Attack speed
Attack speed is a value closely related to attack duration.
Attack speed depends on the weapon wielded (for players) or on the creature (for pets, minions, spirits or foes), and can be increased (resp. decreased) by certain skills, called IAS (resp. DAS) for Increase (resp. Decrease) Attack Speed.
Much like activation speed and recharge speed, and contrary to the actual definition of speed, if a skill states that a creature "attacks X% faster" (resp. "slower"), it actually means that the attack duration is reduced (resp. increased) by X%.
Actual attack speed[edit]
The use of the word "speed" is incorrect, as speed and duration are different physical quantities, though inverse from each other.
As a result of this, IAS (resp. DAS) have a much higher (resp. lower) impact than could be expected.
The table below illustrates this (approximated values) :
Increased attack speed (IAS) | Decreased attack speed (DAS) | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Stated % | 25% | 33% | 30% | 50% |
Actual % | 33% | 49% | 23% | 33% |
To determine the impact on dps for an auto attacking character, the actual attack speed must be used, not the stated attack speed. For instance, Frenzy will increase dps by about 49%, while Faintheartedness reduces dps by about 33%.
Attack durations and effect of IAS and DAS[edit]
All values are listed as seconds between attacks. These are the exact values used by the game.
Increased attack speed (IAS) | Decreased attack speed (DAS) | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Weapon/creature | Normal attack speed |
25% | 33% | 30% | 50% |
Axe, Daggers,1 Sword, Racing Beetle | 1.33 | 0.9975 | 0.8911 | 1.729 | 1.995 |
Scythe, Spear | 1.5 | 1.125 | 1.005 | 1.95 | 2.25 |
Hammer, Staff, Wand | 1.75 | 1.3125 | 1.1725 | 2.275 | 2.625 |
Bone Fiend | 1.86 | 1.395 | 1.2462 | 2.418 | 2.79 |
Attack spirit, Pet2 | 2 | 1.5 | 1.34 | 2.6 | 3 |
Flatbow, Shortbow | 2.025 | 1.51875 | 1.35675 | 2.6325 | 3.0375 |
Longbow, Recurve Bow | 2.475 | 1.85625 | 1.65825 | 3.2175 | 3.7125 |
Hornbow | 2.7 | 2.025 | 1.809 | 3.51 | 4.05 |
Melee minion | 3.1 | 2.325 | 2.077 | 4.03 | 4.65 |
- Daggers end up with a faster effective attack speed due to double strikes. See below.
- All pets except the Racing Beetle.
IAS and DAS are capped at +33% and -50% of the normal attack speed respectively.
Overview of attack speed influences[edit]
- Various miscellaneous skills influence attack speed.
- Many stances improve attack speed; most are balanced by some sort of downside.
- Some Beast Mastery skills can increase the attack speed of the user, the user's pet, or both.
- Certain attack skills (such as Mystic Sweep and Jagged Strike) have an activation time and usually activate more quickly than the normal attack speed; these skills can be used to speed up a single attack.
- These skills are still affected by IAS and DAS.
- Some of them, notably ranged attacks (such as Ranger interrupts) have an aftercast delay, limiting their ability to increase overall attack rates.
- Mighty Throw and Unblockable Throw take twice as long to activate as normal attacks.
- Several hex spells decrease attack speed.
- Reckless Haste is the only skill that increases attack speed on foes.
- Environmental effects can influence attack speed. For example, the Battle Cry shrine of the Alliance Battles increases attack speed.
- The Blue/Green/Red Rock Candy, Essence of Celerity, and Slice of Pumpkin Pie consumables increase attack speed.
- The Battle Fervor blessing increases attack speed.
- Assassin's dagger auto attacks are effectively faster than those listed in the table above: each point of Dagger Mastery adds 2% to the chance that regular attacks will hit twice and dual attacks always hit twice.
Skills that affect attack speed[edit]
On allies[edit]
Icon | Name | Description | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | Prof. | Attribute | Campaign | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() |
"I Will Avenge You!" | Shout. You have +3...6...7 Health regeneration and attack 25% faster (10 seconds for each dead ally). | ![]() |
5 ![]() |
45 ![]() | Strength | Prophecies | |||
![]() |
Aggressive Refrain | Echo. (5...21...25 seconds.) You attack 25% faster. Renewal: whenever a chant or shout ends on you. You have -20 armor. | ![]() |
25 ![]() |
2 ![]() |
20 ![]() | Leadership | Nightfall | ||
![]() |
Berserker Stance | Stance. (5...10...11 seconds.) You attack 33% faster and gain 50% more adrenaline. Ends if you use a skill. | ![]() |
5 ![]() |
20 ![]() | Strength | Core | |||
![]() |
Bestial Fury | Stance. (5...10...11 seconds.) You attack 25% faster. Your non-attack skills are disabled (5 seconds). | ![]() |
10 ![]() |
10 ![]() | Beast Mastery | Factions | |||
![]() |
Burst of Aggression | Stance. (2...8...10 seconds.) You attack 33% faster. End effect: lose all adrenaline. | ![]() |
5 ![]() |
12 ![]() | Strength | Nightfall | |||
![]() |
Call of Haste | Shout. (30 seconds.) Your pet moves and attacks 33% faster. | ![]() |
10 ![]() |
25 ![]() | ![]() | Beast Mastery | Core | ||
![]() |
Critical Agility | Enchantment Spell. (4 seconds plus 1 second for each rank of Critical Strikes.) You attack 33% faster and gain +15...25 armor. Renewal: every time you land a critical hit. | ![]() |
5 ![]() |
1 ![]() |
30 ![]() | Sunspear rank | Nightfall | ||
![]() |
Drunken Master | Stance. (72...90 seconds.) You move and attack 10...15% faster if you are not drunk. You move and attack 25...33% faster if you are drunk. | ![]() |
5 ![]() |
60 ![]() | Deldrimor rank | Eye of the North | |||
![]() |
Dwarven Battle Stance | Elite Stance. (5...10...11 seconds.) You attack 33% faster, you gain +40 armor, and your attack skills interrupt actions. No effect unless you have a hammer equipped. | ![]() |
5 ![]() |
20 ![]() | Strength | Prophecies | |||
![]() |
Expert's Dexterity | Elite Stance. (1...16...20 second[s].) You attack 33% faster and you gain +2 to your Marksmanship attribute. | ![]() |
5 ![]() |
20 ![]() | Expertise | Nightfall | |||
![]() |
Expert's Dexterity (PvP) | Elite Stance. (1...16...20 second[s].) You attack 15% faster and you gain +1 to your Marksmanship attribute. | ![]() |
5 ![]() |
20 ![]() | Expertise | Nightfall | |||
![]() |
Feral Aggression | Skill. (5...17...20 seconds.) Your pet attacks 33% faster and deals +3...9...10 damage. | ![]() |
15 ![]() |
20 ![]() | Beast Mastery | Eye of the North | |||
![]() |
Flail | Stance. (1...12...15 second[s].) You attack 33% faster. You move 33% slower. | 4 ![]() |
![]() | Strength | Nightfall | ||||
![]() |
Flurry | Stance. (5 seconds). You attack 33% faster. You do 25% less damage. | ![]() |
5 ![]() |
5 ![]() | ![]() | Prophecies | |||
![]() |
Frenzy | Stance. (8 seconds.) You attack 33% faster. You take double damage. | ![]() |
5 ![]() |
4 ![]() | ![]() | Core | |||
![]() |
Heart of Fury | Stance. (2...8...10 seconds.) You attack 25% faster. | 4 ![]() |
![]() | Mysticism | Nightfall | ||||
![]() |
Heart of Fury (PvP) | Stance. (2...8...10 seconds.) You attack 25% faster. | 4 ![]() |
![]() |
6 ![]() | Mysticism | Nightfall | |||
![]() |
Heket's Rampage | Stance. (5...10...11 seconds). You attack 33% faster. Ends if you use an attack skill. | ![]() |
5 ![]() |
10 ![]() | Beast Mastery | Nightfall | |||
![]() |
Lightning Reflexes | Stance. (5...10...11 seconds.) You attack 33% faster and have 75% chance to block. | ![]() |
10 ![]() |
30 ![]() | ![]() | Expertise | Core | ||
![]() |
Lightning Reflexes (PvP) | Stance. (5...10...11 seconds.) You attack 33% faster and have 75% chance to block. | ![]() |
10 ![]() |
45 ![]() | Expertise | Core | |||
![]() |
Never Rampage Alone | Skill. (18...25 seconds.) You and your pet attack 25% faster and have +1...3 Health regeneration. | ![]() |
15 ![]() |
20 ![]() | Sunspear rank | Nightfall | |||
![]() |
Onslaught | Elite Flash Enchantment Spell. (3...13...15 seconds.) You attack, move and gain adrenaline 25% faster. | ![]() |
10 ![]() |
10 ![]() | Wind Prayers | Nightfall | |||
![]() |
Onslaught (PvP) | Elite Flash Enchantment Spell. (2...7...8 seconds.) You attack and gain adrenaline 25% faster. | ![]() |
10 ![]() |
10 ![]() | Wind Prayers | Nightfall | |||
![]() |
Pious Fury | Stance. (1...6...7 second[s].)You [sic] attack 25% faster and remove 1 of your Dervish enchantments. Removal effect: this stance lasts twice as long. | ![]() |
5 ![]() |
10 ![]() | Mysticism | Eye of the North | |||
![]() |
Pious Fury (PvP) | Stance. (1...4...5 second[s].)You [sic] attack 25% faster and remove 1 of your Dervish enchantments. Removal effect: this stance lasts twice as long. | ![]() |
5 ![]() |
15 ![]() | Mysticism | Eye of the North | |||
![]() |
Predatory Bond | Shout. (5...17...20 seconds.) Your pet attacks 25% faster and you gain 1...25...31 Health whenever your pet makes a successful attack. | ![]() |
10 ![]() |
30 ![]() | Beast Mastery | Factions | |||
![]() |
Primal Rage | Elite Stance. (1...12...15 second[s].) You attack 33% faster and move 25% faster. You take double damage. | 4 ![]() |
![]() |
10 ![]() | Strength | Factions | |||
![]() |
Rampage as One | Elite Skill. (3...13...15 seconds.) You and your pet attack 33% faster and move 25% faster. No effect unless your pet is alive. | ![]() |
25 ![]() |
10 ![]() | Beast Mastery | Nightfall | |||
![]() |
Rapid Fire | Preparation. (5...21...25 seconds.) You attack 33% faster while wielding a bow. | ![]() |
5 ![]() |
2 ![]() |
12 ![]() | Marksmanship | Eye of the North | ||
![]() |
Seven Weapons Stance | Elite Stance. (3...17...20 seconds.) Weapon attributes are increased by +1...12...15. You attack 33% faster. PvE Skill | ![]() |
5 ![]() |
20 ![]() | Strength | Core | |||
![]() |
Signet of Ghostly Might | Elite Signet. (5...17...20 seconds.) All spirits you control within earshot attack 33% faster and deal +5...9...10 damage. | ![]() |
1 ![]() |
15 ![]() | Communing | Nightfall | |||
![]() |
Soldier's Fury | Elite Echo. (10...30...35 seconds.) You attack 33% faster and gain 33% more adrenaline if under the effects of a shout or chant. You have -20 armor. | ![]() |
5 ![]() |
1 ![]() |
5 ![]() | Leadership | Nightfall | ||
![]() |
Soldier's Stance | Elite Stance. (5...13...15 seconds.) You have a 75% chance to block. You attack 33% faster while under the effects of a chant or shout. | ![]() |
5 ![]() |
15 ![]() | Tactics | Nightfall | |||
![]() |
Soldier's Stance (PvP) | Elite Stance. (4...9...10 seconds.) You attack 33% faster while under the effects of a shout or chant. | ![]() |
5 ![]() |
8 ![]() | Tactics | Nightfall | |||
![]() |
Tiger Stance | Stance. (4...9...10 seconds.) You attack 33% faster. Ends if you fail to hit. | ![]() |
5 ![]() |
20 ![]() | Strength | Factions | |||
![]() |
Tiger's Fury | Stance. (5...10...11 seconds.) You attack 25% faster. Disables your non-attack skills (5 seconds). | ![]() |
10 ![]() |
10 ![]() | ![]() | Beast Mastery | Prophecies | ||
![]() |
Volfen Bloodlust | Shout. (2...7 seconds.) You and nearby allies attack 33% faster. | ![]() |
10 ![]() | Norn rank | Eye of the North | ||||
![]() |
Way of the Assassin | Elite Stance. (20 seconds.) While wielding daggers, you attack 5...17...20% faster and have +5...29...35% chance to land a critical hit. | ![]() |
5 ![]() |
12 ![]() | Critical Strikes | Nightfall | |||
![]() |
Weapon of Aggression | Weapon Spell. (5...13...15 seconds.) You attack 25% faster. | ![]() |
10 ![]() |
¼ ![]() |
10 ![]() | Channeling Magic | Eye of the North |
On foes[edit]
Icon | Name | Description | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | Prof. | Attribute | Campaign | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() |
Crippling Anguish | Elite Hex Spell. (5...17...20 seconds.) Target foe moves and attacks 50% slower and has -1...7...8 Health degeneration. | ![]() |
5 ![]() |
1 ![]() |
12 ![]() | Illusion Magic | Core | ||
![]() |
Faintheartedness | Hex Spell. (3...13...16 seconds.) Target foe attacks 50% slower and has -0...2...3 Health degeneration. | ![]() |
10 ![]() |
1 ![]() |
8 ![]() | ![]() | Curses | Core | |
![]() |
Meekness | Hex Spell. Also hexes foes in the area of target (5...25...30 seconds). These foes attack 50% slower. | ![]() |
17% ![]() |
15 ![]() |
2 ![]() |
15 ![]() | Curses | Nightfall | |
![]() |
Reckless Haste | Hex Spell. Also hexes foes adjacent to your target (6...11...12 seconds). These foes have 50% chance to miss, but attack 25% faster. | ![]() |
15 ![]() |
1 ![]() |
12 ![]() | Curses | Factions | ||
![]() |
Shadow of Fear | Hex Spell. Also hexes foes adjacent to target (5...25...30 seconds). They attack 50% slower. | ![]() |
10 ![]() |
2 ![]() |
5 ![]() | ![]() | Curses | Prophecies | |
![]() |
Shared Burden | Elite Hex Spell. Also hexes foes near your target (5...17...20 seconds). These foes attack, cast spells, and move 50% slower. | ![]() |
5 ![]() |
2 ![]() |
15 ![]() | Illusion Magic | Factions | ||
![]() |
Shared Burden (PvP) | Elite Hex Spell. Also hexes foes near your target (5...17...20 seconds). These foes attack, cast spells, and move 33% slower. | ![]() |
10 ![]() |
2 ![]() |
20 ![]() | Illusion Magic | Factions | ||
![]() |
Sum of All Fears | Hex Spell. (1...8...10 second[s].) Target foe moves, attacks, and casts spells 33% slower. | ![]() |
10 ![]() |
2 ![]() |
10 ![]() | Illusion Magic | Eye of the North | ||
![]() |
Teinai's Heat | Ward Spell. (10...14...15 seconds.) Causes -2...4...5 health [sic] degeneration. Weakened foes in the ward attack 33% slower. Disabled for 20 seconds. | ![]() |
15 ![]() |
1 ![]() |
20 ![]() | Fire Magic | Factions | ||
![]() |
Tryptophan Signet | Signet. (14...20 seconds.) Target and adjacent foes move and attack 23...40% slower. | ![]() |
1 ![]() |
15 ![]() | Ebon Vanguard rank | Eye of the North |
Miscellaneous[edit]
Icon | Name | Description | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() | Attribute | Campaign | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() |
"Tango Down!" | Elite Shout. You lose all hexes and conditions. For each dead foe within earshot, you gain 5 seconds of +6 Health regeneration, 5 seconds of +1 Energy regeneration, and 5 seconds of +25% attack speed. | ![]() |
5 ![]() |
15 Core | ||||
![]() |
"There's not enough time!!" | Shout. (20 seconds.) Creatures in earshot attack, move, and activate skills 100% faster. | ![]() |
10 ![]() |
20 Prophecies | ||||
![]() |
Shadowy Soul Explosion | When an Afflicted Assassin dies, all enemies in the area are struck for 25...57...65 damage, and all Afflicted in the area move and attack 25% faster (10...13...14 seconds). | Winds of Change | ||||||
![]() |
Spectral Agony | Skill. (5 seconds.) Target foe has -1...30 Health degeneration; moves, attacks, and uses skills 80% slower; and loses 3...81 Health each second. | ![]() |
¼ ![]() |
15 Prophecies |
Notes[edit]
- Monks have no skills that increase or decrease attack speed. However, they are the only profession with skills that prevent foes from attacking (outside PvE-only skills).