Affliction Warlock DPS Gear and Best in Slot in Battle for Azeroth (BfA) 8.0.1

Table of Contents

• +Introduction
  • 1. Class Overview
  • 2. Patch 8.0.1 Changes for Affliction Warlock
  • 3. Affliction Warlock's Strengths and Weaknesses
    • 3.1. Affliction Warlock Strengths
    • 3.2. Affliction Warlock Weaknesses
  • 4. Affliction Warlock's Viability in the Current Patch
  • 5. Contents
  • 6. ChangeLog
• +Easy Mode
  • 1. Foreword
  • 2. The Basics of an Affliction Warlock
  • 3. Talent Choice for Affliction Warlock
  • 4. Stat Priority for Affliction Warlock
  • 5. Azerite Quick Reference for Affliction Warlock
    • 5.1. Single Target
    • 5.2. Cleave
  • 6. Single Target Rotation for Affliction Warlock
    • 6.1. Multiple Target Rotation for Affliction Warlock
  • 7. ChangeLog
• +Spell Summary
  • 1. Affliction Warlock Spell Summary
  • 2. Main Resources for Affliction Warlock
  • 3. Basic Abilities for Affliction Warlock
    • 3.1. Damage Over Time Spells (DoTs)
    • 3.2. Direct Damage Spells
  • 4. Cooldowns for Affliction Warlock
    • 4.1. Damage Cooldowns for Affliction Warlock
    • 4.2. Defensive Cooldowns and Tools for Affliction Warlock
  • 5. ChangeLog
• +Builds and Talents
  • 1. Talent Choices for Affliction Warlock
  • 2. Tier 1 (Level 15) Talents for Affliction Warlock
  • 3. Tier 2 (Level 30) Talents for Affliction Warlock
  • 4. Tier 3 (Level 45) Talents for Affliction Warlock
  • 5. Tier 4 (Level 60) Talents for Affliction Warlock
  • 6. Tier 5 (Level 75) Talents for Affliction Warlock
  • 7. Tier 6 (Level 90) Talents for Affliction Warlock
  • 8. Tier 7 (Level 100) Talents for Affliction Warlock
  • 9. PvP Talents (War Mode)
    • 9.1. Affliction Warlock War Mode Talents
      • 9.1.1. General PvP Talents
      • 9.1.2. Affliction Warlock PvP Talents
  • 10. ChangeLog
• +Azerite Traits and Armor
  • 1. Best Azerite Traits for Affliction Warlock
  • 2. Azerite Trait Rankings for Affliction Warlock
    • 2.1. Single Target
      • 2.1.1. Outer Ring
      • 2.1.2. Middle Ring
    • 2.2. 3 Targets
      • 2.2.1. Outer Ring
      • 2.2.2. Middle Ring
  • 3. Azerite Traits for Affliction Warlock
  • 4. Azerite Traits Rotation Changes and Details for Affliction Warlock
  • 5. Relative Strength of Azerite Traits for Affliction Warlock
  • 6. Find Azerite Armor By Trait/Power
  • 7. ChangeLog
• +Rotation, Cooldowns, and Abilities
  • 1. Playstyle for Affliction Warlock
    • 1.1. Single Target Priority for Affliction Warlock
    • 1.2. Cooldown Usage for Affliction Warlock
    • 1.3. Opening Sequence for Affliction Warlock
    • 1.4. Multiple Target Priority for Affliction Warlock
  • 2. Important Notes for Affliction Warlock
    • 2.1. Soul Shards
    • 2.2. Deathbolt Usage
    • 2.3. Agony
    • 2.4. Unstable Affliction Usage
    • 2.5. "Pandemic" — Learning to Efficiently Refresh DoTs
    • 2.6. Pet Choice
    • 2.7. Movement Management
      • 2.7.1. Quiet Movement
  • 3. ChangeLog
• +Mythic+ Tips
  • 1. Mythic+ Introduction for Affliction Warlock
  • 2. Affix List
    • 2.1. Tier One Affixes
    • 2.2. Tier Two Affixes
    • 2.3. Tier Three Affixes
    • 2.4. Seasonal Affix
  • 3. Mythic+ Talents for Affliction Warlock
    • 3.1. Talent Explanations
      • 3.1.1. Tier 1/Level 15
      • 3.1.2. Tier 2/Level 30
      • 3.1.3. Tier 3/Level 45
      • 3.1.4. Tier 4/Level 60
      • 3.1.5. Tier 5/Level 75
      • 3.1.6. Tier 6/Level 90
      • 3.1.7. Tier 7/Level 100
  • 4. Stat Priority for Affliction Warlock
  • 5. Pet Choice for Affliction Warlock
  • 6. ChangeLog
• +Common and Worst Mistakes
  • 1. Letting Agony Stacks Drop
  • 2. Delaying Deathbolt Usage
  • 3. Patchy Unstable Affliction Coverage
  • 4. Improper Soul Shard Management with Drain Soul
  • 5. Seed of Corruption
  • 6. Summon Darkglare
  • 7. ChangeLog
• +Frequently Asked Questions
  • 1. Frequently Asked Questions for Affliction Warlock
    • 1.1. How Should I Play with Deathbolt?
    • 1.2. What Pets/Demons Should I Use?
    • 1.3. Is Phantom Singularity Affected by Darkglare or Deathbolt?
    • 1.4. Why Does My Darkglare Fail to Extend My DoTs Occasionally?
    • 1.5. Why is Phantom Singularity a Stronger Choice than Vile Taint?
    • 1.6. When Should I Use Seed of Corruption?
      • 1.6.1. What About With Sow the Seeds?
    • 1.7. What Piece is Better, X or Y?
    • 1.8. How Much of X Stat Should I Have?
  • 2. ChangeLog
• +Boss by Boss Strategies
  • 1. Introduction for Affliction Warlock Boss Advice in Uldir
    • 1.1. Talent Cheatsheet for Affliction Warlock
  • 2. Taloc
  • 3. M.O.T.H.E.R.
  • 4. Fetid Devourer
  • 5. Zek'voz, Herald of N'Zoth
  • 6. Vectis
  • 7. Zul, Reborn
  • 8. Mythrax the Unraveler
  • 9. G'huun
  • 10. ChangeLog
• +Stat Priority
  • 1. The Basics of Stats for an Affliction Warlock
  • 2. Statistics Explanations for Affliction Warlock
  • 3. ChangeLog
• +Gems, Enchants, and Consumables
  • 1. Gems for Affliction Warlock
  • 2. Enchants for Affliction Warlock
  • 3. Consumables for Affliction Warlock
  • 4. ChangeLog
• +Macros and Addons
  • 1. Addons for Affliction Warlock
    • 1.1. Generic Addons for Warlocks
    • 1.2. ElvUI
    • 1.3. Weak Auras
    • 1.4. Boss Mods
      • 1.4.1. BigWigs Bossmods
      • 1.4.2. Deadly Boss Mods
    • 1.5. Name Plates
      • 1.5.1. KUI Nameplates
      • 1.5.2. TidyPlates
    • 1.6. Damage Meters
      • 1.6.1. Skada
      • 1.6.2. Details
    • 1.7. Extra AddOns
      • 1.7.1. Mik's Scrolling Battle Text
      • 1.7.2. DeathNote
      • 1.7.3. Doom CooldownPulse
      • 1.7.4. Angry Assignments
  • 2. Macros for Affliction Warlock
    • 2.1. Pet Macros
      • 2.1.1. Soulstone Mouseover
      • 2.1.2. Demonic Circle
  • 3. ChangeLog
• ×Gear and Best in Slot
  • 1. How To Effectively Compare Upgrades as an Affliction Warlock
  • 2. Best in Slot Items for Affliction Warlock
  • 3. Azerite Gear for Affliction Warlock
  • 4. Trinkets for Affliction Warlock
    • 4.1. Trinket Simulations for Affliction Warlock
      • 4.1.1. Single Target
      • 4.1.2. Cleave
  • 5. ChangeLog
• +Simulations
  • 1. Disclaimer Page
  • 2. Affliction Warlock Racial Bonus Simulation
  • 3. ChangeLog

General Information

This page is a gear reference for Affliction Warlocks. It lists your best items, with an emphasis on trinkets, and gives you gearing advice.

The other pages of our Affliction Warlock guide can be accessed from the table of contents on the right.

About Our Author

This guide has been written by Furty, who has an illustrious history in the World of Warcraft raiding scene and race for World First. He has been a member of guilds such as Serenity, Midwinter, and many more, and is currently raiding in Tabula Rasa. He plays most classes at the highest level. You can follow him on Twitter and watch him play on Twitch.

1. How To Effectively Compare Upgrades as an Affliction Warlock

Due to the simplicity of determining upgrades with a simulation in the current era of the game, we recommend using the popular tool Raidbots to determine which pieces of gear offer the most potential for your character. The main reason why this is a huge advantage is due to the huge number of variables that differ from character to character, such as Azerite Traits, Stat Quotients, and Scale Factors.

The Top Gear function can be especially useful, as it allows you to compare multiple items and item types to find the best combination of upgrades.

Learning to use the tools available will allow you to reach the most accurate conclusions with the least effort. It is highly recommended you avail yourself of these tools, and they will serve you well when evaluating items.

2. Best in Slot Items for Affliction Warlock

This list illustrates some of the best available pre-raid items for the Affliction Warlock specialization. We will update the list to include raid items closer to the release of Uldir.

Bear in mind that this list is a template rather than an end point. We recommend simming using the Top Gear function to find the best setup for your character, which can depend on factors such as Talents, Azerite Traits, and Stat Distribution.

Please refer to the Trinket Simulation section below for details on Trinkets.

Slot	Item	Source
Helm	Grasping Crown of the Deep	Viq'Goth (Siege of Boralus)
Shoulders	Brood Cleanser's Amice	Plague Doctor (Temple of Sethraliss)
Cloak	Drape of the Loyal Vassal	Vol'kaal (Atal'Dazar)
Chest	Inmate's Straight Robe	Overseer Korgus (Tol Dagor)
Wrists	Iron-Kelp Wristwraps	Viq'Goth (Siege of Boralus)
Gloves	Captain's Dustfinders	Viq'Goth (Siege of Boralus)
Belt	Ouroborial Sash	Merektha (Temple of Sethraliss)
Legs	Bloodstained Sous Chef Pants	Raal the Gluttonous (Waycrest Manor)
Boots	Deranged Alchemist's Slippers	Rixxa Fluxflame (The MOTHERLODE!!)
Ring #1	Loop of Pulsing Veins	Elder Leaxa (The Underrot)
Ring #2	Footbomb Championship Ring	Coin-Operated Crowd Pummeler (The MOTHERLODE!!)
Weapon	Seabreeze	Galecaller Faye (Shrine of the Storm)

3. Azerite Gear for Affliction Warlock

For information about what Azerite traits to choose and what the best items are, see our Azerite page.

4. Trinkets for Affliction Warlock

Drust-Runed Icicle is far and away our best trinket available, and pulls far ahead of its competitors for both single target and multitarget.

The best trinkets available barring World Boss drops are currently from World Quests and Emissary Rewards. Incessantly Ticking Clock is the best of the bunch, but keep an eye out for Pearl Diver's Compass, Plunderbeard's Flask, First Mate's Spyglass, and Emblem of Zandalar as well.

Dungeon Trinkets are variable in effectiveness right now, and several of them are erroneously ranked in SimCraft. The best option available from dungeons is Ignition Mage's Fuse.

4.1. Trinket Simulations for Affliction Warlock

4.1.1. Single Target

4.1.2. Cleave

5. ChangeLog

• 26 Aug. 2018: Made small tweaks to the page.
• 13 Aug. 2018: Updated for Battle for Azeroth launch.
• 26 Jul. 2018: Updated the legendary ranking.

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