So Currently I play a BM/MM Hunter. My raid needs a Lock and a Mage so I’m trying to figure out which one I should play. How Do Mages and Warlocks feel this Xpac and how are they looking for 10.1.5
Fire mages will kick so much *** come 10.1.5.
Biggest reason is because Pyroclasm and Sun Kings Blessing will be merged. If not that, Rune of Power will be gone.
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My fully biased take is that warlock is the best class in the game so obviously play a warlock.
However you really should play the classes yourself and make your mind up from that.
Only you can tell what youre happy playing.
Roll mage.
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Warlock is the objectively superior class if you ever want to do literally any solo content or try to solo something that is meant to be group content. But if you’re only going to play it when you’re in a guild group, then mage should be fine too.
Blizzard seems dead-set on making warlocks less fun to play with every iteration. Mage stonks will be going up in 10.1.5, so I recommend that.
If your guild is missing both, and has to choose between mage or warlock, having a warlock in the raid is far more important. Sure a mage’s int buff is nice, but there’s truly no replacement for having healthstones and a lock gate during a tough fight
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Lock if your raid doesn’t have one. Mage if your raid has a lock.
Health stones are more important than an int buff. Gateways are nice as well.
They aren’t really touching destro in 10.1.5 other than potentially making a 2min infernal build viable.
They are going to rework mage so they dont have to stand still as much, OP in 10.1.5
Because you play a BM hunter I recommend a mage just because they’re easier to play.
Okay, I’m kidding. But to me, it sort of depends on how you look at both of the classes. Mages are good because they can lust and they have mage food which can benefit plenty of people. While Warlocks, they’re useful yes, they have a portal and rock stones and that’s good as well. But in terms of dps and such Demo warlock and destruction are doing very well.
But just because the two specs I mentioned are meta, that doesn’t automatically mean your DPS is going to be insane so, if you know how to play a mage then go with a mage if you know how to play lock better then play that
I’d pick mage. I say that as someone pushing 20’s on their warlock this season who is gearing up mage for 10.1.5.
Warlock is a great class, dont get me wrong, but the upcoming mage changes look great. The upcoming warlock changes look okay at best and bad at worst.
You need to ask yourself, what’s more important, you, or the team? YOU. When you’re the main character of your own universe, you are what matters.
Warlocks are getting:
- (aff) QOL improvements to Dread Touch/MR
- (aff) AOE improvements to Doom Blossom - that still aren’t good enough to make you play Doom Blossom
- (destro) Nice improvements to Rain of Chaos that still won’t address the main problem - Madness being incredibly short and incredibly punishing
- (demo) Less dogs, therefore less Doombolts and less mobility.
- (all specs) being robbed of Observer pet because Blizzard says neither warlocks nor enemies of warlocks can discern it’s capabilities by silhouette.
Mages are getting:
- A rework for every spec, the changes for Frost and Fire look absolutely fantastic. The arcane changes so far are only a slight improvement.
- Changes like a powerful new talent to replace Sun Kings Blessing annoying gameplay
- Double Orb / Blizzard drops every Cone of Cold
- No more ROP!
- Mass Invis (Shroud) or Mass Barrier in the class tree
- A choice to turn iceblock into a 70% DR that lets you keep DPSing
What’s your life like outside the raid?
When you queue for keys, how many groups say “looking for hero/lust” vs the ones that say “looking for BR”? There’s always groups looking for heroism. No one is looking for BR because Paladins have infected every group in existence.
When you’re not in the raid, how do you get where you’re going? Warlocks walk. Mages take a portal.
When the fight has mechanics, do you want to completely ignore them with tricks like Iceblock, Blink, Greater Invis and Alter Time, or do you hope that your wall of HP and demonic circle are enough to get by?
It’s not just cheesing things other players have to “actually deal with.” Mages just straight up have a better defensive kit.
Unending Resolve is on a longer cooldown than Greater Invis while being half as powerful. Dark Pact is a 1 minute 40% absorb but to be any good you have to use it at full health, which is often not when you realize you’re in danger. Mage barriers are half as strong but available twice as often and don’t require a specific health percentage to be effective, and that doesn’t include Ice Block, Alter Time, Mirror Images giving a 20% DR, and spec specific perks like double Iceblock or Cauterize.
Do you want to DPS while you jump around like an unmedicated BM Hunter? Frost and Fire are some of the most capable ranged DPS in the game. Destro and Demo, not so much.
As a warlock, if you don’t have a mage buff you’ll wish you had one every raid. But if you ARE the mage buff - you’re near peak potential every time.
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Praise
\o/
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Warlocks definitely have a way better feel to them.
Fire revolves around a pretty set rotation to min/max pyros.
Frost has a bit more flavor since the flurry change, but it’s still Ice lance>flurry>frostbolt.
Arcane… its in a place 
I mained arcane during SL, it was fun. But this xpac…
I don’t have any real complaints about the 3 lock specs other than afflic’s same old plague of ramp up.
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