Cascading Defense Failure

Definition

Cascading Defense Failure

The phenomenon where a Defense set will defend against defense debuffs less effectively after each successful debuff lands. Nightwidows are notorious for this behavior. Ordinarily, their very high defense values allow them to avoid most defense debuffs. After one debuff gets through, the Nightwidow's defense is reduced and with that her chance of avoiding subsequent defense debuffs. The effect is usually small at first, but as more and more debuffs land it snowballs (ie Cascades) and the formerly unkillable Nightwidow is completely stripped of her defense. This often results in a quick death in a situation that the Nightwidow would normally be able to handle with ease.

Since Resistance resists its own debuffs, there is no such thing as a Cascading Resistance Failure.

Sets that are prone to CDF are: Invulnerability, Ice Armour, Shield Defense, Energy Aura, Ninjitsu, Bane Spiders, Crab Spiders, Nightwidows, and Fortunatas. Super Reflexes used to be the poster child for CFD, but it now benefits from large amounts of Defense Debuff Resistance.