Critical strike

Skeleton King performing a Critical Strike. The red number displays the resulting physical damage before reductions.

Critical strike is a passive ability that gives the chance to deal a bonus percentage damage on a succesful attack of the wielding unit.

Mechanics

Critical strike is defined by two values: the critical chance and the critical damage multiplier.

Critical damage is physical damage and is reduced by various types of armor. The red number shown by critical strike is displayed before reductions (this is why illusions don't show very low red numbers). Critical strike does not work against buildings. Because critical strike multiplies the attack damage of a unit, after damage modifiers, it is a scaling ability (unlike the damage of Monkey King Bar's mini-bash ability). All critical strikes are subject to pseudo-random distribution.

Interaction with other passive abilities

• Critical strike: Multiple critical strike abilities do not independently stack, as they can not trigger on the same hit.
• Lifesteal: Lifesteal is calculated after critical strikes, which means that it will increase the amount of life you steal.
• Cleave: If critical strike is triggered, the damage dealt to all units will be multiplied.
• Bash and mini-bash: Bashes and Critical Strikes can proc off of the same attack, but only the damage of ranged Bashes will be multiplied (with the exception of Monkey King Bar).
• Illusions: Illusions can use the critical strike ability. (The red number above the just-crited illusion is showing damage before the reduction)

Sources of critical strike

Brewmaster - Drunken Brawler Critical Chance: 10/15/20/25% Critical Damage: 2× Average DPS Increase: 10/15/20/25%	Chaos Knight - Chaos Strike Critical Chance: 10% Critical Damage: 1.5×/2×/2.5×/3× Average DPS Increase: 5/10/15/20%
Crystalys - Critical Strike 2150 Critical Chance: 20% Critical Damage: 1.75× Average DPS Increase: 15%	Daedalus - Critical Strike 5550 Critical Chance: 25% Critical Damage: 2.4× Average DPS Increase: 35%
Juggernaut - Blade Dance Critical Chance: 15/20/25/35% Critical Damage: 2× Average DPS Increase: 15/20/25/35%	Lycanthrope - Shapeshift Critical Chance: 30% Critical Damage: 1.70× Average DPS Increase: 21%
Lycanthrope - Lycan Wolf - Critical Strike Critical Chance: 30% Critical Damage: 1.5× Average DPS Increase: 15%	Phantom Assassin - Coup de Grâce Critical Chance: 15% Critical Damage: 2.5×/3.5×/4.5× Average DPS Increase: 22.5/37.5/52.5%
Skeleton King - Critical Strike Critical Chance: 15% Critical Damage: 1.25×/1.75×/2.25×/2.75× Average DPS Increase: 3.75/11.25/18.75/26.25%	Wolf Camp - Alpha Wolf - Critical Strike Critical Chance: 20% Critical Damage: 2× Average DPS Increase: 20%

Pseudo-Critical Strike

The following abilities involve a critical strike mechanic, although they are not triggered as a chance on attack.

Bounty Hunter - Jinada Critical Damage: 1.5×/1.75×/2×/2.25× 12/10/8/6 Passively gives a guaranteed critical strike to Bounty Hunter's next attack.

Tusk - Walrus PUNCH! Critical Damage: 3× (4× if target has less than 50% health) Actively gives a guaranteed critical strike to Tusk's next attack.