Diablo 4: How does Fortify work?

Andrew Highton
diablo 4 fortify meter

Diablo 4 has many gameplay features to track with Fortify being one of the most important. To help you out, our quick D4 guide will run you through the basics of how it works and how it affects your experience.

It’s easy to become enamored by the sea of DPS numbers on-screen or a horde of demons trying to end you – especially if you’re doing a Hardcore playthrough. Nevertheless, Diablo 4 has a ton of information on-screen at any one time, and Fortify is something players need to keep an eye on at all times in the game.

Fortify offers players great defensive benefits and can make you more durable during skirmishes. It’s definitely not something you should overlook as it will help you on your journey throughout Sanctuary, and our rundown will explain Fortify in more detail.

boss battle in diablo 4

How does Fortify work in Diablo 4?

Fortify is enabled once Diablo 4 players have built up more Fortify meter than they have health. When a player has the appropriate amount of Fortify built up in relation to their health, Diablo 4 users gain a 10% damage boost reduction.

This can be visibly measured on the player’s health gauge as the Fortify meter will be represented by a red line that will usually go up over time.

In layman’s terms, if you are Fortified, then an attack that would ordinarily deal 100 damage (not accounting for any other special defensive attributes you have enabled) would only do 90 damage.

How to build up Fortify meter in Diablo 4

To build up your Fortify meter and give you a tiny boost in more perilous situations, D4 users can equip certain abilities to generate it, use applicable Aspects, and certain base classes will earn Fortify much faster – such as Barbarians and Necromancers.

Conversely, you can also have your Fortify meter decrease too! To avoid this happening to you, you’ll have to fight some battles on a regular basis. Avoiding combat for long periods of time will result in Fortidy meter loss.

Hopefully, this helps you with everything you need to know about Fortify in Diablo 4. For more guides and content, check out more D4 articles below:

Diablo 4: Best way to make money | Diablo 4: Fastest ways to get XP & level up | How to Transmog gear in Diablo 4: Armor, weapons & more | Does Diablo 4 feature followers or mercenaries to hire? | Diablo 4 couch co-op explained: | When is Diablo 4 Season 1? Possible start date, theme, & rewards | How to play Diablo 4 Early Access: Dates, times & how to preload | What is Diablo 4 Hardcore mode? | How to get a mount in Diablo 4 | Diablo 4: How to upgrade your healing potion | How to swap weapons in Diablo 4 | Diablo 4: World Tiers explained | How to use emotes in Diablo 4

About The Author

Andrew Highton is a former Games Writer for Dexerto. He has a Creative Writing degree from Liverpool John Moores University and has previously written for games websites such as Twinfinite and Keengamer. With 13,000+ PlayStation Trophies to his name, Andrew is a fan of a huge variety of video games, his favourites being God of War and Metal Gear Solid. Contact him at andrew.highton@dexerto.com, on Twitter @AndyHighton8 or at www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-highton.