DPS (Damage Per Second) Calculator
Effective DPS from hit damage, attack speed, crit chance and crit multiplier — the core combat-balance number.
Effective DPS folds expected crit damage into the average hit, then multiplies by attack speed. This is the number to compare weapons and balance encounters. Note crit chance and crit multiplier are multiplicatively linked — stacking one without the other has diminishing value.
Formula
About DPS (Damage Per Second) Calculator
Damage per second is the single most important number in combat balancing, and the naive 'damage × attack speed' ignores the biggest variable: critical hits. This calculator computes effective DPS by folding expected crit damage into the average hit — damage × (1 + critChance × (critMult − 1)) × attacks per second — so you compare weapons and tune encounters on the value players actually experience over time. It exposes the multiplicative relationship between crit chance and crit multiplier that drives so much itemization design.
How to use DPS (Damage Per Second) Calculator
- 1Enter your values into DPS (Damage Per Second) Calculator — sensible, domain-typical defaults are pre-filled so you see a real result immediately.
- 2The result recomputes live using the formula shown on the page; there is no button to press.
- 3Adjust any input to compare scenarios, then read the worked example to see the substituted numbers.
Why use DPS (Damage Per Second) Calculator?
- ✓Computes DPS (Damage Per Second) instantly in your browser — no sign-up, no upload, no server round-trip.
- ✓100% free and unlimited, with the exact formula shown: effective DPS = damage × (1 + critChance × (critMult − 1)) × attacksPerSecond.
- ✓Runs entirely client-side, so every value you enter stays private on your device.
- ✓Live recompute as you type, with a worked example and authoritative references for trust.
Frequently asked questions
Why include crit in the DPS formula?+
Because over many hits, crits contribute predictable extra damage. Expected damage per hit is base × (1 + critChance × (critMult − 1)): a 25% chance to deal 2× adds 25% average damage. Ignoring crit undervalues high-crit builds and breaks weapon comparisons — effective DPS is the fair basis for balance.
Why do crit chance and crit multiplier feel multiplicative?+
Because they multiply in the bonus term. Stacking crit chance is worthless without multiplier above 1×, and vice versa. The marginal value of more crit chance scales with your crit multiplier, and vice versa — this coupling is why well-designed itemization forces players to invest in both, creating meaningful build choices.
Should I balance around effective DPS or burst?+
Both, for different encounters. Effective (sustained) DPS governs long fights and DoT-heavy designs; burst (the biggest single hit or a few seconds of output) governs PvP kills and execute windows. A weapon with low DPS but huge burst plays completely differently — model both and tune them against your encounter durations.
How does attack speed interact with other stats?+
Attack speed multiplies everything, so it's often the strongest stat — but it also increases resource consumption, on-hit effect frequency and animation-canceling complexity. Many games apply diminishing returns or breakpoints to attack speed precisely because uncapped it dominates the DPS equation shown here.
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