Damage over time

Damage over time, abbreviated DoT, is a term commonly used to describe skills that distribute damage to their target over a time period, rather than all at once. It's worth noting that while they don't mean the same thing, most DoT skills are AoE. This means that they typically strike the area surrounding the target (sometimes yourself, e.g. Symbol of Wrath) with damage, as opposed to just hurting your target.

A typical DoT skill is Breath of Fire. There are also skills like Empathy or Backfire, which can deal damage repeatedly, however damage over time normally only refers to skills which are time based, as opposed to those which are triggered.

A similar effect, often confusing for new players, is health degeneration. Health degeneration is not treated as damage in Guild Wars. It's inflicted by enemies and can kill you if applied for long enough, but it uses seperate mechanics.

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