Auto-Cast Toggle in WoW
Auto-cast is a setting on pet abilities in World of Warcraft that makes the pet use the ability by itself whenever it is ready, without you pressing anything. The auto-cast toggle is how you switch it on or off for each ability: right-click the ability on the pet action bar. Auto-cast applies to pet abilities, such as a hunter pet's attacks or a warlock demon's spells; your own character's spells can't be set to cast themselves.
How to toggle auto-cast
- Right-click a pet ability on the pet bar. An animated border around the icon shows that auto-cast is on; right-click again to turn it off.
- Macros can switch it without touching the pet bar:
/petautocasttoggle Growlswitches auto-cast for that ability;/petautocaston Growland/petautocastoff Growlforce it on or off.
The explicit on and off commands are safer in macros than the toggle, because pressing a toggle macro twice by accident puts you back where you started. All three accept macro conditions, so one macro can turn a taunt off when you are in a group and on when you are solo:
/petautocaston [nogroup] Growl/petautocastoff [group] Growl
Auto-cast and pet stances
Auto-cast decides which abilities a pet uses on its own. The pet's stance decides whether it fights at all:
| Stance | What the pet does |
|---|---|
| Assist | Attacks whatever you attack, switching a few seconds after you change target |
| Defensive | Attacks enemies that attack it or you |
| Passive | Never attacks unless you command it |
Assist replaced the old Aggressive stance, which attacked anything that came into the pet's aggro range, in patch 4.2 (2011). Classic guides differ on which set each Classic client shows, so check your pet bar. A pet on Passive never uses its auto-cast attacks until you send it in, which makes Passive plus manual attack the safest setup near crowd-controlled enemies.
When to turn auto-cast off
| Ability type | Solo | In a group with a tank |
|---|---|---|
| Taunts (Hunter pet Growl, Voidwalker taunts) | On: the pet tanks for you | Off: the pet pulls enemies off the tank |
| Basic attacks | On | On |
| Interrupts and dispels | Often on | Usually off, so they are saved for the cast that matters |
| Movement abilities (charges, dashes) | On | Consider off: a charging pet can pull extra packs |
Taunt on auto-cast is the classic mistake. A taunt sets the pet's threat equal to the top of the enemy's aggro table and forces the enemy to attack it, so every time it comes off cooldown the pet steals the target from your tank. In Classic, where tanks have small threat leads, this is especially disruptive. See taunt for the mechanics.
Classic vs retail
- Classic Era and TBC Anniversary: hunter pets learn abilities in ranks and have a happiness system; pet threat matters a lot because tanks generate little. Turning off Growl in dungeons is standard etiquette.
- Retail (Midnight): hunter pets have a small set of abilities set by their family and specialization, and tank specializations generate so much threat that a pet rarely keeps an enemy for long. Auto-cast taunts still cause brief target swaps at the start of pulls.
Midnight's restrictions on combat addons (patch 12.0) don't affect auto-cast itself: the toggle is part of the default pet bar and the macro commands are standard slash commands.
FAQ
How do I know if a pet ability is on auto-cast?
The icon on the pet bar has an animated border. No border means you have to use the ability yourself.
Can I auto-cast my own spells?
No. Auto-cast exists only for pet abilities. Retail's Single-Button Assistant picks your next damage ability for you, but you still press the button; see cast sequence.
Why does my pet keep stealing aggro from the tank?
Its taunt is on auto-cast. Right-click the taunt on the pet bar or use /petautocastoff.
Related WoW terms
World of Warcraft services on Onlyfarms
- WoW Gold
- The Unbinding of Kith'ix
- Mythic + Three Plus One Bundle
- The Venomous Abyss — Normal
- Midnight Mythic+ Keys
- Midnight Powerleveling
