DPS

DPS stands for damage per second. As a number, it measures how much damage a weapon, ability or character deals over time. A slow, heavy hammer and a fast, light dagger might deal very different damage per hit but similar DPS overall. Players compare DPS figures to judge which equipment or ability order is strongest.

DPS as a role

In team games, especially online role-playing games, DPS also describes a job. Groups are often built from three roles: a tank who absorbs enemy attention, a healer who keeps everyone alive, and several DPS players whose main task is to defeat enemies quickly. You will hear “we need one more DPS” in group-finding chat. Within the role, players sometimes split into melee DPS, who fight up close, and ranged DPS, who attack from a distance.

How DPS is measured and discussed

Many games include training dummies where players can test their damage without risk. In some online games, players use add-ons or built-in tools called damage meters that show each person’s contribution during a fight. These can be useful for improving, but they can also fuel unkind comparisons. A related idea is “burst” damage: a big spike over a few seconds, as opposed to steady sustained DPS.

Raw DPS is not everything. A player who stays alive, avoids dangerous mechanics and attacks the right target usually helps a team more than one with a slightly higher number who keeps getting knocked out.

Advice for beginners

DPS roles are often the easiest way into group play, because they carry less responsibility than tanking or healing. Focus first on survival and following the group, then on improving your damage. If chat turns into heated arguments over damage meters, that is a good moment to leave the group or switch meters off.