Attack Formulas - classic-hunter/forever-hunter GitHub Wiki

ðŸ§Ū Attack Formulas

Hunter damage formulas for WoW Forever.

This page focuses on how Hunter damage is calculated: weapon damage, Attack Power scaling, ability coefficients, critical damage, and direct damage modifiers.

Attack-table behavior such as Miss, Crit chance, Glancing Blows, Dodge, and Parry is documented separately in Ranged Attack Table.

Pet-specific formulas are documented in Pet Attack Formulas.

Formula verification methods and combat-log testing are documented in Hunter Testing Methodology.

Summary

Hunter attacks generally use one of three structures:

  1. Weapon damage using actual weapon speed

    • Auto Shot
    • normal melee swings
    • Raptor Strike
    • Scatter Shot

  2. Weapon damage with normalized Attack Power scaling

    • Aimed Shot
    • Multi-Shot

  3. Direct Attack Power coefficients

    • Arcane Shot
    • Serpent Sting
    • Immolation Trap
    • other abilities where specifically verified

A simplified damage pipeline is:

Base Damage → Attack Power Contribution → Damage Modifiers → Crit → Target Mitigation

Current working assumptions:

  • direct damage modifiers stack multiplicatively
  • critical-damage bonuses are additive to the base Crit multiplier

Both stacking rules still require controlled verification.

ðŸđ Ranged Weapon Damage

Auto Shot

A normal ranged weapon attack consists of:

Weapon Damage + Ammo Damage + RAP Contribution + Scope

Where:

Ammo Damage = Ammo DPS × Weapon Speed

and:

RAP Contribution = RAP / 14 × Weapon Speed

Therefore:

Auto Shot = Weapon Damage + (Ammo DPS × Weapon Speed) + (RAP / 14 × Weapon Speed) + Scope

Auto Shot uses the ranged weapon's actual base speed for its RAP contribution.

Example

For a 2.90 speed weapon with:

  • 127.5 average weapon damage
  • 22 DPS ammunition
  • 1000 RAP
  • no scope

Ammo contribution:

22 × 2.90 = 63.8

RAP contribution:

1000 / 14 × 2.90 = 207.1

Average raw Auto Shot:

127.5 + 63.8 + 207.1 = 398.4

This is the raw damage packet before Crit, damage modifiers, and target mitigation.

ðŸŽŊ Normalized Ranged Attacks

Some ranged abilities use normalized Attack Power scaling rather than the weapon's actual speed.

Hunter ranged normalization uses:

2.8

Only the RAP contribution is normalized.

The weapon's own damage roll and ammunition contribution still come from the equipped ranged weapon.

Aimed Shot

Aimed Shot = Weapon Damage + Ammo Damage + Scope + (RAP / 14 × 2.8) + Aimed Bonus

Compare:

Auto Shot RAP = RAP / 14 × Weapon Speed

Aimed Shot RAP = RAP / 14 × 2.8

A weapon slower than 2.8 therefore receives less RAP contribution on Aimed Shot than it would from an actual-speed attack.

A faster weapon receives more.

Multi-Shot

Multi-Shot = Weapon Damage + Ammo Damage + Scope + (RAP / 14 × 2.8) + Multi Bonus

Multi-Shot uses the same normalized RAP structure as Aimed Shot.

Each target receives its own attack result.

Sniper Shot

The exact Sniper Shot formula has not yet been verified.

Current unknowns include:

  • weapon damage contribution
  • actual vs normalized weapon speed
  • RAP contribution
  • bonus damage structure
  • damage modifier applicability
  • critical-damage behavior

Until controlled testing establishes the formula:

Sniper Shot = Unverified Ranged Weapon Formula

Sniper Shot should not simply be assumed to use the Aimed Shot formula.

🌀 Scatter Shot

Scatter Shot uses half of a normal ranged weapon attack:

Scatter Shot = Auto Shot Raw Damage × 0.50

Expanded:

Scatter Shot = [Weapon Damage + Ammo Damage + (RAP / 14 × Weapon Speed) + Scope] × 0.50

Unlike Aimed Shot and Multi-Shot, Scatter Shot uses the weapon's actual speed for RAP contribution.

âœĻ Direct RAP Scaling

Arcane Shot

Arcane Shot scales directly from Ranged Attack Power:

Arcane Shot = Base Damage + (RAP × 0.10)

Therefore:

100 RAP = 10 additional damage

Arcane Shot does not depend on ranged weapon damage or weapon speed.

Serpent Sting

Serpent Sting gains:

15% RAP

over its full duration.

With five ticks:

Total Damage = Base Damage + (RAP × 0.15)

and:

Damage per Tick = Base Tick + (RAP × 0.03)

Each tick therefore receives:

3% RAP

Serpent Sting ticks can critically strike using the Hunter's ranged Crit chance.

The effect also dynamically updates from the Hunter's current RAP rather than fully snapshotting its application value.

See Ability Mechanics for the underlying DoT behavior.

ðŸĶ… Summon Hawk

Summon Hawk contains two separate damage components:

  1. the initial hit
  2. repeated Hawk attacks during its duration

Testing has shown that these should be treated separately, but their exact formulas remain unverified.

Until further testing:

Initial Hawk Damage = Base Damage + Unverified Scaling

Hawk Attack Damage = Base Damage + Unverified Scaling

Still requiring verification:

  • initial-hit RAP coefficient
  • repeated-attack scaling
  • whether both components use the same stat source
  • damage modifier inheritance
  • critical-damage behavior

ðŸŠĪ Trap Damage

Immolation Trap

Immolation Trap gains:

10% Attack Power

over its full duration.

With five ticks:

Total Damage = Base Damage + (AP × 0.10)

and:

Damage per Tick = Base Tick + (AP × 0.02)

Each tick therefore receives:

2% AP

Explosive Trap

Explosive Trap has shown Attack Power scaling in Forever.

The exact coefficient has not yet been verified.

Until confirmed:

Explosive Trap = Base Damage + Unverified AP Contribution

🌧ïļ Volley

Volley has shown Attack Power scaling in Forever.

The exact coefficient has not yet been verified.

Until confirmed:

Volley = Base Damage + Unverified AP Contribution

⚔ïļ Melee Weapon Damage

Main-Hand Swing

A normal Main Hand swing uses:

Main-Hand Damage = Weapon Damage + (MAP / 14 × Weapon Speed)

This uses the weapon's actual speed.

Off-Hand Swing

Before additional Off Hand modifiers:

Off-Hand Damage = [Weapon Damage + (MAP / 14 × Weapon Speed)] × 0.50

Predator's Edge can further modify the resulting Off Hand damage.

Weapon Speed

At equal weapon DPS:

Average Weapon Damage ≈ Weapon DPS × Weapon Speed

For example:

3.8 / 3.2 = 1.1875

At identical DPS, a 3.8 speed weapon therefore carries approximately:

18.75% more damage per weapon event

than a 3.2 speed weapon.

This is especially important for weapon-based melee abilities and Melee Weaving.

ðŸĶ– Raptor Strike

Raptor Strike modifies the next Main Hand attack.

Raptor Strike = Weapon Damage + (MAP / 14 × Weapon Speed) + Raptor Bonus

Raptor Strike uses actual weapon speed.

Because it is a melee ability rather than a white melee swing, it can benefit from applicable melee-ability critical-damage modifiers.

🐍 Mongoose Bite

Mongoose Bite uses:

Mongoose Bite = Weapon Damage + (MAP / 14 × Weapon Speed) + Mongoose Bonus

It therefore scales with:

  • melee weapon damage
  • Melee Attack Power
  • weapon speed through the MAP contribution
  • applicable damage modifiers
  • melee-ability critical-damage modifiers

ðŸĶĩ Strider Kick

Strider Kick deals:

100% Melee Weapon Damage

Therefore:

Strider Kick = Weapon Damage + (MAP / 14 × Weapon Speed)

It can also receive applicable melee damage and melee-ability critical-damage modifiers.

🌊ïļ Windfury

A Windfury proc performs an additional Main Hand weapon attack with Windfury's bonus Attack Power applied to that attack.

Windfury Attack = Weapon Damage + [(MAP + Windfury AP) / 14 × Weapon Speed]

Because another full weapon-damage event is performed, slower weapons gain substantial damage per Windfury proc.

📈 Damage Modifiers

The following effects directly modify damage rather than changing AP, Crit chance, haste, or another formula input.

Current Working Assumption

Direct damage modifiers are currently assumed to stack multiplicatively.

Final Damage = Raw Damage × Modifier A × Modifier B × Modifier C

Source Modifier Applies To
Improved Tracking ×1.05 Damage against the creature type currently being tracked
Focused Fire ×1.02 Hunter and pet damage while the pet is active
Ranged Weapon Specialization ×1.05 Ranged weapon damage
Barrage ×1.10 Aimed Shot, Multi-Shot, and Volley
Predator's Edge ×1.50 Off Hand weapon damage
Troll — Beast Slaying ×1.05 Damage against Beasts
Dwarf — Big Game Hunter ×1.05 Damage against Beasts
Skyborne — Elemental Insight ×1.05 Damage against Elementals
Traces of Silithyst ×1.05 All damage
Sayge's Dark Fortune of Damage ×1.10 All damage

Example:

Raw Damage × 1.05 × 1.02 × 1.05

is currently preferred over treating those same modifiers as one additive +12% modifier.

Testing Status: Multiplicative stacking is the current working assumption and still needs verification.

ðŸ’Ĩ Critical Damage

A normal physical critical strike begins from a:

2.00×

damage multiplier.

Current Working Assumption

Critical-damage bonuses are currently assumed to add directly to the Crit multiplier.

Source Crit Damage Bonus Applies To
Mortal Shots +0.30× Ranged abilities
Predator's Edge +0.30× Melee abilities; excludes white melee swings
Dwarf racial +0.02× Applicable critical damage
Tauren racial +0.02× Applicable critical damage

Examples:

Mortal Shots = 2.00 + 0.30 = 2.30×

Dwarf + Mortal Shots = 2.00 + 0.30 + 0.02 = 2.32×

Tauren + Predator's Edge = 2.00 + 0.30 + 0.02 = 2.32×

White melee attacks do not receive the Predator's Edge critical-damage bonus.

Testing Status: Additive critical-damage stacking is the current working assumption and still needs verification.

ðŸ›Ąïļ Armor and Mitigation

The formulas above describe raw damage before target mitigation.

Physical attacks are reduced by armor after the attack's damage packet has been calculated.

Conceptually:

Observed Physical Damage = Raw Physical Damage × Armor Multiplier

Armor does not change:

  • weapon damage
  • Attack Power contribution
  • ability bonus damage

It changes how much of the completed physical damage packet reaches the target.

See Stat Mechanics for armor and mitigation mechanics.

📋 Formula Status

Formula / Mechanic Status
Auto Shot weapon, ammo, and RAP structure Verified
Aimed Shot normalized RAP structure Verified
Multi-Shot normalized RAP structure Verified
Scatter Shot weapon structure Verified
Arcane Shot — 10% RAP Verified
Serpent Sting — 15% RAP total Verified
Serpent Sting — 3% RAP per tick Verified
Immolation Trap — 10% AP total Verified
Immolation Trap — 2% AP per tick Verified
Raptor Strike weapon structure Verified
Mongoose Bite — weapon damage plus bonus Verified
Strider Kick — 100% melee weapon damage Verified
Sniper Shot formula Unverified
Sniper Shot normalization Unverified
Summon Hawk initial-hit formula Unverified
Summon Hawk repeated-attack formula Unverified
Volley AP coefficient Unverified
Explosive Trap AP coefficient Unverified
Damage modifier stacking Assumed multiplicative — verify
Critical-damage stacking Assumed additive — verify

See Hunter Testing Methodology for how these formulas are tested and verified in game.

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