Buff

Buff is a Super Power in Saints Row IV.

Add power to your every movement and set fire to everything in your way!

— Buff website description^[1]

Overview[]

The Buff Super Power engulfs Playa in an elemental aura which inflicts damage on nearby targets. It is the fourth and final offensive Power gained in the game.^[2] Additional elements are unlocked through Side Quests for Ben King.

The active Buff applies to any melee or firearm attack, allowing weapons to take down the Warden's shield. It also extends to the Kneecappers on a vehicle, but not collisions.

With the Team Player Powers upgrade, Homies and nearby generic Saints gain buffs in addition to Playa, and the Passive Aggressive Unlockable gives a chance to apply the currently selected Buff Power even when not activated.

Elements[]

Element	Description	Way to unlock
Fire	Causes nearby targets to catch on fire, which can cause them to panic while taking fire damage. Homies become immune to fire attacks.	A Game of Clones
Lightning	Causes nearby targets to be electrocuted, causing electrical damage while being able to arc to other targets. Homies have a chance of firing electrically charged ammunition.	"The Climax" Side Quest
Freeze	Causes nearby targets to be frozen in place and causes nearby vehicles to be disabled, both land and aircraft. Homies have a chance of firing freeze ammunition.	"Ghost Writing" Side Quest
Explosion	Causes nearby targets to ignite and explode within a short period of time. Homies have a chance of firing explosive ammunition.	Element of Destruction Pack
Bling	Causes nearby targets to turn into solid gold, which causes them to drop a higher amount of cache when killed, and attracts all dropped cache to Playa, providing a valuable source of cache farming.	Bling Bling Pack
Life Steal	The Life Steal element is included in the game files, but is not available in-game.	N/A

Unlockables[]

Name	Requirement	Description
Buff	Progression ^{[Reference needed]}	You can now charge your body and weapons with energy! Use {SUPER_QUICK_SHIELD_IMG} to quick-switch to Buff.
Element - Fire	^{[Reference needed]}	Envelop yourself and your bullets in a lethal firewall! The Fire Element envelops your body and your bullets in a lethal firewall! Your homies can help you find more Buff Elements!
Element - Freeze	^{[Reference needed]}	Lower the temperature around you and your bullets to absolute zero to freeze your enemies and deal extra damage. Double tap the Buff button to quick-switch between Buff Elements. Or switch Elements in the Powers menu.
Element - Lightning	^{[Reference needed]}	Charge your bullets and the air around you with electricity. Lightning arcs between enemies for additional damage! Double tap Buff to quick-switch between Buff Elements. Or switch Elements in the Powers menu.
Element - Life Steal	Challenges ^{[Reference needed]}	Create a vacuum around you and your bullets that drains the life force out of nearby enemies and adds it to your own! Double tap Buff to quick-switch between Buff Elements. Or switch Elements in the Powers menu.
Passive Aggressive	Challenges Super Powered Fight Club Gold Medals	Simply having Buff equipped gives a chance for the elemental damage to be applied to an attack.
Recharge 4	^{[Reference needed]}	Buff no longer uses Energy. No Buff recharge

Upgrades[]

Name	Clusters	Description
Area	15	Increases the size of the area that Buff affects. 133% Buff_Radius
Duration	15	Increases how long Buff remains active. Buff_duration x1.5
Recharge	10	Buff Energy recharges faster. 80% Buff_recharge
Recharge 2	20	Buff Energy recharges even faster. 65% Buff_recharge
Recharge 3	30	Buff Energy recharges very quickly. 55% Buff recharge
Speed Demon	15	Increases walking speed while Buff is active. 200% Buff_walk_speed
Team Player	15	BUFF_FIRE: Nearby homies become immune to fire while the buff is active. BLAST_FREEZE: Nearby homies have a chance of firing freeze bullets. BUFF_LIGHTNING: Nearby homies have a chance of firing lightning bullets.