaining 75 experience will remove 1% DP: killing enemies (bosses give double XP plus a 2% morale boost), completing a vanquish or quest all count.

=== Morale Boosts ===
{{main|Morale Boost}}

Morale boosts will counter the amount of Death Penalty. If the boost amount is greater than the penalty, the difference is added as a Morale Boost.

=== Skills ===
* [[Asuran Scan]] can remove 5% Death Penalty from the caster if its target dies while hexed with the skill.
* During [[The Nightman Cometh]], players in [[Spirit Form (disguise)|Spirit Form]] can use [[Reversal of Death]] to remove 5% Death Penalty from another party member.

=== Consumables ===
These [[consumable]]s will remove Death Penalty from the user:
* 15%: [[Refined Jelly]], [[Shining Blade Rations]], [[Wintergreen Candy Cane]]
* All DP: [[Peppermint Candy Cane]]

These consumables benefit the entire party:
* 5-15%: [[Four-Leaf Clover]] (amount is random and applies to the entire party)
* 15%: [[Oath of Purity]]
* All DP, adds 10% Morale Boost: [[Powerstone of Courage]]

Consumables that provide a Morale Boost can counter Death Penalty as well. If the boost amount is greater than the penalty, the difference is added as a Morale Boost.

== Notes ==
* Although Morale Boosts are countered by Death Penalty, they are not strictly opposites:
** Morale Boosts are capped at +10%, Death Penalty at -60%.
** Gaining experience and certain consumables will remove Death Penalty, but will not provide or increase your Morale Boost.
* Death Penalty does not affect PvE enemies, [[minion]]s, [[spirit]]s, or [[pet]]s (with some exceptions), though pets can accumulate Death Penalty in [[PvP]].

==Trivia==
*During early development of the game, a skull icon would appear when a player had Death Penalty, as mentioned by an alpha tester in the Photics e-zine issue #4<ref>https://photics.com/issues/issue04.pdf</ref> of April 2004. This may have been an earlier version of the current red Death Penalty icon.

== References ==
<references/>

Death Penalty - Revision history

gww>Gwido at 19:40, 21 June 2026