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Stun effects are a form of crowd control that cause the victim to be unable to move or perform most actions for a period of time. Stuns are significantly more effective than snare or root effects, since they prevent the victim from taking any action, and unlike disorient and incapacitate effects, do not break when the victim is damaged. Consequently, stuns are almost always very short duration effects.

Stuns are one of the most effective and powerful types of crowd control, preventing targets from moving or taking any actions for the duration. Unlike fear effects, they do not cause targets to wander, and do not break on damage. However, a number of abilities are designed to specifically counter stuns, removing, preventing or reducing the duration of stun effects. Additionally, certain abilities are designed to be usable by players even when stunned, reducing the significance of the effect.

All raid bosses, most or all dungeon bosses and many elite mobs are permanently immune to stuns. Certain abilities with stun components, such as Warrior talent icon stormbolt [Storm Bolt], are for this reason designed to deal additional damage to targets that are permanently immune to stuns, maintaining their usefulness in PvE.

Stun effects are similar to sleep effects in that they also prevent a victim from taking action. However, the Undead racial ability Spell shadow raisedead [Will of the Forsaken] (which removes sleep, charm, and fear effects) will not remove a stun.

Abilities[]

Racial abilities[]

Counters and immunities[]

Diminishing returns[]

Stuns cast by players will trigger diminishing returns. Consequently, after three stuns (not to be confused with disorients) within a short period of time, the target will become temporarily immune. There are however several diminishing returns categories, one for activated stuns, which include most stun effects, and one for proc stuns, which include the stuns from procs, as well as one specifically for Ability cheapshot [Cheap Shot]. Using stuns in one category will not affect the duration of stuns in the another category. Also, unlike many crowd control effects, most stuns suffer diminishing returns even in PvE encounters.

See also[]

Patch changes[]

  • WoW Icon update Patch 1.7.0 (2005-09-13): Several stun spells and abilities that were previously unresistable can now be resisted as was always intended.
  • WoW Icon update Patch 1.6.0 (2005-07-12): It will no longer be possible to swap any equipment while stunned.
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