%attack vs %damage?

Alright, here's your thread Shinku. Would be nice if other number crunchers gave their opinion as well. (Locked, Joe.)

But for the sake of those who are clueless about the other thread this got brought up in, the question is;

Are %attack and %damage the same thing? Exactly what does each one do in regards to your damage range and/or skill damage? How do buffs get taken into account?



EDIT: Locked answered it here http://www.southperry.net/showthread...44554&page=104

Requested thread lock.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Locked

Assuming 300 attack, 4000 primary, 200 secondary and 1.3 multiplier.
9% attack:
1.3(4*4000+200)*(300*1.09)/100 = 68866

9% total damage:
1.3(4*4000+200)*300/100 = 63180 * 1.09 = 68866

there.
Shut up now about it.

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Here it is, at its absolute core. Which is a comparison based on simple assumptions. Changing the stats would not make a difference. This is what Shinku means by a straight multiplication. HOWEVER. There is much more to it than this but it's much more complex.

We have boss damage, %damage skills, hacked weapons, and a bunch of other crap that make the changes rather unrealistic. There is another way to check for it but I don't know if it's worth doing

And since %s are additive, their impact is only equal if you started with the same total amount of +% attack and damage. If you already had +40% total damage (say, you're a cannoneer), +1% total damage adds less range than +1% attack, assuming you have less than +40% attack already.

I may be wrong about Cannon Overload giving +% damage, but the point is the same regarding the relationship of the two +%s.

There are much fewer ways to get %atk, so in practice it's the better one or at least equal.

But it's not likely you'll have an opportunity to take the two head to head - if you get either as the 3rd line with 2 bossing lines, it's fine.