WotLK Classic Affliction Warlock Gear and Best in Slot

Last updated on Jan 03, 2024 at 15:00 by Crix 11 comments

On this page, you will find the best PvE gear and best in slot items for your Affliction Warlock in WotLK Classic.

1.

Affliction Warlock Best in Slot List

In this guide we go over the different gear available for Warlocks in Phase 5 of Wrath of the Lich King Classic. First off, there are a ton of options for gearing in this phase. We have 10-man and 25-man loot with options at normal or Hardmodes loot. That being said, we will briefly show some alternatives to use until you get your absolute Best in Slot. We will offer multiple different pieces as some can be expensive or very rare to obtain. Some slots also have multiple "best" items that can change depending on your other gear choices and your hit rating. Most of these options are interchangable in one way or the other based on your hit rating. If you find yourself low on hit, then pick up one of the options listed with hit or vice versa, so long as you are always hit capped. Check out the link below for a breakdown and detailed explanation on our stats page for Affliction Warlocks.

1.1.

Other Affliction Warlock Best in Slot Lists

If you are starting out as a freshly-leveled Affliction Warlock, our pre-raid best in slot list is meant to give you an idea of non-raid items you can chase as a solo / pug(pick up group) player in preparation for Raids.

Do note that items from Heroic Dungeons or that require Frozen Orb Icon Frozen Orbs (which are obtained from Heroics) can be hard to get due to their daily lockout.

2.

Best In Slot by Phase

Phase 4 & 5 Phase 3 Phase 2 Phase 1
Phase 3 Horde Phase 3 Alliance
2.1.

Phase 4 & 5 / Tier 10

The items in the list below are considered to be best in slot for Affliction Warlocks in Phase 4 & 5 / Tier 10. Many of the items in this list will drop from Hardmodes in Icecrown Citadel 25-man, some from Trial of the Crusader 10/25-man Hardmodes (HM) and two items from Ruby Sanctum.

Most, if not all, of this gear will be highly contested by other casters in your raid. This goes especially for the Heroic version (item level 277) of the Tier 10 set, which we share with Paladins and Priests. Expect the first 4 set to go to Paladin tanks before Affliction.

As for the Tier 10 set bonuses. The 2 set increases the damage of your Corruption and Shadow Bolt by 10%. This is very good and you should be trying to get this as soon as possible. The 4 set is amazing. Each time your Unstable Affliction deals DoT damage, you have a 15% chance to gain 10% damage done by you and your pet by 10 seconds. This proc is called Devious Minds and also can be used to snapshot into your Corruption. You will be wanting to get your 4 set as fast as you can. The best options for your four pieces of Tier 9 are the Hood, Shoulderpads, Gloves and Chest.

The Tier 10 set has a 251, a 264 and a 277 item level version. Due to the strength of the 4 set, it is highly recommended to just use the any item level version of it until you get the tokens for 277 item level.

Both Alliance and Horde have the same Best in Slot set besides Horde uses the bracers The Lady's Brittle Bracers Icon The Lady's Brittle Bracers, while Alliance uses Ether-Soaked Bracers Icon Ether-Soaked Bracers.

Slot Item Source
Helm
Neck
Shoulders
Back
Chest
Wrists
Hands
Waist
Legs
Feet
Rings
Trinkets
Weapon
Off-Hand
Wand
2.2.

Phase 3 / Tier 9

The items in the list below are considered to be best in slot for Affliction Warlocks in Phase 3 / Tier 9. Many of the items in this list will drop from Hardmodes in Trial of the Crusader 25-man, some from Ulduar 10/25-man Hardmodes (HM) and the Wand that previously dropped from Freya in Ulduar 10 can now be bought from the new currency Sidereal Essence Icon Sidereal Essence from Titan Rune Hardmode Dungeons.

Most, if not all, of this gear will be highly contested by other casters in your raid. This goes especially for the Heroic version (item level 258) of the Tier 9 set, which we share with Paladins and Priests. Expect the first 4 set to go to Paladin tanks before Affliction. Not only that, but only 4 hardmode tier tokens drop PER RAID LOCKOUT, and they will be rolled at random between every class.

As for the Tier 9 set bonuses. The 2 set increases your pets Critical Strike chance with all it’s attacks by 10%, which is nothing too crazy. The 4 set however increases the damage done by your Corruption and Unstable Affliction by 10%. This is a solid boost of damage to your main two damage over time abilities, plus there are a bunch of much needed stats on each of the four pieces of Tier 9, meaning you’ll be wanting to get your 4 set as fast as you can. The best options for your four pieces of Tier 9 are the Hood, Shoulderpads, Gloves and Leggings.

The Tier 9 set has a 232, a 245 and a 258 item level version. Due to the strength of the 4 set, it is highly recommended to just use the 245 item level version of it until you get the tokens for 258 item level.

There is a few pieces of BiS gear from Phase 2 that remain BiS in Phase 3 and can be obtained in Ulduar. While there might be newer drops in Trial of the Crusader, they do not surpass the stats, damage and sims from the previous pieces.

Slot Item Source
Helm
Neck
Shoulders
Back
Chest
Wrists
Hands
Waist
Legs
Feet
Rings
Trinkets
Weapon
Off-Hand
Wand
  • Animated Constellation — Dalaran, 12 Sidereal Essence Icon Sidereal Essence
2.3.

Phase 2 / Tier 8

The items in the list below are considered to be best in slot for Affliction Warlocks in Phase 2 / Tier 8. This is just to catch anyone up who might be starting out late or just recently started an alt and trying to get your Warlock caught up on gear. This is a good midway point and if you can obtain some of this, then you should have no problem doing some very good in damage in phase 3 while waiting to obtain your phase 3 best in slot.

The items on the following list for Tier 8 come from WotLK Ulduar. The Tier 8 armor is sold by Paldesse in Dalaran for tokens from Ulduar. The abbreviation HM refers to the Hardmode of an encounter. Make sure to use two Purified Twilight Opal Icon Purified Twilight Opals in a Blue Socket Icon Blue Socket or a Red Socket Icon Red Socket in order to activate your Chaotic Skyflare Diamond Icon Chaotic Skyflare Diamond Meta Gem Socket Icon Meta Gem. How to get the Runed Stormjewel Icon Runed Stormjewel is explained in more detail in the Gems section of the Affliction Warlock PvE Enchants page. Please note that the value of Runed Scarlet Ruby Icon Runed Scarlet Ruby and Reckless Monarch Topaz Icon Reckless Monarch Topaz can be very close.

Slot Item Source
Helm
Neck
Shoulders
Back
Chest
Wrists
Hands
Waist
Legs
Feet
Rings
Trinkets
Weapons
Off-Hand
Wand
2.4.

Phase 1 / Tier 7

The items on the following list for Tier 7 come from WotLK Raids and Emblem of Valor Icon Emblem of Valor-Vendors Harold Winston, Arcanist Adurin (Alliance), and Magister Brasael (Horde) in Dalaran. Make sure to use two Purified Twilight Opal Icon Purified Twilight Opals in a Blue Socket Icon Blue Socket or a Red Socket Icon Red Socket in order to activate your Chaotic Skyflare Diamond Icon Chaotic Skyflare Diamond Meta Gem Socket Icon Meta Gem.

Slot Item Source
Helm
Neck
Shoulders
Back
Chest
Wrists
Hands
Waist
Legs
Feet
Rings
Trinkets
Weapons
Off-Hand
Wand
3.

For a list of recommended enchants in Wrath of the Lich King, check out our Warlock Enchants guide.

4.

Changelog

  • 03 Jan. 2023: Updated for Ruby Sanctum
  • 14 Sep. 2023: Updated for Phase 4.
  • 06 Jun. 2023: Updated to Phase 3.
  • 17 Jan. 2023: Updated for Phase 2.
  • 19 Oct. 2022: Page added.
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