Affliction Warlock
DoT it and walk away.
The damage-over-time warlock: Corruption, Bane of Agony and Siphon Life, with WoW Forever's Pandemic, Malevolence and the new 31-point Wrack.
Three things to remember
DoTs on everything
Corruption, Bane of Agony and Siphon Life tick while you move on. Great for questing.
DoTs can crit big
Pandemic makes your DoT and drain crits hit 33% harder.
Wrack at 40
Your 31-point talent: a strong channel that makes your other Shadow DoTs hit 10% harder.
What changed for you
Curses became Banes
Bane of Agony and Bane of Doom replace Curse of Agony and Curse of Doom. A Bane and a Curse can both be up.
Portal of Summoning
New: a ritual that two party members click to summon someone.
Soul Harvest and Improved Drains
50% more mana regeneration after a Drain Soul kill, and stronger drains.
Wrack
A 31-point channel that boosts your other DoTs.
Low-level tips and what to press as you level
- Shadow Bolt to pull, Immolate, then wand.
- Summon your Imp, then your Voidwalker at 10 to tank for you.
- Life Tap for mana, then eat to get the health back.
- Corruption (4) and Bane of Agony on every mob.
- Take Improved Corruption (faster cast) and Suppression.
- Voidwalker tanks, you DoT and wand.
- Take Improved Drains, Soul Harvest and Nightfall (free Shadow Bolts).
- Drain Soul to finish and get shards.
- Take Siphon Life and Pandemic.
- Take Malevolence, Soul Siphon and Shadow Mastery.
- Wrack (31-point) on bosses with all DoTs up.
- DoT two or three mobs at once while the Voidwalker holds them.
Your priority
A simple order for Affliction at 60.
- Curse of the Elements or Shadow if your raid assigns it to you.
- Corruption, Bane of Agony and Siphon Life keep all three up.
- Wrack on cooldown, with your DoTs running.
- Shadow Bolt when Nightfall makes it instant.
- Drain Life or Shadow Bolt to fill; Drain Soul at the end for a shard.
- Life Tap when your mana is low and your health is fine.
Talents that matter
| Talent | Tree | Why take it |
|---|---|---|
| Improved Corruption | Affliction | Faster, stronger Corruption. |
| Suppression | Affliction | +1% hit, less threat. |
| Soul Harvest | Affliction | Mana after Drain Soul kills. |
| Improved Drains | Affliction | Stronger drains. |
| Pandemic | Affliction | Bigger DoT crits. |
| Malevolence | Affliction | More Shadow crit. |
| Nightfall | Affliction | Free instant Shadow Bolts. |
| Siphon Life | Affliction | A DoT that heals you. |
| Soul Siphon | Affliction | Stronger drains with more effects up. |
| Shadow Mastery | Affliction | +2% Shadow damage. |
| Wrack | Affliction (31) | A channel that boosts your DoTs. |
Best race for this spec
Eureka! and +5% mana. Human is a fine second.
Blood Fury (+10% spell power) and Command (+5% pet damage).
| Race | Side | Racials |
|---|---|---|
| Human | Alliance | Ruthless: +1% crit. The Human Spirit: +10% Spirit. Will to Survive: break out of a stun. Perception: spot stealthed players. |
| Gnome | Alliance | Eureka!: 10% more damage and cheaper abilities for 8 sec (also boosts Power Word: Shield). Expansive Mind: +5% maximum mana (rage for Warriors, energy for Rogues). Escape Artist: break out of roots and slows. |
| Orc | Horde | Blood Fury: +10% attack power and spell power for 15 sec, every 2 minutes. Command: +5% damage for Hunter and Warlock pets. Shatter Curse: 5% less magic damage taken for 8 sec. |
| Undead | Horde | Touch of the Grave: your hits can drain health from the target (30% chance for casters, 20% for Paladins, Rogues and Warriors; once every 15 sec). Will of the Forsaken: break fear, charm and sleep. Cannibalize: eat a corpse to heal. |
| Troll | Horde | Berserking: faster attacks and casts for 15 sec. Beast Slaying: +5% damage to Beasts. |
These are small edges, about 1 to 2 percent. Play the race you enjoy and the side your friends are on. Skyborne needs the paid Skyborne Heroic Pack.
Play it better
Tab-DoT packs
Corruption and Bane of Agony on two or three mobs, then fear or let the Voidwalker hold.
Life Tap, then heal
Life Tap turns health into mana; Siphon Life and Drain Life give it back.
Drain Soul to finish
Shards and Soul Harvest mana come from Drain Soul kills.
Do not refresh too early
Let DoTs run out before recasting, except Corruption with Nightfall.
When something seems off
| What you see | What to do |
|---|---|
| Running out of Soul Shards | Finish mobs with Drain Soul; any non-trivial target can give a shard. |
| Pulling aggro | DoTs cause threat all fight. Let the tank build up before you stack them. |
| Out of mana | Life Tap, Soul Harvest, and use the Voidwalker so you can drink. |
| Wrack is missing | It is the 31-point Affliction talent. |
Let Bonkr Compass+ call your buttons
Compass+ shows your next spell and follows your DoTs on the target from your casts. Type /cplus why to see why it picked a spell.