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Many of the buffs and debuffs in World of Warcraft have a dispel type, which appears in the upper right-hand corner of the tooltip box if you hover your pointer over the buff or debuff icon. The dispel type tells you how the effect can be removed or dispelled. There are 5 main dispel types, 2 that are rarely used, and at least one that is present on tooltips but not targeted by any abilities.

Curse[]

Main article: Curse

The ability to curse their enemies is almost exclusively limited to warlocks, although shaman can also curse via Spell shaman hex [Hex]. Druids with Spell holy removecurse [Remove Corruption], mages with Spell nature removecurse [Remove Curse], and shaman with Ability shaman cleansespirit [Cleanse Spirit] can remove them.

Disease[]

Main article: Disease

These are usually conditions like Spell holy harmundeadaura [Rabies], Spell holy harmundeadaura [Tetanus], and the like and are usually caused by mobs. However, priests can cast Spell shadow devouringplague [Devouring Plague], and certain death knight abilities cause diseases, most notably Spell deathknight bloodplague [Blood Plague] and Spell deathknight frostfever [Frost Fever]. Paladins (Spell holy purify [Cleanse]), priests (Spell holy nullifydisease [Cure Disease]), and monks (Ability rogue imrovedrecuperate [Detox] and Mistweavers' Spell monk revival [Revival]) can remove Disease-type effects from themselves and their allies. The dwarven racial ability Inv gauntlets 03 [Stoneform] will also instantly cleanse the caster of all Disease effects.

Magic[]

Main article: Magic (dispel type)

The most common effects are Magic. There are Magic-type buffs (beneficial), as well as Magic debuffs (harmful).

Hunters can use Spell nature drowsy [Tranquilizing Shot], shaman can use Spell nature purge [Purge], and Protection warriors can use Inv shield 05 [Shield Slam] to remove Magic buffs from their enemies. Warlocks may use their Felhunter's Spell nature purge [Devour Magic]. Mages can use Spell arcane arcane02 [Spellsteal] to transfer enemy Magic buffs to themselves.

With the appropriate talents, Holy paladins (Ability paladin sacredcleansing [Sacred Cleansing]), Restoration druids (Ability shaman cleansespirit [Nature's Cure]), and Restoration shamans (Ability shaman cleansespirit [Improved Cleanse Spirit]) have the ability to remove Magic debuffs from their allies. All Mistweaver monks can remove Magic debuffs from themselves and their allies using Ability rogue imrovedrecuperate [Detox] and Spell monk revival [Revival]. The monk talent Spell monk diffusemagic [Diffuse Magic] removes Magic debuffs from the caster.

Priests of all kinds can use Spell arcane massdispel [Mass Dispel] to simultaneously remove buffs from enemies and debuffs from allies. Priests can also use Spell nature nullifydisease [Dispel Magic] to remove 1 buff from an enemy or up to 2 debuffs from themselves.

Some Magic-type effects are classed as invulnerabilities, and cannot be removed by any of the aforementioned abilities; these include Spell shadow cripple [Banish], Spell frost frost [Ice Block] and Spell holy divineshield [Divine Shield]. Only a priest's glyphed Spell arcane massdispel [Mass Dispel] or a warrior's Ability warrior shatteringthrow [Shattering Throw] can remove these more potent buffs.

Poison[]

Main article: Poison

Rogues are highly capable of causing Poison-type debuffs and DoTs, but many mobs do as well. Hunter sting abilities are also considered poison debuffs. Druids (with Spell holy removecurse [Remove Corruption]), paladins (Spell holy purify [Cleanse]) and monks (Ability rogue imrovedrecuperate [Detox] and Spell monk revival [Revival]) can remove these. Those with the First Aid secondary skill can also create Anti-Venoms to cure poison, although these are very rarely used at max level. Dwarves can invoke Inv gauntlets 03 [Stoneform] to cleanse themselves of all Poison effects for free once every two minutes.

Enrage[]

Main article: Enrage effect

Rare dispel types[]

Typeless effects[]

There are also many lasting effects which do not have a dispel type; there are no general spells that remove these. However, there may still be hope: the ones that impose a specific mechanic upon the target may be susceptible to removal by certain items and abilities that can remove this specific mechanic (for example, Inv fabric wool 01 [Luffa] and Inv gauntlets 03 [Stoneform] can remove bleed effects, while Spell nature drowsy [Tranquilizing Shot], Ability hunter beastsoothe [Soothe], and Inv throwingknife 04 [Shiv] can remove Enrage effects). Some lasting effects, however, must simply run their course and expire with time.

Most typeless effects can also be removed using the paladin's Spell holy divineshield [Divine Shield] or the mage's Spell frost frost [Ice Block].

Reading a Wowhead dispel effect[]

On Wowhead, a spell entry may include the effect "Dispel" followed by a number in brackets. That number indicates the type of buff or debuff the spell will remove:

  1. Magic
  2. Curse
  3. Disease
  4. Poison
  5. Stealth
  6. (unused)
  7. Magic, Curse, Disease or Poison
  8. Special (npc only)
  9. Enrage

On the next line, the number following "Value:" is the maximum number of effects of this type that will be dispelled. Spells that have the attribute "Remove auras on immunity" remove buffs and debuffs based on their mechanic rather than their dispel type.

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