Basic attack

## Basic attack

### Type

Game mechanic

**Basic attack** (also called **normal attack** or **auto attack**) is a unit's default method of attacking, dealing **basic attack damage,** and hence being basic.

**Basic attacks** are performed by tapping the default battle-axe button on the bottom-right of the screen, which causes the attacker to lock on to and attack the targeted unit.

A unit that is disarmed cannot initiate basic attacks.

Unless otherwise stated, basic attacks deal (+100% Total Physical Attack) Physical Damage and occur when the unit's backswing animation is successful, which can be accelerated or decelerated by attack speed.

**Basic attacks** can be enhanced, which either deals increased damage, inflict effects on the target, or both. The enhanced basic attack can change the basic attack in two ways:

1. Adds additional damage or effects to the following basic attack on top of the damage dealt.
2. Replaces the previous damage with new damage or effects, which are commonly transformed into different types of damage.

## Availability

Basic attack is the most common form of attack on every entity possible: deployed units like heroes, summoned units, minions; creeps; and structures like turrets, bases and altars. Minions, creeps, and structures' attacks are predictable, as the base attack rate is constant and they don't have attack speed growth.

## Range types

Like attacks, basic attacks have ranges to deal damage to a target.

* **Ranged basic attacks** commonly deal damage via projectiles, however, not all ranged basic attacks are projectiles;  Zhask is a notable hero who possesses a ranged basic attack that leaves no projectile. Single-target projectiles on ranged basic attacks chase its target.
* **Melee basic attacks** deal damage directly without leaving a projectile. Most melee basic attacks can deal **splash damage** by default but effects can will be applied to the main target. But basic attacks that deal damage to multiple targets and applies effects on each at enemy within the area-of-effect.

## Attack animation

*See also: Attack speed*
Before a projectile is fired for ranged units or damage is dealt directly for melee units, units needs to complete their backswing and wind-up animation first, which is accelerated or decelerated by attack speed. Backswing occurs after a basic attack is executed; when it ends, a projectile is fired or damage is dealt, and the unit is unable to execute a basic attack for a brief amount of time; this is known as wind-up.

Animations can be cancelled by being controlled, or by casting a skill.

## Basic attack damage

*Main article: Damage*
**Basic attacks** deal basic attack damage, which inherits the attacker's ATK effects, and can critically strike (unless otherwise stated), and deal physical, magic, or even true damage.

Aside from the basic attack, basic attack damage is also achieved by skills; for an example: the damage dealt from  Defiant Sword is considered basic attack, and therefore carries ATK effects and can critically strike.

Units that are in the dodge state are unable to take basic attack damage which prevents their attacker's inherited effects from applying to them.

Turrets,  Lesley ( Lethal Shot), and the Lord are the only units in the game that can deal true basic attack damage. Furthermore, turrets can deal exponential damage to opposing heroes, and Lesley's Lethal Shot can critically strike, making it the sole attack capable of dealing critical true damage.

### Modified basic attacks

Compared to the standard expectation of the regular property of basic attacks, a hero's basic attack damage is sometimes adjusted for balancing and individuality.

#### Physical

Table notes
* \*Number of attacks on every basic attack:

	+ 2 (Claude, Esmeralda)
	+ 3 (Irithel, ATK effect can only be triggered once)
	+ 4 (Nibiru)
	+ 5 (Wesker)