Critical hit

Critical hit.

A critical hit, also known as a critical strike, critical, or crit is a mechanic that offers a chance that an attack causing direct damage can inflict extra damage. The chance of a critical hit is determined by precision and any bonuses to critical chance, such as fury and certain skills and traits. Critical hits deal 150% of base damage of the attack, which can be increased by the Ferocity attribute. In addition, some effects only trigger after a critical, including relevant ones from traits, sigils, or runes. Critical hit damage is displayed in larger text than ordinary damage and highlighted with a red splash.

Formula

The expected average damage output is determined by the following formula:

Average damage = Base damage * ( 1 - Critical Chance ) + Base damage * ( Critical Chance * Critical Damage )

Re-factored, this simplifies to:

Average damage = Base damage * ( 1 + Critical Chance * ( Critical Damage - 1 ) )

Example: given a critical chance of 25% and critical damage of 180%, average damage output is 20% greater than normal.

Average damage = base * ( 1 + 0.25 * ( 1.8 - 1 ) ) 
               = base * ( 1 + 0.25 * 0.8 )
               = base * 1.2

Related skills

Healing skills that cause critical damage

• 
  
   Arcane Brilliance — Blast the area, hitting foes with critical damage and healing yourself. Healing effectiveness is increased per target hit.

Utility skills that cause critical damage

• 
  
   Arcane Blast — Blast your foe with energy for critical damage.
• 
  
   Arcane Power — You and nearby allies do critical damage with your next few attacks. Each stack of Arcane Power grants bonus ferocity
• 
  
   Arcane Wave — Blast foes in the target area with an energy wave for critical damage.

Related traits

Traits that trigger on critical hits

•  Empowering Might — You and nearby allies gain might when you land a critical hit.
•  Glacial Heart — Critical hits with hammers chill enemies. Hammer recharge is reduced.
•  Vigorous Precision — Gain vigor when you critically strike.
•  Frigid Precision — Chance to chill your foe when you land a critical hit.
•  Rampant Vex — Critical hits have a chance to cause torment.
•  Axe Mastery — Critical axe hits gain extra adrenaline. Gain ferocity while wielding an axe in either hand. Reduce recharge on axe skills.
•  Forceful Greatsword — Gain might on a critical hit with a greatsword or spear. Greatsword and spear skills deal more damage and recharge faster.
•  Furious — Critical hits grant bonus adrenaline and gain a stacking condition damage effect.
•  Precise Strikes — Chance to cause bleeding on critical hits.
•  Rending Strikes — You have a chance to cause vulnerability on critical hits.
•  King of Fires — Increase the duration of burning you apply. Gain fire aura when you critically hit an enemy. Berserker skills detonate fire aura, damaging
  [sic]
  and burning nearby foes.
•  Bunker Down — Create a proximity mine and med kit at your location when you critically hit with an attack.
•  Heavy Armor Exploit — Your critical hits have a chance to give you swiftness and apply vulnerability to your foe.
•  Incendiary Powder — Critical hits inflict burning. Burning you apply lasts 33% longer.
•  No Scope — Critical hits within the range threshold have a chance to grant fury.
•  Sharpshooter — Critical hits have a chance to cause bleeding.
•  Companion's Might — Your critical hits grant might to your pet. Critical strikes from your pet's basic attack cause bleeding.
•  Sharpened Edges — Chance for you and the pet to cause bleeding on critical hits.
•  Ankle Shots — Critical hits with pistols and harpoon guns have a chance to cripple foes. Pistol and harpoon attacks deal increased damage to crippled foes.
•  Invigorating Precision — You are healed for a percentage of outgoing critical hit damage.
•  No Quarter — Landing a critical hit while under the effects of fury increases the duration of fury. Gain increased ferocity while under the effects of fury.
•  Sundering Strikes — Critical hits have a chance to cause vulnerability.
•  Weakening Strikes — Cause weakness to enemies you critically hit. Weakened enemies deal less damage to you.
•  Arcane Precision — Skills have a chance to apply a condition on critical hits.
•  Burning Precision — Critical hits have a chance to cause burning, and burning lasts longer.
•  Fresh Air — Recharge air attunement on a critical hit. Gain a ferocity boost when attuning to air.
•  Renewing Stamina — Gain vigor when you deliver a critical hit.
•  Weak Spot — Chance to cause vulnerability on critical hits.
•  Critical Infusion — Gain vigor when delivering a critical hit.
•  Sharper Images — Illusions inflict bleeding on critical hits.
•  Lost Time — Gain a charge each time you score a critical hit. After enough charges, your next hit will slow your target.
•  Barbed Precision — Critical hits have a chance to cause bleeding. Increases bleed duration.
•  Chilling Nova — Critical hits against chilled foes causes an explosion that chills adjacent foes.

Traits with effects that cannot score critical hits

•  Mug — Deal damage and gain life when stealing. This attack cannot critically hit enemies.
•  Impacting Disruption — Enemies that you interrupt suffer a pulmonary impact.

Traits that trigger when critically hit

•  Spiked Armor — Gain retaliation when you block or are struck by a critical hit. Retaliation gives you bonus toughness.
•  Soothing Ice — Gain regeneration and frost aura when critically hit.

Traits that nullify critical hits on yourself

•  Stone Heart — You cannot be critically hit while attuned to earth.

Related upgrade components

Upgrade components that trigger effects on critical hits

• Sigil of Air — chance to cause a Lightning Strike
• Sigil of Blood — chance to cause life stealing
• Sigil of Earth — chance to cause  Bleeding
• Sigil of Fire — chance to cause a Flame Blast for AoE Damage
• Sigil of Generosity — chance to transfer a condition
• Sigil of Rage — chance to gain  Quickness
• Sigil of Strength — chance to gain  Might
• Superior Sigil of Blight — 60% chance to cause an area poison attack
• Superior Sigil of Incapacitation — 60% chance to inflict  Crippled
• Superior Sigil of Nullification — 60% chance to remove a Boon
• Superior Sigil of Torment — 50% chance to apply AoE torment

Average damage increase

The table below shows the average increase in damage from critical hits based on the chance to hit critically (rows) and the bonus Critical Damage from that attribute (columns). For example: if your critical chance is 20% and your critical damage is 155%, the 1.110 means that, over time, you will end up doing 11% more damage than if both attributes were zero.

Critical Damage → Critical Chance ↓	150	155	160	165	170	175	180	185	190	195	200	205	210	215	220	225	230	235	240	245	250
5%	1.025	1.028	1.030	1.033	1.035	1.038	1.040	1.043	1.045	1.048	1.050	1.053	1.055	1.058	1.060	1.063	1.065	1.068	1.070	1.073	1.075
10%	1.050	1.055	1.060	1.065	1.070	1.075	1.080	1.085	1.090	1.095	1.100	1.105	1.110	1.115	1.120	1.125	1.130	1.135	1.140	1.145	1.150
15%	1.075	1.083	1.090	1.098	1.105	1.113	1.120	1.128	1.135	1.143	1.150	1.158	1.165	1.173	1.180	1.188	1.195	1.203	1.210	1.218	1.225
20%	1.100	1.110	1.120	1.130	1.140	1.150	1.160	1.170	1.180	1.190	1.200	1.210	1.220	1.230	1.240	1.250	1.260	1.270	1.280	1.290	1.300
25%	1.125	1.138	1.150	1.163	1.175	1.188	1.200	1.213	1.225	1.238	1.250	1.263	1.275	1.288	1.300	1.313	1.325	1.338	1.350	1.363	1.375
30%	1.150	1.165	1.180	1.195	1.210	1.225	1.240	1.255	1.270	1.285	1.300	1.315	1.330	1.345	1.360	1.375	1.390	1.405	1.420	1.435	1.450
35%	1.175	1.193	1.210	1.228	1.245	1.263	1.280	1.298	1.315	1.333	1.350	1.368	1.385	1.403	1.420	1.438	1.455	1.473	1.490	1.508	1.525
40%	1.200	1.220	1.240	1.260	1.280	1.300	1.320	1.340	1.360	1.380	1.400	1.420	1.440	1.460	1.480	1.500	1.520	1.540	1.560	1.580	1.600
45%	1.225	1.248	1.270	1.293	1.315	1.338	1.360	1.383	1.405	1.428	1.450	1.473	1.495	1.517	1.540	1.563	1.585	1.608	1.630	1.653	1.675
50%	1.250	1.275	1.300	1.325	1.350	1.375	1.400	1.425	1.450	1.475	1.500	1.525	1.550	1.575	1.600	1.625	1.650	1.675	1.700	1.725	1.750
55%	1.275	1.303	1.330	1.358	1.385	1.413	1.440	1.468	1.495	1.523	1.550	1.578	1.605	1.633	1.660	1.688	1.715	1.743	1.770	1.798	1.825
60%	1.300	1.330	1.360	1.390	1.420	1.450	1.480	1.510	1.540	1.570	1.600	1.630	1.660	1.690	1.720	1.750	1.780	1.810	1.840	1.870	1.900
65%	1.325	1.358	1.390	1.423	1.455	1.488	1.520	1.553	1.585	1.618	1.650	1.683	1.715	1.748	1.780	1.813	1.845	1.878	1.910	1.943	1.975
70%	1.350	1.385	1.420	1.455	1.490	1.525	1.560	1.595	1.630	1.665	1.700	1.735	1.770	1.805	1.840	1.875	1.910	1.945	1.980	2.015	2.050
75%	1.375	1.413	1.450	1.488	1.525	1.563	1.600	1.638	1.675	1.713	1.750	1.788	1.825	1.863	1.900	1.938	1.975	2.013	2.050	2.088	2.125
80%	1.400	1.440	1.480	1.520	1.560	1.600	1.640	1.680	1.720	1.760	1.800	1.840	1.880	1.920	1.960	2.000	2.040	2.080	2.120	2.160	2.200
85%	1.425	1.468	1.510	1.553	1.595	1.638	1.680	1.723	1.765	1.808	1.850	1.893	1.935	1.978	2.020	2.063	2.105	2.148	2.190	2.233	2.275
90%	1.450	1.495	1.540	1.585	1.630	1.675	1.720	1.765	1.810	1.855	1.900	1.945	1.990	2.035	2.080	2.125	2.170	2.215	2.260	2.305	2.350
95%	1.475	1.523	1.570	1.618	1.665	1.713	1.760	1.808	1.855	1.903	1.950	1.998	2.045	2.093	2.140	2.188	2.235	2.283	2.330	2.378	2.425
100%	1.500	1.550	1.600	1.650	1.700	1.750	1.800	1.850	1.900	1.950	2.000	2.050	2.100	2.150	2.200	2.250	2.300	2.350	2.400	2.450	2.500

Player chatter

When a character hits a foe with a critical hit, they will occasionally shout out one of the following lines, depending on their race and gender.

Race	Gender
	Male	Female
Asura	I've beaten you, but you don't know it yet. For the record: you've been struck!	How does that feel? Excruciating? Maximum pain! I've got a lesson to teach you.
Charr	Oh, that had to hurt.	Feel the pain! Did that hurt?
Human	There's one to remember me by. Oh, that had to hurt.	Hurts, doesn't it? You'll be feeling that one for days. BAM!
Norn	HAH! Extra damage!
Sylvari	Take that!	Give up yet?

Anomaly:

Characters will sometimes shout upon receiving a critical hit from an enemy.

Notes

• Condition damage is not affected by precision or critical damage modifiers, since only direct damage hits have a chance to critical.
• Your chance of critical cannot end up higher than 100%

See also

• Fury
• Critical Chance
• Precision
• Critical Damage
• Glancing
• Miss

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Attributes

Primary	Power	Precision Critical Chance
	Toughness Armor	Vitality Health
Secondary	Concentration Boon Duration	Condition Damage	Expertise Condition Duration
	Ferocity Critical Damage	Healing Power
Profession	Guardian	Warrior
	Engineer	Ranger	Thief
	Elementalist	Mesmer	Necromancer
Special	Agony Resistance	Gold Find	Karma Gain
	Magic Find	XP Gain