Welcome to SWTOR Mechanics 102.  Previously we discussed Primary and Secondary Attributes with SWTOR Mechanics 101: Attributes.  But what about the backbone of the game itself?  The things that make SWTOR tick.  For many newbies these are simply open ended questions.  However for the veteran MMO player many preconceived notions that have carried over into SWTOR need to be dispelled.  These are your new “laws of reality”.

Movement

Base character movement is 6 meters per second.  This is without Sprint or any other modifications.  Also, jumping reduces your speed in game.  So someone jumping while running will always be slower than someone who is just running.  If you don’t need to jump, don’t do it.

Percentage Modifiers

Percentage modifiers in game are additive, not multiplicative.  This is a departure from many MMO’s where all percentages are multiplied to calculate the end result.  For example if you have a 20% crit chance and get a 5% crit buff, you will have a 25% chance to crit.  No weird math required.

Attack Types

There are three different types of attacks in game: Force, Normal, and Tech.  Normal attacks show up as White damage and Force/Tech attacks show up as Yellow damage.  White damage is applied against Defense while Yellow damage is applied against Resistance.  Shield mechanics (tanks) don’t work against Yellow damage.  Also, Force/Tech attacks don’t base their damage off of the MH/OH weapon damage.  It is based off of Force/Tech damage.

Damage Types

There are four different types of damage in game: Elemental, Energy, Internal, and Kinetic.  Energy and Kinetic damage are mitigated by armor; however Elemental and Internal damage are not.

Defense and Resistance

Defense and Resistance both determine whether an attack will hit or miss a target.  Defense applies against White damage and Resistance applies against Yellow damage (see above Attack Types).  Also Channeling/Activating abilities (cast time) and character placement does not in any way affect your Defense or Resistance (avoidance).  If a target is casting or has their back to you, they will still get their normal avoidance chance.

Shield Mechanics

The only classes who use Shields are tanks. Shields offer mitigation against damage that is applied against Defense.

Understanding Attack/Damage Combinations

You should always check your abilities to understand exactly how they will perform in game.  Force Scream, for example, is a ranged Force Kinetic attack.  So it’s a Yellow damage attack applied against Resistance (ignoring Defense and Shields), but it is mitigated by armor.

Resource Systems and Auto Attacks

Auto attacks do not exist and all of the classes have varying resource systems.  Some resources must be generated before using, some regenerate at a static rate, and others regenerate at a non-linear rate.  The specifics on this will be forthcoming in future guides.

Cool Downs

The global cool down is 1.5 seconds.  This is the delay after using an ability before another can be activated.  Keep in mind that Alacrity could affect this (see SWTOR Mechanics 101: Attributes).  Some abilities ignore the GCD and this is usually specified in the tool tip.  Also, ability CD’s begin the moment it is activated for Instant Cast and Channeled abilities.  Activation abilities (cast time) don’t begin their CD until the cast is completed.

Crushing Blows and Critical Hits

There is no known mechanic in game that duplicates the Crushing Blow effect (other MMO’s) in SWTOR for end game Operations (raids).  Also there is no way to become immune to critical hits.

Threat

All threat modifiers add +50% threat generation.  Healing only generates 50% of the threat that the same amount of damage would have caused.  Stealing aggro occurs at 110% for melee and 130% for ranged.  Taunt grants the tank 110% of the threat held by the previous target who held agro at that time.

DoT’s & HoT’s

DoT’s do not interrupt casting/channeling abilities, but they do interrupt capturing points in PvP with each tick.  Also applying the same DoT/HoT before the first one has finished will clip, or cut off, the original DoT/HoT.  It will not extend the duration.  This can result in a dps/hps loss.

How do hits and misses happen?

Attacks are on a two roll system.  The first roll determines whether or not you hit.  Accuracy, Defense, and Resistance come into play here.  The second roll determines how much damage is dealt.  Critical Chance and Shield Chance come into play here.  Critical Chance takes precedence over Shield Chance, which takes precedence over normal hits.  After all of this is determined further mitigation (when relevant) is applied assuming the attack hit.

Cover

Cover grants +20% Defense and prevents the character from being charged from an ability such as Force Leap.  Also some normal ranged attacks will not hit the target if they are just hiding behind cover.  They must be exposed (shooting at something) in order for them to be hit.  This information comes directly from a Dev post, but I cannot confirm for you at this time exactly which ranged attacks will not hit when a character (Smuggler/Sniper) is using their class Cover mechanic to hide.

Important Abbreviations

• GCD = Global cool down (1.5 seconds)
• HoT = Heal over time
• DoT = Damage over time
• Avoidance = Avoidance is when an attack misses. This deal’s with effects such as Parry, Miss, or Deflect.
• Mitigation = Mitigation is when damage is mitigated, or reduced in effect. Armor reduces damage taken.
• DMR = Diminishing Returns means that the more you get of something the less it will actually benefit you.
• Instant Ability = An ability that has no activation time or channel requirement.
• Channeled Ability = An ability whose effects continuously go off while actively channeling an ability.
• Activation Time Ability = An ability that has an activation time where the effects only occur at the completion of the activation time (sometimes referred to as cast time).

Summation & Discussion

Covering every mechanic in game can be a daunting task.  So if there is a specific mechanic that you have questions about, or one that has not yet been covered, please leave a comment so that I can answer your questions.

This concludes the basics on game mechanics, but there is more to come on the mechanics of the game. If you have questions or comments please leave them below so they can be answered.