⚔️

Burst & Pressure

Recognize and execute kill opportunities

Burst vs. Sustained Pressure

TBC arena has two damage philosophies: burst and sustained pressure. Understanding when to use each is crucial.

⚡ Burst Damage

High damage in a short window (3-6 seconds), using offensive cooldowns.

  • Requires setup (CC on healer, target in position)
  • Uses cooldowns: trinkets, Arcane Power, Recklessness
  • Goal: Kill before healer can react
  • Examples: RMP shatter combos, Warrior MS spam with Death Wish

🌊 Sustained Pressure

Consistent damage that drains healer mana over time.

  • Doesn't require heavy setup
  • Conserves cooldowns for defensive use
  • Goal: OOM the healer, force drinks, win in dampening
  • Examples: Warlock dots, Warrior cleave damage, Hunter pet + shots

Most games are won with burst, but sustained pressure creates the conditions for successful burst.

Recognizing Kill Conditions

A "kill condition" is when enough factors align that a kill becomes likely. Learn to recognize these windows:

✅ Healer CC'd

The healer is in CC (preferably full duration) and cannot heal. This is the most important condition.

CRITICAL

✅ Target Low Health

Target is below 50% HP, meaning less healing needed to recover and more risk of getting globaled.

HIGH

✅ Defensive CDs Down

Target has already used Ice Block, trinket, Cloak, etc. They have no "outs."

HIGH

✅ Your Burst Ready

Your offensive cooldowns are available: trinket procs, Arcane Power, Recklessness, cooldown abilities.

MEDIUM

✅ Positioning Advantage

Target is out of LoS of their healer, or you're between them and pillars.

MEDIUM

The Golden Rule

Need at least 2-3 conditions to go for a kill. Going with only one (like "I have cooldowns!") leads to wasted burst and lost games.

Setting Up Kill Windows

Don't wait for perfect conditions—create them. Here's how to engineer kill windows:

Step 1: Apply Pressure

Damage the kill target to get them below 70%. This makes the healer reactive and creates urgency.

Step 2: Bait Cooldowns

Use moderate pressure to force defensive cooldowns. Now they're on CD for your real attempt.

Step 3: CC the Healer

Land your CC chain on the healer. Full duration CC = full kill window.

Step 4: Commit Burst

Pop all offensive cooldowns simultaneously. Time is critical—deal maximum damage before CC breaks.

Step 5: Extend if Needed

If they survive barely, use remaining CC to keep healer locked while you finish.

⚠️ Don't Go Every Minute

Going for kills on cooldown wastes resources. Only commit when conditions are right. Patient teams win more.

Burst Windows by Class

Each class has specific burst windows. Know when each class is most dangerous:

❄️ Mage

Window: Shatter combo (target frozen + crits)

CDs: Arcane Power, Icy Veins, Cold Snap

Duration: 3-4 seconds of extreme damage

⚔️ Warrior

Window: MS spam during Recklessness/Death Wish

CDs: Recklessness, Death Wish, trinket

Duration: 15 seconds of sustained burst

🗡️ Rogue

Window: Kidney Shot with full combo points + AR/BF

CDs: Adrenaline Rush, Blade Flurry, Cold Blood

Duration: 6 seconds during Kidney

🔮 Warlock

Window: Soul Fire + instant Shadowburn on low target

CDs: Trinket proc, Death Coil, Shadowfury

Duration: 2-3 second execute window

🏹 Hunter

Window: Aimed Shot + Multi + Arcane during Bestial Wrath

CDs: Bestial Wrath, Rapid Fire, trinket

Duration: 10 seconds of high damage

⚡ Elemental Shaman

Window: Elemental Mastery + Chain Lightning/shocks

CDs: Elemental Mastery (guaranteed crit), Nature's Swiftness

Duration: 1-2 seconds of instant burst

🛡️ Retribution Paladin

Window: Crusader Strike + Seal of Command procs during wings

CDs: Avenging Wrath (wings), trinket, Hammer of Wrath

Duration: 20 seconds, execute phase at 20% with HoW

✨ Shadow Priest

Window: DoTs + Mind Blast during Silence/CC on healer

CDs: Shadowfiend, Inner Focus, trinket + SW:Death execute

Duration: Sustained pressure, execute at 25% with SW:Death

🐱 Feral Druid

Window: 5CP Ferocious Bite during Maim or Bash

CDs: Tiger's Fury, Berserk (if specced), Rip bleed + Bite

Duration: 3-4 seconds, combo points built then spent

🌙 Balance Druid

Window: Starfire spam during Eclipse procs (if T5+)

CDs: Nature's Swiftness Starfire, Treants, Innervate for mana

Duration: Sustained casting, opportunistic burst

🔨 Enhancement Shaman

Window: Stormstrike + Windfury procs

CDs: Shamanistic Rage (defensive), Bloodlust/Heroism

Duration: RNG-based, WF procs can global targets

Trading "Goes"

A "go" is when your team commits to a kill attempt. Understanding go-trading is advanced arena strategy:

Your Go vs. Their Go

When enemies use their offensive cooldowns on you, you can often use yours on them. Whose go is more effective?

Example: Counter-Go

Situation: Enemy Warrior pops Recklessness on your healer.

Options:

  • Defensive: Healer kites, uses CDs, team peels
  • Counter-go: Your team pops cooldowns on THEIR healer

Analysis: If their healer is squishier than yours, counter-go might get the kill faster than they can kill you.

When to Counter-Go

  • Their burst can be survived with minor cooldowns
  • Your target is weaker than their target
  • They overcommitted and have no peels
  • You win the damage race (better gear/class)

The Mana War & Long Games

TBC arena has no dampening mechanic—games are won through the mana war. Understanding mana economy is essential for closing out games.

Why Mana Matters in TBC

Unlike later expansions, TBC arena has no automatic dampening. Games end when:

  • Healers go OOM: The primary win condition in long games
  • Burst kills through healing: Quick games with coordinated damage
  • Attrition: Accumulated pressure leads to a mistake

Most games at high rating are decided by mana, not burst alone.

Mana Pressure Tactics

🔥 Mana Burn (Priest)

The most powerful mana pressure tool. Burns 1131 mana and deals half as damage. Spam this on enemy healers—two priests mana burning each other is a race.

Tip: Fake cast Mana Burn to bait interrupts, then cast the real one.

🐍 Viper Sting (Hunter)

Drains 1440 mana over 8 seconds. Cannot be dispelled. Combined with Scorpid Sting dispel protection, this devastates healers.

Tip: Keep Viper Sting on the healer, switch Serpent Sting to kill target.

🧛 Drain Mana (Warlock)

Channeled mana drain. Best used during CC on the target or when they can't pressure you. Dark Pact lets you convert this to your own mana.

🚫 Drink Denial

Never let enemies drink. Keep DoTs up, use instant abilities, have pets attack. A successful drink can swing the entire match.

Closing Out Long Games

Target the OOM Healer

Once the healer is below 20% mana, consider swapping to them. No mana = no instant heals = easy burst target. Watch for their innervate/mana tide timing.

Force Cooldowns, Then Wait

Force their defensive CDs with moderate pressure, back off, regenerate your mana, then go again when their CDs are still down but yours are up.

The Execute Window

Get the kill target to 20-30% HP and maintain it. At this range, one missed heal or one crit = death. Warriors with Execute and Warlocks with Shadowburn excel here.

Save a Cooldown for the Finish

Don't blow everything early. Saving Recklessness, Arcane Power, or trinket for when the healer is OOM can secure kills that would otherwise be impossible.

Healer Mana Pool Reference

Resto Druid ~9,000-11,000 mana Innervate (6 min), drink-shift
Disc Priest ~8,000-10,000 mana Shadowfiend (5 min), drinking
Holy Paladin ~7,000-9,000 mana BoW + Illumination procs, drinking
Resto Shaman ~8,000-10,000 mana Mana Tide (5 min), Water Shield