The damage formula
Attack damage in PoE2 is roughly
(base damage + added damage) × (1 + total increased) × more multipliers
- Added: modifiers like “Adds 3 to 6 Physical Damage to Attacks”, added to base damage
- Increased: modifiers like “20% increased Physical Damage” — all summed, then applied once
- More: skill and support multipliers. They apply to both options equally, so they cancel out here
Why added damage gets better as increased stacks
Increased modifiers add up. With 100% already, another 20% only gives (1 + 1.2) ÷ (1 + 1.0) = +10%. Added damage grows in proportion to how small your base damage is.
Example: average base damage 30, 100% increased
- 20% increased → 60 to 66, +10%
- Adds 3 to 6 (average 4.5) → 60 to 69, +15%
Limits
- Increased physical only scales physical, increased elemental only elemental — compare one type at a time
- Attack speed and crits aren’t included (use the Weapon DPS Calculator)
- Spells handle added damage differently, so this is for attacks