Elemental reactions, explained properly
Why Steam doubles your damage and Fracture mostly does not.
Two kinds of reaction
Reactions in Astral Vanguard split into two groups, and the difference matters more than any tier list.
Amplifying reactions multiply the damage of the hit that triggers them. Steam (Tide into Ember) and Shatter (Frost into Ember) are the whole reason Tide and Frost supports are valuable.
Transformative reactions deal their own flat damage, scaling with character level rather than with your attack stat. Fracture, Conduct and Scatter belong here.
Why this changes team building
An amplifying team wants the trigger to be your highest-damage character. A transformative team does not care who triggers it, which is exactly why those teams are so much more forgiving to build and so much better suited to a new account.
If you take one thing away: a 2× multiplier on a big hit is worth more than a flat number that ignores your build entirely.
Aura priority
Applying an element leaves an aura with its own duration and strength. Two rules cover most cases:
- Tide auras last longer than Ember ones, so Tide-first Steam is the reliable ordering.
- One application per rotation is usually enough. Over-applying spends energy that could have been damage.