The Gold Road Chapter – which includes the Scribing system – and Update 42 is now available to test on the PTS! You can read the latest patch notes here: https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/656454/

Surprise Attack

Thralgaf
Thralgaf
✭✭✭
When I am using surprise attack from stealth, I am hitting mobs for over 6x damage. Currently I am maxing for 1285. I have tried for the life of me to figure out why this is happening. I can't find a passive, trait, or any reason as to how this is possible. My understanding was that any extra crits out of stealth came from stamina weapon based attacks? What have I overlooked?
  • Thejollygreenone
    Thejollygreenone
    ✭✭✭
    Thralgaf wrote: »
    When I am using surprise attack from stealth, I am hitting mobs for over 6x damage. Currently I am maxing for 1285. I have tried for the life of me to figure out why this is happening. I can't find a passive, trait, or any reason as to how this is possible. My understanding was that any extra crits out of stealth came from stamina weapon based attacks? What have I overlooked?

    Melee-based magicka abilities such as surprise attack and ambush both receive equal stealth bonus as stamina melee weapon based attacks.

    The specification is between ranged and melee abilities, and then further what abilities are considered purely magical and what abilities are magical but have a physical effect (stabbing someone with a magical blade)

    If its a ranged physical based ability (can do magicka damage but must calculate based on enemies armor), itll receive a crit bonus bot not the extra stealth bonus. If its a ranged purely magicka ability it will receive no bonus. If its a melee physical based ability, it will receive a crit bonus and than an extra massive bonus which is lowered a bit when pvping.

    This also goes for physical based abilities that cost magicka and calculate from spell damage based on the premise of the ability. Since I'm a nightblade the only examples I could give you are of nightblade abilities. But my suspicion is that some templar aedric spear abilities and even maybe a DKs whip might also have this stealth damage attribute setting it aside from other magicka costing abilities.

    (sorry if that got confusing, wanted to make sure I covered everything, the point is it doesn't have to be a stamina ability to get a stealth damage bonus, I would imagine the pre-requisite is that it has to calculate damage based on the enemies armor and not spell resistance, like the nightblade abilities do.)
    Edited by Thejollygreenone on August 21, 2014 6:29PM
  • Guppet
    Guppet
    ✭✭✭✭✭
    Attacks from stealth deal double damage and auto crit. So for melee type skills that's 4x damage. Add to that the night blades passives that add 10% to damage from stealth and the one that adds 10% to crit damage and that's why it's so high.

    Magic type attacks get none if that.

    Wrecking blow from stealth with a heavy stamina build on a NB can do well over 3k damage.
Sign In or Register to comment.