Knockdown results in a creature or person being knocked to the ground and temporarily vulnerable.
It can be caused by physical attacks, spells, or explosions. Once downed, a creature cannot attack for a short period, may be more susceptible to damage, and will often leave weak spots such as the head exposed.
Ability and resistance to being knocked down is measured by the stats Knockdown Power and Knockdown Resistance.
Overview[]
A character or creature's Knockdown Threshold is an innate value that, when reached, results in being knocked down. Attacking will inflict Knockdown Damage, once cumulative knockdown damage exceeds the threshold knockdown will occur.
Knockdown Damage is dependent on the attack or spell used. In the case of allied attacks it is multiplied by the Knockdown Power of the weapon used. Strength (or Magick) has no direct effect on Knockdown Damage, but better weapons (and stronger skills) will generally be better able to knockdown.
Attacks must do damage to add or cause knockdown - attacks too weak to cause damage add zero knockdown. Additionally some skills only Stagger and do not cumulate knockdown.
Knockdown has different effects on different creatures, causing them to fall in different ways. The end result is the same - they are unable to attack for a shortwhile.
Knocked down foes do not necessarily take more damage (eg Cyclopes, Hobgoblins, Golems), but when they do, damage is often doubled (eg Chimeras, Dragon's hearts). Smaller creatures, once knocked down, can be grappled which does greatly increase damage.
Knockdown Power[]
Pawn with Gryphic Victory. The Knockdown Power values show in the Status menu are those of the longsword (291) for the primary weapon, and unarmed (100) for the secondary.
The Knockdown Power of a weapon indicates effectiveness of a Weapon at causing knockdown. It can be consider a (percentage) multiplier.
Knockdown power can be increased further by equipping certain Jewelry and particular Augments, and as a special effect of some Armor. For Unarmed Combat the base knockdown power is 100.
The knockdown damage inflicted with an attack uses a spell or skill's core knockdown damage and multiplies it with the knockdown power of the weapon used.
Arisen and Allies[]
Knockdown Resistance (a percentage) reduces the incoming knockdown accumulation. It works identically to Elemental Resistances in that it represents the percentage of Knockdown damage from enemy attacks this is absorbed and resisted. Accumulated knockdown damage will also decay over a short period of time.
Knockdown Resistance comes primarily from Armor, with little from clothing, and none from weapons. It is not thought that Character Weight or Encumbrance has an effect.
Additionally the innate resistance of the Warrior class to knockdown is much higher than other classes
Foes[]
All foes have a Knockdown Threshold - when this is reached it results in the foe being knocked down. Continued, cumulative attacks will eventually inflict enough knockdown damage to reach the threshold.
Enemy body parts also have different knockdown vulnerabilities. Generally hitting weakpoints (eg Drake's heart or Eliminator's head) adds more knockdown than hitting other body parts.
The amount of knockdown damage an attack will deal to an enemy is also modified by the enemy's stance. Unaware foes have a huge modifier to knockdown damage, often easily knocked down on a first strike. Other stances, such as when an Eliminator charges, also provide a lesser but significant bonus modifier.
Knockdown damage inflicted on an enemy, unlike that of the party, decays very slowly to a point that it makes little, if any, practical effect on combat.
Enemy Knockdown Resistance for Large Enemies, is doubled at the start of every engagement. Inflicting Knockdown will reduce its knockdown resistance to its true value for the rest of the engagement.(verify)
Knockdown, Knockback...[]
Different creatures are affected in different ways by knockdown.
Smaller creatures will also be affected by the type of attack used - there are three main states - "knockup", "knockback", "knock down" and "collapse" - both result in the creature being knocked down.
- Knockup is often caused by explosions, it may also inflict Fall Damage.
- Knockback is caused by strong horizontal attacks (eg Deathly Arrow, Ingle, or Perfect Block).
- Knockdown is the result of downward attacks, eg Indomitable Lash, Downthrust, that literally knock the target into the ground.
- Collapse is when a creature collapses in place to the ground as if from exhaustion - this is caused by the attack Spiderbite, Lyncean Sight as well as Thundershock or Levin.
Large creatures are knocked down in different ways, independent of the incoming attack. A knocked down Dragons or Chimera may end on its side, whilst other enemies, like Golem or Cyclops fall in different positions depending on the body part the knock down damage was applied to.
"Unstoppability" and "Instability"[]
Unstoppability[]
A few skills and spells can be used to temporarily bestow the "unstoppable" bonus. These greatly increase knockdown resistance, generally making the beneficiary immune to most attacks, at least of normal size creatures.
- Magick Archer's Bracer Arrow and Great Bracer Arrow.
- Mage's Spellscreen and High Spellscreen, or the equivalent cast with Jewel of Antilight.
- Fighter's Stone Will and Steel Will.
- Warrior's innate bonus. Whenever a warrior is in the middle of an attack, he receives this bonus.
However knockdown from attacks of giant creatures and some other attacks may not (or never) be prevented - these include :
- Cyclops' club blows
- Any Dragons physical attacks
- Foe's Antler Toss and Takedown.
Additionally grab attacks are not mitigated by knockdown resistance at all, neither are wind buffet effects. The lifting effect of Maelstrom can be prevented by high enough Magick Defense (or Dark resistance) not knockdown resist.
Instability[]
Some creatures are far easier to knockdown when in certain states; several of these are part of Pawn Bestiary knowledge, but not all.
States that easily result in knockdown include :
- Attacks on a Dragon's heart, especially when flying
- Ogre's when chasing or running
- Eliminator's charge
- Saurian's when charging forward
- Sneak attacks. Most of all creatures when out of battle stance. For example with Death the effective multiplier appears to be around ten times. Similar effects are seen on other usually knockdown resistant foes like Undead.
Additionally head shots on goblins seem to give far greater knocback than the difference in damage, and they may not be knocked back at all when shot to the body. Some skills such as multi-arrow attacks like Fivefold Flurry or Heptad Shot have little or no knockdown power (but plenty of stagger) - they will however knockdown creatures when in a vulnerable state.
There are similar states when creatures are vulnerbale to stagger such as attacks on a Dragon's arm when it is possessing a pawn.
Equipment and Skills[]
The knockdown power of an allied attack comes primarily from the Skill or Spell itself, which is multiplied by the weapon used. Knockdown resistance comes primarily from Armor. Both can be considerably increased by Augments and Jewelry
Weapon knockdown power can reach over 500 for the larger heavier weapons such as Warhammers and Shields when Dragonforged, which means five times as effective as the weakest weapons.
Equipment[]
| Item | Knockdown Power |
|---|---|
| Tormentor's Mask | +50 |
| Persecutor's Mask | +50 |
| Barbed Nails | +100 * |
| Virtuoso Ring | +11 to +20 |
| Preceptor Ring | +21 to +30 |
| Master Ring | +31 to +40 |
| Item | Knockdown Resistance |
| Ogre Bone | 16% * |
| Stonewall Earring | 15% * (at heavy Encumbrance) |
| * Also boosts stagger | |
In general, the 'heavier' the armor the better the knockdown resistance - with Very Heavy Armor Sets, and Heavy Armor Sets having the best resistances, and the Hellfire Armor Set the best of all. A gold rarified Set of Duke's Clothing has 96% knockdown resistance.
- For weapons knockdown power increases with enhancing.
- For armor and clothing knockdown resistance increases with enhancing only for leg armor.
- For weapons, armor and clothing, knockdown resistance or power is generally very similar to the same item's stagger resistance or power.
- Clothing and cloak resistances are generally small or zero.
Augments[]
A number of Augments improve knockdown resistance or ability.
| Augment | Description | Unlocked by Vocation |
|---|---|---|
| Impact | Improves your ability to knock down opponents | Warrior |
| Emphasis | Augments the power of magick attacks designed to knock foes down | Sorcerer |
| Audacity | Makes you harder to knock off your feet while charging an attack | Warrior |
| Gravitas | Makes it difficult for foes to knock you off your feet whilst you intone spells | Sorcerer |
| Stability | Prevents the staggering or knockback effect of wind buffets such as from enemy wings, or from Explosive Barrels. | Ranger |
Skills[]
The knockdown damage of every skill and spell is different. Some specific types of attack, both magickal and physical are designed to knockback, or knockdown - because knockdown damage is cumulative, it is worth following up blows if the first strike seemed to have no effect. With multi-hit attacks (such ad a Warrior's jumping heavy attack), only the final hit may knockdown, the others merely Stagger.
An object or spell with an Explosives effect will have good knockdown (eg Blast Arrow, Explosive Barrel, Bolide, the blast from Explosive Rivet). The Lightning based debilitation thundershock often results in knockdown on those it chains to. Dark Critical Hits can also have a high knockdown effect.
Jumping heavy attacks oft have good knockdown - be it Sorcerer's Magick Billow or a Melee user's attack. Perfect Blocks (with Reflect or Deflect core skills) also produce a shockwave that in addition to any other effects, has good knockdown.
- In addition to skills that cause knockdown, one skill Crippling Arrow increases susceptiblity to knockdown. The increase is around +20%, and probably only affects dangerous foes like Death and Drakes.
- Note : only skills with a strong effect or utility listed
| Vocations | Skill or Spell | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Savage Lash / Indomitable Lash / Calamitous Lash | Smaller foes directly struck are likely to be blown into the air by the force of the strike. | |||
| Arc of Might / Arc of Deliverance / Arc of Obliteration | An area of effect shockwave with high stagger - creatures directly hit are likely to be knocked down as well. The third tier skill can knock foes far higher for great Fall Damage | ||||
| Escape Slash / Exodus Slash | Good knockback or stagger effect on the second follow up blow. | ||||
| Spark Slash / Corona Slash / Ecliptic Slash | Thought to be intended to knockdown foes - the effect is relatively weak on all but the smaller foes. | ||||
| Savage Lunge / Indomitable Lunge / Calamitous Lunge | The finisher of this lunge has good knockback, but not the lunge itself. | ||||
| Upward Strike / Whirlwind Slash | Foes to the front are knocked up, and with Whirlwind Slash foes to the rear are knocked down by the follow up. | ||||
| Core Skills | The third strike of the chain of Hack; or the first strike of an aerial Hack; the third strike of Devastate; and the final hit of a jumping heavy attack (un-named) can all knockdown. | ||||
|
Hindsight Slash / Hindsight Sweep / Hindsight Strike | The return blow has good knockdown in a front arc if the evade is successfully performed. | |||
| Legion's Bite / Dragon's Maw | High knockdown power. | ||||
| Flesh Skewer / Soul Skewer / Fate Skewer | The finishing move knocks back violently. | ||||
|
Tusk Toss / Antler Toss | Lifts smaller enemies into the air. | |||
| Downthrust / Downcrack / Downcrush | A powerful damaging attack which often knocks down human sized enemies. No particularly powerful effect. | ||||
| Blink Strike / Burst Strike / Burst Strike | Finishes with lighter foes knocked back. | ||||
| Dire Onslaught | Second hit in the chain is effective at knocking creatures to the ground; the fifth (final) hit can knockback. | ||||
|
Powder Charge / Powder Blast / Powder Barrage | Explosive in effect. The third tier blast can knock foes high enough up for significant Fall Damage | |||
| Spiderbite / Snakebite | Good knockdown power following the attack. | ||||
| Clarity / Clairvoyance | Very good knockdown if perfectly timed. | ||||
|
Toss and Trigger / Advanced Trigger | Effective against smaller foes. | |||
| Biting Wind / Cutting Wind | Smaller foes drop to the ground as if their feet gad been cut from under them | ||||
|
Ensnare / Implicate | Effective knockdown against multiple smaller and medium sized foes. | |||
| Soaring Stone | Lifts up and then knocks down the foe. The lower tier skills Leaping Stone and Stepping Stone do not do this. | ||||
| Sprint / Mad Dash | The optional sliding tackle at the end of the run has good knockdown against human sized foes. | ||||
|
Full Bend / Mighty Bend / Terrible Bend | Knocks back horizontally a single target. | |||
|
Dire Arrow / Deathly Arrow / Reaper's Arrow | Needs to be correctly timed - foes are knocked back a long way. Higher tiers and better timing knock back further. | |||
| Flying Din / Fearful Din | The sonic blast can blow a direcly hit smaller foe high into the air with excellent knockdown, though the primary effect of these skills is flinching. | ||||
| Gamble Draw / Great Gamble | If not killed outright, foes struck are likely to be knocked back. | ||||
|
Comestion and higher variants | Smaller enemies may be blown into the air. | |||
| Frigor and higher variants | Any small or medium foe struck by Frigor's spire of ice will be lifted off their feet into the air. Larger foes can also be knocked down. | ||||
| Levin and higher variants | Directly struck foes will tend to be either knocked down, or if large, stunned. | ||||
| Ingle based spells | A direct hit may knockback. | ||||
|
Seism and higher versions | A powerful holy spell with damage and knockdown in a wide radius. | |||
| Maelstrom and higher versions | Lifts up and so knocks down any drawn into its vortex. | ||||
| Necromancy and higher versions | In addition to the knockdown from any dark critical, the ghostly skulls may attach to and lift up and rop lighter foes such as bandits. | ||||
|
Magickal Flare / Magickal Gleam / Magickal Radiance | High knockdown against undead | |||
| Explosive Bolt and higher versions | The explosion of the arrows when struck has high knockdown. | ||||
| Other spells | Sixfold Bolt, Scension, and Sunflare based spells also may finish with the foe being knocked down. | ||||
|
Sky Dance / Sky Rapture | Medium knockdown, smaller foes are lifted into the air by the initial strike | |||
| Stone Grove / Stone Forest / Stone Jungle | A fire based spell with some physical damage - good knockdown - similar to Seism but a smaller area, faster to cast, and a different element. | ||||
| Perilous Sigil / Ruinous Sigil | Smaller foes are blown into the air by the magick blast. |
Video[]
Dragon's Dogma - Gorecyclops Hunting the Great White
@ 9min21sec "Let's talk about stagger/knockdown"
Notes[]
- The terms Knockdown Power and Knockdown Resistance are found in stats. The terms Knockdown Threshold and Knockdown Damage are not shown in any menu (see also Stats), and are not used in game. (see also Hidden stat)
- All forms of Fall Damage results in a knockdown, and some attacks that knockdown by lifting the foe into the air may also cause fall damage.
- Almost all creatures can be knocked down, with the exception of Ghosts.
- Stagger is a more common effect than knockdown, on small and medium foes.
- Knock down usually follows Stagger on large foes if enough knockdown damage has been applied.
- Enemy Knockdown Resistance is tripled in Hard Mode.
- When knocked down a Cursed Dragon can be slain with a single Maker's Finger, otherwise the arrow only takes a few bars of health.