Section 02·WoW Combat Log Reference

Event Type Catalog

Every event type a real combat log parser has to handle: damage, healing, auras, casts, special events, encounter and metadata events, and the _SUPPORT suffix for Augmentation Evoker.

This is the catalog of event types a real parser handles. Field layouts for each are documented in the dedicated reference pages — this page just maps the names to what they mean.

Damage Events

Event	When
`SPELL_DAMAGE`	Direct spell damage
`SPELL_PERIODIC_DAMAGE`	DoT tick
`SPELL_BUILDING_DAMAGE`	Damage to destructibles (rare in modern content)
`RANGE_DAMAGE`	Auto-shot and ranged abilities
`SWING_DAMAGE`	Melee auto-attack hit
`SWING_DAMAGE_LANDED`	Same melee swing reported with the target's advanced block. Do NOT count both — pick `SWING_DAMAGE`.
`ENVIRONMENTAL_DAMAGE`	Falling, lava, fire, slime, drowning, fatigue
`SPELL_ABSORBED`	Damage absorbed by a shield. The shield-caster gets credit.
`SPELL_HEAL_ABSORBED`	Healing absorbed by a heal-absorb debuff
`DAMAGE_SPLIT`	Damage split among multiple targets (defensive/support mechanic). Exclude from offensive damage totals.
`SPELL_INSTAKILL`	Forced kill effect (e.g., Purgatory expiring). Use for death analysis.

Healing & Resource Events

Event	When
`SPELL_HEAL`	Direct heal
`SPELL_PERIODIC_HEAL`	HoT tick
`SPELL_ENERGIZE`	Resource gain (mana, rage, etc.)
`SPELL_PERIODIC_ENERGIZE`	Periodic resource gain
`SPELL_DRAIN`	Resource drain
`SPELL_LEECH`	Leech effect

Aura Events

Event	When
`SPELL_AURA_APPLIED`	Buff or debuff applied
`SPELL_AURA_REMOVED`	Buff or debuff dropped
`SPELL_AURA_REFRESH`	Buff refreshed before expiry
`SPELL_AURA_APPLIED_DOSE`	Stack added (e.g., Conflagrate)
`SPELL_AURA_REMOVED_DOSE`	Stack consumed
`SPELL_AURA_BROKEN`	Aura removed by damage (Polymorph, Sap)
`SPELL_AURA_BROKEN_SPELL`	Aura broken by a specific dispel/cleanse

Cast Events

Event	When
`SPELL_CAST_START`	Caster started a non-instant cast
`SPELL_CAST_SUCCESS`	Cast finished — this is what fired the ability, not damage events
`SPELL_CAST_FAILED`	Cast interrupted, out of range, etc.

Special Events

Event	When
`SPELL_INTERRUPT`	A cast got kicked
`SPELL_DISPEL`	Magic / curse / poison / disease removed
`SPELL_STOLEN`	Spellsteal
`SPELL_SUMMON`	Pet/totem/guardian summoned. Critical for pet attribution.
`SPELL_RESURRECT`	Combat resurrection
`SWING_MISSED` / `SPELL_MISSED` / `RANGE_MISSED`	Whiff. Includes miss type: dodge, parry, immune, absorb, evade, deflect, reflect
`UNIT_DIED`	Something died. May or may not have a killing blow event nearby.
`UNIT_DESTROYED`	A pet/totem/object was destroyed (not killed)
`UNIT_DISSIPATES`	Like UNIT_DIED but for things that fade out (totems expiring)

Encounter & Metadata Events

Event	When
`ENCOUNTER_START`	Boss pull. Includes encounter ID, name, difficulty, group size, instance ID
`ENCOUNTER_END`	Boss kill or wipe. Includes success flag
`CHALLENGE_MODE_START`	M+ key started. Includes dungeon name, map ID, level, affixes
`CHALLENGE_MODE_END`	M+ key finished. Includes success, total time, timer info
`ZONE_CHANGE`	Zone change. Includes zone ID, name, instance type
`MAP_CHANGE`	Sub-zone change. Includes coordinate bounds (useful for routing)
`UNIT_HEALTH`	Boss / unit HP update. Useful for HP timeline.
`WORLD_MARKER_PLACED`	Raid marker dropped at a world position
`WORLD_MARKER_REMOVED`	Raid marker cleared
`COMBATANT_INFO`	Per-player gear/talents/stats dump. Fired at encounter start.
`COMBAT_LOG_VERSION`	Header line. Can appear mid-log if the logger restarted.

The `_SUPPORT` Suffix (Augmentation Evoker)

Aug Evoker buffs other players' damage via Prescience and Ebon Might. The combat log encodes this with parallel _SUPPORT events:

Event	When
`SPELL_DAMAGE_SUPPORT`	Bonus damage attributed to an Aug Evoker
`SPELL_PERIODIC_DAMAGE_SUPPORT`	Same, for DoTs
`RANGE_DAMAGE_SUPPORT`	Same, ranged
`SPELL_HEAL_SUPPORT`	Same, for healing

The supporting Aug Evoker's player GUID is stored as the last field of the event. To match the de-facto community standard, support damage is credited to the original DPS — the Aug separately gets a "damage enabled" tally.

Citing this page

If this reference helped, please link back so others can find it. Suggested citation:

Event Type Catalog — WoW Combat Log Reference (WowCoach.gg). https://wowcoach.gg/docs/combat-log/event-types