Star Citizen DPS & TTK Calculator
Enter your weapon stats to calculate burst DPS, sustained DPS, and estimated time-to-kill.
Why use a Star Citizen DPS calculator?
In Star Citizen, raw listed weapon damage does not tell the full story. Two weapons can show similar damage numbers, but perform very differently once you account for rate of fire, magazine size, reload downtime, and hit consistency. A proper dps calculator for Star Citizen gives you a faster and more realistic way to compare loadouts.
This page helps you estimate both burst potential and sustained damage output, so you can choose weapons based on your mission profile: quick engagements, prolonged dogfights, bunker clearing, or PvP pressure.
What this calculator measures
1) Burst DPS
Burst DPS is your short-window damage output while continuously firing and before reload interruption becomes a factor. It is useful for high-pressure moments where deleting a target quickly matters most.
2) Sustained DPS
Sustained DPS includes reload downtime. This is often the better metric in real combat because most fights involve multiple reload cycles, maneuvering windows, and imperfect firing uptime.
3) Effective DPS and TTK
Hit chance scales your theoretical numbers into practical estimates. If you only land 60–75% of your shots during movement and evasive targets, your real kill speed can be significantly lower than paper DPS.
Formulas used in this Star Citizen DPS tool
- Alpha per shot = Damage per Projectile × Projectiles per Shot
- Shots per second = RPM ÷ 60
- Burst DPS = Alpha per shot × Shots per second
- Damage per magazine = Alpha per shot × Magazine size
- Time to empty mag = Magazine size ÷ Shots per second
- Sustained DPS = Damage per magazine ÷ (Time to empty mag + Reload time)
- Effective DPS = DPS × (Hit chance ÷ 100)
- Estimated TTK = Target health ÷ Effective DPS
Quick interpretation tip
If one weapon has slightly lower burst DPS but much faster reload, it can outperform in extended combat. Prioritize sustained DPS when you expect long engagements, and prioritize burst DPS when you are peeking, ambushing, or quickly stripping shields.
How to compare weapons correctly
Use the same assumptions
Keep target health and hit chance constant while comparing options. Changing assumptions between tests can create misleading results.
Model your real accuracy
Don’t default to 100% hit chance unless testing perfect conditions. For moving targets and typical latency, practical values are often much lower.
Remember patch volatility
Star Citizen balancing changes frequently. Recheck your stats after major updates, weapon tuning passes, or flight model adjustments.
Best practices for loadout decisions
- Use burst DPS to evaluate opening pressure and shield crack potential.
- Use sustained DPS to evaluate overall fight endurance.
- Check TTK at multiple target health pools (light, medium, heavy targets).
- Account for your piloting style and engagement distance.
- Track ammo economy if you run long contracts or multi-wave missions.
Final thoughts
A good Star Citizen DPS calculator is not about chasing one perfect weapon. It is about understanding tradeoffs so your loadout matches your role, your aim consistency, and the type of fight you expect. Use the calculator above, test multiple scenarios, and make data-driven choices for each patch cycle.