Damage Per Second (DPS) Calculator

What Is the DPS Calculator?

The DPS calculator computes the damage output of a weapon or loadout from its defining numbers: minimum and maximum base damage, elemental damage with its proc chance, critical hit chance and multiplier, and the magazine and reload factors that turn burst damage into sustained damage.

Theorycrafting lives and dies on these five numbers. Whether you are comparing two rifles in a shooter, optimizing a stat stick in an ARPG, or debating a build on a forum, converting stats to a single damage per second figure makes the comparison honest instead of vibes based.

The Formulas Behind Damage Per Second

Average base damage is the midpoint of the min max range, so a weapon hitting 40 to 60 averages 50. Elemental damage contributes by multiplying that average by the elemental chance and the average of the elemental min and max, adding a steady expected bonus to every shot.

Critical hits raise expected damage through the crit expectation factor, which equals 1 plus the crit chance times the crit multiplier minus 1. A 20 percent crit chance with a 2.0 multiplier multiplies expected damage by 1.2, not 2.0, the detail most players get wrong when eyeballing builds.

Sustained DPS divides total damage per magazine by the full cycle time, which is magazine size divided by fire rate plus reload time. A weapon that deals devastating bursts but reloads forever loses to a steadier gun over realistic fight lengths.

Burst DPS vs Sustained DPS

Burst DPS assumes an infinite magazine: every shot fires with no interruption, showing the weapon’s ceiling. Sustained DPS folds in the reload, which is the number that matters in prolonged fights, boss phases, and wave clear scenarios where you cannot spare downtime.

The gap between the two is a design signature. Shotguns and heavy hitters show huge burst numbers that collapse under reload aging, while SMGs and beam weapons post modest burst but sustain it indefinitely. The calculator shows both figures so you can match the weapon to the encounter.

How to Use the Calculator for Build Comparisons

Enter the stats from your weapon card or skill description, run the numbers, then change one variable at a time to see what actually moves the output. Common findings include crit chance losing value past certain thresholds, elemental procs meaning less on slow heavy weapons, and reload investment outperforming raw damage perks for sustained fights.

Use the results as a lens rather than gospel: real fights add armor, resistances, accuracy, and movement, all of which adjust the ideal answer. But when two builds are close on paper, the sustained DPS line usually names the winner.