lasphaltanzasufallensword

Basically, we have to be stronger
That means that we have to consider the following things:

1) Attack greater than monster's defense, otherwise you can't hit it

2) Damage greater than monster's armor, otherwise you hit it, but doesn't hurts

Then, to win, it's mandatory to include one of the follwing defense-methods:

1) My defense must be much higher than its attack (at least a-hundred points for the over 60th levels): it won't hit me

2) My armor must be much more higher than its damage: so if it hits me, doesn't hurts

3) Both mothods have their weakness: the first is controlled by the FS' algorithm, so if you try many times, sooner or later you'll find a leak in the defense
The second one instead is questioned by the unknown quantity of the 'piercing strike' (enhancement that halves armor)


4) At the moment there are no additional /alternate methods

Good job rcp

These rules are valid in every battle: pvp, creatures, elites, superelites, ecc.

When you attack elites and superelites you need a group. Our structure military advisor allows us to see the stats of the group, so we can consider our group like an unique creature against an elite. So, to be sure to win, the rules above are always valid.

How do we see the stats of the group? simple:



And we see this:



which can be compared to the stats of the elite we are going to kill.

It's important to do this before attacking, because an attack group costs 20 stamina to the owner and 5 stamina to each component. So if you can' defeat the elite, wait for other joins!

To elaborate on rcp's point, there is an actual formula that determines how much higher your stats must be compared to the monster. Studies posted on the FS forum say that having 12% higher stats (take the monster's stats and multiply by 1.12) is a good rule to follow. From what I have seen this works pretty well, though I try to stay around 20%. It also seems like armor and damage have a higher variance than attack and defense. You also need to remember to add the monster's armor + hp before you calculate. There is no benefit to having stats very much higher than what you are fighting, so save your stamina from unnecessary buffs, and don't waste your money on fully forged perfect gear unless you need it.

Also, there is always a 5% chance to miss when attacking and a 5% chance to be hit while defending, no matter what your stats are. This means if you are using a defense instead of armor (or neither), you are guaranteed to die occasionally. High dodge enhancement and selective attacks can help this a little, but bank your gold often.

From what I have seen monsters do not have piercing strike, crit, etc., so you do not have to worry about having extra armor to protect against that. PS can be handy for you if your damage is not quite high enough to 1-hit everything. It will allow you to average 1.5 stamina or so per kill instead of 2.

If you PvP, there are so many extra buffs and enhancements that calculations are almost impossible, so attack at your own risk.