Secrets of suffering and heralds interaction

Hi all,

I am trying a build that benefits from 4 heralds (how original) and at the same time is using the new Secret of Suffering passive notable. My main skill (Scourge Arrow) is socketed in a Doomfletch's Prism and is linked with Elemental Focus.

So this is the scenario: I hit an enemy with Scourge Arrow which now deal due to Doomfletc's Prism all 3 type of elemental damage, but due to Elemental focus I cannot inflict any Ailments even if I crit and proc Secrets of Suffering. However my hit is also supported by my Heralds which provide me with additional fire, cold and lightning damage.

Therefore my question is: In case my Scourge Arrow hit is critical can my Heralds proc Secret of Suffering and inflict Scorch, Brittle and Sapped to the enemy?

Thank you very much for your help.

Unfortunately, Scorch, Brittle and Sap are considered to be elemental ailments (you can know it ingame if you activate extended descriptions, and hover with ALT pressed on Elemental Focus). Thus, Elemental Focus will disable those three eleAilments from ever proccing

Just remember: "never" takes priority over "always". If you support a Vaal Burning Arrow with eleFocus, that Vaal BA will never ignite. If you support Puncture with Bloodlust, Puncture will never cause bleeding

On a side-related note: Secret of Suffering inflicts Scorch, Brittle AND Sap all together? Or procs it depending on the elemental damage (such as Scorch only from Fire damage)

"

Unfortunately, Scorch, Brittle and Sap are considered to be elemental ailments (you can know it ingame if you activate extended descriptions, and hover with ALT pressed on Elemental Focus). Thus, Elemental Focus will disable those three eleAilments from ever proccing

Ele Focus says that SUPPORTED skills cannot inflict elemental ailments. Therefore yes Scourge Arrow cannot inflict the ailments but what about my heralds?

"

Just remember: "never" takes priority over "always". If you support a Vaal Burning Arrow with eleFocus, that Vaal BA will never ignite. If you support Puncture with Bloodlust, Puncture will never cause bleeding

Absolutely agree, that is why my question wasn't: Can my Scourge Arrow inflict ailments? and is instead: Can my heralds inflict the ailments?

I mean, heralds are not supported by ele focus, therefore is their ele buff and damage subject to the same rule?

I am just trying to make sure that I won't have to switch Ele focus for another support whitout a valid reason.

Sorry for misreading, I will try to clarify:

If your Scourge Arrow (or any skill) is supported by Elemental Focus, it cannot proc elemental ailments. It does not even matter if the skill itself has any elemental damage - you can support a pure physical spell like Bladefall with Elemental Focus. After all, it applies to "any skill that hits or deal elemental damage", and the fact you go full non-elemental does not mean your damages cannot inflict elemental ailments in other ways (examples are Starforge's Shock from Physical, or Zerphi's Heart's Ignite/Chill/Shock from Chaos)

What I am trying to say is that Elemental Focus will make a skill unable to proc elemental ailments whether or not it could have proc'd them in the first place.

Furthermore, you seem to consider the extra damage to spell/attacks from your Heralds as a separate source of damage of your Scourge Arrow. This is not correct - the bonus damage a Herald grants is conceptually the same that a "add x-y damage to attacks" a Ring can do: it is added to the base damage of the attack/spell, and gets all its bonus and malus.

So no, "the lightning damage added from your Herald of Thunder to Scourge Arrow" will not be immune to Elemental Focus - it is part of the skill, it will get the +x% more damage granted by Elemental Focus and it will be made uncapable of deliver elemental ailments

If you are confused because you have noticed you can support your heralds with Elemental Focus, that is because it is applied to the secondary effect of that herald (which means the Burning from Overkill from Ash, the Cold burst from Shattering from Ice, the Lightning storm from killing a shocked enemy from Lightning). Elemental Focus will not, in those case, increase in any way the elemental damage bonus they grant to your skills

(On a side-related note: lightnings from Herald of Thunder cannot shock. However, they should be able to (at least) Sap an enemy with Secret of suffering, since it's a totally different ailment than Shock)

Thank you very much for your clarification

You're welcome. Feel free to ask if something is not clear - it is a new mechanic, after all