Damage Reduction

[Koldobika-flamelash]

I realise that this will be a very simple question, but something I’m trying to get my head around.

With an ability such as Bloodthirst for example, it’s rated to hit at 45% of AP. The actual damage to mobs is different every time. I can hit the same mob with white hits or yellow hits and the damage is never the same.

I get that the damage is being reduced some how, but how is this calculated? Is there just a specific roll for damage to be reduced and a certain percentage is knocked off dependant upon that roll?

[Miylee-darksorrow (Miylee)]

@Koldobika-flamelash

I get that the damage is being reduced some how, but how is this calculated? Is there just a specific roll for damage to be reduced and a certain percentage is knocked off dependant upon that roll?

Different targets have different armor ratings.

[Bitterborn-ragnaros (Bitterborn)]

Same targets gets different dmg results too.

[Valkia-mirage-raceway]

@Bitterborn-ragnaros

Same targets gets different dmg results too.

They made abilities have a random +/- 5% dmg for “flavor”.
Different mobs have different amounts of armor.
Add onto that random trinket/azerite/etc procs increasing dmg/strength etc. and it’s not hard to see why it varies.

[Gröngubbe-mirage-raceway]

I think that the damage range of the weapon(s) factor in too.
Say you have a sword that does 100-200 Damage, then you do between 100 to 200 each hit (plus talents and AP and stuff, minus armor) that’s why it’s different every hit.

[Lundara-blackrock]

@Gröngubbe-mirage-raceway

I think that the damage range of the weapon(s) factor in too.
Say you have a sword that does 100-200 Damage, then you do between 100 to 200 each hit (plus talents and AP and stuff, minus armor) that’s why it’s different every hit.

i dont think bloodthirst takes weapon damage and multiplies it damge is purly based on attackpower

[Takaminara-shazzrah]

You also need to add the damage range of weapons.
Edit: this has been said alreasdy.

[Shaqudo-firemaw]

Test it with execute, should be the same every time.

[Bewarê-frostmane]

What Valkia is talking about is called Spell Variance.
It’s how it worked from the start of WoW, it’s a staple design of RPGs and have been for longer than WoW has been a thing.

They removed it in Legion, which is what they’re bringing back in Shadowlands with ±5%. (No clue what the variance was up to Legion though, but it seems it wasn’t just ±5%.)

It’s also a thing in Classic, because Classic doesn’t have Legion’s scaling which is what caused it to stop functioning in the first place.