Every single attack in Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, whether it's a basic strike or a powerful ultimate, follows one central rule—the Damage Formula. If you’ve ever wondered how the numbers that pop up during your gameplay are calculated, this guide will break it all down for you.
In this blog, we’ll uncover the actual formula behind every damage number in the game, explain how it works, and show you how different stats like defense, penetration, and reductions play a role.
Let’s dive in.
At its core, the Mobile Legends damage formula looks like this:
Actual Damage = Gross Attack Damage × Defense Multiplier × Damage Reduction Multiplier
Each of these parts plays a crucial role in calculating the final damage. Let’s break them down.
This is the raw damage a skill or basic attack deals before it gets reduced by any defensive stats or other modifiers.
Gross Attack Damage =
Base Damage + (Attack Stat × Skill Multiplier)
The Attack Stat could be Physical Attack, Magic Power, or even other stats like HP, Defense, or Mana, depending on the hero.
The Skill Multiplier is often a percentage (e.g., 200%) that’s found in the hero's skill description.
Ruby’s Ultimate deals:
200 Base Damage + 200% of Total Physical Attack
At Level 1:
Base Damage = 200
Total Physical Attack = 256
Damage = 200 + (256 × 2) = 712
At Level 3 with 271 Physical Attack:
Base Damage = 480
Damage = 480 + (271 × 2) = 1022
The in-game numbers match exactly, confirming that the Gross Attack Damage calculation is accurate.
Once you have the gross damage, it’s time to factor in the target’s defense.
1 point of Defense ≠ 1 point of damage reduction. Instead, it's plugged into a formula that outputs a percentage reduction.
| Defense | Damage Reduction |
|---|---|
| 0 | 0% |
| 40 | 25% |
| 80 | 40% |
This is where things get technical. Defense is adjusted using:
Defense Reduction (e.g., Saber’s, Silvanna’s, Dyrroth’s skills)
Flat Penetration (e.g., from items or emblems)
Percentage Penetration (e.g., Divine Glaive, Malefic Roar)
| Term | What It Does |
|---|---|
| Defense Reduction | Lowers the enemy's defense directly (debuff; affects all damage) |
| Flat Penetration | Ignores a fixed amount of enemy defense |
| % Penetration | Ignores a percentage of the target’s remaining defense |
The correct order to apply these stats is:
Defense Reduction
Flat Penetration
% Penetration
Why is this important?
If you apply % Penetration before reducing defense, you’ll get a bigger number—because % Pen scales with higher defense. That’s why Defense Reduction can actually reduce the effectiveness of % Penetration.
Heroes like Dyrroth, Saber, and Silvanna (who reduce defense) don’t synergize well with Divine Glaive or Malefic Roar.
Adding more defense gives less and less value as the number increases.
Example:
From 0 → 40 Defense = 25% Reduction
From 40 → 80 = 15% More
From 80 → 120 = 10% More
So stacking pure defense becomes inefficient at high levels. A balance between Defense and HP is often more effective.
This is the final layer of damage reduction—applied after defense and penetration are already factored in.
Examples of Damage Reduction:
| Effect Type | Examples |
|---|---|
| Fixed Reduction | Baxia’s Passive, Twilight Armor |
| Percentage Based | Athena’s Shield, Vengeance, Terizla’s Passive |
Let’s say Odette deals 500 Magic Damage. When the target equips Athena’s Shield (which reduces magic damage), the damage drops to around 300, matching the theoretical prediction.
Gross Damage
→ Base Damage + (Attack Stat × Multiplier)
Defense Multiplier
→ Apply Defense Reduction → Flat Penetration → % Penetration
→ Plug the remaining defense into the Defense Multiplier Formula
Damage Reduction Multiplier
→ Apply any post-defense reductions (skills, items, etc.)
Every damage number in MLBB follows a precise formula.
Understanding how Defense, Penetration, and Damage Reduction interact can maximize your damage output.
Defense has diminishing returns—build it smartly.
Some heroes have anti-synergy with % Penetration items.
Mastering the Mobile Legends damage formula doesn’t just make you smarter—it helps you build your heroes more effectively and dominate the battlefield with confidence.
If you found this breakdown useful, feel free to share it with your squad and start min-maxing like a pro!
