Expertise Expertise ( also known as Exp and Ept ) is an attribute introduced in Patch 2 . 3 . 0 . One point of expertise decreases the chance that melee attacks made by the player will be dodge d or parried by 0 . 25 % . At level 80 , every 7 . 688690185546875 points of expertise rating grant 1 expertise . Removal with Warlords of Draenor . Expertise was removed as a game mechanic and gear stat bonus for attack with the Warlords of Draenor expansion . Expertise rating . Note that there is a difference between " expertise " and " expertise rating " . " Expertise rating " is typically gained from item bonuses , and for each 30 . 0272 expertise rating you equip , you gain 1 expertise at level 85 . " Expertise " is typically gained from talents , and for each 1 point of expertise you reduce your chance to be dodged / parried by 0 . 25 % . Thus it takes exactly 120 . 1088 expertise rating at level 85 to reduce your chance to be dodged / parried by 1 % . Racial bonuses . Certain players get passive expertise bonuses from their passive racial abilities : Expertise caps . For boss - level mobs ( which are calculated as your level + 3 ) the soft cap is 6 . 5 % dodge or 26 expertise ( 200 expertise rating ) , and the hard cap is 14 % parry or 56 expertise ( 431 expertise rating ) . Melee DPS classes will usually focus on the soft cap , since bosses cannot Parry when attacked from behind . Some tanks will like to collect a lot of expertise in order to avoid boss parries , which may result in the Parry - Hasting effect . However , recently the boss Parry - Hasting effect has been disabled on some of the bosses . More information about the bosslist can be found at the references . More information on this effect can be found on the Parry page . For level 82 and below ( heroic bosses and trash mobs in raids ) the dodge and parry caps are the same . You won ' t need more than about 22 expertise . Tanking . Expertise is of two - fold use to tanks . First , by reducing the target ' s avoidance , it improves a tank ' s threat generation ( more of his / her attacks will land ) . More importantly , because mobs may attack more quickly after parrying an attack , expertise reduces the total damage that the tank may receive by reducing the chance that his target parries . The increase in attack speed varies ( from 0 - 40 % of the speed of the parried attack ) , and can stack if multiple attacks are parried in rapid succession , leading to a potential source of massive burst damage . However , this parry - hasting effect from when a boss parries has been disabled from most bosses except the last 3 in 25m TOC . Tanking expertise caps . • Note – The numbers here indicate the numbers necessary to stop your target from parrying and dodging your attacks , which apply primarily to tanks ( due to tanks attacking the target from the front , and thus within the arc of parry - possible attacks ) . For dodge - only caps , please see DPS Expertise caps , below . • Also , please note that the Glyph of Seal of Truth is the only expertise - providing addition listed here that is not a talent or racial bonus . This provides ten expertise points ( not rating ) to the paladin while active , and requires that the paladin has Seal of Truth currently cast on themselves . • The expertise rating needed to achieve each expertise number is provided beside each number in parentheses . These numbers are rounded up , and the formula used is 1 expertise = 30 , 0272 expertise rating . DPS . Melee DPS also benefit from expertise . With sufficient expertise , melee classes can attack their target from the front without being dodged or parried ( although facing restrictions , such as those on Backstab or Shred , still apply ) . It is possible to have enough expertise to prevent dodges and parries , but parries are much harder to prevent , and players without such high expertise values should remain behind the target to prevent parried attacks from increasing the target ' s attack speed against the tank . DPS will need a total of 6 . 5 % , or 26 expertise , or 200 expertise rating , to avoid Dodges on yellow attacks against a raid boss . DPS expertise caps . • Note that DPS expertise scores are assuming that the player is attacking the target from behind , and thus only take dodged attacks into account . For targets that can parry attacks ( i . e . from with tanks , standing in front of the target ) , the expertise ratings required to make both parries and dodges impossible would be much higher ( see Tanking Expertise Caps , above ) . • Also note that the Glyph of Seal of Truth is the only expertise - providing addition listed here that is not a talent or racial bonus . This provides ten expertise points ( not rating ) to the paladin while active , and requires that the paladin be have Seal of Truth currently cast on themselves . • The expertise rating needed to achieve each expertise number is provided beside each number in parentheses . These numbers are rounded up , and the formula used is 1 expertise = 30 . 0272 expertise rating . Expertise against bosses . The dodge and parry chances for boss - mobs is currently disputed , but combat parses tend to point at around 6 . 5 % dodge and 14 % parry . Assuming 6 . 5 % dodge and 14 % parry , a player would need 26 expertise ( 200 expertise rating ) to negate a boss ' s dodge chance , and 56 expertise ( 431 rating ) to prevent parries . To " cap " expertise against a raid boss , melee DPS need only concern themselves with the boss ' dodge chance , provided that they attack from behind . This dictates a goal of 200 expertise rating . Tanks , however , attack from the front , and need to worry about both dodge and parry . Expertise from talents . Death Knights gain 6 points of expertise from Veteran of the Third War , a talent specialization of the Blood tree . Shamans can gain 4 / 8 points of expertise from Unleashed Rage , in the fifth tier of the Enhancement tree .