Stability

Stability is a combat mechanic in Outward related to Impact. It determines the balance of both players and enemies, and is represented by a white or orange bar at the bottom of the screen, and as a white bar under enemy health bars.

Effect and Properties
Damage dealt to the Stability bar is determined by the values of Impact attack and resistance. Each hit dealt or received will lower the Stability bar.


 * When a player or enemy's stability bar is below half (50%), each hit will stagger them, interrupting any actions taken, and preventing them from moving for a short duration.


 * When a player or enemy is knocked down they are vulnerable to damage while they regain their posture and stand back up. Once standing, the stability bar immediately refills completely. Knock-downs occur when the stability bar is depleted by an attack (reaches 0%).


 * If an enemy is staggered 3 times in a span of about 8 seconds, they will be knocked down regardless of their current stability. This does not apply to players.


 * If no hits were received in the previous second, the stability bar begins to refill rapidly (5 seconds for full refill).

Blocking
Blocking protects all melee damage, but it will not fully protect from impact damage. Instead, impact damage will be dealt to the Guard meter, shown as an orange bar with a shield icon in place of the stability bar. The Guard meter grants an extra 50 stability points (50%), and when depleted it will simply carry over onto the normal stability bar - though the player will continue to receive impact resistance bonuses from their shield, if equipped.