Mind Over Matter

Mind Over Matter is a keystone passive skill. It allows the character’s mana to absorb a portion of the damage dealt to life.

  • 30% of Damage is taken from Mana before Life

Mana before Life is a defensive technique that utilizes the The Agnostic and Mind over Matter keystone passive skills. By using both keystone passives, a character’s mana pool acts as both a source of effective hit points and a source of life recovery.

The technique’s effectiveness can be improved by additional sources of Damage is taken from Mana before Life and other modifiers related to increasing maximum mana or mana recovery. The strategy also synergizes well with builds that cast spells like ArcArc or Ball Lightning Ball Lightning, especially those linked with Archmage Support Archmage Support.

 Mind Over Matter PoE

PoE 3.19 Changes

Problem: Mind over Matter, and builds that heavily invest in mana in general, have been left in an underpowered state by various balance changes and the increased power of investing in reservation skills.

Solution: As a first step, improve the base power of Mind over Matter and pull that power out of body armour mods. We're aware that this change does not solve all problems currently facing mana builds, and are considering exactly what further changes to make for future expansions.
  • The Mind over Matter Keystone Passive Skill now causes 40% of Damage to be taken from Mana before Life (previously 30%).
  • Damage taken from Mana before Life can no longer roll as an Influence modifier, Synthesised Implicit modifier, or Eldritch Implicit modifier on Body Armour.
  • The Cloak of Defiance Unique Body Armour no longer has 10% of Damage is Taken from Mana before Life.
  • The Veiled modifier that grants Damage taken from Mana before Life while Focused now provides values of 18–22% (previously 28–32%). The crafted versions of this modifier now provide values of 11–15% (previously 21–25%).

Mana before Life

Mind over Matter inserts Mana into that sequence just before life, for 30% of the damage.
So any non chaos damage you take is subtracted from ES first. When you have no ES, 70% of the remainder goes to life, while the other 30% is diverted to mana. When you run out of mana, no damage can be taken from there, and all will go to life.

Related Passive Skill tree

Players can obtain 40-50% mana before life from skill tree passive nodes:

  • Mind over Matter – provides 30% of Damage is taken from Mana before Life
  • The Agnostic – Allows rapid regeneration of life by draining a percentage of your unreserved mana
  • Hierophant – Ascendancy Notable that grants an additional 8% of Damage is taken from Mana before Life
  • Divine Guidance – Ascendancy Notable that grants an additional 10% of Damage is taken from Mana before Life

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Chaos Inoculation keystone

Damage is applied to energy shield before life, and as a result there is no opportunity for any damage to be absorbed by mana. Mind Over Matter is therefore rendered useless in conjunction with the Chaos Inoculation keystone.

Eldritch Battery

When the passive skill Eldritch Battery is allocated energy shield protects mana instead of life. This energy shield will absorb the converted non-chaos damage before it is applied on mana. Since chaos damage bypasses energy shield the chaos damage will then be applied directly on mana.

Stun and Ailments

Mind Over Matter does not reduce total incoming damage or increase a player’s actual life total, and so does not affect the threshold or effectiveness of stun and ailments applied to players.

How to get Mind Over Matter?

1. Passive Skill Tree

Mind Over Matter is a standalone keystone located on the inner layer of the transition area between Witch and Templar.

Class Distance from start
Witch 7
Templar 7
Scion 11
Shadow 16
Marauder 17
Ranger 21
Duelist 21

2. Mind Over Matter Uniques

These items have the Mind Over Matter modifier, which provides the same effect as this keystone. Taking the keystone in addition to equipping one of these items will impart no additional benefit.

Base items

  • Shaper body armours can roll the prefix modifier (5-10%) of Damage is taken from Mana before Life at Item level 80+. This essentially allows for a body armour substitute for Cloak of Defiance Cloak of Defiance, albeit without the Mind Over Matter Keystone and valuable Mana modifiers.

Unique items

Item Base Item Lvl. Category Stats
Skin of the Lords Skin of the Lords Simple Robe 1 Body Armour Item has no level requirement and Energy Shield (Hidden)
Sockets cannot be modified
+1 to Level of Socketed Gems
100% increased Global Defences
You can only Socket Corrupted Gems in this item
Item has 6 Sockets and is fully linked (Hidden)

<Random Keystone>

Corrupted
Watcher’s Eye Watcher’s Eye Prismatic Jewel 1 Jewel (4-6)% increased maximum Energy Shield
(4-6)% increased maximum Life
(4-6)% increased maximum Mana

<Two or Three random aura modifiers>
The Aylardex The Aylardex Agate Amulet 32 Amulet +(16-24) to Strength and Intelligence+(30-50) to maximum Life
+(50-70) to maximum Mana
+1 to Maximum Power Charges
10% increased Mana Regeneration Rate per Power Charge
(80-100)% increased Power Charge Duration
1% of Damage is taken from Mana before Life per Power Charge
40% reduced Critical Strike Chance per Power Charge
Precursor’s Emblem Precursor’s Emblem Topaz Ring 49 Ring +(20-30)% to Lightning Resistance+20 to Intelligence
5% increased maximum Energy Shield
5% increased maximum Life

<Three Power Charge mods>
Precursor’s Emblem Precursor’s Emblem Prismatic Ring 49 Ring +(8-10)% to all Elemental Resistances+20 to all Attributes
5% increased maximum Energy Shield
5% increased maximum Life

<One Endurance Charge mod>
<One Frenzy Charge mod>
<One Power Charge mod>
Precursor’s Emblem Precursor’s Emblem Two-Stone Ring 49 Ring +(12-16)% to Cold and Lightning Resistances5% increased maximum Energy Shield
5% increased maximum Life
+20 to Strength and Intelligence

<Two Frenzy Charge mods and one Power Charge Mod>
or
<One Frenzy Charge mod and Two Power Charge Mods>
Precursor’s Emblem Precursor’s Emblem Two-Stone Ring 49 Ring +(12-16)% to Fire and Lightning Resistances5% increased maximum Energy Shield
5% increased maximum Life
+20 to Dexterity and Intelligence

<Two Endurance Charge mods and one Power Charge Mod>
or
<One Endurance Charge mod and Two Power Charge Mods>
Cloak of Defiance Cloak of Defiance Lacquered Garb 52 Body Armour (300-400)% increased Evasion and Energy Shield
+(100-150) to maximum Mana
Regenerate 1% of Mana per second
10% of Damage is taken from Mana before Life
Mind Over Matter
Mind of the Council Mind of the Council Harlequin Mask 57 Helmet (230-260)% increased Evasion and Energy Shield
+(15-20) to maximum Energy Shield
(20-30)% increased maximum Mana
10% chance to Shock
+20% chance to be Shocked
30% of Lightning Damage is taken from Mana before Life
Attack Skills have Added Lightning Damage equal to 6% of maximum Mana
Lose 3% of Mana when you use an Attack Skill
The Ivory Tower Saint’s Hauberk 67 Body Armour +(40-70) to Intelligence
+30 to maximum Energy Shield per 100 Reserved Life
+(80-100) to maximum Mana
Regenerate 2% of Energy Shield per second
Chaos Damage is taken from Mana before Life

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