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Combat System

Master combat mechanics in New Dawn and become a formidable warrior.

New Dawn Combat Changes

New Dawn features several significant combat modifications from classic UO. See the What's Different guide for a complete overview, or read the sections below for detailed mechanics.

New Dawn Combat Modifications

Stamina Loss System (Replaces Dex Penalty)

New Dawn removes the classic dexterity penalty from armor and replaces it with a stamina loss system:

How It Works:

  • When you take damage, you lose stamina based on your armor
  • Armor type (plate, chain, leather) affects stamina drain
  • Hit location matters (chest takes more hits = more stamina loss)
  • Armor material (iron, valorite, etc.) affects the penalty

Hit Location Probabilities:

  • Chest: 40%
  • Arms: 20%
  • Legs: 15%
  • Hands/Head: 10% each
  • Neck: 5%

Benefits:

  • Wear heavy armor without movement penalty
  • Stamina management becomes tactical
  • Different armor types remain meaningful
  • Running doesn't drain stamina (Patch 0.29)

Archery Modifications

Standing Still Delay:

  • 500ms delay when standing still before shooting
  • Encourages movement in archer PvP
  • Prevents insta-hit archery

Snare Ability:

  • Requires 80+ Anatomy and 80+ Archery
  • 25% chance at GM to immobilize target for 3 seconds
  • Disrupts spell casting
  • 20-second cooldown
  • 15 stamina cost
  • Makes archery more tactical

Parrying Enhancements

Shield Bash:

  • Custom ability added to Parrying skill
  • Provides offensive option for shield users

Fire Breath Protection:

  • Parrying skill and shield quality absorb fire breath damage
  • Makes shields valuable against dragons and other fire-breathers
  • Scales with parrying skill

Explosion Potion Changes

Delay Mechanics:

  • 1.5-second base delay before explosion
  • Small random variation in explosion time
  • No potion cooldown (heal potions have 10s cooldown)
  • 2-second cooldown on other potions

Damage Formula:

  • Alchemy bonus applies to minimum damage (not total)
  • Base damage vs players: min 5, max 15
  • GM Alchemy adds +10 to min, +5 to max
  • GM Alchemy result: 15-20 damage vs players

Poison System Enhancements

Poisoning vs Immune Mobs:

  • GM Poisoning: 50% chance to poison normally immune creatures
  • Scales from 0% at low skill to 50% at GM
  • Makes Poisoning viable against more content

GM Magery + GM Poison Combination:

  • 1% chance for Lethal poison within 2 tiles
  • 10% chance for Deadly poison within 3 tiles
  • Rewards dual-skill investment

Weapon & Armor Values

  • Converted to UOR (Ultima Online: Renaissance) era values
  • Initially changed to T2A but reverted for better balance (Patch 0.16)
  • Damage formulas adjusted to match weapon changes

PvP Spell Damage

  • Custom min/max damage ranges for player vs player
  • Adjustable in-game for balance
  • Magic Resist cuts damage by ⅓ (not ½ like classic)
  • Spell range: 10 tiles for most spells (Teleport remains 12)

Combat Basics

Engaging in Combat

To attack a target:

  1. War Mode: Press Tab or click the peace/war icon
  2. Target: Click on your target
  3. Auto-Attack: Your character will attack automatically

Combat Calculations

Hit Chance Formula:

Attack Skill vs. Defender's Defense Skill
Modified by: Tactics, Anatomy, Weapon accuracy

Damage Formula:

Base Weapon Damage
× Strength modifier
× Tactics bonus
× Anatomy bonus
+ Critical hit chance

Weapon Types

Melee Weapons

  • Swords: Balanced damage and speed
  • Fencing: Fast attacks, lower damage
  • Maces: Slower, higher damage, good vs. armor

Ranged Weapons

  • Archery: Bows and crossbows
  • Thrown: Throwing weapons (if available)

Damage Types

  • Physical: Standard damage
  • Fire: Effective vs. certain creatures
  • Cold: Ice-based damage
  • Poison: Damage over time
  • Energy: Magic-based physical damage

Combat Skills

Essential:

  • Weapon Skill (your choice)
  • Tactics
  • Anatomy
  • Healing

Supportive:

  • Parrying
  • Resisting Spells
  • Magery (utility)

Special Moves

Many weapons have special abilities:

  • Armor Ignore: Bypass armor completely
  • Concussion Blow: Drain target's mana
  • Disarm: Remove opponent's weapon
  • Double Strike: Attack twice
  • Paralyzing Blow: Temporarily freeze target

Activation: Usually via hotkey or special book

Defense Mechanics

Armor

Armor Rating (AR):

  • Reduces incoming physical damage
  • Different materials offer different AR
  • Can be magical with extra properties

Armor Types:

  • Plate: Highest protection, heaviest
  • Chain: Medium protection and weight
  • Leather: Light protection, allows meditation

Parrying

  • Requires shield equipped
  • Blocks incoming attacks
  • Higher skill = more blocks

Evasion

  • Based on Dexterity
  • Chance to avoid attacks
  • Wrestling provides defensive benefit

Healing in Combat

Bandages

  • Primary healing method
  • Takes time to apply (several seconds)
  • Can be interrupted by damage
  • Scales with Healing and Anatomy skill

Healing Spells

  • Heal: Moderate restoration
  • Greater Heal: Strong restoration
  • Instant but costs mana

Potions

  • Heal Potions: Instant HP restoration
  • Cure Potions: Remove poison
  • Refresh Potions: Restore stamina

Combat Strategies

Melee Combat

  1. Engage: Move to target
  2. Attack: Auto-attack begins
  3. Special Move: Use when appropriate
  4. Heal: Bandage when low HP
  5. Manage Stamina: Don't run out

Ranged Combat

  1. Distance: Stay at range
  2. Kite: Move while shooting
  3. Heal: Bandage between shots
  4. Ammo: Watch ammunition count

Magic Combat

  1. Pre-buff: Apply Protection, Magic Reflection
  2. Damage: Cast offensive spells
  3. Control: Summons or fields
  4. Heal: Greater Heal as needed

PvP Combat

Basic PvP

  • Notoriety System: Blue, gray, red players
  • Criminal Actions: Attacking innocents
  • Murder Counts: Killing blues
  • Stat Loss: Penalty for reds

PvP Tips

PvP Success

  • Keep moving (harder to hit)
  • Manage resources (bandages, potions, regs)
  • Use Line of Sight (LOS)
  • Practice combos and timing
  • Join practice PvP sessions

Monster Combat (PvM)

Monster Difficulty

  • Weak: Orcs, ettins (for beginners)
  • Medium: Ogres, lizardmen
  • Strong: Dragons, demons, balrons
  • Boss: Special named creatures

Tactics

Solo:

  • Assess monster before engaging
  • Keep escape route clear
  • Bandage timing is critical

Group:

  • Tank draws aggro
  • Damage dealers attack
  • Healer supports
  • Focus fire priority targets

Status Effects

Poison

  • Levels: Lesser, Normal, Greater, Deadly, Lethal
  • Cure: Cure potions or spells
  • Prevention: Poison resistance

Paralysis

  • Frozen in place
  • Can't move or cast
  • Wears off after time
  • Can be dispelled

Bleeding

  • Damage over time
  • Requires bandaging
  • Stops naturally

Combat Macros

Essential Macros

[Bandage Self] - Quick self-heal
[Use Last] - Reuse last item (potions)
[Target Last] - Attack same target
[War/Peace Toggle] - Quick mode switch

Train hard, fight smart, conquer all!