Definitive Warlock Guide

[Rayaleith 2]

At PvE server you can be safe with imp mana battery and Dark Pact IMO. 

[Xashe 1]

Leveling build in one pic

 

well played sir, well played. i like it

[xxxxNateDaGreat 0]

I have a noob question: What is the reasoning behind waiting until 25 to finish off Improved Corruption? Would it make a noticeable difference if I just put my first five points into it?

[Xashe 1]

I have a noob question: What is the reasoning behind waiting until 25 to finish off Improved Corruption? Would it make a noticeable difference if I just put my first five points into it?

 

you have to approach this from a point of efficiency

the first milestones you want to hit are imp drain soul (mana regen), then imp vw (better tanking).

you only put 2 points into it to bring the cast time down to 1 GCD. even if you were to put 5 points into it, it doesnt make you cast spells faster. all it lets you to do is to cast it while moving.

as a warlock, you can take on mobs higher than your level fairly easily, so you need the +hit

hence the split to get to imp drain soul

Edited December 18, 2016 by Xashe

[g2nightmare 4]

you have to approach this from a point of efficiency

the first milestones you want to hit are imp drain soul (mana regen), then imp vw (better tanking).

you only put 2 points into it to bring the cast time down to 1 GCD. even if you were to put 5 points into it, it doesnt make you cast spells faster. all it lets you to do is to cast it while moving.

as a warlock, you can take on mobs higher than your level fairly easily, so you need the +hit

hence the split to get to imp drain soul

 

This is correct. 2 points will reduce 0.8 sec on corruption, which is ~ 1 global cooldown. Instant cast only matters in PvP skirmishes but it won't be game losing or anything. Reducing resist by 10% is just another way of saying "10% increased damage".

[xxxxNateDaGreat 0]

Okay, I had a hunch that that was the reason, but I wasn't sure. Thanks!

[Shiki225 0]

what is the fastest way to get a soul pouch? Because I notice the macro for drain soul only deletes a soul shard from the 4th bag at the bottom most right. Which probably make sense because thats how the soul shard are putted in the soul pouch. but if I dont have a soul pouch, the shard could be anywhere in my bag

Edited December 26, 2016 by Shiki225

[Xashe 1]

what is the fastest way to get a soul pouch? Because I notice the macro for drain soul only deletes a soul shard from the 4th bag at the bottom most right. Which probably make sense because thats how the soul shard are putted in the soul pouch. but if I dont have a soul pouch, the shard could be anywhere in my bag

you get your first soul pouch at lvl 20 when you complete your succubus quest

[Microdots 7]

So IMP Soul Drain doesn't proc as often as it should. Unless there is some internal CD that isn't stated. So I spec'd out of imp drain soul since it doesn't work 100% and put the extra 2 points into Fel Concentration.

[g2nightmare 4]

what is the fastest way to get a soul pouch? Because I notice the macro for drain soul only deletes a soul shard from the 4th bag at the bottom most right. Which probably make sense because thats how the soul shard are putted in the soul pouch. but if I dont have a soul pouch, the shard could be anywhere in my bag

 

You'll want to use the macro after you get a soul bag.

So IMP Soul Drain doesn't proc as often as it should. Unless there is some internal CD that isn't stated. So I spec'd out of imp drain soul since it doesn't work 100% and put the extra 2 points into Fel Concentration.

 

I think you have to kill the mob, not your voidwalker / pet.

[Xashe 1]

So IMP Soul Drain doesn't proc as often as it should. Unless there is some internal CD that isn't stated. So I spec'd out of imp drain soul since it doesn't work 100% and put the extra 2 points into Fel Concentration.

imp drain soul works 100% of the time. Make sure your pet is not getting the killing blow.

[Rayaleith 2]

Still think impr Agony is not that useful while leveling. CoEx on the other hand is great.

[Microdots 7]

imp drain soul works 100% of the time. Make sure your pet is not getting the killing blow.

 

Quiet sure it doesn't work 100% of the time I will get a video and show that it doesn't work as intended on the PvE Realm.

[AgentMulder 2]

Still think impr Agony is not that useful while leveling. CoEx on the other hand is great.

 

I agree with you.  There's easily 10 talent points between the two trees that you can freely shift around to your liking.  Almost every guide will suggest going 3/3 Improved CoA but really those are just filler points.  On bosses...just amplify it.

 

What you NEED for leveling:

-At least 3/5 Suppression

-2/2 Improved Life Tap

-2/2 Nightfall (the advantages of which you'll see more in dungeons rather than soloing, totally worth it)

-2/2 Improved Healthstone

-3/3 Improved Voidwalker

-1/1 Fel Domination (pretty nice life saver if you pull more mobs than intended...sac your void for shield, pop this and bring out another void, cast suffering, win)

 

Quiet sure it doesn't work 100% of the time I will get a video and show that it doesn't work as intended on the PvE Realm.

 

Improved Drain Soul is, in my most humble opinion, not needed (**gasp** incoming flame sauce).  I've now leveled two Warlocks past 45, on two different servers with vastly different populations.  Almost exclusively...send Void in, DoT and wand.  Maybe something changes in these higher levels, but I'm generally moving between mobs with over 80% mana.  Warlock spells are surprisingly mana efficient (unlike a Shadow Priest for example where 5/5 Spirit Tap is a must for leveling).  If I'm having a mana issue while questing (rare), I just Life Tap.

[Numi 0]

Improved Drain Soul is, in my most humble opinion, not needed (**gasp** incoming flame sauce).  I've now leveled two Warlocks past 45, on two different servers with vastly different populations.  Almost exclusively...send Void in, DoT and wand.  Maybe something changes in these higher levels, but I'm generally moving between mobs with over 80% mana.  Warlock spells are surprisingly mana efficient (unlike a Shadow Priest for example where 5/5 Spirit Tap is a must for leveling).  If I'm having a mana issue while questing (rare), I just Life Tap.

 

It's definetively possible to level without it, the problem is that you'll be spending time wanding when you could be shadow bolting to reduce the amount of time and mana the voidwalker need to spend per mob.

 

Effectively it's a small gain to your killing speed, but when you spend 5 days grinding to 60 you'll appreciate the ~10-15% increased killing speed that Improved Drain Soul will give you.

 

 

So IMP Soul Drain doesn't proc as often as it should. Unless there is some internal CD that isn't stated. So I spec'd out of imp drain soul since it doesn't work 100% and put the extra 2 points into Fel Concentration.

 

Yes it does, 100% working confirmed on the PvP server live atm, everything from the amount of mana to the proc rate is confirmed to be working exactly as it should.

So IMP Soul Drain doesn't proc as often as it should. Unless there is some internal CD that isn't stated. So I spec'd out of imp drain soul since it doesn't work 100% and put the extra 2 points into Fel Concentration.

 

[Xashe 1]

On 12/27/2016 at 0:39 PM, Rayaleith said:

Still think impr Agony is not that useful while leveling. CoEx on the other hand is great.

Does CoEx help you kill mobs faster? No... "But it helps me kite", be better with your threat. "It helps when I'm getting ganked", this is not a PvP guide.

 

On 12/28/2016 at 5:39 AM, AgentMulder said:

I agree with you.  There's easily 10 talent points between the two trees that you can freely shift around to your liking.  Almost every guide will suggest going 3/3 Improved CoA but really those are just filler points.  On bosses...just amplify it.

What you NEED for leveling:

-At least 3/5 Suppression

-2/2 Improved Life Tap

-2/2 Nightfall (the advantages of which you'll see more in dungeons rather than soloing, totally worth it)

-2/2 Improved Healthstone

-3/3 Improved Voidwalker

-1/1 Fel Domination (pretty nice life saver if you pull more mobs than intended...sac your void for shield, pop this and bring out another void, cast suffering, win)

Improved Drain Soul is, in my most humble opinion, not needed (**gasp** incoming flame sauce).  I've now leveled two Warlocks past 45, on two different servers with vastly different populations.  Almost exclusively...send Void in, DoT and wand.  Maybe something changes in these higher levels, but I'm generally moving between mobs with over 80% mana.  Warlock spells are surprisingly mana efficient (unlike a Shadow Priest for example where 5/5 Spirit Tap is a must for leveling).  If I'm having a mana issue while questing (rare), I just Life Tap.

While your opinions are valid (anyone can play their warlock however they want) they are not correct in this context. The spec outlined in the guide is the MOST EFFICIENT way to level from 1-60. Imp CoA? NEEDED when taking on multiple mobs (makes your CoA do more damage per mana spent). Imp Drain Soul? ABSOLUTELY NEEDED to cut mana regen corners and maximize efficient grinding up time. In the context of this guide, don't try to reinvent the wheel. What is outlined in the spec progression section should be taken as gospel.

Want more proof? Here is my 1-60 /played on old nost - 5days, 1hour, 26mins, 56secs

I challenge you to do better.

Edited December 29, 2016 by Xashe
fix image link

[Rayaleith 2]

I mentioned CoEx as essential for PvP leveling in my opinion. It's not a matter of competition, don't take it this way. Two out of three servers now are PvP. For completeness the OP (or Xashe) could have mentioned the differences on talent choices for leveling in Nost PvP or Elysium fresh!

[g2nightmare 4]

On 12/29/2016 at 8:56 AM, Rayaleith said:

I mentioned CoEx as essential for PvP leveling in my opinion. It's not a matter of competition, don't take it this way. Two out of three servers now are PvP. For completeness the OP (or Xashe) could have mentioned the differences on talent choices for leveling in Nost PvP or Elysium fresh!

It's a PvE guide that's applicable on a PvP server. PvP will happen, but most of the time you are still killing mobs.

[maha099 0]

Hey guys, first-time warlock here with a couple of questions:

For the fresh server at launch, I've heard something about 1.4 itemization - do you know for sure if the 1.2 spreadsheet in the OP will be accurate? Will items like Anastari Heirloom, Ban'thok Sash and Shadow Wrath gear be unavailable?

Also, I've been recommended this build, for leveling while being able to hold your own in wpvp. What do you think?

http://db.vanillagaming.org/?talent#IAM0VRboZbxhzTZxx0z

Thanks for your time!

[Procto 9]

12 hours ago, maha099 said:

Hey guys, first-time warlock here with a couple of questions:

For the fresh server at launch, I've heard something about 1.4 itemization - do you know for sure if the 1.2 spreadsheet in the OP will be accurate? Will items like Anastari Heirloom, Ban'thok Sash and Shadow Wrath gear be unavailable?

Also, I've been recommended this build, for leveling while being able to hold your own in wpvp. What do you think?

http://db.vanillagaming.org/?talent#IAM0VRboZbxhzTZxx0z

Thanks for your time!

Thought someone would reply faster but pretty sure Heirloom is available from get-go, Ban'thok sash is not available until about patch 1.8 I believe.

I have no actual warlock experience and fresh will be my first time, also thanks OP and contributors, really helpful!

The spec you provided seems alright, question is, in what order? What do you spec for throughout your leveling, please do write down level per level how you approach the talents!

For shadow gear you can get Shadoweave gear around 175-250 tailoring I believe, also I remember getting it really early on Nost while leveling, however Nost could of mixed up 1.2 and 1.3 from the get-go. probably doesn't matter.

[maha099 0]

Here's what the guy who made the build said:

"Siphon Life makes a huge difference in your ability to kill multiple mobs at once. Grim Reach and Fel Concentration are huge in low level PvP. You also get Nightfall for burst dmg.

After that you go down Demo for a lot more survivability through 15% Stam, better HS and Fel Dom. Stronger Voidwalker and Master Summoner are pretty huge - double Void sac is pretty much a free win against anything except Priests and Shamans. You finish it off with DD at 50+ by going Destro."

[Rayaleith 2]

So ignoring SM.

[Larsen 3]

I'm fairly sure Anastari Heirloom doesn't exist at launch. It doesn't appear on archived item lists until after patch 1.4, either.

I like wearing four pieces of Dreadmist in the pre-1.4 period. You already have a couple of slots where there's nothing particularly good with SP, like wrists and feet, and then you just have to substitute two more of your weakest slots for Dreadmist. You'll lose a little bit of SP, mitigated by the +23 from the 4-piece bonus, but you gain incredible amounts of stamina compared to wearing what's otherwise considered pre-raid BiS but has little to no stam/int on it. You'll have a hard time as a warlock if you're running around with like 2800 life and 3500 mana.

I think this gave something like 400 more life (and a few hundred mana as well) at the cost of like 30 SP compared to simply wearing the highest SP piece in every slot, most of which has no stamina. I even wore Blood of the Martyr in BGs instead of one of the 10 SP rings that are otherwise pre-BiS next to Underworld Band. That's definitely worthwhile on a PvP server, and sometimes raiding as well, though it depends on the boss and you should still get the SP pieces. If you can get yourself over 3300 life unbuffed, you'll do well in PvP when everyone's at that gear level.

Edited January 1, 2017 by Larsen

[Deathlace 2]

13 hours ago, Larsen said:

I'm fairly sure Anastari Heirloom doesn't exist at launch. It doesn't appear on archived item lists until after patch 1.4, either.

I like wearing four pieces of Dreadmist in the pre-1.4 period. You already have a couple of slots where there's nothing particularly good with SP, like wrists and feet, and then you just have to substitute two more of your weakest slots for Dreadmist. You'll lose a little bit of SP, mitigated by the +23 from the 4-piece bonus, but you gain incredible amounts of stamina compared to wearing what's otherwise considered pre-raid BiS but has little to no stam/int on it. You'll have a hard time as a warlock if you're running around with like 2800 life and 3500 mana.

 

http://web.archive.org/web/20050609085701/http://wow.allakhazam.com/db/itemset.html?setid=183

 

Is the above not going to be the stats for Dreadmist? In the above link it doesn't have the spellpower boost in it's 4-piece.

[Larsen 3]

Nost had the updated set bonuses from the start.