Calculating max damage

[fragilehorizon]

I'm curious to see what the most damaging skill is for each class and what the max damage is that it can do in D2:LOD 1.11b with the absolute best gear available for damage output of that skill (even if this loadout would be ridiculous for all other purposes). So before I go trying to piece together every bit of gear this would entail, every skill and synergy, and do the calculations.. has anyone done this before? If so, would you be willing to share your results? If not, any hints on how to go about doing this so as not to make a monumental task out of it? Thanks!

[Merick]

It's been discussed quite a bit.
As SSOG can explain in detail, plague javelin (or is it the other poison jav? I can never keep them straight) can do more damage per second than any other skill, as well as have the biggest number.

For other other classes in terms of biggest number (not necessarily dps) I imagine it goes like this:
Berserk
Meteor? Chain lightning? Not too sure about sorcs
Poison explosion
TS/DT
Grizzly or Fury
Charge

[SSoG]

It's been discussed quite a bit.
As SSOG can explain in detail, plague javelin (or is it the other poison jav? I can never keep them straight) can do more damage per second than any other skill, as well as have the biggest number.

For other other classes in terms of biggest number (not necessarily dps) I imagine it goes like this:
Berserk
Meteor? Chain lightning? Not too sure about sorcs
Poison explosion
TS/DT
Grizzly or Fury
Charge
Actually, it's Poison Javelin, and the damage per second is absolutely pathetic- the only reason it deals so much total damage (over 1,000,000 if you really get silly with it) is because it lasts 100 seconds.

As far as what skills deal the most damage... first off, you'll never be able to compile a list, and second off, even if you did, it'd be useless. For instance, Meteor probably deals the most single-hit damage of any skill in the Sorceress's arsenal... but a Meteor Sorc isn't the most damaging Sorceress. That would be a Dual-Dream Sorceress, which can deal over 100,000 per hit. If you're looking at an Amazon, the skill that deals the most damage per use is Poison Javelin, which as I mentioned can pass 1,000,000 if you really work it... but that's over 100 seconds. Plague Javelin deals more damage per second, but even that is spread out over a long time because it's poison. If you exclude the poison skills, then Impale might deal the most damage per shot... unless you compare it to a Lightning Fury that pierces 5 times in a pack of 40 cows. A Necromancer using Corpse Explosion on an A1 Normal Blood Moor Fallen might deal 4 damage, whereas a Necromancer using Corpse Explosion on an A1 Hell Possessed Crows Nest might deal 600,000... so is Corpse Explosion a Necro's LEAST damaging skill, or its MOST damaging skill? And this also ignores things like Crushing Blow- a Paladin can deal 50,000 with one Charge, but a single Smite could deal way more than that if it's against the Ubers and CB triggers... or way less than that if it's against a Fallen in normal difficulty.

And the other thing is, any such analysis is pretty darn pointless, since there is actually a hard cap on damage (87,000ish, iirc), and if you ever deal more than that of a single damage type, it rolls over and starts back at 0 again.

Basically, what skill deals the most damage is going to change DRASTICALLY based on your criteria (damage per activation? damage per second?), your location (Hell, Normal?), your enemy (Fallen, Uber?), the time of day, what you had for breakfast, and what astrological house the moon happened to be in last Tuesday.

If you're looking for what skills deal the most possible theoretical damage per single hit, that's an easy one- Poison Javelin and Corpse Explosion are both capable of dealing 500,000+ damage in perfect situations (although Corpse Explosion's damage would get rolled over and wouldn't actually exceed 87,000ish).

If you're looking for what skills deal the most damage per hit in a simple and easily repeatable environment, that's easy too- Charge, Tiger Strike/Dragon Tail, and Charged Strike are the biggest, but Meteor and Firewall can get crazy if you factor in the afterburn, Lightning Strike can deal ABSURD damage if the lightning bounces a lot, and Holy Shock is deadly in the hands of a sorceress.

If you're looking for what builds can deal the most damage per second and are the quickest killers in Hell difficulty, you're pretty much looking at Hammerdins, Fireclaw Werebears, Lightning Javazons, Fury Wolves, Fanazealots, and single-tree Sorceresses.

[fragilehorizon]

I was afraid of that.. :sad: There certainly are a lot of complications to consider. Let's see if I can nail down the damage requirements a bit better. Assume that you can use any gear including charms, any one skill (including synergies), and have any stats where that matters. So your entire inventory is full of +skills/+damage charms, you're wearing all +skills/+damage equipment, you've got the skill and synergies pumped to maximum in the ideal build for that skill. I never said I was looking for survivability. :wink3: Also, I'm not counting any multiple shot damage type skills and I'm not counting anything that relies on chance to work. So that probably takes out lightning sorcs and any kind of crushing blow damage. Poison damage is ok, but I believe the guide for getting 1M damage from poison javelin relies on a charged skill, which disqualifies it. Just the calculated max damage for a single strike of a single skill walking straight out of town is what I'm looking for, for each class. Also, merc auras are allowed, so might would be helpful for melee skills.

I guess I can spill my secret as to why I'd want such an absurd thing. I'm looking to start a challenge similar to the septavirate. I've never seen the rules for it in the SPF because the link to its page is dead, but I assume it's basically killing Hell Baal with one character of each class with some other restrictions. So the only restriction I want to use for it is that the combined calculated max damage output of the seven characters must be at least some magic number. Maybe a million. Maybe more. The challenge with this is that the particular skill must be used to kill all Hell act bosses, and only that skill. I want to set that damage threshold high enough that it's a challenge to achieve, without setting it so high that it's impossible to find the necessary gear or wear it all at once. Again, survivability is not an issue. That's where skill ought to come in! :badteeth: So I need to get the maximum possible damage for each class, and then take 95% of that, and set that as a threshold. That's the plan anyway, but it starts off with those magic numbers. (A note about the merc: if might or some other aura is used as part of the damage calculation, the merc must survive the battle if the aura is to be counted!)

@SSoG: Thanks for the build suggestions and the other comments! What you've said makes sense and now I think I have a better handle on what I'm looking for. If you can think of any other skills that are worth considering for a calculation or any good gear to use for this, please let me know.

[FrankWest]

So the only restriction I want to use for it is that the combined calculated max damage output of the seven characters must be at least some magic number. Maybe a million. Maybe more.

Here would be my seven characters, and this is based on the most damaging set-ups that I'm comfortable with - not a better player than me (for there are thousands) - but me.

1) Berserk Barb.
2) Meteor Sorc.
3) Poison Javazon... wait, they're disqualified? Impale, then.
4) Charge-a-din.
5) Conc Barb... wait, they have to be all different classes, as well? :shocked:
6) Aaaargh, I don't know.
7) *cries*

I declare a million damage to be impossible with restrictions of 'on the character sheet' damage, and one from each class, and only using one skill and its synergies.

Someone with a little more powermonger blood than me in them could probably come close, but I don't think a million is realistic at all if poison javelin and 'hidden bonuses' can't be factored in.

[Eilo Rytyj]

Isn't there a cap of something like 84k damage per damage frame? So say a sorceress rocking a Holy Shock setup that has a damage of something like 10k-100k, anything damage roll over that ~84k cap gets rolled over starting at 1 again.

DoT attacks don't fall under this cap, since it's a cap per frame, they might deal 1mil damage over 100 seconds, but it'd only be 40 damage per frame.

Can't remember the exact number, I'm thinking it was 84060 maybe...

[Netsua]

It's been discussed quite a bit.
For other other classes in terms of biggest number (not necessarily dps) I imagine it goes like this:
Berserk


Fully synergised beserk: +835% Damage.

Fully synergised leap attack: +870% Damage.

Although beserk is magic damage and is much easier to use. But technically, Leap Attack is king.

[SSoG]

Isn't there a cap of something like 84k damage per damage frame? So say a sorceress rocking a Holy Shock setup that has a damage of something like 10k-100k, anything damage roll over that ~84k cap gets rolled over starting at 1 again.

DoT attacks don't fall under this cap, since it's a cap per frame, they might deal 1mil damage over 100 seconds, but it'd only be 40 damage per frame.

Can't remember the exact number, I'm thinking it was 84060 maybe...

That cap is per frame *PER ELEMENT*. The theoretical 100k Dream Sorcs actually deal fire, physical, *AND* lightning damage. I'm pretty sure that no single type of the three passes the rollover point (although the lightning damage would be pretty darn close).

Fully synergised beserk: +835% Damage.

Fully synergised leap attack: +870% Damage.
... fully synergized Charge + Fanat: +1748% Damage.

Another thing worth noting is that a single +skill will boost Berserk by 15% and Leap Attack by 30%, so +skills will only exacerbate the difference. Of course, +1 skills will boost Charge/Fana by 42%...

[vastcompass]

don't forget masteries, though. We should assume at least one maxed mastery for the barb, berserk or leap attack.

[SSoG]

don't forget masteries, though. We should assume at least one maxed mastery for the barb, berserk or leap attack.

Won't matter, though. Charge/Fanat will still blow it out of the water. Charge is the strongest weapon-based attack in the entire game, at least on a per-hit basis.

[yetidiah]

I say throw, normal attack, or firebolt are the strongest attacks in the game otherwise you would never get to all of those other fancy attacks