Each of these spreadsheets contains the various motion values of all the weapons in Dark Souls 2. Data compiled by Anisol (#1753/@Anisol) in SOTFS, everything is up to date (March 21 2020).

What is a motion value?

A motion value is a percentage of a weapon's Attack Rating (AR), which varies depending on which attack you perform with the weapon.

Strong attacks have higher motion values, while weak attacks have lower motion values.

Since motion values are percentages, they're typically listed as whole numbers. For example, a motion value of 100 means a 1.0 multiplier (100%), while a motion value of 150 means a 1.5 multiplier (150%).

What's useful about a motion value?

The purpose of a motion value is to represent different attacks with the same weapon in the overall damage formula, so knowing the motion value allows damage to be calculated.

However this isn't terribly useful in the grand scheme of things since it requires having data on whatever enemy you might be attacking.

What's much more interesting is that motion values allow different weapons and attacks to be compared and contrasted for their effectiveness (e.g. how much stronger is a strong attack?).

Below this I have written a more detailed explanation on the Dark Souls 2 damage formula and its nuances, but I'll provide the basic essentials for reading these spreadsheets here:

- Motion values are percentages, and motion values of 100 are what I would consider standard (for this and the other Dark Souls games). Monster Hunter is an example of a game(s) where 100 isn't standard.

- Some motion values include base damage, marked with a b. Base damage is just a flat amount of damage that is applied independently of the motion value.

Base damage is not affected by flat defense, the infusion of the weapon, the durability of the weapon, the upgrade level of the weapon, or your stats.

- Special attacks that cast some sort of "spell" (e.g. Moonlight Greatsword) function the same way that actual spells do and the motion value applies only to the corresponding elemental attack rating of the weapon.

(This is why an Enchanted Moonlight Greatsword deals zero damage with its projectiles, since it has zero magic AR so the motion values times zero equals zero!)

- Bows, Crossbows, and Greatbows are mostly accurate, though the AR used in calculating projectile damage is 10% lower than what is listed in the stats screen and ammunition deals less damage than it says.

I don't have all the data on the specifics of that, so you probably shouldn't use those values for damage calculation (they should be fine for comparison though), and jump & special attacks are calculated normally.

The Damage Formula

It is very important to know that Dark Souls 2 has a different damage formula than the other games, notably in that the motion value is applied at a different place.

Dark Souls 1 and 3 follow a formula that looks something like Damage = (Attack Rating * Motion Value) - Defense

while Dark Souls 2 follows a formula that looks more like Damage = (Attack Rating - Defense) * Motion Value

These are very simplified, but the takeaway is that in Dark Souls 1 & 3 using an attack with a high motion value can allow you to get past defenses more easily.

You cannot do so in Dark Souls 2. In fact, the motion value will emphasize the defense reduction, multiplying defense by the same factor it multiplies attack rating.

The full formula is: Damage = ((((PhysAR * RTSR) - PhysDEF) * (Motion Value) + PhysBase * RTSR) * PhysRES + (ElemAR * ElemRES * RTSR) * (Motion Value)) * (Other multipliers)

PhysAR - The physical attack rating of your weapon.

PhysDEF - The physical defense of the enemy you are attacking (flat reduction).

PhysBase - The physical base damage of the attack (only applicable for a few specific attacks on specific weapons)

PhysRES - The physical resistance of the enemy you are attacking (percent reduction).

ElemAR - The elemental attack rating of your weapon.

ElemRES - The elemental resistance of the enemy you are attacking (percent reduction).

Motion Value - The multiplier of the attack you are performing.

RTSR - Red Tearstone Ring, if active it has a value of 1.3 (and can be ignored if not active). I had to include this because it's applied at a different place than any other multiplier.

Other multipliers - Several multipliers in Dark Souls 2 are applied at the tail end of the formula. Left-handedness, counter damage, Company of Champions, etc.

If you are not using RTSR, your weapon is entirely physical, and your attack has no base damage (which is normal), this can be simplified to: Damage = (PhysAR - PhysDEF) * (Motion Value) * PhysRES * (Other multipliers)

Physical resistance (PhysRes) functions much like absorption in Dark Souls 3, but in Dark Souls 2 it is only really found in PvE as specific tiers on certain enemies.

A well known example is that heavily armored enemies like Alonne Knights take 150% damage from strike weapons, thus they have a PhysRES of 1.5.

PhysDEF vs PhysRES

Physical defense and physical resistance are somewhat opposite when it comes to PvE and PvP.

In PvE, enemies will have varying physical resistance to different types of physical damage (as I just mentioned) but their physical defense is the always the same.

That is to say, when you hit an enemy your damage will be reduced by the same amount regardless of damage type. The physical resistance multiplier is then applied to increase/decrease your damage based on the damage type.

In PvP, players will have varying physical defense (by wearing different armors) but their physical resistance is always the same.

Per /u/Frostitutes post from several years ago, player PhysDEF is equal to 0.1*(Defense type) and player PhysRES is equal to 5/6.

At this time I cannot verify these values, but the motion values they found match up with my findings and the data appears thoroughly tested.

Physical Base Damage

Physical base damage of an attack functions similarly to base damage on spells; it is a flat addition to the damage, unaffected by motion values, but affected by resistance (as can be seen in the damage formula).

The following weapons have physical base damage on one or more attacks: Bone Fist, Smelter Hammer, Berserker Blade, Bewitched Alonne Sword, Blacksteel Katana, Ivory Straight Sword, and Ricard's Rapier.

There might be more but I think I've double-checked everything that stands out.

Special Attacks

Special attacks that deal elemental damage (e.g. Moonlight Greatsword, Thorned Greatsword) function identically to spells.

The elemental damage of the weapon functions as the "catalyst" and the motion value of the special attack only applies to that (physical damage of the weapon doesn't matter).

Like several spells, many special attacks also have base damage, and the calculation works the same way.

A basic formula: Elemental special attack damage = (ElemAR * Motion Value + Base) * ElemRES

The effect of RTSR on special attacks has not been tested.

Base damage, whether it's physical or elemental, is marked with a b on these spreadsheets (e.g. the lightning from a 2-handed Thorned Greatsword R2 has a motion value of 120 + 180b, so 1.2 * Lightning AR + 180 Lightning damage).

The Ring of Blades and Flynn's Ring add directly to your PhysAR in the damage formula (before the flat defense reduction takes place).

The clutch rings add directly to your ElemAR in the damage formula. Remember that the amount added varies depending on weapon and infusion.