Barrier

Barrier health is the yellow section of the health orb.

Barrier is a combat mechanic that provides a temporary health buffer, absorbing damage before it affects a character’s actual health. Barrier disappears 5 seconds after being applied. If a new barrier is applied while one is already active, their values stack, but the original barrier will still expire 5 seconds after its initial application. The amount of barrier generated is based on the caster's healing power attribute, and is capped at 50% of the recipient's maximum health.

Similar to healing, the barrier total a skill applies can be calculated using the following formula, where Coefficient and Base Value are parameters of the skill:

(Coefficient * Healing Power) + Base Value

It is not affected by outgoing healing modifiers.

In the user interface, barrier appears as a yellow section in the upper part of the health orb. Damage dealt to an enemy's barrier appears as yellow floating damage numbers, while the barrier applied to allies appears as light-blue "healing" numbers. Barrier will not reduce fall damage. This mechanic was first introduced in the Path of Fire expansion.

Related skills

Weapon skills that grant barrier

•   Zealot's Embrace — Hammer
•   Blossoming Aura — Scepter
•   Motivating Whirl — Scepter
•   Otherworldly Attraction — Scepter
•   Pommel Bash — Mace
•   Call of Valor — Warhorn
•   Bladestorm — Dagger
•   Essence of Animated Sand — Short bow
•   Shock Shield — Hammer
•   Energizing Slam — Mace
•   Thistleguard — Mace
•   Overbearing Smash — Hammer
•   Wild Swing — Hammer
•   Double Bolt — Scepter
•   Endless Night — Scepter
•   Shadow Bolt — Scepter
•   Shadow Sap — Scepter
•   Triple Bolt — Scepter
•   Triple Threat — Scepter
•   Twilight Combo — Scepter
•   Boulder Blast — Pistol, when attuned to earth
•   Rock Barrier — Scepter, when attuned to earth
•   Harden — Spear, when attuned to earth
•   Echoing Erosion — Pistol, when attuned to water and earth
•   Lava Skin — Sword, when attuned to fire and earth
•   Molten Burst — Trident, when attuned to fire and earth
•   Immutable Stone — Hammer, when attuned to earth
•   Singularity Shot — Rifle

Bundle skills that grant barrier

•   Magnetic Shield — Magnetic Shield (bundle)
•   Stone Sheath — Magnetic Shield (bundle)

Transform skills that grant barrier

•   Dawn's Repose — Enter Shadow Shroud
•   Dawn's Repose — Enter Shadow Shroud

Healing skills that grant barrier

•   Breakrazor's Bastion — Legendary Renegade Stance
•   Sand Flare — Punishment

Utility skills that grant barrier

•   Banner of Defense — Banner
•   Imminent Threat — Meditation
•   Bulwark Gyro — Well
•   Hard Light Arena — Exceed
•   Barrier Signet — Signet
•   "Protect Me!" — Command
•   Armor of Earth — Cantrip
•   Stone Resonance — Stance
•   Fortified Earth — Augment
•   Sand Swell — Punishment
•   Serpent Siphon — Punishment

Profession mechanic skills that grant barrier

•   Barrier Burst — Tool belt, Mech Command
•   Enter Shadow Shroud
•   Siphon — Steal
•   Desert Shroud — Shade, Shroud
•   Sand Cascade — Shade

Mount Engage skills that grant barrier

•   Pounce upgraded with Bolster Allies

Bundle skills that deals bonus damage while having barrier

•   Crippling Shield — Magnetic Shield (bundle)

Related traits

Traits that grant barrier

• Resilient Spirit (Salvation) — Periodically gain barrier for each unique boon you have.
• Last Stand (Defense) — Stances grant vigor and barrier when activated, and they have increased duration.
• Unshakable Mountain (Bladesworn) — Using the final round of ammo on an ammunition skill grants barrier.
• Blast Shield (Explosives) — Explosive Entrance grants barrier. Gain vitality based on a percentage of your power.
• Ex Machina (Scrapper) — Function gyro has additional charges, no longer has a recharge penalty, and grants barrier to nearby allies.
• Impact Savant (Scrapper) — A percentage of the strike damage you deal is converted into barrier.
• System Shocker (Scrapper) — Disabling a foe grants barrier to nearby allies. Your function gyro dazes foes when cast. Disables include stun, daze, knockback, pull, knockdown, sink, float, launch, taunt, and fear.
• Crystal Configuration: Eclipse (Holosmith) — Corona Burst grants a barrier for each target struck.
• Mech Core: Barrier Engine (Mechanist) — Unlocks the Mech Command skill Barrier Burst. While in combat, your mech will automatically grant a small barrier each interval to nearby allies. The mech does not count against the target count for this trait.
• Allies' Aid (Nature Magic) — Cast "Search and Rescue!" when you begin reviving an ally. Moa pets grant barrier to nearby allies with their Beast skill.
• Nature's Shield (Untamed) — Cantrips grant barrier to you and your pet.
• Shielding Restoration (Shadow Arts) — Grant barrier to nearby allies when you use a healing skill.
• Panaku's Ambition (Specter) — Gain barrier when you strike foes with a stealth attack. When you apply stealth to allies you also grant them barrier. This effect can only be received once and will reset when stealth is removed.
• Earthen Blast (Earth) — Gain barrier and cripple nearby foes when attuning to earth. Also triggers on overload skills. Barrier will not be gained when attuning to the same element.
• Elemental Refreshment (Weaver) — Grant barrier to yourself when using Dual Attack skills.
• Invigorating Strikes (Weaver) — Gain vigor when using a Dual Attack. Dodge rolling grants a barrier.
• Blood Bank (Blood Magic) — Gaining health grants a proportionate amount of barrier. Conversion amount increases while at full health.
• Desert Empowerment (Scourge) — Manifest Sand Shade grants a barrier to allies near it. When you apply barrier, grant boons to the affected target. This effect only occurs with barrier from scourge skills and traits.
• Feed from Corruption (Scourge) — When you remove or corrupt a boon from an enemy, gain barrier.

Trait skills that grant barrier

•   Call of the Dwarf (Song of the Mists) — Strike enemies around you, inflicting weakness, gaining barrier, and gaining additional barrier per target hit.
•   Saint's Shield (Saint of zu Heltzer) — Drop from above, granting barrier and healing to allies in the affected area.
•   Lesser Stone Resonance (Bolstered Elements) — Stance. Enter an earthen state, gaining barrier periodically over the course of the stance.
•   Sandstorm Shroud (Herald of Sorrow) — Shade. Enter the final shroud, pulsing barrier to allies around yourself and priming the shroud for a powerful detonation that damages enemies and bolsters allies. Targets can only be affected by this skill once per activation.

Traits that improve barrier

• Mech Frame: Channeling Conduits (Mechanist) — Unlocks the Mech Command skill Crisis Zone. When you or your mech apply barrier, also grant a boon to the affected target. Your mech gains a greater percentage of your concentration and healing power stats.
• Dark Sentry (Specter) — Apply Rot Wallow Venom to allies you grant barrier to. Outgoing healing to allies is increased. Rot Wallow Venom effect cannot apply to yourself.
• Abrasive Grit (Scourge) — Granting an ally a barrier removes conditions afflicting them and grants might. This effect only occurs with barrier from scourge skills and traits.
• Desert Empowerment (Scourge) — Manifest Sand Shade grants a barrier to allies near it. When you apply barrier, grant boons to the affected target. This effect only occurs with barrier from scourge skills and traits.

Related equipment

Relics that grant barrier

• Relic of the Flock — Heal yourself and nearby allies after you use a healing skill. Excess healing is converted to barrier.
• Relic of the Founding — Gain barrier when you successfully combo a field with a leap finisher.

Relics that benefit from barrier

• Relic of the Scourge — Upon applying barrier to an ally, gain increased condition duration. When this triggers, refresh the duration of all stacks.

Version history

Patch	Changes
February 11, 2025	Reduced the barrier cap from 50% of maximum health to 25% of maximum health in WvW only.
October 01, 2019	Updated the visual effects of this effect to be less profession specific.
August 28, 2018	Barrier is now displayed in light-blue text when applied. Additionally, granting and receiving barrier is now displayed in the combat log.
December 12, 2017	The application of the barrier effect no longer resets the delay or decay of existing barriers. Barrier no longer decays over time; each application now disappears after 5 seconds, and all skills that grant barrier now give 15% more barrier.
November 07, 2017	The duration before decay begins has been increased from 1 second to 2 seconds. The time for the barrier to decay has been reduced from 4 seconds to 3 seconds.
September 22, 2017	Path of Fire release: Barrier has been added to the game.

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Effects (stacking)