Potential Delay to v44.1 Launch
We are currently working through some issues that may affect the release window of v44.1. This means that the update may not release on Monday as it usually does. We are working to resolve the issue holding us up as quickly as possible, but will keep you all updated, especially if the delay results in any changes to the content release schedule.
We are currently working through some issues that may affect the release window of v44.1. This means that the update may not release on Monday as it usually does. We are working to resolve the issue holding us up as quickly as possible, but will keep you all updated, especially if the delay results in any changes to the content release schedule.
Options
What are Passive / Active buffs?
jaylerd
Posts: 113 ★
I've been playing for a while but never understood the difference. With the icon changes in the latest update, now there's a visual difference so I guess I should care?
Can anyone explain exactly what this means? Nobody in my alliance really knows either...
Can anyone explain exactly what this means? Nobody in my alliance really knows either...
0
Comments
Passive abilities are things like "increases your attack", but don't actual trigger a buff on you. Passive abilities can't be nullified and also don't interact as buffs. However they still interact with other champions abilities (for example, your enemy reducing your offensive ability accuracy and prevent you from trigger a passive ability like Punisher Open Wound)
Because active buffs can be affected via nullify, stagger, and fate seal, whereas passive buffs cannot.
The icon changes make it a little more confusing in that it makes me pay attention to something that is both inconsistent and ill-defined. I guess I just gotta live with it - maybe the icon change will help clarify things eventually.
As for coldsnap ... is a debuff
OML's regeneration is a passive: it is designated so in the character description.
I think the difference between a passive and active ability is technical, and doesn't easily map directly to player expectations. Based on what I can tell from experience, I believe the difference is that passive abilities which include buffs and debuffs are not triggered. They just are there. Active abilities have a trigger: they happen when something happens, like a critical hit.
The catch is that sometimes a passive ability is itself placed upon a target by another ability which can make it seem like the passive is "triggered." Passive buffs generally cannot be nullified by opponents. But passive debuffs apparently can be nullified by the entity they reside on or at least removed by some mechanism.
There are always exceptions to every rule in this game, however.
EDIT this is further confused by Crossbones 'passive' ability to bypass defensive ability accuracy with each stack of fury, which does affect debuff immune champs. If it only activates while I have fury, what's the difference between Dr voodoo powerburn and that?
There is a very distinct difference between DV and Vision. DV actually places a power drain debuff on the opponent that drains power over time. Vision’s power burn is just an effect that happens and does not place a debuff. That’s why debuff immune nodes are immune to DV’s power drain and not Vision’s power burn.
Vision's power burn is not a passive ability because it is not an ability. Vision's special attacks have power burn as an effect of the power. I believe the oddities with regard to some power burns and drains working on debuff immune nodes and others not working are not intended and the result of under-the-hood differences in how the abilities were implemented. I suspect that Vision's power burn is a direct effect, and Voodoo's power burn is somehow implemented as an invisible power burning debuff that can't be placed on the debuff immune node. It may have something to do with the mechanics of Voodoo's special two, ability accuracy modifications, and power burn mechanics.
Crossbones is a completely different situation. I do not believe that Crossbones' defensive ability accuracy reduction is an actual debuff. It is more of the case that when Crossbones hits the target, the target's defensive ability accuracy at the moment of the hit acts as if it is lower for any defensive power that might be triggered by that hit. There's no actual debuff "placed" upon the target. In other words, when you have physical resistance that causes the damage you take when the opponent hits you to be lowered. But that doesn't mean you debuffed their damage, it means their damage was reduced as a part of how combat mechanics work. Crossbones' DAA reduction is a similar kind of "on the fly" reduction. Think of it as defensive ability accuracy resistance. Crossbones doesn't actually touch it or modify it. Crossbones simply behaves as if it was lower at that moment.
I'm just going to ignore the new difference in the timers. It's more of a distraction than a help.
Let's review. Power drain from Hawkeye, Civil Warrior, Spark, and others that does a chunk all at the same time, totally fine with that working vs debuff immune. There's no debuff.
Power Drain from Ghost Rider and others that applies a slow drain over time, totally fine with that not affecting debuff immune. There is a debuff.
Why not stick to this definition across the board? Answer: Because it was easier to implement DV powerburn buff as both a buff and debuff, it can be nullified, procs MD, and debuff immune cannot be affected.
An example of a passive fury is She-Hulk's fury effects. These are fury effects, they are triggered by an event (when attacked or attacking) but are not Buffs: they are passives.
On the other hand, when it comes to Abilities there are Passive abilities and Active abilities. Once again, these are not antonyms or opposites; these terms mean two completely different things. A Passive ability is one that is always on: it does not need to be triggered. However, an Active ability is one that actually is on. In other words, Passive abilities are always active, that's what makes them passive. But Abilities that are triggered are sometimes active (on) and sometimes not active (off).
Fundamentally, "Active" and "Passive" are not opposites or antonyms. "Active" refers to when something is on or off, and the opposite of "Active" is "Not Active" or "Off." Passive refers to whether something is triggered or not when it comes to Abilities and whether something is Explicitly Typed as Buff or Debuff when it comes to effects. The opposite of Passive for Abilities is "Triggered When" or descriptions that mean "When X Then." The opposite of Passive for effects is "everything else: Buff or Debuff in particular."