Hi new to lock especially classic lock and was just wondering which build should I take ds/ruin or sm/ruin ?
Also one last question in a group (dungeon)should I spread my dots on all enemies tanks engaged with or focus on killing 1 enemy at a time?
Not sure about the first question, but with regards to spreading DoTs, if you do not have a threat meter, then a good rule of thumb would be, as you said, dotting enemies after tanks have engaged (maybe some bleeds and/or Sunder Armors on them will help).
The one caveat that I would point out is to not dot a CC target. You probably already know that one though 
For leveling SM/Ruin… for end game, you want Nightfall/Conflagration
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Im actually going to use a general spec. Good on dots, good on bolts, decent survival.
Linkhttps://classicdb.ch/?talent#IA0iAMboVZdxZxx
Really . Not doubting just icy veins is saying sm/ruin and ds/ruin are the best for end game I’m just not sure which between the two to choose
What the heck? No lol. SM Ruin, or DS Ruin only.
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For leveling? Neither one.
I assume that you won’t always be in a group so you’ll need some solo capability. At the same time you’ll want to be able to group up.
I recommend something like this for leveling up and grouping:
Note that this has an approximate sequence to take the talents. It works with an addon called Talent Sequence to help you know what to take as you level.
You’ll mainly use Siphon Life as a fill between your dots and when Nightfall procs you’ll instant Shadowbolt.
As far as dotting everything up you can do it but be very careful. Always first dot the one the tank is concentrating on and then maybe throw a curse on the other ones. If you have a very good AOE tank you can throw up Corruption too and maybe Siphon Life. Avoid using Immolate, it tends to cause a lot of threat and pull aggro since it front-loads some damage.
Also, know that your self-heals cause some AOE threat so simply by putting up Siphon Life and Drain Life/Drain Mana you may pull threat on adds from a bad tank. In that case do not AOE dot because it will make the situation worse.
At or close to end game content you can respec to SM/Ruin or DS/Ruin.
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Okay thanks a lot out of the 2 which would be most beneficial for end game you think ?
It depends on your end game. Will you be a heavy raider? Just dungeons? PVP?
Only if your end game is more PVP or dungeons. In raids you won’t be able to put up your dots due to limited debuff slots so you won’t get Nightfall procs. Yes, the debuff limit has been increased to 16 but in a 40 person raid the slots are still very limited. You may be allowed one dot.
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I’d like to get into raiding
It depends on the raid group that you’re in. Both DS/Ruin and MD/Ruin mean that you might not have an imp out - something that may be required by your raid group. In that case SM/Ruin is probably your best choice.
I would probably say that DS/Ruin is best overall but MD/Ruin is very nice too and a bit more flexible since you get to keep your pets out.
Got it thanks for the info very helpful !
Yup, throw a curse up, immolate, conflagration, and drain life to instant shadow bolt… sick damage
And nothing you’ll be allowed to do in a raid unless the raid is a very bad one. That’s 3 debuffs for one warlock, if you have 4 in a raid that’s 12 debuffs right there and there are a lot of other debuffs from other classes that are more necessary.
Not to mention that many raiding fights are fire resistant so you wouldn’t use immolate or conflagrate in the first place. Plus that rotation is extremely threat-heavy and warlocks have aggro problems in the first place - having no easy way to dump threat. You can’t dps much while you’re lying on the ground dead.
I’d love to see a full spec because this rotation makes little sense.
So, yeah, not good advice.
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[quote] What the heck? No lol. SM Ruin, or DS Ruin only.
[/quote]
Really? Funny cause even VoiVid suggests a variation of this spec at 7:34 on his pvp guide.
Linkhttps://youtu.be/RjMgi8dAXtw
That’s a PvP spec, DS/Ruin and SM/Ruin are PvE/raiding specs. SM/Ruin is your best bet for high PvE damage but still good in other areas but it isn’t a PvP spec either.
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…and here he is PvPing with SM/Ruin…
Linkhttps://youtu.be/G9xG7eMjKt0
he’s asking about pve. read.
30/0/21 is uncontested in classic for being the prime warlock build. It can do everything. If you trade the affliction for sacrifice (ds/ruin), you’re making a lopsided warlock that sacrifices far too much for a gain of only 5% shadow damage. Siphon life fyi is fantastic when you’re outside raids.