Death Penalty
Death Penalty
You have been weakened by death.
- Concise description
Definition
Death Penalty (DP) is an effect that decreases a character's maximum health and energy by 1-60%. It is acquired by dying and can be reduced by gaining experience in PvE and killing enemies in PvP, countered by Morale Boosts, or removed by consumables.
In Hard mode, Resurrection Shrines 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%. 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 towns during Special events.
- 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 Boulders.
- 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 Battles, 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 resigns, 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
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 can use Reversal of Death to remove 5% Death Penalty from another party member.
Consumables
These consumables will remove Death Penalty from the user:
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, minions, spirits, or pets (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[1] of April 2004. This may have been an earlier version of the current red Death Penalty icon.