The Nightfall/Master Demonologist Build
My brother and I recently came to the mutual decision that it would be fun to start brand new Horde characters together. That way we could develop our character around a party strategy and enjoy the experience of playing at the same level. There was perhaps a bit of protest on his part due to the fact that he had no established Horde character on Shadow Council. To me, however, climbing to the heights of power on our own without any aid is part of the fun.
So I decided to start myself out as an undead warlock named Thaos (after my D&D warlock Thaos d’Galter). I looked into the options before diving in. The class is just as versatile as people say and, thanks to the voidwalker, is very easy to solo after 10th level. The downside (or, at least, what most people consider the downside) is that the class is very involved. You have to manage soul stones and a vast array of abilities, both your own and your pets’, all of which are important in different situations. It can be challenging. However, having experienced the simplicity of being a mage, I must admit that I much prefer playing a warlock.
The build that I developed for Thaos is a complex one that involves many of the class’ distinctive features, including damage-over-time spells and demonic pets. I chose not to dwell on the Destruction talent tree primarily because it seemed very magish to me and I wanted a change of pace. I focused instead on Demonology and Affliction, coming up with the Nightfall/Master Demonologist build, named in the traditional fashion for its two most powerful talents.
The offensive capabilities of this build are most impressive for opening a one-on-one fight, such as when starting a boss battle or soloing. The warlock starts with Amplify Curse and Immolate (since it actually has a casting time), then immediately follows with Curse of Agony and Corruption, which should be insta-cast due to improved Corruption. Thanks to Grim Reach, the battle starts from a good distance, so the target has plenty of time to wrack up damage while they run toward the warlock. The combination of Improved Curse of Agony and Amplify Curse is particularly evil and, when stacked with Immolate and Corruption, adds up to truly horrendous damage over time.
The build is also particularly adept with health management thanks to Demonic Embrace, Improved Life Drain, Improved Life Tap, Improved Life Funnel, and Siphon Life. Siphon and Drain your opponent, then convert the health into mana or transfer it to your pet if it’s having trouble. Also, between Corruption and spamming Life Drain, you’ll more than likely activate Nightfall before the end of the fight, allowing you to ramp up your damage per second with an insta-cast Shadow Bolt thrown in on the side.
The true power of the build, however, lies in its versatility. Like any deep Demonology build, you can change your specialization by summoning a different demon. Sitting in a party full of burly fighters? Call out an imp or a succubus to increase damage output. Soloing or partying with spellcasters? Bring out your voidwalker to tank. All of these benefits are magnified by Master Demonologist. And, thanks to Demonic Sacrifice, you don’t even have to worry while partying in instance dungeons that aren’t pet-friendly. Just summon, sacrifice, and enjoy a 30-minute uber-buff that can be switched at will.
I haven’t had a chance to test it, but the build should also function adequately in PvP. Just start the battle off by Sacrificing your voidwalker and immediately using Fel Domination to summon another demon, either a succubus against warrior-types or a felhunter against spellcasters. Immediately lay in your DOTs and spam drain as described above. This tactic will, of course, depend on what kind of character you’re fighting, but is sound enough to stand a good chance of winning.
Granted, Thaos is only 16th level at the moment, so I don’t expect to see the build come to complete fruition any time soon. It’s a first attempt, but I’m optimistic that Thaos will turn out to be a truly formidable warlock. Only time can tell. I for one can’t wait until this weekend when my brother and I can get online again and rock Durotar.