So "breakpoint" refers to the point where your quick move starts dealing max damage to the specific raid boss. As a hypothetical example(not the actual numbers), a level 30 max attack tyranitar deals 11 damage per attack to mewtwo, but a level 33.5 max attack tyranitar deals 12 damage per attack, and at no point beyond that does the damage increase again. As for how you find these numbers, someone already did all the work https://www.reddit.com/r/TheSilphRoad/comments/6r4tee/info_various_raid_counters_damage_breakpoints/
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Can anyone give a good, but fairly simple, explanation of break points?
My incomplete understanding is that the term only pertains to the quick moves, not the charge moves, and that, once break points are reached, there is not much point in further powering up the pokemon. And that for any given attacker the break point might be different as to different defenders. And how does one find the break points for an attacker versus the various defenders?
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Gwabafett - Thanks. Some several days ago I looked at the charts to which you gave the link above but did not understand them until your explanation. (Or at least I think I understand them now.) One of my goals is to solo Machamp. I have an Alakazam with Pyscho Cut and an Attack IV of 15, so it looks like to me that chart says that I reach the "break point" beyond which there will be no increase in "damage" once that Alakazam is powered up to Level 34. However, if the Alakazam had an Attack IV of 10, I would have to power it up to Level 36. Do I have that right?
It's not that there's no point in powering up between breakpoints, but the gains are far less significant than compared to going past a quick move breakpoint.
When you power up you're still increasing your charge move damage and survivability.
Break points are most important for quick moves because they are the moves you use the most when battling. +1 damage to every quick move results in far more bonus damage than +1 damage to every charge move, which is why people care about them.
Breakpoints are different on all defenders and attackers because their stats are different. If you're looking for breakpoints there's this calculator here:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1r5R26yURMOLo6tUFz6XuDjBq4Tdq4V1somVIaLkXsgI/edit#gid=2121776067
Or if you want to do it manually, use the damage formula here:
https://pokemongo.gamepress.gg/damage-mechanics
Raid bosses have level 40 CPM, 15 attack and defence.
Also, the breakpoints matter more for quick moves that do less damage but are very fast (i.e. have short move duration). For example, fury cutter on Pinsir and Scizor can reach a maximum damage output of 4 against Mewtwo, so powering them up to that breakpoint increases the fast-move DPS by 33% (from 3 to 4).
At the other end of the spectrum, Alakazam's slow but powerful confusion reaches a max damage output of 30 against a Machamp boss, but hitting that breakpoint is only a minor increase in DPS over a 29 damage output.
The damage calculation formula rounds the damage down to the nearest whole number. Damage breakpoints happen when a pokemon's level or IVs are high enough to overcome the rounding and either deal more damage or take less damage. Breakpoints are more significant for smaller moves because they provide a larger percentage increase in damage.
Breakpoints are different for each pokemon you are attacking. There are several spreadsheets posted on reddit that can be used to find breakpoints.
Nobody is saying "just as good" as maxing. It's more about bang for the buck. For my FC/XS Pinsir against Mewtwo boss, powering it up from level 32.5 to 33 (the breakpoint) made more of a difference in total damage than powering it up from level 29 to 32.5, and more of a difference than it would make powering it further from 33 to 38. But, admittedly, fury cutter is an extreme example of a very fast low-damage move, where one extra point of damage per move makes a huge difference in total DPS.
You said "...yes, powering up always helps, but that one is better off using scarce resources (particularly stardust, I presume) elsewhere after the break points are reached for a particular attacker."
That's not necessarily true at all. It's just a slower increase between breakpoints, but the cumulative effect may very well be worth it. It's sort of like leveling up. E.g., it takes much, much more XP and time to go from level 30 to level 40 than it does to go from level 20 to level 30, but it's still worth it.
While its true that as a certain point the damage dealt is going to hit the ceiling what breakpoints fail to communicate is the increased longevity in your pokemon. If something lives 10-15 seconds longer they can be doing exponentially more damage.
Its been said before but let me put it to you like this. Those two guys posting videos of themselves duo-ing Tyranitar aren't powering up their Machamp to the breakpoint - they're maxing them out.
That logic makes perfect sense if you've got an infinite supply of candy and stardust.
Let's assume I want to invest in a Mewtwo counter team, which has been my priority recently. Now that I've reached the breakpoint at level 33 for my FC Pinsir, sure, I could spend another 119,000 stardust to take it up to level 40, and it would definitely be better. Or, I could use that same amount of dust to power up one Tyranitar from level 20 to 33, or two from level 20 to level 28 (the approximate breakpoint for maximum damage from bite). Will I do more damage to Mewtwo with (1) a level 40 Pinsir and two level 20 Tyranitars; (2) a level 33 Pinsir and level 20 & 33 Tyranitars, or (3) a level 33 Pinsir and two level 28 Tyranitars? Knowing the breakpoints will help me make that decision.
You may argue that there are other less obvious and more complicated breakpoints.
An example is HP/defense, if you take less damage you will survive longer and get off a third charge move instead of having a close to full bar when fainting.
However, calculating that is much more complicated, but it might do a great deal of difference if you try to solo lvl3 raids and things like that.
