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World of Warcraft Guide: Warlock Point Distribution Guide
MMORPG.com World of Warcraft Correspondent James Thommes writes this guide to Warlock point distribution in Blizzard's hit MMO.
By Jimmy Thommes on October 09, 2009
This article will discuss the specs for leveling a warlock for maximum efficiency. While this is a DPS class and there are points of debate based mostly on play style, Demonology is probably your best bet for effective leveling just because of the Felguard. Affliction is a close second, and Destruction is just plain silly. Simply by looking at the nature of the classes at their most advanced level (80), you can see which spec will benefit you the most when leveling by yourself (which is the majority of WoW players). Affliction is passive healing through DPS, much like a shadow priest, and Demonology is the absorption of damage through your pet as you down your enemy like a hunter.
Level 10-20
You should have your Voidwalker out and about, taunting your enemies while you burn them down. Get used to that because that is what leveling a Warlock is all about. Put your first three points into Demonic Embrace and build up your stamina to keep you alive, as well as some extra juice to lifetap from. Place your two last points to get to the next tier into Fel Synergy to protect yourself from casters, which will be the hardest class to battle as you level. Grab Demonic Brutality to increase the effectiveness of your personal tank as well as Fel Vitality to further harden your skin against mobs.
Level 20-30
Link your soul to your Voidwalker to further protect yourself. Early points in Demonology are about survival. To survive, you have to be able to get out of sticky situations, putting points to reduce the casting time of summoning your demon is a good idea at this point in the game (Fel Domination). Improved Health Funnel is important if your tank starts taking heavy damage. Demonic Aegis is passable mostly due to the fact that Warlocks cannot learn Fel Armor yet. Max out Unholy Power to boost your Voidwalker damage as well as Master Summoner to ensure there is a pet to protect you.
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Level 30-40
Mana Feed and Master Conjurer are very important. You need to ensure your pet has mana to taunt enemies as well as the recently super-buffed Master Conjurer that will improve your DPS noticeably. The next tier is available now and it is worth investing points into Master Demonologist. This becomes more important once the Felguard is obtained. Now that we have traveled down the tree, it is more about downing your enemies as it is easier to take on multiple enemies than when your lock was level 10. Demonic Empowerment is fun, and allows you to charge in and make things interesting. A point in that talent will benefit you, the cooldown on the empowerment is short.
Level 40-50
If you're having trouble staying alive, Demonic Resilience may help you, but I would recommend Demonic Knowledge to pump out some more damage. This leaves you with an odd talent out before the next tier is available. One point in Demonic Aegis would not be a bad idea. Once the next tier opens up, Demonic Tactics really opens up the game. 10% crit in talents is really exciting. And finally, the Felguard is yours. The Felguard is a DPS like tank when soloing, he can taunt, hit multiple targets, you can heal him, and he can enrage (Demonic Empowerment). Leveling just became easier overnight.
Level 50-60
If you really enjoyed that 10% crit increase, the why not bump up your pet's crit chance even more? 3 more points there will not only help you down mobs, but help your Felguard keep aggro (which Blizzard decided to name some crazy German name for everyone, thanks Blizzard). Demonic Pact increases your spell power every time your pet has a critical strike. Basically, you're always going to have this buff. Worth the points, especially as a path to Metamorphosis.
Level 60-70
Once Metamorphosis is yours and you're morphing into a Demon to further tear your enemies to shreds, it may be time to start putting points into yourself rather than your pet. As your abilities allow you to hit harder, you should be able to start taking on enemies who are higher level. To do that, you need to make sure you can hit them. Two points is all I would put into Suppression in the Affliction tree. That should suffice. Bane is next on the list. Shadowbolt should be your most casted spell, it would be beneficial to cast it faster. Nemesis will allow you to morph into that crazy demon more often, seems like a good fit for me. Three points is worth the investment.
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Level 70-80
Now that the points in Bane are spent, Improved Shadowbolt looks like a good fit. Five points is well worth the investment there. That way we can bypass the next tier of Destruction and put five points into Ruin, which should send your crit damage for each shadowbolt into overdrive. The last three points can go into Shadowburn and Destructive Reach. Shadowburn is a favorite of mine. Make sure you use Shadowburn on a near dead opponent, or you'll risk losing a Soul Shard. The range is not a necessity in leveling, but the journey is basically over point wise.
That is my guide to point distribution for a Warlock. Affliction is not a bad bet either, but Demonology is definitely the way to go for maximum production in leveling. This is not to be confused with raiding or PvP specs. Those will be covered in different guides altogether. This game is massive, different ways to play the game require different specs for each character, thus Dual Specs were born.
A link to a talent build on armory or any of the other tools would be nice.
Yes, demonlogy is fun and the fel guard makes leveling easy. But I got tired of it after awhile and wanted my gnome lock to be more of a badass (compensation for small size !!). At 70, I switched to full destruction spec with enough points in demonolgy (8 I think) to get the blue guy buffed up for extra aggro draw and I love this spec -- chaos bolt and the other dps percs of the destruction tree make taking down mobs a snap. You do need to take care not to get into a crowd with your squishy warlock but that is always an issue and there are some crowd control features in the the destruction tree such as shadowfury. It takes a bit more thought to play this spec than demonology but the rewards of the power rush are worth it....
You know I get really sick of these stupid maximizing articles. About all they do is explain the how to advance fast without learning how to play the game. It just basically shows how clueless the writer is to the purpose of playing a MMO.
A challenging build teaches you how to play the game because you have to use your wits more. Demonology warlocks are a dime a dozen and are generally horrible when they get to end game, they never bothered to learn how to play their class.
In his defense, a lot of people already know how to play the game and just want to get another toon up to max level. Not only for newbies.
And what, pray tell, is the "purpose of playing an MMO?"
I think you misunderstand how to level the fastest-- it distinctly REQUIRES you to know how to maximize every aspect of your class. If you don't know what you're doing, even following cookie cutter builds like this one will not get you there the fastest.
There's no such thing as a challenging build in WoW; the game punishes creative builds most of the time. There's a reason everyone relies on cookie cutter builds. Some builds are better at different tasks than others. Demonology warlocks are "horrible" (which I highly question if you even know their mechanics, if you did you'd understand that Demo is a good build for begining raiders who do not have the gear) at end game less because warlocks who level with them don't know what they're doing and more because Demo has less damage output in raids. This has been confirmed by Blizzard.
With that said, interesting article, but you should have posted an exact talent tree, or linked to a calculator. I personally prefer drain tanking with an affliction succubus/felhunter build, and after leveling 3 warlocks, I'm of the opinion that it edges the felguard out slightly for leveling. The felguard is, however, better at dealing with elites, and will ensure you can solo most of the quests on your way to 80.
That is just your opinion, I am a demonology warlock, I know how to play my class. I pick demonology because it better suites my play style, it's not like I don't know how to play other trees either because I have taken destruction as my spec too. Please think about these things before you post them. And on another note: Warlocks can differ between servers, on my server destruction and affliction are "a dime a dozen".
Hey all, Jimmy Thommes here. I am not a nub, been playing a lock for over 2 years. A link in my future articles would be a good idea, I didn't think of incorporating that. It takes days of playing time to reach 80. If you dont know HOW to play with your toon at that point, no guide will help you, and may God have mercy on your soul.
Once your hit 70, all mobs go down in a snap imo. When i play alone, I try to pull as many as I can and down em as fast as i can (swipe on a druid is awesome). So demo tops em all in that respect. At 80, dotting people and running is also fun, but felguards are just too badass when you're alone. Of course, all of this is my opinion and hopefully whether u agree with my opinion, more knowledge about the game in general is beneficial.
That is just your opinion, I am a demonology warlock, I know how to play my class. I pick demonology because it better suites my play style, it's not like I don't know how to play other trees either because I have taken destruction as my spec too. Please think about these things before you post them. And on another note: Warlocks can differ between servers, on my server destruction and affliction are "a dime a dozen".
My lock was primarily Demonology. I quit playing at lvl 70, and it that time I NEVER.... And I mean never, not "hardly ever" or "not very often"... I never, absolutely never lost a duel. I was a pvp wh0re, and I was damn good at it.
It's all a matter of knowing how to play, and knowing how to pick skills that best match your play style.
Yes for single play the felguard is simply awesome. with only lvl 64 I soloed brd incl mc-pre (bann one of the elementals). He holds the aggro very good and deals alot more dmg then the other 4 standart demons (wimp, sukk, hunter, that blue thing). With lvl 70 i attacked one lvl 68 elite located near Halaani with ~70k hp and won. Durn although or the fel reaver will be too hard @ 70.
BUT anytime i was in a 5 man group most of the people screaming: pull out the wimp he has a health buff that helps to survive. Gernerally this always meant getting rid of dps for some hp that arenot needed because my personal guard can tank one mob, protect me if i have aggro, and try and take healer aggro away. ok maybe not in a hero instance but yeah thats the other point. We can try a time-stretching cant we?
The Affliction warlock that I dual speced for raiding will not care what demon is summoned because none of the 4 will even come close to the dps & heal. its that soul spell (you send out a soul that will heal you when it comes back for the ammount dmg done) sry i played the game in german, i dont know the english word for it. Basically you take eighter the wimp or the fellhunter as that one has that int/spirit buff & I set skill points for fellhunter. The blue demon wont keep the aggro (and therefor is useless), and the sukk is just one laugh for affliction warlock. The 1kgold for dual spec i spent for raiding. Ah well i could afford it anyways
Now that i leave wow soon I dont care that I am still @ 70. Maybe i come back in 2 years to see whats new.
Nice guide, comprehensive and a good read at the same time. I haven't ever leveled a lock past 20, but if I ever did, I think I might choose Affliction over Demo, because it plays similarly to Shadow Priests, which is my main. Is there any chance of you making an Affliction guide?
Honestly a guide is just that and it does depend on your play style. But on the other hand it also depends on what bliz nerfs. I know my husband did pvp with his lock for some time and used afflication. At that time is was really the best for pvp.
Since though with changes(nerfs) you have to kinda play around and find one that is best. With the lock I had for leveling purposes I went demo with some afflic and seemed to work nicely.(for me)
I think many end raiders go with destr pretty much now. But again I would have to say that it would depend on your play style.
This is a good basic guide to follow but in the end it is what is going to work best for you and your style. Spec's for pvp vary as much as spec's for pve. Do some checking and don't be afraid to try out new things till you get what works for you.
Sometimes I wonder if any of these posters every actually take to think about the post or their reply.
First off the article talks about how to level a warlock, nothing to do with end game. Most people change their specs at end game anyways.
The reason most warlocks level with demonology is that they don't have to think. It is easy mode play, the pet does most everything for them. Hence when you get them in a group they are clueless. That was my problem with the guide, it was done thoughtlessly.
Anyone who says Wow is simple mode is clueless, a well played Warlock is something that takes time to learn and is truely appreciated in group. Raiding, especially on the harder modesand in smaller groups, takes skilled players,
Sorry if I stepped on some toes of people who know how to play your class, there are few of you out there.
The title for this was "Warlock Leveling Guide" I had never meant for it to be a lvl 80 spec. My goal as an author here is not to teach people how to play, rather how to get through tedious leveling (my opinion) with ease. You should still learn to play your class and other specs.
As I had said it is a good basic leveling guide. For anyone familiar or not familiar with the Class can use this for leveling up.
As others have mentioned you have to learn your class and how it works. Truthfully that applies to all classes. I know there are many out there who play their class and do so well. I know even more that don't.. I also know a few rare ones that take the time when leveling alts to learn how to play them just as well as they would if it were their main.
Leveling is one thing and this is a good guide for that. As for learning the expectations of grouping and raiding maybe someone will post an article on some guidelines for that. I am pretty sure that would be done in more than one article though. I mean each class has a role in group or raid and those roles vary depending on a few factors.
Again this is a great guide for leveling up. Want to know more details doing some searching on the class. :)
I agree with you 100%. I have been running a lock since I have been in game and am at lvl 67 at the moment. I have tried the other specs I did not like the way they felt. Affliction is an awesome PVE and PVP spec and I have been going that route and will continue. When I get to lvl 80, I can post that guide for you! Look for it!
did I say the Fel Reaver is too hard for 70demon lock in my earlier post? Well I was wrong
Look my last wow-xfire video here Its the last one because my subscibsion ends on Nov.4.2009 sorry bout bad frame rate my pc does its best
Everybofy spec demon