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InWorld of Warcraft, classes often favor complex rotations with dozens of abilities. Not only does this make for an engaging playstyle, but it helps to provide an intensity to every fight. However, there are a handful of classes that choose a slower, methodical fighting style, and few do it better than Affliction Warlock.
Related:World Of Warcraft: Dragonflight - Affliction Warlock PvP Guide
Making damage-over-time effects part of their core rotation, Affliction Warlocks tend to keep their distance and keep a watchful eye on the battlefield. Instead of spamming several abilities, they choose to carefully manage their targets to maximize their damage and score among the highest numbers in raids and endgame dungeons. If this sounds like your style, here’s everything you need to know, with our information complete up to Dragonflight.
Class Overview
Unlike other classes that usespecific rotations to build and spend their class resourcesas quickly as possible, Affliction Warlock isa patient specialization. Observing from afar, you’ll be able to manage severaldamage over time effects, or DoTs, resulting in massive damage the longer you are in the fight.
Because many of Affliction’s abilities result in periodic damage that only needs to be refreshed, this Warlock specialization is surprisingly mobile. They’reable to dodge the countless mechanicsthat are found in high-end raiding and dungeonswithout losing DPS, making them one of the most viable endgame classes.
Uninterrupted spellcasting and DoTs can deal bonus Shadowfrost damage.
Human
Higher secondary stats and the ability to break out of stuns or charms.
Increased magical damage along with a snaring ability.
Undead
Another health drain and resistance to charm, fear, or sleep effects.
Warlock already haslimited options for race pairings, and Affliction narrows down your ideal choices even further. However, there are still a handful of races to pick from that will help youperform at your maximum potential.
Stat Priority
Along with your fellow cloth-wearing spellcasters,Affliction’s primary stat will be Intellect. Without this, you’ll lose thevast majority of your damage, so be sure to stick to cloth armor and Intellect staves or wands.
As far as your secondary stats go,prioritize Mastery. Affliction’s amazing passive, known asPotent Afflictions, boosts your periodic damage withthe more Mastery you have, ensuring the very top of the damage charts.
After this, you can choose eitherVersatility or Hasteas your third priority. While Versatility provides aflat bonus to damage doneand healing received, Haste allows you to get out your rotation faster and have yourDoTs start doing their work sooner.
Affliction Warlock Rotation
Affliction’s rotation is both surprisinglysimple to understandand providesgreat damage numbers, even if you have to reposition. While other classes try to spam through their abilities, your duty will be torefresh the duration on your DoTsand spread them to other enemies.
Since most of your damage will come from these four abilities, you should strive tonever let them expire. If they’re ticking down,recast them to refresh their durationwithout losing damage.
For particularly hard encounters or boss fights, make sure to useSummon Darkglare, who is a long-lasting minion that dealsincreased damage with every DoT you have appliedto its main target.
Talents aren’t very important when it comes to leveling, as you cansucceed in world content with any build. However, if you want to make things efficient, try buffing your periodic damage while focusing onself-preservation and survivability.
For your Affliction tree, try to take talents that correspond with your DoTs, such asAbsolute Corruption and Sacrolash’s Dark Strike, while taking talents thatencourage the use of Drain Lifeto keep yourself alive.
For your Warlock tree, focus on more health withDemonic Fortitude and Profane Bargain, more damage through the Grimoire of Sacrifice talents, and plenty of healing with your Drain Life andHealthstoneabilities.
Related:World Of Warcraft: Dragonflight - Destruction Warlock PvP Guide
Which Gear To Use
Once you’ve raised yourself to max level, you’ll need toincrease your Item Level, or ilvl, before you’re able to experience any endgame content. Luckily, this second grindisn’t nearly as longas leveling was, due to the numerous options you’re presented with.
The easiest way to raise ilvl is arguably theWorld Quests on the Dragon Isles. These are quick, efficient, andalways provide an upgradebecause of how they scale to your current power level.
The overhauled crafting professionsin Dragonflight provide a good source of new gear as well. You could pick up a profession andcraft powerful equipment for yourself, or you could order new pieces through the newCrafting Ordersystem.
Once these two options gear you up toilvl 370 or higher, you’ll want to turn your eye to theGreat Vault. If you participate inraids, Mythic+ dungeons, or rated battlegrounds and arenas, the Great Vault will unlock one piece of extremely potent gear each week to skyrocket your stats.
Gems And Enchants
As you begin to assemble your PvE set and you find pieces that you won’t be able to replace for a while, trybuffing your Intellect, Mastery, and Versatilityfurther with specific gems and enchants.
Your talents become infinitely more important once you’ve begun to raid and dungeon at a high level. You shouldswitch out your self-heals for AoEand abilities that caneasily spread your DoTs to other targets.
For your Affliction tree, make certain to take talents likeSeed of Corruption, Soul Swap, and Vile Taint, which all provide a way to affect other targets with DoTs. However, you’ll have to remember torefresh these as wellto keep your damage numbers high.
For your Warlock tree, take talents that will provide plenty of utility to your team, likeSweet Souls, Gorefiend’s Resolve, and Shadowfury. The more party-oriented you are, the more likely your group will be to succeed.
To see just how well you’re performing in endgame content and obtain helpful hints and reminders on some mechanics, try out addons likeDetails! Damage Meter and DeadlyBossMods.
Utility Tips
Although Affliction Warlock is often touted as one of the best classes for damage, there’s more you’re able to do in your downtime bymaking good use of your utility toolsbetween refreshing your DoTs.
