# PokéBonk Combat Mechanics: Damage, Reactions, Armor & Crits

> Understand real PokéBonk damage rules, STAB, type effectiveness, status reactions, Mega Crit, armor and healing, with v0.8.46 source checks.

Canonical HTML: https://pokebonk.co/guides/combat-mechanics

Publisher: PokéBonk Guide (https://pokebonk.co), an independent unofficial fan guide. Original game: https://pokebonk.com/.

Game snapshot: v0.8.46; build mvn4tolm; checked 2026-10-25.

**Source check: v0.8.46 · 2026-10-25**

[Versions, sources and scope](https://pokebonk.co/sources)

**PokéBonk damage comes from a working combination of move behavior, damage stats, typing, critical hits and status reactions.** If a build feels weak, first check whether its attacks are actually reaching enemies and whether your cards affect those attacks; then compare the multipliers.

The rules below were checked in the official **v0.8.46 / mvn4tolm** client on **October 25, 2026**. They describe implemented rules, not measured DPS for a particular build.

## Why is my damage low?

Check these five things before replacing the whole build:

1.  **Hit coverage:** a high-damage attack still needs a target in its path or range.
2.  **Relevant upgrades:** check the card's Affects list and whether your attack uses its area, count, duration or other stat.
3.  **Move level:** improve attacks that already work instead of collecting several weak attacks without a plan.
4.  **Typing and reactions:** use your partner's types and a compatible status setup where possible.
5.  **Target rules:** shields, phase protection, Boss mechanics and control resistance can change the apparent damage.

Use the [build guide](https://pokebonk.co/guides/best-builds) for three concrete starter plans and the [Boss guide](https://pokebonk.co/guides/bosses) when normal enemies die quickly but a guardian does not.

## Damage, attack speed and base Power are different

| Field | What it helps explain | What it does not establish by itself |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Damage | A general damage multiplier | How many hits connect |
| Physical / Special | The multiplier used by that move's category | That every move of one type uses the same category |
| Attack speed | More frequent casts through shorter cooldowns | Unlimited casts or equal benefit for every architecture |
| Area, duration and projectiles | The parts of an attack that actually use those stats | A fixed percentage increase to every move's DPS |
| Base-reference Power | A value in the source Pokémon move catalogue | The exact damage dealt by the survivor attack |

The ordinary cast path divides configured cooldown, including its move modifiers, by attack speed. It also applies minimum timing and architecture-specific rules. A projectile, orbit, persistent zone and multi-hit beam can therefore benefit differently from the same card.

The wiki's [move reference](https://pokebonk.co/moves) and [move planner](https://pokebonk.co/tools/move-planner) remain reference tools. Use gameplay kit and fusion information when planning an actual survivor build.

## STAB and type effectiveness in PokéBonk

**Same-Type Attack Bonus (STAB)** normally multiplies an own-type hit by **1.25**. Eevee's Adaptability uses **1.5625** for the player's own matching-type attacks in the checked path; support attacks use ordinary STAB.

The survivor's effectiveness function is softer than the familiar mainline chart:

| Source chart matchup, per defending type | Survivor factor |
| --- | --- |
| Super effective | ×1.35 |
| Resisted | ×0.8 |
| Mainline immunity | ×0.5 |
| Neutral | ×1 |

For a dual-type defender the factors multiply, then the result is clamped between **0.4 and 1.8**. Incoming player damage has a further **0.5–1.6** effectiveness clamp. Do not read a mainline immunity as a guarantee of zero damage in a run.

Weather can add another layer: its boosted types use **×1.3** damage and its weakened types use **×0.75** in the checked hit path. A move's own behavior, status and passive conditions still matter.

## Status reactions: apply the setup, then the trigger

An enemy must already have the relevant status when the triggering hit arrives. Two move types in your loadout are not enough if the first move is not applying the required status.

| Setup on the enemy | Triggering hit | Reaction in the checked client |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Wet | Electric | Electrocution: ×1.5 on the triggering damage, with chains to nearby Wet enemies. |
| Burn | Water | Steam: ×1.4, plus nearby confusion/root effects. |
| Burn | Grass or Flying | Wildfire: ×1.3 and spreading burn effects. |
| Frozen | Fighting, Rock or Steel | Shatter: ×2.6 and a nearby Ice splash. |
| Poison | Fire | Toxic Gas: the triggering multiplier grows with consumed poison stacks. |
| Paralysis | Psychic | Mental Collapse: ×1.6 and confusion. |
| Charm | Dragon | Dragon Rage: ×2. |

Those numbers belong to the reaction step. They are not a comparison of whole builds, and chains or splashes have their own damage rules. The trigger interval is shared by reaction type, so repeated hits do not necessarily trigger that reaction on every target every frame.

**Freeze has a setup of its own:** normal chill applications build to three stacks within the chill window. Wet lets a chill application reach that threshold immediately. Boss flags reduce several control durations, so ordinary-enemy freezes do not establish a permanent Boss lock.

Reaction effects and [reaction fusion recipes](https://pokebonk.co/guides/move-fusions) are related but different systems. A normal hit can trigger a reaction without being a fused move.

## Does critical chance above 100% help?

Yes. The stat compilation retains excess critical chance as **Mega Crit** chance, capped at an additional 100 percentage points. The standard base critical multiplier is **1.75** before modifiers.

That does not mean every extra percentage point gives the same final DPS increase. Move hit behavior, conditional critical bonuses and other damage multipliers still matter. Compare the card against the actual bottleneck of your current build.

## Armor, shields and healing

Armor reduction uses **armor / (armor + 45)**. For example, 45 armor gives 50% reduction from this step; 90 gives about 66.7%. Other damage conditions, floors, caps, shields and passives apply separately.

Shields absorb damage before ordinary HP. Recovery needs enough safe time to work, and some healing sources share a limited healing budget. Lifesteal is implemented as hit-based healing procs, not simply a percentage of every damage number converted to HP.

Boss wounds reduce healing to **half** while active. After taking a wound, our recommendation is to create space and avoid the next attack rather than trying to out-heal an uninterrupted sequence of hits.

## A simple way to improve the next run

Choose one plan, then record why the run ended: no damage coverage, missed upgrades, failed fusion preparation, a Boss mechanic or repeated incoming hits. Change the part that caused the failure.

-   For a recovery opening, compare [Bulbasaur's starter plan](https://pokebonk.co/guides/best-builds#bulbasaur-build-recovery-and-flower-beam).
-   For permanent progression, budget one concrete purchase in the [Lab Planner](https://pokebonk.co/tools/lab-planner).
-   For a pair you want to keep, use the [Fusion Finder](https://pokebonk.co/tools/fusion-finder).
-   For guardian and legendary openings, read [Boss strategies](https://pokebonk.co/guides/bosses).

## Sources and verification

Checked **October 25, 2026**, official **v0.8.46 / mvn4tolm**. We read the [gameplay client's](https://pokebonk.com/assets/main-BRoWoo2--mvn4tolm.js) hit, effectiveness, stat compilation, reaction, damage-taken and healing paths as inert source; we did not run downloaded JavaScript or measure a full build's damage. The [official game](https://pokebonk.com/) remains the place to confirm the current version. [Source methodology](https://pokebonk.co/sources).

## Keep exploring

-   [Best PokéBonk Builds: Starter Routes, Upgrades & Fusions](https://pokebonk.co/guides/best-builds)
-   [PokéBonk Boss Guide: Guardians, Zapdos & Articuno Strategies](https://pokebonk.co/guides/bosses)
-   [PokéBonk Move Fusions: Bill’s Machine & All 106 Recipes](https://pokebonk.co/guides/move-fusions)
-   [PokéBonk Level-Up Guide: Moves, Refresh, Skip & Banish](https://pokebonk.co/guides/moves-and-levels)
-   [Best PokéBonk Starter: Bulbasaur vs Charmander vs Squirtle](https://pokebonk.co/guides/best-starter)