World of Warcraft: Forever Affliction Warlock - Rotation, Cooldowns, and Abilities

Affliction keeps Corruption, Siphon Life, Immolate, and a Bane active while channeling Wrack between refreshes. Nightfall adds instant Shadow Bolt casts to the rotation, so you're watching both your DoT timers and those procs as you channel Wrack.

You will regularly want to Life Tap to replenish Mana at the cost of some HP, using movement or a short gap before a DoT refresh to tap when needed. You also don't need to finish every Wrack channel before doing something else; stop when a higher priority needs attention.

Before the pull, have a Succubus summoned for damage, keep Demon Armor active, and apply your Create Spellstone weapon enchant. Prepare a Healthstone and have Soul Shards available for summoning your demon and using your utility spells.

Work down this priority list whenever you're ready to cast, skipping effects that are already active or won't have enough time to deal their damage.

1. Maintain Buffs and Debuffs
   • Bane of Doom: Apply it when ready if the target will live for at least another 60 seconds. Otherwise, use Bane of Agony if you don't already have a Bane on the target and it will live long enough for the full DoT duration. Use Amplify Curse immediately before Bane of Agony when it is available.
   • Apply your assigned Curse, if any, when it is missing: Curse of the Elements, Curse of Recklessness, Curse of Tongues, or Curse of Weakness.
   • Without an assignment, use Curse of the Elements to support spell damage or Curse of Recklessness to support physical damage, covering whichever debuff your group is missing.
2. Corruption
   • Apply it if missing and refresh it as the existing effect expires.
3. Siphon Life
   • Apply it if missing and refresh it as the existing effect expires.
4. Immolate
   • Apply it if missing, or time your next cast to land as the existing effect expires.
5. Shadow Bolt
   • Use the instant cast from Nightfall when it becomes available.
6. Life Tap
   • Use it when you need mana, preferably while moving or during a short gap before your next DoT refresh.
7. Wrack
   • Channel while the higher priorities are covered, stopping when you need to refresh a DoT or use a Nightfall proc.

In cleave and AoE scenarios, there is a slight difference between priorities depending on the amount of enemies you are fighting.

1. Secondary Target:
   • Keep Corruption active, refreshing it as it expires.
   • Add Bane of Agony and Siphon Life if the enemy will live for at least 30 seconds, refreshing them as they expire.
2. Main Target:
   • Follow the single target rotation above while maintaining the DoTs on the second enemy.

You do not use Hellfire when fighting just two enemies.

While moving into position, spread Corruption on enemies that will die quickly, or Bane of Agony on those that will live longer. These instant casts also give your tank a few globals to gather the pack and build threat before you start channeling.

• Hellfire
  • Channel as soon as the enemies are in range, even if some still don't have DoTs. If the pack is already next to you, start channeling without spending more time applying debuffs.
• Rain of Fire
  • Use it instead if you can't get into melee range or it is too dangerous to stand in the pack.
• Shadow Bolt
  • Spend instant casts from Nightfall as they become available, then return to channeling.

• Wrack
  • Channels Shadow damage over six seconds, with one tick per second before Haste. While it's active, your other Shadow DoTs deal 10% more damage to that enemy, so keep them running before you start channeling.
  • Soul Siphon increases the channel's damage based on your other Affliction effects on the target, reaching its maximum with three qualifying effects. Corruption, Siphon Life, and your Bane provide those effects without needing to add spells just to reach the cap.

• Corruption
  • Deals Shadow damage over 18 seconds and becomes instant through Improved Corruption when fully talented. Its ticks can trigger Nightfall, giving you more instant Shadow Bolt casts when you keep it active on several enemies. Let it expire before refreshing so you don't throw away its remaining ticks.
• Siphon Life
  • Deals Shadow damage and heals you every three seconds for 30 seconds, helping recover health spent on Life Tap. It also counts toward the three effects needed for Soul Siphon's maximum bonus. Keep it active on your main target and add it to a second enemy when that enemy will live long enough for the DoT to be worthwhile.
• Immolate
  • Deals an initial Fire hit followed by 15 seconds of damage over time, with Bane shortening its cast time. Time your next cast to land as the existing effect expires, rather than refreshing early and throwing away its remaining ticks.
• Shadow Bolt
  • Nightfall gives you instant casts to use between DoT refreshes and Wrack channels. It can trigger from that channel or from Corruption, Drain Life, and Drain Soul damage; Hellfire itself cannot trigger it.
  • Ruin makes its critical strikes hit harder, while Improved Shadow Bolt makes those crits increase your Shadow damage against the target by up to 20% for 12 seconds. That bonus applies to your own Shadow damage, including Wrack and your Shadow DoTs.
• Lash of Pain
  • Your Succubus's melee Shadow attack. Keep her in range and attacking an enemy while you channel, and call her back before she moves into danger.
• Hellfire
  • Channels Fire damage around you for up to 15 seconds, damaging you as well as nearby enemies each second. It requires you to stand close to the pack, so watch your health and the enemies' position throughout the channel. Don't combine repeated Life Tap casts with Hellfire when you don't have enough health to pay for both.
• Rain of Fire
  • Channels damage into a targeted area for 8 seconds, with damage every 2 seconds. It lets you stay away from the pack, but enemies need to remain inside the area to keep taking damage. Wait until the tank has positioned them before committing to a channel.

• Bane of Doom and Bane of Agony
  • Bane of Doom deals its damage after 60 seconds and has a 1-minute cooldown. It needs the target to survive until that damage lands, so stop applying it once there isn't enough time left in the fight.
  • Bane of Agony deals damage over 24 seconds, with its later ticks dealing more damage than the early ones. Let it finish before reapplying it so you don't lose those stronger ticks. Its damage updates with your current stats, so you don't need to restart it when a temporary damage buff appears.

• Amplify Curse
  • Increases the effect of your next Bane of Agony by 50%, with a 3-minute cooldown. Use it just before applying the Bane you want to strengthen. It doesn't improve Bane of Doom, and casting an eligible Curse such as Curse of Weakness first can consume the buff instead.
• Curse of the Elements
  • Reduces magic resistances and increases magic damage taken, helping both your Fire and Shadow spells as well as the other casters in your group. Coordinate Curse assignments when several Warlocks are present so you cover the debuffs the group needs without overwriting your own assigned Curse.
• Curse of Recklessness
  • Reduces an enemy's Armor and prevents it from fleeing, making it useful for supporting physical damage or stopping a runner from pulling another pack. It also prevents Fear and Horror, so replace it with another Curse before trying to use those effects on that enemy.
• Curse of Tongues
  • Slows enemy spellcasting, giving your group more time to interrupt dangerous casts. Use it when assigned or when controlling a caster is more useful than your normal Curse.
• Curse of Weakness
  • Reduces the target's Physical damage. It can help against a hard hitting enemy when you're responsible for that debuff.

• Life Tap
  • Trades health for mana, with Spirit increasing both the health converted and mana restored. Use it when you need mana to keep casting.
  • Fit taps into movement or a short gap before a DoT refresh when possible, rather than waiting until you're unable to start your next Wrack channel. Avoid tapping for mana you won't use.
• Drain Soul
  • Can generate Soul Shards while dealing damage to nontrivial enemies. Use it to replenish your supply when needed, rather than treating it as an execute spell in the Wrack priority. Prepare shards before a raid so you don't need to spend boss casting time replacing them.
• Demon Armor
  • Provides Armor, Shadow Resistance, and health regeneration. Keep it active before pulls so you don't need to spend a cast refreshing it during combat.

• Create Healthstone
  • Creates a healing item to prepare before combat, with a 2-minute cooldown when used. Keep it accessible for a dangerous hit or a period of heavy group damage, and give stones to other group members before the pull.
• Shadow Ward
  • Absorbs Shadow damage for up to 30 seconds and has a 30-second cooldown. Use it before incoming Shadow damage; it won't absorb damage from other schools.
• Drain Life
  • Channels Shadow damage while healing you. Use it in place of Wrack when you need more healing than Siphon Life provides. Soul Siphon improves it based on your other Affliction effects, and its damage can still trigger Nightfall.
• Death Coil
  • Deals instant Shadow damage, heals you for the damage dealt, and causes 3 seconds of Horror against susceptible enemies, with a 2-minute cooldown. Use it when the healing or Horror will help you survive.
• Fear
  • Controls an enemy by sending it fleeing, though damage can break the effect and its movement can carry it into another pack. Check the space around the enemy before using it in a dungeon.
• Howl of Terror
  • Fears up to five nearby enemies after a cast, with a 40-second cooldown. It can buy time when a pull gets out of control, but the same risks from fleeing enemies and damage breaking Fear apply.
• Banish
  • Removes a Demon or Elemental from the fight, making it unable to act or take damage. Use it to control an extra enemy while the group deals with the rest of a pull, and be ready to reapply it when the effect ends.
• Subjugate Demon
  • Uses a Soul Shard to take control of a suitable enemy Demon, replacing your normal pet while it lasts. Control can break early, so watch the Demon and be ready to deal with it when it becomes hostile.

• Create Soulstone
  • Creates a stone that lets you prepare yourself or an ally to resurrect after death. Coordinate the target before a pull, and keep the effect active on the assigned player.
• Ritual of Summoning
  • Uses a Soul Shard and help from two other group members to summon a group member to your location. You will want to have shards ready before traveling to a dungeon or raid.

Your Succubus normally stays out for damage, with a Felhunter as an option when your group needs an interrupt or dispel. Keep Pet Attack and Pet Follow on accessible keybinds so you can send your demon to the right target or call it back from danger.

• Spell Lock
  • Your Felhunter's interrupt. Keep it on an accessible keybind when you're responsible for stopping a dangerous cast.
• Devour Magic
  • Lets your Felhunter remove a Magic debuff from an ally or a Magic buff from an enemy. Use it on the assigned target when a dispel is needed.
• Seduction
  • Lets your Succubus control a Humanoid. Keep damage off the target so the group can deal with other enemies while it's controlled.
• Health Funnel
  • Channels your own health into healing your demon. Watch your health as well as the pet's, especially after using Life Tap.

Use movement to refresh Corruption, Siphon Life, or a Bane when they're due, spend an instant Shadow Bolt from Nightfall, or use Life Tap when you need mana. Your demon and existing DoTs keep dealing damage while you move, and you can resume Wrack once you're in position. Don't refresh DoTs early or tap for mana you won't use just to fill a global cooldown.

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