Damage formula
How the game builds a hero's hit, step by step, and how damage taken is cut by Dodge, Armor, Magic Resist and the Damage Reductions. Armor and Magic Resist cut R / (R + 50 x the attacker's level).
Damage
| Step | What the game does |
|---|---|
| Base | (the weapon's damage + Damage) x the ability's weapon damage, + the ability's flat damage, x (1 + the primary attribute / 100), rounded down |
| Element | x (1 + the element's Damage + Bonus All Damage), rounded down |
| Critical hit | on a roll under Critical Hit Chance (at most 85%): x (1 + Critical Hit Damage x (1 - the target's Critical Damage Reduction)); heroes start at 5% and 150% |
| Spread | x a random number from 0.9 to 1.1 |
| Damage vs | x (1 + the sum of the Damage vs bonuses that count) |
| Attack type | x (1 + Basic Attack, Strong Attack or Special Ability Bonus Damage, by the ability's tag) |
| Result | rounded down |
Talents can add to the critical hit chance, the critical hit damage and the attack type bonus. Damage-over-time ticks get no spread and no attack type bonus.
| Step | What the game does |
|---|---|
| Dodge | a direct hit is dodged on a roll under Dodge Chance (at most 85%) |
| Vulnerable | a Vulnerable target takes x 1.3 |
| Armor and Magic Resist | x (1 - R / (R + 50 x the attacker's level)); R is Armor against Physical damage and Magic Resist against Fire, Cold, Lightning, Poison and Arcane damage |
| Reductions | x (1 - the element's Damage Reduction) x (1 - Damage Reduction), each up to 100% |
| Result | rounded down, at least 1, then shields absorb it |
Enemies have no Armor, Magic Resist or Damage Reduction unless a status gives some. The character panel's "Currently cutting" figure uses the hero's own level: 300 Armor cuts 23.1% at level 20 and 7.9% at level 70.
Next to the gear, M = 1 / ((1 - Dodge Chance) x (1 - 0.5 x (Armor cut + Magic Resist cut))), with both cuts at the hero's level. Toughness = Max Health x M; Recovery = (Life Regeneration + attacks per second x Life on Hit + 0.25 x Life on Kill) x M, both rounded down. They leave out Damage Reduction, the element reductions and Critical Damage Reduction.