DAMAGE FORMULA

Attack Calculation, Multipliers & DPS Optimization

Last updated: 2026-02-13

Understanding Damage Calculation

Damage in Arknights Endfield follows a multiplicative formula rather than additive. This means stacking different types of multipliers is far more effective than stacking the same type. Understanding this system is crucial for maximizing your team's damage output.

Damage = Base ATK × Multiplier Group × Base Multiplier × Crit Multiplier × Elemental Amp × Stagger Multiplier × Link Multiplier × Susceptibility

01 Attack Calculation

Your character's Attack stat forms the foundation of all damage. The formula has two main components:

Base Attack Calculation

ATK = (Base ATK × ATK Stage) × (1 + ATK%) + ATK Flat

Attribute Scaling Bonus

Your primary and secondary attributes provide additional Attack bonuses:

  • Primary Attribute: Grants 50% of its value as bonus ATK
  • Secondary Attribute: Grants 20% of its value as bonus ATK

Attack Percent vs Flat Attack

Attack % bonuses scale with your base ATK, while flat Attack adds a fixed amount. In the late game, Attack % becomes more valuable as your base ATK grows from gear and upgrades.

02 Damage Multiplier System

Multipliers are the key to maximizing damage. All multipliers stack multiplicatively, meaning 10% + 10% gives you 1.1 × 1.1 = 1.21 (not 1.2).

Multiplier Group

Comes from gear sets, weapons, and character talents. This is typically your largest source of multipliers and includes effects like "+X% Damage" from equipment.

Base Multiplier

Added by skills and finishers. Finishers (attacks on Staggered enemies) provide a significant base multiplier boost, often being the biggest damage spike in a rotation.

Critical Multiplier

Critical hits add an additional multiplier on top. The formula is (1 + Crit Damage %). Building both Crit Rate and Crit Damage maximizes this multiplier.

Stagger Multiplier

Attacks against Staggered enemies deal increased damage. The Stagger multiplier applies to all damage dealt during the Staggered state, making it crucial for burst windows.

03 Elemental Amplification

Each Arts element (Heat, Electric, Cryo, Nature) has its own amplification multiplier. These are among the strongest multipliers in the game but require specific team compositions to utilize.

Element Amp Source Notes
Heat Heat Amp Increases Combustion damage and Heat damage
Electric Electric Amp Boosts Electrification reaction damage
Cryo Cryo Amp Enhances Solidification and Freeze damage
Nature Nature Amp Powers Corrosion damage over time

Arts Intensity

Arts Intensity directly multiplies your Arts Reaction damage. At 100 Arts Intensity, your Reactions deal double damage. This stat is particularly valuable for teams that rely on frequent elemental reactions.

04 Arts Inflictions

Arts Inflictions are elemental stacks that enemies accumulate. Understanding how to apply and maintain these stacks is fundamental to Arts team damage.

How Inflictions Work

  • Each element can stack up to 4 times on an enemy
  • Infliction stacks appear next to the enemy's health bar
  • Applying the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th stack triggers an Arts Burst
  • Arts Bursts deal additional damage of the corresponding element

Common Infliction Sources

Heat: Wulfgard's Battle Skill
Cryo: Estella's Battle Skill
Electric: Perlica's Battle Skill
Nature: Gilberta's Ultimate

Arts Bursts

Every Infliction stack past the first triggers an Arts Burst - an extra hit of damage. This is separate from Reactions and happens automatically. Some equipment can buff Arts Burst damage, making characters who apply multiple stacks quickly even more valuable.

05 Arts Reactions

Arts Reactions occur when you apply a different element to an enemy that already has an Arts Infliction. These are the core of Arts team damage.

Combustion (Heat Reaction)

Triggered by applying Heat to an enemy with Cryo, Electric, or Nature Infliction. Deals initial burst damage plus damage over time for 10 seconds. The DOT does not snapshot and scales dynamically with buffs.

Corrosion (Nature Reaction)

Triggered by applying Nature to an enemy with another Infliction. Applies a powerful damage over time effect that can stack. Gilberta is a key character for enabling this reaction.

Electrification (Electric Reaction)

Triggered by applying Electric to an enemy with a different Infliction. Chains damage to nearby enemies and provides utility through interrupt potential. Perlica is the primary enabler.

Solidification (Cryo Reaction)

Triggered by applying Cryo to an enemy with another Infliction. Freezes smaller enemies and slows larger ones. Some characters gain bonuses when attacking Frozen targets.

Shatter

Occurs when hitting a Solidification-frozen enemy with Physical damage. Deals burst Physical damage and breaks the frozen state. Combines well with Physical teams that can apply Cryo first.

06 Physical Status System

Physical damage operates on a different system than Arts, focusing on Vulnerable stacks and status effects.

Vulnerable Stacks

Physical attacks apply Vulnerable stacks (max 4). These stacks are consumed by status effects to trigger their effects. More stacks = stronger effects.

Crush

Consumes ALL Vulnerable stacks for high Physical burst damage. The damage scales with the number of stacks consumed. Best for immediate burst against single targets.

Breach

Consumes ALL Vulnerable stacks to reduce the enemy's Physical defense. While it doesn't deal immediate damage, the defense reduction benefits your entire team's Physical damage output.

Lift

Applies another Vulnerable stack, deals Physical damage, and lifts smaller enemies into the air. Great for crowd control and building stacks quickly.

Knock Down

Similar to Lift but knocks enemies down instead. Provides crowd control while building Vulnerable stacks for your team to consume.

07 Link & Susceptibility

These multipliers come from team support and debuffs, providing significant damage amplification.

Link Multiplier

Some characters (like Lifeng) can apply Link to enemies. When linked, damage dealt by the linked character to the enemy is amplified. Link is particularly powerful in coordinated team rotations.

Susceptibility (Increased Damage Taken)

Debuffs like Arts Susceptibility or Physical Susceptibility increase the damage the enemy takes from those sources. Ardelia can apply both, making her invaluable for any team composition.

Corrosion

Applied by Gilberta or other Nature sources, Corrosion increases damage the enemy takes. It works synergistically with other debuffs to maximize damage amplification.

08 Practical Optimization Tips

For Physical Teams

  • Stack Vulnerable quickly with characters like Chen Qianyu
  • Use Crush for burst, Breach for sustained damage
  • Combine with Cryo for Shatter potential
  • Focus on finishers during Stagger windows

For Arts Teams

  • Apply Inflictions before Reactions for maximum damage
  • Build Arts Intensity for stronger Reactions
  • Use Electric for AoE, Nature for DoT
  • Layer multiple debuffs for multiplicative gains

General Tips

  • Different multiplier types multiply together
  • Same multiplier types add then multiply
  • Finishers are huge damage spikes - build around them
  • Save burst skills for Stagger windows

Stat Priorities

  • ATK% for general damage scaling
  • Elemental Amp for Arts teams
  • Crit Rate + Crit Damage for consistent DPS
  • Arts Intensity for Reaction-focused teams

09 Video Sources

The following YouTube videos were used as reference material for compiling this guide:

Note: This guide compiles information from community sources. Game mechanics may change with updates.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is damage calculated in Arknights Endfield?

Damage follows a multiplicative formula: Base ATK × Multiplier Group × Base Multiplier × Crit Multiplier × Elemental Amp × Stagger Multiplier × Link Multiplier × Susceptibility. All multipliers stack multiplicatively rather than additively, making stacking different multiplier types more effective than stacking the same type.

What are the most important damage multipliers to prioritize?

Elemental Amp multipliers are among the strongest, but require specific team compositions. Base Multiplier comes from skills and finishers. Crit Multiplier requires building crit rate and crit damage. Link and Susceptibility multipliers come from team support. For Physical teams, focus on Vulnerable stacks and Crush. For Arts teams, focus on Infliction stacking and Reactions.

How do Arts Inflictions affect damage output?

Arts Inflictions are elemental stacks (max 4) that enemies accumulate. Each stack past the first triggers an Arts Burst - an additional hit of damage. More importantly, Inflictions enable Arts Reactions when combined with different elements, and certain characters get damage bonuses when attacking enemies with active Inflictions.

What is the difference between Crush and Breach?

Crush consumes all Vulnerable stacks for high Physical burst damage. Breach consumes all Vulnerable stacks to reduce the enemy's Physical defense. Crush is better for immediate burst, while Breach is better for sustained Physical damage from your entire team.

How does Arts Intensity affect damage?

Arts Intensity is a stat that multiplies the damage of Arts Reactions. For example, 100 Arts Intensity would multiply your Reaction damage by 2x. This makes it very valuable for teams that frequently trigger elemental reactions.