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

Demonology combines Shadow Bolt casts and DoTs with damage from your Succubus. Use Searing Pain to restore Demonic Brand when it falls off the enemy your demon is attacking, then cast Shadow Bolt between Immolate, Corruption, and Bane refreshes.

Your pet needs to stay alive and in melee range to keep contributing. Demonic Energies helps with its upkeep by turning your spell damage into pet healing and restoring its mana when you use Life Tap.

Before the pull, use Demonic Sacrifice on an Imp for the Shadow damage bonus, then summon your Succubus. Demonic Pact lets you keep that bonus while using a different demon. Keep Demon Armor and Soul Link active, apply your Create Spellstone weapon enchant, and prepare a Healthstone.

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.
   • Apply your assigned Curse, if any, when it's missing: Curse of the Elements, Curse of Recklessness, Curse of Tongues, or Curse of Weakness.
2. Searing Pain
   • Use it when Demonic Brand is missing from the enemy your demon is attacking.
3. Immolate
   • Apply it if missing, or time your next cast to land as the existing effect expires.
4. Corruption
   • Apply it if missing, or time your next cast to land as the existing effect expires.
5. Life Tap
   • Use it when you need mana to keep casting.
6. Shadow Bolt
   • Cast it when the higher priorities are covered.

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

1. Secondary Target
   • Apply Corruption and Immolate, refreshing them as they expire.
   • Add Bane of Agony if the enemy will live for at least 30 seconds.
2. Main Target
   • Follow the single target rotation above while maintaining the DoTs on the second enemy.
3. Hellfire
   • Keep using the single target rotation against just two enemies in this Shadow setup. If you're playing a Fire variant and both enemies will die within about 30 seconds, apply your DoTs first and then channel Hellfire.

While moving into position, apply Bane of Agony to enemies, then your assigned Curse if you have time for another round. This also gives your tank a few globals to gather the pack and build threat. Skip Corruption while moving, since it has a cast time.

• 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's too dangerous to stand in the pack.

• Shadow Bolt
  • Your main cast when your DoTs and Demonic Brand are covered. Bane shortens its cast time, while Ruin makes its critical strikes hit harder. Improved Shadow Bolt lets those crits increase your Shadow damage against that enemy.
  • Decimation increases the damage of Shadow Bolt and Searing Pain against enemies below 35% health. Keep following the same priorities during that part of the fight.
• Searing Pain
  • A short Fire cast that applies Demonic Brand, adding damage to your demon's next attacks against that enemy. The Brand lasts up to 10 seconds, but can end earlier when its charges are consumed. Cast Searing Pain when it falls off rather than repeatedly refreshing an active Brand.
  • Keep Demonic Brand on the enemy your Succubus is attacking. When you send her to a different target, check that target's debuff rather than continuing to refresh the enemy you've been casting on. If she can't reach an enemy, the Brand won't provide its extra pet damage there.
• 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.
• Corruption
  • Deals Shadow damage over 18 seconds, with Improved Corruption shortening its cast time and making it instant when fully talented. Check your actual cast time when planning a refresh or trying to use it while moving, and let the existing DoT finish instead of repeatedly replacing its final ticks.
• Lash of Pain
  • Your Succubus's melee Shadow attack, with Improved Sayaad increasing its damage. Keep her attacking your main target so her attacks can also use the charges from Demonic Brand.
• 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.
• 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.
  • Demonic Energies also restores your demon's mana when you tap, while your damaging spells heal it. These effects help with pet upkeep throughout the fight, but you still need to watch its health and position.
• 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 Shadow Bolt priority. Prepare shards before a raid so you don't need to spend boss casting time replacing them.
• Demonic Sacrifice
  • Sacrifice an Imp before combat for 15% increased Shadow damage for 2 hours, then summon your Succubus. Demonic Pact lets you keep the sacrifice bonus while fighting alongside a different type of demon.

• 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.
• Soul Link
  • Redirects 30% of the damage you take to your demon and increases the damage you both deal by 3%. Keep it active while your demon is summoned, and check the buff when replacing a pet. Watch your demon's health during heavy incoming damage, since it may be taking damage from both its surroundings and the damage shared with you.
• 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.

Your demon and existing DoTs keep dealing damage while you move. Use Life Tap when you need mana or refresh an instant Bane or Curse that's due, then settle somewhere you can finish your casts. Shadow Bolt, Searing Pain, and Immolate require you to stand still, as does Corruption while it has a cast time. Don't refresh DoTs early or tap for mana you won't use just to fill a global cooldown.

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