🔥 Combat Mastery · Lesson 6 of 17
Rotations & Priority Systems
Modern WoW is not a fixed 1-2-3 rotation - it is a priority list. Learn to think in priorities and your damage jumps immediately.
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Priority over rote
- A rotation is really a priority list: cast the highest-priority ability that is available right now.
- Maintain your debuffs, DoTs, and buffs first, then spend resources, then fill.
- Do not cap your primary resource and do not let key abilities sit on cooldown.
The opener and ramp
- Pre-pull with your setup (DoTs, stacks, pre-casts) so your burst lands the moment the pull starts.
- Line your cooldowns up with your opener for a strong start.
- Learn your spec's opener from its guide and practice it on a target dummy.
Single-target vs AoE
- Switch to your AoE priority at 3 or more targets - single-target abilities on a pack waste huge damage.
- Keep your DoTs and debuffs spread in AoE where the spec supports it.
- Know the target count where each ability becomes worth it.
Key takeaways
- Think priority list, not fixed rotation.
- Maintain buffs and debuffs, never cap resources, never sit on cooldowns.
- Have a real opener and switch to AoE at the right target count.