Fear

For general info, see fear effect.

Fear
Fear (3 ranks) Warlock ability 20 yd range 12% of Base Mana n/a cooldown 1.5 sec cast Strikes fear in the enemy, causing it to run in fear for up to X sec. Damage caused may interrupt the effect. Only 1 target can be feared at a time.
Properties
Class	Warlock
School	Shadow
Cooldown	N/A
Improvements	Grim Reach
Related debuff
Magic Fear Feared. Duration: X sec

[[Category:warlock abilities]][[Category:warlock abilities]]

It fled without a word . . . unless "AAAAAGH!" counts as a word.Template:TCG quote

Fear is a Warlock spell in the Affliction tree. Fear causes a single enemy to flee in fear, effectively disabling it temporarily. This can be a powerful, though dangerous, tool that is integral to the warlock crowd control.

Fear has a damage limit. If we reach it, the fear come to and. Dots need more time to disable the effect than melee or casted spells.(cause it has smaller damage) Spells that cause no damage do not break fear. We can enlarge the fear under damaging:  [Glyph of Fear]: Increases the damage your Fear target can take before the Fear effect is removed by 20%.

Repeated castings of fear increase the victim's ability to resist it for players (due to the Diminishing Returns Rule), but not for mobs. A mob can be repeatedly feared indefinitely.

Rank table

Rank	Duration (sec)	Level	Cost
1	10	8	2
2	15	32	63
3	20	56	1 98

Notes

PvE

In a solo setting, Fear can put a mob out of commission for a period of time; this is hugely beneficial considering the low mana cost of Fear. The danger is that the feared mob can run into companions that, depending on the type of mob (usually humanoid and some beasts), may aggro. This drawback normally restricts Fear's PvE use to planned settings or emergency situations (i.e. the warlock is about to die). A common use of Fear is to cast many DoTs on a mob and then repeatedly fear it. This tactic is especially useful when fighting elite mobs or mobs much higher level than the warlock. When used in combination with [Demonic Sacrifice] for HP regeneration, a warlock can solo hard elite mobs.

It is possible to effectively crowd-control/kite a single mob with Fear in conjunction with [Curse of Recklessness]. If a mob runs in an undesirable direction while feared, casting [Curse of Recklessness] will cause the mob to immediately return to the fight. Overriding [Curse of Recklessness] with any other curse while the Fear debuff is still active will send the mob running away again. With some practice, the Warlock can trap the mob in a controlled "yo-yo" pattern with a minimal risk of the mob attracting additional enemies.

Fear only works on one target at a time. Even so, a skilled warlock can keep two mobs running at once with Fear: fearing the first mob, then the second mob when the first is some distance away (breaking the fear spell on the first) then re-fearing the first when it gets back, causing a "fear relay" that takes a lot of the Warlock's attention.

PvP

In PvP, Fear finds its place to shine -- it is powerful, especially in a 1v1 setting, and when combined with the Succubus Seduction it can eliminate two opponents from a fray. This strategy has also resulted in the derogatory nickname "fearlock."

Counters

• Items that can dispel fear:
  • [Glimmering Mithril Insignia] grants immunity to fear for 30 sec when used.
  • [Phaseshift Bulwark] makes the wearer immune to fear when used for 4 sec.
  • [Insignia of the Alliance] and [Insignia of the Horde] both break all movement-impairing and loss-of-control effects over a character, including fear.
• Hunter pets of hunter's with the [Bestial Wrath] talent are immune to fear.
• Priests can use [Fear Ward] to prevent one fear effect working over a 3 min period.
• Warriors can use [Berserker Rage] to become immune to fear for 10 sec or use [Recklessness] for 15 sec.
  • Warriors with the Tier 5 Arms talent [Death Wish] can use it to be immune to fear for 30 sec.
• Forsaken characters can use their racial trait [Will of the Forsaken] to dispel fear.

Talent improvement

[Grim Reach] improves the casting range of Fear.

Tips and tactics

PvP gloves improve Fear by giving the wearer a 50% chance to avoid interruption caused by damage while casting Fear.
Most PvP sets have a bonus to reduce the casting time of the wearer's Fear spell by 0.1 sec.

Controversy

Fear can be used as a last resort but in duels it is often considered cheap. This is because the opponent cannot break free without being hit. By the time the opponent recovers they could be feared again. OTOH, the same could be said of many such abilities from other classes, and asking a player to handicap themselves (by not using particular spells or abilities, i.e. to deliberately play their character in a less than optimal fashion) is an open admission from the start that that player is better. To make it fair, a warlock should only agree to refrain some using fear at the request of the other player, and in return, should be allowed to pick an ability that the other player must refrain from using as well.

See also

• [Howl of Terror]
• [Death Coil]
• Fear Effect