Burning

Burning refers to any fire damage over time effect. Burning damage is a synonym for fire damage over time; all burning damage is fire damage over time, and vice versa.

Mechanics

There are several sources of burning, for example:

• Ignite
• Burning Ground (Fire Trap, Flame Dash, etc.)
• Righteous Fire
• Searing Bond
• Scorching Ray
• Herald of Ash

Different sources of burning damage stack cumulatively, but multiple applications from the same source do not. For example, two Spell Totem Support linked with Righteous Fire will not double the burn damage, however a Spell Totem Support linked with Righteous Fire together with a Searing Bond totem will stack with each other. Stacking rules for buffs, debuffs or other effects are defined in terms of that specific buff, debuff or effect interacting with other applications of the same effect, not with other ones that are similar.

All burning effects will remain present on the target until they have run their course, but for each source, only the one with the highest damage per second will cause damage at any given moment. Humanoids, Monkeys and Snakes will flee while burning.

As a damage over time effect, burning damage itself is not a hit and cannot benefit from effects that require a hit, such as Fire Penetration Support (but not reduced elemental resistances), added damage, leech, and so forth.

Burning damage can be increased by the Burning Damage Support support gem, the Despair curse, and the following types of modifiers:

• Damage
• Damage over Time
• Elemental Damage
• Fire Damage
• Burning Damage

It is important to note that Burning and Ignite are not directly synonymous. Ignite is an elemental ailment which deals fire damage over time and is applied from hits with fire damage. All fire DoT effects are burning damage, but not all of them are ignite. This is a key point when considering buffs and supports such as Elemental Focus Support, which prohibits any elemental status ailment with the linked skill. However since burning damage itself is not an ailment, this support can be used to increase the damage of burning damage for skills that deal burns without igniting, such as Scorching Ray, Righteous Fire, and Searing Bond.