Damage Mechanics Explained

Table of Contents

I wasn’t able to find any source online talking about the game’s damage mechanics. Here are some of the lesser known ones for Octopath Traveler: Champions of the Continent.

  • Crit: 25% more damage. Only physical (weapon-type) attacks can crit. Elemental attacks cannot.
  • Buffs/debuffs: Skills that grant buffs or debuffs have delayed activation and only come into effect at the start of the next unit’s turn. Buffs/Debuffs of the same type stack additively, up to a limit of 30% and in turn duration. See this guide for more info.
  • Outside of Arena Damage Mechanic
    • Off-weakness dmg is 1x, weakness dmg is 2.5x, break dmg is 2x, and weakness + break = 5x
  • Inside of Arena Damage Mechanic
    • Off-weakness dmg is 0.5x, weakness dmg is 2.5x, break dmg is 2x, and weakness + break = 5x
  • Weakness: You deal more damage and shave enemy shield when you use a damage type they are weak to.
  • Break:The state of “Break” occurs when an enemy’s shield points reach 0, and it lasts for the current turn and the following turn. While in this state, the enemy takes increased damage, is unable to act, and is always placed at the end of the battle sequence. Upon leaving the “Break” state, the enemy always acts first.
  • Bleed/Poison: Deals minor damage for a specified number of turns. The damage is pretty negligible, but some units receive buffs when they attack enemies that have Bleed/Poison status. Bleed is Physical damage, and Poison is Elemental damage, so they are mitigated by your unit’s PDEF/EDEF.
  • Counter: Unit attacks with their weapon or elemental attack. Can remove shield points.
  • Healing: Scales off of healer’s EATK and skill potency. See below.
  • Regen: Scales off of the receiver’s max HP, and caster’s skill potency. See below.

The physical damage formula, taken from JP, seem to be the following:

Base P.Atk * (Base P.Atk + P.Atk from Equipment – Enemy P.Def) * Skill Potency * Grade Correction * buffs&debuffs

——

In this post, “Healing” refers to a one-time hp recovery skill. AKA burst healing.

“HP Regen” refers to recovering HP over a set number of turns. AKA automatic healing.

Properties Shared by Healing/HP Regen #

  • Scale linearly with skill potency. A 100 potency skill will recover twice as much HP as a 50 potency skill.

  • You can increase healing amount with the help of Lynette/Primrose/Lianna’s EATK Buff.

  • Is not affected by Weapon Grade.

  • Cannot crit.

  • Cannot miss.

Properties of Healing #

  • Healing amount is based on the caster’s total Elem. Atk stat. This includes base + equipment + influence + Elem. Atk buffs + passives + some % variance.

  • Affected multiplicatively by passives that boost healing, like Millard’s.

  • Using BP on a healing skill always increase it’s potency.

  • Not affected by the target’s max HP.

Properties of HP Regen #

  • Healing amount is based on the receiver’s max HP and the caster’s total displayed Elem Atk stat. This includes base + equipment + some % variance.

  • When using multiple sources of active HP Regen, the skill with the highest regen amount remains active, and the duration stacks additively.

  • Multiple sources of passive HP regen stack additively.

  • Using BP on a regen skill always increase turn duration, and not potency. The exception to this rule is if the skill is hybrid: one that heals and gives hp regen. In this exception, only the healing potency increases with BP.

  • Duration can be boosted by passives that extend the duration of “augmenting effects”. E.g Alfyn, Ophilia, Molrusso’s passive.

  • Is not affected by passives that boost healing.

Strongest Pure Healers #

  • Millard with 205 potency Front Row Heal and 20% passive.

  • Eliza with 205 potency Front Row Heal.

  • Hasumi with 130 potency Front Row Heal and 20% passive.

  • Ophilia with 130 potency Front Row Heal + Pdef, Edef buff.

  • Lianna with 130 potency Front Row Heal + Eatk, Edef buff.

Strongest Pure HP Regen Users #

  • Theo and Alfyn with 150 potency Front Row Regen + elemental res.

  • Molrusso and Agnes (at max boost) with 140 potency Front Row Regen.

  • Ophilia with 110 potency Front Row Regen + stat debuff cleanse.

  • Lumis and Merrit give their paired ally a permanent 100 potency HP Regen.

  • Lucetta and Mabel can extend paired ally’s HP regen duration by 1 turn.