Damage types

Damage is based on two primary components - the category of the spell or ability, and the school of the damage it deals. Most spells deal magic damage and most melee abilities deal physical damage, but there are exceptions. Since effects that modify damage apply either on the category level (affecting either spells or abilities) or on the school level, knowing how this system works can be useful for theory crafters.

#### **Magic schools**

Every spell and ability belongs to one of seven schools - Physical, Arcane, Fire, Frost, Nature, Shadow and Holy. This defines what can be done to absorb, immunize against or resist an attack.

##### **Multi-school**

Some Mystic Enchants give access to spells belonging to special schools that are a combination of other schools. These spells are rare and tend to be very powerful.

These multi-school spells will always benefit from the highest modifier to either school.

For example: if Sunfire is cast by a player who has Owlkin Frenzy (+10% Arcane Damage) and Critical Mass (+6% Fire Spell Crit), the spell will benefit from both these effects. If that player would put a Talent Essence into Fire Power (+2% Fire damage), the damage of Sunfire would not go up, since the damage modifier to Arcane from Owlkin Frenzy is higher than the modifier to Fire damage.

It is also important to note that when the critical chance of a multi-school spell is calculated, only the highest critical strike chance will apply.

#### **Damage categories**

All spells and abilities in WoW fall into three distinct categories: Spell, Melee or Ranged. In most cases these distinctions are obvious - Frostbolt is a spell, Sinister Strike a Melee attack and Aimed Shot a Ranged attack - but in others they are more complex.

##### **The Damage category determines:**

* Which type of critical strike chance is used for calculations. Frostbolt uses Spell critical strike chance, Sinister Strike uses melee, etc.
* The base critical strike damage bonus. For spells, critical hits deal 50% increased damage. For melee and ranged abilities, critical hits deal 100% increased damage.
* What type of hit chance is used for calculations, and the chance to miss (which determines the Hit Cap).
* Which Prevention mechanics are effective. Most spells cannot be cast while Silenced, most Melee attacks cannot be used without a melee weapon, and most Ranged attacks cannot be used without a ranged weapon.

#### **Magic damage abilities**

Most spells deal magic damage and most melee and ranged abilities deal physical damage. There are however a few notable exceptions to this.

Since it is the damage category that defines critical and hit calculations, Melee abilities that deal Magic damage have their critical and hit calculated in the same way as other melee abilities. They benefit from increases to melee critical strike chance, and they do not benefit from talents that increase spell critical damage bonus such as Holy Specialization.

Since they deal Magic damage, modifiers to that Magic school will work. For example, talents like Holy Power (modifying Holy damage) or Divine Intellect (modifying Holy critical hit chance) work for Hammer of the Righteous. Since they are still Melee abilities however, they do not benefit from modifiers to your *spell* critical strike chance (such as Raze).