I have always wanted to try out a Warlock, but I never did because I do not like using pets. Oddly, my favored class themes are Warlock and Hunter, but pets have been a thing required for a while so I never considered it seriously before. In BFA, is a pet required or is there a Lone Wolf style option for any of the specs?
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Aff and Destro have a talent, Grimoire of Sacrifice, that allows them to play without a pet; however, it’s really undertuned right now, and you won’t be doing anywhere near optimal damage without a pet.
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This phrase is somewhat like saying “I always wanted to try shrimp but never did cause I don’t like seafood”. Pets have always been an essential part of the class and they provide great utility. As a matter of fact most people thinking pets are a burden, have no idea how much easier some aspects of the game are for pet classes.
Now apart from that, pet management has nothing special to it. You just have to watch not to pull extra mobs in M+ although their pathfinding has been improved in bfa. You just set them to auto-attack your target and use their skills like if they were your own.
It gets more complicated in PvP and specifically arenas but I’m guessing by the time a lock decides to play rated stuff, they’ve already mastered pet management.
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The use of warlock pets is pretty bland for Afflic and Destro. I wouldnt worry about managing them.
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I mean, the pets don’t really do much that you have to control, for PVE anyway. You don’t really have to micromanage them at all…if you aren’t demo you use the imp for group content, unless you need an interrupt. Which I bind mine to the same mouse button that all my other classes with interrupt use so it honestly doesn’t change much. For PVE your pet is basically an extra dot with one active ability.
As the above poster mentioned PVP gets a bit more involved with pet management ( I haven’t PVP’d in ages myself). However, if you aren’t planning on some more serious PVP game play then it honestly doesn’t change how you play 90%+ of the time.
This. Unless you need the interrupt or purge from the puppy, you pretty much just yank out an Imp, put it on Assist, and ignore it. The “pet” part of the class is pretty light weight.
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I don’t consider them pets. They are demons and actually I enjoy them for the theme of the class.
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For destruction and affliction, you typically forget they’re even there if they’re not tanking. In a way, that’s a bit of a problem for the class fantasy. I always imagined warlocks use demons the way necromancers use skeletons in the RTS game. A “pet” that has a name that you actually remember seems “off” for a warlock. You’re not friends, and half the time your demon seems to dislike you. (“SEND ME BACK!”)
That’s the primary reason I wish Grimoire of Sacrifice were more effective. The “faithful hound” concept of a hunter doesn’t really work for a warlock. I’m sure there could be exceptions but I think demonic minions should be large, temporary and awe-inspiring. Maybe instead of giving your spells a chance to do extra damage (which is what GrimSac does now) it reduces the CD of your Summon Infernal spell to 1 minute and increased their damage by 15%.
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Just grim sac a voidwalker to use its shadow bulwark ability, and you’ll be walking around with 200k health or even more with that buff.
It’s undertuned, but strong when used right