Out of all of the passive stats in Diablo 4, Fortify might be the most confusing for players to wrap their heads around. Not only does the tutorial not explain Fortify too well, but there are also some added elements to the stat the game completely leaves out too.
As the dedicated tank of our party, Fortify was one of the stats we had to figure in Diablo 4 to ensure the safety of our damage dealers. Though we neglected the stat in early World Tiers, it eventually turned into a necessity later on.
Fortify in Diablo 4: what it does
Fortify is a shield-like feature in Diablo 4. The Fortify stat adds an additional shield on top of your total health and serves as damage reduction.
The title describes Fortify as the following: “Fortified characters take 10 percent reduced damage. You become Fortified when you have more Fortify than current Life.”
If that sounds confusing, you’re not alone in that. To break it down, you can tell when your character becomes Fortified by looking at your health gauge in the bottom left of your on-screen HUD. You have the big red ball of health that goes down when you take a hit from an enemy. However, there are also two thinner red lines surrounding the health gauge. These two lines represent your current Fortify status. When those two lines are closer to the top of the gauge than your overall health, you are classified as Fortified.
How to gain the Fortified buff in Diablo 4
You can use certain skills and wear specific armor to become Fortified in Diablo 4. When you are Fortified, you take 10 percent less damage.
Necromancers, Druids, and Barbarians all have skills that can make them Fortified, and players can inspect through the Abilities tab in the Characters menu whenever they want.
In addition to giving your character a shield, Fortify also works alongside the Overpower Damage stat in Diablo 4. Overpower Damage is represented by the light blue and orange damage numbers you see when attacking an enemy. Overpower Damage is an extra damage stat that players have a three percent chance to inflict on an enemy.
The higher your Life and Fortify stats are, the more powerful your Overpower Damage will be. You will always have a three percent chance to inflict Overpower Damage, but if you’re Fortified often, then the damage you deal with the stat will be increased.
