Demonology Warlock DPS Spec, Builds, and Talents — Dragonflight 10.2.5

Last updated on Jan 15, 2024 at 15:00 by Motoko 43 comments
General Information

On this page, you will find out the best talents for each tier for your Demonology Warlock in World of Warcraft — Dragonflight 10.2.5. We also have default talent lists for various types of content, such as raiding or Mythic+. If you play with Warmode on, we have your PvP talents covered as well.

If you were looking for WotLK Classic content, please refer to our WotLK Classic Demonology Warlock talents.

1.

Talent Cheat Sheets for Demonology Warlock

With the introduction of the new talents system and the ability to freely change points and share/import builds free of consumables costs while out of combat, it is highly advised to adapt the build based on the type of situation at hand.

2.

Best Talents for Demonology Warlock

Single-Target Talents AoE/Mythic+ Talents Talents Explained
3.

Single-Target Talents for Demonology Warlock

To import the build directly ingame, click on the export button in the top-right of the calculator

3.

Best AoE Talents for Demonology Warlock

To import the build directly ingame, click on the export button in the top-right of the calculator

3.

Talent Explanations for Demonology Warlocks

3.1.

Tier 1 (Rows 1-4) Class Talents For Demonology Warlock

3.1.1.

Talents for all situations

Talent Reason for taking
Demon Skin Icon Demon Skin Passive damage mitigation
Fel Armor Icon Fel Armor Passive damage mitigation
Burning Rush Icon Burning Rush Greatly increases Warlock mobility
Fel Domination Icon Fel Domination Offers instant pet swapping or resummon in case of an untimely death.
Mortal Coil Icon Mortal Coil A percentage-based heal on a very short cooldown, which makes potions trivial in comparison.
Curses of Enfeeblement Icon Curses of Enfeeblement Gives access to strong utility Curses while opening the path for Demonic Embrace Icon Demonic Embrace.
Demonic Inspiration Icon Demonic Inspiration DPS increase
Wrathful Minion Icon Wrathful Minion DPS increase
3.1.2.

Optional / flexible talents

Talent Reason for taking
Fiendish Stride Icon Fiendish Stride Substantially reduces Burning Rush Icon Burning Rush health cost while also increasing the max speed.
Amplify Curse Icon Amplify Curse Enable to empower Curses.
Banish Icon Banish Useful to control Demons or Aberrations if the situation arises.
Demonic Fortitude Icon Demonic Fortitude Max HP increase, which works well with percentage-based mitigations such as Soul Leech Icon Soul Leech and Dark Pact Icon Dark Pact.
3.2.

Tier 2 (Rows 5-7) Class Talents For Demonology Warlock

3.2.1.

Talents for all situations

Talent Reason for taking
Sweet Souls Icon Sweet Souls Further increase the healing from Healthstones.
Demonic Gateway Icon Demonic Gateway The unique party/raid-wide movement tool exclusive to Warlocks can be used to quickly relocate, move between locations at different heights, and skip otherwise mandatory pathways.
Dark Pact Icon Dark Pact Powerful defensive cooldown that increases the Warlock's effective Health pool.
Strength of Will Icon Strength of Will Increases the value of Unending Resolve Icon Unending Resolve to a more relevant 35%.
Socrethar's Guile Icon Socrethar's Guile DPS increase.
Sargerei Technique Icon Sargerei Technique DPS increase.
3.2.2.

Optional / flexible talents

Talent Reason for taking
Frequent Donor Icon Frequent Donor Further reduces the cooldown of Dark Pact Icon Dark Pact to match Mortal Coil Icon Mortal Coil.
Shadowfury Icon Shadowfury AoE stun for when the situation requires it
Dark Fury Icon Dark Fury Increases the frequency of use of Shadowfury Icon Shadowfury.
Dark Accord Icon Dark Accord instead of Strength of Will Icon Strength of Will In cases where the silence/interrupt immunity is valuable.
Lifeblood Icon Lifeblood When additional sustain is needed.
3.3.

Tier 3 (Rows 8-10) Class Talents For Demonology Warlock

In this section, there are DPS increase talents worth prioritizing

3.3.1.

Talents for all situations

Talent Reason for taking
Soul Conduit Icon Soul Conduit DPS increase
Grimoire of Synergy Icon Grimoire of Synergy DPS increase
Summon Soulkeeper Icon Summon Soulkeeper or Inquisitor's Gaze Icon Inquisitor's Gaze Both are DPS increases; the former is better suited for AoE situations and can add a bit more burst, while the latter is the safe single-target choice.
Soul Link Icon Soul Link Extremely strong passive damage mitigation tool.
Soulburn Icon Soulburn A very strong utility that can massively boost either your survivability or your mobility, depending on what spell is used.
3.3.2.

Optional / flexible talents

Talent Reason for taking
Profane Bargain Icon Profane Bargain Increases the potency of Soul Link Icon Soul Link at critical health.
Fel Synergy Icon Fel Synergy Helps mitigate the health loss from Soul Link Icon Soul Link, especially on pet.
4.

Demonology Warlock Talents

The following section will go through Demonology Warlock Talents with a focus on PvE scenarios.

4.1.

Tier 1 (Rows 1-4) Demonology Warlock Talents

4.1.1.

Talents for all situations

Talent Reason for taking
Call Dreadstalkers Icon Call Dreadstalkers Important Shard Spender and the only way to progress further down the tree.
Demoniac Icon Demoniac Important Shard Generator, tied to Demonic Core Icon Demonic Core procs and the new tier bonuses.
Annihilan Training Icon Annihilan Training Passive damage increase for Felguard, mostly used to path down the tree.
Summon Vilefiend Icon Summon Vilefiend Strong single-target cooldown that synergizes with both Summon Demonic Tyrant Icon Summon Demonic Tyrant and Nether Portal Icon Nether Portal.
Demonic Strength Icon Demonic Strength Single-target and AoE burst cooldown.
The Houndmaster's Stratagem Icon The Houndmaster's Stratagem Important debuff on target that synergize with Hand of Gul'dan Icon Hand of Gul'dan, Implosion Icon Implosion and Demonbolt Icon Demonbolt. Also necessary to progress further down the tree.
Carnivorous Stalkers Icon Carnivorous Stalkers Provides higher frequency of Dreadbites.
Heavy Handed Icon Heavy Handed Increases primary Felguard Critical Strike chance.
4.1.2.

Optional / flexible talents

Talent Reason for taking
Dreadlash Icon Dreadlash Additional cleave potential, best paired with Carnivorous Stalkers Icon Carnivorous Stalkers.
Demonic Knowledge Icon Demonic Knowledge Passively increases Demonic Core procs.
Implosion Icon Implosion Give access to another form of cleave and can be used as a DPS increase in single-target in conjunction with The Expendables Icon The Expendables and Imp Gang Boss Icon Imp Gang Boss.
Shadow's Bite Icon Shadow's Bite Another form of damage increase for Demonbolt Icon Demonbolt
Fel Invocation Icon Fel Invocation Increases the usability of both Soul Strike Icon Soul Strike and especially Summon Vilefiend Icon Summon Vilefiend.
Shadow Invocation Icon Shadow Invocation Passive damage increase, noticeable especially in aoe.
Fel and Steel Icon Fel and Steel Empowers Felguard cleave capabilities and, to a lesser extent single target when paired with Immutable Hatred Icon Immutable Hatred.
4.2.

Tier 2 (Rows 5-7) Demonology Warlock Talents

4.2.1.

Talents for all situations

Talent Reason for taking
Power Siphon Icon Power Siphon Demonic Core on demand, especially when paired with Inner Demons Icon Inner Demons.
Grimoire: Felguard Icon Grimoire: Felguard One of the highest DPS increases for its point cost, with the side benefit of additional burst, both single target, and AoE. Synergises with Fel Sunder Icon Fel Sunder
Inner Demons Icon Inner Demons Provides a good DPS investment for a single point and offers the ability to start immediately with extra Demonic Cores when paired with Power Siphon Icon Power Siphon.
Demonic Calling Icon Demonic Calling Free shards and another source of mobility.
Dread Calling Icon Dread Calling Noticeable damage increase on Call Dreadstalkers Icon Call Dreadstalkers.
4.2.2.

Optional / flexible talents

Talent Reason for taking
Imp-erator Icon Imp-erator Damage increase for Wild Imps, mainly useful in single target.
Fel Sunder Icon Fel Sunder Minor damage increase through debuff on target.
Umbral Blaze Icon Umbral Blaze Single target damage over time effect on the primary target of Hand of Gul'dan Icon Hand of Gul'dan, offering a decent damage increase.
Imp Gang Boss Icon Imp Gang Boss Multi-target alternative to the talent above, especially when combined with Implosion Icon Implosion.
4.3.

Tier 3 (Rows 8-10) Demonology Warlock Talents

4.3.1.

Talents for all situations

Talent Reason for taking
Summon Demonic Tyrant Icon Summon Demonic Tyrant Cornerstone of Demonology: Tyrant is instrumental in extending all demons active, while providing decent damage and a damage increase aura.
The Expendables Icon The Expendables Noticeable passive damage increase for every other pet besides Wild Imps.
Antoran Armaments Icon Antoran Armaments Good damage increase but mostly used to path down towards the right side capstones.
Infernal Command Icon Infernal Command Similarly used to reach the capstone below, but a damage increase in any situation, nevertheless.
4.3.2.

Optional / flexible talents

Talent Reason for taking
Sacrificed Souls Icon Sacrificed Souls Single-target damage increase that works well in a build with multiple summons
Soulbound Tyrant Icon Soulbound Tyrant Reloading shards after casting Tyrant means no downtime after the summon.
Pact of the Imp Mother Icon Pact of the Imp Mother Damage increase option for a leftover point. Generally worth investing only in AoE-heavy situations.
Grand Warlock's Design Icon Grand Warlock's Design Offers superior output and easier timing with Summon Demonic Tyrant Icon Summon Demonic Tyrant cooldown, especially in the context of 2 minutes on use trinkets.
Reign of Tyranny Icon Reign of Tyranny Single target talent choice that empowers Tyrant damage further, increasing burst windows every 1.5 minutes.
Guillotine Icon Guillotine Relatively short cooldown providing good target ground damage, mainly used in multi-target.
Immutable Hatred Icon Immutable Hatred Single target passive damage increase.
4.4.

Raiding

Do note that the builds suggested above do not account for specific fights in the current raid tier; that said, we have a dedicated page that covers boss-by-boss talent recommendations, which you can find linked below.

4.5.

Mythic+

For specific Mythic+ advice, which typically involves having a set-up that can perform both in single-target and AoE situations, and this set-up can also be influenced by affixes and other things like party composition and pull layout. Check out our dedicated M+ page below.

4.6.

How To Use Demonology Warlock Talents

Since several talent choices have an effect on your gameplay, we recommend reading our rotation page linked below to find out how to adapt your playstyle and priority based on your selected talents.

5.

Picking Warlock Class Talents

Other than a handful of DPS increase nodes, the path progression is generally flexible and allows to opt in or out of specific utilities that may not be relevant in a specific situation. The following sections will highlight the key talents while also making suggestions for what to pick to progress down the tree.

For detailed information about each individual talent, follow the link to the Spell Summary page:

6.

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.

6.1.

Demonology 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 Demonology Warlock-specific PvE talents.

6.1.1.

Warlock generic PvP Talents

  1. Essence Drain Icon Essence Drain stacks a damage reduction effect on enemies that are damaged by your Drain Life Icon Drain Life. You can reduce their damage by up to 25%, which is a large increase in your ability to survive and sustain.
  2. Bonds of Fel Icon Bonds of Fel allows to burst targets by dragging them away from the marked location.
  3. Bane of Fragility Icon Bane of Fragility reduces the target's maximum Health by up to 10% by 15 seconds, which is very desirable when setting up bursts.
  4. Casting Circle Icon Casting Circle is a 1-minute cooldown ability that creates an area where you are immune to silence and interrupt for 8 seconds. Removes silence/interrupt immunity from Unending Resolve Icon Unending Resolve.
  5. Gateway Mastery Icon Gateway Mastery increases your gateway's range by 20 yards and reduces the duration of the debuff placed on players using it by 15 seconds, making it a good choice when increased mobility is needed.
  6. Nether Ward Icon Nether Ward summons a shield lasting 3 seconds and reflecting back all harmful spells targeted at you.
  7. Call Observer Icon Call Observer is only relevant when dealing with a lot of casting mobs.
  8. Precognition Icon Precognition and Shadow Rift Icon Shadow Rift are mostly irrelevant in the context of leveling.
6.1.2.

Demonology Warlock PvP Talents

  1. Fel Obelisk Icon Fel Obelisk can offers some strong DPS increase
  2. Call Felhunter Icon Call Felhunter allows you to interrupt once every 24 seconds. This talent has exceptional and flexible use and feels really good in all situations.
  3. Call Fel Lord Icon Call Fel Lord guards a location for 15 seconds; any enemies that come within range take up to 5% of maximum Health as damage. This can be used very strategically in certain situations and is capable of dealing some nice burst damage.
  4. Call Observer Icon Call Observer guards a location for 20 seconds; any enemies that cast spells in the radius will take up to 5% of maximum Health as damage. This has a lot more limited use but can have absurd value in specific situations.
  5. Master Summoner Icon Master Summoner makes Call Dreadstalkers Icon Call Dreadstalkers an instant cast. Since we are often using Demonic Calling Icon Demonic Calling, the quality of life of this talent is diminished. It can be used if you prefer the consistency, but there are generally better choices.
  6. Pleasure through Pain Icon Pleasure through Pain increases your shadow damage by 15% when you have Succubus active a pet.
7.

Changelog

  • 15 Jan. 2024: Updated AoE talents for Patch 10.2.5.
  • 28 Nov. 2023: Updated Single Target setup.
  • 06 Nov. 2023: Talents updated for Patch 10.2.
  • 04 Sep. 2023: Updated for Patch 10.1.7
  • 10 Jul. 2023: Updated talents for Patch 10.1.5.
  • 01 May 2023: Reviewed talents for Patch 10.1.
  • 20 Mar. 2023: Updated talents for Patch 10.0.7.
  • 24 Jan. 2023: Reviewed for Patch 10.0.5.
  • 11 Dec. 2022: Reviewed for Dragonflight Season 1.
  • 28 Nov. 2022: Updated for Dragonflight launch.
  • 25 Oct. 2022: Updated for Dragonflight pre-patch.
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