Threat

Threat is a measure of an NPC's aggression towards a player. Each NPC has a threat table, and a unit toward the top of the list is usually the target of its aggression. In-game, this is known as having aggro from that particular NPC. The NPC will attack that character if possible, unless something overrides the NPC's target.
== Mechanics ==
Every unit is added to the threat table upon begining combat, and removed at the end of combat. Threat is a positive number beginning at zero upon entry to the table. (Leaving and re-entering combat starts at zero again.) Each NPC tracks opponents using their own threat table.
The following actions accumulate threat while combat continues:
* Damaging the NPC adds one threat per one damage done
* Healing any of the NPC's enemies adds one threat per two effective healing done, divided by the number of NPCs who observed the heal
* Friendly buffs or on-use abilities may add a fixed amount of threat, divided by the number of NPCs who observed the ability
The NPC aggros to a new unit if that unit:
* Overrides the NPC's target using a Taunt or special ability
* Exceeds the previous target's threat by 10% while within melee range
* Exceeds the previous target's threat by 30% while outside melee range
== Modifying threat ==
Some abilities accelerate the rate of threat generation:
* Tanks have a 5.0x threat modifier from Blood Presence, Bear Form, Stance of the Sturdy Ox, Defensive Stance and Righteous Fury
* In World of Warcraft: Classic, most classes have talents to influence threat generation
* When two or more factors apply simultaneously, they stack multiplicatively without any diminishing returns
Many roles also have abilities to reposition themselves within the threat table:
*Tanks elevate themselves atop the threat table using Taunt abilities
* Some DPS and Healers use abilities like Misdirection, Tricks of the Trade or Fade to temporarily transfer or reduce threat
* Some DPS use abilities like Invisibility or Vanish to permanently reduce threat to zero (and possibly exit combat)
Finally, many encounters and other NPCs have abilities which modify their threat table in unique ways.
== Detailed values ==
When expanded, the following tables list currently-known modifiers for threat abilities:
=== Abilities ===
Threat Auras 	Threat Auras
Effect 	Threat Multiplier
Baseline modifiers (all characters)	Baseline modifiers (all characters)
Damage caused 	1.0 * damage done
Healing caused 	0.5 * healing done (overheal not counted)
Mana gain 	0.5 * mana gained (only certain effects)
Rage gain 	5.0 * rage gained (only certain effects)
Death Knight 	Death Knight
Blood Presence 	5.0
Druid 	Druid
Bear Form 	5.0
Hunter 	Hunter
Misdirection 	All attacks for 4 seconds temporarily increase the target's threat instead.
Monk 	Monk
Stance of the Sturdy Ox 	5.0
Paladin 	Paladin
Righteous Fury 	5.0
Rogue 	Rogue
Tricks of the Trade 	All attacks for 6 seconds temporarily increase the target's threat instead.
Warlock 	Warlock
Dark Apotheosis 	7.0
Warrior 	Warrior
Defensive Stance 	5.0
Threat Modifying Abilities 	Threat Modifying Abilities
Ability 	Threat Bonus/Reduction
Death Knight 	Death Knight
Death and Decay (death knight ability)	1.9 x damage done
Dark CommandDeath Grip 	Sets threat equal to player highest on target's threat list.
Druid 	Druid
Growl 	Sets threat equal to player highest on target's threat list.
Hunter 	Hunter
Distracting Shot 	+110, and functions as a temporary taunt.
Feign Death 	Removes from threat lists of all enemies. (resistible)
Cower (pet ability) 	-?? to pet
Growl (pet ability) 	+?? to pet
Intimidation 	+?? to pet
Thunderstomp (pet ability) 	+?? to pet
Mage 	Mage
Invisibility 	Reduces threat vs. all enemies by 10% per second for 3 seconds.
Removed from all threat lists upon becoming invisible.
Paladin 	Paladin
Hand of Reckoning 	Sets threat equal to player highest on target's threat list.
Hand of Salvation 	Sets target's threat to 0 for the duration.
Priest 	Priest
Binding Heal 	0.5 * healing done (above & beyond base healing reduction)
Fade 	Sets threat to 0 for the duration.
Holy Nova 	This ability causes no threat.
Rogue 	Rogue
Vanish 	Removes from threat lists of all enemies.
Shaman 	Shaman
Frost Shock 	2.0 * damage done
Wind Shear 	Reduces threat vs. target by 5% of total.
Warlock 	Warlock
Soulshatter (warlock ability) 	Reduces threat by 90% for all enemies within 50 yards.
Suffering 	Sets threat equal to player highest on target's threat list.
Warrior 	Warrior
Taunt (warrior ability) 	Sets threat equal to player highest on target's threat list.
 
=== Items ===
Threat Gear 	Threat Gear
Item 	Effect
5 part set bonus 	25% improved Feint Threat reduction
8 part set bonus 	Reduces the threat generated by your Destruction spells by 20%.
6 part set bonus 	Reduces the threat from your Backstab, Sinister Strike, Hemorrhage, and Eviscerate abilities by 8%
6 Part set bonus 	-10%
Black Amnesty 	-540 Threat
Fetish of the Sand Reaver 	Reduces the threat you generate by 50% for 20 sec
Grace of Earth 	-640 Threat ~ 30 Yards, 5min cooldown
Hypnotist's Watch 	-720 ~ 30 Yards, 5min cooldown
Jewel of Charismatic Mystique	-1075 ~ 30 Yards, 5min cooldown
Muck-Covered Drape 	-473 Threat
Prism of Inner Calm 	Reduces threat from your harmful critical strikes
Timelapse Shard 	-901 ~ 30 Yards, 2min cooldown
Threat Enchantments	Threat Enchantments 	Threat Enchantments 	Threat Enchantments
Slot 	Enchantment 	Effects 	Source
Back 	Wisdom 	Reduce threat slightly and increase Spirit by 10. 	Enchanting (440)
Back 	Enchant Cloak - Subtlety 	Decrease threat from all attacks and spells by 2%. 	Enchanting (300)
rowspan = "2" Hands	Armsman 	Increase threat caused by 2% and increase parry rating by 10.	Enchanting (435)
Threat (enchant) 	Increase threat from all attacks and spells by 2%.	Enchanting (300) 	
Threat Potions 	Threat Potions
Item 	Effect
Shrouding Potion	-1500 ~ 30 Yards
 
== History ==
Threat management dominated gameplay during Classic and The Burning Crusade, as well-geared DPS could potentially accumulate threat faster than a dedicated tank who had limited options to gain it faster. This compelled other players to slow their combat and use abilities to lower their threat beneath the tank. In subsequent expansions, tanks received increasing passive boosts to threat generation -- becoming a five-fold multiplier by Cataclysm -- rendering threat relatively unimportant to modern gameplay: now a tank either has aggro or doesn't, but they can easily maintain it once they do.
Until Wrath of the Lich King, threat was a hidden variable reverse engineered by the community and tracked using AddOns which predicted threat accumulation through trial and error. These addons worked by tracking a player's status and actions, and then communicating through AddOn communication channels so other players with a matching AddOn could predict their relative position on the threat table. Patch 3.0.2 added new making threat transparent, allowing AddOns to perform this function without any special communication or synchronization.
The most successful addon of this kind was Omen by Xinhuan, Nevcairiel, et al. with 17 million downloadsOmen Threat Meter, Curse at Curse and 4 millionCombat Mods, WowInterface at WoWInterface. At the latter, it remains the most-downloaded "Combat Mod". Prior to patch 3.0.2, Omen also used the Threat-2.0 library to predict and communicate threat levels with players using other AddOns.
== Patch changes ==
* 
* 
== References ==
*
*Oohla (Frostmane/EU). Actual threat per rage and threat per sec.
*Tanking Blog
fr:Menace
Category:Formulas and game mechanics
Category:Tanking