Warlock Spells

It occurred to me the other day that my warlock, Secronus, has long since passed the point when he can expect to gain new spells, except perhaps the final summon at level 60. Here is a comprehensive list of the spells I have used over his career and my review of each of them. (Note: I have not included the summon spells in this list because they deserve special consideration.)

Demon Skin - All warlocks begin play with this spell. This is a warlock’s only buff, so it should be active at all times. When you pick up Demon Armor at 20th level, use it instead, as the two do not stack.

Immolate - All warlocks begin play with this spell. It’s an in-between sort of spell, one half straight damage and one half damage over time. I usually open fights with this, since it’s one of the few damage spells I use that can be interrupted.

Shadow Bolt - All warlocks begin play with this spell. This is the warlock’s staple damage spell. Some people prefer to spam it like a priest would Smite or a mage would Fireball. I reserve it for party situations, since it has a casting time and can be interrupted. If you go heavy with Affliction or Destruction, you can vastly improve its usefulness with talents like Improved Shadow Bolt and especially Nightfall.

Corruption - This spell is first obtained at 4th level. It is a standard damage-over-time spell that stays steady through its whole progression. If you devote any points to Affliction, be sure to drop five points into Improved Corruption to make it an instant cast spell. I have used it almost every fight in Secronus’ career.

Curse of Weakness - This spell is first obtained at 4th level. Frankly, this is only useful until 8th level when you pick up Curse of Agony, and only because you don’t have any other curses yet. It’s underpowered and will rarely if ever prove to be useful.

Life Tap - This spell is first obtained at 6th level. At lower levels, using this spell can be dangerous because you don’t have much health. However, being able to convert health into mana is a vital aspect of the warlock offense. You can restore mana by any means that can be used to restore hit points, including First Aid, healing spells from other characters, Drain Life, etc. I keep it hotkeyed at all times and use it once or twice every battle to exploit my Drain Life and health regeneration for my mana efficiency.

Curse of Agony - This spell is first obtained at 8th level. I haven’t thrown any other curses in my last 20 levels, and I use this just as often as I use Corruption. Some people suggest that it isn’t worthwhile because most of the damage isn’t dealt until the end of its duration. The easiest way around this problem, of course, is to throw it as early in combat as possible. Pull with Immolate, then throw Curse of Agony and Corruption if you’ve sunk talents into it. This combination has served me well.

Fear - This spell is first obtained at 8th level. This spell is absolute dynamite in PvP, but can create deadly situations in PvE. Use it with care and it can be a great tactical advantage.

Create Healthstone - This spell is first obtained at 10th level. Warlocks are fragile creatures without any other way of directly replenishing health other than potions. Keep a healthstone handy and hotkeyed at all times. Trust me, your survival is worth a measly soul shard any day.

Drain Soul - This spell is first obtained at 10th level. There is, unfortunately, no living without it. Soul shard management is thankfully much easier since the 1.9 patch, since we now have bags devoted to soul shards. Just be sure to keep an eye on your supply and you’ll never have problems. Obviously, the best time to throw this spell is near the end of combat when your foe is near death.

Health Funnel - This spell is first obtained at 12th level. With that spiffy voidwalker around, this spell allows the warlock to act as the party tank. Don’t think of it as harming yourself. Think of it as putting more of your health behind a heavier defense. It’s not generally useful with any other summon, however, so I haven’t had it hotkeyed since I stopped commonly using my voidwalker around level 25.

Curse of Recklessness - This spell is first obtained at 14th level. Like Curse of Weakness, this spell has limited usefulness. It can be used in PvE to prevent cowardly mobs from running away when low on health, and it could have some potential in a party when used under the right circumstances. Still, Curse of Agony is almost always a good choice, so I’d recommend sticking with that in most situation.

Drain Life - This spell is first obtained at 14th level. It has limited usefulness unless you’re an Affliction warlock, and even then not until you get Fel Concentration. After that, though, it’s more than a spell; it’s a way of life. I spam this like crazy during combat immediately after throwing up my DOTs.

Unending Breath - This spell is first obtained at 16th level. Why this was given to warlocks, I haven’t a clue, but it makes you a great asset to anyone going on an underwater adventure. Don’t bother hotkeying it in the long run, but don’t forget that you have it.

Create Soulstone - This spell is first obtained at 18th level. This spell defines the one primary role that warlocks have in instances. I call it the warlock get-out-of-death-free card. Place it on yourself while soloing to minimize those pesky runs from the graveyard. Place it on the party’s primary healer in a dungeon so everyone is protected in the event of a wipe.

Searing Pain - This spell is first obtained at 18th level. I can’t honestly say I’ve ever used this spell, or even seen a need for it for that matter. I’ve always done so much damage that I couldn’t keep the aggro off of me. I suppose it might be useful if you’re partying with a mage, but for the most part you can ignore it.

Amplify Curse - This spell can be obtained as early as 20th level by sinking all of your talent points into the Affliction tree. By the end of the game, this can tack an additional 522 points of damage onto your Curse of Agony. That’s not even factoring in gear enhancements to shadow damage, or that you can use it once every three minutes. It definitely turns some heads in PvP as well.

Demon Armor - This spell is first obtained at 20th level. Like Demon Skin, this should be up at all times as soon as you gain access to it.

Fel Domination - This spell can be obtained as early as 20th level by sinking all of your talent points into the Demonology tree. Summoning mid-combat is untenable at best unless you have this talent handy. It’s great for solo play when you draw too much aggro, and works great in conjunction with the voidwalker’s sacrifice shield.

Rain of Fire - This spell is first obtained at 20th level. Conventional wisdom says that this spell isn’t very useful without Intensity in the Destruction tree and, for once, conventional wisdom is right. Leave the AoEing to the mages; you’ll get more DPS out of your DOTs.

Ritual of Summoning - This spell is first obtained at 20th level. It’s this spell that makes warlocks the perfect party facilitators. If you’ve already got a small group together and need a few extra to head into that dungeon or take down that quest objective, just send a message on your local LookingForGroup channel and mention “will summon to party location.” You’d be surprised how much more quickly you get a response.

Shadowburn - This spell can be obtained as early as 20th level by sinking all of your talent points into the Destruction tree. I recently respecced Secronus with some Destruction and have gotten a lot of mileage out of this spell. Despite the wording of it, you don’t have to kill them outright to get your soul shard back. As long as the target dies within two or three seconds of getting hit, you’re golden. Think of it as a soul rebate after purchase. I find it to be very handy in fights against creatures that become enraged near death.

Eye of Kilrogg - This spell is first obtained at 22nd level. The second you get this spell, you become the perfect party scout. This is very useful in finding quest objectives and avoiding potential aggro hazards in dungeons. I also like to use it while running defense in Warsong Gulch to keep an eye on our cave entrance. The extra few seconds of warning can mean the difference between a lost flag and a recovery.

Sense Demons - This spell is first obtained at 24th level. Since I’m an herbalist, I don’t ever use this skill, but it’s nice to have some manner of detection anyway. Use it in demon-infested places like Felwood and the Blasted Lands for greatest effect.

Drain Mana - This spell is first obtained at 24th level. Between Life Tap and Dark Pact, I’ve had little use for draining mana. You could potentially sink talent points into Improved Mana Drain to make it burn for normal damage, but the damage is nowhere near as noticeable as a well-specced Drain Life. Use it if you really like it, but I stand by Drain Life and Life Tap as a superior combination.

Detect Lesser Invisibility - This spell is first obtained at 26th level. You gain an improved version, Detect Invisibility, at 38th level and another, Detect Greater Invisibility, at 50th level. Honestly, I’ve never had cause to use this spell, even in PvP. So few people use these spells that they’re essentially worthless.

Curse of Tongues - This spell is first obtained at 26th level. If anything, this is the one curse that I would consider throwing in lieu of Curse of Agony. Double casting time can be particularly harsh on any spellcaster in either PvE or PvP, as it essentially halves their DPS. Still, I’d rather kill them faster, so Curse of Agony is still my first choice in most situations.

Banish - This spell is first obtained at 28th level. This was my salvation around level 50 when I was questing for my infernal. It’s a great way to handle aggro when demons are involved, not unlike a mage’s polymorph or a rogue’s sap. Don’t bother hotkeying it in normal situations, but be sure to pull it out when appropriate.

Create Firestone - This spell is first obtained at 28th level. A warlock who relies on melee attacks is a dead warlock, and there are better offhand items to enhance your fire damage. Don’t bother with it, ever.

Curse of Exhaustion - This spell can be obtained as early as 30th level by sinking all of your talent points into the Affliction tree. Until my recent experiences in high-level battlegrounds, I never thought much of this spell. After all, a warlock has no need or capacity to kite. However, snaring is the key to dominance of Warsong Gulch. Having had this spell used on me a number of times while attempting a flag recovery, I can say that it’s much more powerful than it seems. Get it if you plan on doing a lot of PvP.

Demonic Sacrifice - This spell can be obtained as early as 30th level by sinking all of your talent points into the Demonology tree. It does seem like an incongruity to give Demonology-heavy warlocks a talent that eliminates their demons, and thereby the usefulness of all of their lower-level talents. This spell is supposedly preferable in dangerous instances to keep pets from drawing aggro.

Enslave Demon - This spell is first obtained at 30th level. Enslaved demons can be tricky to handle, as they have a tendency to break free of control at inopportune moments. Still, it’s a great way to solo demon camps. Enslave the highest-level mob in the camp, have it attack the others, and banish one on the sidelines.

Siphon Life - This spell can be obtained as early as 30th level by sinking all of your talent points into the Affliction tree. As a fan of Affliction, I throw this spell liberally. It’s just one more DOT in an already impressive arsenal, allowing you to ramp up your DPS and drain-tank that much more effectively.

Hellfire - This spell is first obtained at 30th level. Yes, this spell is as dangerous to use as it sounds. And, despite many attempts, I have not yet found a way to make it a viable tactic. Despite voidwalker sacrifice shields and priest backup, I’ve either died or come close to death every time I’ve used it. The DPS is great, but the aggro and the feedback damage will kill you faster than you’ll kill anything else.

Shadow Ward - This spell is first obtained at 32nd level. Like most wards, this is useful when you’re up against opponents who throw lots of one type of damage. Keep it in mind for those specific situations, but don’t bother hotkeying it otherwise.

Curse of the Elements - This spell is first obtained at 32nd level. In raids where even the highest-level mobs go down in the blink of an eye, you’ll get more damage for your mana by debuffing those incredibly resistant monsters for your mages to nuke.

Create Spellstone - This spell is first obtained at 36th level. Second verse same as the first. There are better things you can put into your offhand than a one-use stone. If you’re specced out for spell crits, I suppose it might be of limited use.

Curse of Idiocy - This spell is first obtained at 38th level. Like most of the other curses, this one isn’t as good as Curse of Agony. Don’t bother with it.

Conflagrate - This spell can be obtained as early as 40th level by sinking all of your talents points into the Destruction tree. I’ve honestly never been far enough into Destruction to get this. It seems to be a good way to pump out damage quickly, which is exactly what Destruction warlocks are good at. It’s not really worth devoting so many talent points to get, though. As always, if you want to flash fry your opponents, go be a mage.

Dark Pact - This spell can be obtained as early as 40th level by sinking all of your talent points into the Affliction tree. This is much more useful than it may seem at first. It’s a wonderful talent for grinding, as it allows you to recover your mana quickly and on the run. It’s also great for emergency situations in combat when you run entirely out of mana. I keep it hotkeyed at all times and almost never have to rest between battles.

Soul Link - This spell can be obtained as early as 40th level by sinking all of your talent points into the Demonology tree. Demonology doesn’t really shine until it’s highest tiers, partly because of this talent. Between Soul Link, Master Demonologist, and your voidwalker’s sacrifice shield, a Demonology-specced warlock can become incredibly difficult to kill.

Death Coil - This spell is first obtained at 42nd level. It has it’s drawbacks, but this spell can be a real battle-turner. Use it in emergency situations when your health is low but you’ve got the mana to spare. I keep it hotkeyed just in case.

Curse of Shadow - This spell is first obtained at 44th level. Like Curse of Elements, stick to this in large-scale raids, especially when you’ve got lots of other warlocks and shadow priests along for the ride.

Soul Fire - This spell is first obtained at 48th level. I experimented with this spell when I first got it and summarily dumped it afterward. It’s a decent spell to open a hard battle with, but the casting time is so long that it’s useless otherwise, even with talents.

i wont to becom a warlock

I had to comment on this one:
“Curse of Weakness - This spell is first obtained at 4th level. Frankly, this is only useful until 8th level when you pick up Curse of Agony, and only because you don’t have any other curses yet. It’s underpowered and will rarely if ever prove to be useful.”

If you PvP against a hunter (or a warlock with a melee pet) then CoW is The Number One way to “disregard” the pet:
1) Fear the player.
2) CoW the pet.
3) DOT the player. Refear as appropriate.
4) DOT the pet when you have a “free” cast.

This is my buddy’s main strategy in PvP. In general, it is excellent against pets and adds (in PvM).

Reminder: E-mail me about the new LARP.
David Artman

OK, I’ll comment on more of them.
“Curse of Recklessness - This spell is first obtained at 14th level. Like Curse of Weakness, this spell is essentially useless.”

NOT in PvM! Think of how many monsters attempt to flee, dragging new adds into the fight when you are at your weakest? Also, doesn’t this curse turn off Fear (which can let you handily Fear-kite a monster–something you seem to find tricky, based on your assessment of Fear).

“Searing Pain - This spell is first obtained at 18th level. I can’t honestly say I’ve ever used this spell, or even seen a need for it for that matter.”

It’s the “save my pet” spell. You can be guaranteed to pull aggro off of even a Taunting Voidwalker. Then you Fear. Get it? Fear-kiting using Taunt and Pain. I LOVE this “combo.”
1) VW Taunts and pounds. Starts to get hammered.
2) You are DOTing. You Searing Pain, to save the VW.
3) Immediately Fear, before you are beaten on.
4) Health Funnel the VW some.
5) DOT, DOT, DOT.
6) (Mob unfeared) VW goes back onto Taunt.
7) Go to 1.

“Drain Mana - This spell is first obtained at 24th level. Between Life Tap and Dark Pact, I’ve had little use for draining mana.”

Hmmm… Have you tried it on a Priest in PvP? Or Paladin? Heck, it might even monkey-up a Mage (but I’d rather Fear a Mage as much as possible–they are gonna sheep me when they can).

“Banish - This spell is first obtained at 28th level. This was my salvation around level 50 when I was questing for my infernal… Don’t bother hotkeying it in normal situations, but be sure to pull it out when appropriate.”

Trust me… it’s one of the reasons you will always get an invite to Molten Core.
I’d say about half of the end-game (demon-related) bosses can not be beaten by a raid, without a couple of warlocks Banishing boss “pets.” We rule! (Yep, I play a warlock.)

“Demonic Sacrifice - This spell can be obtained as early as 30th level by sinking all of your talent points into the Demonology tree. It does seem like an incongruity to give Demonology-heavy warlocks a talent that eliminates their demons, and thereby the usefulness of all of their lower-level talents.”

(Disclaimer: My warlock isn’t over 30, but I watch a 60 play regularly) IIRC, this is all about the voidwalker: he is about to die, your Warlock/Necrosis/Sacrifice AddOn says, “Sacrifice!” (duh) and you get a MAD buff, rather than just a dead demon. Seems a win-win, to me, with the VW at least–though any demon about to die is better off fueling you than just wasting away, surely?

My 60 buddy uses it most every day (if not most fights).

OK, that’s it for today!
David

Thanks for the comments, David. To be honest, my real expertise or interest has never lied in PvP, although I have had enough recent experience with it to speak intelligently on the subject.

I suppose Curse of Weakness could be one way of semi-neutralizing a weaker pet. Lately, however, I’ve been getting hit by level 60 cats that laugh at the 31 damage getting knocked off of their attacks. True, it’s substantial enough to notice, but any hunter worth his or her salt will have that pet tricked out enough to make it impossible to ignore.

I stand by the same conclusion in PvE (or PvM, whatever you care to call it). Monsters that I generally fight do anywhere from 100 to 150 damage per hit. Granted, 31 is noticeable, but I’d still rather kill them faster with Curse of Agony. In the end, you take two or three hits off of the end of the fight, and all in all I’d say the two are fairly even in the amount of damage prevented.

I will admit that Curse of Recklessness has some merit in PvE, and I’ve updated my initial post to reflect that. Fear, in my experience, is risky business in PvE no matter how well you handle it, so I avoid it like the plague. As for kiting, warlocks don’t kite nearly as effectively as mages. I much prefer to stand toe-to-toe with a mob and drain-tank. It’s safer and much more fulfilling.

As for Searing Pain, I see it this way. You can always live to summon another demon. Unlike with hunters, there is practically no drawback to letting your pet die (except for a measly soul shard, which is no cost at all if you have a soul shard bag). My same comment for fear-kiting applies here. It’s dangerous and I recommend avoiding it at all costs.

Besides, I think you’re missing the point of the voidwalker. He’s there to save you, not the other way around. If you see him getting beaten down, Sacrifice him. You’ll kill your foe faster without risking the adds from Fear, and you’ll be well-protected on top of that. Again, soul shards are no cost at all for a well-played warlock, so you shouldn’t be afraid of letting your demon die.

Drain Mana, in my experience, doesn’t drain fast enough to have a significant impact on a priest or paladin of the same level. Fear is your best friend in PvP, and you’d do much better to spam that instead. Besides, if I see a pesky priest, I just sick my felhunter on him. That spell lock can be a real pain, I hear.

Thanks for the tip about Molten Core. Actually, after I wrote this, I went down into Blackrock Depths and started Banishing elementals like crazy. I didn’t really need it frequently until after level 50, though, so I still say it isn’t worth hotkeying most of the time.

With Demonic Sacrifice, again, I think you’re not paying close enough attention. Voidwalkers have their own Sacrifice ability that is different from Demonic Sacrifice spell. The voidwalker Sacrifice grants you a huge, 30-second shield, which is fantastic and shouldn’t be passed up. Demonic Sacrifice used on a voidwalker, on the other hand, restores 3% of your total hit points every 4 seconds for 30 minutes. Not a bad buff, but certainly not a mid-combat tactic. Look closer next time your buddy uses his and I think you’ll see what I mean. You are, of course, correct in your assessment that sacrificing your pet for a buff is better than simply letting it die.

Remember, hunters have loyal pets, warlocks have demonic slaves. When you’ve got this mentality down, proper warlock tactics fall into place.

Thanks for the great info….you both have some really good points. I think I’ll be a better lock listening to both of you