Damage

Damage is the ability of an entity to reduce the health of or destroy another entity in Anthem. Environment, objects, and living creatures (without or without additional armament) can do damage. There are several damage types that behave differently depending on who does the damage and who receives it.

Damage is broadly divided into Single Target (usually called Impact and sometimes Kinetic damage) and Area of Effect (Usually called Blast or sometimes Explosion damage). Among these there are other sub-types which are unique among their type and do specific amount of damage depending on the type of target or the type of the health on the target. These damage types are all represented in-game with a specific icon which can be seen next to damage value on that particular entity.

Damage values are represented with Damage Floaties that show up in various colors depending on the damage type.

Cortex Entry

Check Cortex Entry: 2. Health and Damage for More Information

You can increase the health of your javelin's armor and shields by acquiring more powerful items. Some items increase the damage that your javelin inflicts. Inscriptions and consumables can also enhance your health and damage. Enemies will scale relative to your current difficulty setting and your pilot level. Each type of javelin has base armor and shield values that scale relative to your pilot level and the highest-rarity item equipped. A javelin's defenses are bolstered by each equipped component, increasing both armor and shields. Components with higher power levels will provide greater defenses. Damage levels for weapons and gear are scaled relative to the item's power level. Enemy health and damage will scale relative to your difficulty setting and pilot level. They also scale relative to each player, meaning the same enemy will often show different values for two players who are grouped together.

For a Collection of similar Cortex Entries, See: How to Play (Tutorials)

Single Target Damage

Single target damage as the name implies, can do damage to one target. All damage types can do single target damage to any entiry, as long as it is not resistant to that damage type. Single target damage is usually called as impact damage in-game. This must not be confused with the impact damage type.

Multi-Target Damage

Some Combat Equipment can target multiple enemies at a time or over a short duration and do damage to them. They are NOT the same as the area of effect or blast damage. These are multiple single target damages done to one or mor enemies that are close to each other at the same time.

The number of enemies that can be targeted is usually specific.

Blast Damage

Blast damage is the area of effect damage that can do damage to multiple enemies at the same time within a certain spherical radius called blast radius. The total number of enemies present within the blast radius doesn’t matter, and any target within this radius will receive damage.

All damage types except Shield Breaker damage can do blast damage, provided the combat equipment can do it and as long as it is not resistant to that damage type.

Any combat equipment capable of doing blast damage will have a specific Blast Radius mentioned in its statistics.

Classification

The table below shows the classification of damage types. Each sub-types will have their own page.

Damage Types

Damage Classification	Damage Sub-Types	Single Target (Impact) Damage	Area of Effect (Blast) Damage
Physical Damage	Impact/Kinetic	Yes	Yes
	Acid	Yes	Yes
Elemental Damage	Ice	Yes	Yes
	Fire	Yes	Yes
	Lightning	Yes	Yes
Special Anti-Health Damage	Shield Breaker	Yes	No
	Armor Buster	Yes	Yes
Combo Damage	Primer	Yes	Yes
	Detonator	Yes	Yes

Physical Damage

Physical damage is one where damage to the enemies is done by direct collision with an enemy or by reducing their resistance. There are two types of Physical Damages:

• Impact: Does damage by collision. This damage can’t induce a status effect on targets, nor can it prime them.
• Acid: Does damage by reducing the target’s resistance. This damage can cause a status effect on an enemy through which their resistance is reduced. It can also prime them for if the damage dealing equipment is a primer.

Elemental Damage

Elemental Damage is done by using elemental effects on a target. There are three types of Elemental Damages:

• Ice: Frost damage that can slow enemies. Ice can also induce a status effect on targets by freezing them. It can also prime them for if the damage dealing equipment is a primer.
• Fire: Flame damage that can set enemies ablaze. Fire can also induce a status effect on targets by burning them that does damage over time. It can also prime them for if the damage dealing equipment is a primer.
• Lightning: Electric damage that can zap enemies. Lightning can also induce a status effect on targets by electrocuting them when other enemies are around them. It can also prime them for if the damage dealing equipment is a primer.

Anti-Health Damage

All damages are anti health. Certain damage values can be increased by using an appropriate anti-health damage dealing items. For normal health (red), all damage values dealt has a constant multiplier of 1, even when these special anti-health items are used. However, it is different for shielded (blue health) and armored (yellow health) enemies. There are two types:

• Shield Breaker: Does a significant amount of damage to shields, whether or not the shields are resistant to elemental damage types.
• Armor Buster: Does a significant amount of damage to armor of an enemy.

Combo Damage

Combo damage is an additional damage done by Bastion javelins by performing combos. There are two parts to a combo, and if either part isn’t performed, then combos cannot be triggered. The two parts are:

• Primer: They are used to set up a combo by dealing damage using equipment that are considered Primers. Primer damage is the same amount of damage mentioned on the statistics of an equipment.
• Detonators: They are used to trigger a combo set up by the primers using equipment that are considered Detonators. Detonator damage is the same amount of damage mentioned on the statistics of an equipment.

The additional combo damage is dealt only after a primed target is detonated.

Trivia

• At launch Blast Damage was called Explosion Damage
• Ocassionally, in the statistics of a Combat Equipment, impact damage is mentioned as Kinetic damage, which is more appropriate than calling it Impact.
• Impact (single Target) and Blast (Area of Effect) damage are not the same as Combo Impact and Combo Blast damages.
• Contrary to the belief, Blast is NOT a damage type.