Critical hit



A critical hit is a successful attack that deals additional damage, by negating 20 points of armor rating. In addition, player characters deal maximum damage with their weapons. Some skills improve the chances of criticals while others depend on crits to trigger additional effects. Critical hits are especially important to Assassins, whose primary attribute, Critical Strikes increases both the chances and the benefits of critical hits.

A critical hit is indicated by a distinct hit sound and larger numbers in the graphical display.

Scoring a critical hit
The chance of scoring a critical hit depends on these factors:


 * The target's level compared to the attacker's level.
 * For martial weapons, the attacker's rank in the weapon's attribute.
 * For assassins, their rank in Critical Strikes.
 * Skills and active effects can improve or reduce the likelihood.
 * For animal companions, the owner's Beast Mastery rank is the only factor.
 * Moving targets always suffer critical hits when attacked from behind by a melee weapon.

Damage
As noted in the introduction, critical hits by players using weapons always deal maximum damage, making axes and hammers especially deadly. In addition, critical hits also do additional damage due to armor penetration. The exact formula is:
 * [maximum damage] * 1.414


 * Scythes do less damage (about [maximum damage] * 1.1).
 * Animal companions and minions do not hit for maximum damage, but they do get the same bonus factor (1.414...).

Related skills

 * Skills that cause criticals


 * — if target suffers from a condition.
 * — if target suffers from a condition.
 * — if target suffers from a condition.
 * — if target suffers from a condition.
 * — if target suffers from a condition.


 * Skills that increase the chance of critical hits
 * — +% on non-moving targets
 * — +33% on target
 * — +%, if wielding daggers
 * — +%, if wielding a non-dagger weapon
 * — +%, if wielding a non-dagger weapon


 * Skills that prevent critical hits
 * — to user
 * — to user (does not prevent extra effects from 'on critical hit' skills)
 * — from foe
 * — to controlled spirits
 * — from foe


 * Skills that benefit from critical hits
 * — interrupt
 * — interrupt, if using a bow
 * — + damage
 * — reapplies itself
 * — reapplies itself
 * — gain 1 energy
 * — remove enchantment
 * — gain health
 * — Deep Wound for seconds
 * — Deep Wound
 * — Knock down

Comparison of combined effects

 * Way of the Assassin


 * Way of the Master

This is not simple addition: critical chance multiplies between skills. However, there is no way to determine whether there is a maximum critical hit chance; the base rate remains unknown. The calculations above demonstrate that there is no special Critical Hit synergy between Critical Eye and either the Way of the Master or Way of the Assassin.