#primary stat

Power vs Primary Stat

Power and Primary Stats both contribute to your character's overall damage or healing, but at different rates and in different ways.

Power: .23 Damage Coefficient, .17 Healing Coefficient

Primary Stat: .20 Damage Coefficient, .14 Healing Coefficient

Why do Primary Stats contribute less Damage or Healing than Power? That's because Primary Stats also contribute a small amount of Critical Chance. This bonus equates to ~.007 Crit per Primary Stat. At 1000 Primary Stat, you receive a bonus to your Critical Chance of ~7.13%.

All Primary Stat Augments come in the same variety with +18 Primary Stat and +12 Endurance. As an example, see the Advanced Reflex Augment 22. With this information, we can estimate the contribution that a Primary Stat Augment makes to your damage or healing.

18 Primary Stat * .20 = 3.6 Damage

18 Primary Stat * .14 = 2.52 Healing

18 Primary Stat * .0071 = .128 Crit

What about the +Primary Stat talents like Ironsights? These talents add up to 9% to your Primary Stat.

18 Primary Stat * 1.09 = 19.62 Primary Stat with +9% from talents

19.62 Primary Stat * .20 = 3.924 Damage

19.62 Primary Stat * .14 = 2.747 Healing

19.62 Primary Stat * .0071 = .139 Crit

What about +Primary Stat buffs like Mark of Power? These buffs add 5% to your Primary Stat.

19.62 Primary Stat * 1.05 = 20.601 Primary Stat with a +5% buff

20.601 Primary Stat * .20 = 4.120 Damage

20.601 Primary Stat * .14 = 2.884 Healing

20.601 Primary Stat * .0071 = .146 Crit

The most common Power based Augment, Advanced Overkill Augment, provides +18 Power and +12 Endurance.

18 Power * .23 = 4.14 Damage

18 Power * .17 = 3.06 Healing

What about +damage/healing buffs like Unnatural Might? These buffs add +5% to your Melee, Ranged, Force, and Tech damage/healing modifiers. They do not impact your Crit.

Primary Stat: 4.120 * 1.05 = 4.326 damage

Primary Stat: 2.884 * 1.05 = 3.028 healing

Power: 4.14 * 1.05 = 4.347 damage

Power: 3.06 * 1.05 = 3.213 healing

The small amount of Critical Chance provided by the Primary Stat Augment is not enough to offset the raw Damage / Healing bonus of a Power based Augment, especially at higher levels of Primary Stat where the bonus to Critical Chance begins to hit severe diminishing returns. Further, this is still true even when factoring in a possible +9% to your Primary Stat from talents and the +5% Primary Stat buff.

Why does Noxxic recommend Primary Stat > Power?

Our general recommendation of Primary Stat > Power comes down to a few considerations.

You are only forced to choose between Primary Stat and Power on Augments and some Mods.

Our Mod and Augment recommendations take the value of Primary Stat and Power into consideration and we recommend the items that provide the highest overall bonus to Damage or Healing.