Arena of Valor (AoV) - Heroes With Weird Damage Types

There are some heroes with abilities that inflict damage in a way contrary to their class or even to how the ability itself scales. We list those heroes and tell you how much you should care about the damage they're dealing.

Heroes With Weird Damage Types

In Arena of Valor, there are two types of damage (excluding true damage, which we’ll get to in a second), and two corresponding types of defense. Armor defends against physical damage, and magic defense defends against magic damage. Now, most of the heroes in AoV are straightforward – marksmen usually deal physical damage, while mages deal magic damage, etc. Also, abilities that deal physical damage are typically strengthened by purchasing items or Arcana that increase attack damage (AD), while abilities dealing magic damage are enhanced by ability power (AP).

However, there are some heroes who have abilities of an unexpected damage type. Players who assume that all tanks deal physical damage, or see a Valhein and default to purchasing armor will find themselves hurting more than they expected.

We’ve listed the heroes in Arena of Valor who have one or more abilities that deal a type of damage contrary to what one might expect – a warrior dealing magic damage, for example. Included are all heroes who deal true damage, which cuts through armor, magic defense, and shields (but can be reduced). Adjust your builds accordingly to address your enemies’ composition and soundly defeat them.

Quick note: it’s important to distinguish between the damage type and how the damage scales – both for the player and the opposition. For example, increasing Arduin’s attack damage (AD) causes him to deal more magic damage when he uses Undying Protector. In order to protect against that ability, you’d have to purchase magic defense, even if the opposing Arduin is purchasing physical damage-dealing items (obviously you’d want armor to deal with his auto attacks and other abilities, but we digress).

Unique Damage Types

These are the heroes whose damage types are not so straightforward. If you’ve ever wondered why Kriknak’s auto attacks seem to chunk you down even though you have plenty of armor, then it’s time to read those ability descriptions more carefully – or just use this list, since that’s the entire point of this article.

HERO ABILITY DAMAGE TYPE DAMAGE SCALING THREAT LEVEL
Arena of Valor AleisterAleister Wicked Plot True AP MEDIUM
Aleister’s passive triggers only occasionally, though true damage is never something to ignore. Wicked Plot’s base damage of 130 does not scale with level, and the AP scaling (0.4) is somewhat low as well. Regardless, you should be avoiding Aleister’s CC anyway.
Arena of Valor ArduinArduin  Undying Protector Initial Damage: Magic Damage
Buffed Normal Attack: True Damage (3 Strikes)
Initial – AD
True Damage – Per Level Only
MEDIUM
Arduin is one of those annoying heroes who can scale AD yet deal magic damage via Undying Protector. Once Arduin activates his shield, it’s not a good idea to stick around and let him hit you, as he’ll deal additional true damage as well as lower the cooldown for his ultimate.
Arena of Valor ArthurArthur  Righteous Fervor Initial Damage: Physical Damage
Marked Heroes: Magic Damage
Initial – AD
Marked Damage – 1% of Target’s Maximum HP
MEDIUM
Holy Guard Magic AD + AP MEDIUM
The AP damage scaling on Holy Guard feels like a favor to newer players who don’t own any level 2 or 3 Arcana other than Corruption. Regardless, it’s pretty painful, especially in the early game and against squishies. Righteous Fervor’s additional magic damage, though just 1% of the target’s max HP, adds up as well because of the low cooldown.
Arena of Valor GildurGildur  Siege Physical AD + AP LOW
Siege scales off both AD and AP, but not for very much. Whatever armor amounts you have to account for the other heroes should be plenty to combat the physical damage of Siege. Extravagant, which scales to the tune of 1.5 AP, should be the bigger worry.
Arena of Valor IgnisIgnis Holy Embers Marked Heroes: True Damage AP MEDIUM
Only marked targets take true damage, meaning you should be on the lookout for Holy Embers any time you take damage from Ignis’ other abilities. If you’re playing a particularly immobile hero, never enter a choke with Ignis around – the stun from Rain of Fire will make it impossible to escape Holy Embers.
Arena of Valor Kil'GrothKil’Groth Enraged Spear Magic AD LOW
The magic damage Enraged Spear deals is treated as “additional damage,” meaning Kil’groth’s auto attacks won’t suddenly be critting you for magic damage. You really shouldn’t be sitting idle taking Kil’Groth’s attacks anyway, especially if you’re not a tank, so the extra couple hundred points of magic damage isn’t much to worry about compared to his standard physical damage.
Arena of Valor KriknakKriknak  Terrifying
Plague
Initial Damage: Physical Damage
Marked Damage: Magic Damage
Initial – AD
Marked Damage – 8% of Target’s Maximum HP
MEDIUM
Tanks need to be aware of the extra magic damage threat from auto attacks after Terrifying Plague; stacking HP without enough magic defense will leave you very vulnerable. That said, the majority of Kriknak’s damage is physical: you’re just as likely to avoid his post-Terrifying Plague attack to prevent giving him CDR than to prevent the 8%-of-your-HP damage.
Arena of Valor LaurielLauriel Divine Punishment
(Passive)
True AP HIGH
Lauriels who use our Burst Tank build (the one listed as of the writing of this article) will deal 1094 true damage per explosion when fully armed. Stay away.
Arena of Valor MalochMaloch Plunder (Passive) Enchanted Weapon: True Damage AD MEDIUM
Cleave Initial Damage: Physical Damage
Enchanted Weapon: True Damage
AD HIGH
Maloch is currently the only character in Arena of Valor who can crit and deal true damage, so keep an eye on his build to see if brawling with The Ravenor is a good idea (spoiler: it usually isn’t). Cleave, on the other hand, does massive true damage even if Maloch builds completely defensively, so avoid it at all costs when Maloch’s weapon is enchanted. The huge damage and healing that Maloch gets from Cleave (and subsequently Plunder) is what allows him to win so many fights while outnumbered, so make sure to stay out of its range to deny Maloch his lifeblood.
Arena of Valor MaxMax Static Shock (Passive) True AD MEDIUM
Static Shock applies to all damage that Max applies, so while it isn’t a ton of damage, it can really add up. If you ever decide to run away, the damage will tick for another three seconds while you receive less healing as well. Add in the resistance that Smooth Moves provides, and it’s definitely not a good idea to trade damage with Max, especially in the laning phase.
Arena of Valor OmenOmen Thirst (Passive) True Per Level Only MEDIUM
The true damage portion of Thirst starts at 60 and goes to 288 by level 15. Sure, it hurts, but there are already a multitude of reasons why you shouldn’t be sitting around and letting Omen smack you – his ridiculous attack speed, the CDR on two of his abilities, the life steal he’s likely purchased, and so on.
Arena of Valor SkudSkud Wild Beast Fury Physical AD + 15% of target’s current HP MEDIUM
While no one will be surprised that Skud deals physical damage, we included Wild Beast Fury here to remind everyone how much Skud can chunk opposing tanks with his ultimate ability. Even percentage-based damage is reduced by armor/magic defense, so adjust your build accordingly (or, you know, just dodge it).
Arena of Valor TelannasTel’Annas Eagle Eye Magic AD MEDIUM
The additional magic damage from Eagle Eye can be about half of Tel’Annas’ normal attack, and ends up being roughly equal to her normal attack against players who neglect magic defense. Cheeky Tel’Annas players stuck on a team with no mage can even buy Enchanted Kicks to catch opposing players off guard.
Arena of Valor ThaneThane King’s Glory True AD MEDIUM
Without an ounce of AD from weapons or Arcana, and ignoring that whole 15%-of-target’s-lost-HP thing, King’s Glory still does nearly 1300 true damage at level 12. The cooldown is fairly long, though, so just watch out for it – oftentimes staying closer to Thane makes it easier to dodge because of the long range and cone shape.
Arena of Valor ValheinValhein Pocket Glaive Magic AD + AP MEDIUM
Bloody Hunt Magic AD + AP MEDIUM
Curse of Death Magic AD + AP MEDIUM
Bullet Storm Magic AD + AP MEDIUM
Valhein’s an odd duck, a Marksman that deals magic damage with all of his abilities, including his passive (see Valhein’s stat page for how the damage on his passive is calculated). Valheins who build AD will deal more damage with auto attacks, and have the ability to deal magic damage on Pocket Glaive critical hits. Meanwhile, magic items deliver more AP than attack items provide AD, so despite equal AD and AP scaling, an AP build Valhein’s active abilities will hurt more.

The point is, unless the opposing Valhein goes full tank, you’ll be taking a healthy dose of magic damage, so prepare accordingly.

Arena of Valor Wonder WomanWonder Woman Amazon Shield (Passive) True Per Level Only MEDIUM
In the late game, 177 true damage every third attack isn’t the biggest deal in the world. Where Amazon Shield’s true damage portion comes into play is in the early game, where Wonder Woman can bully most other heroes out of the lane. When facing off against her solo, be on the lookout every third attack.
Arena of Valor XenielXeniel Holy Brand (Passive) Magic % of his Maximum HP HIGH
Divine Protection Magic AP + 4-9% of his Maximum HP HIGH
Angelic Splendor Magic AP + 15% of Ally’s Maximum HP MEDIUM
Though Chaugnar is another Tank/Support that deals magic damage, it was worth sticking Xeniel here because of the way his damage scales. Divine Protection scales at 40% AP and 9% max HP – comparing their gold values shows that building HP actually provides more damage (and shields) than building AP for this ability. And the extra damage from Holy Brand more or less cancels out the lost damage on Malleus when building tanky.

What we’re trying to get at here is that Xeniel can build all defensive items and still deal 1500+ magic damage every third attack and 2400+ AoE magic damage with Divine Protection. Don’t be fooled by a Xeniel going for a seemingly damageless build, and treat him as another mage.

Arena of Valor ZanisZanis Dragon’s Wrath True AD MEDIUM
HIGH
How scary the true damage from Dragon’s Wrath (and subsequent auto attacks) is depends on Zanis’s attack damage, which itself is dependent on Zanis’s passive. A particularly fed Zanis can deal 1800 true damage with the ability itself and 600 additional true damage per auto attack thereafter. Our advice: don’t feed Zanis.
Arena of Valor ZephysZephys Death from Above Initial Damage: Physical Damage
Marked Target: Magic Damage
AD LOW
The additional magic damage is between 100 and 200 at high levels and only applies if you’ve been hit by Death From Above. Best to worry more about Zephys’ physical damage.

Standard Damage Type

These heroes are more straightforward, their damage and scaling aligning with their hero class.

HERO DAMAGE TYPE DAMAGE SCALING
Airi Physical AD
Alice Magic AP 
Astrid Physical AD
Azzen’Ka Magic AP 
Batman Physical AD
Butterfly Physical AD
Chaugnar Magic AP 
Cresht Physical AD
Diao Chan Magic AP 
Fennik Physical AD
Grakk* Magic AP 
Ilumia Magic AP 
Jinnar Magic AP 
Kahlii Magic AP 
Krixi Magic AP 
Lindis Physical AD
Lu Bu Physical AD
Lumburr Physical AD
Mganga Magic AP 
Mina Physical AD
Moren Physical AD
Murad Physical AD
Nakroth Physical AD
Natalya Magic AP 
Omega Physical AD
Ormarr Physical AD
Peura Magic AP 
Preyta Magic AP 
Raz Magic AP 
Ryoma Physical AD
Slimz Physical AD
Superman** Physical AD
Taara*** Physical AD
TeeMee Magic AP 
The Joker Physical AD
Toro Physical AD
Tulen Magic AP 
Veera Magic AP 
Violet Physical AD
Wukong Physical AD
Yorn Physical AD
Zill Magic AP 
Zuka Physical AD

*Grakk’s Blood Ritual (Passive) Scales with his HP
**Superman’s passive, 1st, and ultimate abilities scale with 12% of his HP
***Taara’s AD scales with how much HP she has lost

Other notes:

  • Chaugnar and TeeMee deal magic damage even though they are tanks
  • Cresht and Lumburr deal physical damage even though they are supports

For a more in-depth look into each of the Heroes listed above, check out their respective hero guides on our Hero List Page.

Related Articles on Wiki

Guides

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AoV MageMage AoV MarksmanMarksman AoV SupportSupport

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