Attack power

Overview

Attack power is a derived combat statistic that directly increases the damage of melee attacks and many special abilities. It represents a character's physical prowess in combat and scales with various primary stats depending on class.

Core Mechanics

Attack power directly modifies a character's damage per second (DPS) output through a standardized conversion rate.

Attack Power Scaling by Stat and Class

Strength Conversions

The conversion rate from Strength to Attack Power varies significantly by class:

• Warriors, Paladins, Druids: 2 AP per 1 Strength
• Rogues, Shamans, Hunters: 1 AP per 1 Strength
• Priests, Mages, Warlocks: 1 AP per 1 Strength (rarely relevant)

Agility Conversions

Agility provides Attack Power for specific classes that rely on finesse over brute strength:

• Rogues: 1 AP per 1 Agility
• Hunters: 1 AP per 1 Agility
• Shamans: 1 AP per 1 Agility
• Druids (Cat Form): 1 AP per 1 Agility
• Other classes: No melee AP from Agility

Ranged Attack Power (RAP)

Ranged Attack Power functions similarly to melee attack power but applies to ranged weapons and abilities:

Classes that benefit from RAP:

• Hunters: Primary ranged DPS class, RAP is crucial
• Rogues: Throwing weapons and some abilities
• Warriors: Thrown weapons and ranged pulling

Dual Wielding Mechanics

When dual wielding, the off-hand weapon suffers a damage penalty but still benefits from Attack Power:

This means that while off-hand weapons deal 50% damage, they receive the full benefit of Attack Power before the penalty is applied.

Special Ability Scaling

Many class abilities incorporate Attack Power into their damage calculations:

• Percentage scaling: Abilities like Bloodthirst add a percentage of AP to their damage
• Fixed scaling: Some abilities add a flat amount based on AP
• Weapon normalization: Instant attacks use normalized weapon speeds for AP calculations