# Combat

Combat is real-time and resolved on the server, so what you see is what actually
happens — no client-side trickery.

## Stats

Every class defines five combat stats and two vitals, all growing linearly each
level:

| Stat | What it does |
|------|--------------|
| **Attack** | Melee damage; also scales attack-scaling spells |
| **Ability power** | Magic damage; scales most spells |
| **Defense** | Reduces incoming melee damage |
| **Magic resist** | Reduces incoming magic damage |
| **Speed** | Your dodge rate — the bigger the gap, the harder you are to hit |

Vitals are **HP** (health) and **MP** (mana).

## How a hit is resolved

Damage is reduced by the target's matching resistance (defense for melee, magic
resist for magic), then a **dodge** roll based on the speed gap and a **critical**
roll can change the outcome. Land the killing blow and the loot and XP are yours.

## Spells

Spells cost mana and share cooldowns measured in **ticks** (20 ticks = 1 second).
A spell's power scales with a stat:

```
final_power = spell.power + scaling_stat * scaling / 100
```

- **Damage** spells hit enemies; **heal** spells restore ally HP; **buff/debuff**
  spells apply timed stat changes.
- **DoT / HoT** effects tick each turn — damage over time or healing over time —
  and show a live countdown on your buff bar.
- **Lifesteal** returns a share of the damage you deal as HP.

## Gear

Equipment feeds straight into these stats. Per-instance gear rolls random affixes
and a rarity tier on drop, refines from **+1 to +10** at the blacksmith (with real
success and break odds), and takes gems in its sockets. Better gear, bigger
numbers.

## See also

- **[How to Play](/wiki/guides/how-to-play)** — the basics.
- **[Controls](/wiki/guides/controls)** — targeting and casting keys.

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Source: https://arcanoronline.com/wiki/guides/combat