Combat Analysis: General Overlook
A look into the process of combat

What to expect in the future 

• Combat Roll Analysis: Block
• Combat Roll Analysis: Evasion
• Combat Roll Analysis: Glancing Blow
• Combat Roll Analysis: Parry
• Combat Roll Analysis: Dodge
• Combat Roll Analysis: Miss
• Combat Roll Analysis: Critical Hit
• Combat Roll Analysis: Punishing Blow
• Combat Roll Analysis: Strikethrough
• Combat Roll Analysis: Devastation
• Combat Roll Analysis: Critical Hit Reduction
  
  
• Combat Analysis: Armor
• Combat Analysis: Weapons
• Combat Analysis: Elemental
• Combat Analysis: DoTs
  
  
• Combat Profession: Jedi
• Combat Profession: Commando
• Combat Profession: Bounty Hunter
• Combat Profession: Spy
• Combat Profession: Officer
• Combat Profession: Medic
• Combat Profession: Smuggler
• Combat Profession: Entertainer (Drama Expertise)

This is the first of a series of threads that will take each combat roll and dedicate the time to explore it to the fullest. Each combat roll has many characteristics, strengths, weaknesses, and order that a player can use to take advantage of their opponent. Using these mods to the fullest will make you the best combatant you can be. Each thread will contain a the methods on how to stack it the best you can as well as a thorough interpretation of how the Diminishing Returns will effect your mods. Is there such thing as too much? I hope to bring you that answer.

This first thread will talk about the Combat Roll System on its own. I created a thread a while back that tried to put the combat rolls into a graphic. After some testing, I had to make some adjustments to the image.

The following will be a copy of the original thread with minor changes to the layout.

Since Chapter 6, Star Wars Galaxies has opened up many more options in which a single attack can either be drastically increased or decreased depending on the attacker and the target. It went from Miss, Hit, Critical Hit, Devastation and Glancing Blow, to the following options:

OFFENSIVE

• Hit
  
• Critical Hit
  
• Strikethrough
  
• Punishing Blow*
  
• Devastation**
  

DEFENSIVE

• Miss
  
• Glancing Blow
  
• Evasion
  
• Dodge
  
• Parry
  
• Block
  

*   - Punishing Blow is only delivered by PVE mobs
** - Devastation is only available to Commandos using Heavy Weaponry

Many people want to know how their defensive and offensive rolls actually proceed through combat. I have made a graphic to show how they proceed to hopefully make things easier to understand.

Please note, that AOE Damage will completely bypass the Miss, Dodge, and Parry rolls. AOE is also the only attack type that is susceptible to the Evasion roll, it will not roll against single target attacks. Strikethrough is also a single target roll only (AOE will not have a Strikethrough roll).

When you begin your attack, the first combat rolls are in order as followed: Miss, Dodge, Parry. If any of these are rolled, the attack stops and no damage is dealt.

If none of those combat rolls are triggered, the next line of rolls in order: Strikethrough, Critical, Punishing Blow, Hit.

If a Critical or Strikethrough are rolled, they are then met with these defensive rolls in order: Block, Evasion. If Block and Evasion fail, then the resulting damage is either a Critical or Strikethrough. If they do not fail, the damage is then reduced depending on your Block and Evasion values

If Critical and Strikethrough fail, then the Punishing Blow or Hit is faced with these defensive rolls: Block, Evasion, and Glancing Blow. If the defensive rolls fail, then Punishing Blow or Hit is the resulting damage. If they do not fail, the damage is then reduced by 60% for a Glancing Blow or based on your Block and Evasion values.

After all these are passed, the result will be displayed on your combat log. It is possible to Block a Critical Hit and Strikethrough, but the combat log will only show a Critical Hit or Strikethrough message with the Block calculated in, but you will not see Block in the message.

How this damage is actually calculated is as followed:

• Devastation
  
• Punishing Blow
  
• Modifiers from Special Attack
  
• Critical Hit/Glancing Blow
  
• Strength Bonus (If Melee)
  
• Damage determined by rolling min/max.
  
• Evasion (if AOE)
  
• Modifiers from Buffs and Effects
  
• Armor/Strikethrough
  
• Block Value
  

I hope this helps give everyone a better understanding of how their mods actually play a roll in their combat abilities.

Original Thread - Order of Operations - A Single Attack Breakdown

I do not know if this is a bug or not, but Block is intended to be the last roll, however, Block is rolling before Glancing Blow as many players started to notice. I tested this against a player that had 100% Glancing Blow chance and noticed Block trigger quite a few times. I still have to test Evasion against Glancing Blow, but that is something I can analyze later.

MasterCosmo wrote:

I do not know if this is a bug or not, but Block is intended to be the last roll, however, Block is rolling before Glancing Blow as many players started to notice. I tested this against a player that had 100% Glancing Blow chance and noticed Block trigger quite a few times. I still have to test Evasion against Glancing Blow, but that is something I can analyze later.

We should get more information on this MC, because that is not what we were told at fan faire.  I am curious how one can get 100% glancing blow chance.  If its from BH shields it may be an issue with the ability not with the combat rolls.  You should also report what the other hit results were.  Since the decision tree on dodges parries and misses occurs before the glancing blow/block tree it is apparent that 100% doesn't mean every shot is glanced.  I am guessing what it should mean is that every regular hit should be glanced.  Since there is a display error with simultaneous blocks and crits or blocks and strikethroughs, could it be possible that some of the blocks you are observing were actually crits?  We know the error normally displays in favor of the critical, but perhaps when GB chance is 100% something else goes awry in the display?  We've all been counseling folks based on the assumption that GB is decided before Block but if this isn't true then perhaps we need to revisit the order of operations.

I'm confused myself on this issue. Combat Entertainer has an ability called Unhealthy Fixation that debuffs the target, causing all their hits to Glance, but I was still Blocking these attacks through the duration of the buff.

Maybe it's becasue this is not specifically MY 100% Glancing Blow Chance, rather a debuff on the attacker, but I guess until I have one of those target creatures to play with, I'm not sure where to go with it.

if some of the blocks I saw were crits, it would say Critical Hit. When a Crit does roll, it rolls the Critcal Hit message, not the block message. so anytime I see the Block line in the combat log I know there was no critical hit.

I'm going to go play with a target creature later and I'll return with some feedback

MasterCosmo wrote:

I'm going to go play with a target creature later and I'll return with some feedback

PMed you the link, MC.

pwh wrote:

MasterCosmo wrote:

I do not know if this is a bug or not, but Block is intended to be the last roll, however, Block is rolling before Glancing Blow as many players started to notice. I tested this against a player that had 100% Glancing Blow chance and noticed Block trigger quite a few times. I still have to test Evasion against Glancing Blow, but that is something I can analyze later.

We should get more information on this MC, because that is not what we were told at fan faire.  I am curious how one can get 100% glancing blow chance.  If its from BH shields it may be an issue with the ability not with the combat rolls.  You should also report what the other hit results were.  Since the decision tree on dodges parries and misses occurs before the glancing blow/block tree it is apparent that 100% doesn't mean every shot is glanced.  I am guessing what it should mean is that every regular hit should be glanced.  Since there is a display error with simultaneous blocks and crits or blocks and strikethroughs, could it be possible that some of the blocks you are observing were actually crits?  We know the error normally displays in favor of the critical, but perhaps when GB chance is 100% something else goes awry in the display?  We've all been counseling folks based on the assumption that GB is decided before Block but if this isn't true then perhaps we need to revisit the order of operations.

I'm confused myself on this issue. Combat Entertainer has an ability called Unhealthy Fixation that debuffs the target, causing all their hits to Glance, but I was still Blocking these attacks through the duration of the buff.

Maybe it's becasue this is not specifically MY 100% Glancing Blow Chance, rather a debuff on the attacker, but I guess until I have one of those target creatures to play with, I'm not sure where to go with it.

if some of the blocks I saw were crits, it would say Critical Hit. When a Crit does roll, it rolls the Critcal Hit message, not the block message. so anytime I see the Block line in the combat log I know there was no critical hit.

from the look of the damage output I'd say no. I need to run more than a few tests to be sure... that's why I need a Target Creature

Vince, what servers do you have them on?

MasterCosmo wrote:

from the look of the damage output I'd say no. I need to run more than a few tests to be sure... that's why I need a Target Creature

Vince, what servers do you have them on?

MC i have one on flurry in liberty ridge.  You've been there before having bought armor from me.  I have to run into work for a few hours but I'll be back later this afternoon (after 3:30 pm eastern I anticipate).

Does a Critical Hit override a StrikeThrough? Unless it is only shown in the combat log as a Critical Hit I get less strike throughs when my crit chance gets up towards 60%.