Poison (Dark Souls II)

For other uses, see Poison (disambiguation).

Poison is a negative status effect, damage type and auxiliary effect in Dark Souls II. It can be inflicted by the environment, various weapons, spells, or items. It can also be used as an infusion for weapons. Poison can affect both the player and most enemies.

Poison build-up

The Poison meter

When exposed to Poison, the target's Poison meter gradually fills. The rate at which this fills is dependent on the Poison buildup value of the attacker's weapon, item, or spell, and the target's Poison Resist stat. The Poison meter will gradually reset back to zero naturally, provided additional Poison attacks are not endured.

Once the meter is full, the Poison effect takes hold and drains the target's HP over a period of 20 seconds. This lasts until the Poison is either cured, expired, or death occurs. The total damage dealt to HP if left uncured is approximately 1,080 points.

Toxic is a more potent status effect that functions similarly to Poison, but inflicts greater damage. It is restricted to only a select few sources. Toxic buildup, resistance and curing functions just like Poison, however the total damage dealt to HP is approximately 1,485 points. As the buildup meters are separate, it is possible to be inflicted with both statuses at the same time, resulting in an immense health drain.

Its not possible to increase the total amount of damage Poison inflicts - only the rate at which Poison builds up can be increased. Depending on the source of the Poison, the buildup value can vary greatly.

Offense

Poison attack

The Poison Attack (abbreviated as Poison ATK in-game) governs the rate at which the player's Poison attacks buildup upon a target.

Poison attack bonus

The Poison Attack Bonus (abbreviated as Poison BNS in-game) increases the amount of Poison buildup inflicted per hit. It does not affect the total amount of damage the poison will do. Unlike weapons that have a magical scaling stat, Poison has no equivalent scaling.

The Poison BNS value is determined by the Dexterity and Adaptability stats. In order to continually increase innate Poison BNS, both Dexterity and Adaptability need to be leveled up, with Dexterity giving a larger bonus.

Application of Poison Attack Rating

Poison and toxic apply once the status bar fills up to 100%. Each hit of a weapon applies the same amount of buildup per hit, meaning that multihit attacks are very effective at building status.

The AR you gain for Scaling/Bonus is applied as 40% as the number in the menu.

The handedness preference of a weapon applies to poison and toxic, typically reducing the amount by 10% in the left hand vs the right. The amount of status built up for both Poison and Toxic is equal to [(Base AR + (Scaling *0.4))/5]% and then reduced by (Poison Defense/10)%. Players have 100 additional invisible defenses on all non physical types.

Poison weapons

The following is a list of weapons and shields that bear an innate Poison buildup effect. For information as to how these weapons are effected by Poison infusions, see this section.

Bat Staff (Only Melee) Black Scorpion Stinger Manslayer Moon Butterfly Shield

Mytha's Bent Blade Sanctum Mace (CotSK) Spotted Whip

Boosting Poison build-up

There are two pieces of equipment that can grant a flat bonus to the Poison buildup stat on Poison weapons when worn. The bonus granted from these items can vary depending on what type of Poison weapon is equipped, be it innate Poison, infused Poison or both. Both of these items can be worn together, which would provide double the bonus.

The following numbers are the menu numbers but they are applied as a fifth of that on hit.

Item			Bonus
		Infused	Innate	Both
	Crest of the Rat Ring of the Rat King covenant. Join this covenant and wear this ring to lure trespassers of the Rat King's territory into your world.	25	50	60
	Sanctum Soldier Gauntlet Gauntlets of the sanctum soldiers. Improves effect of poison weapons. These gauntlets are corroded by the poison of the sleeping dragon, making it difficult to discern their original shape.

Inflicting Poison and Toxic build-up

Poison and Toxic buildup can be inflicted in a number of ways. Poison Mist, and Dark Fog are spells that produce a cloud of gas which inflicts constant Poison buildup while Toxic Mist inflicts Toxic, provided the target is in the vicinity.

Most weapons can be given the ability to deal Poison buildup temporarily through the use of Rotten Pine Resin. The amount added follows the Weapon Buff formula. If the weapon has an innate Poison effect, the buildup is stacked and thus more powerful. Applying this buffs result in the weapon taking on a green glow.

The Moon Butterfly Set is unique in that its the only set of armor that inflicts Poison buildup when enemies are close by. The Poison buildup is not constant, rather it emits Poison in waves every few seconds. Each armor piece simply enables the Aura, making multiple pieces deal no difference.

Unlike weapon buffs, the Poison buildup of Poison Throwing Knives does not scale based on the Poison BNS value, instead dealing a flat 40% before resistances. They can be purchased from Lonesome Gavlan for 350 souls each. Poison Arrows deal a flat Poison buildup value of 43% before resistances. They can be purchased from Lonesome Gavlan for 60 souls each.

Spells		Poison Buildup
	Poison Mist A fringe pyromancy of unknown origin. Creates a cloud of poison mist. The spell contradicts the very principles of pyromancy, suggesting that its creator had a heretical streak.	?
	Dark Fog This hex is regarded as a poison due to the outward symptoms, but in fact, the fog eats away at the target's inner essence. Just the traits that led to the prohibition of hexing.	?
	Toxic Mist A fringe pyromancy of unknown origin. Creates a powerful cloud of poison mist. The poison gradually erodes the target's body, inflicting damage all the while. Whoever created this spell did not believe his enemies deserved a swift death.	?
Buffs		Poison Buildup
	Rotten Pine Resin This Rotten Pine Resin has gone poisonous. Applies poison to right-hand weapon. Poisoned foes slowly lose HP over time.	Based on the Weapon
Item		Poison Buildup
	Poison Throwing Knife A throwing knife. Intended to poison the target more than inflict direct damage. This simple weapon is easily utilized, but has limited range and deals little damage.	Static 40%
	Dung Pie A large excrement. Still rather warm. Throw at enemy to cause rapid onset of poison, but you too will be subjected to the same bane.	Static 60% Toxic, Scaling Self-Poison
Ammo		Poison Buildup
	Poison Arrow Arrows imbued with poison. Tipped with Rotten Pine Resin. Poisoned foes slowly lose HP over time.	Static 43%
Armor		Poison Buildup
	Moon Butterfly Hat Hat made from wings of the rare moon butterfly. Poisons those who approach its wearer.	Aura Static 5%
	Moon Butterfly Wings Pinions made from wings of the rare moonlight butterfly. Poisons those who approach its wearer. Also extends jump distance.	Aura Static 5%
	Moon Butterfly Cuffs Cuffs made from wings of the rare moon butterfly. Poisons those who approach its wearer.	Aura Static 5%
	Moon Butterfly Skirt Skirt made from wings of the rare moon butterfly. Poisons those who approach its wearer. Also extends jump distance.	Aura Static 5%

Poison Resist

Poison Resist governs how robust the player is against Poison and Toxic buildup, though the latter is not stated in its tooltip.

Innate Resist

Innate Poison Resist describes the value of the player's Poison resistance when not influenced by any outside factors, such as armor, spells or consumables. Poison Resist can be increased incrementally through leveling both Vitality and Adaptability. Poison Resist will increase steadily until a soft cap of 140 Poison resistance is reached, after which any further increases will be much slower. Innate Poison Resist caps at 200 points, when both stats are at 99.

Poison resist cap

Poison Resist is capped at 890 points. Combined with a hidden stat of 100 points, Poison Resist can reach a maximum of 990 points. Since 1000 points of any magical or elemental defense equals immunity, Poison buildup cannot be completely nullified, with the exception of blocking with a shield.

Armor and shields

Various armor pieces grant varying levels of Poison Resist. The following armor table shows the armor pieces which grant the highest possible Poison Resist, for each body part.

Shields will only block Poison buildup if the player is actively blocking. Merely equipping the shield does not count towards defense. The value on shields is expressed as a percentage, as opposed to points on armor.

Armor Resist Shadow Mask +10 54 Monastery Longshirt +5 112 Monastery Long Gloves +5 52 Monastery Skirt 79 Total 297

Shield Reduction Notes Blossom Kite Shield 90% Provides complete immunity to Poison buildup if infused with Poison Moon Butterfly Shield 90% Provides complete immunity to Poison buildup if infused with Poison Rebel's Greatshield 90% Provides complete immunity to Poison buildup if infused with Poison Rampart Golem Shield (CotIK) 80% - Pate's Shield 75% -

Spells and items

Certain defensive spells can temporarily increase Poison Resist, but they cannot be stacked with each other. Only one will be active at a time. Common Fruit is a consumable item that can be purchased from Rat King for 1600 souls each. They cannot be stacked with any of the defensive spells either. Consuming a Common Fruit will remove the Poison Resist provided by the spell, and apply the Common Fruit resist value.

Spell		Resist
	Iron Flesh A pyromancy that internalizes the power of flame. Turns the body into iron, increasing defense and resistance. As one might guess, the rock-solid flesh enabled by this spell dramatically slows movement. Guaranteed to cause trouble if used at an inopportune moment.	200
	Perseverance Enwreathes its caster with a pure veil. Grants temporary resistance to status effects. Lindelt ascetics are sent to distant lands for proselytizing and self-training, but many of them decide not to return.	150
Item		Resist
	Common Fruit A spotted fruit. Temporarily boosts poison resist. This common fruit has no taste, but when facing a true test of mettle, its benefits could make the difference between life and death.	200

Rings

Only two rings provide Poison Resist. Both can be worn together, granting a maximum of 320 Poison Resist, at the highest item level. Like all other rings, duplicate rings cannot be worn simultaneously.

Ring		Resist
	Poisonbite Ring One of several "bite" rings, known for their peculiar design. Increases poison resistance. The similar, oddly disturbing design of these rings suggests a common source. Whoever the master craftsman was, he clearly knew his trade.	150/300
	Ring of Resistance A protective ring adorned with four blessed gems. Increases resistance to poison, bleeding, weapon breakage and curses.	120/200

Other

Yorgh's Spear is unique in that it provides an additional 200 points of resistance to Poison buildup when wielded. One can be wielded in each hand to provide twice the resistance.

Weapon		Resist
	Yorgh's Spear Spear wielded by Sir Yorgh during his invasion of the Sanctum City. After his defeat of the Sunken King, Sir Yorgh pierced Sinh, the sleeping dragon, with this spear to claim its blood.	200

Prevention and cure

If the Poison meter is filled, its effects will begin to take hold and HP starts to drain at a steady rate. To prevent the Poison status effect from triggering, the Poison meter can be set back to zero using a number of methods, such as using certain consumable items or resting at a bonfire. This can be useful in "life-or-death" situations, when the onset of the Poison status is imminent.

Alternatively, if the Poison status does trigger, it is possible to completely cure its effects with the same methods listed below. Some consumable items have other additional benefits, such as restoring HP.

Item		Additional Effects
	Poison Moss A faintly poisonous clump of moss. When ingested, it counteracts poison and cleanses one's insides. If enough poison builds up in the body to break out and cause poisoning, your HP will start to decrease.	None
	Monastery Charm A blessed charm. Cures poison and restores HP. Many such charms were blessed in reconstructed ancient ceremonies, carried out in the monastery of Lindelt, now known as the new home of miracles.	Restores 850 HP
	Dragon Charm A blessed charm. Cures poison and greatly restores HP. A rare, ancient charm that is said to be endowed with the power of dragons. It is not clear whether it is a man-made creation, or of some other nature.	Restores 1,500 HP
	Divine Blessing Holy water endowed with a divine blessing. Cures status effects and fully restores HP. Water blessed by an ancient goddess. Her name is long forgotten, and the Magic Academy of Melfia denies even her existence.	Fully restores HP Cures all status effects. Removes Profound Still effect
	Caressing Prayer An elementary miracle for clerics. Purifies the body, removing all poison. Affects both the caster and nearby allies. This spell was recently developed, and may not be an authentic miracle.	Cures poison on nearby allies.

Infusion

A Poison Stone

Steady Hand McDuff can infuse most weapons with Poison through the use of a Poison Stone. Once a weapon is infused, the Poison icon () will be displayed next to its image in the HUD.

• Uninfused weapons imbued with Poison gain a fixed Poison buildup value (which does not scale with the Poison Attack Bonus), but the base physical damage is lowered.
• Weapons with innate Poison buildup gain an additional increase to Poison buildup, but the base physical damage is lowered.
• Shields gain additional Poison resistance while lowering other resistances.

Enemies

The following is a breakdown of enemy and boss information relating to Poison buildup and immunity.

Enemies who inflict Poison

Enemy Attack Type Dog Rat Melee attacks (toxic) Goblin Melee attacks Great Moth Poisonous mist Undead Supplicant Scratch Manikin Poison knives and arrows Poison Horn Beetle Poisonous mist Poison Statue Cluster Poisonous projectile Poison Giant Toxic projectile Sanctum Priestess Poisonous fog upon death Sanctum Soldier Poisonous aura, melee attacks Suspicious Shadow Melee and projectile attacks Rogue Archers Poisonous arrows

Boss Attack Type Royal Rat Authority Acid vomit Royal Rat Vanguard Melee attacks Scorpioness Najka Stinger grab Sinh, the Slumbering Dragon Toxic breath, lingering toxic fog Environmental Locations Poison chests Random Poison containers Harvest Valley, Earthen Peak Poison shooting statues The Gutter, Black Gulch Poison pools and mists Harvest Valley, Earthen Peak Poison dart masks Drangleic Castle

Enemies immune to Poison

Enemies Coal Tar Grave Warden Imperious Knight Looking Glass Phantom Manikin Mounted Overseer Old Knight Poison Horn Beetle Razorback Nightcrawler Sanctum Soldier Skeleton

Bosses Fume Knight Mytha, the Baneful Queen Royal Rat Authority Sir Alonne Sinh, the Slumbering Dragon Skeleton Lords Vendrick

Calculator

Datasheet that can calculate bleed buildup on each attack https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/13Ba-cbzZG_EMnkuO_8MO53sidBna1hsztrCa_7LQ63E/edit?usp=sharing