Mechanics of strength and inteligence

[Shpacuh]

I haven't played in a long time, but as I remember strength increases all melee damage done by your character. Does this mean that spells that deal normal (physical) melee damage will also deal increased damage based on my strength?

Also, the similar question goes for Intelligence. It increases all elemental damage by your character. I do remember that adding intelligence did give me more damage from my staff attacks, but does it also increase damage done by spells such as lightning, ice shards and such?

[LMunhoz]

Str doesn't increase the physical damage of spells. Int increases all elemental damage you do, including your spells.

[Shpacuh]

Str doesn't increase the physical damage of spells. Int increases all elemental damage you do, including your spells.

Much obliged. That means that it also increases the electrical burn from dream spells, right?

[Plutonium]

Much obliged. That means that it also increases the electrical burn from dream spells, right?

True

[Violos]

Int even has a greater effect on burns than on elements/vit.
Does not help the damage actually called "Elemental", though.
And +% elemental does not affect burns.

Makes sense, right?

This has been discussed many times though.

[Manick]

I guess I'll just use this topic to ask my question instead of starting a new thread since it's fairly related.

On my ranger, I've been told to distribute my stat points for STR/DEX at a ratio of 3:2 or 2:3 (I can't remember which). My question was, why does my damage for bows go up more when I boost my strength rather than boost my dexterity? It says strength is melee, right? And that dexterity is for ranged. But I have to invest like 3 or so skill points to see just one point of damage increase, whereas strength increases my damage for bows much more. Is the point of raising dexterity then only to get it as high as you need it to be to use the strongest bow in the game? And for OA and DA too I suppose.

[Radagast82]

Is the point of raising dexterity then only to get it as high as you need it to be to use the strongest bow in the game? And for OA and DA too I suppose.

Actually not for OA either. Cause OA as I've been recently informed does nothing on bows and staves (no critical with those weapons). It's kinda ironic too, and I'll probably never understand the "true" reason behind those mechanics.
It's true what you say though, DEX doesn't seem to favor the bow that much, at least not as much as we have been used to, from other games...

PS : Also keep in mind that most bows deal 25-40% piercing damage and the rest is physical. Physical gets augmented by STR while piercing from DEX (I think). Which kinda explains why STR benefits your dmg more at this point. However note that with the right mastery combinations/skills and items, you may be able to reverse this. And make piercing dmg on a bow, actually be more in percentage, then it's physical dmg. Just my two cents.

[Violos]

Yeah, that's exactly why. Dex only increases the piercing part of weapon hits, and only half as much as strength increases physical. Not worth it for the damage.

The only reason to really pump dex high is if your char depends on several of its effects (OA, DA, pierce, requirements) or tries to achieve maximum DA, from gear and dex. Otherwise getting DA from gear and damage from your str is usually more economical than the other way around.

[Irma2]

Actually not for OA either. Cause OA as I've been recently informed does nothing on bows and staves (no critical with those weapons). It's kinda ironic too, and I'll probably never understand the "true" reason behind those mechanics.

I think it was a last-minute gameplay mechanics change by the devs. I think OA did originally work with bows and staves. I can't see any reason why the devs would have put +OA on bows and even staves if it didn't.

But then it swings things in favour of ranged combat. Archers and mages already have the advantage that they can kill melee monsters before those monsters even get in range to hurt them. A melee toon can't kill anything without first closing to melee range. So I think crits were introduced to level the playing field a bit and give some advantage back to melee.

I quite like the mechanic as it is. If mages had to boost OA in order to make their staff bolts hit, it would require pumping Dex instead of Int and would further hamstring the already anaemic spells in late Legendary. As it is, and without having to bother with OA, they can pump Int instead and keep up at least somewhat with the physical damage output of melee toons.

It also makes for a very different gameplay experience. If every toon needed OA in order for attacks to hit and crit, they'd all have to pump Dex or get +OA from gear. I like never having to worry about OA with casters and archers. It makes their attrib and gear choices, and also their play style, quite different from melee. The game needs that imo.

[Fozzie]

It also seems quite natural to me for the game to handle ranged attacks the way it does. They have a 3D engine after all, it's not sprites firing at sprites, but proper objects - so why not use actual ballistics? I sometimes wonder whether they had a concept of "dodge/avoid" being affected by OA at least for monsters but found it to be too complicated and/or pointless and left it out at the last moment.