Enter the average damage dealt by a single attack or ability.
Any additional flat damage added per hit (e.g., from enchantments or buffs).
Percentage increase to total damage (e.g., 20 for 20% increased damage).
Rate at which attacks are delivered. Choose units appropriately.
The probability of dealing a critical hit (0-100%).
How much more damage critical hits deal (e.g., 1.5 for 150% damage).
Calculation Results
0.00 DPS
Effective Base Damage per Hit:0.00
Average Damage per Hit (with Crit):0.00
Total Damage Multiplier Applied:1.00x
Your DPS is derived by multiplying your average damage per hit (considering all bonuses and critical hits) by your attack speed.
DPS Scaling with Attack Speed
This chart illustrates how DPS (Damage Per Second) scales with increasing Attack Speed, showing both base DPS and DPS adjusted for critical hits.
DPS vs. Critical Hit Chance
DPS values at various Critical Hit Chance percentages, assuming other inputs remain constant.
Crit Chance (%)
DPS (No Crit)
DPS (With Crit)
What is Calculating DPS?
Calculating DPS, or Damage Per Second, is a fundamental metric used primarily in video games, especially role-playing games (RPGs), massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs), and action games. It quantifies the average amount of damage a character or weapon can inflict over a single second. Understanding your DPS is crucial for evaluating character builds, comparing gear, optimizing rotations, and assessing overall combat effectiveness.
This calculator is designed for gamers, game developers, and theorycrafters who want to precisely determine their damage output. It helps in making informed decisions about stats, abilities, and equipment choices.
Common Misunderstandings about DPS:
Ignoring Critical Hits: Many players might only consider base damage, overlooking the significant impact of critical hit chance and critical hit damage multipliers.
Inconsistent Attack Speed Units: Confusing "attacks per second" with "seconds per attack" can lead to wildly inaccurate calculations. Our DPS calculator addresses this with a unit switcher.
Overlooking Flat Bonuses and Multipliers: Small flat damage additions or percentage damage increases can accumulate to a substantial DPS boost.
Assuming Constant Uptime: While this calculator focuses on sustained damage, actual in-game DPS can be affected by ability cooldowns, movement, and target availability.
The Calculating DPS Formula and Explanation
The core formula for calculating DPS integrates several key factors to provide a comprehensive measure of damage output. It considers your base damage, any flat bonuses, percentage multipliers, and the crucial impact of critical hits, all normalized by your attack speed.
The factor by which critical hits increase damage.
x (multiplier)
1.0 - 5.0x
Practical Examples of Calculating DPS
To illustrate how to effectively use the calculating DPS tool, let's walk through a couple of realistic scenarios. These examples will demonstrate the impact of different stats on your overall damage output.
Example 1: Basic Character with No Crit
Base Damage per Hit: 150 points
Flat Bonus Damage: 10 points
Total Damage Multiplier (%): 0%
Attack Speed: 1.2 attacks per second
Critical Hit Chance (%): 0%
Critical Hit Damage Multiplier (x): 1.5x (though irrelevant here)
Calculation: Effective Base Damage = 150 + 10 = 160
Total Damage Multiplier Applied = 1 + (0/100) = 1x
Average Damage per Hit (no crit) = 160 * 1 = 160
DPS = 160 * 1.2 = 192.00 DPS
This simple scenario shows a straightforward damage calculation without the complexities of critical hits.
Example 2: Advanced Character with Crit and Bonuses
Base Damage per Hit: 250 points
Flat Bonus Damage: 25 points
Total Damage Multiplier (%): 15%
Attack Speed: 0.8 seconds per attack (which is 1.25 attacks per second)
Critical Hit Chance (%): 40%
Critical Hit Damage Multiplier (x): 2.0x
Calculation: Effective Base Damage = 250 + 25 = 275
Total Damage Multiplier Applied = 1 + (15/100) = 1.15x
Damage After Multiplier = 275 * 1.15 = 316.25
Crit Damage per Hit = 316.25 * 2.0 = 632.50
Average Damage per Hit (with crit) = (316.25 * (1 - 0.40)) + (632.50 * 0.40) = (316.25 * 0.6) + (632.50 * 0.4) = 189.75 + 253.00 = 442.75
Attacks Per Second = 1 / 0.8 = 1.25
DPS = 442.75 * 1.25 = 553.44 DPS
This example highlights how critical hits and percentage multipliers significantly boost your final damage per second. Using the unit switcher for attack speed, you can easily input "0.8 seconds per attack" and the calculator will handle the conversion.
How to Use This Calculating DPS Calculator
Our calculating DPS tool is designed for ease of use and accuracy. Follow these steps to get precise results for your character or weapon.
Input Base Damage per Hit: Enter the fundamental damage value of your attack or ability. This is often found in skill descriptions or weapon stats.
Add Flat Bonus Damage: Include any flat damage bonuses from equipment, enchantments, or temporary buffs.
Enter Total Damage Multiplier (%): Input any percentage increases to your overall damage. For example, if you have a 20% damage increase, enter '20'.
Select and Input Attack Speed: This is a critical step for accurate DPS calculations.
Choose "Attacks per Second" if your stat is given as a rate (e.g., 2.5 attacks/second).
Choose "Seconds per Attack" if your stat is given as the time between attacks (e.g., 0.8 seconds/attack). The calculator will automatically convert this for you.
Input Critical Hit Chance (%): Enter your character's critical hit probability as a percentage (e.g., 35 for 35%).
Input Critical Hit Damage Multiplier (x): Enter the multiplier applied to critical hits (e.g., 1.5 for 150% damage).
Click "Calculate DPS": The results will instantly update, showing your primary DPS, intermediate values, and dynamic charts/tables.
Interpret Results: The "Primary Result" shows your final DPS. Review the intermediate values to understand how each component contributes. The chart and table provide visual insights into scaling.
Copy Results: Use the "Copy Results" button to easily save your calculation details.
Key Factors That Affect Calculating DPS
When you're focused on calculating DPS, it's important to understand the various elements that contribute to your final damage output. Optimizing these factors is key to maximizing your effectiveness in any game.
Base Damage: This is the foundation. Higher base damage directly translates to higher DPS. It's often tied to weapon quality or ability ranks.
Attack Speed / Rate of Fire: A faster attack speed means more hits in the same amount of time, linearly increasing DPS. This is where the weapon comparison tool can help.
Critical Hit Chance: The probability of landing a critical hit. Increasing this stat makes your damage more consistent and boosts your average damage per hit significantly, especially when combined with a high critical damage multiplier.
Critical Hit Damage Multiplier: How much extra damage a critical hit deals. A high multiplier makes each critical hit devastating. This is a powerful factor when combined with high crit chance.
Flat Bonus Damage: Direct numerical additions to your damage per hit. These are often very potent on fast-attacking characters, as they apply with every hit.
Percentage Damage Multipliers: These are powerful as they scale all your other damage sources (base, flat bonuses, and even crit damage in many systems). They apply to the total damage before the critical hit calculation. Understanding game mechanics explained can clarify how these are applied.
Enemy Resistances/Armor: While not directly an input in this calculator, enemy defenses inversely affect your effective DPS. A character with high "armor penetration" or "magic penetration" effectively deals more damage against resilient foes.
Ability Cooldowns & Resource Management: For many classes, DPS isn't just about auto-attacks. The efficient use of abilities, managing cooldowns, and maintaining resources (mana, energy, etc.) are crucial for sustained high DPS. Our character builder guide can assist with optimizing these.
Frequently Asked Questions about Calculating DPS
Q: What exactly does DPS stand for?
A: DPS stands for Damage Per Second. It's a metric used to quantify the average amount of damage dealt over a one-second interval, primarily in video games.
Q: Why is calculating DPS important?
A: It's vital for optimizing character builds, comparing gear, evaluating skill choices, and understanding your overall combat effectiveness. Higher DPS generally means faster enemy defeat.
Q: How does critical hit chance affect DPS?
A: Critical hit chance directly increases your average damage per hit by making a percentage of your hits deal increased damage (determined by your critical hit damage multiplier). The higher your crit chance, the more frequently these powerful hits occur, boosting your overall damage per second.
Q: What's the difference between "Attacks per Second" and "Seconds per Attack"?
A: "Attacks per Second" (e.g., 2.0) means you attack two times in one second. "Seconds per Attack" (e.g., 0.5) means it takes half a second to complete one attack. They are inverse values. Our calculator allows you to input either for convenience.
Q: Does this calculator account for all in-game mechanics like enemy armor or debuffs?
A: No, this calculator focuses on your character's raw damage output. Factors like enemy armor, resistances, or temporary debuffs applied to enemies are external to your character's direct DPS calculation and would require a more complex combat simulator.
Q: My damage numbers vary. How do I use this calculator?
A: If your damage varies, use the *average* damage per hit as your "Base Damage per Hit" input. For example, if you deal between 90 and 110 damage, input 100.
Q: Is higher DPS always better?
A: Not always. While high DPS is generally desirable, other factors like survivability (health, armor), utility (crowd control, healing), and resource efficiency can be equally or more important depending on the game and situation.
Q: Can I use this calculator for abilities with cooldowns?
A: This calculator is best suited for sustained damage from auto-attacks or frequently used abilities. For abilities with long cooldowns, you would need to calculate their damage contribution over a longer combat duration and factor in their uptime, which goes beyond a simple per-second calculation.
Related Tools and Internal Resources
Explore more tools and guides to further enhance your understanding of game mechanics and character optimization: