Once Human: Status Damage vs Elemental Damage, explained

Status Damage and Elemental Damage in Once Human are multipliers that buff certain keyword effects' damage output, including Frost Vortex, Power Surge, Burn, and Unstable Bomber. Builds that rely on these effects primarily scale with Status and Elemental Damage rather than Critical or Weapon Damage multipliers. However, many players wonder how these multipliers affect overall damage output and whether they function the same.

This guide covers everything you need to know about Status Damage and Elemental Damage in Once Human, including which one to prioritize when farming mods.

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Difference between Status DMG and Elemental DMG in Once Human

Both Status and Elemental Damage multipliers are applied to a percentage of your total Psi Intensity (Image via Starry Studio)

Status Damage and Elemental Damage in Once Human are two separate multipliers that scale based on your Psi Intensity rather than Weapon Damage. Psi Intensity is acquired through your armor stats, which can be enhanced by calibrating them to the max level and increasing their stars.

For example, the damage from a Power Surge proc is equivalent to 50% of your Psi Intensity. This base damage is then increased by multipliers, such as Status Damage and Elemental Damage (in this case, Shock Elemental Damage).

Using this example, if your Psi Intensity is 800, a Power Surge proc should deal 400 damage (50% of 800) before applying any multipliers or factoring in enemy resistances. Now, if your Status Damage is 20% and Shock Elemental Damage is 6%, the total damage from a Power Surge proc would be calculated as follows:

• 400 x (1 + 20/100) x (1 + 6/100) = 508.8

That said, there are additional multipliers based on your mod affixes and stats that can boost your damage even more. However, for simplicity's sake, only Status and Elemental Damage bonuses are considered in this example.

In summary, both Status Damage and Elemental Damage in Once Human are multiplicative multipliers that boost your keyword effect's damage. The main difference lies in how you acquire these bonuses: Status Damage is primarily obtained through mod affixes and Cradle Override perks, while Elemental Damage comes from mods with Talent affixes and armor set bonuses.

Additionally, these multipliers work the same way for both Instant Damage effects, such as Power Surge and Unstable Bomber, as well as Continuous Damage or Damage-over-Time effects, like Burn and Frost Vortex.

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Which multiplier to prioritize in Once Human: Status Damage or Elemental Damage?

The ideal mods have high rolls for both Status and Elemental Damage multipliers rather than just one of them (Image via Starry Studio)

Since both Status and Elemental Damage multipliers in Once Human are multiplicative, they function identically and will have a minimal difference on your overall damage output when choosing one over the other. For example, if you have to choose between mods with an equal amount of Status Damage or Elemental Damage, the difference in your total damage output is negligible.

However, any multiplicative bonus experiences diminishing returns. So, in a scenario where you already have 200 Status Damage and 50 Elemental Damage, an additional 5% Elemental Damage would increase your DPS significantly more than 5% Status Damage. That said, such a situation is highly unlikely, and in most cases, the choice between the two doesn't matter at all.

Lastly, this only matters when choosing the best mod from limited options in the early game. Ideally, the optimal mods you farm for will have both Elemental Damage and the Talent affix with Status Damage multipliers.

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Check out our other guides on this game:

• All Gold Mods in Once Human, and where to get them
• 5 beginner tips for Once Human
• Once Human Mobile release date
• Once Human Dayton hospital crate locations and puzzle