Affliction Warlock DPS Spec, Builds, and Talents 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. General Azerite Gear Recommendation
  • 2. Choosing Azerite Gear as an Affliction Warlock
  • 3. Choosing Azerite Traits as an Affliction Warlock
    • 3.1. Outer Ring
    • 3.2. Middle Ring
    • 3.3. Inner Ring
  • 4. Azerite Simulation Rankings for Affliction Warlock
    • 4.1. Single Target
      • 4.1.1. Outer Ring
      • 4.1.2. Middle Ring
    • 4.2. Cleave/AoE
      • 4.2.1. Outer Ring
      • 4.2.2. Middle Ring
  • 5. Azerite Traits Rotation Changes and Details for Affliction Warlock
  • 6. Azerite Traits
    • 6.1. Generic Outer Ring Traits
    • 6.2. Affliction Warlock Specific Outer Ring Traits
    • 6.3. Generic Middle Ring Traits
    • 6.4. Inner Ring Traits for Affliction Warlock
  • 7. Find Azerite Armor By Trait/Power
  • 8. 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
    • 2.1. Uldir Best in Slot
    • 2.2. Dungeon Best in Slot
  • 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

On this page, we present the viable talent choices for Affliction Warlocks in World of Warcraft Battle for Azeroth 8.0.1. We detail what each of the talents do and in which situations they should be taken.

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. Talent Choices for Affliction Warlock

Level	Choices
15	✘ Nightfall	✘ Drain Soul	✔ Deathbolt
30	✘ Writhe in Agony	✔ Absolute Corruption	✔ Siphon Life
45	? Demon Skin	✔ Burning Rush	✔ Dark Pact
60	? Sow the Seeds	✔ Phantom Singularity	✘ Vile Taint
75	✔ Darkfury	? Mortal Coil	✔ Demonic Circle
90	? Shadow Embrace	✔ Haunt	? Grimoire of Sacrifice
100	✘ Soul Conduit	✔ Creeping Death	✔ Dark Soul: Misery

Talents can be freely changed when out of combat and in a rested XP area (such as an inn or a capital city). Moreover, Tome of the Tranquil Mind and Codex of the Tranquil Mind can be used to temporarily allow players to change talents anywhere, as long as they are out of combat.

2. Tier 1 (Level 15) Talents for Affliction Warlock

✘ Nightfall

✘ Drain Soul

✔ Deathbolt

• Nightfall grants Corruption ticks a 25% chance to cause your next Shadow Bolt to be instant and deal 25% increased damage.
• Drain Soul replaces Shadow Bolt, dealing channeled damage over 5 seconds, increased by 100% if the target is below 20% life. If the target dies during the channel a Soul Shard is generated.
• Deathbolt is a spell that deals 30% of the total remaining damage of your DoT effects, with a 30 second cooldown.

Deathbolt is the best option for single target.

Drain Soul could be a choice for encounters where you can constantly restock your Soul Shards, as you can get extra Soul Shards to fuel your damage. That said, it is not used at all, currently.

Nightfall could have potential on encounters where multiple targets are alive for extended periods combined with high movement, however, it does not seem to be up to par.

3. Tier 2 (Level 30) Talents for Affliction Warlock

✘ Writhe in Agony

✔ Absolute Corruption

✔ Siphon Life

• Writhe in Agony allows your Agony damage to reach 15 stacks.
• Absolute Corruption increases Corruption's duration to permanent and increases its damage by 15%.
• Siphon Life deals damage over 15 seconds, healing for 30% of damage dealt.

Siphon Life and Writhe in Agony are close contenders for single target damage. I recommend Siphon Life, personally, as it deals strong damage and allows for additional global to fill movement with. Writhe is an alternative choice for players who do not want to use an additional DoT.

Absolute Corruption should be used on fights with 2+ targets for an extended period.

4. Tier 3 (Level 45) Talents for Affliction Warlock

? Demon Skin

✔ Burning Rush

✔ Dark Pact

• Demon Skin grants Soul Leech a passive recharge rate of 0.5% of maximum health per second, and may now absorb 15% of maximum health.
• Burning Rush grants 50% movement speed in exchange for 4% maximum health per second, and prevents you from being reduced below base movement speed.
• Dark Pact grants a large shield on demand; 20% of your current health is sacrificed to shield you for 250% of the amount lost.

Burning Rush remains the most versatile option, as Warlocks have little base mobility. Burning Rush functions both as a means to stay in range and position aggressively, but also as a means of dodging mechanics. It is my opinion that movement speed offers the greatest defensive benefit in most situations, and you should default to this talent.

Dark Pact is a good option for encounters where you need to soak a mechanic or survive a telegraphed amount of high damage. It is important to note that the damage absorb is based on current health, rendering this ability useless as a reactive cooldown. For Dark Pact to be effective, it needs to be used while you are close to full health to mitigate a future amount of damage.

Demon Skin is a good choice for encounters with low movement and consistent damage intake. Currently, however, there are no encounters within Uldir where this talent excels.

5. Tier 4 (Level 60) Talents for Affliction Warlock

? Sow the Seeds

✔ Phantom Singularity

✘ Vile Taint

• Sow the Seeds also embeds an additional Seed in a nearby target when Seed of Corruption is cast.
• Phantom Singularity deals AoE damage centered around the target's location for 16 seconds, healing you for 25% of the amount.
• Vile Taint creates a pool at the target's location, dealing Shadow damage over 10 seconds to all enemies within the 10-yard radius and reducing their movement speed by 30%.

Phantom Singularity is our default talent in virtually all situations.

Vile Taint falls behind Phantom Singularity slightly due to the Soul Shard cost.

Sow the Seeds could be a good option for extended AoE scenarios, or Mythic+.

6. Tier 5 (Level 75) Talents for Affliction Warlock

✔ Darkfury

? Mortal Coil

✔ Demonic Circle

• Darkfury reduces the cooldown of Shadowfury by 15 seconds.
• Mortal Coil allows you to horrify an enemy and heal for 20% of your maximum health once every 45 seconds.
• Demonic Circle allows you to place a portal and teleport to it once every 30 seconds.

Demonic Circle remains the default option for raids, as it greatly enhances our mobility, particularly for mechanics that need to be kited away from the raid group. This button offers a lot of flexibility and creative use, so be sure to give it good thought before each pull.

Mortal Coil is a good choice for encounters that do not require the extra mobility of Demonic Circle, and may require an additional on-demand heal. Mortal Coil can be used as a discount Healthstone of sorts on such encounters.

Darkfury is the standard option for dungeons and Mythic+, allowing you to Crowd Control groups of enemies far more often.

7. Tier 6 (Level 90) Talents for Affliction Warlock

? Shadow Embrace

✔ Haunt

? Grimoire of Sacrifice

• Shadow Embrace is applied by Shadow Bolt, increasing your damage dealt to the target by 3% for 10 seconds. This effect stacks up to 3 times.
• Haunt deals moderate damage and increased Shadow damage dealt to the target by 10% for 15 seconds. If the target dies during this time, the cooldown of Haunt is reset.
• Grimoire of Sacrifice allows you to sacrifice a pet and sometimes deal additional Shadow damage.

Haunt is currently the best talent on the tier in most raid and Mythic+ situations.

Shadow Embrace is slightly behind Haunt, but a very viable option if you prefer something entirely passive.

Grimoire of Sacrifice can be an option for Mythic+, however, it usually results in a damage loss versus Haunt. The major upside, however, is that interrupting mobs is significantly less difficult, as the Felhunter suffers from range issues and often dies. This talent may be used in instances where interrupts are very valuable, such as Shrine of the Storms.

8. Tier 7 (Level 100) Talents for Affliction Warlock

✘ Soul Conduit

✔ Creeping Death

✔ Dark Soul: Misery

• Soul Conduit grants each Soul Shard spent a 15% chance to refund itself.
• Creeping Death causes your Agony, Corruption, Siphon Life, and Unstable Affliction to deal their full damage 15% faster.
• Dark Soul: Misery grants 30% Haste for 20 seconds, on a 2-minute cooldown.

Creeping Death has great potential for long encounters, or encounters with a lot of multidotting. Typically this talent is best utlized when there are 3+ targets present for an extended period, and you are looking to increase the potency of your spread cleave. This is often the best option for Mythic+ dungeons.

Dark Soul: Misery is the standard choice for most raid encounters, as it delivers the strongest 1-2 target damage. Due to the number of encounters with increased damage phases within Uldir, such as MOTHER or G'huun, this talent can leverage even greater damage when properly used. Dark Soul is also an option for high level Tyrannical keys.

Soul Conduit is currently not used for any situation.

9. PvP Talents (War Mode)

Under our Talents section, there is the option to enter "War Mode". Enabling War Mode provides the following benefits:

• PvP talents enabled in the outdoor world;
• 10% increase in World Quest rewards at maximum level;
• 10% more experience gained while leveling;
• Earn Conquest Points which can reward gear every week.

With the benefits of enabling War Mode for leveling and PvE content, it is recommended you enable the feature. In most situations, this will allow for the maximum returns despite the risks. You will make yourself available for open world PvP, and the possibility to be "ganked" while leveling or doing World Quests exists.

9.1. Affliction Warlock War Mode Talents

In this section we will rank the PvP talents best for leveling and doing solo / small group PvE content. Below is a ranking of both General PvP Talents and Affliction Warlock-specific PvE talents.

9.1.1. General PvP Talents

• Relentless is a passive ability but it does not automatically remove crowd control abilities, but instead reduces the duration.
• Gladiator's Medallion is an on-use ability that removes all movement impairing effects and all loss of control effects.
• Adaptation automatically removes any loss of control effects that last 5+ seconds, a maximum of once per minute.

Adaptation is recommended for most players, as it is automatic and on a relatively short cooldown. This makes it the overall best choice with PvE in mind.

9.1.2. Affliction Warlock PvP Talents

1. Endless Affliction causes your Unstable Affliction to deal the same damage as before, but its duration is increased by 6 seconds. This is useful for keeping the 10% increased damage debuff much more often despite not Unstable Affliction not actually dealing increased damage directly.
2. Rot and Decay can be very useful in situations with high sustained damage intake. Combining this with Essence Drain greatly increases your survivability and sustainability and opens a lot of doors for soloing difficult content.
3. Essence Drain stacks a damage reduction effect on enemies that are damaged by your Drain Life. You can reduce their damage by up to 25%, which is a large increase to your ability to survive and sustain.
4. Curse of Shadows causes damage over time effects to strike an additional time for 20% of their original damage while active. This offers a little bit of extra burst damage on a short cooldown.

The curses can have exceptional use in very specific situations, but do not make for exceptional default picks. Curse of Fragility is the most used and generally most powerful of the three, and has a wide variety of niche applications.

10. Changelog

• 01 Oct. 2018: Added additional context for talent usage in Uldir, updated talents/cheatsheets.
• 13 Aug. 2018: Updated for Battle for Azeroth launch.
• 23 Jul. 2018: Updated Tier 3 talents.
• 21 Jul. 2018: Made Haunt the default talent again, swapped Vile Taint and Phantom Singularity priority, and added PvP (War Mode) Talents and explanations.

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