Magic Attack (abbreviated M.ATK) is the attack rating that drives spell damage, and the magician's counterpart to Weapon Attack. The two never mix. A wand's Weapon Attack does nothing for a spell, and Magic Attack does nothing for a physical swing, which is why a magician gains nothing from the attack lines that a warrior pays most for.
Contents
What it does
Magic Attack enters the spell formula twice. It appears once in an additive term alongside the spell's own base value, and again in the multiplier that scales the whole result, where it is weighted at twice the value of INT. That double appearance is why Magic Attack outpaces raw INT for a magician: a point of INT lifts only the multiplier, while a point of Magic Attack lifts both halves. The formula itself is on Damage.
Spell damage is then adjusted by the target's element and by its magic defense, not by its physical defense.
Where it comes from
- The wand or staff, which lists Magic Attack instead of leaning on Weapon Attack.
- Scrolled bonuses on it. See Scrolling.
- Part of your INT, which feeds the Magic Attack shown in the stat window.
- Meditation, the magician party buff.
Mastery works per spell
Magicians have no weapon mastery skill. Each offensive spell carries its own mastery level, so the way to tighten a spell's damage range is to level that spell. A magician who spreads points thinly across several attack spells keeps a wide, swingy range on all of them, where a warrior gets one mastery skill that steadies every swing at once.
A monster's magic attack
On a monster article, Magic ATK is what the monster's magic attacks hit you with, reduced by your own magic defense rather than by your physical defense. Avoidability does not apply: a monster's magic attack is not dodged.
Most monsters have none at all. Of the 107 released monsters, 32 carry any Magic ATK, and the largest values belong almost entirely to bosses. Where a monster does have it, the value tends to sit slightly above its Weapon ATK rather than replacing it.
| Monster | Level | Magic ATK | Weapon ATK | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Jr. Balrog | 80 | 1,069 | 972 |
 |
Zombie Mushmom | 50 | 706 | 642 |
 |
Mushmom | 40 | 585 | 532 |
 |
Bain | 90 | 485 | 441 |
 |
Lycanthrope | 80 | 435 | 396 |
 |
Taurospear | 75 | 410 | 410 |
 |
Red Drake | 60 | 336 | 306 |
Because magic attacks bypass the dodge roll entirely, a monster with a high Magic ATK is dangerous to a build that leans on avoidability to stay alive. A thief who dodges most of a Red Drake's physical swings gets no such protection from its magic.
Confidence
The spell formula and the separation of Magic Attack from Weapon Attack come from in-game testing and are treated as confirmed. That a monster's magic attack bypasses avoidability, and is reduced by magic defense rather than physical defense, is stated on Avoidability from the same testing. The monster values are the figures published on each monster article. How a monster chooses between its physical and magic attack in a fight is server-side behavior and is not documented here.
See also
- Damage: the full spell formula
- Weapon Attack: the physical counterpart
- Magic Defense: what reduces a spell
- Elements: the multiplier applied after the formula
- INT and Meditation: where Magic Attack comes from