Affliction Warlock DPS Spell Summary 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 list the spells that you will often use as an Affliction Warlock.

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. Affliction Warlock Spell Summary

If you are new to the Affliction Specialization, this is a great place to start reading and begin breaking down the key spells that hold together this specialization. On this page, we will discuss what abilities your specialization uses, how they influence gameplay and resource generation, and the ways they interact with each other and your cooldowns. If you have some experience with Affliction already, it is recommended you skip over this section and move on to the rest of the guide.

2. Main Resources for Affliction Warlock

Soul Shards are the main resource of Affliction Warlocks. Soul Shards are generated by your main damage over time spell, Agony, and can be spent on powerful new spells.

Mana is a secondary resource for Affliction Warlocks. Your main spells don't cost very much Mana to cast, and won't ever threaten your Mana pool. Utility spells, such as Demonic Gateway, and Crowd Control abilities, such as Fear, cost relatively more Mana than ever before, so be wary about using them too liberally.

3. Basic Abilities for Affliction Warlock

These abilities are available no matter what talents you chose, and form the bread and butter of this specialization.

3.1. Damage Over Time Spells (DoTs)

DoTs deal damage every few seconds, with the tick rate being determined by the player's Haste.

Agony is your main DoT spell, and it is the most important. Agony has a long ramp-up time, gaining damage with every tick, and it has the chance to generate Soul Shards. Maintaining this effect at all times is important, due to the resources it provides and its stacking nature.

Unstable Affliction is a DoT nuke that consumes a Soul Shard. It does high damage and has a short duration, but if the target dies while it is active the Soul Shard cost is refunded. Unstable Affliction also increases the damage you do to its targets by 10%. This bonus does not stack with additional applications on the same target, can be active on multiple targets at once. Each Unstable Affliction applied is a separate instance of the spell, and each will refund a Soul Shard if the target dies during the duration of Unstable Affliction. You can have a maximum of 5 Unstable Afflictions active on a single target at one time.

Corruption is a medium strength DoT. You should keep this applied to your targets at all times.

3.2. Direct Damage Spells

Shadow Bolt is your main filler spell. Shadow Bolt has a short cast time and deals moderate damage.

Seed of Corruption is an AoE ability that costs 1 Soul Shard, and embeds a seed in your target, which explodes after 12 seconds and spreads Corruption to all targets damaged. The seed is detonated early if the target takes enough damage from you. This ability is used for damage on large AoE packs, as it deals moderate damage and spreads your Corruption to every target without having to waste global cooldowns applying it.

4. Cooldowns for Affliction Warlock

4.1. Damage Cooldowns for Affliction Warlock

Summon Darkglare is our main damage cooldown. When summoned, it extends the duration of our DoT effects on all targets by 8.0 seconds. The Darkglare itself lasts 20 seconds and attacks your main target, and deals 10% increased damage per DoT effect active on the target. Darkglare has a 3 minute cooldown.

4.2. Defensive Cooldowns and Tools for Affliction Warlock

Unending Resolve reduces damage taken by 40% for 8 seconds. Additionally, you are also immune to interrupt and silence effects for the duration. Unending Resolve has a baseline cooldown of 3 minutes.

Soul Leech grants an absorption shield for 8% of all single target damage done, up to a maximum of 10% of maximum player health.

Demonic Gateway creates two points which players can travel between by interacting with. Players may only use the gateway once every 90 seconds.

5. Changelog

• 13 Aug. 2018: Updated for Battle for Azeroth launch.

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