Spell damage and healing is an attribute granted by buffs, talents, and equipment that increases the effect of spells. For damage spells, the amount of damage caused is increased, and for healing spells, the amount of healing is increased. Many items will increase damage from all magical schools as well as healing from all schools, while some items will only increase damage done by a particular school, or only increase healing. Many high-level casters, especially damage-dealing casters, consider this attribute to be one of the most important attributes to attain.
Players often refer to this attribute as simply +damage, +dmg, or plus damage. For effects that target a specific school, it is similarly referred to by that school, such as +fire. In particular, healers commonly refer to items with only a healing bonus as +healing.
Items with spell damage and healing have the following green "Equip:" text on the item, for example:
- "Equip: Increases damage and healing done by spells and effects by up to 42."
- "Equip: Increases healing done by up to 42 and damage done by 14 for all magical spells and effects."
- "Equip: Increases Fire damage done by spells and effects by up to 42."
Alternatively, certain item suffixes can carry spell damage and healing - items with names ending in "of Fiery Wrath" or "of the Invoker" being two examples. These appear as white text on the item with the rest of the attributes. The effect of these items is equivalent to those with the green Equip: text:
- "+42 Spell Damage and Healing"
- "+42 Healing Spells and +14 Damage Spells"
- "+42 Fire Spell Damage"
The common misconception surrounding these bonuses is that the item grants a random bonus between 1 and 42 for each spell cast. In actuality, each spell gets a fixed bonus that is determined by the spell type, casting time, target and/or way the spell is applied.
The word "up to" is misleading: it is possible for that bonus to exceed the stated value when applied to certain spells.
Sources
Spell damage and healing is found primarily on equippable items, but can also be increased with potions, buffs and some class talents. Items with the following item suffixes will add spell damage or healing:
| Suffix | Effect | Note |
|---|---|---|
| ..of Arcane Wrath | + Arcane damage | |
| ..of Fiery Wrath | + Fire damage | |
| ..of Frozen Wrath | + Frost damage | |
| ..of Healing | + Healing spells | |
| ..of Nature's Wrath | + Nature damage | |
| ..of Shadow Wrath | + Shadow damage | |
| ..of Sorcery | + Spell damage (not healing) + Stamina + Intellect |
Found only on "Abyssal" items on summoned Silithus bosses. |
| ..of the Crusade | + Spell damage and healing + Defense rating + Intellect |
Introduced in The Burning Crusade |
| ..of the Hierophant | + Healing + Stamina + Spirit |
Introduced in The Burning Crusade |
| ..of the Invoker | + Spell damage and healing + Spell critical strike rating + Intellect |
Introduced in The Burning Crusade |
| ..of the Nightmare | + Shadow damage + Stamina + Intellect |
Introduced in The Burning Crusade |
| ..of the Physician | + Healing + Stamina + Intellect |
Introduced in The Burning Crusade |
| ..of the Prophet | + Healing + Spirit + Intellect |
Introduced in The Burning Crusade |
| ..of the Sorceror | + Spell damage and healing + Stamina + Intellect |
Introduced in The Burning Crusade |
All spell damage and healing gains stack. The total bonus is determined by adding individual bonuses from all equipped items, all buffs, and any talents. The total amount of spell damage and healing can be tracked on the character sheet, under the Spell tab. Bonus Damage shows the total amount that applies to all schools. Mousing over Bonus Damage will break down the benefit by magical school, which includes items that only effect one school. Bonus Healing shows the amount that will be applied to healing spells.
Spell coefficients
The amount of the spell damage or healing bonus that is applied to the spell varies from spell to spell. This is called the spell damage coefficient, and it is mostly fixed for each spell. The coefficient can be determined by following some basic rules that are outlined in this section. It should be noted, however, that many exceptions to these rules exist, and the proper spell coefficient should be found experimentally.
Note: some calculations below end in a decimal result that should be less than 1. To get the % multiply that decimal by 100.
Different types of spells have their damage and healing bonuses calculated differently. There are three base types of spells: standard, over time or a combination. Area of Effect and Channeling spells also take different bonuses. After the proper bonus is calculated, penalties are calculated to achieve the final damage.
Standard spells
Standard spells are spells that apply all the damage or healing at one time. To determine the plus Healing or Damage benefit for these spells the following formula is used:
(Cast Time of Spell) / 3.5
| Cast time | Coefficient | Cast time | Coefficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7.0+ sec | 200.0% | 4.0 sec | 114.3% |
| 6.5 sec | 185.7% | 3.5 sec | 100.0% |
| 6.0 sec | 171.4% | 3.0 sec | 85.71% |
| 5.5 sec | 157.1% | 2.5 sec | 71.43% |
| 5.0 sec | 142.9% | 2.0 sec | 57.14% |
| 4.5 sec | 128.6% | 1.5- sec | 42.86% |
Instant spells are treated as 1.5 second cast time spells, with a coefficient of 42.86%
Spells with a cast time longer than 7.0 seconds are capped at 200%. The casting time used in the calculation should be the base cast time before effects from talents or gear are applied. Note that the tooltip in game includes those effects; refer to the article on a particular spell to get the base cast time.
Examples of such spells include: 
[Healing Touch] (Druid), 
[Greater Heal] (Priest), 
[Shadow Bolt] (Warlock)
Some exceptions of this rule are:
[Soul Fire] (Warlock) - 115%- [Pyroblast] direct damage: 115%, damage over time: 20%
Over-time spells
Over Time spells apply healing or damage over a period of time in ticks.
(Duration of Spell / 15) = Total
| Duration | Coefficient |
|---|---|
| 3 sec | 20% |
| 6 sec | 40% |
| 9 sec | 60% |
| 12 sec | 80% |
| 15 sec | 100% |
| 18 sec | 120% |
| 21 sec | 140% |
Prior to patch 2.0.1, there was a 100% cap on over-time spells longer than 15 seconds. This cap has since been removed. The total bonus is divided equally to each tick.
Examples of these spells include: 
[Rejuvenation] (Druid), 
[Renew] (Priest)
Some exceptions to this rule are:
- [Shadow Word: Pain] (Priest) - 110%, increased beyond 140% with [Improved Shadow Word: Pain], which extends its duration to 24 sec.
- Corruption (Warlock) - 93%, can be increased to 129% with the talent [Empowered Corruption].
- [Curse of Agony] (Warlock) - 120%.
- [Curse of Doom] (Warlock) - 200%.
Hybrid spells (Combined standard and over-time spells)
The bonus for spells that have both a standard and an over time component is divided between them. The over time portion receives the following bonus:
(Duration / 15) / ((Duration / 15) + (Cast Time of Spell / 3.5)) = Portion to Over Time
The standard portion receives the rest:
1 - Portion to Over Time = Portion to Standard
The duration and cast time limits are then applied:
(Cast Time of Spell / 3.5) * Portion to Standard = Total bonus to Standard Portion
(Duration / 15) * Portion to Over Time = Total Bonus to Over Time Portion
Examples of these spells include: 
[Moonfire] (Druid), 
[Immolate] (Warlock)
Exceptions to this rule include
- [Holy Fire] (Priest) - 85.71% (DD), 16.5% (DoT)
- [Regrowth] (Druid) - ~30% (DH), 70% (HoT)
Channeled spells
Channeled spells have their benefit distributed evenly over the time the spell is being cast, getting 100% benefit for the whole spell (not per tick). The duration of the spell cast time is used as with a standard spell to calculate the total benefit, then divided equally between the number of ticks.
Cast Time of Spell / 3.5 = Benefit
Examples of these spells include: 
[Hurricane] (Druid), [Arcane Missiles] (Mage), 
[Hellfire] (Warlock).
An exception to this rule is:
- [Drain Soul] (Warlock) - 214.3%.
Area of effect spells
Area of Effect spells receive only 1/2 of the total bonus. The cast time is used as with a standard spell to calculate the total benefit, then divided by 2.
(Cast Time of Spell / 3.5) / 2 = Benefit
| Cast time | Coefficient | Cast time | Coefficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 sec | 142.86% | 2.5 sec | 35.71% |
| 3.5 sec | 50.00% | 2.0 sec | 28.57% |
| 3.0 sec | 42.86% | 1.5 sec | 21.42% |
Examples of these spells include:
[Tranquility] (Druid), 
[Arcane Explosion] (Mage), 
[Prayer of Healing] (Priest), [Hellfire] (Warlock)
Note that some spells fall under the rules for multiple spell types. Hurricane, Tranquility and Hellfire, for example, are all Area of Effect and Channeled. Prayer of Healing is both a Standard Spell as well as an Area of Effect spell.
In the Burning Crusade and patch 2.0 there is a diminishing return against multiple targets. That is, as the number of targets your spells affect increases, the less damage you will deal to them. The numbers for this mechanic aren't yet known.
Paladin special attacks
Some Paladin abilities work different ways. Here are some formulas tested in beta version of the Burning Crusade.
[Holy Shield], 
[Retribution Aura] (Paladin) reflects damage:
5% of +spell damage effect = +damage applied for each charge
Only Paladin aura benefit from +dmg. A Druid's Thorns spell doesnt get its damage increased except by the Brambles talent.
[Seal of Righteousness], which applies holy damage on each melee attack:
9.2% * Weapon Speed in seconds = Total
1.0 sec = 9.2% 2.2 sec = 20%
Two-handed weapons:
10.8% * Weapon Speed in seconds = Total
2.6 sec = 28% 3.7 sec = 40%
Rules for applying spell damage and healing
- Calculate spell time using the base spell cast time before talents and gear. (The in-game tool tip will include those bonuses; refer to WoWWiki's spells section for base cast times for all spells.)
- Spells that take longer than 7.0 seconds to cast are treated as if their casting time was 7.0 seconds, and spells faster than 1.5 sec are treated as if their casting time was 1.5 seconds.
- Damage benefits are applied before any talents or buffs that may otherwise increase your spell damage.
Penalty rules
Spells learned before level 20
Many spells have multiple ranks. To avoid abuse of lower ranks to have a similar effect at a negligible mana cost, any spell learned below level 20 receives a large penalty. If such a spell has a shorter cast time than a higher rank, this is also taken in to account. This penalty can be calculated by subtracting 3.75% for each level lower than 20.
(20 - Level Spell is Learned) * .0375 = Penalty
Downranked spells
Main article: Formulas:Downranking
On 23-Oct-2006, Drysc posted this to the General forums:
- "In the Burning Crusade, we’ve decided to make a fundamental change to the way spells calculate the bonus they receive from +healing and +spell damage effects and items. This is because we have seen a growing trend in using “downranking” and large amounts of +healing items, which we feel negatively impacts game balance. Downranking involves high-level players using lower level spell ranks and +healing gear to conserve mana, but maintain a high rate of healing done. Through this method, it has become possible in the live game for healing characters to heal large amounts of damage indefinitely without running out of mana. To maintain progression of use through spell ranks, we are changing how lower ranked spells relate to characters of higher level.
- Spells will now receive a smaller bonus from +healing and +spell damage based on a comparison of the level at which the spell was learned and the caster’s current level. Take the Priest spell Heal 2 as an example:
- The spell is learned at level 22, and the base points for healing on the spell keep increasing until level 27. So, level 27 is considered the spell’s max level in our calculation.
- This system gives an additional 6 levels of slack before applying any penalty to casting Heal 2; so, players up to level 33 can cast it with no penalty.
- In this example, we will use level 34 (one level past the cast level of the spell) as a starting point.
- The bonus from +healing is multiplied by this ratio:
- ((spell level)+6) / (player level)
- That means the level 34 player only gets 97% of the normal bonus from +healing items when casting Heal 2. A level 60 player would only get 55% of the bonus, while a level 70 would get 47%.
- The exact same system will also apply to damage spells. However, as healing classes tend to use downranking more often than others, healers are likely to see more effect from this change than other classes. As a general rule, players will be able to use the top 2 or 3 ranks of each spell before receiving any penalty. All of the existing ratios for the +healing and +spell damage bonuses on spells are also still in effect; so spells with a short casting time will continue to receive a smaller bonus than spells with a longer casting time. Spells learned below level 20 will still receive substantially smaller bonuses."
As of patch 2.0.1, this reduction in the effectiveness of +damage/+healing has gone live.
The above text has some confusion about the "spell level" that appears in the ratio. At one point, it says that the penalty is "based on a comparison of the level at which the spell was learned and the caster’s current level." In the example with Heal (Rank 2), though, the level used in the calculation is not the level at which Heal (Rank 2) is learned, but rather the level at which, quote, "the base points for healing on the spell keep increasing until".
What Drysc almost certainly meant was that the "spell level" that appears in the ratio is one level below whenever the next higher rank of the spell is trainable. Since Heal (Rank 3) is trainable at level 28, the "spell level" of Heal (Rank 2) is considered to be level 27. Hence, the formula for the penalty becomes:
([Level at which next higher rank of Spell is Learned] + 5) / [Character Level] = [Downranking Coefficient]
For example, druids first learn the spell Healing Touch (Rank 6) at level 32. For a level 70 Druid, the Downrank coefficient for casting Healing Touch (Rank 5) will be 52.9%, so the spell will only get 52.9% of the druid's +healing bonus.
This penalty is also multiplicative with the cast time coefficient, so the complete formula for spell healing then would be:
([Downranking Coefficient] x [Cast time coefficient] x [Spell healing]) + [Base healing range] = [Actual healing range]
Sub in damage for healing as desired.
Drysc's last sentence implies that the "Spells learned before level 20" penalty described above is still in effect, and in fact is multiplicatively cumulative with the downranked spell penalty.
Spells with Additional Effects
Spells with additional effects, like a slowing effect, get a 5% penalty to damage and healing bonuses. This penalty is applied after the spell type calculation, before other penalties. For example, a standard area of effect spell with an slow effect would be calculated like so:
((Cast Time of Spell / 3.5 ) * .95 Penalty for extra effect) / 3 = Benefit
Examples of these spells include:
[Blast Wave] (Mage), 
[Blizzard] (Mage)
The above calculations are for Area of Effect spells with a snare, identified by the " / 3" at the end. For single-target spells, use the following formula:
((Cast Time of Spell / 3.5 ) * .95 Penalty for extra effect)= Benefit
Examples of these spells include:
[Entangling Roots] (Druid), 
[Frostbolt] (Mage)
Note that in patch 2.1, multiplier for additional effect has changed a lot. For some spells the multiplier is still 0.95, while it might be quite different in many other cases. Here's a list for some of the AoE spells.
Flame Strike DD：23.6% (417/757 * 3/3.5 * 1/2)
Flame Strike DOT：9.9% (340/757 * 8/15 * 1/2 * 0.83)
Blast Wave：19.3% (1.5/3.5 * 1/2 * 0.9－special effect)
Dragon Breath：19.3% (1.5/3.5 * 1/2 * 0.9－special effect)
Molten Armor：0％
Blizzard：95% (8/3.5 * 1/2 * 0.83)
Cone of Cold：19.3% (1.5/3.5 * 1/2 * 0.95－slow effect)
Frost Nova：2.8% (1.5/3.5*1/2*0.13－special effect)
Ice Barrier：10％ (given constant)
Ice Lance：14.2％ (1.5/3.5 * 1/3－ triple dmg on frozen target)
Spells that do Both Damage and Healing
Some spells, namely Life Drains, both damage the target and heal the caster. These spells have a 50% penalty to the bonus they receive, but bonuses to spell damage increase both the damage and the healing of the spell equally. These spells receive no bonus from effects that only increase healing.
Examples of these spells include:
[Devouring Plague] (Priest), 
[Drain Life] (Warlock)
Exceptions to the Rules
- Corruption (93%), [Curse of Agony] (120%), [Curse of Doom] (200%) and [Shadow Word: Pain] (110%) receive a reduced bonus.
- [Drain Soul] has its bonus reduced to half (214%).
- [Fireball] has a small damage over time component, but is not considered a hybrid spell, so it receives only the Direct Damage bonus to its direct damage component. Spell damage gear never increases the DoT on fireball.
- [Holy Fire] does not follow hybrid spell rules and receives 85.71% (DD) and 16.5% (DoT).
- [Mind Flay] does not follow channeling rules and uses 57% damage applied.
- Shadowguard receives a slightly lower bonus than [Lightning Shield] (only app. 81% instead of 100%).
- [Soul Fire] is capped at 115%.
- [Power Word: Shield] does not follow instant cast rules and applies 30% of bonus healing.
- [Pyroblast] deals 115% of +spell damage on impact and 20% of +spell damage to its DoT component.
Additional notes
- +Healing does not apply to bandages or potions. Trinkets should no longer be affected.
- Shaman totems receive benefit from +Damage.
- Hunter Traps don't receive a benefit from increased spell damage.
See also
- Spell Damage Coefficients
- Spell Damage Comparison