Ranged DPS Overview - Tips and Specs

Por Neryssa Atualizado: 25/2/2021

[This Is A User-Submitted Guide!]

[Wowhead only updates official guides, so information might not be up-to-date.]

Guide to Dealing Damage and Ranged DPS.

Those who do damage mostly to nearby enemies, or, as we call, enemies in melee range.

Those who do damage to enemies usually from a far distance.

Make sure to deal as much damage as possible.

Positioning themselves properly, making sure they are in range of their enemies while not standing in something that they shouldn't.

Unless explicitly told so, avoid staying nearby other raid members.

Focusing down priority targets, making sure they die quickly, so tanks and healers can have an easier time performing their roles.

Tanking Overview

Healing Overview

Melee DPS Overview

How to DPSBattle for AzerothThe Science of Dealing Damage

Balance Druids

Beast Mastery and Marksmanship Hunters

Arcane, Fire, and Frost Mages

Shadow Priests

Elemental Shaman

Affliction, Destruction, and Demonology Warlocks

The DPSer that everyone loves

Be respectful! - In your first journeys as a DPS, it is normal that you won't be in your best shape. Don't be afraid to admit it, tell your group that you're new and would like advice if possible, there is nothing wrong in that! Just remember to keep that in mind in your next journeys, when the new guy might happen to not be you.

DO NOT STAND IN FIRE! - (As fire here, read 'Anything that damages you until you move out of it') You may have heard that hundreds of times and you may even survive a couple ticks of that fire, but don't do it! Why not? Well, the first reason is that a dead DPS does 0 damage and we don't want that right? The second reason is that, even if you don't die, you will need extra heals, which can lead to the death of someone else in the group, like a tank, which can cause a wipe. The third reason is that if you grow used to standing in it when it actually matters and you need to get away from it, you won't because you're used to standing in it.

Prioritize your kill targets properly - Most of raid and dungeon fights, there will be new enemies that will join throughout the encounter, those enemies - also known as adds - will usually die much quicker and will have more priority to die than the boss. That said, make sure you switch your main damage target to those adds when they spawn, even that it means that you will lose some DPS by doing so.

Stand inside healing/beneficial zones - The direct opposite from the first tip. Most healers have spells that they can lay in the ground and, if you stand inside of them, you will get passively healed. If you spot one of them nearby you, go stand right on it! Also, some encounters will have beneficial zones as well, make sure the check the Dungeon Journal before you start the fight to see if it has one of those!

Wait until you start DPSing a new target - Keep in mind that you're not a tank. Let the tanks pick up new adds and bosses as they show up during encounters, otherwise, you may get aggro from them, ending up getting killed really quick. That said, you should be fine to attack a new target once they are attacking one of your tanks.

While doing everything listed above, deliver the highest amount of damage possible - Last but not least, we can't forget to do what we're intended to do. Even if you execute all fight mechanics properly, bosses still need to die within a reasonable amount of time, which means that doing as much damage as possible is always important.

What Ranged DPS should I play?DruidsMajor Mechanics

The major mechanic for Druids is shapeshifting. Depending on what role the Druida wishes to perform, there is a different animal form to it. Ranged DPS Druids gain access to the Forma de Luniscante that changes you into a Moonkin (You probably saw some of those while leveling and probably killed some of them too.) If you don't enjoy being a chicken, there is always Glifo das Estrelas to change your form into an astral being.

Resources: To attack, Moonkins use a variety of different spells, all tied to nature. Their main resource is Poder Astral, which is some spells, like Ira, build while others, like Chuva Estelar spend.

Damage Enhancements: By default, Moonkins have one big damage cooldown: Alinhamento Celestial and many others that can be unlocked via talents: Força da Natureza, Guerreiro de Eluna, Encarnação: Escolhido de Eluna and Fúria de Eluna.

Utility: Being Druids, Moonkins bring some really neat utility to their groups:
Renascimento - In-combat resurrection;
Raio Solar - Interrupt that lasts while the target stands in the area;
Pele de Árvore - Damage reduction cooldown to help keep yourself alive;
Arremetida - Speed boost that makes the druid unable to DPS, since you go to Forma de Felino, but can help you survive;
Remover Corrupção - Spell that removes curses and poisons if your group doesn't have a healer that can do so;
Avivar - Makes so a friendly healer won't spend mana for 10 seconds.
Affinities - These three spells tap deep in the jack-of-all-trades fantasy for Druids, allowing them to perform the roles of another specialization without changing his/hers.
Trombada Poderosa - Stuns the target for 5 seconds.
Embaraço em Massa - Roots all targets in a given area for 20 seconds, damage will break the effect.
Tufão - Knocks all enemies in front of the Druid and dazes them for 6 seconds.

Liked what you see? For detailed information, please refer to our Balance Druid guide

You should play a Balance Druid if:

You enjoy Forma de Luniscante. (Wait until you see it dancing!)

You enjoy having good mobility.

You enjoy bringing many utility tools to your group.

The idea of being able to perform a second role entices you.

CaçadorMajor Mechanics

The first thing that comes to everyone's minds when they think about Hunters, pets. While pets are not exclusive to Hunters, they are a huge part of the class as a whole. Hunters can tame over 50 different unique types of pets in the game, each pet belonging to a different pet family and bringing different benefits to the Hunter and his/her group. From stat increases to in-combat resurrections, pets can bring it all.

Resources: As stated before, Caçadors are the only non-magical ranged DPSer, having most of its attacks having no cast time. The only thing that limits a hunter is his main resource, Concentração. Concentração works like Ladino and Monge's Energy, but it is restored at a slower rate. Because of that, Hunters have attacks that have a sole intention to restore focus.

Damage Enhancements: Hunters have different damage increase cooldowns based on which specialization they are playing, like Beast Mastery have access to Ira Bestial and Marksmanship to and a couple more via talents, Manada Furiosa for Beast Mastery.

Utility: Hunters bring many tools to their group, some of them depending on their specialization:
Fingir de Morto - Drops your aggro and make you leave combat. Doesn't make you immune to mechanics, like fire;
Desvencilhar - Jump backwards a great distance and can be used to prevent fall damage;
Camuflagem - Reduces the range that enemies will see you;
Redirecionar - Redirects all the threat you generate to a target, useful to help tanks at start of fights or to pick up new adds;
Sinalizador - Reveals all stealth units in an area;
Tiro Retaliatório - Interrupts an enemy spell cast;
Tiro de Concussão - Dazes the target to 50% of their total movespeed;
Armadilha Congelante - A trap that will freeze whoever triggers it for 1 minute, any damage will break the freeze.

Liked what you see? For detailed information, please refer to our Beast Mastery and Marksmanship guides.

You should play a Caçador if:

You enjoy collecting different pets.

You enjoy having good mobility.

You don't mind having eventually to switch specs depending on the fight.

MagoMajor Mechanics

Overall, there is not much that defines Mages as a whole; each spec is really different from one another. Arcane is based on attacking solely with hard nukes and mana conservation; Frost is strong against few targets, with great passive cleave and slows; Fire is based around critical strikes, dealing more damage as that stat grows and easily spreading its damage around.

Resources: Each spec has different resources and different ways to generate them:
Arcane: Carga Arcana is the main resource for Arcane. Each stack increases the damage you deal and dictates the spec's rotation and ramp up time. Every spell cast either generates or also has a chance to generate Carga Arcanas.
Fire: Fire has no direct resource like Arcane, but instead has Aquecendo/Embalo de Fogo, which are generated with spell crits.
Frost: Frost also has no direct resource, but have two procs that change its normal flow: Congelamento Cerebral and Dedos Glaciais.

Damage Enhancements: All three specs share only Distorção Temporal but it is more a group-wide cooldown than a player-specific one. Besides that, each has their own unique ones. Arcane has Poder Arcano and Evocação, Fire Combustão and Frost Veias Gélidas and Orbe Congelado. From talents, all three specs can access some unique abilities like Orbe Arcano and Chuva de Cometas, and a couple shared ones, like Runa de Poder.

Utility: Mages bring utility both in-combat and outside of it:
Lampejo - A quick teleport a few yards away;
Invisibilidade/Invisibilidade Maior - Drops all threat after a few seconds, making the Mage invisible as well;
Bloco de Gelo - Makes you completely immune to damage and clears all your debuffs, but makes you unable to move in the process;
Sopro do Dragão (Fire) - Disorient targets for a short period of time;
Cone de Frio (Frost) - Slows all nearby targets for a short period of time;
Contrafeitiço - Interrupts an enemy spell cast;
Roubar Feitiço - Steal buffs from your enemy;
Polimorfia - Transform the target into a sheep, making it lose control;
Nova Congelante - Roots all nearby targets;
Various Teleports - Teleports you/creates a portal to most major cities and locations in the game;
Conjurar Refeição/Conjurar Mesa de Refeição - Conjures food for you/your group.

Liked what you see? For detailed information, please refer to our Arcane, Fire, and Frost guides.

You should play a Mage if:

You enjoy having portals to major locations in the game.

You enjoy having different options on how to deal damage.

You enjoy bringing utility to your group.

You don't mind having eventually to switch specs depending on the fight.

SacerdoteMajor Mechanics

What defines Priests that select the shadow specialization is their signature ability Forma do Caos, which gives allows the Priest to tap deeper into the powers of the Void, giving a translucent appearance and makes their void powers manifest to the outside world. With some tentacles as a side-effect.

Resources: Shadow's main resource is Insanidade. Most of Shadow's actions will generate Insanidade. Reaching the peak of Insanidade will allow you to use Forma do Caos, which will then activate Forma do Caos. As long as Forma do Caos lasts, your haste will increase. However, during it, your Insanidade will start to deplete, faster and faster as time passes, until it eventually reaches 0, deactivating Forma do Caos.

Damage Enhancements: As far as damage cooldowns go, Shadow doesn't have many baseline tools, only Demônio das Sombras. With talents, the spectrum changes, adding many options: , Mente Dominante, , Dobramentes and, last but not least, , the talent that fully embodies the void and chaotic archetypes of a Shadow Priest!

Utility: Since Priest's other two options are healing specializations, shadow have many tools that remind one of a healer, plus a couple other neat ones:
Abraço Vampírico - Convertss all shadow damage you do into healing to your group;
Dissipação em Massa - Removes negative magic effects from allies and good magic effects from foes in an area;
Levitar - Makes so members from your group can levitate, reducing fall damage and making them able to walk over water;
Silêncio - Interrupts an enemy spell cast;
Desvanecer - Reduces all your threat, making enemies less likely to attack you for a few seconds;
Dissipar Magia - Removes a helpful buff from an enemy;
Purificar Doença - Removes all Disease effects from an ally.
Dispersão - You disperse into pure shadow awesome... I mean, energy, reducing all damage you take;
Recomposição Sombria - Heals a large part of the health of an ally, however, leaves a DoT effect that damages the ally for half of the amount.
- Stuns all enemies around a target enemy after a brief delay.

Liked what you see? For detailed information, please refer to our Shadow Priest guide

You should play a Shadow Priest if:

You love Forma do Caos (Especially the tentacles, is ok to admit it). Seriously, how can you not like that?

You enjoy classes that have multiple options to AOE effectively.

You enjoy class archetypes that involve connections with deeper forces that we don't fully understand.

XamãMajor Mechanics

The signature for Shaman: Totems. Some of Elemental's abilities are based on or are actual totems placed on the ground.

Resources: Elemental's main resource is Voragem. Voragem is build and spend resource, generated by normal rotation spells like Raio and Estouro de Lava and spent on Elemental Shocks like Choque Terreno or Terremoto.

Damage Enhancements: Elemental has two baseline damage increases: Elemental do Fogo and Sede de Sangue/Heroísmo, but the latter can be considered more a raid utility too since it affects the whole group. With talents, new options unlock: Impacto Elemental, Algifúria, Mestre dos Elementos, Elemental da Tempestade, Ascendência and Totem de Magma Líquido.

Utility: Shaman have a lot of innate utility, specializing into Elemental adds a little more:
Rajada de Vento - Interrupts an enemy spellcast;
Totem Capacitor - Drops a totem that will stun enemies after a short charging time;
Purificar Espírito - Removes curses from allies;
Elemental da Terra - Summons a tank pet to help soloing or in emergencies;
Totem de Prisão Terrena - Drops a totem that will slow all nearby enemies;
Choque Gélido - Slows enemies affected by it;
Lobo Fantasma - You transform yourself into a wolf. You're unable to attack in this form, but increases your speed slightly;
Bagata - Transforms an enemy into a frog for a short while, damage may break the effect;
Expurgar - Removes an helpful buff from an enemy;
Tempestade Relampejante - Knocks enemies away from you;
Andar sobre a Água - Allows the target to walk on water.
Totem de Vento Súbito - Creates a totem that increases the speed of nearby allies.
Conselho dos Ancestrais - Converts part of the damage you deal into healing to your group.

Liked what you see? For detailed information, please refer to our Elemental Shaman guide

You should play an Elemental Shaman if:

You enjoy using shamanistic abilities to destroy your foes.

You enjoy being able to bind elementals to your will.

You enjoy bringing a lot of utility into your group.

You don't mind positioning limitations from your totem spells.

BruxoMajor Mechanics

The major mechanic for Warlocks are their demons. Like Hunters, Warlocks have permanent pets to help them destroy their enemies. Although, unlike Hunters, Warlock's ones are their demon slaves. A big part of a Warlock is to know when to use each demon and how to use it properly.

Resources: All Warlocks specs use Mana, as well as having a secondary resource called Fragmentos de Alma. Fragmentos de Alma are refilled by most basic attacks and used on powerful spells.
Affliction: Generated by your lighter-hitting Damage over Time (DoT) abilities, and used to unleash specially powerful DoTs, like Agonia Instável.
Demonology: Generated by your basic abilities, and used in spells that summon more demons to your side, like Evocar Espreitadores do Medo.
Destruction: Soul Shards work differently as Destruction, where you generate Soul Shard fragments on your light-hitting nukes and use complete shards to unleash either a massive bolt of damage (Seta do Caos) or to rain down meteors upon your enemies (Chuva de Fogo).

Damage Enhancements: All Warlocks can summon incredibly powerful demons to aid them for a short time, each demon focusing on the strengths of each specialization:
Affliction has Evocar Clarão Sombrio, which increases the duration on their DOT effects and deals increased damage based on you active DOTs;

Demonology has Evocar Tirano Demoníaco, which extends the duration of temporary demons and empowers them to deal increased damage;

Destruction has Evocar Infernal, which generates Soul Shard Fragments while damaging nearby enemies.

Utility:Criar Poço das AlmasPedra da AlmaCírculo DemoníacoCírculo Demoníaco: TeleportePortal DemoníacoRitual de EvocaçãoDeterminação InterminávelMedoBanirSubjugar DemônioBloquear FeitiçoEvocar Caçador VilPele de DemônioEspiral da MorteFúria SombriaAfflictionDestructionDemonologyYou should play a Warlock if:

You enjoy demon pets. That's the main reason a lot of people start playing it, don't be shy.

You enjoy being a master of the shadow and fel arts.

You enjoy bringing some utility into your group.

You don't mind having eventually to switch specs depending on the fight.

About the AuthorNeryssa

Twitter @itsneryssa

Discord on the Wowhead channel

@Anshlun

Marcadores: JxA

Comentários

Comentário de Dunkies

These are absolutely brilliant guides, and I hope you finish the series with overviews for healing and mDPS
Keep up the good work!

Comentário de 1439057

Do you have any tips for a Mage that might happen to be attached suddenly and you can't get far enough to start spell casting?

Comentário de Tequima

Does this mean Balance Druids are getting Innervate back again?

Comentário de Pernicious

Seriously?

Every other class listed above
A full paragraph about how cool, unique, and special they are.

Warlock
A single generic sentence about how they're a DPS class with pets and some utility.

Show the Warlock a little love will ya? A new player will skim over this, pick any class listed above the lock, and never know the joys of playing a Warlock. Masters of Shadow and Flame and the art of summoning demons, Warlocks are masters at wielding chaotic forces of magic that no other class would dare mess with. We kill our foes slowly and painfully over time, with the brute force of our demons, or with a blaze of green fire! Our class fantasy is top notch!

Comentário de Noxavia

oh joy. those tentacles

Comentário de fooforge

From the Warlock section:
You don't mind having eventually to switch specs depending on the fight.

I'm wondering what's lead to this recommendation. Never had to switch specs all throughout Legion, not even in our Mythic raid group. Is that about to change in BfA?

Comentário de JUNKdeLUXE

Neryssa it's not enough you only update the date on the guide.. you need to put some work into it as well..

just quickly glancing over the guide you at least didn't mention that some classes get an ability to dispell Enrage (an ability that will be sought after in many of the harder instance/raid runs), as well as hunter also having aoe slow.

Not knowing the other classes so intimately I can't say for sure if there are gaps there as well.

Comentário de Techhead7890

This hasn't been updated for 10.0 yet, needs Devastation Evoker to be listed!

Ranged DPS Overview - Tips and Specs

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