Packet

From Guild Wars Wiki

A packet of damage is an amount of damage taken from a single source at the same time. Graphically, each packet of damage will be represented as its own floating yellow number on the game interface. For example, using Mystic Sweep with 15 Scythe Mastery and three enchantments will produce only one packet of damage equal to the base attack damage plus 30. However, using Chilling Victory, a similar attack, against a foe with less health than you, will produce one packet equal to 20 plus base damage, and a separate packet of 60 damage because the foe is adjacent to itself. There are advantages to both single- and multi-packet damage. Against a prot like Protective Spirit, multiple packets work better, because each packet passes through the prot separately, and an attack or spell such as Shockwave that might have had damage negated otherwise could slip through when divided into multiple packets. On the other hand, against enchantments such as Stoneflesh Aura or Shield of Absorption, a single packet would be preferred, because the damage reduction is applied to each incoming packet.