Wow Classic Weapon Increased Spell Dmg Vs Target

Complete guide for the Mage Class for WoW Classic with two alternative Talent options included

You can find all our Pocket Guides for other WoW Classic Classes builds right here: Best WoW Classic Builds

Only for PvP - the one outlier however will be Corrupted Ashbringer as its Life Drain proc scales at 100% of spell damage and also scales with debuffs on the target such as Nightfall, Curse of Shadow, Imp Shadow Bolt etc. This weapon’s Obsidian Destruction (Corruption Effect) now divides its damage among targets struck and deals additional damage for each target struck, up to maximum damage dealt at 6 targets. Damage against a single target has been increased to 700% of armor (was 175% of armor). Spell Hit Chance is an attribute that can be found on items. In general, +1% spell hit chance increases the base chance for a spell to land against a target by 1%. If the target is the same level as the caster, a spell has a base chance to hit of 96%. There are five types of resistances in Classic: Fire Resistance, Frost Resistance, Arcane Resistance, Nature Resistance and Shadow Resistance. Holy Resistance was not a stat back in Classic - Nor players, nor NPC enemies, can resist Holy spells. Resistance is a very situational stat. Robe B: Increase damage done by Fire spells and effects by up to 20. I've always heard rumors that gear that increases a specific school's damage don't use the same coefficients as general spell damage, and for a fire mage, Robe B would have increased damage on Scorch, Pyroblast and Fireball. But I've also seen people who deny it.

If you have just started leveling your Mage, you may want to check out our Mage leveling Guide first

Overview

Mage is one of the most well-rounded Classes in WoW Classic. He supports great utility and survivability toolkits and packs a solid punch. Spells, like Polymorph, Cone of Cold, Blizzard, and Frost Nova, make him great at controlling and kiting adds during encounters, which makes him a must-have asset in any group. Tools, like Blink and Ice Block, allow him to escape danger and avoid death in situations where most other Classes would simply perish. On top of that, Mage deals solid damage right from the start. Arcane Power Mages put out very solid DPS numbers during early phases, thanks to some amazing Talents that boost their Damage and Sustain, while Fire Mages scale very well into late phases, easily overtaking all other ranged damage dealers in Naxxramas.

If all this does not sound good enough, Mage also comes with some amazing tools of convenience. He is able to conjure food and drinks for himself and his group, which turns him into a vending machine in Raids, which allows him to save up a lot of Gold and make some friends. Moreover, he can teleport and create portals to major cities, which saves him a lot of time and effort while traveling and can be used to make some additional profit (lazy people just love to buy portals).

Time for some cons.. as a magic-user, Mage wears light Cloth armor and has a very low Health pool. This means that mistakes made during encounters can easily end his life, especially if his survivability tools are already on Cooldown. Moreover, despite some good mana efficiency-related Talents, Mage is one of the most mana-hungry Classes in the game. Proper resource management is paramount for a Raiding Mage and frequent mana breaks are unavoidable during leveling.

Pros Cons
Great utility Very squishy, especially when taken by surprise or after making a mistake
Regarded as the best Ranged DPS in Classic Has mana efficiency problems
One of the most well-rounded Classes; has answers for almost anything the game can throw at him One of the most popular Classes; finding a solid Guild might be a problem because of the strong competition
Free food and drink People will constantly ask for free food and drink..
Ability to teleport between major cities End-Game rotations are rather dull (but this is rather common in Classic)
High skill ceiling


The Best Race Choice

Note: Here, we will point you only towards the best PvE DPS Mage Race. If you'd like to know more about other race picks, please check our WoW Classic Beginners Guide, where we dive deep into all available Mage's race choices for both factions.


Alliance

Gnome is a clear winner on the Alliance side. His Intellect Racial is very strong as it provides additional Mana and Spell Critical Strike Chance. Escape Artist, while regarded as a PvP Racial, finds surprisingly many uses in the PvE environment as well. On top of that, Engineering Specialization is better than you might think because Engi is your go-to End-Game PvE profession. If you can't stand Gnomes for some reason, pick a Human, the difference is not that big; you will still be competitive (and much taller).


Horde
When it comes to Horde, Troll is the only Race that has magic DPS-boosting Racial. His Berserking gives him a Haste buff that directly increases DPS for a short time, making him the best at bursting down Targets (but the difference is rather negligible unless you are aiming for the very top). Beast Slaying comes in handy during some encounters, but it is very situational. Overall, Troll is the best for PvE, but If you fancy some PvP in addition to your regular Raid nights, you might want to pick Undead instead, as his racials are great for PvP.

The Best Professions Choice

There are two professions that make a real impact in Raids and they are Engineering and Tailoring (Alchemy is also a decent option, but you can buy Flasks, Elixirs, and Potions from other players, which makes it much less impactful). Engineering gives you access to powerful explosives that increase your AoE and Single-Target DPS. Moreover, Engi gadgets come in handy in many back-to-the-wall situations. The fact that Engineering is also considered the best PvP profession is an added benefit to its power in the PvE environment. Tailoring, a seemingly mediocre PvE profession, gives you access to a powerful Bind on Pickup Robe - Robe of the Archmage which is Best in Slot for the whole Phase 1 and stays competitive until AQ. Getting it will definitely raise the power level of your character during the first few Phases of Classic.

At the start, you should pick Mining to supplement your Engineering Skill, you should also stock up on Cloths instead of vendoring/selling them. After you max out Engi, you should switch Mining to Tailo, as it can be easily (and cheaply) leveled without a supporting profession.

Note: If you want to know more about all available professions and secondary skills, please check our detailed WoW Classic Professions Guide.

Statistics Priority

  1. Spell Hit Chance - Increases your chance to hit with all your offensive Spells. You need a total of 16% Hit Rating and you already get some of it from Talents. Getting Hit-Capped should be your top priority.
  1. Spell Critical Chance - Gives you a chance to do additional (Critical) Damage with your offensive Spells. This statistic has more value for Fire Mages, but Arcane Power Mages benefit from it as well.
  1. Spell Damage - Increases your Damage done with Spells. The damage bonus from Spell Damage is calculated differently for different Spells and their Ranks, but in general, this stat is one of the best for Mages.
  1. Intellect - Increases your total Mana Pool and provides you with additional Spell Critical Chance (59,5 Int = 1% Spell Critical Strike Chance).
  1. Spirit - Increases your Health and Mana regeneration rate. Your Mana will regenerate in combat if you don't cast any spells for 5 seconds (the 5-second rule). Arcane Meditation Talent increases the value of Spirit by a tiny bit. Mage's Sustain is rather good and various consumables can be used to regenerate Mana, so Spirit should no be your priority.

Statistic Priority for different Mage Builds:

  • Arcane Power Mage:Spell Hit CapSpell Damage Crit ChanceIntellectSpirit
  • Fire Mage: Spell Hit CapCrit Chance Spell DamageIntellectSpirit

Application loader 3.7 dmg download for android. The Best Talent Builds

Proper Talent allocation is essential for maximizing Damage output. Here, we will describe the most optimal spec and lead you through the Talent Trees level-by-level to explain some choices.

There are two paths to choose - Arcane Power Build that is the best at the start, and Fire Build that becomes viable after Blackwing Lair as there are very many Fireproof Bosses in Molten Core, BWL and Onyxia's Lair. Moreover, Fire build strongly synergizes with Critical Strike Chance, which makes it scale with gear better than the Arcane Power variant.

Arcane Power Mage PvE DPS Build

Arcane Tree:

  • 2/2Arcane Subtlety - Resistances are very powerful in Classic and Talents that reduce them even more so.
  • 3/5Arcane Focus - 3/5 is enough to achieve Arcane Spell Hit cap against enemies two levels higher than you (level 63 Boss has a 17% chance to resist your spells, so putting more points here is counterproductive).
  • 4/5Magic Absorption - Resistances are needed in many Classic Boss encounters, which makes this Talent much better than it looks. Also, there is no better place to put your points up to this point.
  • 5/5Arcane Concentration - Clearcasting is one of the most powerful effects in Classic and this Talent gives you a 10% chance to get it after you damage an enemy with your spell.
  • 3/3 Improved Arcane Explosion - Fun fact: Arcane Explosion spam is the strongest AoE DPS rotation in Classic (but it drains Mage's mana very quickly).
  • 1/1 Arcane Resilience - This is underwhelming and will not save your life, but it is also necessary if you want Arcane Mind, and you do.
  • 3/3 Arcane Meditation - Helps with your Sustain by quite a bit.
  • 1/1 Presence of Mind - Part of the infamous 3-Minute-Mage Instant Pyroblast Combo, also solid in PvE.
  • 5/5 Arcane Mind.
  • 3/3 Arcane Instability
  • 1/1 Arcane Power - Very powerful Cooldown that gives you great Burst Damage potential when combined with Clear Casting procs and Presence of Mind.

Frost Tree:

  • 5/5Improved Frostbolt
  • 3/3Elemental Precision- This gives you 6% Frost Spell Hit Chance, which is enough aginst enemies 2 levels higher than you.
  • 5/5Ice Shards - Very strong offensive Talent that also greatly increases the value of Critical Chance statistic.
  • 3/3Piercing Ice - Flat Damage increase for all your Frost spells.
  • 1/2 Arctic Reach - Extra Range comes in handy during many encounters as it gives you some freedom of movement.
  • 3/3 Frost Channeling - Helps with both Sustain and Aggro management; it doesn't get better than that.

Fire Mage PvE DPS Build

Arcane Tree:

  • 2/2Arcane Subtlety
  • 3/5Arcane Focus
  • 5/5Magic Absorption
  • 5/5Arcane Concentration

Fire Tree:

  • 5/5Improved Fireball
  • 5/5Ignite - The reason why Fire Mage overtakes other Mage Builds when better gear becomes available. This Talent greatly increases Mage's DPS and is definitely one of the best in the entire game. On top of that, its effect resets and grows after each Fire Spell Critical Strike made by a Mage that has this Talent, which makes it just insane (the more Fire Mages in a Raid, the crazier this Talent becomes).
  • 2/2Flame Throwing - Additional 6 yards range on all your Fire Spells. This generally reduces your downtime by a bit when you are forced to move.
  • 2/2Incinerate - 4% extra Critical Chance with your Fire Blast and Scorch. Speaking of Ignite synergy..
  • 2/2 Burning Soul - The Threat Reduction part makes this Talent a must-have for PvE.
  • 3/3 Improved Scorch - With this Talent, your Scorch also applies a stackable debuff that increases Fire Damage taken by your Target by 15% (if stacked 5 times).
  • 3/3Master of Elements - This helps with your sustain and synergizes with your Spell Critical Chance, which is convenient.
  • 3/3Critical Mass - More Crit = even better Ignite synergy.
  • 5/5Fire Power
  • 1/1 Combustion - Very strong Burst Damage Cooldown, irreplaceable during enrage phases of Boss fights. And it also synergizes with Ignite.

Frost Tree:

  • 3/3Elemental Precision

Where to get Pre-Raid/Raid BiS Gear

In order to maximize your DPS, you should aim to assemble the best possible Gear. This applies to both Pre-Raid and each of the Raid Tiers/Phases.

Note1: The list will be updated with new items concurrently with the introduction of new Raids/Phases, so remember to visit this page after a new Raid opens for an update on what current best Mage items in each lot are.

The Best Mage Items
Main Hand
  • Pre-Raid - Demon Blade (BoE World Drop; can be purchased on AH)
  • Phase 1 - Azuresong Mageblade (drop from Golemagg the Incinerator, Molten Core)
  • Phase 2 - TBA
  • Phase 3 - TBA
  • Phase 4 - TBA
  • Phase 5 - TBA
  • Phase 6 - TBA
Off-Hand
  • Pre-Raid - Drakestone of Frozen Wrath (Drop from Weaver, Dreamscythe, and Hazzas, Sunken Temple; note: The item has a Random Enchantment)
  • Phase 1 - Drakestone of Frozen Wrath
  • Phase 2 - TBA
  • Phase 3 - TBA
  • Phase 4 - TBA
  • Phase 5 - TBA
  • Phase 6 - TBA
Ranged
  • Pre-Raid - Lunar Wand of Frozen Wrath (BoE World Drop; can be purchased on AH; note: The item has a Random Enchantment)
  • Phase 1 - Lunar Wand
  • Phase 2 - TBA
  • Phase 3 - TBA
  • Phase 4 - TBA
  • Phase 5 - TBA
  • Phase 6 - TBA
Trinket 1
  • Pre-Raid - Briarwood Reed (Drop from Jed Runewatcher, Upper Blackrock Spire)
  • Phase 1 - Briarwood Reed
  • Phase 2 - TBA
  • Phase 3 - TBA
  • Phase 4 - TBA
  • Phase 5 - TBA
  • Phase 6 - TBA
Trinket 2
  • Pre-Raid - Eye of the Beast (Quest Reward from 'For the Horde!' / 'General Drakkisath's Demise', Upper Blackrock Spire)
  • Phase 1 - Talisman of Ephemeral Power (drop from Baron Geddon, Gaar, Golemagg the Incinerator, and Magmadar, Molten Core)
  • Phase 2 - TBA
  • Phase 3 - TBA
  • Phase 4 - TBA
  • Phase 5 - TBA
  • Phase 6 - TBA
Neck
  • Pre-Raid - Star of Mystaria (Drop from Balnazzar, Stratcholme)
  • Phase 1 - Choker of the Fire Lord (drop from Ragnaros, Molten Core)
  • Phase 2 - TBA
  • Phase 3 - TBA
  • Phase 4 - TBA
  • Phase 5 - TBA
  • Phase 6 - TBA
Ring 1
  • Pre-Raid - Freezing Band (BoE World Drop; can be purchased on AH) / Songstone of Ironforge (Quest Reward from 'The Princess's Surprise', Blackrock Depths)
  • Phase 1 - Ring of Spell Power (drop from Shazzrah, Lucifron, Gehennas, and Sulfuron Harbinger, Molten Core)
  • Phase 2 - TBA
  • Phase 3 - TBA
  • Phase 4 - TBA
  • Phase 5 - TBA
  • Phase 6 - TBA
Ring 2
  • Pre-Raid - Freezing Band / Maiden's Circle (BoE World Drop; can be purchased on AH)
  • Phase 1 - Ring of Spell Power (drop from Shazzrah, Lucifron, Gehennas, and Sulfuron Harbinger, Molten Core)
  • Phase 2 - TBA
  • Phase 3 - TBA
  • Phase 4 - TBA
  • Phase 5 - TBA
  • Phase 6 - TBA
Head
  • Pre-Raid - Master's Hat of Frozen Wrath (BoE World Drop; can be purchased on AH; note: The item has a Random Enchantment) / Crimson Felt Hat (Drop from Magistrate Barthilas, Stratcholme)
  • Phase 1 - Arcanist Crown (drop from Garr, Molten Core)
  • Phase 2 - TBA
  • Phase 3 - TBA
  • Phase 4 - TBA
  • Phase 5 - TBA
  • Phase 6 - TBA
Chest
  • Pre-Raid - Robe of the Archmage (Tailoring Recipe that drops from Firebrand Pyromancer, Lower Blackrock Spire; note: the robe is Bind on Pickup, which means that you have to craft it yourself. It does not require Tailoring Skill to use, however) / Freezing Lich Robes (drop from Ras Frostwhisper, Scholomance)
  • Phase 1 - Robe of the Archmage / Robe of Volatile Power (drop from Lucifron, Shazzrah, Sulfuron Harbinger, and Gehennas, Molten Core)
  • Phase 2 - TBA
  • Phase 3 - TBA
  • Phase 4 - TBA
  • Phase 5 - TBA
  • Phase 6 - TBA
Legs
  • Pre-Raid - Skyshroud Leggings (drop from Highlord Omokk, Lower Blackrock Spire)
  • Phase 1 - Netherwind Pants (drop from Ragnaros, Molten Core) / Arcanist Leggins ( drop from Magmadar, Molten Core)
  • Phase 2 - TBA
  • Phase 3 - TBA
  • Phase 4 - TBA
  • Phase 5 - TBA
  • Phase 6 - TBA
Gloves
  • Pre-Raid - Hands of Power (drop from Quartermaster Zigris, Lower Blackrock Spire)
  • Phase 1 - Hands of Power
  • Phase 2 - TBA
  • Phase 3 - TBA
  • Phase 4 - TBA
  • Phase 5 - TBA
  • Phase 6 - TBA
Boots
  • Pre-Raid - Master's Boots of Frozen Wrath (BoE World Drop; can be purchased on AH; note: The item has a Random Enchantment) / Omnicast Boots (drop from Golem Lord Ardelmach, Blackrock Depths)
  • Phase 1 - Arcanist Boots (drop from Lucifron, Molten Core)
  • Phase 2 - TBA
  • Phase 3 - TBA
  • Phase 4 - TBA
  • Phase 5 - TBA
  • Phase 6 - TBA
Shoulders
  • Pre-Raid - Boreal Mantle (drop from Warder Stilgis, Blackrock Depths)
  • Phase 1 - Boreal Mantle
  • Phase 2 - TBA
  • Phase 3 - TBA
  • Phase 4 - TBA
  • Phase 5 - TBA
  • Phase 6 - TBA
Wrists
  • Pre-Raid - Flameweave Cuffs of Frozen Wrath (drop from Lord Incendius, Blackrock Depths; note: The item has a Random Enchantment)
  • Phase 1 - Arcanist Bindings (BoE Epic Drop, Trash Mobs in Molten Core)
  • Phase 2 - TBA
  • Phase 3 - TBA
  • Phase 4 - TBA
  • Phase 5 - TBA
  • Phase 6 - TBA
Belt
  • Pre-Raid - Ban'thok Sash (drop from Ok'thor the Breaker, Blackrock Depths)
  • Phase 1 - Mana Igniting Cord (drop from Golemagg the Incinerator, Garr, Baron Geddon, and Magmadar, Molten Core)
  • Phase 2 - TBA
  • Phase 3 - TBA
  • Phase 4 - TBA
  • Phase 5 - TBA
  • Phase 6 - TBA
Back
  • Pre-Raid - Archivist Cape of Frozen Wrath (drop from Archivist Galford, Stratcholme; note: The item has a Random Enchantment) / Spritecaster Cape (drop from High Interrogator Gerstahn, Blackrock Depths)
  • Phase 1 - Archivist Cape of Frozen Wrath / Sapphiron Drape (drop from Onyxia, Onyxia's Lair)
  • Phase 2 - TBA
  • Phase 3 - TBA
  • Phase 4 - TBA
  • Phase 5 - TBA
  • Phase 6 - TBA

The Best Enchants and Consumables

Proper enchants and consumables will greatly increase your Damage output. While getting enchants is a one-time-deal, farming consumables might be a real chore, but it is still worth it as numbers clearly show.

The Best Enchants
Weapon (1H)Enchant Weapon - Spell Power (+ 30 Spell Damage)
Weapon (TH)Enchant Weapon - Spell Power (+ 30 Spell Damage)
HeadLesser Arcanum of Voracity (+8 Intellect, available from Libram of Voracity Quest in Burning Steppes)
ChestEnchant Chest - Greater Stats (+4 to all stats)
LegsLesser Arcanum of Voracity (+8 Intellect, available from Libram of Voracity Quest in Burning Steppes)
HandsEnchant Gloves - Riding Skill (Minor Raiding Speed Increase)
FeetEnchant Boots - Minor Speed (+8% Run Speed)
ShouldersChromatic Mantle of the Dawn (+5 to all Resistances)
WristsEnchant Bracer - Greater Intellect (+7 Intellect)
BackEnchant Cloak - Greater Resistance(+5 to all Resistances)

The Best Consumables

Major Mana Potion
Restores 1350 to 2250 Mana. Created by Alchemy. Recipe drops from various high-level mobs, elites, and Bosses.

Greater Arcane Elixir
+35 Spell Damage for 1 hour. Created by Alchemy. The recipe can be dropped from Fireguard Destroyers in Blackrock Depths and Scareshield Raiders in Blackrock Spire.

Flask of Supreme Power
+150 Spell Power for 2 hours; effect persists through death. Created by Alchemy. The recipe can be dropped from Ras Frostwhisper, Scholomance.

Elixir of Frost Power
+15 Frost Spell Damage for 30 minutes. Created by Alchemy.

Elixir of Greater Firepower
+40 Fire Spell Damage for 30 minutes. Created by Alchemy.

Cerebral Cortex Compound
+25 Intellect for 1 hour. Obtained from 'Infallible Mind' repeatable Quest, Blasted Lands

Nightfin Soup
It provides 8 mana per 5 seconds for 10 minutes. Created by Cooking.

Demonic Rune
Restores 1356 mana at the cost of 862 life. Drop from Demons in Azshara, Felwood, and Blasted Lands (Satyrs and Fel Guards).

Rotations

In Classic, Mage follows more of a priority list than a strict rotation. This means that if you have multiple spells available for casting, you should always choose the one that is higher on the list (if specified requirements are met).

Note: Dmg to app mountain lion. most of the time, you'll want to use your Cooldowns at the start of combat, so that you'll get a second (and a third in long encounters) charge before the fight ends.

Please use the following Priority List for sustained Single-Target Damage output:

  1. Fireblast during burn phases to maximize DPS at the cost of mana efficiency (use this to finish of enemies)
  1. Arcane Explosion during burn phases to maximize DPS at the cost of mana efficiency (use this to finish of enemies)
  1. Maintain Winter's Chill (if Frost) / Improved Scorch (if Fire) stacks on primary Target (after the effect runs out, stack it back to 5)
/
  1. Frostbolt (if Frost) / Fireball (if Fire) as a main Damage source
/
Please use the following Sequence while in the Multi-Target Engagement:
Arcane Power Frost:
  1. Arcane Explosion to finish of enemies
  1. Cone of Cold if Targets are in range
  1. Blizzard
Fire:
  1. Arcane Explosion to finish of enemies
  1. Blast Wave on Cooldown
  1. Maintain Flamestrike's ground effect

Tips and Tricks for aspiring Mage Raiders

  1. If you want to deal more Damage and stand out from your Raid competition, Stack Consumables. Spending some additional Gold or a few extra hours grinding might secure you a spot in a Raid, as Raid leaders prefer dedicated and well-prepared players.
  1. Proper Mana management is paramount for your success in Raids. Learn to judge how long a fight will be and try to time the end of it with you running out of resources (if fight is about to end and you have spare mana, maximize your DPS with cost-ineffective but heavily-damaging spells, like Arcane Explosion). If you tend to run out of mana before combat ends, obey the 5-second rule and regenerate some of your resources by not casting for a while (use your Wand instead - you will lose out on DPS, but the net loss will be much lower than if you just tried to spam your spells as soon as you regen enough mana for a single cast). You can (and should) also use mana-regenerating consumables mentioned in the 'the best consumables' section.
  1. Taking advantage of your defensive abilities is the key to your survival in Raids. As a mage, you don't have armor or health that will protect you. Use Blink, Ice Block and everything else in your toolkit to avoid being hit as getting hit often results in instant death.
  1. Always try to improve. Get an addon that tracks your performance and try to optimize your equipment and rotation.

END NOTE

This Guide should help you to prepare yourself for that legendary Vanilla Raiding Experience and allow you to progress through Raid Tiers efficiently and with a good amount of fun.

We hope that you have found this guide useful and informative. If we have missed a piece of information that is important to you, please let us know!

Please do note that this is an early version of our guide, and we will be happy to receive constructive criticism, that will help us improve it, so leave your suggestions in the comments section below.

Wow Classic Weapon Increased Spell Dmg Vs Target For Kids

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Please review and [https://wow.gamepedia.com/index.php?title=Damage_over_Time&action=edit update] as needed.'>
Wow Classic Weapon Increased Spell Dmg Vs Target
'Dot' redirects here. For minimap tracking dots, see blip. For the alpaca, see Dot (alpaca).

Damage over Time, generally abbreviated as DoT or simply dot, refers to inflicting some damage on one's foe which will be applied at a regular interval for a limited duration. Abilities and debuffs that inflict damage over time are referred to as DoTs. Some AoE effects also deal damage over time.

Typically in World of Warcraft, the damage from DoTs is applied every X seconds, in ticks. Every X seconds the DoT will 'tick', dealing damage. Ticks usually deal a regular amount of damage, but in some cases (such as [Agony]) this amount increases, with later ticks dealing more. Each DoT has a base number of ticks, and a base tick frequency (often once every 3 seconds), which multiply to equal the total duration of the effect. Haste can increase the speed of ticks, causing damage to be dealt more quickly, and if sufficient, will result in extra ticks being added to the effect, roughly maintaining the overall duration of the DoT but greatly increasing both its total damage (and therefore cost efficiency) and the speed at which it deals damage.

Wow Classic Weapon Increased Spell Dmg Vs Target Chart

DoTs may be applied using a variety of methods — from a spell, a trap, a weapon, a poison, or some other form. Most DoTs are target specific, but some are also used as Area of Effect (AoE) attacks.

While all damage dealing classes have some form of DoT, the Affliction Warlock and Shadow Priest are the most reliant on DoTs as the backbone of their DPS rotation.

See also: Direct damage, Area of Effect, Buff, Debuff, Healing, HoT, Utility.

Discussion

Damage over Time effects are most effective when they are allowed to run their full course. Also, DPS based on multiple DoTs has a significant ramp-up time as it takes several Global Cooldowns to apply them all to a target. As such, DoTs provide sustained DPS, without the 'burst damage' of an equivalent Direct Damage attack.

DoTs in PvE are most effective in extended fights against one or more long-lived targets, and least effective in short trash pulls where the targets are downed quickly, or fights that require frequent switching to new targets. Specs relying on DoTs often lack burst capabilities, or may have to use an alternate rotation (often not involving DoTs) when burst damage is required. DoT-reliant specs must decide early on whether DoTs will be required for dealing with any given target; applying them to a target that is quickly downed is a waste of mana and potential damage output, while failing to apply them to a target that takes a more significant time to defeat will usually result in similar waste of mana and damage output, due to the substitution of less desirable damage-dealing abilities. DoT-reliant Warlocks and Priests can find it hard to maintain competitive DPS against trash without high-end gear, and will often fall back solely on Area of Effect spells in those situations.

One significant advantage of most DoTs is the ability to apply them to an unlimited number of targets. This allows these specs to deal huge amounts of damage on multiple targets, albeit relatively slowly and in a manner that is often easy for healers to respond to with multiple-target heals. In PvE, on so-called 'council fights', where two or more boss targets share a health pool, this effect can significantly amplify DoT class DPS. This technique is referred to as 'multidotting'.

Wow Classic Weapon Increased Spell Dmg Vs Target For Free

In PvP, DoTs are vulnerable to being dispelled, but have the advantage of continuing to cause damage if the caster is silenced, out of range or even dead. This leads to tactics such as the warlock's infamous 'dot, dot, dot, fear'. The target has no chance to dispel the DoTs until they have broken the fear, while the caster is free to heal, run away or cast further offensive spells while their opponent takes damage from the DoTs. To compensate for their vulnerability to being removed before they have fully affected a target, some DoTs will also cause additional damage or other effects if dispelled. For example, the Affliction warlock DoT [Unstable Affliction] will damage and silence the dispeller for 4 seconds.

One limitation of DoTs is their ability to break crowd control effects, such as [Polymorph]. Some crowd control spells can be modified - such as with [Glyph of Polymorph] - to remove all DoTs from the target, preventing this conflict.

As of patch 4.0.1, all DoTs can crit, and all spell DoTs and some physical DoTs innately scale with haste. Unlike prior implementations of DoT haste scaling, DoTs do not lose duration when affected by haste. This functionality was further updated in patch 6.0.1. Between patches 4.0.1 and 6.0.1, the DoT's duration would be the sum of the number of DoT ticks that leaves the final duration closest to the original duration as possible, meaning the duration would fluctuate around the original duration by up to half the tick interval as haste values changed. In 6.0.1, all DoTs retain their normal duration regardless of haste levels. The game engine will fit in as many full ticks as possible within that duration, and then finish the dot with a partial tick representing the portion of a normal tick proportional to ratio of the remainder time to the normal tick interval. For example, a 15 second DoT that normally ticks every 3 seconds ticks 5 times. With 25% haste, it will have a tick interval of 2.4 seconds. It will thus tick 6 times during the 15 seconds, over 14.4 seconds. At the end of the 15 second duration, a 7th partial tick will occur for (0.6 / 2.4) = 25% of a normal tick, resulting in an effective damage equal to 6.25 tick (5 * 1.25), representing the 25% damage increase per time interval from haste. As a result of this change, DoTs no longer have any haste breakpoints and now have a continuous increase in both their damage per second and damage per cast.

Also as of patch 4.0.1, DoTs no longer can be 'clipped'. Previously, if a DoT was refreshed before it had expired, the tick timer was reset, causing a delay of up to double the normal time between ticks between the last tick that occurred and the first tick of the refreshed DoT. Now, the tick timer is constant. If a DoT is refreshed before it expires, the duration of the DoT will be extended by up to the full normal duration of the DoT, and ticks will continue to occur at the prior interval. Between patches 4.0.1 and 6.0.1, this functionality only allowed DoTs to be 'clipped' by a single tick before duration was wasted, requiring DoTs to be refreshed between the second-to-last and the last tick to maintain uninterrupted DoT ticks while optimizing duration gain. Patch 6.0.1 extended this period to 30% of the DoT's normal duration. For example, a 15 second DoT can be extended when it has less than 4.5 seconds remaining at no duration loss (the full normal duration is added to the remaining duration). This also applies to many short-duration buffs like [Slice and Dice].

Examples

  • Death Knights with [Icy Touch], [Plague Strike], and [Unholy Blight].
  • Druids with [Moonfire] (in generic caster or Moonkin form), [Rip], [Rake] and [Pounce] (in [Cat Form]), and [Lacerate] (in [Bear Form]).
  • Hunters with [Serpent Sting], [Explosive Shot], and [Explosive Trap] as Area of Effect DoT.
  • Mages with [Living Bomb], and [Fireball], [Frostfire Bolt], or [Pyroblast] (although these are primarily DD spells, they also add a small DoT even when offspec), If specced, fire spells criticals will put on the enemy a dot through Ignite talent which deals 8-40% of the damage done for 4 seconds.
  • Paladins using [Seal of Truth] and [Consecration] in a way. If specced, Divine Storm and Judgement spells criticals will put on the enemy a dot through Righteous Vengeance talent which deals 40% of the damage done for 8 seconds.
  • Priests with [Shadow Word: Pain], [Vampiric Touch], and [Devouring Plague].
  • Rogues with [Deadly Poison], [Garrote], or [Rupture].
  • Shamans with [Flame Shock] (a DD spell with DoT). Magma, and Searing Totems may also be considered DoT (or AoE).
  • Warlocks with [Immolate], [Corruption], [Agony], [Doom], [Seed of Corruption], or [Unstable Affliction].
  • Warriors with [Rend], also if specced, their melee criticals will apply a Deep Wound that deals 60% of weapon damage.

Limitations

  • Most spell-based or poison-based DoTs can be cured by potions or dispelled.
  • Most methods of Crowd Control are broken by damage dealt by DoTs.

Tips

Wow Classic Weapon Increased Spell Dmg Vs Target Chart

  • Rogues and Cat Form Druids who stealth while a DoT is still on them will come out of stealth when the next tick of damage is inflicted. [Vanish] will briefly prevent DoTs from pulling a rogue out of stealth.
  • First Aid and Fishing will be interrupted by a DoT.

Notes

  • This term is often referred to as periodic damage by Blizzard.
  • Prior to patch 3.3, classes that relied heavily on Damage over Time (and Heal over Time) effects complained of scaling issues, as their effectiveness did not increase with gear upgrades at the same rate as direct damage classes. This was remedied in the 3.3.0 patch by the introduction of glyphs for Warlocks and Restoration Druids, and a change to [Shadowform] for priests, all of which allowed the caster's Haste to affect their core periodic spells. This was further remedied in patch 4.0.1 when all spell DoTs gained innate haste scaling and the ability to crit.

Wow Classic Weapon Increased Spell Dmg Vs Target For Sale

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