History — Affixes
A piece that drops in a fight may carry one affix: a named effect beside its six attributes, which stay exactly what the catalogue says. The affix shows beside the name on the bag row and on the item card, with what it pays. There are 8 to hunt, each at tier I, II or III.
Where they come from
Boss loot in the overworld, the dungeons and the raids; the overworld rare drop; an Ultimate relic; a dungeon or raid set piece; the pieces of the Descent. Only a piece minted by a drop can carry one. Shops, the Seasonal Shop, the bench, Masterwork assembly, the Dark Forge, quests, bounties and the Hardcore shop never roll one.
The odds
Every Legendary drop carries one. Any other drop carries one 20% of the time (one in 5). Which of the 8 it is, is an even draw. Every Legendary drop, and a plain drop 20% of the time: those are the dials, and they are the same at every level.
The tiers
The tier follows the level of the piece when it drops: tier I below level 1,000, tier II from 1,000, tier III from 5,000. It is fixed then. Raise and Ascension change the level, never the affix.
| Affix | What it does | Tier I | Tier II | Tier III | Most from all worn pieces |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vampiric | steals life on every hit | +2% lifesteal | +3% lifesteal | +4% lifesteal | 6 |
| Warding | takes less damage from every blow | −3% damage taken | −5% damage taken | −8% damage taken | 15 |
| Rending | ignores part of the enemy’s defence | ignores 3% of enemy defence | ignores 5% of enemy defence | ignores 8% of enemy defence | 15 |
| Fierce | hits harder with Weapon Artes | +3% Weapon Arte damage | +5% Weapon Arte damage | +8% Weapon Arte damage | 15 |
| Fortunate | earns more gold from kills | +3% gold from kills | +5% gold from kills | +8% gold from kills | 15 |
| Hunting | finds more drops | +1% drop chance | +2% drop chance | +3% drop chance | 5 |
| Swift | cools class abilities faster | −3% ability cooldowns | −5% ability cooldowns | −8% ability cooldowns | 15 |
| Keen | builds Tactical Points faster | +3% TP gained | +5% TP gained | +8% TP gained | 25 |
How it pays
The figures fold into the same channels a Stance, a Path or a set line writes, so the stat breakdown’s passives show them with everything else. Several worn pieces with the same affix add up, to the figure in the last column and never past it. The ceilings the game already keeps (the leech ceiling, the cooldown floor, the dodge cap) still apply on top. No affix ever pays an attribute or crit.
Keeping it
Mail attachments and the guild vault carry the affix with the piece; the auction, loadouts and the Hardcore ledger move the piece as it is. Selling or salvaging the piece loses the affix with it. A piece bought from a shop or made at the bench cannot be given one.