Difference between Critical Strike and CS for Spells?

Sorry about the newb question.....

Im trying to understand the difference between CS and CS for spells. If Im casting doing elemental damage ( eg..fireballs/firestorm), will the gear or nodes with just Critical Strike work? Or does the gear or nodes have to say "for spells" or Global Critical Strike? I read the definitions on the wiki but there is ambiguity. Appreciate the replies.

The crit chance on this item applies to WEAPON base crit chance. Spells use a different base crit chance listed on the spell gem itself.

From there, global crit chance and spell crit chance are added together and used to multiply that base crit chance.

So if you have 100% spell crit chance and say 100% global crit chance on gear or crit strike nodes, using ice spears 8% base crit, that becomes 8 + (8*200%) or 24% crit chance.

Only crit chance that specifies something like "with 2 handed staff's" doesnt work.

Thanks for the reply.

Ok, well there's no way Im going to melee with my caster so if it just says Critical Strike on the weapon, skill tree or gems (and NOT Global CS Chance or CS for Spells) ....then I can ignore it yes?

If it's crit chance on a weapon, it's local and applies to the weapon. If it's on gems or other pieces of gear, it's gonna be global. So you DO want crit chance from the tree, with the exception of crit chance with specific weapons.

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gladmark wrote:

Thanks for the reply.

Ok, well there's no way Im going to melee with my caster so if it just says Critical Strike on the weapon, skill tree or gems (and NOT Global CS Chance or CS for Spells) ....then I can ignore it yes?

Unless it specifies that its crit chance with something other then you want (aka all crit chance is good unless it says its with something you arnt using) then you want it.

Ok....Im sorry but I just want to get this straight because it takes time to build a character.


For Example : Critical Weakness Curse Gem works with casting elemental damage? It does not say CS for Spells or Global CS. All it says is "more vulnerable to CS". I wonder because this curse could be to benefit melee characters in your party but not necessarily ME casting Fireballs.

Skill Tree:

1)Skill tree has nodes for "plain" Increased Critical Strike/ Multiplier---- AND different ones for Critical Strike for Spells/ Multipliers. So,they BOTH work for ME as a casting elemental damage? ---- but limit a melee character to just The plain CS nodes and gem/items across the board?


I do get the plain CS on the weapon part :)


Sorry for the tedium....

The critical weakness curse makes the mobs more likely to be crit by any source so yes it works for spells. The nodes in the tree that just say "increased critical strike chance will also apply to spells.

everything on passive tree that says just "increased critical strike chance" is global CC which will affect spells

what does not affect spells is "plain" critical strike on weapons (global CC on weapons work, like implicit mods on daggers) and passives that say "increased critical strike chance with x weapon" which affects CC of attacks made with those weapons x (it is "semi"global, meaning grants global crit chance to attacks with those weapons)

Ok...got full confidence now. Thanks to all that took the time to reply here...Great community!! A+++++

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gladmark wrote:

1)Skill tree has nodes for "plain" Increased Critical Strike/ Multiplier---- AND different ones for Critical Strike for Spells/ Multipliers. So,they BOTH work for ME as a casting elemental damage?

Keep in mind that not all elemental damage counts as a spell...you need to look at the gem description and see if it says "Spell", only then will the Crit Strike for Spells apply to it.