Latest Affliction Alpha Build

Classes Warlock
1

With Affliction’s latest alpha build, the overall theme of this spec is missing something. When I look at talents I can see why. As of this post, there are currently 18 talents that provide some kind of basic stat amp to an existing ability. They are passive talents and provide no additional class fantasy or interesting spin on how the spec would be played. For sticker shock, here’s a list of talents from the Affliction tree that give generic, passive stat amps:

  • Kindled Malice – Malefic Rapture and corruption damage increased by %.
  • Dark Virtuosity – increases SB and DS damage by %.
  • Improved Shadow Bolt – Reduce cast time and increase damage by %.
  • Summoner’s Embrace – increases damage by spells and demon by %.
  • Shadow Embrace – increases damage dealt to target for 16 seconds by %.
  • Sacrolash’s Dark Strike – increases corruption damage by %.
  • Improved Haunt – increases Haunt damage by %.
  • Malediction – increases critical strike chance of Agony, Corruption, and Unstable Affliction by %.
  • Contagion – increases critical strike damage of Agony, Corruption, and Unstable Affliction by %.
  • Cull the Weak – Malefic Rapture damage is increased by % per enemy hit.
  • Creeping Death - Agony, Corruption, and Unstable Affliction deal damage faster by %.
  • Death’s Embrace – increases damage for Agony, Corruption, and Unstable Affliction when target below 20% HP
  • Xavius’ Gambit – Unstable Affliction deals increased damage by %.
  • Focused Malignancy – Malefic Rapture deals increased damage by % to targets with UA applied.
  • Improved Malefic Rapture – Malefic Rapture damage increased by % and reduced cast time by %.
  • Withering Bolt – Shadow Bolt and Drain Soul deal increased damage per DOT effect.
  • Dark Harvest – Soul Rot increases haste and crit by % (I’ll let this one slide, but still a stat amp).
  • Malign Omen – Malefic Rapture deals increased damage and extends dot durations.

What part of this spec is supposed to be exciting? Sure, we do more damage but isn’t that what gear is for? Nothing is interesting about how this spec is designed. Now that I laid out each talent that has a stat amp, I am also taken aback. Technically, Absolute Corruption / Siphon Life should be listed here, but because they change the dynamic of the Corruption ability (sorta) I kept it off this list.

Thoughts?

5 Likes
2

You aren’t wrong. There are alot of % increases in the Demo tree, but it does feel better with more playstyle options offered in the tree.

3

I think Malign Omen is fine, and there is nothing wrong with talents that just add raw power.

But you are right. The aff tree is moving backwards. Not sure how they keep losing flavor and class fantasy, but they really are.

2 Likes
4

I agree with you 100%. For me the latest changes have made it feel really stagnant and I am worried there’s an unwillingness from the developer team to really strip back and revamp the feel of the spec. I took a crack and feel like there’s heaps of potential while still being a viable spec which fits into this iteration of WoW’s gameplay - obviously I’m bias but take a look and provide some feedback if you can, so hopefully we can all advocate together for some diversified talent choices

Image of the tree and nodes/connections is here (delete the spaces after the colon and period)
https: //ibb. co/gyWFnb9
Numbers are attached to leftmost talents in each row to help orient when reading below.

Talents are:
**
#0 Unstable Affliction
Afflicts one target with Shadow damage over 16 seconds. If dispelled, deals [y] Shadow damage to the dispeller and silences them for 4 seconds. Generates 1 Soul Shard if the target dies while affected.

#1 Writhe In Agony
Agony’s damage starts at 4 stacks and may now ramp up to 18 stacks.

#2 Volatile Agony
Refreshing Agony with 10 or less seconds remaining deals Shadow damage to its target and enemies within 10 yards. Deals reduced damage beyond 8 targets.

#3 Nightfall
Corruption damage has a chance to cause your next Shadow Bolt or Drain Soul to deal 25% increased damage. Shadow Bolt is instant cast, and Drain Soul channels 50% faster when affected.

#4 Absolute Corruption / Siphon Life
Corruption is now permanent and deals 15% increased damage. Duration reduced to 24 seconds against players.
/
Corruption deals 20% increased damage and its period damage heals you for 5% of the damage dealt.

#5 Seed Of Corruption
DOES NOT COST A SOUL SHARD. Embeds a demon seed in the enemy target that will explode after 12 seconds, dealing Shadow damage to all enemies within 10 yards and applying Corruption to them. The seed will detonate early if the target takes [a] damage from your spells.

#6 Dark Virtuosity
If Agony is at maximum stacks on your target, then Shadow Bolt or Drain Soul damage has a chance to overwhelm your enemy, pushing Agony past its maximum stack count by 5, reducing by 1 stack for each tick of damage until it returns to its usual maximum.

#7 Growing Instability
Reduces the cast time of Unstable Affliction by 10% and damage dealt by Unstable Affliction has a chance to generate a Soul Shard.

#8 Sacrolash’s Dark Strike
Corruption damage is increased by 15% and each time if deals damage any of your Curses active on the target are extended by 1 second.

#9 Compounding Horror
Each time Agony or Corruption deal damage, they have a 10% chance to cause your next Unstable Affliction to deal additional Shadow Damage instantly to the target and 50% of that damage to surrounding enemies, stacking up to 10 times.

#10 Doom Blossom
Seed of Corruption now costs a Soul Shard and has a 10 second cooldown, but deals 300% damage.

#11 Wicked Bolts / Drain Soul
Reduces the cast time of Shadow Bolt by 15% and increases its damage by 40%
/
Replaces Shadow Bolt. Drain’s the target’s soul, causing Shadow damage over 5 seconds. Damage is increased by 100% against enemies below 20% health.

#12 Unstable Agony
Agony gains 3 stacks each time it deals damage to an enemy affected by Unstable Affliction.

#13 Summoner’s Embrace / Grimoire Of Sacrifice
Your demon pet and Darkglare deal % increase damage to targets affected by Unstable Affliction and heal you for 5% of their damage done.
/
Sacrifices your demon pet for power, gaining its command demon ability and causing your spells to sometimes deal additional Shadow damage. Lasts until cancelled or until you summon a demon pet.

#14 Unstable Epidemic
When an enemy dies affected by Unstable Affliction, it will attempt to spread to a nearby unit (prioritising the lowest percentage health enemy) and increase its duration by 8 seconds. Triggers Compounding Horror if talented.

#15 Vile Taint / Phantom Singularity
Unleashes a vile explosion at the target location, dealing Shadow Damage over 10 seconds to 8 enemies within 10 yards, and applies Agony and Curse of Exhaustion to them.
/
Summons a Phantom Singularity attached to you for 16 seconds which consumes the life of all enemies in combat within 40 yards, dealing Shadow damage and healing for 25% of the damage done.

#16 Withering Bolt
Shadow Bolt and Drain Soul deal 15% increased damage per damage over time effect on the target, up to 45%.

#17 Shadow’s Embrace
Shadow Bolt and Drain Soul apply Shadow’s Embrace to the target for 12 seconds, increasing your damage deal to the target. Shadow Bolt applies 4%, and Drain Soul applies 2%, increased damage, stacking up to a total of 12%.

#18 Focused Malignancy
Malefic Rapture deals 15% increased damage to targets affected by Unstable Affliction.

#19 Soul Window
Malefic Rapture consumes 1 second of Agony’s duration on enemies it affects, but will count it as 2 periodic effects for its damage increase calculation.

#20 Infirmity
Vile Taint’s cooldown is now 20 seconds, and when Agony is applied through Vile Taint they are applied with 5 additional stacks, and last 5 seconds longer.
/
Phantom Singularity’s cooldown is now 30 seconds, and you deal 10% increased damage when Phantom Singularity is active.

#21 Absolute Agony
When Agony deals damage, it now has a chance to instead explode for that damage in a small area around its target.

#22 Shadow Bastion
Casting Shadow Bolt/Drain Soul empowers you with Shadow Bastion for 3 seconds, decreasing your damage taken by 3% and allowing you to cast the ability while moving at 33% movement speed.

#23 Creeping Death
Your damage-over-time effects deal their damage 15% faster.

#24 Relentless Rapture
Malefic Rapture increases the damage of Malefic Rapture by 8% for 8 seconds.

#25 Death’s Embrace
Damage done by your periodic effects and Malefic Rapture is increased by 20% when your target is at or below 20% health.

#26 Cunning Cruelty
Shadow Bolt and Drain Soul have a chance to trigger a Shadow Bolt Volley, dealing Shadow damage to up to 8 enemies within 10 yards of your current target.

#27 Perdition
Your damage-over-time effects have 5% increased critical strike chance, and 15% increased critical strike damage.

#28 Cull The Weak
Malefic Rapture damage is increased by 4% for each enemy it hits, up to 8 enemies.

#29 Haunt
A ghostly soul haunts the target, dealing Shadow damage and increasing your damage dealt to the target by 10% for 18 seconds. If the target dies, Haunt’s cooldown is reset.

#30 Oblivion
DOES NOT COST A SOUL SHARD. Unleash wicked magic upon your target’s soul, dealing Shadow damage over 3 seconds. Deals 10% increased damage, up to 30%, per damage over time effect you have active on the target.

#31 Soul Rot
Wither away all life force of your current target and up to 7 additional targets nearby, causing your primary target to suffer Shadow damage and secondary targets to suffer [y] Shadow damage over 8 seconds. For the next 8 seconds, Drain Life will cause you to also Drain Life any enemy affected by your Soul Rot and heal you for the damage it deals.

#32 Summon Darkglare
Summons a Darkglare from the Twisting Nether that extends the duration of your damage over time effects on all enemies by 8 seconds. The Darkglare will serve you for 20 seconds, blasting its target for Shadow damage, increased by 25% for every damage-over-time effect you have active on its current target.

#33 Ghostly Affliction
Haunt now affects the target with 6 seconds of Unstable Affliction, Agony, and Corruption.

#34 Haunted Soul
Your Haunt and Oblivion spells empower you with Haunted Soul for 18 seconds, increasing the damage of your damage over time effects by 10% for 18 seconds. Haunted Soul applications from casting both spells may overlap, but do not refresh duration.

#35 Herald of the End
Oblivion now costs 2 Soul Shards, but its cooldown is now 30 seconds and your damage over time effects do not decrease in duration while Oblivion is channelled at the target.

#36 Black Harvest
Your Oblivion and Soul Rot spells empower you with Black Harvest for 8 seconds, increasing your Haste and Critical Strike Chance by 8% for 8 seconds. Dark Harvest applications may overlap from casting both spells, but does not refresh duration.

#37 Malign Omen
Casting Soul Rot grants 3 applications of Malign Omen. Malign Omen causes Malefic Rapture to deal 20% increased damage and extend the duration of your damage over time effects and Haunt by 2 seconds.

#38 Soul and Heart
Your Soul Rot and Summon Darkglare spells empower you with Soul Heart for 8 seconds. While empowered, Shadow Bolt/Drain Soul affects up to 5 additional nearby targets, and each time it deals damage will attempt to cast a Malefic Rapture (if Soul Shards or Tormented Crescendo is available) without interrupting casting/channelling. The duration of these applications will add together when cast within the other’s timer.

#39 Malevolent Visionary
Increases the damage of your Darkglare by 70%. When Darkglare extends damage over time effects, it also sears affected targets for Shadow Damage.

#40 Malefic Touch
Malefic Rapture singes enemies it affects for Shadowflame damage over 4 seconds. This damage over time effect also contributes to Malefic Rapture’s per periodic effect damage increase calculation.

#41 Tormented Crescendo
While Agony, Corruption, and Unstable Affliction are active, your Shadow Bolt has a 30% chance, and your Drain Soul has a 20% chance to make your next Malefic Rapture cost no Soul Shards and cast instantly.

#42 Kindled Malice
Malefic Rapture damage causes Unstable Affliction, Agony, and Corruption each to deal an instant additional tick of periodic damage without reducing their durations. Does not increase Agony’s stack count.
**

1 Like
5

Remove covenant skill, remove shadow embrace.

1 Like
6

Sure thing! What did you want them replaced with?

7

the biggest issues with aff atm are pathing and accessing the cap stones. then the next one is you still have to hard chose do I do single target damage or aoe. this new build was 1 small step forward and 20 steps backwards. the 2 point % talent options are a major issue in the pathing and accessing the cap stones

8

I personally love passive boosts to power. I am not a fan of adding more key presses, especially ones you can only use every 2 minutes or longer. Just my opinion.

9

The new capstones are also not that great. I suppose they could be “balanced” to be better, just they don’t do anything fun.

After seeing the love they gave unholy DK, I really hope this build was just a build behind and that we will see more on the 5th. A sort of “in transition” build.

10

The capstones are indeed very mid.

Also, focused malignancy and improved malefic rapture should both be 1-point talents. For all their talk about pruning down the 2-pointers, the bottom third of this aff tree is absolutely bloated with them.

Here’s some ideas for capstones that could be interesting, just off the top of my head:

Violent Expurgation - Consumes all damage over time effects on all enemies to deal significant damage for each consumed DoT. 30 second cooldown.

Mastery of Misery - Unstable Affliction can be applied to a second target, or twice to a single target.

Poltergeist - Drain Soul/Shadow Bolt empowers the Haunt effect on your target, increasing the effect of its damage amp by 2%/4% stacking, until Haunt expires or is refreshed.

11

My general feedback:

  • Need to remove the two point talent nodes
  • Not enough nodes in general right now, especially in gate 1.
  • Some talent placements are very awkward / out of place. Prime example of this is Seed of Corruption being before Kindled Malice, and Soul Rot being under Death’s Embrace
  • Too many boring/uninspired/non-epic feeling capstones in gate 3. I like the idea of Relinquished and Empowered UA, but they don’t fit in the capstone area.
  • Soul Rot and Death’s Embrace should, at a minimum, switch positions. I think Death’s Embrace in general needs a re-work – if you’re afraid of the execute being too strong, why not tie it to Soul Rot. Something like, when a target is under x% health and afflicted with your Soul Rot, your DoTs do 30% increased damage. Something like this should help with both balance as well as the feeling of pressing a button and getting an increased reward.

I’ve outline my comprehensive feedback on a google doc, alongside some suggestions for the re-arrangement of the tree and new talents. (remove the space before docs and before com) https:// docs.google. com/document/d/1qmXpmbPj-pYG0I8-WiY4_me8WpMZPXNtm2ps7EsXD8w

12

Some good ideas. Here’s a few that I had:
Vengeful Spirits -Consuming Nightfall on a target afflicted with Haunt creates a Vengeful Spirit. The Vengeful Spirit casts Haunt on your target and two nearby enemies. If only one target is affected, Vengeful Spirit’s Haunt deals 300% increased damage.

Cruel Inspiration- When Agony grants you a Soul Shard, you have a chance to gain Cruel Inspiration, increasing your haste by 12% for 6 seconds.

Ire of the Beholder - When Darkglare is active, Creeping Death also affects [Phantom Singularity / Vile Taint] and Soul Rot and causes your damage over time effects to deal 10% increased damage.

and this will be polarizing, but I wouldn’t mind seeing a version of Malefic Wrath, the Shadowlands legendary, return. Rapture increases the damage of Drain Soul/Shadowbolt for x seconds. I wouldn’t usually be okay with this, but with the complete deletion of so much maintenance stuff - no dread touch, shadow embrace being refreshed by haunt potentially, no active siphon life - I think one optional maintenance buff might be okay to play with.

13

yes the cap stones feel very meh and not inspired

14

most of the 2 point talents could just be one pointers

15

Am I the only one that thinks Sacrolash’s Dark Strike is literally a waste of a talent that should just be baked into Absolute Corruption/Siphon Life, it’s not needed, just their to soak a talent point.

Remove it, Shift Shadow Embrace there and bam, the tree is better and also symmetrical too in that row.

16

Am I the only one that thinks Sacrolash’s Dark Strike is literally a waste of a talent that should just be baked into Absolute Corruption/Siphon Life, it’s not needed, just their to soak a talent point. Remove it, Shift Shadow Embrace there and bam, the tree is better and also symmetrical too in that row.

You’re not wrong, but the tree as of right now needs more talent nodes, not less. If it’s not competitive enough, it needs to be buffed or it’s alternatives need to be nerfed. I know we have a lot of passive % things on the tree and that is relatively boring, but like I said, when we need more talent nodes we don’t have the luxury of deleting these at the moment.

1 Like
17

Affliction looks great! Hope they don’t change anything

1 Like
18

Absolutely awful, they need to fire whoever the warlock class designer is and start from scratch. this garbage is a complete mess, no idea what they were thinking.

1 Like
19

You mean all.

If they cut every 2pt node to a 1pt node, the tree would be functional. Not as nice as Demo or Destro where they have multiple tier sets and playstyles rolled into their tree.

They gave Malign Omen, which is ok, but compared to the way they expanded on Rifts, Doom, Dogs, etc… it feels pretty small.

5 Likes
20

Newest build is better. Still seems like blizzard isn’t sure what they wanna do. Too many talents that do the exact same thing (increase Raptures damage).

I just don’t understand why we can’t have some talents the proc a free Darkglare, or temporarily make dots do more dmg, or extends specific DoT’s durations (agony), or make dots proc not just nightfall but an auto shadowbolt (where a smaller shadowbolt that automatically shoots from your character without having to press the spell itself…)?

I do like some of the new talents, I just wish there was a larger variety of interesting talents.