Learning Scripts and Knowing damage formula

Reading Scripts is very important to make your Ragnarok gaming effective, it's actually a very good foundation for every player who wanted to progress fast in game. Knowing scripts can help you a lot in understanding how most of the things in game works. It can also help you in identifying the best combination for your equipment.

You can see most of the items, equipment and card script in ratemyserver.net.

Most of the time, the scripts in ratemyserver is much accurate than the description you can found in game. One good example is Fallen Bishop Hibram Card:

According to it's description it increases damage inflicted on Demi human and Angel monster by 50%. Normal players would think it can also affect phsyical attack but if you are going to read the script you will see. { bonus bMatkRate,10; bonus bMaxSPrate,-50; bonus2 bMagicAddRace,RC_Angel,50; bonus2 bMagicAddRace,RC_DemiHuman,50; },{},{} <~ this is the actual script of FBH card. 

If you know a little bit of english like me, you can easily understand and see that it only gives bonus on "magic" damage against angel and demi human as the color purple text in script says.

Understanding Damage Modifier Card (DMC) and other scripts

One popular belief about Damage Modifier Card is that, its efficiency is reduced the more times a card is repeated that is why people tends to use 2x hydra 2x skeleton worker combo or 2x hydra 2x turtle general card combo for PVP. Another wrong notion is that simply different cards multiply... well this one is half correct but still not accurate.

But a more accurate explanation on why different cards combo usually results in a better results lies on their script/factor and the correct computation. Each DMC at least affect one factor. So what are the factors?

Basic Factors (not including critical and defense piercer [Thanatos Card])
Race: Demi human/Brute/Insect/Fish/Dragon/Plant/Formless/Demon/Undead
Element: Neutral/Fire/Water/Earth/Wind/Poison/Shadow/Undead/Holy/Ghost
Size: Small/Medium/Large
Class: Boss/Non Boss

Race Cards: (iRO)
Usual Script: (bonus2 bAddRace,RC_"Race",x)
where x = percent of additional damage
"Race" = any of the following race

Note: This is for physical. Magic cards are not yet implemented in dRO because they are only available at renewal.

Element Cards
Usual Script: (bonus2 bAddEle,Ele_"Element",x;)
where x= percent of additional damage
"Element" = any of the following element.

Size Cards

Usual Script: (bonus2 bAddSize,Size_"size",x)

where x = percentage of the additional damage

"size" = either small, medium or large

Class Cards
Usual Script (bonus2 bAddRace,RC_"class",x;)
 where x = percent of additional damage
"class"= either boss or non boss
(boss and non boss is just another race that categorized monsters in 2 category)

Boss and Non Boss: 
Turtle General Card 20% on boss and non Boss
Valkyrie Randgris Card 10% on boss and non Boss
Byorgue Card (Rogue Only) 10% on boss and non Boss

Boss only:
Abysmal Knight Card 25% on boss only

Computation of Damage Output.

Knowing these factors are important because cards of the same scripts/factors just stacks or add up their percentage of damage while cards of different scripts/factors multiply. This is the real reason why the same cards tends to give lower damage output than different cards combo.

Example: 
Note: In this formula, 100% is the base damage.
Hydra Card/ Hydra Card/ Hydra Card/ Hydra Card Combo
100% + 20% + 20% + 20% + 20% = 180%

Hydra Card/ Hydra Card/ Skeleton Worker/ Skeleton Worker Combo
(100% +20%+ 20%) (100%+15%+15%) = 182%
or simply (1.4)(1.3) = 1.82

Hydra Card/ Skeleton Worker/ Turtle General / Turtle General
(100%+20%) (100%+15%) (100% +20%+20%) = 193.2%
or simply (1.2)(1.15)(1.4) = 1.932

Hydra Card/ Hydra Card/ Turtle General / Turtle General Combo
(100%+20%+20%) (100%+20%+20%) = 196%
or simply (1.4)(1.4) = 1.96
As you can see, even though turtle general and hydra both gives the same amount of additional damage (20%) a proper combination of card is still necessary to gain higher output.

Now lets move to the same card with the same factor/script such as turtle general and valkyrie randgris

Hydra Card/ Turtle General / Turtle General/ Valkyrie Randgris Combo
(100%+20%) (100%+ 20%+20% +10%) = 180%
or simply (1.2)(1.5) = 1.80
Note: Valyrie Randgris and Turtle General have the same script/factor so they just add up.

Hydra Card/Hydra Card/Turtle General/Valkyrie Randgris Combo
(100%+20%+20%) (100+20%+10%) = 182%
or simply (1.4)(1.3) = 1.82

This is the reason why you need to have a proper knowledge about card script and their computation, if you don't know the proper computation even though you are already using what you believe is better combination you might end up having a quite lower damage output.

You see in the example combo 1 Hydra 2x TGc and 1 VRc you only get a total of 180% when in fact turtle general is way more expensive than hydra card.  Some people have a wrong notion that if cards are not the same they also multiply, as we stated earlier that is wrong. In fact even equipment with the same script/factors are bound on these formula.

Example: If you wear Feather Valkyrie Helm which increase 20% more damage to demi human and you are wearing a weapon w/ 2 hydra 2 TGc. The damage modification will be computed like this:

FVH headgear with Hydra/Hydra/TGc/TGc
(100%+20%+20%+20%) (100%+20%+20%) = 224%
or simply (1.6)(1.4) = 2.24

Just understanding this you can already visualize that if you are wearing a weapon with 3 TGC and 1 hydra combo and then you wear FVH it will result with the same damage output, since the computation will be: (1.4)(1.6) again.

So now lets add more equipment with damage modifier against demi human. How about Feather Valkyrie Helm (20%) With Incarnation Spirit (25%) and Melee Poring Ring (20%) and wearing the normal combo in your weapon 2 TGC, 2 Hydra card.

The computation will be:
 FVH+IS+MePR and 2x TGc + 2x Hydra on weapon combo.
(100%+20%+25%+20%+20%+20%)(100%+20%+20%) = 287%
or simply (2.04) (1.4) = 2.87

Now what if you're weapon card is 4 TGC instead of the normal combo 2 hydra 2 TGc?
Then it will be like this
FVH+IS+MePR and 4 TGC on weapon combo
(100%+20%+25%+20%)(100%+20+20%+20%+20%) = 297%
or simply (1.65)(1.8) = 2.97

Learning  how to compute for the damage output can help you in achieving the maximum damage output that your character can do.

If you wanted to learn more about damage formula you can use this link
DreamerRO RO-Math Formula by Wordless