Sustained DPS Calculator

About the Sustained DPS Calculator

Sustained DPS measures your real damage output over time, including the downtime caused by reloading. While raw DPS assumes infinite ammo, sustained DPS accounts for magazine size and reload duration to give you a practical damage rate over extended fights.

In games like Destiny 2, Warframe, or Apex Legends, long encounters with bosses, tanks, or multiple enemies make sustained DPS critical. A weapon with incredible raw DPS but a tiny magazine and long reload may underperform a moderate-DPS weapon with a large magazine and quick reload.

This calculator computes the damage dealt per magazine, the total cycle time (fire time + reload time), and your effective sustained DPS. Use it for PvE content optimization, LMG vs rifle comparisons, and any scenario where you need to output damage over more than one magazine.

Use the estimate as a planning baseline and adjust it once you have real session data from the game you are playing.

When This Page Helps

Raw DPS ignores one of the biggest damage interruptions in any shooter: reloading. A weapon that deals 500 DPS but requires a 3-second reload every 2 seconds of firing has a sustained DPS of only 200. This calculator reveals the true long-form damage potential of every weapon, making it essential for PvE optimization and extended PvP engagements.

How to Use the Inputs

1. Enter the damage per shot.
2. Enter the magazine size (rounds per magazine).
3. Enter the fire rate in rounds per second.
4. Enter the reload time in seconds.
5. View the sustained DPS, magazine damage, and cycle time.
6. Compare weapons to find the best option for extended engagements.

Example Calculation

Tips & Best Practices

• Extended magazines increase sustained DPS by raising magazine damage and fire time ratio.
• Reload speed perks can dramatically improve sustained DPS.
• LMGs typically have the best sustained DPS despite lower raw DPS numbers.
• Cancel-reload techniques can reduce reload time in some games.
• For weapons with multiple reload stages (shotguns), use total reload time.
• Pair high sustained-DPS weapons with damage buffs for maximum PvE output.

The Reload Tax on DPS

Every reload is dead time where you deal zero damage. The longer and more frequent your reloads, the more your sustained DPS drops below raw DPS. A 2-second reload on a 3-second fire cycle means you're inactive 40% of the time.

Optimizing Sustained Output

Invest in reload speed perks, extended magazines, or weapons with naturally fast reloads to maximize sustained DPS. In team settings, consider staggering reloads so someone is always dealing damage.

When Sustained DPS Matters Most

Boss fights, horde modes, and objective defense scenarios all reward sustained DPS. If you need to hold a position or burn down a high-HP target, sustained DPS is the metric to optimize. In contrast, quick PvP duels favor burst damage and TTK.

Frequently Asked Questions

• What is sustained DPS?

  Sustained DPS is your average damage per second over multiple magazine cycles, including reload downtime. Unlike raw DPS, it gives a realistic picture of your damage output over extended fights.

• How does magazine size affect sustained DPS?

  Larger magazines increase the ratio of fire time to total cycle time. A 50-round mag with 2s reload is more efficient than a 20-round mag with the same reload because you spend proportionally less time reloading.

• Should I always choose the highest sustained DPS weapon?

  Not always. In PvP, fights are often shorter than one magazine, making burst damage and TTK more important. Sustained DPS matters most in PvE, boss fights, and prolonged engagements.

• Does this account for accuracy?

  No. This calculator assumes all shots hit. For a fully adjusted calculation, multiply sustained DPS by your accuracy percentage.

• What about reload-cancel techniques?

  If your game supports animation canceling, use the effective reload time instead of the listed reload time. This is the time until you can actually fire again after initiating a reload.

• How do belt-fed or heat-based weapons work here?

  For heat-based weapons, use the time firing before overheat as fire time and cooldown duration as reload time. For belt-fed weapons that don't reload, sustained DPS equals raw DPS.