Specs and roles
| Spec | Role | PvE tier | Key point |
|---|---|---|---|
| Affliction | Damage | A | Damage over time, the strongest solo |
| Demonology | Damage | A | The Succubus deals damage and holds the enemy |
| Destruction | Damage | A | Direct damage, Shadowburn and Conflagrate |
Tiers come from the beta tier list. The talent tables show only what Icy Veins and Wowhead agree on; each spec says where they differ.
The Destruction tier comes from RankedBoost only.
Affliction: damage
In Forever, Curse of Agony is called Bane of Agony, and Life Tap scales with Spirit (Wowhead). Icy Veins and Wowhead build Affliction differently. Icy Veins goes for damage over time and instant Shadow Bolts from Nightfall. Wowhead goes for drain tanking: the Succubus hits, the enemy hits you, and Drain Life gives the health back.
| Talent | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Improved Corruption | 5 | An instant, stronger Corruption |
| Suppression | 4 | Hit and less threat |
| Improved Life Tap | 2 | More mana from Life Tap |
That is all Icy Veins and Wowhead share. Icy Veins adds Grim Reach 2, Improved Bane of Agony 2, Pandemic 3, Nightfall 2 and Siphon Life. Wowhead adds Improved Drains 3, Malediction, Amplify Curse and Soul Siphon: Drain Life gets stronger for each of your Affliction effects on the target. With Legacy points Wowhead takes Soul Siphon to 3.
- 1Demon
Send it in first.
- 2Curse
On bosses and elites, Curse of the Elements or Curse of Recklessness, depending on your group (Icy Veins).
- 3Bane of Agony
If the target will live long enough.
- 4Corruption
Instant, on every target.
- 5Drain Life
When you need health; Wowhead uses it as the main filler between DoTs.
- 6Out of mana
Life Tap; Drain Life gives the health back. Target nearly dead: wand.
TipStats according to Icy Veins: spell power, hit, crit, Intellect, Spirit. Spirit matters more than in Classic: Life Tap scales with it (Wowhead).
Demonology: damage
Demonology runs on the Succubus: she hits about 1.5 times as hard as the Voidwalker, and with Demonic Brand she keeps the enemy on herself (Wowhead). Searing Pain brands the target, so the demon’s next attacks deal extra damage. In Forever pets scale with your stats (Icy Veins).
| Talent | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Unholy Power | 5 | Demon damage |
| Demonic Energies | 2 | Your spell damage heals the demon; Life Tap gives it mana |
| Improved Sayaad | 3 | Stronger Succubus spells |
| Master Summoner | 2 | Faster, cheaper demon summons |
| Demonic Brand | 3 | A brand from Searing Pain: the demon hits harder |
This is what Icy Veins and Wowhead share. They differ: Icy Veins takes Soul Link at level 30 already, so 30% of the damage you take goes to the demon, along with Fel Vitality, Demonic Sacrifice and Fel Domination. Wowhead takes Demonic Embrace 3 and 3 points in Affliction, and Soul Link only with Legacy points, together with Demonic Knowledge 3.
- 1Before the pull
Soul Link if you have it; the demon attacks first.
- 2Corruption
Plus Bane of Agony if the target has a lot of health.
- 3Searing Pain
The brand; recast it when it drops, roughly every 6 seconds (Wowhead).
- 4Drain Life
Your main filler: it heals both you and the demon.
- 5Out of mana
Life Tap. Target nearly dead: wand.
TipStats according to Icy Veins: spell power, hit, Intellect, crit, Spirit. The Felhunter comes from a class quest at level 30, but both sources recommend the Succubus for leveling.
Destruction: damage
Destruction hits with direct spells: faster casts, harder crits and two instant hits, Conflagrate and Shadowburn. Shadowburn costs a Soul Shard but gives it back if the target dies within 8 seconds, so you use it to finish enemies. The new Bane of Havoc talent copies 15% of your damage on other targets to the cursed one (Icy Veins).
| Talent | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Bane | 5 | Shadow Bolt and Immolate cast 0.5 seconds faster |
| Ruin | 5 | Destruction spell crit damage |
| Shadowburn | 1 | An instant hit to finish a target |
| Agonizing Flames | 3 | Destruction spell damage and Searing Pain crit |
| Conflagrate | 1 | Instant damage that consumes Immolate |
This is what Icy Veins and Wowhead share. They differ: Icy Veins takes Destructive Reach 2, Cataclysm 3 for cheaper spells, and Bane of Havoc. Wowhead takes Aftermath 5 for Immolate damage and one point in Improved Corruption, and Bane of Havoc only with Legacy points. According to Wowhead, Ruin does little for now: there is not much crit at level 30.
- 1Demon
Send it in first. For Destruction, Wowhead recommends the Voidwalker: it holds threat.
- 2Opening
Shadow Bolt and Immolate right after it: both land at almost the same time (Icy Veins).
- 3Filler
Shadow Bolt with spare mana, otherwise your wand.
- 4Conflagrate
Just before Immolate runs out.
- 5Shadowburn
Finish the target and get the Soul Shard back.
- 6Need shards
Drain Soul instead of Shadowburn.
TipStats according to Icy Veins: spell power, hit, haste, crit. With Agonizing Flames, Searing Pain crits more often, but it generates a lot of threat.
Questions
Which Warlock spec is best?
All three are A on the beta tier list. Demonology is the best dungeon spec according to Noobtoboss, Affliction is the strongest solo, and Destruction has the least data.
What is Bane of Agony?
It is the Forever name of Classic’s Curse of Agony: damage over time that ramps up towards the end. The talent that improves it was renamed too: Improved Bane of Agony.
Which demon should I use?
For Affliction and Demonology, the Succubus: she hits harder. For Destruction, Wowhead recommends the Voidwalker: it holds threat better.
When will the full level 60 build be out?
After the Nov 4 launch: the beta only went up to level 30, and raids open on Dec 9. Then we will add the layout for all 51 points.
