Buffs enhance your character’s performance, while debuffs apply negative effects. Understanding these mechanics helps you prepare for difficult encounters and long expeditions.
Temporary Buffs
Temporary buffs are mainly obtained from food and drinks. These consumables provide bonuses that improve your character’s abilities.
All types of food and drinks temporarily increase the character’s maximum health.
— Uncommon food and drinks provide additional bonuses, such as improved performance in regional challenges or increased resource gathering speed.
— Rare food and drinks grant stronger benefits, including increased combat stats along with higher maximum health.
— Event food may provide unique bonuses designed specifically for certain in-game events.
Rare food is best used during challenging encounters such as Canyon Trials, Alliance Gold Rush raids, or high-level Bandit Camps.
Permanent Buffs
Permanent buffs are provided by equipment, weapons, and certain skills.
Different pieces of gear grant stat bonuses that strengthen your character. These bonuses remain active as long as the corresponding equipment is worn.
Additional permanent bonuses can also be unlocked by learning specific skills in the Skill Trees.
Buff Duration
Food buffs remain active for a limited time and progress through several stages:
— Full Power — the buff is at maximum strength. Duration depends on the food’s rarity: Common — 2 hours, Uncommon — 1 hour, Rare — 30 minutes, Epic — 30 minutes.
— Decreasing Bonus — a short final stage where the buff gradually weakens to avoid sudden stat loss in combat.
— Neutral — the buff effect has fully expired.
— Weakened — if the character does not eat or drink for 25 hours, hunger or thirst debuffs begin to apply. Players with Super VIP status are protected from hunger and thirst debuffs for up to 3 days.
Additional Modifiers
Several bonuses can extend the duration of food buffs:
— Alliance Bonus — bonuses that increase temporary food duration (for example +50%) apply to all types of food and drinks. Higher Alliance levels allow higher-tier food to benefit from this bonus.
— Lasting Taste Skill (Headhunter Skill Tree) — increases the duration of rare food and drink effects by 100%, regardless of other bonuses.
— Super VIP Bonus — increases food buff duration by an additional +20%.
Buff Stacking Rules
Your character can have:
— Two different food buffs active simultaneously
— One drink buff active at a time
Food Buff Behavior
If you consume food while food buffs are already active:
— Eating the same food again refreshes the duration but does not stack or increase its effect.
— Eating a different type of food replaces one of the currently active food buffs.
Example:
If Food A and Food B are active and you eat Food A again, the timer resets to full duration. If you eat Food C, it replaces either Food A or Food B depending on slot priority.
Drink Buff Behavior
Drink buffs work the same way as food buffs, but only one drink buff can be active at a time.
— Drinking the same beverage refreshes its duration.
— Drinking a different beverage replaces the currently active drink buff.
Important
Buff timers continue running in all situations — whether you are inside a location, on the Global Map, or even offline.
If you are planning a long expedition or expect to take breaks from the game, make sure to carry enough food and drinks to maintain your buffs.
Debuffs
Debuffs are negative effects applied to the character under certain conditions. They appear in the same interface as buffs.
Hunger | If a character goes without food beyond the allowed limit, their Attack Power is reduced by 50%. Eating immediately removes the debuff and replaces it with a temporary buff. |
Thirst | If a character goes without drinks beyond the allowed limit, their Healing Effectiveness is reduced by 50%. Drinking immediately removes the debuff. |
Bleeding | Causes gradual health loss after receiving certain wounds. |
Cold | Occurs in northern regions. Characters without sufficient cold protection lose food buffs faster; once the buff expires, freezing begins and movement speed is significantly reduced. |
Heat | Occurs in southern regions beyond the River Crossing. Characters without heat protection lose drink buffs faster and become overheated, which slows movement. |
Stun | Prevents the character from moving or attacking. |
Intoxication | Reduces movement control after excessive whiskey consumption. |
Slowing | Reduces movement speed. |
Healing Debuff | Can occur from mosquito bites and reduces healing effectiveness. |