DPS Calculator
Why Your In-Game Tooltip Is Lying to You
Most players make a fatal mistake: they trust the “Damage” number in their inventory screen.
That number—known as “Sheet DPS”—is a theoretical maximum. It assumes a perfect world where you are standing still, never missing a shot, and attacking a target with zero armor. In actual endgame content, that world doesn’t exist.
To optimize your build, you need to understand the three hidden mechanics that lower your effective DPS (eDPS):
- The “Turret” Fallacy: Sheet DPS assumes 100% attack time. In reality, you are dodging boss mechanics, reloading, or chasing targets. If you spend 40% of the fight moving, your 100k DPS is mathematically locked at 60k. This is your Damage Uptime.
- The Accuracy Check: Game tooltips rarely factor in your hit chance. A build with massive critical damage but only 85% accuracy will statistically lose to a reliable, lower-damage build over a 5-minute fight.
- The Frame Rounding Trap: Video games run on frames (FPS) and server ticks. If you increase your attack speed by 5%, but it’s not enough to hit the next Frame Breakpoint, the game engine ignores that stat entirely. You are paying for speed you aren’t getting.
The Core Damage Formulas
We use these standardized formulas to convert raw data into actionable effective damage stats.
The Basic DPS Equation
This calculation provides your raw output for single-hit weapons (like Snipers or slow Maces) that do not rely on reload cycles.
DPS = Average Damage × Attacks Per Second
- Real-World Note: Use this for “Alpha Damage” comparisons or when testing single-hit burst windows in PvP.
Calculating Sustained DPS (The Reload Penalty)
Most in-game tooltips only show “Burst DPS”—the damage you do while the trigger is held down. This is misleading for boss fights.
If you empty your magazine in 3 seconds but take 2.5 seconds to reload, you are doing zero damage for nearly half the fight. Sustained DPS accounts for this downtime, giving you a realistic number for enemies that don’t die in one clip.
Sustained DPS = Damage Per Mag ÷ (Time to Empty + Reload Time)
- Context: In games like Destiny 2 or The Division, a weapon with a slower fire rate but a massive magazine often outperforms a high-speed weapon that spends half its time reloading.
Critical Hit Probability (The “Crit Cap”)
Critical hits are math, not magic. Standard calculators incorrectly treat Crit Chance as a guaranteed flat damage boost. In reality, it is a probability curve.
Our calculator averages this probability over time to show reliable output. However, you must watch out for the Crit Cap.
Avg Crit Damage = Base Damage × (1 + (Crit Chance % × Crit Multiplier))
- Warning: In most games, having over 100% Crit Chance is a wasted stat. If your build sits at 110% Crit Chance, that extra 10% does nothing. You are better off swapping those stats for Critical Damage Multiplier or Attack Speed.
Advanced Mechanics: Breakpoints, Ticks, and Latency
If you are min-maxing for endgame content, “Basic Math” isn’t enough. Game engines have hard limits. Our tool calculates damage based on the actual engine rules of modern games, specifically addressing the three “hidden” stats below.
Understanding Frame Breakpoints
Game animations are made of individual frames. You cannot attack “between” frames.
If an attack animation takes exactly 13 frames at 60 FPS, increasing your attack speed by 1% might mathematically lower it to 12.8 frames. But the game engine will round that back up to 13 frames.
- The Reality: You gained zero actual speed.
- The Fix: You must reach specific “Breakpoints” (exact stat thresholds) to force the animation down to 12 frames. Our tool highlights these thresholds so you don’t waste stats on speed you aren’t actually getting.
Server Tick Rates (The “Global Cooldown” Limit)
Your computer might run at 144 FPS, but the game server is much slower.
- MMOs (OSRS/WoW): These run on a “heartbeat” system. For example, Old School RuneScape ticks every 0.6 seconds. You physically cannot trigger an action faster than this tick rate, regardless of your stats.
- Shooters (CS2/Valorant): These use Tick Rate (usually 64 or 128 ticks per second). If you fire between ticks, the server might not register the hit immediately, leading to “ghost bullets.”
Effective DPS (eDPS) vs. Paper DPS
This is why your build feels weak despite high numbers. “Paper DPS” is the theoretical maximum; “Effective DPS” is what actually happens during gameplay.
| Metric | Paper DPS (Tooltip) | Effective DPS (Reality) |
| Accuracy | Assumes 100% Hits | Factors in Miss Chance & Evasion |
| Armor | Ignored (0 Resistance) | Subtracts Enemy Mitigation/Armor |
| Movement | Standing Still | Applies “Uptime Penalty” (Moving = 0 DPS) |
Damage Profiles by Game Genre
A “high DPS” number means something completely different in Path of Exile than it does in Valorant. Select your game type below to understand which metrics actually matter for your build.
ARPGs (Path of Exile 2, Diablo 4)
In these games, “Sheet DPS” is often useless because it ignores Ailment Scaling.
- The Reality: If you play a Poison or Bleed build, your initial hit might do low damage, but the Damage over Time (DoT) ticks for millions.
- The Math: You must account for Damage Effectiveness. Some skills apply 100% of your added damage, while fast-hitting spells might only apply 25%. Our calculator separates “Hit DPS” from “DoT DPS” so you can see where your real damage comes from.
Tactical Shooters (Valorant, CS2)
In tactical shooters, DPS is a misleading stat. The only metric that counts is Time-To-Kill (TTK) and Shots-To-Kill (STK).
- The Reality: If a weapon does 140 damage and the enemy has 150 Health, you still need 2 shots to kill. A weapon doing 75 damage would also kill in 2 shots.
- The Math: High DPS doesn’t always mean a faster kill. You need to hit specific Health Breakpoints (e.g., 150HP). Prioritize “Burst Damage” over “Sustained DPS” here.
Traditional MMOs (WoW, FFXIV)
These games are governed by the Global Cooldown (GCD) and “Burst Windows.”
- The Reality: Your average DPS over 5 minutes might be lower than your friend’s, but if you can cram more damage into the 20-second window when the boss takes extra damage, you are more valuable.
- The Math: This is called “Burst Window DPS.” It’s about aligning your major cooldowns (like Bloodlust or Arcane Power) to happen simultaneously. Don’t look at the average; look at the peak.
Methodology: How This Tool Works
We built this tool because we were tired of generic calculators that just multiply Damage × Speed. That isn’t how game engines work.
Our algorithm runs a lightweight simulation for every calculation:
- Frame Quantization: We round your attack speed to the nearest valid frame (based on 60 FPS or your custom input).
- Mitigation Logic: We subtract enemy armor before multipliers are applied, mimicking the order of operations in games like Elden Ring and WoW.
- Overkill Prevention: We highlight if your damage per shot exceeds common enemy health pools, alerting you to “wasted damage.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is my in-game DPS higher than the calculator result?
Games often show you “Magical Christmas Land” DPS—assuming you crit every time and never miss. Our calculator defaults to Effective DPS, which factors in your Miss Chance, Enemy Armor, and Reload Times. This is a lower, but real, number.
Does FPS affect my damage output?
Surprisingly, yes. In engine-tied games like PUBG, Destiny 2, or Fortnite, your fire rate is linked to your frame rate. If your PC struggles to maintain 60 FPS, your gun will actually shoot slower than the stated stats. Use our “Frame Rounding” feature to check this.
How do I calculate dual wield DPS?
You cannot just add the two weapons together. Most games average the attack speed of both weapons and apply a “Dual Wield Bonus” (usually 10-15% more speed or physical damage). Check the “Dual Wield” toggle in our tool to apply the correct average.