Now we will plunge into the abyss of being an excellent DPS Warlock of the second stage of raids. Remember to grab your soul shards and grimoires and let's make sure you are well-equipped to bring down hellfire on your adversaries. With us in the next raids of Phase 2. Find out about important consumables, stats, and more.

 

• How's Warlock Doing?
• Consumables
• Stat Priority
• Demons
• Curses
• Talents
• Runes
• Pre BiS and BiS Gear
• Professions
• Single Target Rotation
• AoE Rotation
• Addons & Weakauras

 

↖ How's Warlock Doing?

Warlocks, you're in luck! Since the dawn of Phase 2, you've been living the dream, consistently ranking in the top three for DPS. With right gear and talents especially those juicy destruction ones your power only grows with time. Just keep fingers crossed that Blizzard doesn't swing nerf bat our way so we can continue reigning supreme in DPS charts.

 

↖ Consumables

Before we get into blasting enemies into smithereens though let's talk about consumables because who doesn't love a good power up?

• Spark of Inspiration: It is not quite consumable but this world buff is boss offering 4% crit rating plus raising spell damage by a sweet 42 point. Horde folks can snatch it from Orgrimmar while Alliance Warlocks can go to Ironforge for it. Pro tip – use Chrono Boon Displacer to save it till raid time.
• Oils & Elixirs: Smear Lesser Wizard Oil all over your weapon for spell damage boost. Also don't forget to have your Elixirs; Arcane for general spell damage and Firepower when you need that fire kick.
• Defense & Stamina Boosts: Do not be afraid to take a hit sometimes just so that you could give one back. Elixir of Defense and Rummy Rum Black Label are supposed to keep you up on your feet longer.
• Food Buffs: Have Sagefish Delight for mana regeneration or other foods for stamina and spirit. You can only have one food buff on at a time, remember that.
• Potions: Run out of mana pots to keep your damage steady; also health potions should be your Oh no! button when the going gets tough.
• Hellstones: We make them and then they save us. Just don't forget to share some with your tank buddies.
• Profession-Specific Buffs: Enchanters typically produce an Enchanted Sigil of Innovation which is more spell damage while Alchemists have their Mildly Irradiated Potions that give a temporary boost in their spell damage output.

 

↖ Stat Priority

Now let's talk numbers Warlocks starting with the stats, which are as overwhelming as a well-placed Curse of Doom.

• Spell Hit – You cannot kill what you cannot hit - Aim for 5% hit cap-tastic.
• Spell Power - More power means more pain for your enemies.
• Crit Chance – Who doesn't love big juicy numbers popping up!
• Intellect - More mana and crit? Yes please!
• Stamina - No DPS when you'e dead so keep that health pool plushy
• Spirit - It's like that friend who is there only when not in fight – nice but not mandatory.

 

↖ Demons

When thinking about your demonic associates, these are the two heavyweights namely Imp and Succubus who divide you apart. But here's the deal:

• Imp: Your little fireball-launching comrade currently does more damage than the Succubus. With talents that amplify your Imp's damage output and a cool rune named "Lake of Fire" which increases both you and your Imp's fire damage, this is possible. Furthermore, to highly armored bosses, your Succubus' melee attacks are no better than tickles. Bonus points: The imp will help you increase your spell power through the Demonic Knowledge rune and his Blood Pact can keep the group alive.
• Succubus: She oozes style and deadly charm; however her melee attacks are weak against bosses with high armor. If you absolutely adore the Succubus, tweak your talents to suit her; just remember that it means throwing away a lot of DPS.

But remember – if you're going for top DPS spots at level 40, Voidwalker and Felhunter won't get you there no matter how fun they might be at parties.

 

↖ Curses

When it comes to warlocks, their curses are everything especially during raids since there are two main ones that will either make or break your DPS.

• Curse of Recklessness: It's like telling the boss to hit the gym then making them regret it. This curse cranks up their attack power but more importantly, reduces their armor so your melee DPS friends can go to work.
• Curse of the Elements: It's like adding extra salt and pepper on your fire and frost spells; makes things better (i.e., deadlier). This curse lowers resistances and increases all fire and frost damage done to the target.

But wait a minute! In this phase, a new weapon causes all targets to take increased magical damage from any source – not only from fire and frost. Therefore, if this weapon drops, Curse of the Elements may be benched.

 

↖ Talents

Let’s talk talents. Currently, Fire Destruction is on everyone's lips – hotter than a Hellfire cooked marshmallow. Here is a brief summary:

• Emberstorm vs. Improved Imp: If you're all about that Imp life (and you should be), check out "Improved Imp". For longer fights where you notice your imp running out of mana, "Emberstorm" might help maintain those fireballs.
• Shadow Bolt Volley: Recently, Shadow Bolt Volley has become a fan favorite for trash packs and certain boss strategies. So, spend points accordingly if you are into it.
• Ruin: This talent is like giving your spells an espresso shot – they hurt like hell when they crit. Crucial for any decent DPS Warlock.
• Intensity vs Destructive Reach: Do you hate getting interrupted while casting Hellfire? Then choose "Intensity". Conversely, if pushback doesn't concern you as much as range does go with "Destructive Reach".

Remember these are just guidelines.The best talent build is the one that suits your playstyle and adapts to whatever is going on in the raid.

 

↖ Runes

Next, let's talk about runes. Lake of Fire  is a must-have for any Imp-loving Warlock. It will really boost both of you into DPS stardom. Don't forget about Demonic Knowledge  either giving you that sweet spell power bonus.

 

↖ Pre BiS and BiS Gear

First things first, your gear can be your best friend—or your worst enemy if it isn't good enough. For Pre BiS, think of it as a buffet of PvP gear, dungeon drops from BFD, and auction house treasures. 

When it comes to Phase 2 BiS, it's like a mixed tape of Noma raid loot blood moon STV Event rewards and crafted items specifically made for you. The radiated set beats out hyperconductive by miles thanks to its better spell power and set bonus however there is some stamina loss involved on your end.Remember consumables can help balance that out.

 

↖ Professions

For warlocks in phase 2, Tailoring is obvious; Craft and put on neurolink arcano filament monocle which gives an excellent increase in spell power with an amazing on-use effect Secondly what should be the second profession depends on whether you prefer Engineering for explosives or Enchanting for uninterrupted spell damage buff or Alchemy for fighting potions.

 

↖ Single Target Rotation

You single-target rotation is your daily bread—or should our say, your shady toast and spirit margarine? Kick off with a pre-cast Incinerate, place down your curse of choice, and end with a rank one Rain of Fire to save mana. Keep Immolate on the target, spam Chaos Bolt as soon as it's available, and fill in between casts with Incinerates. Don't forget to look after your mana by means of well timed Life Taps or using a potion.

 

↖ AoE Rotation

For the occasional foes, Shadowbolt Volley is my favorite. Against the mob army Hellfire is one and only king. In case you are an Engineer don't fail to throw in Solid Dynamite into melee fight.

 

↖ Addons & Weakauras

Addons are like pets that make life easier for you. Our top recommendation for you guys out there would be ElvUI and WeakAuras. Cool downs can be tracked through right way of setting up WeakAura including dot timers among others. Check my video on addons if this doesn't make sense.

 

Related: WoW Classic Season of Discovery Priest DPS Guide

 

To sum up, as a Phase 2 DPS Warlock you have plenty of tools available to you to rain chaos upon the enemy. Choose wisely when summoning your demon, curse with intent, pick talents that complement your playstyle best and choose runes that match your strategy well. That's it – our demonic pals – a guide on how become godlike in phase two for DPS Warlocks! Now go forth and set those boss meters ablaze!