Gaming calculator
DPS Calculator
Calculate damage per second from hit damage, attack speed, crit chance, and crit multiplier. See how crits amplify your damage output.
Damage per second (DPS)
187.5
How it works
Damage per second (DPS) is the average damage you deal over one second of combat. It accounts for both your base damage and the extra damage from critical strikes, which land randomly but can be averaged over many hits.
Critical strikes work through expected value: a 25% crit chance with double damage (2× multiplier) doesn't mean every fourth hit doubles — instead, it means every hit deals 25% more damage on average. This calculator shows both the immediate result and the tradeoff between crit chance and crit damage.
Crit chance enters the formula as a fraction — 25% means 0.25. The critical multiplier is the total multiplier (so 2 means crits deal double damage, not +100% extra on top of double). If crit chance is 0%, crits have no effect. If the multiplier is 1, crits add no bonus.
Worked example
Say you have a weapon that deals 100 damage per hit, swings 1.5 times per second, with 25% crit chance and 2× crit multiplier (double damage on crits).
Average damage per hit = 100 × (1 + 0.25 × (2 − 1)) = 100 × 1.25 = 125 damage.
DPS = 125 × 1.5 = 187.5 damage per second.
Without crits, base DPS would be 100 × 1.5 = 150. Crits add 37.5 DPS, which is 20% of the total.
Over 10 seconds of continuous attacks, you deal ≈1875 damage on average.
Crit chance vs crit damage: the itemization trade-off
Many games force you to choose between higher crit chance or higher crit damage. Understanding their relationship helps you itemize correctly.
In the formula (1 + c × (m − 1)), where c is crit chance and m is crit multiplier, both terms contribute to DPS multiplicatively. At low crit chance (under 10%), adding 1% crit chance has roughly the same effect as adding 1% to the multiplier. But as crit chance climbs toward 100%, investing further in chance yields less return — you get more value from boosting the multiplier instead.
Balanced builds usually stack both: pure crit chance without multiplier doesn't shine, and pure multiplier with 0% chance is wasted. The exact balance depends on your game, but aiming for a ratio where both are moderately high usually beats stacking one stat to the extreme.
Frequently asked questions
Does this match my in-game DPS meter?
Your in-game meter measures actual rolls — the exact crits that landed during combat. This calculator shows the mathematical average over infinite rolls. Real bursts vary: you might land three crits in a row one second, then go dry for the next five. Additionally, in-game meters often include buffs, travel time, ability cooldowns, or damage modifiers you haven't accounted for. Use this calculator to understand expected value; compare it to your meter to find missing factors.
What does a 2× multiplier mean vs '+100% crit damage'?
They're the same thing. A 2× multiplier means crits deal double damage. If your base damage is 100, a crit deals 200. In game terms, that's +100% bonus damage on crits (100% extra on top of the base 100). A 1.5× multiplier is +50% crit damage. Always check your game's terminology to avoid confusion.
How do attack-speed buffs stack with crit?
Attack speed and crit stack multiplicatively in DPS calculations, just as they do here. If you have 1.5 APS and a buff doubles attack speed to 3 APS, your DPS also doubles (assuming the same damage and crit stats). Buffs to crit chance or multiplier work the same way — they scale the average damage, which then multiplies by your (possibly buffed) attack speed.