How To Compare Damage Builds Without Guessing at DPS
Why Raw Damage Alone Is Not Enough
A larger hit does not always mean a stronger build. DPS depends on how hard you hit, how often you attack, and how much of that output is being amplified by critical strikes.
How To Use This Calculator
Enter the non-critical base damage of the attack or build you want to model.
Enter critical-strike chance as a percentage and attacks per second as a rate.
Choose one of the preset crit multipliers or enter a custom multiplier if your game or build uses a different value.
Review average hit damage, total DPS, and the critical-versus-non-critical hit rates together before deciding which stat change looks best.
How the DPS Math Works
Average hit damage = base damage x ((1 - crit chance) + crit chance x crit multiplier); DPS = average hit damage x attacks per second
The calculator blends critical and non-critical damage into one expected average hit, then multiplies that by attack frequency. That means a DPS increase can come from larger base damage, more attacks per second, more crit chance, or a stronger crit multiplier.
Crit chance is effectively capped inside the calculation so invalid values do not push past 100%. The custom multiplier also needs to stay sensible because a multiplier below 1x would stop matching the meaning of a critical hit.
Useful Build Comparisons
Weapon upgrade vs attack-speed upgrade
If one item raises base damage and another raises attack speed, the calculator shows which one delivers more final throughput instead of leaving the answer to intuition.
Crit-focused build planning
When a build offers several ways to improve critical performance, the calculator helps compare whether more crit chance or a stronger multiplier is doing more work.
Buff or cooldown windows
You can model a buffed state separately by increasing damage, crit chance, or attack speed inputs to see how much burst throughput changes during temporary windows.
How To Read the Result
The DPS value is the main comparison number, but average hit damage explains how that output is being produced. Two setups can post similar DPS while feeling very different in play if one relies on faster, smaller hits and the other relies on slower, larger crit spikes.
Critical and non-critical hits per second also help with interpretation because they show whether the build is relying on frequent crits or mainly on stable baseline damage. That can matter when comparing consistency, proc behavior, or rotation feel in a specific game.
Theorycrafting Tips
Use actual in-game sheet values when possible instead of rounded memory values
Compare one stat change at a time so the source of the DPS gain stays clear
Model burst and sustained states separately if the build depends on cooldown windows
Remember that real encounter DPS can still differ because of downtime, mechanics, or missed uptime
Use the result as a comparison tool, not as proof of real-fight performance on its own
Frequently Asked Questions
The calculator first estimates average hit damage from base damage, crit chance, and crit multiplier, then multiplies that by attacks per second to get DPS.
Because DPS depends on both damage per hit and how many hits happen each second. A smaller hit can still win if it happens often enough.
Yes. The calculator includes several preset multipliers and also allows a custom multiplier when your game or build uses something different.
Because the calculator models idealized average throughput. Real encounters include movement, downtime, target switching, execution errors, and game-specific mechanics that reduce actual output.
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