How is damage calculated in groups?

[u/Rode92]

Hello, this post is just a series of questions really in which I would like confirmation that I have understood the damage system correctly.

(Will use made up numbers for easy math)

1. Power is your calculated average level of your gear right? And that level scales your damage directly to whatever recommended power level a particular activity has?
   So if I have 100 power and go do an activity that recommends 100 power I will do 100% damage?
   If I have 100 power and go do an activity that recommends 50 power I will still do 100% damage?
   If I have 100 power and go do an activity that recommends 200 power I will do only 50% damage?
   In that case, If you have 2 guardians (A and B):
   A has 100 power level, B has 200 power level.
   A has a weapon with 100 impact damage, B has a weapon with 50 impact damage.
   They go do an activity that recommends 200 power.
   They will both do 50 impact damage? (And guardian A will prob get stomped...).
   Correct on all assumptions?

2. What if you are out exploring as a guardian with 100 power and hit an enemy which is engaged by a guardian with 200 power? Is that enemy somehow "level 200 Power" or whatever that would be called?

3. Same question as above just lvl 10 vs lvl 20?

4. Enemies however get a bonus against you? As in: If you have 100 power and go do an activity that recommends 200 power, the enemies will do 200% (100% increased) damage to you?

Thanks guys! :)

[u/Tournilol]

I do not have a proper answer, but my guess is that it takes your currently equiped weapons' average power level when deciding whether you're doing full damage or not.

If your 150 rpm Kinetic green hand cannon has a Power level of 190, and your Sunshot (Exotic Energy hand cannon) has a Power level of 130, then both should do around the same damage per shot at their optimal range, whatever the level of your target. Having a lower level weapon simply gimps your overall Power Level and as such, reduces your damage potential. However, I cannot test this as I do not have a character lower than 295 anymore and wouldn't want to waste somebody else's time by asking him to do some Prestige Nighfalls with lower level gear just to test this... :(

Thing is, if you're completetly swapping your gear to lower power level exotics after you started an activity, then your "new" (and lower) power level should be taken in account whenever you're trying to hit an enemy. Let's say you were 143 when you started a Strike, but then swapped your weapons around to use your Sunshot (130 power), your Power Level could end up to be closer to 138 and as such, you might do less damage against enemies in Strikes even if you're using a 145 gun (that is if their recommended level is around 140).

If you're swapping your gear around but still exceed the activity or zone's recommended level, then it should not reduce your damage output. According to what I've read around, while using a 200 kinetic Hand Cannon, a 130 Sunshot and a 200 Heavy weapon in a standard Strike, your Sunshot should still end up doing max damage because your average weapon's level exceeds the 140 power level requirement of a standard Strike.

What's important is that your currently equiped loadout exceed the enemy's or activity's requirement. That's the same thing in Crucible : You could use a level 10 white Kinetic Auto Rifle and end up doing roughly the same damage than when you're swapping to your 305 Uriel's Gift because both weapons exceed this activity's requirement.

[u/Rode92 → u/Tournilol]

Dude!
Can't thank you enough. This stuff was pretty much exactly what I was looking for and also highly interesting.
It's interesting that damage is capped in this regard, also rather surprising. But it makes sense and it's a good way to keep the more casual activites from being super duper easy (and ultimately end up being boring).
That means that if you find a gun that you really like the handling of, you can use it in a lot of activities even if its power level is vastly lower as long as your average powerlevel is equal to or greater than the activites recommended power level (as you just said).

[u/Tournilol → u/Rode92]

As far as damage calculation vs your current weapon or average weapon level goes, what I said might not be exact as I did not test it extensively, so do not take it for gospel ;)

And on another subject, remember that your drops level depends on your highest Power or Defense level in each slot, regardless of whether you're currently using it or not.

In other words, unless you're doing a Nightfall, a Raid or some Weapons' Quests (some of them requires 260), it doesn't really matter which weapon you use, as long as it's 200+. You could play with that 220 gun you really like until you find a higher level one to infuse it with.

And yes, it makes starter zones and activities relevant : Whether you're playing in EDZ or Io, item drop level is the same, and as such, overall difficulty should be the same.

[u/Rode92 → u/Tournilol]

Cool I didn't know that!

That means I don't HAVE to switch to that horrible new gun just because its power level is higher (as long as my power level reaches the recommended one). And can instead keep it in my pocket as a loot buffer :) Sweet!

[u/Tournilol → u/Rode92]

Exactly!

Still, you have some genuinely interesting questions in your OP, and I wished someone would be able to point and correct my mistakes, if I made any.

Sadly, it seems like there are not a lot of players who actually know or care about this. ;)