Expertise (also known as Exp and Ept) is an attribute introduced in Patch 2.3.0. One point of expertise decreases the chance that melee attacks made by the player will be dodged or parried by 0.25%. At level 80, every 7.688690185546875 points of expertise rating grant 1 expertise.
Expertise rating
Note that there is a difference between "expertise" and "expertise rating". Expertise rating is typically gained from item bonuses, and for each 7.688690185546875 expertise rating you equip, you gain 1 expertise at level 80.[1] Expertise is typically gained from talents, and for each 1 point of expertise you reduce your chance to be dodged/parried by 0.25%. Thus it takes exactly 30.7547607421875 expertise rating at level 80 to reduce your chance to be dodged/parried by 1%.[1]
| Expertise Rating Required Per 1% Dodge/Parry | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level 60 | Level 70 | Level 80 | |||||
| 10 | 15.76923275 | 32.78998947 | |||||
Racial Bonuses
Certain players get passive expertise bonuses from their passive racial abilities:
- Humans get +3 expertise with One or Two-Handed Swords and Maces.
- Orcs get +3 expertise with One and Two-Handed Axes, and Fist Weapons.
- Dwarves get +3 expertise with One and Two-Handed Maces.
- Gnomes get +3 expertise with Daggers and One-Handed Swords.
Expertise caps
For boss-level mobs (which are calculated as your level + 3) the soft cap is 6.5% dodge or 26 expertise (200 expertise rating), and the hard cap is 14% parry or 56 expertise (431 expertise rating). Melee DPS classes will usually focus on the soft cap, since bosses cannot Parry when attacked from behind. Some tanks will like to collect a lot of expertise in order to avoid boss parries, which may result in the Parry-Hasting effect. However, recently the boss Parry-Hasting effect has been disabled on some of the bosses.[2] More information about the bosslist can be found at the references. More information on this effect can be found on the Parry page.
For level 82 and below (heroic bosses and trash mobs in raids) the dodge and parry caps are the same. You won't need more than about 22 expertise.[3]
Tanking
Expertise is of two-fold use to tanks. First, by reducing the target's avoidance, it improves a tank's threat generation (more of his/her attacks will land). More importantly, because mobs may attack more quickly after parrying an attack, expertise reduces the total damage that the tank may receive by reducing the chance that his target parries. The increase in attack speed varies (from 0-40% of the speed of the parried attack),[4] and can stack if multiple attacks are parried in rapid succession, leading to a potential source of massive burst damage. However, this parry-hasting effect from when a boss parries has been disabled from most bosses except the last 3 in 25m TOC.
Tanking Expertise Caps
| Expertise (Expertise Rating) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Death Knight | ||||
| Untalented | Orc (Fist/Axe) | Dwarf (Mace) | Human (Sword/Mace) | Other |
| 51 (393) | 51 (393) | 53 (408) | 56 (431) | |
| 5/5 Tundra Stalker (Frost) | 46 (354) | 46 (354) | 48 (370) | 51 (393) |
| 5/5 Rage of Rivendare (Unholy) | 46 (354) | 46 (354) | 48 (370) | 51 (393) |
| 3/3 Veteran of the Third War (Blood) | 45 (346) | 45 (346) | 47 (362) | 50 (385) |
| 5/5 Tundra Salker or 5/5 Rage of Rivendare plus 1/3 Veteran of the Third War |
44 (339) | 44 (339) | 46 (354) | 49 (377) |
| 3/3 Veteran of the Third War plus 3/5 Tundra Stalker or Rage of Rivendare |
42 (323) | 42 (323) | 44 (339) | 47 (362) |
Druid | ||||
| Untalented | 56 (431) | |||
| 2/2 Primal Precision | 46 (354) | |||
Paladin | ||||
| Untalented | Dwarf (Mace) | Human (Sword/Mace) | Other | |
| 51 (393) | 53 (408) | 56 (431) | ||
| 3/3 Combat Expertise (Protection) | 45 (369) | 47 (386) | 50 (410) | |
| Glyph of Seal of Vengeance | 41 (316) | 43 (331) | 46 (354) | |
| 3/3 Combat Expertise plus Glyph of Seal of Vengeance | 35 (270) | 37 (304) | 40 (328) | |
Warrior | ||||
| Untalented | Orc (Fist/Axe) | Dwarf (Mace) | Human (Sword/Mace) | Other |
| 51 (393) | 51 (393) | 53 (408) | 56 (431) | |
| 2/2 Strength of Arms (Arms) | 47 (362) | 47 (362) | 49 (377) | 52 (400) |
| 3/3 Vitality (Protection) | 45 (369) | 45 (369) | 47 (386) | 50 (410) |
| 2/2 Weapon Mastery (Arms) | 43 (353) | 43 (353) | 45 (369) | 48 (394) |
| 2/2 Strength of Arms plus 3/3 Vitality | 41 (337) | 41 (337) | 43 (353) | 46 (378) |
| 2/2 Weapon Mastery plus 2/2 Strength of Arms | 39 (320) | 39 (320) | 41 (337) | 44 (361)) |
| 2/2 Weapon Mastery plus 3/3 Vitality | 37 (304) | 37 (304) | 39 (320) | 43 (353) |
| 2/2 Weapon Mastery plus 2/2 Strength of Arms plus 3/3 Vitality | 32 (263) | 32 (263) | 34 (279) | 38 (312) |
• Note – Many of these combinations would be improbable for tanks, but each possible option is listed here. The numbers here indicate the numbers necessary to stop your target from parrying and dodging your attacks, which apply primarily to tanks (due to tanks attacking the target from the front, and thus within the arc of parry-possible attacks). For dodge-only caps, please see DPS Expertise caps, below.
• Also, please note that the Glyph of Seal of Vengeance is the only expertise-providing addition listed here that is not a talent or racial bonus. This provides ten expertise points (not rating) to the paladin while active, and requires that the paladin has Seal of Corruption or Seal of Vengeance currently cast on themselves.
• The expertise rating needed to achieve each expertise number is provided beside each number in parentheses. These numbers are rounded up, and the formula used is 1 expertise = 7.688690185546875 expertise rating.
• The most likely combinations are shown in bold text.
DPS
Melee DPS also benefit from expertise. With sufficient expertise, melee classes can attack their target from the front without being dodged or parried (although facing restrictions, such as those on 
[Backstab] or 
[Shred], still apply). It is possible to have enough expertise to prevent dodges and parries, but parries are much harder to prevent, and players without such high expertise values should remain behind the target to prevent parried attacks from increasing the target's attack speed against the tank.
DPS will need a total of 6.5%, or 26 expertise, or 213 expertise rating, to avoid Dodges on yellow attacks against a raid boss. This is without talents, such Arms Warrior's Weapon Mastery, that reduces chances to be dodged.
DPS Expertise Caps
(not updated for 4.0.1)
| Expertise (Expertise Rating) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Death Knight | ||||
| Untalented | Orc (Fist/Axe) | Dwarf (Mace) | Human (Sword/Mace) | Other |
| 21 (173) | 21 (173) | 23 (189) | 26 (214) | |
| 5/5 Tundra Stalker (Frost) | 16 (132) | 16 (132) | 18 (148) | 21 (173) |
| 5/5 Rage of Rivendare (Unholy) | 16 (132) | 16 (132) | 18 (148) | 21 (173) |
| 3/3 Veteran of the Third War (Blood) | 15 (123) | 15 (123) | 17 (140) | 20 (164) |
| 5/5 Tundra Salker or 5/5 Rage of Rivendare plus 1/3 Veteran of the Third War |
14 (115) | 14 (115) | 16 (132) | 19 (156) |
| 3/3 Veteran of the Third War plus 3/5 Tundra Stalker or Rage of Rivendare |
12 (99) | 12 (99) | 14 (115) | 17 (140) |
Druid | ||||
| Untalented | 26 (214) | |||
| 2/2 Primal Precision | 16 (132) | |||
Paladin | ||||
| Untalented | Dwarf (Mace) | Human (Sword/Mace) | Other | |
| 21 (173) | 23 (189) | 26 (214) | ||
| 3/3 Combat Expertise (Protection) | 15 (123) | 17 (140) | 20 (164) | |
| Glyph of Seal of Vengeance | 11 (91) | 13 (107) | 16 (132) | |
| 3/3 Combat Expertise plus Glyph of Seal of Vengeance | 5 (41) | 7 (58) | 10 (82) | |
Rogue | ||||
| Untalented | Orc (Fist/Axe) | Dwarf (Mace) | Human (Sword/Mace) | Other |
| 21 (173) | 21 (173) | 23 (189) | 26 (214) | |
Shaman | ||||
| Untalented | Orc (Fist/Axe) | Other | ||
| 21 (173) | 26 (214) | |||
| 3/3 Unleashed Rage (Enhancement) | 12 (99) | 17 (140) | ||
Warrior | ||||
| Untalented | Orc (Fist/Axe) | Dwarf (Mace) | Human (Sword/Mace) | Other |
| 21 (173) | 21 (173) | 23 (189) | 26 (214) | |
| 2/2 Strength of Arms (Arms) | 17 (140) | 17 (140) | 19 (156) | 22 (181) |
| 3/3 Vitality (Protection) | 15 (123) | 15 (123) | 17 (140) | 20 (164) |
| 2/2 Weapon Mastery (Arms) | 13 (107) | 13 (107) | 15 (123) | 18 (148) |
| 2/2 Strength of Arms plus 3/3 Vitality | 11 (91) | 11 (91) | 13 (107) | 16 (132) |
| 2/2 Weapon Mastery plus 2/2 Strength of Arms | 9 (74) | 9 (74) | 11 (91) | 14 (115) |
| 2/2 Weapon Mastery plus 3/3 Vitality | 7 (58) | 7 (58) | 9 (74) | 13 (107) |
| 2/2 Weapon Mastery plus 2/2 Strength of Arms plus 3/3 Vitality | 2 (17) | 2 (17) | 4 (33) | 8 (66) |
• Note that DPS expertise scores are assuming that the player is attacking the target from behind, and thus only take dodged attacks into account. For targets that can parry attacks (i.e. from with tanks, standing in front of the target), the expertise ratings required to make both parries and dodges impossible would be much higher (see Tanking Expertise Caps, above).
• Also note that though many of the combinations in here would be improbable (such as Retribution paladins going far enough into the Protection tree to put points into Combat Expertise), this table supplies all of the possible combination options available.
• In addition, please note that the Glyph of Seal of Vengeance is the only expertise-providing addition listed here that is not a talent or racial bonus. This provides ten expertise points (not rating) to the paladin while active, and requires that the paladin be have Seal of Corruption or Seal of Vengeance currently cast on themselves.
• The expertise rating needed to achieve each expertise number is provided beside each number in parentheses. These numbers are rounded up, and the formula used is 1 expertise = 7.688690185546875 expertise rating.
• The most likely combinations are shown in bold text.
Expertise against bosses
The dodge and parry chances for boss-mobs is currently disputed, but combat parses tend to point at around 6.5% dodge and 14% parry.[5] Assuming 6.5% dodge and 14% parry, a player would need 26 expertise (214 expertise rating) to negate a boss's dodge chance, and 56 expertise (460 rating) to prevent parries.
To "cap" expertise against a raid boss, melee DPS need only concern themselves with the boss' dodge chance, provided that they attack from behind. This dictates a goal of 214 expertise rating. Tanks, however, attack from the front, and need to worry about both dodge and parry.
Arms warriors who put the full 2 points into the Weapon Mastery talent have 2% less chance to be dodged, which means they need 18 expertise to be capped (148 expertise rating at 80, or 115 with full 
[Strength of Arms]).
Expertise from talents
Warriors can gain 2/4/6 points of expertise from Vitality (Warrior talent), in the eighth tier of the Protection tree. They can also gain 2/4 points of expertise from [Strength of Arms], in the seventh tier of the Arms tree
Paladins can gain 2/4/6 points of expertise from 
[Combat Expertise], in the eighth tier of the Protection tree.
Druids can gain 5/10 points of expertise from 
[Primal Precision], in the fourth tier of the Feral tree.
Death Knights can gain 1/2/3/4/5 points of expertise from 
[Tundra Stalker] and 
[Rage of Rivendare]. These talents are located in the tenth tiers of the Frost tree and Unholy tree, respectively. 
[Veteran of the Third War] also gives 2/4/6 points of expertise, and is located in the fifth tier of the Blood tree.
Shamans can gain 3/6/9 points of expertise from 
[Unleashed Rage], in the sixth tier of the Enhancement tree.
Patch 2.3.0
Expertise was introduced in Patch 2.3.0, replacing effects which increased weapon skill. With the patch, weapon skill bonuses for melee weapons were generally replaced with expertise rating bonuses. Talents and racial traits which increased weapon skill were changed to directly increase expertise (not expertise rating). Items and racials which previously granted ranged weapon skill were changed to grant hit or critical strike rating instead, as expertise has no effect on ranged attacks.
See also
References
- ^ a b Whitetooth 2008-07-30. Combat Ratings at level 80. Elitist Jerks. Retrieved on 2010-03-04.
- ^ http://maintankadin.failsafedesign.com/forum/index.php?f=6&t=25841&rb_v=viewtopic&start=15[broken link]
- ^ Satrina 2008-11-27. Frequently Asked Questions. TankSpot. Retrieved on 2010-03-04.
- ^ Quigon 2007-12-03. The Protection Guide. Elitist Jerks. Retrieved on 2008-04-08.
- ^ http://elitistjerks.com/f31/t37032-faq_working_theories_raiding_level_80_a/
External links
elitistjerks.com Roguecraft 101 Random Ravings of World of Warcraft Hit and Expertise pwnwear Dual-wield, weapon speed and expertise
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