In Splinterlands, a variety of factors can influence the damage dealt during an attack. Attack strength modifiers and defensive abilities can play a role. This guide clarifies the order of those interactions and the implications.

• Attack Order & Accuracy rules apply.

Order of Operations

At the beginning of battle, buffs and debuffs from archons and units are applied. When an attack hits a target, if the abilities are applicable they proceed in this order:

First (1) - Damage Calculation

Reduction from Lookout applies:

• Ambush attack strength reduced by 1/2.
• Attacks from Sneak, Snipe, Opportunity -1 if hit by adjacent unit.

Second (2) - Damage Calculation

If blast splash damage strikes a unit with deflect, that damage is reduced to 0. 

Third (3) - Damage Calculation

If the defender has forcefield and damage is over 5 (no Relentless Strike), damage becomes 1. 

• Note: the forcefield interaction is determined BEFORE the attack power modifying abilities below. 

Otherwise:

• Double damage for knockout + stun.
• Double damage for oppress + no attack.
• Double damage for giant killer.
• 3X damage for recharge attacks.
• Double damage for fury + taunt.
• Apply shield/void damage reduction if the unit doesn't have relentless strike.
• Add bonus damage if the unit does have relentless strike and shield.

Fourth (4) - Damage Calculation

Then, if the unit has divine shield reduce damage to 0.

Fifth (5) - Damage Application

Apply  damage.

• If unit has piercing, damage in excess of the target's armor is applied to health. 
• If melee or ranged damage, damage is applied to armor.
• If unit has a magic attack, armor is bypassed and health is reduced.
  • If unit has void armor, magic attack damage is applied to armor. 
• If no armor is present, damage applies to health.

Implications

1. Lookout reduces the strength of attacks BEFORE other reductions are applied. 
   • For example: In an ambush round where the target has taunt and lookout on the team, while the attacker has fury with a base attack of 4, that base attack is reduced to 2 (via lookout in the ambush round). Next, the attack would double back to 4 due to the fury/taunt interaction. 
2. If attack strength is reduced to below 5 via lookout, damage boosting abilities still apply and bypass damage prevention from forcefield.
   • For example: If an attacker begins with 5 attack strength, and targets a unit with forcefield and is adjacent to a unit with lookout, that attack would be reduced to 4. As damage is NOT 5 or over, that 4 attack would be doubled to 8 power. 
3. Divine Shield is the last step of Damage Calculation.

   • Divine Shield protects against all attacks that would have dealt first time damage. It can mitigate all damage from attack power increasing abilities.