Area of Effect Area of Effect , or AoE , are spells which affect more than one target within a pre - determined radius set by the game ' s mechanics . These effects range from HoT spells to DD spells and cover all points in between . Traditionally ( as far as MMORPG s go ) , the anchor target ( location at which the caster is aiming the spell ) , and those closest to that target , are affected the most by the AoE effect , with diminishing returns as the spell radiates outward . In World of Warcraft , most area spells are GTAoE or PBAoE , and all targets in the area suffer the full effect . Types of AoE . There exist a various amount of AoE spells in the game and they can all be put in the following categories : Point blank . Some AoE effects are cast or used without having to target someone or something ; the caster is the anchor for the spell . The effect / damage radiates outward from the caster up to a given range , affecting all targets , or the first given number of targets the expanding ' ring ' impacts . These types of spells are referred to as " PBAoE " , which stands for " Point Blank Area of Effect " . Caster classes that are weak physically tend to have powerful PBAoE spells ( if granted by their class ) . These sorts of spells require them to be right next to multiple hostile targets , so the spells are designed to be worth the danger . Melee - and tank - type classes are usually designed to take damage from multiple targets , and as such their PBAoE - type abilities tend to be very weak . The perhaps most versatile version in WoW is the mage spell Arcane Explosion . A mage can run into the middle of a group of otherwise distracted mobs ( perhaps by a tank holding their aggro ) and start blasting away ( or just start blasting without a tank , while a healer frantically keeps him alive ) . A few PBAoEs from a higher - level casters can normally take an entire crowd of enemies out . Some examples : PBAoE can also stand for Personal burst area of effect , indicating the effect radius bursts outward from the user . Ground targeted . With " Ground Targeted Area of Effect " ( " GTAoE " ) spells , the player places a circle on the ground that will be the area of the spell effect . He carefully places this around his targets and clicks to start casting / channeling . All enemies that are in that area – or " remain " in that area for channeled or damage - over - time GTAoEs – suffer the damage . Some examples : Blizzard , Flamestrike , Freeze , Hurricane , Rain of Fire , Volley . One exception is the Death Knight spell , Death and Decay , which you target the circle for , click , then let the spell run its course without the need to channel . Another exception is the Shaman spell Fire Nova , in which no area is selected , rather the enemies around the fire totem will be damaged instantly . Area damage caps . All area effect damage effects will have ' area damage caps ' in patch 2 . 2 . 0 which limit the number of targets which will be affected by any AoE effects . There are already spells , such as Arcane Explosion ( AE ) , using these to a certain extent . In the case of AE , the damage decreases per mob , up until about 15 mobs being , at which point it holds at a certain amount of minimum damage . Heals . Currently , all AoE healing spell in the game differ from offensive AoEs , as all of them only affect a limited number of players . There is no healing spell that actually affects all friendly targets in its area of effect . Some examples : Circle of Healing , Holy Nova , Prayer of Healing , Healing Stream Totem , Tranquility