Just wanting to put down my thoughts on the current iteration of the Demo lock tree and where I think it could be improved upon for both efficiency and fantasy, giving us an option to have a lot of demons vs. Empowering our main ones. The lower left side is relatively okay. The proc rates on some talents could be increased to be more consistent, but overall it feels like the left side is the more demons side with Pact of the Imp Mother and Pact of the Ered’ruin.
Starting with the lower left side talents:
Umbral Blaze: This talent should be removed and baked directly into HoG. Essentially making it a dot on HoG casts. Remove the reapplication bonus. As it stands it does such little damage it actually has no value whatsoever other than the requirement to path into Pact of the Imp Mother. Replace the talent with PotIM. Replace PotIM with a new talent that applies Doom on HoG casts (Hand of Doom).
Doom Eternal: Another talent that should just be baked into other talents. Either into Impending Doom or Pact of the Ered’ruin.
Pact of the Ered’ruin: Increase the proc rate (perhaps not if Hand of Doom exists) and the Doom Guards should be empowered by the Tyrant, as well as Tyrant getting benefit from Doom Guards if summoned while they’re out.
Not so sure a simple buff to damage is good enough.
Now onto the middle talents:
Dread Calling: Increased proc rate and it should last until the next cast.
Mark of Shatug: Gloom Slash - should increase your and your pets single target damage by a relatively decent amount while the Gloomhound is active. This should be THE single target choice. Or even 2 cleave.
I don’t think this is going to make enough of a difference to choose GH over CH.
And now the right side:
I think Dreadlash and Wicked Maw should trade places on the tree.
Bilescourge Bombers: Instead of a targeted location ability, the bombers divebomb your target, allowing the packs to move but still take the intended damage.
Grimoire: Felguard BUFF!
I think a larger buff is warranted.
Fiendish Oblation: Choice node - 10% damage increase to Grimoire: Felguard + Immutable Hatred/Guillotine - Immutable hatred works the same as the capstone talent or if Guillotine is chosen, the Grimoire: Felguard will throw his axe at the current target upon summoning, dealing damage as the capstone talent does.
Fel Sunder: Instead of Felstorm being the ability that procs the buff, make it Legion Strike.
Improved Demonic Tactics: REMOVE - Replace with Immutable Hatred.
Demonic Brutality: REMOVE - Replace with Guillotine - yes, this means we can choose both. We’re buffing our Felguard completely on this side of the tree.
Immutable Hatred/Guillotine: Replace with a new talent - Grimoire of Supremacy: Fel Lord (Or Pit Lord, if Blizzard really wants to give in). This will change our Felguard into it’s much stronger counterpart, the Fel Lord (Like Zakuun) Increasing all of its damage by a flat %. Maintains all it’s normal abilities.
Not nearly good enough.
I would absolutely like buff up our felguard as a playstyle. Forgoing more demons (Doom Guards) for the Fel Lord or Pit Lord. We’re master summoners after all. Why shouldn’t we be able to handle one of these two high ranking demons? Plus, making Guillotine and Immutable hatred actually viable will help immensely with our AoE issues if tuned correctly. While the left side could maintain the single target focus. Leaving the right to be our more AoE oriented. Forgoing Guillotine for doom or something like that would make a viable build with both the Fel Lord and at least Doom. Perhaps there could be a build that tosses the Gloomhound/Charhound aside to give us the opportunity for both DGs and a Fel Lord/Pit Lord.
Also, make Tyrant instant cast. We cast enough with Fiend and Dogs and this will allow us to get out as many imps as possible before fiend runs out.
Or make it a choice node with Metamorphosis, as an instant cast alternative that’s a little weaker in single target, since it doesn’t get buffed by mastery, but stronger in aoe, since it buffs personal dps like implosion, HoG, and Doom.
With Demon Hunter existing, I don’t think Demo lock will ever see Meta again. Demonology has become the summoner fantasy and meta doesn’t really fit into that anymore. But more choice is always a good thing, if Blizz decided to bring it back, I wouldn’t be opposed. I still would want Tyrant to be instant cast though!
Perhaps instead of Umbral Blaze, the talent could be Dire Imps. I would prefer it to be Hand of Doom, but I like the idea of stronger imps! I would even say replace Imp Gang Boss with Dire Imps.
What I would like is an out of combat channel that lets you summon five imps or something. Maybe make it a class thing that gives the other specs a way to get five shards prepull.
That, and a talent that cause dreadstalkers and vilefiend to give your active imps a bit of energy back, just enough to help extend their duration when ramping into tyrant.
Oh, for crying out loud, I know I might love what’s here if I read it. And I don’t enjoy being schooled by absolutely everyone after coming off a strong expansion before, but… I can’t seem to have a single build before something changes that throws it all off! XD
I know “Adapt”, but I’m not the kind of person who rips builds off Wowhead, Icyveins or Raider!
OKAY! Throwing my fear for change aside, I wish Demonic Tyrant did not exist, or was completely optional and not specifically benefited and not optionally benefited by the Hero Talents. I fell out of love with it when I learned it provided no more soul shards, I freed up space to have char hounds and doom going on as well and they STICK IT IN THERE LIKE A SORE THUMB!
I wish though going down one route was made… acceptable. As well as combinations of the two but optionally, everything optional. And that’s the thing about Hero Talents, they force you to play a certain way either way, despite being mostly passive. it’s weird.
I know, Probably will be corrected by 20 year warlocks who use corruption and curses first before other spells, but it’s still irritable, that stupid tyrant!
If Tyrant was instant cast, I don’t think this would even be necessary!
I know, I get it. But we can’t sit by while our talent trees latest rework left a lot to be desired. I think it’s almost there, these few recommendations could tip it to a place that is really fun and relatively engaging without changing too much of what’s already been changed!
I get it! I usually do this as well, but after getting comfortable with the spec, I tend to try to branch out to see if I can’t make what’s there better. After looking over the talents, these are the pain points that I think could be addressed without completely overhauling the whole spec.
One of my biggest gripes. Nothing felt better than popping Tyrant with a slew of demons out already, only to get a huge chunk more out. Having 35+ imps out on a good Tyrant summon was so cool!
I hate how they capped Tyrant at 15 imps too. There are cases where I’ve been at like 20+ with Tyrant ready and knowing 5 will just not get benefit feels rather lame. I understand their point though, Demo’s damage with old tyrant was literally ALL Tyrant. I actually think currently, the damage spread across the kit is really well done and pretty balanced. Nothing is way too high. There are a few things that are incredibly low (umbral blaze), but for the most part, the damage spread is nice. An overall aura buff could be applied though. No longer being solely carried by Tyrant is an okay trade-off to me.
Remember the Glyph of Imp Swarm from a hundred years ago? It essentially front loaded your inner demons imps by summoning a bunch right away, but disabling the passive when on cooldown. I could see that making a return in some form.
Yeah… At the very least, I am pretty sure the 20% damage boost from Diabolist is uncapped, so there is that.
I mean, he does still provide three if you go Soul Harvester! But yes, they did make him so mandatory, they might as well make him baseline at this point.