DPS stands for damage per second and measures how much damage a character, weapon, or build deals over time. Players use it to compare sustained output across weapons and roles, separate from a single hit or burst.
In practice DPS is an average, not a promise. A weapon that deals 600 damage in one slow swing every three seconds and a weapon that deals 100 damage six times in the same span both average 200 DPS, but they feel completely different to play. The first risks missing entirely and wastes damage on weak enemies. The second applies pressure steadily and usually handles groups better.
Players calculate DPS by dividing total damage by elapsed time, then adjust for accuracy, reloads, travel time, and downtime spent dodging or repositioning. Published numbers in guides often assume perfect play against a stationary target, so real fight DPS almost always runs lower. That gap is why experienced players also track burst damage, the damage done in a short window, alongside sustained DPS.
The term also names a job. In party based games a DPS is the role responsible for dealing damage, as distinct from the tank who holds enemy attention and the healer who restores health. A player can therefore say a build has high DPS and also say they are queuing as DPS, and both uses are standard.
In play"Our rifle has lower DPS on paper, but it never needs to reload mid-fight."