An Introduction to Warlocks: Part II

(Orlandelli, 2013) ©2014 Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission.

This is the continuation of the warlock's introductory review that was posted earlier this week. We will pick up where we left off at the fourth tier of spells, on level 46, and will continue until the endgame level of 90. As a reminder, this listing covers the general spells and abilities that all warlocks have available, regardless of what specification you decide to focus on. Class specs, talents, and demon pets will be covered in separate blog posts in the future.

The Spellbook (cont.)

Levels 46-60

Warlocks gain their two longest cooldowns during this stretch to level 60. While at first glance, Summon Infernal and Summon Doomguard appear similar, but different scenarios suggest when to utilize them. The Infernal is most effective when you have multiple targets in close proximity to the spell's area of effect (AoE). You can also take advantage of the demon's initial 2 second stun for an emergency crowd control. The Doomguard outputs a higher rate of damage with a single-target ranged attack called Doom Bolt.

It is important to note that the two spells mentioned above share a CD, which means if you summon the Infernal, a ten minute wait is needed before summoning either demon once again. 

Many of the spells unlocked at this tier level are related to your demon pets. Command Demon allows the warlock to use their pet's main ability at will, adding a new level of utility to your demons. Being able to control your enemies with Spell Lock and Whiplash, plus the extra healing from Cauterize Master and Shadow Bulwark, adds importance to learning how to handle your pet summoning.

Gaining Nethermancy at level 50 gives warlocks a welcome passive increase in our main attribute, Intellect. Attributes (also called stats) affect the potency of every ability, be it for attack, damage mitigation, healing, and various others. In general, the higher the attribute count, the better, although there are ceilings in the game mechanics where the effectiveness of stats decline. (If you are interested in highly detailed data gathering of battle simulation in effort to squeeze the most out of your class role, theorycrafting can fill that need; I would not recommend it for the faint of heart though.) 

Curse of the Elements brings an offensive debuff to the pair of curses available for a warlock. While Curse of Enfeeblement provides damage mitigation against its target, Curse of the Elements offers an increase in magic damage on the enemy affected by it. Ideally, you want to cast either curse on every target you intend to defeat; which curse to use is dependent on how you fight and how your opponent reacts to you.

 

Levels 61-75

The lack of universal abilities learned through this tier can be discouraging as you level up, but there are three spells that are worth noting: Unending Resolve, Soulshatter, and Create Soulwell. Four extra spells are available if you decide to level up with either the Affliction or Demonology specs; more information about warlock specs will be covered in another blog post soon.

Unending Resolve gives warlocks a much needed damage mitigation CD; the protection from interrupts and silences—spells that temporarily block the use of certain abilities—are also a welcome addition.

For those dungeon players who find themselves aggroing (attracting an enemy's focus towards themselves) often, Soulshatter helps equalize the threat away from you and towards your tank. It also comes in handy during questing if your Voidwalker fails to keep your enemies' attention.

While Create Healthstone only allows you to conjure one healthstone at a time, Create Soulwell builds a physical well full of healthstones, allowing any of your group members to pick one up for their personal use. Although warlocks are not restricted to trading their own healthstones with others, the Soulwell facilitates in helping your teammates with additional healing.

 

Levels 76-90

Warlocks get their hands on a couple of mobility spells while closing in on the endgame. Level 76 introduces the Demonic Circle, your main source of strategic mobility during a fight. Demonic Gateway makes its appearance as the next-to-last warlock spell learned. Teleporting between gateways in the midst of battle feels like an intended exploit that Blizzard left behind for all of us on the fel side. The gateway can also be shared by your teammates; its side effect provides an emergency buff against aggroing enemies away from a tank.

Your group members appreciate you keeping Dark Intent active while questing. The buff is important enough to keep it active even while alone, thanks to its ten percent increase to your Stamina (STA) and Spell Power stats. Be mindful of its refresh time of one hour, as it can slip past your attention until you realize that your enemies are taking longer to defeat.

Fel Flame increases the number of instant cast spells in the arsenal of warlock abilities; it's regenerative qualities on Corruption and certain spec resources—Burning Embers and Demonic Fury—make it viable to use for resource upkeep.

Pandemic finalizes the warlock spellbook; it is a passive ability, so benefiting from this one is only a matter of reaching level 90. The spell helps alleviate the frequency of refreshing your DoTs; less time tracking spells and more time adventuring is always good.

References

Orlandelli, A. H. (2013). Gul'dan [Image]. Retrieved from http://us.battle.net/wow/en/media/artwork/wow-characters?view=artwork-guldan1&keywords=guldan

World of Warcraft. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://us.battle.net/wow/en/

Wowhead. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://wowhead.com/

SimulationCraft. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://simulationcraft.org/

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