What is DPS vs burst damage? The complete guide

Hey friend! Today we‘re going to be diving deep into the differences between sustained DPS and high burst damage. Whether you enjoy playing as a marksman, mage or melee fighter, understanding these damage concepts is key to dominating the battlefield. Grab your favorite beverage, let‘s get our gamer brains switched into theorycrafting mode!

DPS vs Burst: Key Differences

Sustained DPS (damage per second) refers to the total damage you can churn out over an extended period of time. This factors in your base damage, attack speed, potential crits, and any sustained buffs. Higher DPS means you can steadily chip away at your foe‘s health bar.

Burst damage on the other hand focuses on delivering a huge spike of damage all at once in a short window. Think of ultimates or slow casting nuke abilities. Burst skills may have longer cooldowns but make up for it with their massive damage potential per use.

Let‘s analyze some examples:

• Ashe (Overwatch) – Her primary fire delivers reliable sustained damage over time. Her ultimate Bob deals burst AoE damage.

• Veigar (League of Legends) – He stacks AP to boost his sustained poke damage with Q. His ultimate Primordial Burst nukes enemies from full health.

• Elemental Skill vs Burst (Genshin) – Skills like Fischl‘s Oz provide sustained electro DPS. Bursts like Mona‘s Omen amplify damage for a short window.

Now that we‘ve distinguished burst from DPS, let‘s examine when to favor one or the other.

Should You Focus on DPS or Burst?

Burst damage excels at executing low health enemies. Nothing beats the satisfaction of landing that final devastating critical hit. However, if enemies have more durability, steady DPS can whittle them down over time.

Most competitive games encourage a balance of both playstyles. For example, League of Legends marksmen deal strong sustained basic attack DPS, but also have ultimate abilities that provide burst potential.

As a general rule, abilities or items with cooldowns are better utilized for their burst spike damage. Save them to dish out huge damage during critical moments rather than using them off cooldown for smaller DPS gains. Their burst potential outweighs the downtime.

Let‘s see how some popular games cater to both DPS and burst:

• World of Warcraft – Classes like mages and warlocks rely on bursts during cooldown windows, while hunters and rogues output more consistent DPS.

• Valorant – Raze‘s abilities burst down enemies, while sustained fire from guns whittles them down. Ultimate orbs enable big damage plays.

• Genshin Impact – Characters like Ganyu and Yoimiya focus on charged shot DPS, while Ayaka and Raiden‘s ultimates enable big burst damage.

Now that you understand these concepts, let‘s dive into optimizing your damage output…

Maximizing Your DPS and Burst Damage

1. Master your skill rotation

Memorize the optimal ability order to maximize your DPS. Using abilities off cooldown is important. Animation cancelling cuts down time between casts.

2. Stack buffs and debuffs

Coordinate with your team to stack damage amplifiers like Zenyatta‘s Orb of Discord or Bennet‘s Fantastic Voyage.

3. Gear for damage bonuses

Build critical chance and damage. Prioritize stats like elemental damage and crit for big bursts.

4. Use consumables

Potions, grenades, and weapon oils can give your damage a short term spike. Save them for key burst windows.

5. Review your gameplay

Analyze recordings to spot ability timings that can be improved. Strive for perfection!

Here are some character-specific tips:

• Ganyu (Genshin) – Stack attack and crit for huge Frostflake Arrows. Use 4pc Wanderer‘s for charge attack damage.

• Jhin (League of Legends) – His fourth shot delivers a burst execute. Empower it with Infinity Edge crits.

• Samuro (Heroes of the Storm) – Use Illusion Master to swap positions and reset cooldowns for constant burst potential.

Let‘s also touch on a key mechanical technique – animation canceling. Done properly, you can eliminate delays between attacks to deliver your burst damage more rapidly!

Hopefully this guide has given you a good grasp of optimizing both your DPS and burst potential. Feel free to reach out if you have any other questions! Happy hunting.