Wizard101's New Flat Stats: How They Work

There's a strange new double grid on your damage and resistance in the Test Realm, and there seems to be some confusion on what it's for and how the numbers there work. Let's clear up the confusion.

A Balancing Mechanic

I think that Wizard101 realized that there was only so much resistance and damage they could pack onto gear. With universal resistance now possible in the Test Realm, and soon the live realm, there was more reason than ever to explore a new mechanic for powering wizards: flat stats.

Where do "flat stats" come from?

Flat stats are shown below the regular damage percentage. Some of the numbers are quite high, while others are lower, like the 1 in the first image.

Most of these stats come from jewels right now. They're the latest and greatest way to not only improve, but also personalize your wizard. There are a range of gems available, and there is a running guide on Wizard101 Central of gems that you should check out. Some give cards, but most give stats, and those that give damage or resistance don't give a percentage. They give a flat number. This is where the idea of "flat stats" comes from. To understand and weigh the uses of one jewel versus another, it is imperative to understand what these new stats mean.

How They Work

These stats are not a percentage, but just a solid number. If you've played Pirate101, you'll be familiar with this - armor, damage, and many stats there use this same mechanic. Instead of a percentage of damage subtracted or added, a definite number of damage is subtracted or added.

So, say you use a wand hit that does 200 base damage. With a 35% boost from gear, it'd do 270 damage. With a 35 damage boost from a jewel, it'd do 235. This has some interesting implications not only in picking jewels to use, but also in what spells you cast to make the most of them.

In the example above, the user resists 37% of Fire damage plus another 35 points. So if a Fire spell is used that does 300 damage, they resist 111 points from their percentage, and another 35 points from their flat stat. That's a total of 146 points off, so the spell does only 154 damage - almost half! On the other hand, if a Fire spell is used that does 1000 damage, they resist 370 points from the percentage and 35 points from the flat stat, for a total of 405 off, then the spell does 595 damage.

Making the Most of Flat Stats

There are a number of jewels available currently, and it's important to keep these flat stats in mind when selecting which ones you want to go on your items. Flat stats are going to be more beneficial for lower-level wizards. A 100-damage wand hit turning into 135 is far more valuable than a 1000-damage spell turning into a 1035 hit. That in mind, the amount added scales with level.

The best way to counter this on an opponent will be to use large, single hits to avoid as much of that subtraction as possible. Unlike with the percentage, more damage at once means less resisted. On the other hand, if you're utilizing these flat stats in terms of damage, it'll be to your benefit to use smaller hits more frequently. That's right, spamming Loremaster is now becoming a more effective strategy (just kidding... sort of). Two 100-damage spells with a 35% damage bonus plus a 35 damage bonus would do 340 damage, where one 200-damage spell with the same bonuses would do 305 damage.

Have you found any cool gems with flat stats?

Thanks for reading and see you in the Spiral! Credits: Thanks to Paige Moonshade for allowing me to use a picture of her stats.

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