Potency

Potency is the stat that controls debuff application. Each debuffing ability has a base chance to land (e.g. "deal damage with a 60% chance to Stun"). The actual landing roll is calculated as: ability base chance + attacker Potency − target Tenacity. If the resulting probability is above the random roll, the debuff sticks. If not, the ability "Resisted."

Potency comes from mods (Potency primary on Cross slot, Potency secondaries on any slot), kit base values (some characters have high innate Potency like Darth Traya), and lead Zetas (several leaders grant Potency bonuses to their entire squad). Stacking Potency to 100%+ is common for dedicated debuff appliers because most enemy tanks have 35-60% Tenacity.

Strategic notes: Potency over 100% lets you overcome enemy Tenacity built-in counters. Some abilities have "this attack cannot be Resisted" wording in modern kits, bypassing the Potency vs Tenacity roll entirely — those abilities define their kit. Most attackers don't need high Potency unless their primary win condition involves debuffs.

Iconic high-Potency characters include Darth Traya (whose Isolate debuff defines her kit), Asajj Ventress (anti-Jedi debuffs), and Count Dooku (Stun on basic, Speed Down on special). Equipping these characters with a 2× Potency mod set + Potency primary on Cross is often the difference between a clean win and resisted debuffs.