DPS vs Damage - a detailed comparison

[CosmoxKramer]

I don't think there are weapons with .33x (3x a second as in your example) weapon speed, are there? Maybe the example is a bit extreme but I get what you're saying. This mechanic would indeed explain why high DPS weapons are more effective as compared to PL.

But that's if you auto-attack (or however it's called here). I got hardly any dead spots in my skill rotation so I don't really get a chance to use the attack button a lot. And then there's that generally terrible weapon range, especially with those lv25 high DPS/rods.

Anyway, thanks for clarifying. Learning something new everyday

actually you can really maximize your dps by AA just before skill attacks. There doesn't seem to be any GCD (global cool-down) when you do a AA, but there is about a .5s GCD after each sorcerer spell. So, max dps is AA immediately followed by skill, AA skill, etc.

[drgrimmy]

I don't think there are weapons with .33x (3x a second as in your example) weapon speed, are there? Maybe the example is a bit extreme but I get what you're saying. This mechanic would indeed explain why high DPS weapons are more effective as compared to PL.

But that's if you auto-attack (or however it's called here). I got hardly any dead spots in my skill rotation so I don't really get a chance to use the attack button a lot. And then there's that generally terrible weapon range, especially with those lv25 high DPS/rods.

Anyway, thanks for clarifying. Learning something new everyday

Yeah, I don't think there are any weapons that attack 3x/sec. Just a gross simplification for illustrating a point

I agree with you, with a 4 damage skill build and charging all of you skills i hardly find a dead spot to get in quick "auto-attacks." Furthermore, when fighting a boss I feel that the occasional push back of the rifles from the "auto-attack" is somewhat counterproductive to the team, especially if it moves the boss out of a good postion. I therefor also prefer a high damage and not a high dps build. Although, before the days of the rifles, for boss fighting I usually found it best not to charge skills (as the charging only slightly increases damage and is more for mob control effects), to spam all of the skills immediately after a buff from your pet, and to spam the flamestrike rod between the uncharged skills.

[Energizeric]

Jay: First things first, I still like shanks better than bow!! haha

As Drgrimmy mentioned, armor works different in AL than in PL. I can't find the thread, but it was explained by a developer a while ago. Basically armor deducts a percentage of the hit rather than a flat amount. So unlike in PL, two hits of 200 dmg each is the same as one hit of 400 dmg. The percentage deduction depends on your level, your opponents level, and how much armor you have.

But you are correct that neither has much to do with skill damage, and as a mage you are clearly better off with high dmg than high dps. The only exception to this I have noticed is if you are farming mobs and don't want to spend much on mana pots then you can do just fine with high dps weapon (like a clever flamestrike rod) by spamming the attack, non-charged.

A lot of this also depends on your build. If you have 4 offensive skills like you do in your build, then of course you don't need to ever use the regular non-skill attack as you will always have another skill to go to. But for some who may have PvP builds with only 2 offensive skills (maybe they have shield & heal as their other 2 skills), then they are going to have time waiting for those skills to cool down, and they may be better off with the high dps weapon that they can spam attack at those times.

[ZigZag]

well written I was looking for BIS items, and now I have found them!

[Myodda]

thanx for insight

[Foocough]

blep

[Melodicdeath]

Good review. You should take note of one important point, armor and damage reduction works differently in al than in pl. Although I still agree with going with a higher damage build, the mechanics in al makes dps not as useless a stat as in pl. In al damage inflicted is a factor of your damage times a percentage damage reduction based on your enemies armor. It is not damage minus armor like it is in pl. You can see how this distinction makes a huge difference...

In PL: say you have two weapons with 300 dps, one a high dps weapon with 100 damage and the second a high damage weapon with 300 damage. Throw in the mix an enemy with 75 armor. With the high dps weapon in one second you will only do (100-75)x3=75 damage. With the high damage weapon in one second you will do 300-75=225 damage. Here you can clearly see that a high dps weapon is not as effective as a high damage weapon against an enemy with high armor.

In AL: say you have two weapons with 300 dps, one a high dps weapon with 100 damage and the second a high damage weapon with 300 damage. Throw in the mix an enemy with 75 armor, which for the sake of this argument (since the numbers are not really known) yeilds 50% damage reduction. With the high dps weapon in one second you will do (100x0.50)x3=150 damage. With the high damage weapon in one second you will do 300x0.50=150 damage. So disregarding skill damage (which is a huge deal with mages and mob clearing), the same amount of damage is done to a single enemy over time with a high dps versus a high damage weapon with the same dps.

Again, needless to say I would always choose a high damage weapon over a high dps weapon as I focus my build to clearing mobs and charging aoe skills. I just wanted to clarify the armor and damage reduction side of things, as this makes dps not as useless a stat in al as it is in pl.

Back in the day I was all about dps..now, upon returning to AL after a year, I'm finding myself leaning more toward damage after a week of playing and experimenting.

[Mehmet Tuncay]

Mersinmehmet

Back in the day I was all about dps..now, upon returning to AL after a year, I'm finding myself leaning more toward damage after a week of playing and experimenting.

Mersinmehmet

[JaytB]

Oops, wrong thread O.o

<--- forum noob

[CosmoxKramer]

I posted the calculator in my signature. It's shared in google docs

I haven't tested crit damage since the KI patch. Too busy leveling when I can vs testing so far. Colton's arcane ability says it lasts 6s. Robots 40% crit buff is only 3s, but Colton gives 15% crit to the party instead of 1 person. So the 15% shoul last 60-75% of cool down.

[CosmoxKramer]

Hey Jay, i fixed the value with Colton and removed the 7% crit from Clyde. it dropped the total DPS by 9.

[Fran Mac]

ok, if this is true and i believe it is why magmatic totem for sorcerer is more expensive than rifles? rifles have more damage and totem has a lot more dps... thx in advance

[CosmoxKramer]

from what i found at lvl21 max with my spreadsheet DO NOT charge anything on a boss. timeshift wants you to think it's good, but a charge takes 1s + .5s GCD, because of that you could get in 1 more AA in during that lost 1s and you get like 11 damage dot for ~8ish seconds.

i do the same, but i start with a charged Time to start. I found that the +3s duration on frost make the dot go on each cast, charged or not
the thing that works better when charging is the aoe on impact, causing frost/slow to multiple mobs. after the initial TS charge, i just AA then skill, without charging anything.

[Aintgerman]

Nice guide man!

[JaytB]

Thanks for the positive reactions and knowledge shared. I'm happy I made the thread, you guys helped me understand the AL mechanics a lot better!

I'll react on the individual comments tomorrow (getting real late over here). I just wanted to share my final build. I did like someone suggested in this thread and got the 'of brutality' ring and amulet. I loose about 30 armor, but gain well over 300 Health points and about 2-3 skill dmg (344 max dmg for fire ball, 527 max lightning).

I haven't tested it yet, but I guess survivability is a bit better with 300 more HP as compared to 30 armor?

Anyway, here's a screen shot...

[CosmoxKramer]

Pimp damage still

[Noblesse]

Nice guide!

[Valsacar]

Your build is basically the way I was going, but I sacrificed a little health for crit. I've found at 15% crit you get them often enough to really see a difference (right now at 17.13), so that's my goal. Right now just missing the ring and amulet (ring for sure, amulet I'll want to test).

[Valsacar]

I think I got mine done the way I wanted it, 400 less health (about 1 hit, or less, in elite KI) but 5% more crit.

[JaytB]

I think I got mine done the way I wanted it, 400 less health (about 1 hit, or less, in elite KI) but 5% more crit.

Could you possibly post a screenshot of your stats and what pet you have equipped with it? I been playing with the idea of a crit mage for a while now, I'd be very interested to see the stats on a maxed crit mage