Deadly Strike

[Zee^]

I was playing my Paladin in act 2 and got a set item, long sword, i forgot the name, i think it was Cleglaw's *something* , it had 30% bonus to attack rating and 50% deadly strike. I dont remeber ever seeing that feature before what does deadly strike do?

[Winter]

It doubles the (final, but before elemental damage) damage you deal when it goes off. As you can probably guess, this makes it pretty powerful. It's the same thing as Critical Strike from Barb/Sassin Masteries/the Zon's Critical Strike skill.

[unless]

Is there a LurkerLounge FAQ around somewhere for questions like this? I can't seem to find one.

[dahak_i]

Aha... just the sort of post I wanted to tag on to...

While I'm used to the mindless, blithering idiots that populate b.net, one did make a comment that has got me thinking. The long and short of it is that he was ragging on me for using Witchwild String (40 res all, mediocre dmg, 1% deadly strike per level). I'd gotten comments like that before, but as the bow has been working just fine, I dismissed them.

This one discredited deadly strike by saying that poison damage caused it not to work. I didn't feel like giving him an edge in the arguement, and dismissed his comment. I don't deal any poison damage anyway, although I might consider adding a few charms. However, given poison's bug-inducing tendencies, I've kept it in mind to ask the experts here at the LL.

That's about as much as I can puff up this post (so it looks big and tough! Grr!... and such.)
So... Is poison damage bugged with deadly strike, or was this guy way off base?

[pjnow]

I don't know if there's a poison bug with the Witchy, but it's a darned good bow.

Head over to the Amazon Basin ( link in the community section ) for more info about a good Witchy build.

Edited for spelling

[dahak_i]

Thanks for the pointer, but I'm usually don't read build-guides... at least not about builds I'm feeling out for myself. I only recently added Witchwild to my equipment list, but it fit in well with the general layout of my build. And those resists, those beautiful beautiful resists, open up just about any slot for a fun item instead of required gear.

[Archon_Wing]

As of 1.09, Deadly strike is useless to Barabrians and Assasins due to the mastery bug that gives you 100% critical strike. (same effect as deadly strike)
Like said before it doubles your physical damage, not the elemental part.

In 1.10, the critical strike bug will be fixed (or so I've heard). If you have both critical strike and deadly strike, they won't add to each other. Instead one is rolled for double damage first, and if it fails it will go the next one. It can't hurt to have both. :)

[Archon_Wing]

Let us not forget the multiple myths of bneters such as cold damage being delivered over time and the full tome of town portal giving you more cows. Of course, some of them will even believe those random scammers that pretend to be Blizzard employees.

And what about the random chance of casting amplify damage? Yep, that is a good bow. Even if you have better, it's still worth keeping it for a merc. ;)

[Bun-Bun]

Well, I have a Deadly Strike question that I haven't seen answered anywhere else. Does Deadly Strike on a weapon apply to Dragon Talon/Tail/Flight kick damage? If it does, I'm getting my ColdSteel Eye out of (ahem) cold storage. It might make for an interesting WitchWild String build, too, if you can get DT fast enough with that bow.

[Zee^]

I've got another question, when your weapon with is combined with might, concentration, or fanaticism, does that increase the deadly strike damage?

[adeyke]

Yes. Deadly/critical strike doubles your physical damage after all other calculations. This includes the damage boosts from skills, auras, stats and equipment.

[HunkyDory]

Try this link for an explanation about Deadly Strike and the WitchWild String.

Though being a build guide it has a lot of math in it.

Poison Damage causing Deadly Strike to fail with a WWS is an urban legend.


Regards, Hunky

[HunkyDory]

I only have one Trapper Assasin and do not know much about their skills.

But for Deadly Strike the rule is that only Physical Damage gets doubled (after all bonusses are applied to it).

I can give an example for an Amazon with Freezing Arrow.

Freezing Arrow has a Physical Damage component in the initial arrow that hits and that Physical Damage will be doubled when Deadly Strike goes off.

The Cold Damage (read elemental) damage from the splash effect of Freezing arrow will not be doubled as it is not Physical Damage.

Dragon Tail adds Fire Damage if I read the description correctly and that Fire Damage will never be doubled by Deadly Strike and the same applies to the Cold Damage from Coldsteel Eye.

I hope this helps you.

Regards, Hunky

[Crystalion]

But for Deadly Strike the rule is that only Physical Damage gets doubled (after all bonusses are applied to it).

That would be the general "rule", yes. However, actual code implementation *always* trumps logic. Ergo...

Dragon Tail adds Fire Damage if I read the description correctly and that Fire Damage will never be doubled by Deadly Strike

might not be true. You see, a fairly uncontested claim, prior to v1.10, was that Dragon Tail didn't do damage vs. PIs because the calculation for the fire splash is done as a % of damage taken by the target. Whether this is precisely true or not, it does bring up reasonable doubt as to the damage calc order for deadly/crits vis a vis Dragon Tail fire damage.

Perhaps more relevant, given the mention in thread of Cleglaws Tooth and elemental damages vis a vis deadly, would be to be certain, in v1.10, whether Vengence , Berserk and the Amazon %phys converted to other skills benefit?

[HunkyDory]

That would require either testing with a modded game or browsing through the game code.

For the first I am too lazy and for the second I am too lazy and I do not have tools for it either at the moment.

But you make a good point Cystalion.


Regards, Hunky

[Bun-Bun]

Thanks, Hunky, but I was really wondering if the Deadly Strike extra damage worked at all with (physical) kick damage. I've never seen it listed as working in the lists of "things that work with kicks" here or at the AB.

From my limited testing, DS does seem to increase the kick damage. I tried out a Coldsteel Eye (50% DS) on my freshly-minted bootysin, and she does seem to do more damage than before. I was beating up on a Normal mode Meph, switching between Coldsteel Eye and a Bone Wand of the Wraith, and Mephs hits appeared to drain in bigger chunks with the Eye.

I'm not regarding this as a definitive test, but it's a positive indication worthy of further testing.

BTW, in the nit department, Coldsteel Eye doesn't do cold damage. It does do Slows Target, and that does look like it's working with kicks. Slowed Izual to a crawl, I did.

Also, it may be obvious, but shopping Drognan in Norm A2 for a Bone Wand of the Wraith is a great way to get mana leech early on for a bootysin. The weapon is quite fast, too (-20). Finally, a reason for all those leech mods on pathetic damage wands!

In reply to your other post, I was thinking of using the WWS on my bootysin for the DS and the Amp, but I think it may just be too slow. Thanks, for the link, though. I've been following your WWS build thread assiduously, and I must commend you on your imagination and perspicacity in championing the build. I'll be making a WWS 'zon at some point, but I've got a few characters in the queue ahead of that so it may be a while. Definitely on the list, though. :)