MapleStory Classic Damage Formula: Range, Multipliers, Mastery

Quick summary

• Physical MAX = Skill % × Weapon Attack × (1.0 + (Primary × Multiplier + Secondary + 2 × Attack Power) / 100). MIN swaps 1.0 for 0.8 and multiplies Primary by mastery (henesys.gg, NiaMeowDB, planet-helper).
• Weapon Attack multiplies everything. NiaMeowDB works out that at a Lv 70 Fighter benchmark, 1 Weapon Attack is worth about 5 Attack Power.
• Mastery only raises your minimum. Maxed mastery raised the average hit by about 34% in NiaMeowDB's Lv 30 Warrior example. Our script gets the same result.
• Magic uses ⌊INT/2⌋ + Magic Attack, multiplied by (1 + INT/125). LUK and Weapon Attack do nothing for spells (henesys.gg, NiaMeowDB).
• After the roll: defense divides damage by (Def + 100)/100, a weak element multiplies it by 1.25, and higher-level monsters cut it (henesys.gg).

Checked against the Founder's Access build on October 13, 2026. Grand Launch is October 21, 2026; see the end of the guide for what may change.

Read the physical damage formula

Warriors, Bowmen, and Thieves use the same structure (henesys.gg; NiaMeowDB):

• MAX = K × W × (1.0 + (P × M + Q + 2A) / 100)
• MIN = K × W × (0.8 + (P × m × M + Q + 2A) / 100)
• Mastery m = (mastery level / 10 + 0.1) × 0.7

Term	Meaning	Source
K	Skill damage % (basic attack = 1.0; max Power Strike = 2.60)	NiaMeowDB
W	Total Weapon Attack: weapon, shield, gloves, and stars or arrows	NiaMeowDB, henesys.gg
P / Q	Primary / secondary stat: STR/DEX for melee, DEX/STR for bows and crossbows, LUK/STR+DEX for claws and daggers	henesys.gg
M	Weapon multiplier for the swing, stab, or shot	henesys.gg
A	Attack Power from skills and consumables (Rage, for example), kept separate from W	NiaMeowDB, planet-helper

The base roll (0.8 to 1.0) and the stat roll are separate random draws. That means your hits cluster in the middle of the range instead of spreading evenly across it (henesys.gg, NiaMeowDB). The range shown in your stat window is a basic attack before defense, level penalty, crits, and skill % (NiaMeowDB).

Use the right weapon multiplier

The multiplier depends on the attack animation, not the skill. Normal melee attacks swing 60% of the time and stab 40% of the time (henesys.gg).

Weapon	Swing	Stab	Shoot	60/40 average (NiaMeowDB)
1H Sword	1.8	1.8	–	1.8
2H Sword	2.5	2.5	–	2.5
1H Axe / 1H Blunt	2.4	1.2	–	1.92
2H Axe / 2H Blunt	3.0	2.0	–	2.60
Spear	1.5	3.5	–	2.30
Polearm	3.5	1.5	–	2.70
Dagger	1.0	2.0	–	1.40
Bow / Crossbow / Claw	1.0	1.0	2.5	2.5 (shot)
Wand / Staff (melee hit)	1.8	1.8	–	1.8

Exceptions from henesys.gg and NiaMeowDB:

• Double Stab and Savage Blow always stab.
• Lucky Seven uses a 3.0 multiplier and a fixed 0.5 mastery.
• Drain uses the claw's 2.5.
• Hitting at close range with a bow, crossbow, or claw drops to a 1.0 multiplier and divides stats by 300 instead of 100.
• Attacking while crouched uses a 0.2–0.3 base roll.

Example: spear vs polearm. Both sources give a 2.7 average for polearms and 2.3 for spears. The wiki and our Spearman guide call that "about 17%." That figure only compares the multipliers. Our script ran both at 200 STR, 60 DEX, 80 Weapon Attack, and maxed mastery. The polearm hits 444–560 and the spear hits 395–496, so the polearm's max is about 13% higher. The fixed 1.0 base and the DEX term narrow the gap. See our Spearman guide for which to pick.

Max your mastery early

At mastery 0, your minimum counts only 7% of your primary stat. At mastery 10, it counts 77% (henesys.gg, NiaMeowDB). A level 20 mastery skill is mastery 10 (planet-helper).

Lv 30 Warrior, Gladius 47 W.ATK, 132 STR, 30 DEX	Basic attack	Power Strike (2.60)
No mastery	59–172	154–449
Max Sword Mastery	137–172	357–449

These are NiaMeowDB's numbers, and our script gives the same results. The maximum stays the same, but the average hit rises about 34%. That's why fighters put early SP into mastery (see our Fighter guide).

Calculate magic damage

• MagicTotal = ⌊INT / 2⌋ + Magic Attack from gear, scrolls, and buffs
• MAX = K × MagicTotal × (1 + INT / 125)
• MIN = K × MagicTotal × (1 + INT × m / 125), with m taken from the spell's own mastery

(NiaMeowDB, henesys.gg, planet-helper)

Magic damage is one even roll between MIN and MAX, and LUK and Weapon Attack aren't used (NiaMeowDB). INT counts twice: once inside MagicTotal and once in the multiplier (henesys.gg).

Example (our math): 150 INT, a wand with 60 Magic Attack, and a spell with 100% skill power. MagicTotal = 75 + 60 = 135. MAX = 135 × 2.2 = 297. MIN at spell mastery 10 = about 259. To get a real spell number, multiply by that spell's skill %.

Heal against undead works differently. Its damage pool is ((INT × r + LUK) / 1000 + 2.5) × MagicTotal × S, where r is Heal's recovery rate and S its skill-level factor (NiaMeowDB), split across up to 6 targets, and it's split across up to 6 targets. Allies use up slots first, so solo you can hit 5 undead mobs. Poison and burn DoTs ignore defense.

Apply defense, element, level, and crits in order

Step	Rule	Source
1. Defense	Damage × 100 / (Def + 100). Weapon Def blocks physical hits, Magic Def blocks spells	henesys.gg, planet-helper
2. Element	×1.25 weak, ×0.75 resist, 0 immune (held at 1 per hit)	henesys.gg, planet-helper
3. Level penalty	Only applies when the monster is above your level (see the next table)	henesys.gg, NiaMeowDB
4. Crit	× (1 + crit damage). Base 5% chance and +20% damage	NiaMeowDB, planet-helper
5. Iron Arrow	× 0.8 for each monster already passed through	henesys.gg
6. Cap	Rounded down, kept between 1 and 99,999	henesys.gg

Spear Mastery can ignore Weapon Def. At master level the chance is 20%, rolled once per attack (henesys.gg).

Monster defense	Damage kept		Levels above you	Damage kept
0	100%		1	99.5%
25	80%		3	95.7%
50	66.7%		5	88.9%
100	50%		7	80.3%
200	33.3%		10	66.7%
–	–		15	57.1%

We calculated both tables from henesys.gg's formulas: D² × 0.005 + 1 below a 10-level gap, and D × 0.05 + 1 at 10 levels or more. Monsters below your level give no bonus. A 5-level gap already costs about 11%, and you also need more accuracy (see our accuracy guide). That's one reason our training guide picks maps close to your level.

A base 5% crit chance for +20% damage adds only about 1% on average (our math from NiaMeowDB's base values).

Compare ways to raise damage

Upgrade	What it adds	Best when	Source
+1 Weapon Attack	Multiplies the whole formula. About 5 Attack Power at the Lv 70 Fighter benchmark	Almost always first	NiaMeowDB
+1 primary stat	Multiplier × W / 100 to MAX (1.8 × W/100 with a 1H sword)	After weapon requirements are met	henesys.gg
+1 secondary stat	1 × W / 100	Only up to weapon requirements	henesys.gg, NiaMeowDB
+1 Attack Power	2 × W / 100, the same as 2 secondary stat. Max Rage (+40) equals +80 DEX	Party buffs	NiaMeowDB
Mastery levels	Raises only MIN; about +34% average in the Lv 30 example	2nd job	NiaMeowDB

Example (our math): with +40 Attack Power, the Lv 30 Warrior's basic attack goes from 59–172 to 97–210. For which scrolls add Weapon Attack, see our scrolling guide.

Compare the Lv 70 class benchmarks

Henesys.gg lists max damage per cast at Lv 70 using the best launch weapon, unscrolled armor, master-level skills, no buffs, no crits, and a monster with no defense:

Class	Single-target skill	Max per cast	Group skill (per target)
Bandit	Savage Blow (6 hits)	3,251	None
Spearman	Power Strike	2,574	Slash Blast 1,287
Page	Power Strike	2,494	Slash Blast 1,247
Fighter	Power Strike	2,442	Slash Blast 1,221
Crossbowman	Arrow Blow	2,285	Iron Arrow 1,713 (first target)
Hunter	Arrow Blow	2,226	Double Shot 1,113
F/P Wizard	Fire Arrow	1,837	Poison Breath 817
Assassin	Drain	1,805	None
I/L Wizard	Cold Beam	1,735	Thunder Bolt 715
Cleric	Holy Arrow	1,633	None

Henesys.gg warns these are "per cast, not per second," because attack speed isn't in its datamine. NiaMeowDB does model attack speed (it calls the frame durations "confirmed"), so use its DPS table for speed comparisons. Our class tier list weighs both.

Plan for alts and returning players

• Returning from old MapleStory: the old formulas don't carry over. Metaroad says applying them "1:1 to Classic World" will "throw your calculations off."
• Before a patch: recheck henesys.gg, NiaMeowDB, or planet-helper. All three say a client patch can change the formulas.
• Alts: every alt starts at mastery 0. Expect wide damage ranges until 2nd job, and put early SP into mastery. Use planet-helper's hits-to-kill calculator to choose maps, or our powerleveling page for an overview.

Want a hand with this?

If you would rather skip the grind that goes with this, MapleStory Classic powerleveling services are listed on FullBoosts. Read Nexon's Terms of Service before you buy any service from anyone, FullBoosts included — a marketplace listing isn't publisher permission.

What may change at Grand Launch

This guide describes the Founder's Access build as it was on October 13, 2026. Re-check these against Nexon's Grand Launch notes on October 21: whether crafting still stops at craft level 8, whether Forgotten Hollow, Orbis and third jobs stay closed, KPQ channel limits, NPC shop stock, and any Founder's Access-only events or packages mentioned here. Nothing here assumes a closed area or feature will open.

FAQ

What is the MapleStory Classic damage formula? MAX = Skill % × Weapon Attack × (1 + (Primary × Multiplier + Secondary + 2 × Attack Power)/100). MIN uses 0.8 and mastery (henesys.gg, NiaMeowDB).

Does mastery raise max damage? No. It raises only the minimum, and that raises your average (henesys.gg).

Is Weapon Attack better than STR? Usually. NiaMeowDB values 1 Weapon Attack at about 5 Attack Power at Lv 70, and 1 Attack Power at about 0.9 STR.

Does LUK help magicians' damage? Not for normal spells. It's part of the Heal undead formula (NiaMeowDB).

How much damage do I lose on higher-level monsters? About 11% at 5 levels above you and a third at 10 (henesys.gg formula; our math).

Are these formulas official? No. They're community datamining of the Oct 6 client.