Wowpedia

We have moved to Warcraft Wiki. Click here for information and the new URL.

READ MORE

Wowpedia
Register
Advertisement
Sap
Ability sap
  • Sap
  • Row 1 rogue talent
  • 10 yd range
  • 35 Energy
  • Instant
  • Requires Melee Weapon
    Requires Stealth
  • Incapacitates a target not in combat for 1 min. Only works on Humanoids, Beasts, Demons, and Dragonkin. Damage will revive the target. Limit 1.
Properties
Class Rogue
School Physical
Cooldown None/Global Cooldown
Improvements Ability sap [Blackjack], Ability rogue dirtydeeds [Dirty Tricks], Ability skyreach piercing rush [Rushed Setup]
Related buff
Ability sap
  • Sap
  • Incapacitated.
  • Duration: 1 minute

Sap is a rogue class talent that incapacitates a single target for up to 1 minute. It is automatically learned for Subtlety.

Notes[]

  • Sap has a PvP duration of 8 seconds, and is subject to diminishing returns, in its own category.
  • Sap does not have a chance to break early, always lasting the full duration unless the sapped target is hit.
  • Only works on Humanoids, Beasts, Demons and Dragonkin. (A good rule to remember is that it works on anything with a brain).
  • Requires stealth, unless used with Ability rogue shadowdance [Shadow Dance].
  • The target must not be in combat, and any damage caused will revive the target.
  • Only 1 target may be sapped at a time.
  • Despite the description, sap is not considered an incapacitate effect, but a sap effect.

Tips[]

  • Sapping in a neutral town does aggro the guards.
  • Sap is an effective crowd control technique. Don't forget to tell the party which mob you are sapping, as any damage breaks the effect.
  • Sap does not cause threat, meaning that if you Sap a mob and then move out of normal aggro range, the mob will not attack you after the Sap effect is broken.
  • Mobs that are Sapped won't be tagged as your kill until you deal damage to them. Be wary of other players stealing your kill.
  • Sap can be useful in a PvP environment, to even out a 2-on-1, to take out a Shaman's totems before you fight them, to capture a flag quickly in battlegrounds, or even after a Ability vanish [Vanish]. Remember, like all crowd-control effects, Sap is limited to a reduced duration in PvP.
  • Sapping a player of the opposite faction will turn on your PvP Flag. Be wary.

Comparison to Paralysis[]

Upon release, monks were given a crowd control ability called Ability monk paralysis [Paralysis]. Like Sap, this causes an incapacitate effect up to 60 seconds long, but was considered a magical effect that could be reflected, grounded, or dispelled. In patch 5.2.0 it was made physical, increasing the similarity to Sap. This section compares the two.

Advantages of Sap[]

Advantages of Paralysis[]

Trivia[]

Patch changes[]

  • Dragonflight Patch 10.1.0 (2023-05-02): Duration decreased to 6 seconds in PvP combat (was 8 seconds).
  • Dragonflight Patch 10.0.0 (2022-10-25): Now a row 1 class talent (was a level 11 ability).
  • Shadowlands Patch 9.0.1 (2020-10-13): Now learned at level 11 (was 14).
  • Legion Patch 7.1.0 (2016-10-25): Now learned at level 14 (was 12).
  • Mists of Pandaria Patch 5.0.4 (2012-08-28): Now learned at level 12 (was 10).
  • Cataclysm Hotfix (2011-07-01): Sap is no longer placing the rogue in combat when he/she is visible and the target is sapped.
  • Cataclysm Patch 4.0.6 (2011-02-08): Now has a PvP duration of 8 seconds.
  • Bc icon Patch 2.4.0 (2008-03-25): Sap is no longer considered an incapacitate effect; changed to allow more creatures to be crowd controlled in dungeons who were previously immune.
  • Bc icon Patch 2.3.0 (2007-11-13): Multiple Saps placed by multiple Rogues will now be handled correctly in all cases.
  • Bc icon Patch 2.2.0 (2007-09-25):
    • It is no longer sometimes possible to Sap two targets at the same time in the outdoor world.
    • Duration against PvP targets has been reduced to 10 seconds.
  • Bc icon Patch 2.1.0 (2007-05-22): Sap will no longer remove you from Ability stealth [Stealth].
  • Bc icon Patch 2.0.3 (2007-01-09): There is no longer a random chance the effect of Sap will end (i.e. removed the heartbeat resist check). The effect will still end early when the target is damaged.
  • WoW Icon update Patch 1.12.0 (2006-08-22): Enemy rogues will now always lose stealth when you Sap them.
  • WoW Icon update Patch 1.10.0 (2006-03-28): Spell nature lightningshield [Lightning Shield] will no longer break Stealth when the Sap is resisted.
  • WoW Icon update Patch 1.2.0 (2004-12-18): Players now have an increasing chance to break free of the effect, such that it is unlikely the effect will last more than 15 seconds.
  • WoW Icon update Patch 1.1.0 (2004-11-07): Increased the chance of breaking early.
  • Test-inline Patch 0.11 (2004-09-29): Targets now have a chance of waking up before the duration ends.
  • Test-inline Patch 0.6 (2004-04-13):
    • No longer requires to be behind target.
    • Now breaks Stealth and is only usable on one target at a time.
    • No longer works on a target that is in combat.

See also[]

External links[]

Advertisement