Cold Mastery? Read

[VampireHunterD]

NE1 help explain to me what this actually does pierces enemies cold resistances the other 2 light anf fire show more dmg but i dont think this does so whats the deal ne1 give a good explanation thx in advance.

[buttaz]

alrite man... lemme see if i can give ya good explanation.

4 easy numbers, say u have a 1000 dmg Glacial Spike......

with 100% CM, (lvl 17 if i recall correctly) you'll do 2k to a monster with no resist

[Yaneshi]

But also, it's better than *2 damage (I don't think monsters ever start off at negative resists anyway).

With 100% (yes, level 17) you do twice damage to a monster with natural 0% resist cold.

Or 1.5 times damage if they have natural 50% resist. Since they would only take 0.5 normally that equalls triple damage.

Or 1.25 times the damage against hell meph (75%). Since he would normally take only 0.25 that equates to quintuple damage.

So once you start getting against better monsters with higher resists, cold mastery works better than simply multiplying the spell damage like the other two. Particularly if you get it higher than level 17 for against such monsters. If you can get hell meph's cold resist to -100 (level 32 mastery) then he would take twice the damage your spell says it does, which is 8 times what he would take if you had no mastery at all! The downside is that against your general chaff with 0% natural resists, more than level 17 is wasted.

[Poro]

If you attacks (for example) monster, the damage which you inflicts is based from your overall damage and monster's resistance. (It's analog to a firepower of weapon (for example cannon) and strengh of armor (of tank).)
So yours damage is multiplied by factor, which depends of monster's resistance.
Some notations:
x:= Overall damage (cold)
y:= Your's damage (picked up from an interval listed in a character screen; cold)
r:= "Checked" resistance (cold) [%]
m:= (Base) Monster's resistance (cold) [%]
c:= effect of your's cold mastery and items -% cold resistance (added, negative number)

So if you don't break immunity, than r=m+c if m+c>-100% otherwise m+c= -100% (Monster's resistance is capped at -100% treshold). And x=y*(1-r/100)

Example 1: Your damage is 700, C.M gives you -40% monster's res. and base monster's res. is 30%.
Then r=30%+(-40%)=-10%
So your damage will be increased by 10% (multiplied by 1.1)
x=700*(1-(-10/100))=700*1.1=770

Example 2: Your dam. is 1200, C.M.... - 100%, items ... -15% monster's res., monster's base res. is 10%
Then r=-100%, because -100% +10% -15%= -105%<-100%
x= 1200*(1-(-(100/100)))=1200*2=2400
(dam. is doubled in case of effective monster res. -100%)

Example 3: Monster is immune to cold and you are attacking with FO. Monster will not receive any dam. :D

Also monster can receive another type of dam. (non cold), if you are using for example normal attack.There is one "exeption" to this rule - FM with enchart. If you're using enchart. (Base damage of Ench. is loggicaly enhanced by Mastery, and it's listed in char. screen. And if you're using normal attack weith melee weap. than it's also enhanced by mastery (second time), but if you're using bow/x-bow than it's not applied second time.)

Well some curses (IM, Decr., LR) can break immunity and conviction aura also. But they are breaking with 1/5 effectivness and than, if imunity is broken, are applied masteries(y) and -% res. item(s). - but I'm note sure about this.