Combat (Advanced)

This page builds on Combat basics with the systems that decide whether you hit, how much damage you deal, and how to use special moves and mounts. The formulas below are read from ServUO source (BaseWeapon.cs, Mobile.cs) and apply to this shard’s expansion (EJ — the AOS/ML code paths). Where a number is still unconfirmed it is marked (unverified).

Hit chance and defense

Whether a swing lands is a contest between the attacker’s accuracy and the defender’s ability to avoid the blow. On this shard (AOS rules), the chance is computed in BaseWeapon.CheckHit:

hitChance = (atkSkill + 20) × (100 + HCI)
            ─────────────────────────────────
            (defSkill + 20) × (100 + DCI) × 2

atkSkill / defSkill — the attacker’s and defender’s effective weapon skill (Swordsmanship, Mace Fighting, Fencing, Archery, Throwing, or Wrestling if unarmed).
HCI = your Hit Chance Increase item bonus, capped at 45% (50% for Gargoyles).
DCI = the defender’s Defense Chance Increase, also capped at 45%.
Floor: 2% — every swing always has at least a 2% chance to land.

Worked examples: at 100 vs 100 skill with no item bonuses, (120 × 100) / (120 × 100 × 2) = 50%. Stack 45% HCI against the same defender and you rise to (120 × 145) / (120 × 100 × 2) = 72.5%. This is why HCI is a priority property for PvP and high-end PvM builds. A successful Parry can still block a hit that would otherwise land (see Parrying below).

Damage components

When a hit lands, ServUO scales the weapon’s base damage by a stack of percentage bonuses (BaseWeapon.ScaleDamageAOS):

damage = baseDamage × (1 + Strength% + Tactics% + Anatomy% + Lumberjack% + DamageIncrease%)

Component	Formula	At grandmaster / 100 Str
Base weapon damage	weapon’s min–max range (see weapons)	—
Tactics	`Tactics × 0.625%` (+6.25% at 100)	+68.75%
Anatomy	`Anatomy × 0.5%` (+5% at 100)	+55%
Strength	`Str × 0.3%` (+5% at 100)	+35%
Lumberjacking (axes only)	`Lumberjack × 0.2%` (+10% at 100)	+30%
Damage Increase (item property)	added directly, capped at +100%	up to +100%

These bonuses are additive, then the total multiplies base damage — so a maxed melee character with an axe roughly doubles-and-more the weapon’s printed damage before item DI. On top of the scaled number come slayer multipliers vs the right creature type and elemental damage conversions from the weapon. The takeaway: **weapon + Tactics + Anatomy

Strength** (plus Lumberjacking for axes) is the core melee damage stack, and Tactics is the single largest contributor.

Damage types and resistances

Every hit deals one or more of five damage types:

Physical
Fire
Cold
Poison
Energy

The defender reduces incoming damage by their resistance to that type:

Players get resistances from worn armor and jewelry; each piece lists its Physical/Fire/Cold/Poison/Energy resist values, and they sum up to a capped total per type.
Resistance cap: 70% per damage type for players (Mobile.cs, MaxPlayerResistance = 70). Once a type hits 70%, additional resist gear of that type is wasted on standing defense — balance your five resists rather than over-stacking one.
Creatures have their own innate resistances — listed per monster in the Bestiary. A dragon shrugs off fire; an elemental resists its own element.

To fight efficiently: check the target’s weaknesses in the Bestiary and bring a weapon (or spells) that deal the damage type it resists least. Conversely, wear armor that covers the damage types the enemy deals.

Weapon speed and stamina

On this shard (ML code path), the delay between swings is (BaseWeapon.GetDelay):

ticks       = floor( (weaponSpeed × 4 − Stamina ÷ 30) × 100 ÷ (100 + SSI) )
swingDelay  = ticks × 0.25 seconds          (minimum 5 ticks = 1.25 s)

weaponSpeed is the weapon’s base speed value; faster weapons have a lower number.
Stamina directly speeds you up — every 30 points of Stam shaves one tick off the raw swing, so losing Stamina visibly slows your attacks in real time.
SSI = “Swing Speed Increase” item bonus, capped at 60%.
Floor: 1.25 seconds — no build can swing faster than once every 1.25 s (5 ticks).

Stamina drains from running and from being hit; eat food and rest to recover. Fast weapons favor special-move spam and on-hit effects; slow weapons favor big single hits. See Combat basics.

Parrying

Holding a shield (or, with Bushido, a weapon) gives a chance to block a hit outright before damage is rolled. With a shield equipped (BaseWeapon.CheckParry):

blockChance = (Parrying − Bushido) ÷ 400      (+5% if Parrying or Bushido ≥ 100)

At GM Parrying (100) with no Bushido, that is 100 ÷ 400 + 5% = 30% block — the practical ceiling for a pure shield tank.
Low Dexterity hurts you: if Dex < 80 the chance is scaled by (20 + Dex) ÷ 100, so a fragile-Dex character parries noticeably less.
Weapon parry without a shield (needs Bushido) uses (Parry × Bushido) ÷ 48000 one-handed or ÷ 41140 two-handed, falling back to Parry ÷ 800 if that is higher — so weapon-parry is weak until you invest in Bushido.

A successful parry blocks the blow regardless of the attacker’s hit chance, which is why a shield + GM Parrying is the backbone of a survivable melee or PvP build.

Special moves (primary and secondary)

Most weapons grant two special moves — a primary and a secondary ability — unlocked at certain Tactics and/or weapon-skill thresholds. Examples of common effects (the exact set depends on the weapon): armor-ignoring strikes, bleeding wounds, mortal/wound effects that block healing, paralyzing blows, area hits, and disarms.

To use a special move:

Open the weapon-ability bar/gump in your client.
Toggle the primary or secondary ability on; it stays armed.
Land your next qualifying hit — the ability fires and consumes mana.

Special moves cost mana (amount varies by ability and is reduced by mastery — exact costs unverified). If you lack the mana when the hit lands, the special does not trigger. Bushido and Ninjitsu add their own weapon specials. See the individual weapon-skill pages for which moves each weapon type offers.

Spell and weapon disruption (“fizzle”)

Casting while being hit can be disrupted. If you take a hit (or otherwise lose concentration) mid-cast, the spell fizzles — it fails, you may lose reagents/mana, and you must recast. This is why mages kite and heal between casts; see Spellcasting and Magery.
A bandage application can likewise slip (“Your fingers slip!”) or fail to finish if you are interrupted or move out of range — see Healing.
Holding still, keeping distance, and protective spells/abilities reduce disruption (resisting-spells and protection effects are unverified in specifics — see Resisting Spells).

Mounts in combat

Riding a mount lets you move at the faster mounted speed and chase or flee more effectively. You can fight from horseback with melee and ranged weapons.
Some abilities and special moves (notably certain dismount specials, and lances) can knock you off your mount; on foot you move slower. (Specifics unverified.)
Mounts are creatures: they can be targeted and, if a war-horse/pet, healed or killed. See Taming & pets and Movement & travel.

Fleeing and line of sight (recap)

To disengage: drop to peace mode, run, and use terrain to break a ranged attacker’s line of sight. Melee enemies must stay adjacent to swing; ranged enemies need an unobstructed line. Once out of sight you can Hide or Recall away. Full procedure in Combat basics → Fleeing.