What are Thorns in Diablo 4? Effects, how to activate, more

Aakrit Sharma
Necromancer character in Diablo 4

Thorns is a common stat in Diablo 4, but unlike the others, its function isn’t explained very clearly. So what does this stat do in the game, and how does it affect your build?

In Diablo 4, Thorns is one of the many stats that you will come across on your character sheet. Unlike the other stats, however, the game does very little to explain what Thorns does when you’re facing off against enemies.

Although it doesn’t sound like a lot, building into this stat does have its perks, and can help you greatly, especially when you’re exploring the Sanctuary during the endgame stages.

So, here’s everything you need to know about Thorns stat in Diablo 4.

How does Thorns stat work in Diablo 4

Thorns is an offensive stat in Diablo 4, that reflects a certain amount of damage back to the enemy when they attack you. The stat will only work if the enemies hit you with their attacks directly.

In case you’re standing in a pool of poison, or anything that gives you damage over time, the Thorns stat won’t work. It won’t boost your survivability and simply deal damage based on the damage you take, so stay away from this stat if your character is too squishy.

How to increase Thorns damage in Diablo 4

The best way to increase Diablo 4 Thorns damage is by focusing on your primary stats based on your class. Here are the stats that you need to build if you want to increase the Thorns damage output:

  • Rogue – Dexterity
  • Necromancer – Intelligence
  • Sorcerer – Intelligence
  • Barbarian – Strength
  • Druid – Willpower

Alternatively, you can always find gear with Thorns affixes on them. You can also visit the Occultist to re-roll your gear affixes or use Gems to increase the Thorns stat in the game.

How to check Thorns in Diablo 4

To check the amount of Thorns your Diablo 4 character has, follow these steps:

  1. Open your Diablo 4 inventory by pressing I on the keyboard.
  2. Under character, select Material & Stats.
  3. Scroll down to find Thorns at the bottom of the Offensive stats list.

How to activate Thorns in Diablo 4

You don’t need to do anything to activate Thorns damage in Diablo 4. It gets triggered automatically the moment you take damage from any enemy in the game.

Thorns works best with tanky classes like the Druid and the Barbarian because they can absorb a lot of damage.

Well, this was everything to know about this stat in Diablo 4 and we hope this guide helps you make a truly unstoppable character. For similar content, check out:

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About The Author

Aakrit is a games writer with over 2000 published articles for EssentiallySports, Sportskeeda, FortniteINTEL, and CharlieINTEL. Currently, he writes guides on Minecraft, Roblox, Pokemon games, Genshin Impact, and Brawlhalla. Aakrit loves playing shooter games and in his free time, you can find him queued up in Valorant, Fortnite, Apex Legends, or Halo Infinite. You can contact Aakrit at [email protected].