The Aspect of the Dragons (AOTD) lives up to its mythical name – when fully upgraded, this legendary sword is capable of unleashing fiery dragon rage dealing over 13,000 damage! For dedicated Hypixel Skyblock players, obtaining and maximizing an AOTD is a monumental milestone. Let‘s dive deep into the stats and math behind pushing this blade‘s damage output to the limits.
A Primer on the Raw Damage Capabilities
Before getting into complex optimizations, let‘s break down the base damage capabilities of a fresh AOTD:
- Base Damage: 1000
- Strength Scaling: +1 damage per point of Strength
- Dragon‘s Rage Ability: Up to 12,000 damage
So with 0 strength, an AOTD already hits over 10,000 damage thanks to the nuke-like Dragon‘s Rage.
Adding strength via enchantments and gear amplifies the slaying potential even further. The damage ceilings expand dramatically once you factor in all possible bonuses.
Here‘s a chart visualizing the AOTD‘s base damage growth curve:
| Strength | Damage |
|---|---|
| 0 | 1000 + 12,000 = 13,000 |
| 100 | 1100 + 12,000 = 13,100 |
| 500 | 1500 + 12,000 = 13,500 |
| 1000 | 2000 + 12,000 = 14,000 |
With zero gear, the AOTD hits a hefty 13,000 damage nuke. But each 100 strength added increases the base slash damage by 100 as well. The potential quickly skyrockets into true overkill territory with fully optimized gear.
Pushing Damage to the Limits
Let‘s analyze the maximum theoretical AOTD damage possible with ideal gear:
| Equipment | Strength Bonus |
|---|---|
| Spicy Reforge | +45 |
| 10 Hot Potato Books | +200 |
| 5 Fuming Potato Books | +100 |
| Full Superior Dragon Armor | +400 |
| Legendary Ender Dragon Pet | +50 |
| Talismans | +100 |
| Total Strength: | 895 |
*Stats sourced from the Hypixel Skyblock Wiki
With ideal gear, we can reach 895 Strength, boosting the AOTD‘s base damage to 1895.
Factoring in the Dragon‘s Rage, the maximum potential 1-shot damage is:
1895 Base Damage + 12,000 Ability Damage = 13,895 Total Damage
So a fully optimized AOTD build can theoretically one-shot any boss or mob with a fiery explosion exceeding 13,000 damage!
Comparison to Other Top Swords
The AOTD stands out with its Strength scaling and devastating nuke damage. But how does it compare to other high-tier weapons?
Here‘s a breakdown of the base damage for popular endgame swords:
| Sword | Base Damage | Ability |
|---|---|---|
| AOTD | 1895 | Dragon‘s Rage |
| Livid Dagger | 1395 | Backstab |
| Flower of Truth | 1165 | Triple Strike |
| Shadow Fury | 1355 | Healing |
*Stats at 0 Strength
The AOTD comes out on top in terms of raw damage potential before bonuses. But each sword has unique advantages:
- Livid Dagger has higher DPS and defense piercing
- Flower of Truth has AOE clearing potential
- Shadow Fury offers self-healing
So while AOTD is the single-target damage king, other swords may outperform it in specific scenarios. There is no definitively "best" endgame sword, just options suited for different needs.
Damage Boosting Strategies and Gear
Let‘s dive into tactics and gear for pushing AOTD damage as high as possible:
Get Ideal Reforges
The Spicy reforge grants +45 Strength, boosting damage significantly. It should be the #1 priority.
Godly (+100 Strength) is better, but much more expensive. Spicy gives the best bang for buck.
Max Out Enchantments
Sharpness V and Cubism V are essential for damage. Telekinesis I helps gather loot.
Vicious V can boost crit damage by 75%, but reduces Strength. Avoid it if maximizing raw damage.
Use All 5 Fuming Books
Fuming Potato Books each add +20 Strength. Use all 5 slots to get the full +100 Strength buff.
Fill Empty Upgrade Slots
Empty upgrade slots waste potential. Fill all unused ones with Hot Potato Books for +20 Strength each.
Get Superior Dragon Armor
The full Superior Dragon set grants a whopping +400 Strength. It‘s critical for maxing AOTD damage.
Use a Legendary Ender Dragon Pet
At Legendary rarity, the Ender Dragon pet provides +50 Strength and boosted crit damage – perfect for the AOTD.
Drink Strength Potions
Strength VI potions add up to +150 Strength for 3 minutes. Use them to temporarily supercharge your damage.
The Long Grind to Craft an AOTD
As you can see, maximizing an AOTD‘s damage takes extreme investment. Here is a quick rundown of the costs:
- Get the Sword: Roughly 45 million coins to obtain one
- Enchantments: Around 5 million coins for all ideal enchants
- Reforge to Spicy: 500k coins on average
- Fuming Books: 7 million coins for 5 books
- Hot Potato Books: 1 million coins for 10 books
- Upgrade to Legendary: Over 15 million coins of Essence
All said and done, expect to invest 75+ million coins into getting a fully optimized endgame AOTD! The months spent grinding will make finally equiping it extremely satisfying.
I vividly remember the first time I one-shot a dragon with my newly forged AOTD. The hype was real! All the mining and mob slaying was worth it the moment I saw that massive damage number pop up.
How Defense and Armor Penetration Affect Damage
One important factor we haven‘t discussed is the enemy‘s defense. Defense reduces incoming damage, so your real damage output will be lower against high defense mobs.
This is where swords with Armor Penetration bonuses like the Livid Dagger excel. They ignore a % of the target‘s defense to deal true damage.
The AOTD lacks innate defense penetration, so its damage will suffer more against tanky mobs. Building bonus % defense reduction is crucial when fighting bosses.
Here is an example damage calculation on a high defense enemy:
| Sword | Damage | Defense | Effective Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| AOTD | 14,000 | -80% | 14,000 * (100% – 80%) = 2,800 |
| Livid Dagger | 10,000 | -50% Armor Pen | 10,000 * (100% – 50% + 50%) = 7,500 |
Despite lower base damage, the Livid Dagger‘s defense penetration allows it to deal almost 3x higher damage to this tanky enemy.
Future Damage Prospects
Are there any upcoming updates that could dethrone the AOTD as heavy-hitter king?
The most likely candidate is the Valkyrie – a new Hypixel Skyblock sword planned to arrive in a future Skyblock update.
Early leaks suggest the Valkyrie will have over 2000 base damage when maxed out. If true, it would surpass the AOTD‘s raw power.
Of course, damage isn‘t everything. The AOTD‘s devastating Dragon Rage ability gives it a unique flavor that can‘t be replicated. It will likely remain popular even if the Valkyrie has higher DPS.
But with new content continually expanding the weapon possibilities, the future best-in-slot sword remains unpredictable!
Concluding Thoughts
The AOTD lives up to its mythical hype – a fully optimized build can unleash over 13,000 raw damage with a single ability use.
Reaching this astronomical damage potential requires immense investment of time and coins. The long journey to craft a perfect AOTD makes finally equipping it all the more satisfying.
One-shotting bosses and shredding through hordes of mobs never gets old! While new contenders may arrive, the AOTD remains unmatched currently in delivering massive burst damage. It cements its status as one of the most coveted weapons for serious Hypixel Skyblock players.
