damagebased

Damagebased is a design term used to describe systems in which damage—the amount dealt, received, or both—drives progression, rewards, or encounter difficulty. The concept is not a fixed standard but a descriptive label applied across genres, especially action role-playing games, roguelikes, and multiplayer shooters.

Common implementations include damage-based progression, where character level, abilities, or loot quality scale with total damage output; damage-based gating, in which certain encounters or rewards unlock only after surpassing a damage threshold; and damage-triggered events, such as bosses entering enraged phases when enough damage has been dealt.

Design considerations: benefits include responsive pacing, clear feedback, and reinforcement of aggressive play styles; drawbacks include balance challenges, potential overemphasis on raw DPS, and possible discouragement of strategic, defensive, or cooperative play.

Examples of use in practice are broad. In many action RPGs and roguelikes, loot quality or enemy resistances may scale with the amount of damage a player has dealt, while in arena or competitive shooters, damage contribution can influence score multipliers or matchmaking considerations. The approach aims to create a dynamic feedback loop that rewards active engagement but requires careful tuning to avoid repetitive gameplay or unfair difficulty spikes.

See also: dynamic difficulty adjustment, scaling, game balance.