What Is DPS?
DPS — Damage Per Second — is a fundamental metric in nearly every action, RPG, shooter, and strategy game. It measures how much damage a character, weapon, or build delivers over one second of sustained combat. It sounds simple, but the reality is far more nuanced.
Understanding DPS properly can change how you evaluate gear, choose weapons, and build characters — especially in games with complex stat systems.
The Basic DPS Formula
At its simplest, DPS is calculated as:
DPS = Damage per Hit × Attacks per Second
For example, a weapon that deals 150 damage per hit and fires 3 times per second has a DPS of 450.
But most games layer additional modifiers on top of this baseline:
- Critical hit chance and multiplier: A 20% crit chance with a 2× multiplier raises effective DPS by 20%.
- Damage type resistance/vulnerability: If an enemy has 25% fire resistance, your fire DPS is effectively reduced by 25% against that target.
- Armour penetration: Reduces the amount of damage absorbed by the target's defences.
- On-hit effects: Poison, burn, or bleed effects add DPS that doesn't show in the base weapon stat.
Effective DPS vs. Tooltip DPS
The DPS shown in a weapon's tooltip is almost always theoretical maximum DPS — meaning it assumes 100% uptime, perfect positioning, and no downtime between attacks. In practice, effective DPS is lower because:
- You spend time moving, dodging, or reloading.
- Some attacks miss or are blocked.
- Ability animations introduce gaps between damage events.
- Boss immunity phases or invincibility frames pause damage entirely.
A weapon with lower tooltip DPS but faster attack speed may deliver higher real-world DPS because it's more consistent and easier to maintain uptime with.
Burst Damage vs. Sustained DPS
Not all damage is equal. Competitive games distinguish between:
| Type | Description | Best Against |
|---|---|---|
| Burst DPS | High damage delivered in a very short window | Low-health targets, squishy enemies, time-limited phases |
| Sustained DPS | Consistent damage output over a long fight | Tanky enemies, long raid encounters, endurance scenarios |
| Proc DPS | Damage from triggered effects (DoTs, on-hit) | Enemies that stand still; less reliable vs. mobile targets |
In a raid or dungeon boss fight, sustained DPS matters most. In PvP or small skirmishes, burst damage often wins because eliminating a target quickly is more valuable than high long-term output.
How to Calculate Your Build's True DPS
- Start with your base damage per hit from your weapon or ability tooltip.
- Add flat damage bonuses from stats (e.g., Strength, Attack Power).
- Multiply by any percentage damage increases (e.g., +15% physical damage).
- Factor in critical strikes: Effective multiplier = 1 + (Crit Chance × (Crit Multiplier − 1)).
- Multiply the result by your attacks per second.
- Add any separate damage over time contributions per second.
Why DPS Comparisons Can Mislead You
Two builds can have identical DPS numbers but feel completely different to play — and perform completely differently in practice. Always consider:
- Range: Melee DPS requires you to stay close, which introduces survivability trade-offs.
- AoE vs. single target: A build with high AoE DPS excels in mob clearing but underperforms on bosses.
- Ramp-up time: Some builds need several seconds to reach peak DPS — a liability in short fights.
DPS is an essential metric, but treat it as one data point in a broader picture — not the only number that matters.