Potency is power, might and prowess in battle. It is a single number that sums up your various cahracter's skills and abilities and determines their overall power. Monsters and NPCs don't have potency. Only player characters have potency.

In a duel to the death, the character with higher potency wins nine out of ten times. It is a very reliable measure of your battle worthiness.

Calculating Potency: The potency is calculated on the basis of six factors.

1. Character level: 1 Level = 1 Potency.
2. Rebirth: 1st Rebirth = 5 potency. 2nd Rebirth 10 potency.
3. Sockets: Each Socket = 1 Potency.
4. Item Quality: Refined = 1, Unique = 2, Elite = 3, Super = 4.
5. Super Gems: Each Super Gem = 1 potency.
6. +X Items: Every "+" of an item = 1 potency.

See the following example for details:

Note: Characters who equip two-handed weapons, long weapons, bows or backswords (which are one-handed) will gain double potency points from that weapon. However, your left-hand's potency will not be included in your total potency.