What is ‘dot’ in World of Warcraft?

If you’re wondering what the term ‘dot’ is in World of Warcraft then we’ve got you covered. WoW, like many other MMOs, is jam-packed with different phrases, abbreviations, and in-game terms that can be rather perplexing even for veteran fans of the genre. Here’s a breakdown of what ‘dot’ means in the game. 

There are a lot of things to wrap your head around and consider when you first step onto the plains of Azeroth in World of Warcraft. From deciding which class and race to play to the many specific in-game terms that are used, WoW can be a confusing place to navigate.

One of the most common terms players will need to be familiar with in World of Warcraft is ‘dot’ – sometimes referred to as DoT. The term is a crucial term in any damage dealer’s dictionary so you’ll want to be aware of it before stepping onto the battlefield.

Without further ado, here’s a rundown of what exactly ‘dot’ is in World Warcraft

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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.

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