Description
Damage dealt to enemies over multiple seconds rather than as a single hit. Two flavors: Burn (% max-Health true damage) and Bleed (flat physical or magic damage per second).
Damage Over Time groups several other mechanics rather than being one effect of its own, so nothing lists it directly. The related mechanics below are where it shows up.
See also
Frequently asked questions
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What does "DoT" mean in TFT, and what flavors exist?
DoT is short for damage over time — any effect that ticks damage on a target across several seconds rather than landing as a single hit. TFT's current set ships two named flavors: a percent-max-Health true-damage tick (the keyword Burn) and a flat physical-or-magic-damage tick (the keyword Bleed) tied to specific champion abilities and certain trait constellation effects. Persistent ground zones, repeating-magic-damage debuffs from constellation effects, and ability-driven trickle damage all count as DoTs too. The umbrella is broad; what matters is that the damage is delivered in repeated ticks while the debuff or zone is active.
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Does every DoT in TFT deal true damage?
No. Damage type varies by source. The Burn keyword is true damage — it ignores Armor, Magic Resist, damage reduction, and damage amplification. Bleed-flavored DoTs from champion abilities deal physical damage, so Armor reduces them and physical damage amp on the dealer scales them. Other DoTs (constellation-driven repeating effects, certain ability zones) deal magic damage and run through Magic Resist plus AP-flavored amp. Always read the source's tooltip — the keyword tells you which defensive stat actually matters against that specific tick.
Sources
- True damage (TFT) — League of Legends Wiki ("ignores resistances, damage reduction, and damage amplification") (opens in new tab)
- Damage over time — League of Legends Wiki (DoTs come in physical / magic / true flavors) (opens in new tab)
- Burn (TFT) — League of Legends Wiki (true-damage classification) (opens in new tab)
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How fast does a DoT tick — every second, or faster?
Every DoT carries its own tickrate. The wiki's general rule is that ticks land at one of a few set rates — every 1 second, every 0.5 seconds, every 0.25 seconds, or rarely every 0.125 seconds — and each effect specifies which it uses. The Burn keyword in TFT is documented as a per-second tick; many ability-applied bleeds also tick once per second; some persistent zones and repeating-damage effects fire at half-second intervals. The total damage is tickrate × per-tick value × duration, so a faster tickrate at the same DPS is purely cosmetic.
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Do multiple DoTs of the same type stack on one target?
Same-keyword DoTs generally do not stack — they refresh. TFT's Burn rule is explicit: multiple Burns never add their percentages; the higher-percent Burn overwrites a weaker one and the duration resets, otherwise the existing tick stays. Different-keyword DoTs are tracked separately, so a Burn and a Bleed and a magic-damage zone can all damage the same target simultaneously, since each lives on its own debuff slot. The practical takeaway: a second copy of the same DoT source is wasted; mixing different DoT types is what compounds.
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Do shields absorb DoT ticks, or do they bypass shields?
Normal shields absorb DoT ticks at face value — including the true-damage flavor. The TFT-namespaced wiki on true damage notes the bypass clause covers resistances, damage reduction, and damage amplification, but not shields; the wiki shield page confirms normal shields absorb every damage type, true damage included. So a shield that pops at the start of combat directly trades for several seconds of DoT and only health bleeds once the shield is gone. Magic-damage and physical DoTs are absorbed the same way.
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Does a DoT keep ticking after the target becomes untargetable or invulnerable?
An already-applied DoT keeps ticking — but invulnerability stops it from dealing damage while it's active. The wiki untargetability rule is direct: "Effects that have already been applied, such as buffs or debuffs, are not invalidated by untargetability," and the article names damage over time as a notable example that keeps running. Invulnerability differs: it reduces incoming damage to zero for its duration, so the DoT clock keeps counting but ticks deal nothing. New DoTs cannot be applied to an untargetable unit while the untargetable window lasts.
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Does crowd control like stun or silence stop DoTs from ticking?
No. Crowd control disables what the affected unit can do — moving, attacking, casting — but it does not interrupt damage the unit is already taking. The TFT stun page defines a stunned unit as "unable to move, declare attacks, or cast their Special Ability for the duration," and says nothing about incoming damage being blocked. A DoT applied before, during, or after a CC keeps ticking on schedule. This is part of why stun-plus-DoT pressure feels so brutal: the target can't react and the damage keeps landing.
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Why are DoTs so often paired with anti-heal (Wound)?
Because they attack the same problem from two sides. A DoT keeps chipping a high-Health target every tick regardless of how many resistances are stacked; Wound (the in-game keyword for Grievous Wounds) cuts the healing the target uses to claw that damage back. The default Grievous Wounds value is a 50% reduction on incoming and self healing, with most current TFT items bundling 33% Wound alongside their DoT tick. Reapplying Wound never stacks the percentage — it refreshes duration — so one consistent source of anti-heal plus the DoT covers the whole fight.