Dampen Magic < onlyinclude > < / onlyinclude > Dampen Magic is a mage utility buff . The opposite of Amplify Magic , it decreases the amount of damage the target takes from each enemy spell , but also decreases the healing a target group member takes from each healing spell . Damage taken and healing taken is the same effect as the spell power stat found on some gear . For example , a warlock casting a damage spell on a target buffed with Dampen Magic rank 6 will have the same effect as if he had 120 less + damage on his gear . Tips and Tactics . Many players don ' t realize that , in certain situations , Dampen Magic is one of the mage ' s best defensive buffs . It reduces the damage caused by many kinds of non - physical attacks , not only traditional spells . This includes natural attacks like poison , DoT effects of disease s and curse s , acid , and even melee attacks by fire , frost and wind elementals . Most mages use this spell when solo ing or in small groups with no healer to lessen the damage enemy casters dish out . Most enemy damage spells are bolts with long cast ing times ; you ' ll really see the effect when 100 damage becomes 60 . Like Amplify Magic , this spell has benefits and drawbacks and it is important to choose the correct spell . This spell can be very dangerous if used incorrectly , cutting the healing team ' s spell power and preventing heals from being effective . Dampen Magic is useful in group situations where players will take very many magical damage hits . In these situations , it will prevent a large amount of damage , allowing the healing team more time to react , and allowing all players more time to get move out of avoidable damage . When deciding whether or not to use this buff , consider the number of damaging spells likely to hit vs . the number of heals . In raid situations , when a tank has multiple healers on him at a time and will get many more heals per second than damaging spells per second , the net healing decrease will be greater than the net damage decrease . " Even " when fighting most magic - damage bosses , Amplify Magic is still often more beneficial on the tank than no buff or Dampen Magic would be . When to use Dampen Magic : On a fight with a steady stream of magic damage , such as the Twin Val ' kyr or Sapphiron encounters , always have your mage ( s ) cast Dampen Magic on the entire raid ; it will vastly reduce damage taken , making healing much easier . Usually beneficial on the DPS and Healers . Don ' t use Dampen Magic if there are relatively few magic damage hits , or if there is a good reason to use Amplify Magic . When to use Amplify Magic : When fighting a boss such as Deathbringer Saurfang or Gruul the Dragonkiller , where only physical damage is taken , always have your mage ( s ) cast Amplify Magic on the entire raid ; it will increase all healing done , making healing much easier . Usually beneficial on the Tanks . Don ' t use Amplify Magic if it presents a danger of tanks being one - shot , or if there is a good reason to use Dampen Magic . When to use neither spell : While many will claim that it ' s often best to use neither buff , this is actually untrue , and very rarely will there come a time when it is optimal for any player to have neither buff active . This is easy to see , because removing one buff is exactly the same effect as applying the other , and if it was beneficial to do one , then it must follow that is beneficial to do the other , which is almost always true . " However " , if you risk picking incorrectly and using the wrong buff , it may be " safer " to run without either .