What is 'dot' in World of Warcraft?

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World of Warcraft is a game packed to bursting with different terms, abbreviations, and phrases, and ‘dot’ is one of WoW’s most perplexing. Here’s a rundown of exactly what it means.

If you’ve ever stepped foot on the plains of Azeroth, you’ll know there are a thousand and one things to wrap your head around. From which race and class you should play, to the vast array of different specializations on offer; World of Warcraft can be a pretty confusing place.

One of the many terms you’ll need to learn is ‘dot’ (sometimes written DoT), which is an integral part of any damage dealer’s dictionary.

So, without further ado, here’s a rundown of what dot means in World of Warcraft so that you can maximize your DPS output and tear your enemies asunder.

Characters like Shadow Priest rely on abilities that make heavy use of dot.

What is DoT in World of Warcraft?

Dot stands for ‘Damage over Time,’ hence it can also be written as DoT. This refers to abilities that are cast upon an enemy and do damage at regular intervals over a small time period. Each burst of damage is referred to as a ‘tick.’

Each tick normally does the same amount of damage, but in some instances, the amount of damage increases per tick. So, your last tick may do double the damage of the first one. You can also speed up ticks by building Haste, which causes more damage to be done and, if you build enough of it, more ticks to fit into the ability’s duration.

Dot abilities also interrupt crowd control (‘CC’) abilities, as well as tasks like crafting, healing, and fishing. They can often be dispelled or cured with items, though, so make sure you do that before whipping out the first aid kit post-battle.

So that’s everything you need to know about dot, or damage over time, in World of Warcraft, as well as how to maximize it if you’re running DPS characters that rely on slow yet deadly abilities.

Looking to become the greatest hero WoW has ever seen? Be sure to check out our other WoW guides:

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