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Table of Contents
General Information
On this page, you will various tips and pieces of advice for clearing high Mythic+ content with your Affliction Warlock.
The other pages of our Affliction Warlock guide can be accessed from the table of contents on the right.
About Our Author and Reviewer
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 Future. He plays most classes at the highest level. You can follow him on Twitter and watch him play on Twitch.
This guide has been reviewed and approved by Deepshades, a top raider who plays in Method; you can watch his stream on Twitch and follow him on Twitter.
1. Mythic+ Introduction for Affliction Warlock
Mythic+ has become a large part of the World of Warcraft endgame, but the sheer amount of different variables has left many players feeling overwhelmed. The group composition, weekly affixes, the item level of the group, the keystone level, and the experience and comfort level of the group are just several of the factors that will influence how you approach each dungeon. The purpose of this page is to prepare you for the key differences that set Mythic+ apart from the typical World of Warcraft endgame experience, including talents and rotational anomalies that may not be obvious at first glance.
2. Affix List
- Bolstering: when any non-boss enemy dies, its death cry empowers nearby allies, increasing their maximum health and damage by 20%.
- Bursting: when slain, non-boss enemies explode, causing all players to suffer 10% of their maximum health in damage over 4 sec. This effect stacks.
- Explosive: while in combat, enemies periodically summon Explosive Orbs that will detonate if not destroyed.
- Fortified: non-boss enemies have 20% more health and inflict up to 30% increased damage.
- Grievous: when injured below 90% health, players will suffer increasing damage over time until healed above 90% health.
- Necrotic: all enemies' melee attacks apply a stacking blight that inflicts damage over time and reduces healing received.
- Overflowing: healing in excess of a target's maximum health is instead converted to a heal absorption effect.
- Quaking: periodically, all players emit a shockwave, inflicting damage and interrupting nearby allies.
- Raging: non-boss enemies enrage at 30% health remaining, dealing 100% increased damage until defeated.
- Relentless: non-boss enemies are granted temporary immunity to Loss of Control effects.
- Sanguine: when slain, non-boss enemies leave behind a lingering pool of ichor that heals their allies and damages players.
- Skittish: enemies pay far less attention to threat generated by tanks.
- Teeming: additional non-boss enemies are present throughout the dungeon.
- Tyrannical: boss enemies have 40% more health and inflict up to 15% increased damage.
- Volcanic: while in combat, enemies periodically cause gouts of flame to erupt beneath the feet of distant players.
3. Mythic+ Talents for Affliction Warlock
Several basic talent builds have been laid out below for your convenience. For more information, see the talent descriptions further down the page.
"High Level Keystones" simply refers to keystones that challenge your current item level, rather than referring to a specific numerical value. Conversely, "Low Level Keystones" refers to keystones that feel very comfortable relative to the current power level of your group.
3.1. Standard Build — Low Level Keystones
- Level 15:
Malefic Grasp - Level 30:
Empowered Life Tap - Level 45:
Howl of Terror - Level 60:
Sow the Seeds - Level 75:
Burning Rush - Level 90:
Grimoire of Supremacy - Level 100:
Soul Conduit
Malefic Grasp is the preferred level 15 talent, as it provides
superior boss damage, and most packs will not live long enough for your
Agonys to fully stack when using Writhe in Agony.
3.2. Standard Build — High Level Keystones
- Level 15:
Writhe in Agony - Level 30: Empowered Life Tap
- Level 45: Howl of Terror
- Level 60: Sow the Seeds
- Level 75: Burning Rush
- Level 90: Grimoire of Supremacy
- Level 100: Soul Conduit
3.3. Tyrannical Build — High Level Keystones
- Level 15: Writhe in Agony
- Level 30:
Contagion - Level 45: Howl of Terror
- Level 60: See Talent Descriptions
- Level 75: Burning Rush
- Level 90: Grimoire of Supremacy
- Level 100: Soul Conduit
3.4. Talent Explanations
Most of our explanations are geared towards keystones that challenge the current item level of your group. If you are doing keystones that are well below the current power level of the group, you should default to our build recommended above, as you will likely be able to do pulls much larger than intended, which skews the talent choices towards AoE and burst focused choices rather than builds that support sustained damage.
3.4.1. Tier 1/Level 15
Writhe in Agony is the preferred choice for most keystones that are
appropriate for your item level, particularly if you are using the Tier 21
4-piece bonus. Writhe offers superior cleave and good single target provided
the enemies will live long enough for you to benefit from the additional
Agony stacks.
Malefic Grasp is an alternative choice that can be strong when
approaching easier keys, as typically you will burn through the trash before
Writhe in Agony can realize its potential. This grants us increased
boss damage, further increasing your clear speed.
3.4.2. Tier 2/Level 30
Empowered Life Tap offers the best possible damage when approaching
packs with four or more enemies. When utilizing this talent, always be sure
to 
Life Tap between packs to save yourself a global cooldown.
Contagion offers the best damage on 3 or fewer targets, making
it a desirable choice in instances with low trash. It is also our ideal talent
for Tyrannical weeks, particularly when doing High Level Keystones. When using
Contagion on trash, be sure to apply 
Unstable Affliction to each target
you have an Agony applied to for the increased damage.
Absolute Corruption is rarely used in the current meta of Mythic+,
however it still may see niche use depending on your group composition. When
paired with 
Sacrolash's Dark Strike, it can provide strong damage over
time on large add packs that take a long time to die. This may be useful if
your group is struggling with an affix such as Necrotic, Raging, Skittish, or
Fortified, as your Tank will likely have to kite. It can be a good choice
in the Seat of the Triumvirate instance for making the first and third boss
fights easier.
3.4.3. Tier 3/Level 45
Howl of Terror is our go-to choice, as our primary legendary is
Sephuz's Secret. Howl has a 30-second cooldown, exactly the same as our
Sephuz, allowing us to quickly and reliably proc our Haste buff on each
trash pack. It can also be used as a pseudo 
Arcane Torrent to interrupt
a large group, however, it will break nearly instantly to damage, ensuring
that it does not cause disarray by fearing mobs into every direction.
Demonic Circle can be a useful talent in certain instances, but
generally only during Tyrannical weeks. The reason for this is that the
instant movement can be used to break line of sight, allowing you to escape
certain boss mechanics that would otherwise be dangerous or unavoidable.
Mortal Coil has limited use for Mythic+, as it does not break
from damage and can cause unpredictable add movement or even pull additional
enemies.
3.4.4. Tier 4/Level 60
Sow the Seeds is usually our selected talent, as it offers
very strong cleave and AoE once 4 or more targets are present. It is a
particularly strong talent in instances with very large packs, such as
the Arcway or Lower Karazhan. Certain affixes may cause this to work against
your group, however, as Sow the Seeds deals relatively even damage across
all the targets. Take care during Bursting, Bolstering, or Raging weeks, as
over indexing on AoE on these large packs can cause disaster for your
group.
Soul Harvest can be a good choice when trash pulls are typically
small or dangerous and during Tyrannical weeks in instances that are
boss-heavy and/or offer opportunities to extend your Harvest. The best examples
are Neltharion's Lair and Eye of Azshara, as both instances feature four
bosses and few giant trash pulls. We typically use this talent when AoE
is not a possibility (Pelters in Neltharion's for example) or when we want
to improve our focus damage to one or two targets.
Phantom Singularity acts as a bridge between the other two talents,
offering a respectable amount of both single and multi target damage. If your
composition lacks cleave or AoE in an instance where you would normally favor
Soul Harvest, this talent is a strong middle ground.
3.4.5. Tier 5/Level 75
Burning Rush is the default choice, as it allows you to keep up
with the group. Movement speed also has noticeable survival and DPS boosts
in many situations, such as during Serpentrix in Eye of Azshara or while
collecting 
Nightwell Energy on Corstilax in the Arcway.
Dark Pact is a useful talent, particularly on instances with
dangerous bosses on Tyrannical weeks. The best example is Xavius in Dark
Heart Thicket.
Demon Skin has limited use in Mythic+, as the threats to our
survival typically occur in large bursts rather than sustained damage.
3.4.6. Tier 6/Level 90
Grimoire of Supremacy is the only viable talent on this tier for
Affliction. Keep in mind you can use the Infernal if you are doing consistent
AoE packs and swap it out for the Doomguard when you reach bosses.
3.4.7. Tier 7/Level 100
Soul Conduit is our standard choice, as it allows us to spam
more Seed of Corruption casts when playing with Sow the Seeds as
well as bolstering our single target nicely.
Death's Embrace should be used if all of the following are true:
- You are using the Tier 21 4-piece bonus.
- You are not using Sow the Seeds.
- The keystone is not Halls of Valor, Vault of the Wardens, or Maw of Souls.
Siphon Life has limited use in Mythic+, as the single target gain
is very small and it has no use on AoE.
4. Stat Priority for Affliction Warlock
- Haste
- Critical Strike >= Mastery
- Versatility
- Intellect
Haste is the best stat in Mythic+ for a variety of reasons. First and
foremost, it improves Soul Shard generation which is necessary to continuously
pump out Seed of Corruptions. Your Agony will also stack faster
which is enormously helpful when playing with Writhe in Agony and/or
Hood of Eternal Disdain. In addition, Mastery scales poorly with Seed of
Corruption which further skews the stat balance in favor of Haste and Critical
Strike.
5. Legendary Items for Affliction Warlock
5.1. Mandatory Tier
Sephuz's Secret is the strongest legendary in most situations, as
it is easily procced by a variety of our standard spells. Sephuz can be
activated by the Doomguard's 
Shadow Lock, the Infernal's
Meteor Strike, 
Banish, 
Fear, Mortal Coil,
Howl of Terror, the Infernal's 
Torch Magic, or using
Arcane Torrent. See our Instance Advice section below for some tips
on how to get the most out of this legendary. You should try to activate
the proc as often as possible.
Sephuz's Secret should be used for virtually all trash packs, as
well as certain bosses where it can be activated.
5.2. Top Tier
The Master Harvester is the best choice when you are playing with
Sow the Seeds and are consuming a high amount of Soul Shards. This
legendary should be swapped out for bosses unless there is a source of
consistent Soul Shard generation.
Hood of Eternal Disdain is a very strong legendary with a variety
of usages. This item is best on bosses, however, it also has very strong
presence on trash, particularly in higher keys where pulls are smaller and
enemies live for an extended period of time.
Power Cord of Lethtendris should be used as your second legendary
for bosses if Sephuz's Secret can not be activated. This legendary
is extremely potent for 1-2 target damage.
5.3. Situational/Niche Choices
Sacrolash's Dark Strike can be useful for kiting if you are
struggling with affixes that are difficult for the tank, such as
Necrotic. It can also be useful for situations specific to certain
instances, such as the blobs on the first boss of Seat of the Triumvirate.
You should never use Sacrolash during Sanguine weeks, as it will cause
the enemies to receive extra ticks of the healing.
Prydaz, Xavaric's Magnum Opus offers a lot of damage through
sheer stats, and is very close in value to the Top Tier choices. This
legendary should be used if you feel you need extra survival for High Level
Keystones with dangerous bosses, such as Xavius in Darkheart or
Hyrja in Halls of Valor.
Soul of the Netherlord can be a competitive choice if you are
killing large packs very slowly. You can swap to this legendary for the
final boss in Eye of Azshara, allowing you to use other legendaries and
Soul Conduit for the rest of the instance.
6. Mythic+ Relics, Set Bonuses, and Trinkets for Affliction Warlock
We recommend using the Tier 21 4-piece bonus at all times once you have
access to it. Relic priority is largely the same in Mythic+, with the
exception being that Seeds of Doom has slightly more value than
it does in raids.
Typically "stat stick" style trinkets are the best for Mythic+, as they
offer the best consistent damage and work equally well for single and multi
target situations. As with raiding, 
Aman'Thul's Vision and
Unstable Arcanocrystal are the premiere choices, although any
high titanforged stat stick will be fine. Antorus, the Burning Throne, also
has good trinkets for Mythic+; the 
Prototype Personnel Decimator (can
occasionally pull extra trash, beware) and 
Terminus Signaling Beacon
are both strong competitors.
7. Pet Choice for Affliction Warlock
The choice between Infernal and Doomguard is largely tied to the instance
and your group composition. In general, we want to use Infernal for trash
due to its damage, Meteor Strike, and Torch Magic. For bosses,
we favor the Doomguard due to its damage. In many instances, however, we will
swap back and forth often, as there are many bosses where Sephuz's Secret
can only be procced via the Infernal's stun, and vice versa.
8. Mythic+ Rotation for Affliction Warlock
8.1. Trash Packs
You should try and keep 
Reap Souls active at all times you
are in combat, if possible, after the first pack dies. If you have limited
souls, you should activate Reap after applying your DoTs.
8.1.1. Sow the Seeds
This is highly contextual depending on the level of your keystone, as maximizing your DPS revolves around accurately gauging and playing around the lifespan of enemies. As we approach each pack, however, there are a few things to keep in mind:
Life Tap as you are running towards the pack if you are talented
into Empowered Life Tap.- Apply your Seed of Corruption immediately if there are three or
more targets. Trigger immediately with
Drain Soul. Ideally, try and
make your Seed application a pre-cast to waste minimum global cooldowns. - Apply Agony to (up to five) targets that will live for at least
6-7 seconds.
- Proc your
Sephuz's Secret for the Haste buff. - Spend Soul Shards on Seed of Corruption.
- Maintain your Empowered Life Tap buff and Agony stacks.
- Recuperate Soul Shards as the enemies die by using Drain Soul.
Seed of Corruption is used to apply and maintain our
Corruption provided there are at least three targets grouped together.
If there are 1-2 targets, apply Corruption manually and invest your Soul Shards
into Unstable Affliction.
8.1.2. Phantom Singularity/Soul Harvest
As we only play with Soul Harvest or Phantom Singularity in
instances that are less focused on AoE and more focused on cleave and single
target, the approach to each pack is a little different. If there are three
or more targets, we still want to use Seed of Corruption to apply and
maintain Corruption. From there, we want to:
- Apply Agony to all targets that will live for at least 6-7
seconds. Be sure to re-apply to maintain these Agonies when necessary.
- Activate
Soul Harvest or 
Phantom Singularity whenever
available unless you specifically holding it for a certain pack or boss
in the immediate future. - Use
Unstable Affliction to spend your Soul Shards. Always
prioritize putting Unstable Affliction on targets with Agony that
do not already have an Unstable Affliction. This allows for maximum benefit
from Contagion. You should never allow yourself to reach Shard cap,
even if it means one of your Agonies falls. - Recuperate Soul Shards as the enemies die by using Drain Soul.
8.2. Single Target/Bosses
When you are playing with Writhe in Agony, there are only a few
things to keep in mind when approaching single target encounters. Always:
- Keep your Agony and
Corruption applied. - Never allow yourself to reach Soul Shard cap.
- Keep your Empowered Life Tap buff active at all times, if talented.
- Try to apply at least 2-4 Unstable Afflictions at a time.
- Always
Reap Souls if you apply Unstable Affliction.
If you are playing with Contagion, you should try to maintain as
high an uptime on your buff as possible. If you are playing with
Soul Harvest, you should bank several shards in anticipation of the
cooldown to pump as much damage in this window as possible while maintaining
your Contagion.
9. Instance Advice for Affliction Warlock
9.1. Black Rook Hold
We recommend using the Infernal up until the second boss. The
Meteor Strike is exceptionally helpful for many of the trash packs,
and can be used to proc your Sephuz's Secret during the intermission
on the first boss (on the Restless Souls that spawn).
Once you reach the second boss, Illysanna Ravencrest, swap out to
the Doomguard, as the Risen Arcanist can be interrupted for a
Sephuz's Secret proc. After Illysanna dies, we recommend swapping
back to the Infernal, using the Doomguard for bosses, as the
Meteor Strike is immensely helpful for trash.
9.2. Cathedral of Eternal Night
This instance can be extremely difficult on Grievous Tyrannical weeks, and a more single target oriented build is advised.
Aside from trash, you can proc your Sephuz's Secret on 3 of
the 4 bosses.
- The Fulminating Lashers can be stunned via your Infernal's
Meteor Strike on the first boss, Agronox. - During the second boss, Thrashbite the Scornful, your
Doomguard can
Shadow Lock the books that spawn when the bookcases
are destroyed. - Finally, use your Doomguard's Shadow Lock to interrupt the
Hellblaze Imps that spawn on Domatrax. Alternatively, you can
Banish any of the Demons that emerge, although it takes an extra
global cooldown.
9.3. Court of Stars
The Infernal is recommended for much of this instance for its ability to
purge many of the enemies' buffs. Before the penultimate boss,
Talixae Flamewreath, switch to the Doomguard, as you can interrupt
her for a Sephuz's Secret, and the remainder of the instance is purely
single target.
9.4. Darkheart Thicket
You are able to proc Sephuz's Secret on the first three bosses by
using the Infernal's Meteor Strike on the adds that appear. You can
also use Fear if you prefer to use the Doomguard for the bosses.
There are several enemies that you can control with 
Enslave Demon,
however this is typically not worth it, as you want your own demon for damage
and Sephuz procs.
Dark Pact can be a very helpful talent for this instance when
approaching it on very high keystones, as Xavius is a particularly lethal
boss. We also recommend using Prydaz, Xavaric's Magnum Opus on high
level keystones, as the defensive capability is superb for Xavius without
sacrificing a noticeable amount of offensive pressure.
9.5. Eye of Azshara
Death's Embrace is a strong choice for this instance, however you
can also opt to swap to Soul of the Netherlord right before the final
boss. Use your Doomguard on Warlord Parjesh and Serpentrix
to interrupt the adds/heads for Sephuz's Secret procs. Use the Infernal
for Lady Hatecoil to stun the Saltsea Globules as well.
9.6. Halls of Valor
Be sure not to use Death's Embrace or
Soul of the Netherlord for this instance, as Fenryr Phase One and
Odyn do not even reach 35%, while Heimdall concludes at 10%, limiting
the effectiveness of these setups considerably.
Hyrja can be a huge threat on very high keystones. Consider
talenting into Dark Pact and/or equipping Prydaz, Xavaric's Magnum Opus
to ensure your survival. Sephuz's Secret can be procced on the
following bosses.
- Use the Infernal to Meteor Strike the Ebonclaw Packmates
that spawn on Fenryr.
- Use the Infernal to Meteor Strike the Flame of Woe adds
that God-King Skovald spawns.
- Use the Doomguard to Shadow Lock the Stormforged Obliterators
on Odyn.
9.7. Maw of Souls
As with Halls of Valor, avoid using Death's Embrace or
Soul of the Netherlord as Helya concludes at 70%. Use the
Doomguard to interrupt Harbaron or his adds, as well as
Helya, to proc your Sephuz's Secret.
Use the Infernal's Torch Magic to dispel the
Seacursed Swiftblades' 
Sea Legs.
9.8. Neltharion's Lair
As mentioned earlier in this guide, Sacrolash's Dark Strike can be
helpful in this instance after the first boss is killed. Slowing the
Rockbound Pelters can allow you to kite far enough away to avoid the
damage from 
Jagged Disc.
This is also a good instance to use Soul Harvest, as it can be
easily extended during or before several of the bosses, and this instance is
not particularly heavy on AoE packs.
Use the Infernal on the final boss, Dargrul, to
stun the Molten Charskin and proc Sephuz's Secret.
9.9. Return to Karazhan
9.9.1. Lower Return to Karazhan
Sow the Seeds is an essential talent in this instance, as there
are some massive packs that Affliction Warlocks can absolutely decimate.
Additionally, you can take advantage of Sephuz's Secret on many bosses
by doing the following.
- Many of the spells during the Opera Event (Beautiful Beast) can be
Shadow Locked by your Doomguard.
- Elfyra or Galindre can be Shadow Locked by
your Doomguard if they are present in the Opera Event (Wikket).
- The Shoreline Tidespeaker adds can be Shadow Locked by
your Doomguard if they are present in the Opera Event (Westfall Story).
- Many of the adds on Moroes can be Shadow Locked by your
Doomguard.
- The Maiden of Virtue can be Shadow Locked during her
Holy Shock and 
Holy Wrath casts.
9.9.2. Upper Return to Karazhan
This is a fairly straightforward instance. Be sure to interrupt casts
on Shade of Medivh to proc your Sephuz's Secret.
9.10. Seat of the Triumvirate
Be sure to interrupt Shadewing's 
Dread Screech on the
Saprish encounter, if possible, to proc your Sephuz's Secret.
Viceroy Nezhar's Umbral Tentacles should also be interrupted
for this purpose.
As mentioned earlier in the guide, Sacrolash's Dark Strike can be used
to cripple the Coalesced Void adds that spawn throughout the
Zuraal the Ascended encounter. Absolute Corruption can also be
talented to make this effect permanent, however, this is generally unnecessary.
9.11. The Arcway
As there are many demons within the dungeon, several of our lesser
used spells find unique purpose within the Arcway. Banish, for
example, can be used to disrupt certain packs if you deem it necessary.
The packs before General Xakal are almost exclusively demons,
and can be very dangerous on higher keystones. Be sure to communicate
and coordinate with the rest of your group before using Banish.
Enslave Demon is also a very useful spell for this dungeon. The
Eredar Chaosbringers provide a useful buff called
Brand of the Legion. This increases an ally's Haste and Damage
by 30% for 20 seconds. It is recommended you turn off the auto-cast, which
is set by default, so you can better use the ability. Once you have the
kill count at 100% you should dismiss the Chaosbringer as it occasionally
causes glitches within the instance. Be sure to re-enslave the Chaosbringer
once every few minutes, ideally between packs.
On very high level keystones you should have a cooldown available for
every 
Wicked Slam on General Xakal. We recommend talenting
into Dark Pact for this instance to give you an extra button for
survival. Remember that Dark Pact can be used early, as it lasts 20 seconds,
which may allow for extra uses later in the encounter. Dismissing your demon
also allows for much larger shields; if you have enslaved a Chaosbringer and
need to re-enslave soon, consider doing this during the encounter for a larger
shield and a refresh.
We recommend using Infernal for the majority of this instance, as many
of the adds on bosses can be stunned, allowing you to proc your
Sephuz's Secret. You should switch to Doomguard for Ivanyr,
however, as a successful Shadow Lock will allow for a Sephuz proc on
this boss. The Infernal can also purge many of the enemies' beneficial
abilities, such as the aforementioned Brand of the Legion.
9.12. Vault of the Wardens
Death's Embrace is not recommended for this instance, as it is
extremely ineffective when fighting many of the bosses. We recommend using
Life Tap to clear 
Soul Sap when fighting
Inquisitor Tormentorum, as it will refresh your Empowered Life Tap
and you will likely not have to tap while it is on cooldown. If you were
forced to recently refresh your Empowered Life Tap, you should instead use
Corruption, as you can re-apply to any adds (if necessary) using your
Seed of Corruption.
10. ChangeLog
- 16 Feb. 2018: Instance Advice added.
- 15 Feb. 2018: Page added.
CONTENTS
FROM THE WARLOCK FORUMS
- I am a mess, please help. :(
- Raid-bosses tips for Destro warlock
- Tips-guide for Destro warlock: "What i'm doing wrong?"
- help on single target dps
- Afflock DPS help!
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