[Critical Bug Report] Knockback Attacks While Riding a Beefalo Can Trigger Double Damage Calculation, Instantly Killing the Mount

[Jenny 05 Justic]

Overview:
While riding a Beefalo, certain creatures' (particularly mid-to-late game high-damage bosses) knockback/launch attacks suffer from a severe damage calculation bug. This bug causes the attack to calculate an additional instance of the raw, unmitigated damage after already applying player damage reduction. As a result, the mounted Beefalo takes more than double the intended damage. This is devastating to game balance and player experience—a high-health Beefalo can be instantly killed by an attack it should normally survive, severely undermining the viability of the mounted playstyle and making encounters with specific bosses unreasonably risky.

 

 

Core Bug Behavior:
Intended Damage = (Physical Damage × Player Damage Reduction) + Planar Damage
Bugged Damage = 【(Physical Damage × Player Damage Reduction) + Planar Damage】 + 【Physical Damage + Planar Damage】

Verified Attacks That Trigger This Bug (Partial List of High-Threat Targets):

1. Crystal Deerclops

   • Ice Spike Throw: Intended 130, Actual 360 (+177%)
   • Melee Attack: Intended 105, Actual ~286 (+172%)

2. Armored Bearger

   • Swipe: Intended 117.5, Actual 322.5 (+174%)
   • 

3. W.A.R.B.O.T.

   • Ground Slam: Intended 180, Actual 410 (+128%)

4. Celestial Scion

   • Attack: Intended 203.75, Actual 463.75 (+128%)

5. Scrappy Werepig

   • Laser Blast: Intended 180, Actual 420 (+133%)

Key Observations:

• The bug is strongly correlated with the "knockback/launch" effect, not all attacks trigger it.
• Different attacks from the same creature may or may not trigger the bug (e.g., Frostjaw's Charge triggers it, Tail Swipe does not).
• In multi-hit attacks, only the hit that causes the knockback may trigger it (e.g., Scrappy Werepig's Drill Charge).

Reason for Urgent Fix:
This bug directly targets players' heavily invested, high-stat mount Beefalo, making them abnormally vulnerable against core late-game threats. This completely contradicts the intended design of the mounting system. It severely disrupts combat balance and the expected return on resource investment, constituting a high-priority, game-breaking bug.

Attached: Detailed Test Data Table (Excerpt)
(Full data available in follow-up replies or attachments)

Creature	Attack	Intended Damage	Bugged Actual Damage	Increase
Crystal Deerclops	Ice Spike Throw	130	360	+177%
Armored Bearger	Swipe	117.5	322.5	+174%
W.A.R.B.O.T.	Ground Slam	180	410	+128%
Celestial Scion	Attack	203.75	463.75	+128%
Ripple	Charge	125	325	+160%
Deadly Brightshade	Counter	130	260	+100%
Frostjaw	Charge	37.5	112.5	+200%
Scrappy Werepig	Laser Blast	180	420	+133%

We hope the development team can investigate and fix this issue as soon as possible. Thank you!




PS:
 

"Don't Starve" Riding Beefalo Double-Damage Bug Verification Record 

No.	Test Creature	Attack Method	Damage Composition (Physical + Planar)	Physical Damage Reduction vs. Player	Normal Damage	Actual Test Damage to Beefalo	Theoretical Bugged Damage	Knockback Triggers Bug?	Notes
1	Crystal Deerclops	Ice Spear Throw	200 + 30	50%	130	360	360	✅ Yes	Only the attack that causes knockback triggers it
1b	Crystal Deerclops	Melee Attack	150 + 30	50%	105	~286	285	✅ Yes	Knockback attack triggers it
2	Ripple	Charge	150 + 50	50%	125	325	325	✅ Yes	Knockback attack triggers it
3	Rictus	Bite	35 + 20	0%	55	55	110	❌ No	Knockback attack does not trigger it
4	Frostjaw	Dash/Leap	75 + 0	50%	37.5	112.5	112.5	✅ Yes	Knockback attack triggers the bug
4b	Frostjaw	Tail Swipe	75 + 0	50%	37.5	37.5	112.5	❌ No	Knockback attack does not trigger the bug
5	Rasp	Swallow	20 + 20	0%	40	40	80	❌ No	Knockback attack does not trigger it
6	Wrathful Rabbit King	Flying Kick	75 + 0	0%	75	75	150	❌ No	Knockback attack does not trigger it
7	Deadly Brightshade	Retaliation	100 + 30	0%	130	260	260	✅ Yes	Knockback from retaliation triggers it
8	Armored Bearger	Swipe	175 + 30	50%	117.5	322.5	322.5	✅ Yes	Knockback attack triggers it
9	W.A.R.B.O.T.	Ground Slam	200 + 30	25%	180	410	410	✅ Yes	(Fixed) Knockback attack triggers it
10	Celestial Scion	Swipe/Charge	225 + 35	25%	203.75	463.75	463.75	✅ Yes	Knockback attack triggers it
11	Nightmare Werepig	Pounce	150 + 0	50%	75	75	225	❌ No	Knockback attack does not trigger it
11b	Nightmare Werepig	Heavy Slam/Ground Pound	225 + 0	50%	112.5	~112.5	337.5	❌ No	Knockback attack does not trigger it
12	Boulderbough	Circular Attack	200 + 0	75%	50	50	250	❌ No	Knockback attack does not trigger it
13	Boulderbough	Flat Attack	100 + 0	75%	25	25	125	❌ No	Knockback attack does not trigger it
14	Scrappy Werepig	Pounce	150 + 0	50%	75	75	225	❌ No	Knockback attack does not trigger it
15	Scrappy Werepig	Stick Slash	125 + 0	50%	62.5	62.5	187.5	❌ No	Knockback attack does not trigger it
16	Scrappy Werepig	Drill Charge (First Hit)	100 + 0	50%	50	50	150	❌ No	Non-knockback hit, normal damage
17	Scrappy Werepig	Drill Charge (Second Hit)	100 + 0	50%	50	150	150	✅ Yes	Only the second, knockback-causing hit triggers the bug
18	Scrappy Werepig	Throw Trash Ball	30 + 0	0%	30	30	60	❌ No	Knockback attack does not trigger it
19	Scrappy Werepig	Laser Cannon Blast	240 + 0	25%	180	420	420	✅ Yes	Knockback attack triggers it

Edited January 17 by Jenny 05 Justic

[Reiko24]

17 minutes ago, Jenny 05 Justic said:

Overview:
While riding a Beefalo, certain creatures' (particularly mid-to-late game high-damage bosses) knockback/launch attacks suffer from a severe damage calculation bug. This bug causes the attack to calculate an additional instance of the raw, unmitigated damage after already applying player damage reduction. As a result, the mounted Beefalo takes more than double the intended damage. This is devastating to game balance and player experience—a high-health Beefalo can be instantly killed by an attack it should normally survive, severely undermining the viability of the mounted playstyle and making encounters with specific bosses unreasonably risky.

 

 

Core Bug Behavior:
Intended Damage = (Physical Damage × Player Damage Reduction) + Planar Damage
Bugged Damage = 【(Physical Damage × Player Damage Reduction) + Planar Damage】 + 【Physical Damage + Planar Damage】

Verified Attacks That Trigger This Bug (Partial List of High-Threat Targets):

1. Crystal Deerclops

   • Ice Spike Throw: Intended 130, Actual 360 (+177%)
   • Melee Attack: Intended 105, Actual ~286 (+172%)

2. Armored Bearger

   • Swipe: Intended 117.5, Actual 322.5 (+174%)
   • 

3. W.A.R.B.O.T.

   • Ground Slam: Intended 180, Actual 410 (+128%)

4. Celestial Scion

   • Attack: Intended 203.75, Actual 463.75 (+128%)

5. Scrappy Werepig

   • Laser Blast: Intended 180, Actual 420 (+133%)

Key Observations:

• The bug is strongly correlated with the "knockback/launch" effect, not all attacks trigger it.
• Different attacks from the same creature may or may not trigger the bug (e.g., Frostjaw's Charge triggers it, Tail Swipe does not).
• In multi-hit attacks, only the hit that causes the knockback may trigger it (e.g., Scrappy Werepig's Drill Charge).

Reason for Urgent Fix:
This bug directly targets players' heavily invested, high-stat mount Beefalo, making them abnormally vulnerable against core late-game threats. This completely contradicts the intended design of the mounting system. It severely disrupts combat balance and the expected return on resource investment, constituting a high-priority, game-breaking bug.

Attached: Detailed Test Data Table (Excerpt)
(Full data available in follow-up replies or attachments)

Creature	Attack	Intended Damage	Bugged Actual Damage	Increase
Crystal Deerclops	Ice Spike Throw	130	360	+177%
Armored Bearger	Swipe	117.5	322.5	+174%
W.A.R.B.O.T.	Ground Slam	180	410	+128%
Celestial Scion	Attack	203.75	463.75	+128%
Ripple	Charge	125	325	+160%
Deadly Brightshade	Counter	130	260	+100%
Frostjaw	Charge	37.5	112.5	+200%
Scrappy Werepig	Laser Blast	180	420	+133%

We hope the development team can investigate and fix this issue as soon as possible. Thank you!




PS:
 

"Don't Starve" Riding Beefalo Double-Damage Bug Verification Record 

 

No.	Test Creature	Attack Method	Damage Composition (Physical + Planar)	Physical Damage Reduction vs. Player	Normal Damage	Actual Test Damage to Beefalo	Theoretical Bugged Damage	Knockback Triggers Bug?	Notes
1	Crystal Deerclops	Ice Spear Throw	200 + 30	50%	130	360	360	✅ Yes	Only the attack that causes knockback triggers it
1b	Crystal Deerclops	Melee Attack	150 + 30	50%	105	~286	285	✅ Yes	Knockback attack triggers it
2	Ripple	Charge	150 + 50	50%	125	325	325	✅ Yes	Knockback attack triggers it
3	Rictus	Bite	35 + 20	0%	55	55	110	❌ No	Knockback attack does not trigger it
4	Frostjaw	Dash/Leap	75 + 0	50%	37.5	112.5	112.5	✅ Yes	Knockback attack triggers the bug
4b	Frostjaw	Tail Swipe	75 + 0	50%	37.5	37.5	112.5	❌ No	Knockback attack does not trigger the bug
5	Rasp	Swallow	20 + 20	0%	40	40	80	❌ No	Knockback attack does not trigger it
6	Wrathful Rabbit King	Flying Kick	75 + 0	0%	75	75	150	❌ No	Knockback attack does not trigger it
7	Deadly Brightshade	Retaliation	100 + 30	0%	130	260	260	✅ Yes	Knockback from retaliation triggers it
8	Armored Bearger	Swipe	175 + 30	50%	117.5	322.5	322.5	✅ Yes	Knockback attack triggers it
9	W.A.R.B.O.T.	Ground Slam	200 + 30	25%	180	410	410	✅ Yes	(Fixed) Knockback attack triggers it
10	Celestial Scion	Swipe/Charge	225 + 35	25%	203.75	463.75	463.75	✅ Yes	Knockback attack triggers it
11	Nightmare Werepig	Pounce	150 + 0	50%	75	75	225	❌ No	Knockback attack does not trigger it
11b	Nightmare Werepig	Heavy Slam/Ground Pound	225 + 0	50%	112.5	~112.5	337.5	❌ No	Knockback attack does not trigger it
12	Boulderbough	Circular Attack	200 + 0	75%	50	50	250	❌ No	Knockback attack does not trigger it
13	Boulderbough	Flat Attack	100 + 0	75%	25	25	125	❌ No	Knockback attack does not trigger it
14	Scrappy Werepig	Pounce	150 + 0	50%	75	75	225	❌ No	Knockback attack does not trigger it
15	Scrappy Werepig	Stick Slash	125 + 0	50%	62.5	62.5	187.5	❌ No	Knockback attack does not trigger it
16	Scrappy Werepig	Drill Charge (First Hit)	100 + 0	50%	50	50	150	❌ No	Non-knockback hit, normal damage
17	Scrappy Werepig	Drill Charge (Second Hit)	100 + 0	50%	50	150	150	✅ Yes	Only the second, knockback-causing hit triggers the bug
18	Scrappy Werepig	Throw Trash Ball	30 + 0	0%	30	30	60	❌ No	Knockback attack does not trigger it
19	Scrappy Werepig	Laser Cannon Blast	240 + 0	25%	180	420	420	✅ Yes	Knockback attack triggers it

That's a very extensively and well written bug report and it's admirable. Please also cross post it to the Bug Report section of the forums so the devs see it, since there is no beta right now they probably don't look that much at the beta branch forums.

[Naifxoxo]

maxwell players when they cant abuse beef 25/8 :

[hoxi]

This is more an oversight than a bug, the code involved in all this is functioning as expected. Definitely good to report it of course (especially with this much detail), it's not fun to deal with issues like these.

 

The gist of it is that, when riding a Beefalo, that's still your playable character you're moving around and that can be hit (just with a different hitbox), and the Beefalo is actually in limbo (hidden) and attached to the player and cannot be interacted with by many things. Damage, in the meanwhile, gets redirected from the player to the Beefalo.

The moment you get knocked off the Beefalo though, it gets un-limbo'd and can be detected for things like damage and so in the usual direct way.

 

The specific reason some aoe attacks can cause "double hits" like that is that some of them do multiple scans (on different game ticks one after the other, usually up to 3 ticks) to land hits, but can only land a hit once per entity.

What's happening is that the player gets hit and is marked as hit, the damage is redirected to the Beefalo, but the Beefalo isn't marked as hit, the player is knocked off the Beefalo, and so the Beefalo can be hit by one of the remaining aoe scans.

 

They could address this in multiple ways:

• When hit while riding the Beefalo, the Beefalo also gets added to the list of hit targets along with the player, preventing the double hit on the Beefalo with potentially different damage values (if the enemy normally deals reduced damage against the player).

This would be the simplest one to implement, and keeps the current expected behavior (it'd also be the same as with single-target attacks that can cause knockback, where only the Beefalo is hit and the player is knocked off).

 

• Make it so both Beefalo and player are hit, but the Beefalo still gets player-damage reduction if applicable.

This introduces some risk to the player when facing these attacks, as they'd need to wear armor. Keep in mind that having the player be able to take damage while riding a Beefalo already exists, projectiles can do so, this would end up hitting both player and Beefalo with the same damage. This option would be a bit more time-consuming to implement.

 

• Same as the above but without the player damage reduction bit for the Beefalo, it'd be as if the Beefalo was standing next to you and both of you get hit.

Same as the previous point, but harsher against the Beefalo, which could be a bit too much when the player is already losing control for a bit and the Beefalo will try to retaliate. Just pointing out it's an option, probably not the way to go given how this whole issue in the first place can result in some frustrating Beefalo deaths..