Diminishing returns
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Diminishing returns means that certain spells and abilities become less effective against a target if used frequently within a short period of time. While diminishing returns mostly applies to player characters, some abilities also have diminishing returns in PvE. The table below contains a list of abilities that are affected by DR, and under what circumstances. In addition, DR categories are listed. Effects within the same category share diminishing returns.
When a spell with diminishing returns is used against a target in PvP, the first effect has full duration. If the same category of spell (e.g. slowing) is used on that target within 15 seconds, that spell's duration is reduced by 50%. On the third use, the duration is reduced by 75%. After this, the target is immune from all spells in that category for the next 15 seconds.
Spells must be used on the same target within 15 seconds of the *end* of the duration in order to be diminished. In other words, if a target hasn't had a slowing spell active on them for more than 15 seconds, this category of diminishing returns will be reset on the target, and the next slowing spell will have full effect.
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Table
| Class | Spec | Effect | PvP Duration (s) |
PvE Duration (s) |
DR Category |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Death Knight | Unholy |  [Gnaw] (Pet) |
3 | 3 | Controlled Stun |
| Death Knight | No |  [Strangulate] |
5 | 5 | Silence |
| Druid | No |  [Mighty Bash] |
5 | 5 | Controlled Stun |
| Druid | No |  [Cyclone] |
6 | 6 | None |
| Druid | No |  [Entangling Roots] |
8 | 30 | Controlled Root |
| Druid | No |  [Hibernate] |
8 | 40 | Disorient |
| Druid | No |  [Maim] |
1-5 | 1-5 | Controlled Stun |
| Druid | No |  [Pounce] |
4 | 4 | Opener Stun |
| Hunter | No |  [Clench] (Pet) |
8 | 8 | Disarm |
| Hunter | Survival | [Entrapment] |
4 | 4 | None |
| Hunter | No |  [Freezing Trap] |
8 | 20 | Disorient |
| Hunter | No |  [Pin] (Pet) |
4 | 4 | Controlled Root |
| Hunter | No |  [Scare Beast] |
8 | 20 | Fear |
| Hunter | No |  [Scatter Shot] |
4 | 4 | Disorient |
| Hunter | Beast Mastery |  [Intimidation] |
3 | 3 | Controlled Stun |
| Hunter | No |  [Silencing Shot] |
3 | 3 | Silence |
| Hunter | No |  [Sonic Blast] (Pet) |
2 | 2 | Controlled Stun |
| Hunter | No |  [Snatch] (Pet) |
10? | 10 | Disarm |
| Hunter | Survival |  [Wyvern Sting] |
6? | 30 | Disorient |
| Mage | Frost |  [Deep Freeze] |
5 | 5 | Controlled Stun |
| Mage | Fire |  [Dragon's Breath] |
4 | 4 | Disorient |
| Mage | Frost | Freeze (Pet) | 8 | 8 | Controlled Root |
| Mage | No |  [Frost Nova] |
8 | 8 | Controlled Root |
| Mage | Arcane |  [Improved Counterspell] |
4 | 4 | Silence |
| Mage | No |  [Polymorph] |
8 | 50 | Disorient |
| Mage | Arcane |  [Slow] |
8? | 15 | None |
| Paladin | No |  [Hammer of Justice] |
6 | 6 | Controlled Stun |
| Paladin | No |  [Holy Wrath] |
3 | 3 | Controlled Stun |
| Paladin | Retribution |  [Repentance] |
6 | 60 | Disorient |
| Paladin | No |  [Turn Evil] |
10 | 40 | Fear |
| Priest | No |  [Psychic Scream] |
8 | 8 | Fear |
| Priest | No |  [Dominate Mind] |
8 | 30 | None |
| Priest | Shadow |  [Psychic Horror] |
2-4 | 2-4 | Horror |
| Priest | Shadow | [Psychic Horror] (Disarm Effect) |
8 | 8 | Disarm |
| Priest | No | [Shackle Undead] |
10? | 50 | Disorient |
| Priest | Shadow |  [Silence] |
5 | 5 | Silence |
| Priest | Holy |  [Holy Word: Chastise] |
3 | 3 | Disorient |
| Rogue | No |  [Blind] |
8 | 60 | Disorient |
| Rogue | No |  [Cheap Shot] |
4 | 4 | Opener Stun |
| Rogue | No |  [Dismantle] |
8 | 8 | Disarm |
| Rogue | No |  [Garrote] |
3 | 3 | Silence |
| Rogue | No |  [Gouge] |
4 | 4 | Disorient |
| Rogue | No |  [Kidney Shot] |
2-6 | 2-6 | Controlled Stun |
| Rogue | No |  [Sap] |
8 | 60 | Disorient |
| Shaman | Enhancement | Bash (Pet) | 2 | 2 | Controlled Stun |
| Shaman | No |  [Frost Shock] |
8 | 8 | Snare |
| Shaman | Enhancement |  [Frozen Power] |
5 | 5 | Controlled Root |
| Shaman | No |  [Hex] |
8 | 60 | Disorient |
| Warlock | Demonology |  [Axe Toss] (Pet) |
4 | 4 | Controlled Stun |
| Warlock | No |  [Banish] |
6 | 30 | None |
| Warlock | No |  [Mortal Coil] |
3 | 3 | Horror |
| Warlock | No |  [Fear] |
8 | 20 | Fear |
| Warlock | No |  [Howl of Terror] |
8? | 20 | Fear |
| Warlock | No | [Seduction] (Pet) |
8 | 30 | Fear |
| Warlock | No |  [Shadowfury] |
3 | 3 | Controlled Stun |
| Warlock | No |  [Spell Lock] (Pet) |
3 | 3 | Silence |
| Warrior | No |  [Charge] |
1.5 | 1.5 | Stun |
| Warrior | No |  [Disarm] |
8 | 8 | Disarm |
| Warrior | No |  [Hamstring] |
10 | 15 | None |
| Warrior | No |  [Intimidating Shout] |
8 | 8 | Fear |
| Warrior | Protection |  [Shockwave] |
4 | 4 | Controlled Stun |
| (Racial) | No |  [Arcane Torrent] |
2 | 2 | Silence |
| (Racial) | No |  [War Stomp] |
2 | 2 | Controlled Stun |
- Controlled Root - Freeze (Water Elemental), Pin (Crab), Frost Nova, Entangling Roots, Earthgrab (Storm, Earth and Fire)
- Controlled Stun - Bash, Concussion Blow, Deep Freeze, Demon Charge, Gnaw, Holy Wrath, Inferno Effect (Doomguard summon), Hammer of Justice, Intercept (Felguard), Intercept (Warrior), Intimidation, Kidney Shot, Maim, Ravage, Shadowfury, Shockwave, Sonic Blast, War Stomp
- Disarm - Chimera Shot - Scorpid, Disarm, Dismantle, Psychic Horror (Disarm effect), Snatch
- Disorient - Dragon's Breath, Freezing Arrow, Freezing Trap, Gouge, Hex, Hibernate, Hungering Cold, Polymorph, Repentance, Sap, Shackle, Wyvern Sting
- Fear - Blind, Fear (Warlock), Howl of Terror, Intimidating Shout, Psychic Scream, Scare Beast, Seduction (Pet), Turn Evil
- Horror - Death Coil, Psychic Horror
- Opener Stun - Cheap Shot, Pounce
- Random Root - Frostbite, Improved Hamstring, Shattered Barrier
- Random Stun - Impact, Revenge Stun, Seal of Justice, Stoneclaw Stun
- Silence - Arcane Torrent, Gag Order (Warrior talent), Garrote, Improved Counterspell, Nether Shock, Silencing Shot, Improved Kick, Shield of the Templar, Silence (Priest), Spell Lock, Strangulate
- Taunt - Angered Earth, Challenging Howl, Challenging Roar, Challenging Shout, Dark Command, Death Grip, Distracting Shot, Growl (Druid), Hand of Reckoning, Mocking Blow, Righteous Defense, Taunt (Pet),Taunt (Warrior)
Banish, Charge, Cyclone, Entrapment, Scatter Shot, and Mind Control are on diminishing returns with themselves.
In PvE
Many types of crowd control also suffer from diminishing returns versus NPCs. Diminishing returns do not count per player but per creature; every creature has its own diminishing return for each group of CC and all players in your party / raid will be affected by that diminishing return.
Patch changes
Patch 3.3.0 (2009-12-08): Taunt Diminishing Returns: We've revised the system for diminishing returns on Taunt so that creatures do not become immune to Taunt until after 5 Taunts have landed. The duration of the Taunt effect will be reduced by 35% instead of 50% for each taunt landed. In addition, most creatures in the world will not be affected by Taunt diminishing returns at all. Creatures will only have Taunt diminishing returns if they have been specifically flagged for that behavior based on the design of a given encounter.- Hotfix (2009-09-09): "We just deployed a hotfix to modify [Holy Wrath] so this spell has the same diminishing return mechanics that other player stun spells and abilities currently have. This will prevent Undead creatures that we wish to be susceptible to stun from being permanently stunned if you include enough Paladins in your raid who then rotate their Holy Wrath casts.
This will affect the difficulty of
Anub'arak, but we didn't want the "right way" to defeat this fight to involve bringing five Paladins who [glyphed] their Holy Wrath spell." - Patch 3.0.8 (2009-01-20): All Silence spells now have diminishing returns. This includes: [Arcane Torrent], [Garrote] silence effect, [Improved Counterspell] effect,
[Improved Kick] effect, [Silence], 
[Gag Order], [Silencing Shot], [Spell Lock], and [Strangulate]. - Patch 3.0.2 (2008-10-14): Melee mitigation stats also have diminishing returns.
Patch 2.3.0 (2007-11-13):
- [Blind] is now a physical (no longer a poison) attack. Reagent requirement removed. Now shares the same diminish category as [Cyclone] and is now diminished in PvE as well as PvP.
[Riposte] is now subject to diminishing returns in PvP.- [Frost Shock] is no longer subject to diminishing returns.
[Unstable Affliction]: The silence from this ability is now subject to diminishing returns.- [Disarm] is now subject to diminishing returns in PvP.
- Patch 2.1.0 (2007-05-22):
- [Entrapment] (Survival): Effect duration reduced to 4 seconds and is now subject to diminishing returns in PvP.
[Frostbite] effect is now subject to diminishing returns in PvP.- Death Coil is now is now subject to diminishing returns in the Horror category.
- Reputation: Players will experience diminished gains in reputation from killing outdoor mobs while in raids larger than five players.
Patch 1.9.0 (2006-01-03): The stun effect's duration no longer diminishes or is diminished by controlled stun abilities and spells:
- Patch 1.4.0 (2005-05-05): A handful of spells were added to the list of spells subject to diminishing returns in PvP. It is our goal to set as few spells as possible to be diminished. We've identified this short list of spells as having durations and cooldowns sufficient to almost permanently slow or immobilize targets but without adequate controls or other limiting factors. When a spell with diminishing returns is used against a target in PvP, the first effect has full duration. On the second use of the same category of spell (e.g. slowing), that spell's duration is reduced by 50%. On the third use, the duration is reduced by 75%. On the fourth attempt, the target becomes immune to the spell. Spells must be used on the same target within 15 seconds of the *end* of the duration in order to be diminished. In other words, if a target hasn't had a slowing spell active on them for more than 15 seconds, the next slowing spell will have full effect. The list of affected spells is:
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