Destruction Warlock DPS Easy Mode — Shadowlands 9.0.2

This section is intended for players who are new to the game or class, have no intentions of raiding Mythic difficulty, or simply want a more straightforward way to play their specialization without being overwhelmed by the numerous priorities and active abilities that need to be taken into consideration for optimal play.

Destruction is a flexible specialization that can provide a variety of damage types and pressure without much rotational complexity. In this section, we will be focusing on a setup that minimizes the number of buttons and reactivity necessary without unduly compromising overall damage output.

For newcomers, it is advisable to browse the Spell Summary page first, in order to learn more about the abilities available and to familiarise yourself with.

If you are looking to maximise your output as Destruction Warlock instead of simplicity and ease of use you can find a more in-depth analysis and rationale on our talent page as follows:

These choices are optimized for ease of use. Although some talents might offer marginally higher gains when played perfectly, these same talents often result in damage losses when utilized by many players. These talents aim to present the best setup that has very little punishment for unfamiliarity or mistakes.

• Level 15: Flashover
• Level 25: Reverse Entropy
• Level 30: Demon Skin
• Level 35: Cataclysm
• Level 40: Mortal Coil
• Level 45: Rain of Chaos
• Level 50: Dark Soul: Instability

Currently, you will want to prioritize secondary stats as follows:

1. Mastery ≥ Haste;
2. Critical Strike;
3. Versatility.

In general, at the beginning of the expansion Intellect is more important than secondaries, about 2 if not 3 times better, depending on the secondary stat.

While stats priority is a general guideline, there might be situations where the lists differ. If you are interested in a detailed explanation on Stats with the effects and implications each one of those provides, head to the page below.

1. Maintain Immolate at all times.
2. Cast Chaos Bolt if you have 5 Soul Shards.
3. Cast Conflagrate if you have 2 charges.
4. Cast Chaos Bolt to keep the Eradication debuff applied (if talented).
5. Cast Cataclysm (if talented) when available.
6. Cast Conflagrate to generate Soul Shards.
7. Cast Incinerate to generate Soul Shards.

Maintain Immolate on up to 3 targets. Make liberal use of your Havoc whenever available, aiming to leverage as much Chaos Bolt damage as possible in this window.

Rain of Fire should become your main Soul Shard consuming spell with at least 3 targets stacked together, unless you are inside a Havoc timeframe, in which case the number of target is 5+. Keep in mind there will be situation where using Chaos Bolt will be more beneficial, such as targets constantly moving away from Rain of Fire area, or particular Mythic+ affixes like Bolstering, and Raging among others.

For a more comprehensive explanation on the priority list, including openers, check out the rotation page.