Curse Death Link (KDL) - skill analysis

First, the server calculates normal magical damage, just like any nuke:

Damage = 91 × Ability Power × √M.Atk ÷ M.Def

Please note: Magic attack costs under the rootTherefore, a spirit shot that multiplies M.Atk by 2 deals 1,41 damage, while a blessed shot (4x M.Atk) deals exactly 2x.

Next in line: Magical Crit multiplies damage four times, the target's elemental and defense bonuses are applied - and only at the very end does that Death Link multiplier come into play.

In the server code it is written in one line, and it looks like this:

damage = damage × 1,8 × (1 − current HP ÷ max HP)

There's no additional unit here. This leads to three conclusions, none of which are obvious.

First, at full HP, the skill doesn't hit at all. The multiplier is zero, and there's no damage. That's not an exaggeration or "little"—it's exactly zero.

Second. The benefit threshold is 44,4% HP. That's where the multiplier is equal to one, meaning Death Link hits like a regular nuke of equal strength. Above that point, you lose damage; below that, you gain.

Third, the ceiling is ×1,8, and it is unattainable. The multiplier only reaches 1,8x at zero HP. At 5%, it's 1,71x, and at 10%, it's 1,62x.

Death Link is a case where different builds have different lines of code, each circulating around the forums in its own way. There are three variations.

How to check your server in one cast. Stand at full HP and hit any target. Zero damage means the no-damage version discussed above works. The normal nuke damage is the bonus version, and then it makes sense to always use the skill.

Strength increases from 68 to 108, meaning from level 1 to level 22, the skill increases raw damage by approximately 59%. Mana consumption increases by 50% during this time.

The Death Link flag in the game files isn't limited to Curse Death Link. Exactly the same multiplier—the same 1,8 and the same dependency on your HP—appears in Fatal Counter, Phantom Ranger's archery skill.

The difference is that this is a physical attack: there the skill power is not multiplied by the attack, but is added to it, and everything together is divided into protecting the target. Therefore, the absolute numbers of strength are of a completely different order—thousands versus hundreds.

Keep the 44% mark in mind. This is the only number you really need to remember. Above it, Death Link is your worst nuke; below it, it's your best.

Don't count on "three times". The ceiling here is 1,8x, and it's reached right at death. The difference between 20% and 5% HP is only 19% damage, and the risk between the two is incomparable.

The skill is useless in farming. Mobs are hit at full HP, and the multiplier is zero. This is a combat skill, not a routine one.

Blessed Spirit Shot is more important than low HP. It gives x2 at any health, while Death Link at 20% HP only gives x1,44. Shots first, then risky tricks.

Death Link multiplier is 1,8 x (1 - HP fraction), with no increase.

At full HP the skill hits zero, at 44,4% - like a regular nuke, at death itself - ×1,8.

Base damage is calculated as 91 × strength × √M.Atk ÷ M.Def; Blessed Spirit Shot doubles it, Magic Crit quadruples it.

The same multiplier applies to Fatal Counter, Phantom Ranger's archery skill.

You can test your server with one cast at full HP: zero damage is the option without a bonus, normal damage is the option with a bonus.