This article will delve into the unique dual jewel, Disillusion of the Flesh in Path of Exile. This jewel has garnered significant attention due to its intriguing interactions with various mechanics in the game. We will explore these interactions and show how this jewel functions alongside other mechanics that deal with damage taken. Whether you're already familiar with Disillusion of the Flesh or seeking to understand its mechanics better, this article aims to provide insights and clarity.

• Comparing Interactions with Other Mechanics
• Cast when Damage Taken
• Eternal Youth
• Exploring Other Interactions
• Chieftain Ascendancy Notable - Tawhoa's Cleansing Water
• Aspect of the Crab
• Dawnbreaker Unique Shield
• An Outlier: Berserker's Defy Pain Ascendancy Notable

↖ Comparing Interactions with Other Mechanics

To better grasp the interactions of Dissolution of the Flesh, let's examine two other mechanics that involve damage taken: Cast when Damage Taken and Eternal Youth.

↖ Cast when Damage Taken

The Cast when Damage Taken support gem internally tracks damage taken and triggers linked skills when the damage exceeds the specified threshold on the gem. Since Dissolution of the Flesh specifically interacts with life loss from damage taken and not damage taken itself, Cast when Damage Taken functions normally when used with this jewel.

↖ Eternal Youth

Eternal Youth is a keystone that redirects energy shield recharge to life. It allows life to recharge after a two-second period without losing any life from damage. If life is lost from damage, the recharge is interrupted, similar to how energy shield recharge is interrupted when energy shield is lost from taking damage. When using Dissolution of the Flesh with Eternal Youth, life is no longer lost from damage taken but instead reserved. Therefore, life recharge from Eternal Youth remains uninterrupted, making this combination synergistic.

↖ Exploring Other Interactions

Now that we have established a basis for comparison, let's examine how Dissolution of the Flesh interacts with other mechanics, focusing on those related to damage taken.

↖ Chieftain Ascendancy Notable - Tawhoa's Cleansing Water

Tawhoa's Cleansing Water grants increased life recovery rate if fire damage has been taken from an enemy hit recently. When combined with Dissolution of the Flesh, fire damage taken from enemy hits will indeed grant increased life recovery rate. This interaction aligns with the expected behavior, as this modifier tracks damage taken similarly to Cast when Damage Taken.

↖ Aspect of the Crab

Aspect of the Crab is a reservation skill that grants stacks of Crab Barrier, providing additional physical damage reduction per stack. It states that all Crab Barriers are lost when taking physical damage from a hit. Some confusion regarding this interaction arose from the Path of Exile wiki, which previously stated that the character no longer takes damage but instead reserves it. However, this is incorrect. Dissolution of the Flesh does not alter mechanics that track damage taken, including Aspect of the Crab. Therefore, the character will still lose Crab Barriers when taking physical damage, just as with Cast when Damage Taken and Tawhoa's Cleansing Water.

↖ Dawnbreaker Unique Shield

The Dawnbreaker Unique Shield has a significant block chance and a modifier that grants reduced chance to block attack damage based on recently taken fire damage. Despite specifically mentioning fire damage, the modifier's wording is centered around damage taken, not life loss from damage. Consequently, even when using Dissolution of the Flesh, the character will still experience the expected reduction in block chance when taking fire damage.

↖ An Outlier: Berserker's Defy Pain Ascendancy Notable

The Berserker's Defy Pain ascendancy notable has a modifier that grants Defiance for 10 seconds upon losing life to an enemy hit. The modifier's wording implies that losing life is a requirement to gain a stack of Defiance. This is similar to Eternal Youth's requirement of losing life to trigger its effect. However, contrary to expectations, when Dissolution of the Flesh is used, the Berserker still gains stacks of Defiance upon taking damage from an enemy hit. The functionality of Defy Pain might be working as intended, and the modifier's wording could be misleading. It would be more accurate if the modifier stated, Gain Defiance upon taking damage from an enemy hit.

Conclusion:

Dissolution of the Flesh is a unique jewel in Path of Exile that offers an intriguing twist to the way damage affects life. While it does not directly alter mechanics that track damage taken, it affects life loss from damage taken. Through our exploration of various mechanics, we have discovered that most modifiers that track damage taken behave as expected when used with Dissolution of the Flesh. However, the Berserker's Defy Pain ascendancy notable stands out as an outlier, potentially due to a misleading modifier description.