Exploring Reflect Damage

So I'm working on a build that maximizes the use of the 100 skill Heavy Armor enchant Reflect Blows. I have 100 Heavy Armor and 600 armor rating and all the perks in Heavy Armor. I also have 100 skill in block with 5/5 and a full set of Dwarven Armor including shield. Level 40 with all level boosts to health. No enchantments.

My goal is to abuse the perk by maximizing Health Regeneration and let the enemies beat themselves to death. My first round of experimental findings so far:

- Damage Reflect enables even if you are blocking
- Damage Reflect does the same amount of damage regardless of your armor/block
- It is not affected by difficulty level.
- Therefore it has the greatest benefit at lower difficulties.

On novice I found that I can stand and outlast a giant's onslaught until he eventually kills himself. I was also able to take out 3-4 Bandit/Bandit Mauraders by standing there until they killed themselves. The bandits, however, would take FOREVER to do so

When switching to Legendary difficulty I could keep pace with a giant if I blocked and used Novice Healing but the damage reflected was so little and at only 10% it hardly made any difference.

I want to test it on some more powerful enemies, dragons, and such and get some more data. With enough armor the weak enemies can't make a dent, and it will be even moreso once I enchant with Health Regen. The stronger enemies will chip away at their own life, albeit slowly.

Now, to confirm...Damage Reflect Perk activation chance is not affected in any way, correct? Even with a Fortify Restoration potion taken prior to taking the perk, like Atronach? This is the case to my knowledge.

You're definitely one of my favorite people here onyx. Cheers and goodluck!

theonyxphoenix posted...

It is not affected by difficulty level.
- Therefore it has the greatest benefit at lower difficulties.

When switching to Legendary difficulty I could keep pace with a giant if I blocked and used Novice Healing but the damage reflected was so little and at only 10% it hardly made any difference.

This confuses me. If Reflect Damage is not affected by difficulty, wouldn't it be more potent on higher difficulties whe enemies have a higher damage output, and would therefore kill themselves faster?

...unless you mean the damage reflected is the same regardless of damage multiplier of course, but that seems kinda weird of to me.

The damage done by the attack that is reflected isn't affected by difficulty.

Giant does 100 damage

- Novice: 100 damage is reflected 10% of the time. You take lower damage due to difficulty.
- Legendary: 100 damage is reflected 10% of the time. You take much more damage due to the difficulty.

The same amount of damage is reflected regardless. It is just harder to autopilot the higher the difficulty. Does that make sense?

At least these are my preliminary findings. More to come.

Interested to see anyone else's experience with this perk.

As far as I know, the effect isn't listed as a restoration or destruction effect. Not sure if it's buffed by necromage though.

Disappointed to see that it doesn't scale based on difficulty level. Would have been really useful on Legendary if it did, with the ramped up enemy attack power. Might have finally been able to do more than simply scratch the enemy.

gesthal84 posted...

As far as I know, the effect isn't listed as a restoration or destruction effect. Not sure if it's buffed by necromage though.

from what I understand...when perks and Necromage were tested way back when that neither the percentage of activation or the amount of damage is amplified by Necromage. I was hoping that perhaps a Fortify Restoration potion may increase it, but if it isn't coded as an effect from a school then there would be no luck there. I would think that Alteration would be the most likely, but meh. Hopefully I can get some benefit from my experimentation.

Perhaps Reflect Blows, Cloaks, Ebony Mail...more to come as time permits.

Reflect is still chance-based? I thought they did away with that after Morrowind, and 10% Reflect simply meant 10% of the damage taken being reflected.

Rikashi posted...

Reflect is still chance-based? I thought they did away with that after Morrowind, and 10% Reflect simply meant 10% of the damage taken being reflected.

It is a 10% chance to reflect the full damage of the blow, before difficulty modifiers.

Robrain posted...

Disappointed to see that it doesn't scale based on difficulty level. Would have been really useful on Legendary if it did, with the ramped up enemy attack power. Might have finally been able to do more than simply scratch the enemy.

enemy attack power doesn't actually increase, only the multiplier is different and only against the player character.