From Dark and Darker Wiki

Stats Enchantments Damage Health Healing Protection Spell Restoration Experience Action/Interaction/Cast Speed Impact Power Luck

Impact Power

All weapon attacks and projectiles have Impact Power which is used for both breaking props and also affects the stagger duration for both the attacker and the blocker when blocked by a shield.

The hilt of a weapon attack (not the handle, but specifically the very bottom of the handle) cannot break any props nor stagger a blocker. Hitting a blocking shield with the hilt will make the attacker stagger for the same duration as if they hit an indestructible wall. For example, a Battle Axe can be blocked on its first attack by blocking where the attacker's hand is as they initiate the swing.

Impact Resistance

Impact Resistance represents the amount of Impact Power that is subtracted from each hit. All destroyable props and shields have Impact Resistance, although some have a resistance of 0.

For example, using a weapon that has 4 Impact Power on a prop/shield that has 1 Impact Resistance results in only 3 Impact Damage being dealt on each hit.

Impact Damage = Impact Power - Impact Resistance

When hitting shields, the resulting Impact Damage determines how long both the blocker and attacker are staggered for. See Blocking

When hitting props, the resulting Impact Damage determines how many hits are needed to destroy the object. See Impact Endurance

Blocking

After subtracting the shield's Impact Resistance, if the resulting Impact Damage is:

  • positive, the blocker receives a heavy stagger
  • 0, the blocker receives a medium stagger
  • negative, the blocker receives a weak stagger


This can be rephrased to simply:

  • Impact Power > Impact Resistance, heavy stagger
  • Impact Power = Impact Resistance, medium stagger
  • Impact Power < Impact Resistance, weak stagger


Blocker Stagger Duration

Each of the shields have various Impact Resistances and Stagger durations when they block an attack.

Buckler:

  • Impact Resistance: 6
  • Block stagger duration:
    • Weak - 0.3s
    • Medium - 0.6s
    • Heavy - 0.9s

Round Shield:

  • Impact Resistance: 4
  • Block stagger duration:
    • Weak - 0.4s
    • Medium - 0.8s
    • Heavy - 1.2s

Heater Shield:

  • Impact Resistance: 5
  • Block stagger duration:
    • Weak - 0.5s
    • Medium- 0.9125s
    • Heavy- 1.5s

Pavise:

  • Blocking Power: 6
  • Block Animations:
    • weak - 0.3s
    • mid - 0.5s
    • heavy - 1.0s


Attacker Stagger Duration

Additionally, each weapon attack has a different stagger duration that also varies on weak/medium/heavy block, though, most attacks have the same stagger duration for all 3 block differences (weak/medium/heavy). There is still much uncertainty with Attacker Stagger works and is still being researched.

Attacker Combo Interrupt

Usually, an attacker can combo from their Primary Attack 1 into Attack 2 if Attack 1 doesn't hit a static object (like a wall), and Attack 2 can be combo'd into Attack 3.

However, when the defender receives a Weak or a Medium stagger (Impact Power <= Impact Resist), the attacker's combo is interrupted, forcing them back to Attack 1.

If the defender receives a Heavy stagger (Impact Power > Impact Resist), the attacker's combo is not interrupted can be combo'd directly into the next attack. This is seen best with a War Maul when hitting any shield.

Weapon blocking

Parry

When blocking with a Longsword (or a Flute), the defender is able to Parry an incoming attack (any kind, magic included). After entering the blocking stance, Longsword's entire lenght becomes Parry-responsive, meaning wherever the incoming attack hits, it counts as a successful Parry. It can be additionally re-triggered into Riposte. No matter what Impact power hits a currently parrying Longsword, it doesn't break the stance.

Riposte

After a successful Parry the defender can trigger a special attack called Riposte. Longsword's Riposte has Special Attack 2-hit Combo (Flute has only one). The first one hitting from slightly above defender's left shoulder to center of their screen/crosshair with the second one being mirrored, starting from right shoulder area. To execute a Riposte, the defender has a small window of opportunity to "release" a previously successful Parry. The length of this activation window depends on Impact power of attacker's weapon. Rule for Impact Power X Impact Resistance applies here, too though in a slightly different way. Higher Impact power hit into a Parry makes the defender staggered for longer time, which makes the activaton window longer, thus being rather beneficial for defender. Hits by daggers and other attacks with Impact Power 2 make the activation time extremely short and hard to execute a Riposte.

Impact Endurance

Impact Endurance represents the health that a destroyable prop has for Prop Breaking.

Dealing 2 Impact Damage (after Impact Resistance subtracts from Impact Power) to a prop with 6 Impact Endurance means the prop will require 3 hits to be destroyed.

Prop Breaking

Impact Power is used to break props in the game.

All props have Impact Endurance (health) and Impact Resistance.


Formula

Hits to destroy prop = ceil(Impact Endurance / (Impact Resistance - Impact Power))

or rather

Hits to destroy prop = ceil(Impact Endurance / Impact Damage)


Example

For example, if a weapon has 3 Impact Power and a prop has 6 Impact Endurance and 1 Impact Resistance:

Impact Damage = Impact Power (3) - Impact Resistance (1) = 2 per hit

Hits to destroy prop = ceil(Impact Endurance (6) / Impact Damage (2)) = 3 hits

Props

Impact Endurance/Impact Resistance:

  • Pots/Vases = 3/0
  • Crate = 3/2
  • Barrel = 4/2
  • Spider Pots
    • Spider Pot = 4/0
    • Spider Pot#Elite = 6/0
    • Spider Pot#Nightmare = 8/0
  • Chests (only breakable with Crush/Demolition)
    • Wood Large Chests = 5/2
    • Simple Medium Chest = 4/1
    • Simple Small Chest = 4/1
    • Wood Medium Chest = 4/2
    • Wood Small Chest = 4/0
    • Simple Large Chest = 5/2
    • Flat Large Chests = 5/2
    • Chests of grade Lion's Head (Marvelous, Golden) or greater cannot be broken
  • Doors (only breakable with Crush/Demolition)
    • Wooden Double Door = 6/3
    • Wooden Door = 2/2
  • Barricades
    • Wooden Barricade Large = 8/0
    • Wooder Barricade Small = 4/0

All of the above props are destroyed instantly by Demolition abilities, regardless of Impact Endurance, Resistance, and Power values.


Crush

Barbarian's Crush perk adds +1 Impact Power to all two-handed attacks, and allows the following props to be broken.

The following props can only be broken when the Crush perk is equipped (or by Demolition)

  • Doors
  • Chests


Demolition

The following abilities can instantly break all props mentioned in Prop Breaking, regardless of Impact Endurance, Resistance, and Power values:

  • All Monsters' attacks
  • Warlock's
    • Hellfire
    • Hydra's projectiles
  • Wizard's
    • Fireball's direct and splash
    • Explosion
  • ?

Video Guide