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Catch phrases and anecdotes abound on the subject of Gear vs. Skill. You’ve probably all heard about the 10 man that was able to down the Lich King in all ilevel 200 gear or about the warrior in all blues that topped the DPS charts in Ulduar. However, my experience with the vast majority of players in WOW is that they often look to gear as the only way to improve their personal DPS.

In my experience, the biggest gains that I’ve made in my personal DPS have come from improving my skills as a player. Rather than waiting for the one thing in game that I have limited control of (random loot drops), I try to focus on the one thing in game that I have complete control of; my class. There are always a thousand little things that you can change to eek out a little more DPS from your character. What often goes unsaid is that these thousand little tweaks can lead to a MONSTER increase in your DPS.

Here are a few pointers that have helped me to increase my DPS in the past.

1. Stack your buffs. If you think a Bloodlust or a Heroism is incoming, hold off on firing your trinket and drinking a pot. Layering these three temporary buffs on top of each other can lead to a nice uptick in your personal DPS.

2. Always cast. There are very few times during a boss fight when you should not be damaging him (if you have to ask what these times are, then you should focus on the basics of raid encounters, aggro generation, and boss mechanics instead of reading this post). Cast as much as possible in the limited amount of time you have a save your instant casts for when you need to move (which segues us nicely into our third point).

3. Move as little as possible. Obviously, this is subject to the fights’ mechanics but less moving=more casting=more damage. If you don’t have to move, then DON’T MOVE.

4. Research the fight. You can’t DPS if you aren’t alive. Understand, anticipate and manipulate a fights’ mechanics to achieve your highest potential DPS.

5. Know your class. This may be the most important one on the list. Know your rotations and Oh Shit buttons cold. Use macros, obscure spells that are buried in your spell book, essentially anything that is particular to your class that can be of use to you or to the raid.

6. Treat every encounter as a potential kill. If you find yourself alt–tabbed and AFK for Ready Checks, there is a good chance you’ll be missing cool downs on your rotations and dying to easily avoidable fight mechanics. FOCUS!

Obviously this list is geared to my particular class and some things may not hold true for your class. If that’s the case, let me know! Tell me all of the tips and tricks (general and class specific) that you’ve picked up raiding so we can all benefit!