Weapon Damage if it's Higher Than Spell Damage?

nightyell

What does this mean, exactly? Example: When using a two handed weapon and Dizzying Swing, the ability damage can be roughly 9400 damage. How does this specifically affect that damage?

Treeshka

Well the more you have weapon damage it will be more damage but not sure about the exact rate.

ghastley

when you strike with a weapon, you have the direct physical impact, and magical damage added by enchantments, and poison damage, and …

To simplify the calculations, damage is just split into weapon damage, and spell damage, which use up stamina and magika, whether they are delivered by the weapon or an ability, or by a set or armor. The higher result applies. The two-handed LA or HA is likely to be doing weapon damage, but if the weapon has been enchanted enough, could be doing spell damage instead. Probably not for a greatsword, but a dagger could become a spell damage weapon, just like a staff is. Abilities are more clearly one or the other, but I am sure there are exceptions. Dizzying Swing is clearly physical, i.e. weapon damage.

The majority of cases are obvious, but mages with daggers are out there.

danno8

Since hybridization in U33 every ability in the game including Light and Heavy Attacks scales on the highest of either your Weapon Damage or Spell damage, and/or the highest of your Magicka / Stamina.

The tooltip is simply stating that fact. I know the term "Weapon" implies it is only associated with whatever you are holding in your hand, and "Spell" damage implies it only affects things that are casted in a spell like fashion but that is not the case.

The terms are hold-overs from when the game first came out.

danno8

ghastley wrote: »

Abilities are more clearly one or the other, but I am sure there are exceptions. Dizzying Swing is clearly physical, i.e. weapon damage.

You wouldn't be crazy thinking this. However if your Spell Damage is higher than your Weapon Damage then Dizzying Swing will in fact use your Spell Damage to determine its damage.

It's a bit crazy, but that's where we are after 8 years. The good part is that yes a magicka/spell damage loaded character can use Dizzying Swing or whatever "physical" looking skill they want and it will hit just as hard as a Weapon Damage / Stamina based character. Of course since it costs Stamina to cast, the Magicka loaded character won't be able to sustain Dizzying Swing like a Stamina loaded character. That's the difference.