WoW Forever Warlock Guide: Best Spec, Leveling Build, Talents and Rotation
Quick answer: Warlock went from a one-button raid spec in Classic to one of the most varied classes in WoW Forever. Level as Affliction: your damage-over-time spells and drains let you "drain tank" pack after pack with almost no downtime. At 60, Affliction got a huge buff to its new capstone
Wrack, Destruction has a real rotation with
Conflagrate,
Incinerate and
Shadow and Flame, and Demonology is the safest spec with
Soul Link,
Demonic Knowledge and the new
Demonic Pact. Curses that deal damage are now called Banes.
Is Warlock good in WoW Forever?
Yes. Every tree has new toys and a clear playstyle. Affliction gets
Wrack,
Pandemic,
Malevolence and
Soul Harvest. Demonology gets
Demonic Knowledge,
Demonic Brand,
Decimation and
Demonic Pact. Destruction gets
Incinerate,
Conflagrate (now baseline at 25),
Bane of Havoc,
Fire and Brimstone and
Shadow and Flame.
The final notes before launch were mostly good news.
Wrack's damage was more than doubled (its base damage at 60 jumped from 36 to 86 per second), and
Shadow and Flame now gives up to 20% more Fire or Shadow damage. The one nerf hits pets: they now get 2 health per point of your Stamina, down from 7.5, so demons are a bit squishier than in the beta.
At a glance:
- Role: ranged damage, with great utility (summons, healthstones, soulstones, curses)
- Best leveling spec: Affliction
- Hardest part: managing soul shards and keeping your demon alive
- Best for: players who like damage over time, pets, and never having to stop and drink
Warlock strengths and weaknesses
Strengths:
- Almost no downtime.
Life Tap and
Drain Life mean you rarely stop to eat or drink. - A pet for every job. Voidwalker tanks, Felhunter counters casters, Succubus controls, and the Imp buffs your group.
- Huge utility. Healthstones, Soulstones, summoning players and
Curse of the Elements make you welcome in any raid. - Brutal in PvP.
Fear,
Death Coil,
Howl of Terror and damage-over-time spells are tough to deal with.
Weaknesses:
- Soul shard management. Many spells use shards, and you'll need to keep farming them with
Drain Soul. - Pets are squishier now. The pet health nerf makes Voidwalker tanking less forgiving than in the beta.
- Cloth armour. If your pet dies and something reaches you, you're in trouble.
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What's new for Warlocks in WoW Forever?
- Banes:
Bane of Agony,
Bane of Doom and the new
Bane of Havoc are your damage curses now. Curses like
Curse of Weakness,
Curse of Tongues and
Curse of the Elements are the utility ones.
Wrack (Affliction capstone): a channel that tears the target apart and makes your other damage-over-time spells hit them harder.
Pandemic (Affliction): your damage-over-time and drain spells crit for more.
Soul Harvest (Affliction): killing a target with
Drain Soul doubles your mana regeneration for 10 seconds.
Malevolence (Affliction): 5% more Shadow crit.
Demonic Knowledge (Demonology): more spell damage for you and your demon while it's out.
Demonic Brand (Demonology):
Searing Pain brands the target, and your demon's next attacks deal extra damage to it.
Decimation (Demonology):
Soul Fire's cooldown drops by 90%, and you deal more damage to targets under 35% health.
Demonic Pact (Demonology capstone): your
Demonic Sacrifice buff stays when you summon a different demon.
Sacrifice one, then summon another and keep both.
Incinerate (Destruction capstone): a fire bolt that hits 25% harder on targets with your
Immolate.
Bane of Havoc (Destruction): 15% of the damage you deal to other targets is copied onto the one with your
Bane of Havoc.
Shadow and Flame (Destruction):
Conflagrate boosts your Shadow damage, and
Shadowburn boosts your Fire damage.
Molten Skin (Destruction): 10% less damage taken.
Which Warlock spec should you pick?
Affliction (damage over time). The leveling king.
Corruption,
Bane of Agony and
Siphon Life tick away,
Drain Life keeps you alive, and
Nightfall gives you free instant Shadow Bolts. At 60,
Wrack makes Affliction a strong raid spec too.
Demonology (demons and survival). The safest spec.
Soul Link moves 30% of your damage taken onto your demon,
Demonic Knowledge and
Master Demonologist make both of you stronger, and
Demonic Pact lets you stack
Demonic Sacrifice with a second demon. Great for PvP and for players who hate dying.
Destruction (burst).
Shadow Bolt and fire. Keep
Immolate up,
Conflagrate it, then
Incinerate and
Shadow Bolt with
Shadow and Flame buffing you.
Ruin doubles your crit damage. Big numbers, but you're squishier.
Best Warlock leveling build in WoW Forever
Level as Affliction, with Demonology for a tougher Voidwalker.
Affliction Leveling Build (32/19/0)
Talent order, roughly:
Improved Corruption (5) first, for an instant
Corruption.
Improved Drains (3) and
Soul Harvest (2).
Improved Bane of Agony (2),
Amplify Curse and
Pandemic (2).
Malevolence (5) and
Nightfall (2).
Nightfall's free Shadow Bolts are a big part of leveling.
Siphon Life,
Soul Siphon (3) and
Shadow Mastery (5).
Wrack at level 40.- Finish in Demonology:
Demonic Embrace (5),
Improved Voidwalker (3),
Fel Vitality (3),
Master Summoner (2),
Demonic Sacrifice,
Demonic Aegis,
Fel Domination and
Demonic Brand (3).
Key levels to look forward to:
- 1:
Shadow Bolt,
Immolate,
Demon Skin and
Summon Imp. - 4:
Corruption and
Curse of Weakness. - 6:
Life Tap. - 8:
Bane of Agony and
Fear. - 10:
Drain Soul,
Create Healthstone and
Summon Voidwalker. - 12:
Health Funnel. - 14:
Drain Life and
Curse of Recklessness. - 18:
Searing Pain and
Create Soulstone. - 20:
Summon Succubus or Incubus,
Demon Armor,
Rain of Fire,
Shadowburn,
Ritual of Summoning and
Curse of the Elements. - 25:
Conflagrate. - 26:
Curse of Tongues. - 28:
Banish. - 30:
Summon Felhunter,
Siphon Life,
Hellfire and
Bane of Havoc. - 40:
Howl of Terror and your capstone. - 42:
Death Coil. - 48:
Soul Fire. - 50:
Inferno. - 60:
Bane of Doom and
Ritual of Doom.
How to level as Affliction: send in your Voidwalker, then put
Corruption,
Bane of Agony and
Siphon Life on the target. Cast
Shadow Bolt whenever
Nightfall procs, and channel
Drain Life to heal while your damage-over-time spells finish the job. This is "drain tanking": once you're used to it, you can put your spells on two or three mobs at once and drain your way through. Use
Life Tap for mana (you'll heal the health back with drains), and
Drain Soul on the last mob for a soul shard and, with
Soul Harvest, a burst of mana.
Affliction guide: rotation and tips
- Rotation:
Corruption,
Bane of Agony and
Siphon Life up at all times, then channel
Wrack. It makes your other damage-over-time spells hit harder.
Soul Siphon makes your drains and
Wrack hit harder for every Affliction effect on the target, so get everything up first.
Nightfall procs mean a free, instant
Shadow Bolt. Use them.
Amplify Curse boosts your next
Bane of Agony by 50%.- Mana:
Life Tap, plus
Soul Harvest after a
Drain Soul kill.
Demonology guide: rotation and tips
Demonology Build (0/32/19). It takes
Soul Link,
Demonic Knowledge,
Master Demonologist,
Demonic Brand and
Demonic Pact, plus
Improved Shadow Bolt,
Bane and
Ruin from Destruction.
Demonic Pact trick: use
Demonic Sacrifice on one demon for its buff, then summon a different demon. With
Demonic Pact, you keep the buff and get a pet.
Soul Link sends 30% of the damage you take to your demon. Remember pets are squishier now, so keep
Health Funnel handy.
Demonic Brand: open with
Searing Pain so your demon's next attacks deal bonus damage.- Rotation:
Shadow Bolt as your main spell, with
Corruption and
Bane of Agony up, and
Soul Fire on low-health targets thanks to
Decimation if you take it.
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Destruction guide: rotation and tips
Destruction Build (13/0/38). It takes
Incinerate,
Shadow and Flame,
Fire and Brimstone,
Conflagrate,
Ruin and
Bane of Havoc, plus
Suppression and
Improved Corruption from Affliction.
- Rotation:
Immolate, then
Conflagrate (
Fire and Brimstone gives it 25% more crit).
Shadow and Flame then boosts your Shadow damage for 20 seconds, so follow with
Shadow Bolt. Re-apply
Immolate and cast
Incinerate, which hits 25% harder on Immolated targets.
Shadowburn to finish, which also boosts your Fire damage through
Shadow and Flame.
Bane of Havoc on a second target when there are two enemies, so 15% of your damage is copied onto it.
Ruin doubles your Destruction crit damage, so crit is great for you.
Demons
- Imp:
Firebolt and
Blood Pact (extra Stamina for your group). The best raid demon for most specs. - Voidwalker: a tank with
Torment,
Sacrifice and
Consume Shadows. The leveling demon. - Succubus or Incubus:
Lash of Pain and
Seduction. Great for PvP and burst. - Felhunter:
Spell Lock,
Devour Magic and
Paranoia (stealth detection). The PvP demon against casters.
Fel Domination lets you summon a demon almost instantly, and
Master Summoner makes summoning faster and cheaper.
Soul shards
Soul shards are a Warlock's special resource:
Drain Soul on an enemy as it dies gives you a soul shard. Its chance to give shards on damage alone was reduced a lot at launch, so get your shards from kills.- Shards are used for summoning most demons (Voidwalker and beyond),
Create Healthstone,
Create Soulstone,
Soul Fire,
Shadowburn and
Ritual of Summoning.
Shadowburn gives a shard back if the target dies within 8 seconds.- Keep 5–10 shards while leveling and more before a dungeon or raid, so you can summon players and make stones.
Fel Domination and
Master Summoner make re-summoning a demon fast and cheap when one dies.
Warlock leveling tips
Life Tap turns health into mana. Tap after a fight, then
Drain Life the health back on the next one.
Health Funnel heals your Voidwalker when it's tanking a big pull.
Fear a second enemy away while you finish the first, but don't let it run into more mobs.
Demon Skin and later
Demon Armor add armour and health regeneration, so always keep one up.- Pull with
Corruption (instant after
Improved Corruption) so your Voidwalker can grab the mob first.
Warlock dungeon tips
Banish demons and elementals for long crowd control.
Curse of the Elements on bosses boosts your whole group's magic damage, and
Curse of Recklessness lowers armour for your melee.- Healthstones for the whole group before the run, and a Soulstone on the healer.
Ritual of Summoning saves your group a long walk.- Imp with
Blood Pact gives your group extra Stamina, so it's the safest demon for dungeons. - Watch your threat with
Searing Pain and
Shadow Bolt crits.
Suppression already reduces it by 20%.
Best stats for Warlocks
Most guides agree on roughly these priorities:
- Affliction and Demonology: spell hit (
Suppression covers 5%), then Shadow damage, then Stamina (more health to
Life Tap with) and crit. - Destruction: spell hit, then spell damage, then crit (
Ruin makes it much stronger). - Everyone: Stamina matters more than for other casters, since you trade health for mana with
Life Tap.
Best race for Warlock
- Human (Alliance): Ruthless (1% crit) and a stronger The Human Spirit (10% Spirit).
- Gnome (Alliance): extra Intellect and Escape Artist.
- Orc (Horde): Command is back, giving your demon 5% more damage, and Blood Fury now has a 2-minute cooldown.
- Undead (Horde): Will of the Forsaken breaks fear, charm and sleep, and Touch of the Grave now triggers more often.
- Troll (Horde): new in Forever. Berserking now lasts 15 seconds.
Best professions for Warlock
- Tailoring and Enchanting: make your own cloth gear and enchant it.
- Herbalism and Alchemy: mana and healing potions.
- Engineering: useful for PvP.
- First Aid and Cooking: cheap healing, and stat food.
Warlock PvP tips
Fear and
Howl of Terror control melee classes. Pair them with damage-over-time spells.
Death Coil is an instant horror plus a heal, so it's perfect for breaking a melee class off you.- Felhunter for
Spell Lock against healers and casters, and Succubus for
Seduction.
Curse of Exhaustion slows, and
Curse of Tongues slows casters.
Soul Link from Demonology makes you very hard to burst down.- Always have a Healthstone and Soulstone ready.
Common Warlock mistakes
- Using a build from before the 2 November changes.
Wrack and
Shadow and Flame are much stronger now. - Life Tapping into danger. Tap when you're safe, and drain the health back.
- Forgetting your demon is squishier than in the beta. Keep
Health Funnel ready. - Running out of soul shards.
Drain Soul gives shards on kills, but much less often on damage now. - Putting two curses on one target. Only one curse per Warlock can be active on a target, so pick the right one.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best Warlock spec in WoW Forever?
For leveling, Affliction. At level 60, Affliction is strong thanks to the
Wrack buff, Destruction has a real burst rotation with
Conflagrate and
Incinerate, and Demonology is the safest spec for solo play and PvP.
What is drain tanking?
Drain tanking is a Warlock leveling style where you put damage-over-time spells on one or more enemies and channel
Drain Life to heal yourself while they die. Affliction with a Voidwalker is the most popular way to do it in WoW Forever.
What are Banes in WoW Forever?
Banes are the Warlock's damage curses:
Bane of Agony,
Bane of Doom and the new
Bane of Havoc. Utility curses like
Curse of Weakness,
Curse of Tongues and
Curse of the Elements are still called curses.
What does Demonic Pact do?
Demonic Pact is the Demonology capstone. Your
Demonic Sacrifice buff is no longer cancelled when you summon a different demon, so you can sacrifice one demon and then summon another. Re-summoning the sacrificed demon still cancels it.
Can Trolls be Warlocks in WoW Forever?
Yes. Troll Warlock is one of the new race and class combinations in WoW Forever. Other Warlock races are Human and Gnome for the Alliance, and Orc and Undead for the Horde.
Were Warlock pets nerfed in WoW Forever?
Yes. In the final notes, pets went from 7.5 health per point of your Stamina to 2, so demons are less tanky than in the beta. Command (the Orc racial) was also re-added, increasing Warlock and Hunter pet damage by 5%.
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