Combat

This page explains how fighting works in Dawn of Embers: how an attack is made, how damage is worked out, and how melee, ranged and siege units differ. For the numbers of each unit, see the unit pages.

Attacking

Ordered attacks. Right-click an enemy unit or building with your units selected to attack it.
Automatic attacks. A unit on the Aggressive stance attacks enemies that come near it without being told. It looks for targets within its attack range, or within 9 metres, whichever is larger.
Moving past enemies. A unit walking under a move order does not stop to fight on the way. It reaches its destination first, and then its stance takes over again. A unit with an ordered attack target keeps that target.
Attack speed. Each unit attacks once per its own attack cooldown, as long as the target stays within its attack range.
One target per attack. Every unit attack hits a single target. Area damage comes only from Pillars and from story events.

Spreading out over targets

When you order many units to attack one target, the game shares them out so they do not crowd it:

An enemy unit can be attacked by up to 3 melee units and 8 ranged units at once.
A building can be attacked by up to 40 units of each kind at once.
The closest units take the free places. The rest automatically attack the nearest other enemy of the same kind (another unit, or another building) within about 24 metres of the target you clicked.
This happens silently: no message is shown.

These limits are early values and may change.

How damage is worked out

Every attack goes through the same steps. All of them are worked out by the host.

1. The attacker's damage

Start with the unit's Attack value.

× the attacker's Combat Offense Discipline bonus (+5% per point).

× the attacker's Calling bonus for its unit type, if any (for example, Warlord +20% for infantry and cavalry).

× any status effects on the attacker (for example, Paralysed: -30%).

× 25% if a non-siege unit is attacking a building (see Siege, below).

2. The target's armour

Subtract the target's Defense (flat armour). An attack always does at least 1 damage at this step.

Buildings have no flat armour.

3. The target's damage reduction

× the owner's Combat Defense Discipline (units) or Building Defense Discipline (buildings), never below 25%.

× the owner's Builder Calling bonus (buildings only, -15%).

× any status effects on the target (for example, Earthen Ward: -15%; Paralysed: +25%).

Because armour is subtracted after the attacker's bonuses, damage bonuses are worth more against well-armoured targets.

Example (illustrative numbers): an attack of 14 against a target with 6 Defense, with no bonuses, does 14 - 6 = 8 damage. With +20% from a Calling, it does 16.8 - 6 = 10.8, which is 35% more damage, not 20%.

When damage lands

Damage is applied at the moment the attack is made. Arrows, bolts and spells that fly through the air are visual: a shot cannot miss once it is fired.

Melee, ranged and siege

Melee

Infantry and most cavalry fight in melee.
Walls block melee. A melee unit cannot strike through a wall, even a wall built after the fight started. It has to find a way around.

Ranged

Archers, crossbowmen, mounted archers, mages and some warships attack from a distance.
More ranged units than melee units can attack the same enemy at once (see above).

Siege and buildings

Siege units (the battering ram, catapult and trebuchet, plus the cannon ship at sea) deal full damage to buildings.
Every other unit deals only 25% of its damage to buildings. This includes the ballista, which is a siege weapon built to fight units.
Siege units get no bonus from any Calling.

Defensive buildings

Some buildings shoot at enemies on their own: the Archers Keep, the Cannon Tower and the Stronghold.
While standing (fully built or damaged), such a building checks twice a second for hostile units in range, and fires at the nearest one once its cooldown is ready.
Tower damage goes through the same armour and damage-reduction rules as unit attacks, and its kills count for the tower's owner.
Towers shoot at units only.

Repairing buildings

Villagers can repair damaged buildings. Repair runs at the same pace as construction and costs resources in proportion to the health restored. More villagers repair faster, with diminishing returns. The Builder Calling and the Building Efficiency Discipline make repairs faster.

Alerts

When your units or buildings take damage from an enemy, an under attack alarm sounds, and a ping marks the place on the minimap.
The music changes to combat music when you are attacked or when your units start a fight.

Death

A unit that dies stops fighting at once. Its body stays on the field for a short time and cannot be attacked.

Not in the game

These are not part of combat today:

Counters by damage type (for example, fire against siege). Attacks have a damage type, but it does not change damage yet. See Magic.
Health regeneration for units, apart from the Water Pillar's blessing.
Garrisoning units inside buildings. It was not found in the game's code.