# Max focus/health reduction should reduce the actual max, not capping **URL:** \ **Category:** Wicked Feedback\ **Created:** [January 27, 2026, 9:40pm UTC](https://forum.norestforthewicked.com/t/max-focus-health-reduction-should-reduce-the-actual-max-not-capping/22588 "2026-01-27T21:40:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dat\_Le](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex003/user_avatar/forum.norestforthewicked.com/dat_le/32/13000_2.png) [@Dat\_Le](https://forum.norestforthewicked.com/u/Dat_Le)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2026, 9:40pm UTC](https://forum.norestforthewicked.com/t/max-focus-health-reduction-should-reduce-the-actual-max-not-capping/22588/1 "2026-01-27T21:40:54Z")
Currently, if I have a plagued item with max health/focus reduction, say 20% from 100 focus. The problem is, my max focus is still 100, and capped at 80. So gems that rely on focus/HP being full never work, because my focus is always 80/100. Please change the actual max, and not simply capping HP/focus gain. ---
**Author:** ![balrogslayer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@balrogslayer](https://forum.norestforthewicked.com/u/balrogslayer)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2026, 1:16am UTC](https://forum.norestforthewicked.com/t/max-focus-health-reduction-should-reduce-the-actual-max-not-capping/22588/2 "2026-01-28T01:16:10Z")
This sounds more like a bug @Silas-Inservio-Pax ---
**Author:** ![WhatCode](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex003/user_avatar/forum.norestforthewicked.com/whatcode/32/12500_2.png) [@WhatCode](https://forum.norestforthewicked.com/u/WhatCode)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2026, 1:20am UTC](https://forum.norestforthewicked.com/t/max-focus-health-reduction-should-reduce-the-actual-max-not-capping/22588/3 "2026-01-28T01:20:06Z")
It has always worked this way. “At low health” and “at low focus” builds rely on this to function. ---
**Author:** ![balrogslayer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@balrogslayer](https://forum.norestforthewicked.com/u/balrogslayer)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2026, 6:07pm UTC](https://forum.norestforthewicked.com/t/max-focus-health-reduction-should-reduce-the-actual-max-not-capping/22588/4 "2026-01-28T18:07:53Z")
In that case the wording shouldn’t be that it lowers max health or fp, but that it reserves health or fp. ---
**Author:** ![Lombix\_4](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex003/user_avatar/forum.norestforthewicked.com/lombix_4/32/9402_2.png) [@Lombix\_4](https://forum.norestforthewicked.com/u/Lombix_4)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2026, 7:56pm UTC](https://forum.norestforthewicked.com/t/max-focus-health-reduction-should-reduce-the-actual-max-not-capping/22588/5 "2026-01-28T19:56:04Z")
I agree with you, but it’s also true that the UI isn’t clear at all. The part of the health/focus that is “locked” should be indicated somehow. For example like this: ![image](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex003/uploads/wickedforum/original/2X/f/fc649ce1a3f71f5e706b4de31d753f6b10c63dca.jpeg) Instead of being like this: ![image](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex003/uploads/wickedforum/original/2X/b/b881cb4e3a017e831f628347be52a038f4190c6f.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![balrogslayer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@balrogslayer](https://forum.norestforthewicked.com/u/balrogslayer)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2026, 9:41pm UTC](https://forum.norestforthewicked.com/t/max-focus-health-reduction-should-reduce-the-actual-max-not-capping/22588/6 "2026-01-28T21:41:29Z")
I agree. If it’s meant to be a “reserve life/fp” then that part should look different than “missing life” “Missing” ≠ “Reserved” ---
**Author:** ![Dat\_Le](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex003/user_avatar/forum.norestforthewicked.com/dat_le/32/13000_2.png) [@Dat\_Le](https://forum.norestforthewicked.com/u/Dat_Le)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2026, 1:03am UTC](https://forum.norestforthewicked.com/t/max-focus-health-reduction-should-reduce-the-actual-max-not-capping/22588/7 "2026-01-29T01:03:41Z")
I still believe max health/focus reduction should reduce the actual max, not reserve. If they intend for it to not work that way, then the wording should definitely change, and makes it so that gems that relies on full health/focus still work. You may argue that that’s how low health builds are based on, precisely because this debuff is wrongly implemented. Keeping your health low should be a constant effort, making you think twice about life steal. But this debuff makes this process effortless, and you can still lifesteal because your health is capped at always a low percent. ---
**Author:** ![WhatCode](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex003/user_avatar/forum.norestforthewicked.com/whatcode/32/12500_2.png) [@WhatCode](https://forum.norestforthewicked.com/u/WhatCode)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2026, 1:22am UTC](https://forum.norestforthewicked.com/t/max-focus-health-reduction-should-reduce-the-actual-max-not-capping/22588/8 "2026-01-29T01:22:54Z")
If they intend for it to work the way it is, it makes it so that gems that rely on low health/focus still work. You may argue that the wording should change or that its effortless, precisiely because low health builds work so well as currently implimented. Not having the wrong enchantments should be a constant effort, making you think twice which ones you choose. You can just flip the coin here… 🙃 ---
**Author:** ![Dat\_Le](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex003/user_avatar/forum.norestforthewicked.com/dat_le/32/13000_2.png) [@Dat\_Le](https://forum.norestforthewicked.com/u/Dat_Le)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2026, 2:12am UTC](https://forum.norestforthewicked.com/t/max-focus-health-reduction-should-reduce-the-actual-max-not-capping/22588/9 "2026-01-29T02:12:28Z")
I do get your point, but if we look at other games, reducing max something straight up reduces the max health. If the debuff caps the health, it should explicitly say “Maximum recoverable health reduced to 80%.” So players clearly understand: “Oh, these gems that require my health/focus to be full won’t work because of this debuff!” At least the wording is confusing and should be changed. ---
**Author:** ![PepeSigaro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ebca7d/32.png) [@PepeSigaro](https://forum.norestforthewicked.com/u/PepeSigaro)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2026, 12:33pm UTC](https://forum.norestforthewicked.com/t/max-focus-health-reduction-should-reduce-the-actual-max-not-capping/22588/10 "2026-03-01T12:33:36Z")
I do got the same issue. Mine is capped at 120/208. I take all my gear off, and the cap is still visible. Is this a bug or a curse in-game? It’s started when I was respeccing my build. ---
**Author:** ![Silas-Inservio-Pax](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex003/user_avatar/forum.norestforthewicked.com/silas-inservio-pax/32/10458_2.png) [@Silas-Inservio-Pax](https://forum.norestforthewicked.com/u/Silas-Inservio-Pax)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2026, 4:36am UTC](https://forum.norestforthewicked.com/t/max-focus-health-reduction-should-reduce-the-actual-max-not-capping/22588/11 "2026-03-02T04:36:50Z")
Can you show this with a screenshot please? Silas ---
**Author:** ![PepeSigaro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ebca7d/32.png) [@PepeSigaro](https://forum.norestforthewicked.com/u/PepeSigaro)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2026, 6:15am UTC](https://forum.norestforthewicked.com/t/max-focus-health-reduction-should-reduce-the-actual-max-not-capping/22588/12 "2026-03-02T06:15:01Z")
Actually I had 2 cursed items (reduced focus % both). But when I took my gear off, it didn’t start recovering sooner as expected and tested this too quick. So everything is good. Sorry for the inconvenience. ---
**Author:** ![lspw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f08c70/32.png) [@lspw](https://forum.norestforthewicked.com/u/lspw)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2026, 11:57pm UTC](https://forum.norestforthewicked.com/t/max-focus-health-reduction-should-reduce-the-actual-max-not-capping/22588/13 "2026-03-03T23:57:28Z")
Yes but due to how the max health/focus reduction has been implemented those two builds are too easy to implement and, right now, are extremely overpowered. For instance: I play a ice mage build that works at full focus and consumes health to cast runes. I had to sacrifice a bit of armor penetration/critical damage to make space for health regen/healing enchantments and when I’m doing pestilence I have to be on my toes due to the “Lose 10 focus on damage taken” curse. I had fun planning and building it, it works wonders and I’m really satisfied, but it has some things that I have to be wary of to make it work (and I think it helps to keep it interesting). If you play a low health build you literally don’t have any downside at all. You can always get the most powerful enchantment bonus in the game without any inconvenience, you can spam lifesteal without worrying about losing the bonus, and it is synergic with many powerful crucible echoes which trigger on the same condition. I think that this is just bad design: having the strongest enchantment bonus in the whole game should come with a catch in my opinion.