# How is scatter damage/spell block calculated? **URL:** \ **Category:** Gameplay Chat (PC/Mobile)\ **Created:** [February 27, 2020, 1:42am UTC](https://community.gemsofwar.com/t/how-is-scatter-damage-spell-block-calculated/61635 "2020-02-27T01:42:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![EraserParticles](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/community.gemsofwar.com/eraserparticles/32/62373_2.png) [@EraserParticles](https://community.gemsofwar.com/u/EraserParticles)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2020, 1:42am UTC](https://community.gemsofwar.com/t/how-is-scatter-damage-spell-block-calculated/61635/1 "2020-02-27T01:42:11Z")
Kind of a weird question, but I’ve started noticing when I run Adana explores the only factor on whether or not spell kills TINA is what slot she’s in. If she’s in the first spot, she (and the rest of the enemy team) dies. If she’s in any other slot, the same exact cast will kill everybody but leave her. I don’t feel like it’s not working as intended, just thought I’d ask if anyone had any info on how this interaction was calculated so I could plan my casts better in the future. Truth be told, I could just be missing something like other units having lower attack when TINA is in a different slot as I imagine they’re roughly set battles as well, but the slotting was the first thing that jumped out at me. ---
**Author:** ![awryan](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/community.gemsofwar.com/awryan/32/74650_2.png) [@awryan](https://community.gemsofwar.com/u/awryan)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2020, 2:23am UTC](https://community.gemsofwar.com/t/how-is-scatter-damage-spell-block-calculated/61635/2 "2020-02-27T02:23:47Z")
Her trait reduces the scatter damage just for her. ---
**Author:** ![noob](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/community.gemsofwar.com/noob/32/54823_2.png) [@noob](https://community.gemsofwar.com/u/noob)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2020, 2:57am UTC](https://community.gemsofwar.com/t/how-is-scatter-damage-spell-block-calculated/61635/3 "2020-02-27T02:57:27Z")
> [@Spell reduction trait not working correctly with split damage](https://community.gemsofwar.com/t/spell-reduction-trait-not-working-correctly-with-split-damage/55491/5): > > I can answer this, and it’s working as intended, albeit not clearly. Scatter damage used to only deal enough damage to kill the troops that it hit, but with the introduction of the spell armour traits, this would always leave those troops alive because the base damage it was reducing was only equal to its remaining life, instead of the full damage. This was originally so that if one troop died, then the rest of the damage would still be dealt to the rest of the team, and there was no need for th… ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/community.gemsofwar.com/jonathan/32/66724_2.png) [@Jonathan](https://community.gemsofwar.com/u/Jonathan)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2020, 8:32pm UTC](https://community.gemsofwar.com/t/how-is-scatter-damage-spell-block-calculated/61635/4 "2020-02-28T20:32:15Z")
I’m very grateful to Alpheon for having explained it there. I don’t really like how damage can be spread amongst enemies that would already be dead, whilst a Troop with Spell Armor may still live, though. I have actually thought about it a little since the initial explanation. - I think it’s important that Troops with some level of Spell Armor aren’t targeted more as a result of having that protection, which I think is what Fourdottwoone’s original suggestion would end up doing (as much as I agreed with it and liked the simplicity of it, originally). - I do, however, think that the game should recognise when the damage dealt has been enough to kill one or more Troops, and stop including them in its distribution. 🤷‍♂️ * * * tl;dr: > [@Spell reduction trait not working correctly with split damage](https://community.gemsofwar.com/t/spell-reduction-trait-not-working-correctly-with-split-damage/55491/5): > > This was originally so that if one troop died, then the rest of the damage would still be dealt to the rest of the team, and there was no need for the excess damage. > > Now, Scatter damage will do that same calculation, but the excess damage will be dealt randomly among all the targeted troops. It won’t prioritise the damage to a troop with a spell armour trait. I would essentially argue that the **excess** damage _ **should** _ prioritise damage to troops with the spell armor trait (or any troops that are still alive, which will _ **invariably** _ be troops with the spell armor trait, albeit perhaps to different levels with the different % reductions). This is instead of “any troops that were initially targeted with Scatter damage”.