Warlock Builds

WoW Classic WoW Classic General Discussion
1

Sup, never played classic, started from TBC onward, got a few ideas from several builds. Your input is welcome.

Group 1 - World leveling.

https:// classicdb.ch/?talent#ITMihRbkVZZxg0tM0z.

It has almost a complete optimal synergy between mana/health conversion.
Almost full DPS focused.
Not the best for PvP though.

https:// classicdb.ch/?talent#IZfxVzMxRpZVxbtM.

Honestly, this is sort of a ‘meme’ build made for fun only.
Still can pack a punch, but I don’t think it’s neither the best for DPS, and offers a lot of flaws in the world PvP map, specially against rogues and gangs.

Group 2 - Raids/Dungeons

https:// classicdb.ch/?talent#IZbxVzg0RZVx0tMhuh.

This one is very theory craft. Basically the idea is going heavy on fire damage min-maxing it. Does it worth it? Don’t know honestly. However it’s as good as it gets, since putting 2 more points into emberstorm would mean losing either 2/2 Firestone or Demonic Sacrifice, which I believe would worth more than an extra 4% damage increase.

In theory this build supposed to be one of the best for Raids and DPS overall.
Completely trash in PvP though.

Any other variation would be towards shadow damage instead, the goal would be getting both Ruin and Shadow Mastery, which will end somewhat similar to the first build anyways, or Shadow Mastery and Demonic Sacrifice. So, small variations here.

Group 3 - PvP

https:// classicdb.ch/?talent#IN0bZbxmuMxRtZVx0z.
Hybrid demon build. Can curse and DoT, cast direct impact spells, and has the highest survivability

https:// classicdb.ch/?talent#IE0bhRbkAobxZxg0z
Afflict lock.

Share your options about these builds, and also if you have your own build to share, don’t hold yourself.

Ps: remove the space in the links.

1 Like
2

For raid DPS you pretty much need imp life tap. I think the most meta build is imp life tap with demonic sacrifice and ruin. You sac your succubus and spam shadowbolt. SM/Ruin is also good as you guessed. It’s nice because you get to keep your imp and can buff with it.

For PvP I think your SL build is mostly fine. I would opt for 5/5 corruption though. Stopping for a .4 second cast can get you killed. Also I would consider getting imp void walker. The shield he can give you is very powerful vs classes that try to rush you down.

Edit: For a somewhat different PvP experience I like Nightfall/Conflag.
https:// classicdb.ch/?talent#IA0buRbZZxx0tMbtt
You get a lot of burst damage with conflag and instant shadowbolts from nightfall. The spec works a bit better once you have some spell damage and crit so you can 100-0 people.

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3

Classic warlock basically has 3 builds. All involve 21 talents, none involve the 31s.

  1. SM/Ruin: Most flexible, most popular, and also highest damage if corruption can be used. It can basically do everything well. With the debuff limit at 16, there’s little reason to field any other builds. It can effectively switch between dots, heals, or nukes, whenever you want.
  2. SL/DS: Mostly for leveling or farming. It can also do BGs quite well. It focuses entirely on dots/healing, which is good for solo play, but ruined by the debuff limit of raiding. Nuke spamming is ruined by this build, meaning it’s horrible to raid with.
  3. DS/Ruin: Hardest hitting nuke build. It’s great whenever corruption can’t be used, such as debuff limit of 8, or simply by having too many warlocks. But it sacrifices pretty much everything else out of affliction to accomplish its nuke numbers.
4

Unless I am missing something, DS + Ruin, gives +15% shadow damage only and nothing else.
SM + Ruin however, gives a whole kit of tools to play with, versatility, survivability and potentially more DPS at 5man and world exploration due DoTs damage.

If not using DS though, one can sacrifice the void walker to gain more survival, but will lose the 15% damage… Overall I am more inclined towards SM+Ruin combo.

That’s a very interesting PvP build, indeed. With good gear will tears ppl apart.

5

You’re probably right. Deep Aff will give you a lot more versatility. The idea behind the DS spec is just like Drain said, nuking as hard as possible.

Considering how expensive respecs are having a versatile build might be worth losing just a little bit of shadowbolt damage on raid bosses.

6

Hmm… Well the 25-31 talents generally are pretty strong.
It’s also very common to find 31s talents from either veteran players and class guides.

SM/Ruin is a 30/21 for instance.
DS/Ruin pretty strong indeed. Still I prefer the above one.

As for SL/DS, hmmm…
There’s only one thing than can save the warlock’s from a rogue or a gang ambush.
Either the void walker’s sacrifice or succubus’s charm, otherwise instant death.
Keeping in mind that this path would result into a overall worse world PvP and glaring weakness, what would be the advanges?
+15% shadow damage, at the cost of my pet’s DPS, and pet’s CCs/shields.
Also it requires a succubus, which is a very long quest, not very speed level friendly, worth to mention.
if I get SM however, I’d get +10% shadow and life leeching, the lost 5% is well made up from my pet existence alone.

Also since we want ‘21’ then no exhaustion, which means even more vulnerability. Then what, these extra 9 points would go to destruction, maybe bane 4/5. IDK… It just doesn’t seems appealing at all for me.
The other 2 builds were great though.
Not to mention SM+DS would be overall better, contribute more and also add more DPS…

I really don’t get this 21 only approach.

7

SL/DS is mainly for soloing mobs. You have double health regens, which outheal mobs hitting you. Downtime is quickly shrugged aside. You can actually group pull mobs, dotting everything in sight, and they will struggle to hurt you through all the health regen. For example, when I was farming on my scrub 60lock a few years back, I pulled whole packs of demons or furbolgs. The mobs are like 50-55. They can’t even hurt you through these health regens.

8

How about like this
https:// classicdb.ch/?talent#IiMicRboVZbxmuMho

Instead 21/21/9 It’s a 30/21.
Overall… The affliction path is insanely strong for World map leveling…
This also would give +25% shadow damage, instead of 15%, and +10/20% life leeching, turning into one of the most powerful builds for world creeping.
Now pump spell power and profit.

Still very vulnerable to ambushes and rogues though.

9

I never suggested a 21/21/9 build. You basically linked the SL/DS build I listed before. I’d question why anyone would want destruction without at 11 for shadowburn.

10

For PvP you’re almost certainly better off going SL.

For DPS there’s no way you can sacrifice all the goodies in the destro tree.

11

¯_(ツ)_/¯.
You said “Classic warlock basically has 3 builds. All involve 21 talents, none involve the 31s.”

Then said “SL/DS” Instead of “SM/DS”

Anyhow. Great build for World PvE indeed.

Still, I can see that build you posted working greatly at world PvP and BGs. With enough gear that is.

While there are some key elements, I feel with some minors tweaks here and there, one can come up with a very different overall design, which can work as well.

12

Oh yea you can really mix things up with lock specs in PvP. They all have their merits.

That destro build is a bit cheap but definitely effective. If your target can’t get out of seduce then all they can do is pray that your combo doesn’t instantly turn them into dust.

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13

From the start for me when my focus was PvP I went SL. Not the highest damage but difficult to kill and great at what my main interest at the time was. Defending in AB. This is the build I got to rank 11 with and then decided to start raiding.

Pretty sure at first I went Demonic Sacrifice/Ruin. This way I didn’t have to worry about a pet when raiding. Did great damage with it but it did get a bit boring spamming Shadow Bolt over and over.

Eventually I switched to SM/Ruin just to change things up. Was great for raiding and I dabbled with PvP again now that I was geared up in BWL gear. Woah! I wasn’t able to survive as well as when I was Soul Link but suddenly I was getting top KB and top damage in the battleground. And there is something awesome about Nightfall procing and getting an instant Shadow Bolt to smack someone in the face with. Before that I almost never cast Shadow Bolt in PvP. Why bother when I could just spam dots on everyone (standing still long enough to cast a spell with a cast time was deadly. I was always moving, always tabbing to the next target and dotting people up).

When BC came out and I switched to a PvP server to play with friends I stuck with SM/Ruin. Just dot everything up and drain tank and if you get ganked fear people into nearby mobs and then run away from them while dotting them up.

At any rate whichever build you go Warlock was the best PvP class i classic IMO.

14

https:// classicdb.ch/?talent#IVZfZxVbtrgtt

This one is what i’m planning on

Improved corruption is the first 5 talents I do. It’s a must to be able to cast Corruption while running away.
Then I work to shadowburn and Improved Firebolt.
Healthstone after that. Then everything else

15

SM/Ruin sounds pretty solid overall, so much versatility to do anything. Only problem are the raids, due to these debuffs slots limit…

Yeah, I also got two soul link builds to test in PvP.
For BG/Arena I suppose Afflict/Demo would be better than Demo/Dest.

Man, there are so many builds to try out. I have no clue why Blizzard remove this system in Catacylm, it’s so superior. A couple of points and the playstyle, rotation, spells prioritization can be changed, even obvious talents can have great impact and synergy with others, or a specific approach. Missed so much this talent tree.

Well, haven’t played Classic as said, but a few things that worth to take a look into.
Without Supression 2 or 3, your afflictions are likely to be resisted against mobs. Very likely against players with good gear.
Imps overall does have a terrible damage output, if you’re aiming for them, should consider to also pick Unholy Power 5/5. Also Master Demonologist can be great to not limit your own DPS in Raids, so you can unleash your full potential.(theorically)

Conflagrate is nice, above there’s a very solid build with it for PvP, but if the aim is PvE, the investment is too high, and one will lose overall DPS by going too far into the destruction path, atleast that is what it seems on the overall choices.
You’re also going heavy on fire, don’t have neither Bane (-2 sec Soul Fire and 0.5 for immolate) nor Improved Firestone (Spell power for fire + critical chance)

Searing Pain cost way too much mana. You don’t have Improved Life Tap, Dark Pact, Drain Life, Drain Soul, Demonic Embrace, to boost your mana regeneration from trading health to mana.
Likewise you’ll be oom very often.

Pyroclasm can be nice, however careful to not pull the aggro from your tank. Still something that might potentially worth to build around it.

16

Ah yeah. I’m more PvP built with leveling in mind.

Burst fire damage causing high threat is my RP. Curse of Elements for more fire :fire: