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Unstable Magic Abilities

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Unstable Magic Abilities are a set of standardized NPC skills and effects originally introduced with the Bounty system in the Path of Fire expansion and later expanded to a number of high-ranking NPC enemies in subsequent expansions and content releases. Many of these abilities have unique mechanics requiring players to perform specific actions in order to avoid damage or be able to inflict it. Depending on the rank, the NPCs may randomly possess two or three Unstable Magic Abilities, one from each category.

List of abilities[edit]

Champion rank NPCs gain one defensive and one offensive Unstable Magic Ability, each randomly selected from the lists below. The first category of skills makes a Champion either gain additional health or make it harder for players to inflict damage. Abilities of the second type are designed to damage player characters unless they actively react to it. Champions never have two abilities from the same list, they always have one defensive ability and one offensive ability.

Defensive Effect Description
Exploiter.png Exploiter Attack from close up to identify weak point.
Phase-Shifted (bounty).png Phase-Shifted Avoids attacks from outside the designated area.
Propagator.png Propagator Plants a tendril that applies protection to allies.
Restorer.png Restorer Generates a curative cloud to repair damage.
Signaler.png Signaler Blinds players who ignore stop or go signals.
Survivor (effect).png Survivor Periodically blocks the next several attacks.
Offensive Effect Description
Ley-Energy Buildup.png Ley-Energy Buildup Find ley-energy orbs to discharge damaging buildup.
Polluter.png Polluter Drops expanding poison fields.
Scorcher.png Scorcher Drops fire fields that damage and burn foes.
Sniper.png Sniper Targets foes, then fires a powerful shot.
Spinning Laser.png Spinning Laser Creates spinning lasers that damage foes.

Legendary rank enemies also gain an additional third Unstable Magic Ability from the following list:

Effect Description
Captor.png Captor Traps players in difficult-to-escape snares.
Flash Freeze (effect).png Flash Freeze Time jumps to avoid chilling pulses.
Frightener.png Frightener Surrounds itself with a fear-inducing field.
Hammerer.png Hammerer Knocks down foes with hammer strikes.
Petrifier (bounty).png Petrifier Locks eyes to turn foes to stone.

Countering the abilities[edit]

Breaking the defiance bar of the enemy NPC is encouraged as it causes the Lockout.png Lockout effect that disables all Unstable Magic Abilities for a short period of time.

Effect Strategy for countering
Exploiter.png Exploiter Touching the bubble surrounding the bounty will grant the Identified Weak Point.png Identified Weak Point for 20 seconds during which the bounty can be damaged.
Ley-Energy Buildup.png Ley-Energy Buildup Standing in a Ley-Energy orb area of effect will grant the Resistor.png Resistor until the orb disappears. Note that if a player stands on multiple fields at once and one of the fields disappear, the player will lose the effect and will have to re-enter the AoE.
Phase-Shifted (bounty).png Phase-Shifted Standing in the designated blue areas will allow to damage the bounty. The area will change between melee and ranged distances. Any damage done from the outside of this field will be blocked.
Polluter.png Polluter Dangerous fields of poison start to appear and expand around the area applying Torment.png Torment and Poisoned.png Poisoned conditions to anyone standing on them. Can be simply avoided by not standing in them.
Propagator.png Propagator Protection Tendrils appear near the bounty. Can be ignored or easily taken down by damaging them.
Restorer.png Restorer Summons Elite Healing Coalescences or Champion Healing Coalescences periodically. Can be either ignored or killed.
Scorcher.png Scorcher Avoiding the fields is encouraged.
Signaler.png Signaler When the bounty has a Red Light.png Red Light next to it, players must not move in order to damage the bounty. During the Green Light (bounty).png Green Light players must be always moving while causing damage. Not following these rules causes Persistently Blinded.png Persistently Blinded causing all attacks to the bounty to miss.
Sniper.png Sniper Players should avoid touching the glowing orb. Touching it will give you Target.png Target effect and make the player vulnerable for a powerful shot. If you do have the effect, breaking line of sight with the NPC will remove it.
Spinning Laser.png Spinning Laser Laser bars that spin around appear near the bounty causing heavy damage to anyone who touches them. Avoiding them is the best option.
Survivor (effect).png Survivor Doing damage during this time is automatically blocked. Waiting for this to end is encouraged.
Captor.png Captor Small AoE fields start appearing near the bounty locking players within them. Player cannot run out of the field, but can simply evade or use other means to escape the field.
Flash Freeze (effect).png Flash Freeze Jumping during the wave to avoid the momentary freeze.
Frightener.png Frightener Damaging the bounty should not be affected.
Hammerer.png Hammerer Three rotating hammers will start to circle the bounty increasing and decreasing the distance from it. Avoid touching the hammers since they cause knockdown.
Petrifier (bounty).png Petrifier Facing the opposite way of the bounty whenever the petrification sign appears above the bounty should be enough to prevent petrification.

Historical abilities[edit]

One ability has been disabled.

Effect Description
Rampager (effect).png Rampager Increases damage when enraged by summoned chak.