Destruction Warlock
Fire and shadow. Big numbers.
The nuke warlock: Shadow Bolt, Immolate and Conflagrate, with WoW Forever's Shadow and Flame, Bane of Havoc and the new 31-point Incinerate.
Three things to remember
Immolate, then Conflagrate
Conflagrate no longer needs Improved Immolate; Fire and Brimstone gives it +8% crit.
Spread with Bane of Havoc
Mark a second target: 15% of your damage is copied to it.
Incinerate at 40
Your 31-point talent: a fast fire nuke, 25% stronger on targets with your Immolate.
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.
Shadow and Flame
Conflagrate boosts your Shadow damage and Shadowburn boosts your Fire damage for 20 sec.
Faster casts
Bane now cuts the cast time of Shadow Bolt, Immolate, Incinerate and Soul Fire.
Molten Skin
2% less damage taken from everything.
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.
- Take Improved Shadow Bolt and Bane (faster casts).
- Immolate, Corruption, then Shadow Bolt.
- Take Destructive Reach for more range.
- Take Cataclysm, Aftermath and Ruin (bigger crits).
- Shadowburn to finish.
- Take Conflagrate and Intensity.
- Take Fire and Brimstone, Bane of Havoc and Shadow and Flame.
- Incinerate (31-point) as your filler on Immolated targets.
- Bane of Havoc on a second target in two-target fights.
Your priority
A simple order for Destruction at 60.
- Bane of Havoc on a second target when there is one.
- Immolate keep it on the target.
- Conflagrate on cooldown (Shadow and Flame).
- Shadowburn when the target is about to die.
- Incinerate to fill on Immolated targets (or Shadow Bolt with the Shadow buff up).
- Life Tap when mana is low.
Talents that matter
| Talent | Tree | Why take it |
|---|---|---|
| Improved Shadow Bolt | Destruction | Crits make the target take more Shadow damage. |
| Bane | Destruction | Faster casts. |
| Molten Skin | Destruction | 2% less damage taken. |
| Cataclysm | Destruction | Cheaper Destruction spells. |
| Aftermath | Destruction | Stronger Immolate. |
| Ruin | Destruction | Bigger crits. |
| Shadowburn | Destruction | A finisher. |
| Conflagrate | Destruction | A fire burst. |
| Fire and Brimstone | Destruction | More Conflagrate crit. |
| Bane of Havoc | Destruction | Copy damage to a second target. |
| Shadow and Flame | Destruction | Your two schools boost each other. |
| Incinerate | Destruction (31) | A fast fire nuke. |
Best race for this spec
Eureka! lines up with Shadow Bolt and Conflagrate bursts.
Blood Fury gives +10% spell power every 2 minutes. Undead is the PvP pick.
| 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
Pick Fire or Shadow
Some bosses resist one school. Shadow and Flame lets you swap between them.
Imp in groups
The Imp adds Fire Shield and its own Firebolts; Succubus for more damage solo.
Watch threat
Big crits pull aggro. Searing Pain causes extra threat; avoid it in groups.
Two targets
Bane of Havoc is free damage whenever there are two enemies.
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. |
| Conflagrate will not cast | It needs your Immolate on the target. |
| Incinerate hits low | It is 25% stronger on targets with your Immolate. |
Let Bonkr Compass+ call your buttons
Compass+ shows your next spell and follows your Immolate from your casts. Type /cplus why to see why it picked a spell.