What this calculator does
Time to kill is the figure shooter players argue about, and it is lumpier than damage per second suggests. Damage arrives in whole shots, so a weapon doing 28 damage and one doing 30 both need six shots against 150 health and kill at exactly the same moment. The extra two damage per shot buys nothing at all until it crosses the threshold into five shots.
That is why this page reports shots to kill alongside the time. The thresholds are where weapon balance actually lives, and a small damage change near one matters far more than a large change in the middle of a band.
The formula
Shots to kill is the target health divided by the damage each shot applies, rounded up, because a partial shot does not exist. The time is then (shots − 1) ÷ rounds per second, counting from the first shot landing rather than from the trigger pull. A one-shot kill therefore takes zero time by this measure. Rounds per second is the rate of fire divided by 60.
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Shots to kill | Health divided by damage per shot, rounded up. |
| Time to kill | The gap between the first and last shot, so one fewer interval than there are shots. |
| Rate of fire | Rounds per minute, the figure games normally quote. |
| Overkill | Damage on the final shot that was not needed. Large overkill means you are close to a lower threshold. |
The inputs explained
| Field | What to enter |
|---|---|
| Target health | Total effective health, so health plus shields or armour if those take damage the same way. |
| Damage per shot | Damage of a single body shot before any multiplier. |
| Rate of fire (rpm) | Rounds per minute. A weapon listed at 600 rpm fires ten times a second. |
| Damage multiplier (headshot etc) (×) | Multiplier for where you hit. Leave it at 1 for body shots, or set it to the headshot multiplier to see the best case. |
When to use it
Comparing two weapons honestly
Compare shots to kill first and time second. Two weapons on the same shot count are separated only by fire rate, and two on different shot counts are rarely close however similar their DPS looks.
Working out whether a damage buff matters
Raise the damage a point at a time and watch the shots-to-kill line. Most of the time nothing happens, then it drops by one and the time falls off a cliff. The overkill figure tells you how close you are to that edge.
Headshots versus body shots
Set the multiplier to your weapon headshot value and compare. The gap it opens is usually much larger than any gear choice, which is the honest answer to most weapon comparisons.
Worked examples
Every figure in the tables below is produced by this page’s own calculator at build time, so the numbers and the tool always agree. Select any row to load that scenario.
How much does damage per shot change time to kill?
Damage rises steadily. The time does not.
| Damage per shot | Time to kill | Shots to kill | Overkill on the last shot |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | 0.700 s | 8 | 10.00 |
| 25 | 0.500 s | 6 | 0.00 |
| 28 | 0.500 s | 6 | 18.00 |
| 30 | 0.400 s | 5 | 0.00 |
| 34 | 0.400 s | 5 | 20.00 |
| 38 | 0.300 s | 4 | 2.00 |
| 50 | 0.200 s | 3 | 0.00 |
What does a faster fire rate buy you?
The shot count is fixed at six here, so only the spacing between shots changes.
| Rate of fire | Time to kill | Sustained DPS |
|---|---|---|
| 450 rpm | 0.667 s | 210.00 |
| 600 rpm | 0.500 s | 280.00 |
| 750 rpm | 0.400 s | 350.00 |
| 900 rpm | 0.333 s | 420.00 |
| 1100 rpm | 0.273 s | 513.33 |
Questions
Why is a one-shot kill shown as zero seconds?
Time to kill is measured between the first and last shot landing. With one shot there is no gap. It is the standard convention, and it keeps weapons on different shot counts comparable.
Should I include shields in the health figure?
Yes, if they soak damage at the same rate. If shields take reduced or increased damage, work the two pools out separately and add the times together.
Why does more damage sometimes change nothing?
Because damage lands in whole shots. Until the increase removes a shot from the count, the kill takes exactly as long. The overkill figure shows how much headroom is being wasted.
How do I compare this with DPS?
DPS smooths over the thresholds and time to kill does not. Use DPS for sustained fights against large health pools, and time to kill for duels.
The health figure you put in is often inflated by armour, which effective HP works out, and the sustained figure underneath it all is on the DPS calculator.