Damage

• There won't be any damage dampening due to differences in levels in either PvP or PvE.

• Damage numbers will not be so large as to be meaningless.

We don't see the need to have these enormous numbers that are really start to lose meaning. That seems to be an innate design issue with other games as they try to balance the damage output in PvP and in PvE; but our design system allows for a more manageable damage protocol for PvE and PvP to be shared; and those damage protocols relate more to lower numbers. – Steven Sharif

• Augments can change damage types and values.

• Death by fall damage is possible.
  • Fall damage that occurs while mounted will be first applied to the mount; and if the mount dies as a result, then the remaining damage may overflow onto the player, but this will be determined based on testing.

• Receiving damage can cause casters to fail concentration checks, which does not interrupt the spell, but can result in increased casting time.

Damage abilities

This section contains potentially outdated information from Alpha-1 testing.

Skill	Icon	Origin	Description
Air Strike		Ranger	Leap a great distance forward and into the air while firing three projectiles in a line along the path, each dealing area damage and rooting targets hit for 3 seconds. Rotation control is enabled during cast. The root effect is nature based.
Arcane Volley		Mage	Fires a volley of arcane missiles at your target, dealing arcane damage with each hit.
Ball Lightning		Mage	Creates a large ball of highly charged electricity that travels slowly forward, dealing rapid periodic lightning damage to enemies it overlaps with and applying 1 Electrified stack to targets with each hit.
Barrage		Ranger	Fires a continual barrage of arrows at your target for 1.5 seconds, dealing 12% physical damage per arrow.
Battle Cry		Fighter	Unleash a resounding war bellow, applying the Riled effect to the caster and all nearby party members and Shaken to all nearby enemies. Gain 5 Combat Momentum for each target that was Riled. Riled targets have increased stability and have increased chance of tripping Shaken enemies.
Bear Trap		Ranger	Spawn a Trap at the target location, which arms after 1 second. When an enemy triggers the Trap, they take damage and become Rooted for 2 seconds.
Blitz		Fighter	Charge directly toward target enemy, dealing Physical damage to the target on arrival.
Blizzard		Mage	Channel a massive blizzard around you, raining a barrage of hail shards upon your enemies while channeling. Each shard impact deals ice damage in a small area around it. All enemies in the blizzard also acquire 1 stack of Chilled periodically. Activate the ability again to end the channel early.
Blood Fusion		Fighter	Return 100% of damage dealt as health and 50% of damage dealt as mana over the next 6 seconds. If activated while below 50% health, gain 25% increased damage mitigation and healing received over the duration.
Brutal Cleave		Fighter	Perform a wide sweeping attack, dealing damage to all enemies in front of you. This ability shares a cooldown with Overpower, and hitting an enemy with a weapon combo finisher reduces its cooldown by 8 seconds. +10-20 Combat Momentum (based on number of targets hit)
Bulwark		Tank	Bash enemies in front of you twice. The second attack temporarily increases block chance. You must have a shield equipped to block.
Call of the Wild		Ranger	Remove all movement impairing effects and increase movement speed by 20% for 8 seconds. Snares and Roots effects applied to the caster are ignored.
Castigation		Cleric	Lashes your target with holy energy whip, dealing direct damage and restoring health and mana to yourself over time.
Cataclysm		Fighter	Deal heavy damage and apply Shaken to all enemies in a large area in front you. Shaken enemies have a 5% chance to Trip when hit, and the effect is removed when triggered. This chance doubles when hit by Riled targets.
Chains of Restraint		Cleric	Call forth spectral chains in a target area that stagger enemies within or stun enemies already under the staggered effect, then leave behind an area that deals radiant damage each second over 8 seconds.
Climactic Whirlwind		Fighter	Perform a final swing in an area in front of you after ending Whirlwind's channel, dealing heavy damage and generating 5-10 Combat Momentum based on number of targets hit.
Concentrated Scatter Shot		Ranger	Scatter Shot becomes a held ability. After being fully charged, you instead fire a single projectile in a forward line that pierces through enemies and deals significantly increased damage. 30m range.
Cone of Cold		Mage	Blasts a cone of cold in front of the caster, dealing ice damage and applying 1 stack of Chilled to each enemy hit.
Consecrating Wave		Cleric	Send forth a cone of radiance that deals radiant damage to all enemies while healing the ten nearest allies.
Crippling Blow		Fighter	Deal Physical damage and apply Snare to target enemy for 6 seconds.
Disengage		Ranger	Delivers a quick kick backflipping in the opposite direction. Enemies hit are Snared for 4 seconds.
Divine Censure		Cleric	Hurls a radiant spear at the target, dealing damage.
Ensnaring Vine Field		Ranger	Enemies are Snared while within Vine Field's area of effect.
Exert		Fighter	Consume your Combat Momentum rapidly, gaining 20% increased attack and movement speed and immunity to disabling effects while active. Must have at least 20 Combat Momentum to activate, and the effect ends when all Combat Momentum is fully depleted.
Expeditious Barrage		Ranger	Reduce Barrage's movement penalty while channeled.
Extended Duration I		Greatsword	Extends the duration of the Second Strike and Perfect Timing proc effects by 2.5 seconds.
Extended Duration II		Greatsword	Extends the duration of the Second Strike and Perfect Timing proc effects by 2.5 seconds.
Extended Duration III		Greatsword	Extends the duration of the Second Strike and Perfect Timing proc effects by 2.5 seconds.
Extra Stacks I		Greatsword	Second Strike and Perfect Timing now stack up to 2 times.
Fireball		Mage	Instantly hurl a ball of fire toward your target, dealing fire damage and applying 1 stack of Burning to target on impact. Burning deals periodic fire damage over time for each stack applied. When the target reaches 5 stacks, they become Conflagrated, dealing extreme fire damage over time. Hitting a conflagrating enemy with a lightning spell causes Fusion, dealing significant damage and removing the Conflagrated effect.
Fissure		Mage	Call forth a line of jagged earth spikes in front of the[sic] you, dealing earth damage and applying 10 stacks of Stagger to each enemy hit along its path while launching them upwards.
Form Of Celerity		Fighter	While in this form, the caster receives +2% Movement Speed per 10 Combat Momentum, up to a maximum of +20%. Shifting form costs 20% of current Combat Momentum and triggers cooldown for all Combat Forms.
Form Of Ferocity		Fighter	While in this form, the caster receives +2% Attack Speed per 10 Combat Momentum, up to a maximum of +20%. Shifting form costs 20% of current Combat Momentum and triggers cooldown for all Combat Forms.
Form Of Fluidity		Fighter	While in this form, the caster receives +4% Disable Resistance Chance per 10 Combat Momentum, up to a maximum of +40%. Shifting form costs 20% of current Combat Momentum and triggers cooldown for all Combat Forms.
Frostbolt		Mage	Launch a bolt of frost towards your target, dealing ice damage and applying 2 Chilled stacks to the target on impact. Chilled reduces movement speed of the target for each stack applied. When the target reaches 5 stacks, they become Frozen, rooting them in place for the duration. Hitting a frozen enemy with a lightning spell causes them to Shatter, dealing significant damage and removing the Frozen effect.
Grapple		Tank	Takes aim for a moment before hurling a hooked chain in a line, damaging the first target it contacts and immediately pulling them to the caster. The target suffers a tapering snare for 3 seconds.
Greatsword Hit 3+		Greatsword	Weapon Combo Finisher. Greatsword Hit 3+ Unlocked. Has 25% chance to proc. Increased damage.
Greatsword Hit 3+: Extra Damage I		Greatsword	Increases the damage of Greatsword Hit 3+ by 10%.
Greatsword Hit 3+: Extra Damage II		Greatsword	Increases the damage of Greatsword Hit 3+ by 10%.
Greatsword Hit 3+: Extra Damage III		Greatsword	Increases the damage of Greatsword Hit 3+ by 10%.
Greatsword Hit 4		Greatsword	Weapon Combo Extended Finisher. Greatsword Hit 4 Unlocked. Increased damage.
Greatsword Hit 4+		Greatsword	Weapon Combo Extended Finisher. Greatsword Hit 4+ Unlocked. 25% chance to proc. Increased damage.
Greatsword Hit 4+: Extra Damage I		Greatsword	Increases the damage of Greatsword Hit 4 by 10%.
Greatsword Hit 4+: Extra Damage II		Greatsword	Increases the damage of Greatsword Hit 4 by 10%.
Greatsword Hit 4+: Extra Damage III		Greatsword	Increases the damage of Greatsword Hit 4 by 10%.
Greatsword Hit 4: Extra Damage I		Greatsword	Increases the damage of Greatsword Hit 4 by 10%.
Greatsword Hit 4: Extra Damage II		Greatsword	Increases the damage of Greatsword Hit 4 by 10%.
Greatsword Hit 4: Extra Damage III		Greatsword	Increases the damage of Greatsword Hit 4 by 10%.
Greatsword basic attack		Greatsword
Headshot		Ranger	Deals 175% physical damage to target enemy.
Heartseeking Snipe		Ranger	Snipe has a 30% increased chance to critically hit against enemies beyond 20 meters.
Inciting Strikes		Tank	Slashes twice in a forward cone while adding additional threat.
Judgment		Cleric	Cast a heal on target ally for a large amount of health. If this is cast on an enemy, it instead deals radiant damage to the target and applies 2 stacks of Burning.
Leap Strike		Fighter	Leap to target location and deal damage around you, snaring targets hit for 3 seconds.
Lethal Blow		Fighter	Perform a powerful descending strike upon target enemy, dealing additional physical damage based on the amount of % missing health, up to 300% base damage.
Lightning Reload		Ranger	Grants a charge of Lightning Reload, allowing you to fire one ability Shot for free, ignoring its cooldown and other costs.
Lightning Strike		Mage	Held ability: Charge up a bolt of lightning to unleash upon your target, dealing lightning damage and applying 2 stacks of Electrified to the target. This deals additional damage based on how long it was charged. Electrified reduces the target's magical mitigation for each stack applied. When the target reaches 10 stacks, all Electrified stacks are consumed and they become temporarily Shocked. Whenever a Shocked enemy takes damage, they take additional damage and 1 stack of Shocked is consumed. Shocked is initially applied with 20 stacks.
Longbow basic attack		Longbow	A slower, powerful, longer range basic ranged attack. Tapping the basic attack button will shoot normally. Holding the basic attack button will charge the shot (and root the player) to cause added damage.
Lunging Assault		Fighter	Spend 15 Combat Momentum to lunge in a direction a short distance and perform an upward swing upon arrival, dealing damage to enemies in front of you. You are immune to hard crowd control effects while performing this ability.
Magma Field		Mage	Erupts the earth at target location, forming a boiling pool of lava that deals fire damage to enemies per tick while periodically applying a stack of Burning to enemies within the area.
Maim		Fighter	Perform a powerful melee strike in a short forward cone, dealing physical damage to all targets hit, plus 100% additional damage to recently tripped targets.
Meteor		Mage	Conjures a massive flaming rock before sending it hurling toward target location. Upon impact, it deals major fire damage while knocking foes flying, and then continues to roll forward for its remaining distance, dealing additional fire damage while applying stacks of Burning to enemies along its path.
Mortal Headshot		Ranger	Headshot deals 50% additional damage to targets below 50% of their maximum health.
Multi Trap		Ranger	Bear Trap now has 3 charges, but the cooldown is increased by 15 seconds.
Multi-Scatter Shot		Ranger	Scatter Shot has an additional charge.
Omnidirectional Disengage		Ranger	Disengage now moves you in the direction of your input instead of always backward.
Overpower		Fighter	Deal direct damage and apply Shaken to target enemy. This ability shares a cooldown with Brutal Cleave, and hitting an enemy with a weapon combo finisher refreshes the cooldown of this ability. +10 Combat Momentum.
Perfect Timing		Greatsword	Adds the Perfect Timing proc to Greatsword Combo Finisher Procs & Extended Finisher Procs: Perfect Timing Reduces the Cooldown of the next ability you cast by 5 seconds.
Piercing Shot		Ranger	Fire a projectile that travels in a straight line, piercing through and damaging all enemies in its path.
Potency I		Greatsword	Second Strike - Increases the damage of the Second Strike Proc by 25%. Perfect Timing - Increases the cooldown reset by 1 second.
Potency III		Greatsword	Second Strike - Increases the damage of the Second Strike Proc by 25%. Perfect Timing - Increases the cooldown reset by 1 second.
Raining Death		Ranger	Fires a dense rain of arrows 20 meters ahead, dealing high damage. Deals more damage to more distant targets.
Refreshing Headshot		Ranger	Headshot refunds 4 seconds of its cooldown when it hits a Marked target.
Reinvigorating Disengage		Ranger	When you hit one or more enemies with Disengage, its cooldown is refreshed and can be used again. This can only occur once per cooldown period.
Rupture		Fighter	Deal physical damage and apply a debuff to the target. While the debuff is active, the target acquires 5 wound stacks per second that they are moving. After 5 seconds, the largest takes heavy damage, plus additional damage for each stack of wound it has.
Scatter Shot		Ranger	Fires a spread of projectiles, dealing Physical Damage to every enemy target within a 20m cone in front of the caster.
Second Strike		Greatsword	Adds Second Strike proc to Greatsword Combo Finisher Procs & Extended Finisher Procs: Second Strike When you strike a target for physical damage with an ability, it gets struck again.
Shield Assault		Tank	Bashes the target with your shield, dealing damage and applying the shaken condition. If the target is already suffering from the shaken condition, stun the target instead.
Shortbow basic attack		Shortbow	A fast, low power, short range basic ranged attack. Holding down the basic attack button will repeatedly fire.
Slicing Maim		Fighter	Maim launches a piercing projectile that deals damage to enemies in its path.
Smite		Cleric	Smite your target, dealing instant damage and applying a stack of Burning to target enemy. Has no cast time and deals increased damage if activated within melee range of the target. This attack always critically hits on targets under the effect of Condemn.
Snipe		Ranger	Charge a powerful ranged attack, dealing large damage after charging for 3 seconds. Deals 300% physical damage.
Swordmaster: Consistent I		Greatsword	Adds Swordmaster: Swiftness - Increases effect duration by 0.5s. Swordmaster: Endurance - Increases minimum possible health restored by 0.5% Max HP.
Swordmaster: Consistent II		Greatsword	Adds Swordmaster: Swiftness - Increases effect duration by 0.5s. Swordmaster: Endurance - Increases minimum health restored by 0.5% Max HP.
Swordmaster: Endurance		Greatsword	Adds Swordmaster: Endurance proc to Greatsword Combo Finisher Procs & Extended Finisher Procs: 25% chance to recover 2-4% of your maximum health.
Swordmaster: Potential I		Greatsword	Adds Swordmaster: Swiftness - +5% Attack speed from effect. Swordmaster: Endurance - Increases maximum possible health restored by 1% Max HP.
Swordmaster: Proc Rate I		Greatsword	Increases all Swordmaster effect proc rates by 25%.
Swordmaster: Proc Rate II		Greatsword	Increases all Swordmaster effect proc rates by 25%.
Swordmaster: Proc Rate III		Greatsword	Increases all Swordmaster effect proc rates by 25%.
Swordmaster: Swiftness		Greatsword	Adds Swordmaster: Swiftness proc to Greatsword Combo Finisher Procs & Extended Finisher Procs: 25% chance to gain 25% attack speed for 1.5 seconds. Stack up to 2 times.
Thundering Shot		Ranger	Fires a lightning-infused projectile at your target, dealing 200% of your physical power as Lightning damage.
Trap Slinger		Ranger	Bear Trap becomes a thrown projectile and arms itself instantly upon landing. Deals double damage when triggered.
Tremoring Bellow		Tank	Releases a thundering shout in a forward cone, applying the staggered condition on enemy targets. Also stomps the ground dealing damage around the caster and tripping enemies affected by the snared condition.
Vine Field		Ranger	Summons 3 fields of grabbing vines, one at the target location every .5s for 1.5s. Targets hit are damaged for 10% physical damage and snared for 3s, reducing their movement speed by 40%. Targets that have more than 10s of snare duration are rooted. This effect can only trigger once per target.
Whirlwind		Fighter	Channeled Ability: Deal physical damage to all enemies around the caster with each spin while channeled, increasing the spin rate the longer it is channeled. The caster is immune to hard disabling effects while spinning. Activate the ability again to end channeling early.

Resistances

Different damage types are mitigated by the defensive stats (resistances) on different types of armor.

Certain damage types will be strong or weak against certain enemy types. So you'll have to be somewhat smart about who you're bringing where, or what abilities or specs. Obviously, you'll be able to do the content, but you'll have an easier time with certain contents if you're using a certain spec over others. – Tradd Thompson

• Magic damage is mitigated by cloth armor (light armor).

• Holy/radiant damage are modifying energy types that have corresponding synergies and resistances.
  • Undead mobs are weak against holy magic.

• Physical damage is mitigated by plate armor (heavy armor).
  • Different classes of weapons may deal different types of physical damage: Bludgeoning damage, Slashing damage, Piercing damage.

• Players will be able to counter resistances with resistance penetration stats.

When there's a lot of different complexity that exists between the multi-layered interactions of damage mitigation, resistances, damage penetration... those things stack up over time and there's an opportunity for that subtlety to be more expressed when the receiving target is, let's say, weak to that or... chosen not to spec into any resistances against that. That keeps things fresh and it also keeps a healthy level of itemization progression that's necessary for the player as well. – Steven Sharif

• There is also non-mitigated damage.

• Monsters will have certain types of resistances based on its type.

Not every monster is going to have unique resistances. They'll share groups of types of resistances based on whether that monster is a particular elemental affinity or a particular heavy armor, particular weapon type, stuff like that. So there will be resistances groups that are shared by certain types of monsters and their location and as it relates to their lower background and stuff like that. – Steven Sharif

Weapon classes

Weapons 3D renders. These are depicted in the Threads of Fate cosmetic costume but are not part of that set. Models by Eli Hurst.

Weapon classes (also referred to as weapon types and weapon groups) in Ashes of Creation may deal different types of physical damage.

• Blunt weapons
• Slashing weapons
• Piercing weapons

See also

• Damage over time
• Combat
• Stats