Destruction Warlock DPS Easy Mode — The War Within (11.1.7)
On this page, we explain how to easily play Destruction Warlock in World of Warcraft — The War Within (11.1.7), using the simplest rotation, talent tree, stat priority, gear setup, etc., without sacrificing performance.
Foreword
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.
The Basics of a Destruction Warlock
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 familiarize yourself with.
Beginner's Guide to Destruction Warlock in The War Within
Beginner All-around Talents for Destruction Warlock
These choices are optimized for ease of use while offering a setup that works in any situation with no adjustments required. As a reminder, this is not the optimal choice in either single target or multitarget in terms of output but one that can help players become familiar with the specialisation at its core.
To import the build directly in-game, click on the export button at the bottom of the calculator
Beginner Destruction Warlock DPS Rotation
Single Target Rotation for Destruction Warlock
- Cast
Summon Infernal on cooldown.
- Maintain
Immolate at all times.
- Cast
Chaos Bolt if you have 5 Soul Shards.
- Cast
Conflagrate if you have 2 charges.
- Cast
Cataclysm when available.
- Cast
Conflagrate to generate Soul Shards.
- Cast
Incinerate to generate Soul Shards.
Multiple Target Rotation for Destruction Warlock
Maintain Immolate on up to 3 targets.
Rain of Fire should
become your main Soul Shard-consuming spell with at least 3 targets stacked
together. Keep in mind there will be situations where
using
Chaos Bolt will be more beneficial, such as targets constantly
moving away from the
Rain of Fire area.
For a more comprehensive explanation of the priority list, including openers, check out the rotation page.
Combat Assistant For Destruction Warlock
Introduced in Patch 11.1.7 the Combat Assistant is at the time of writing comprised of two main features:
- Assisted Highlight, which displays the next spell to be queued, in a adequately accurate rotation single target and limited capabilities in multitarget, best used to familiarise with the flow/cadence of the spec;
- Single Button Assistant enabling to use a single input to use multiple skills in the sequence prompted by the Assisted Highlight, at the expense of a longer base global cooldown (which accounts for an additional 5% to 10% DPS loss).
It is worth pointing out that these tools are Accessibility features first and foremost and should not be considered a direct replacement to learn a spec, and the logic behind it.
The areas where the Combat Assistant struggle the most for Destruction Warlock are:
- DoT uptime, since there is no supported logic for the Pandemic mechanic, especially aggravating in multitarget;
- Multitarget in general, due how it considers all targets stacked regardless of the situation;
Tips for using the Combat Assistant as Destruction Warlock
- cooldown alignment has to be done manually, especially considering racials, potions and on-use equipment;
- DoTs should be refreshed within Pandemic range, as following the Combat Assistant blindly will result in much lower uptime;
Conflagrate strength comes from the mobility associated with its usage, best to keep 1 charge available when movement occurs;
- In general try to maximise the amount of time spent casting, especially when using the Single Button Assistant, as downtime is one of the improvement areas at any stage of the game.
If you are looking to maximize 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:
Gearing an Destruction Warlock
Stat Priority for Destruction Warlock
Currently, you will want to prioritize secondary stats as follows:
- Haste;
- Critical Strike;
- Mastery;
- Versatility.
While stats priority is a general guideline, there might be situations where the lists differ. If you are interested in a detailed explanation of Stats with the effects and implications each one of those provides, head to the page below.
If you are interested in finding out about the specific best-in-slot items from the current tier or want more information on how to gear, we suggest reading the full gearing page below.
Changelog
- 15 Jun. 2025: Added a section for the Combat Assistant.
- 21 Apr. 2025: Reviewed for Patch 11.1.5.
- 04 Apr. 2025: Updated a broken import link.
- 24 Feb. 2025: Updated for Patch 11.1.0.
- 15 Dec. 2024: Updated for Patch 11.0.7.
- 21 Oct. 2024: Reviewed for Patch 11.0.5.
- 09 Sep. 2024: Reviewed for The War Within Season 1.
- 21 Aug. 2024: Updated sections to account for Hero Talents.
- 23 Jul. 2024: Updated for The War Within pre-patch.
- 07 May 2024: Reviewed for 10.2.7.
- 22 Apr. 2024: Reviewed for Season 4.
- 19 Mar. 2024: Reviewed for 10.2.6.
- 15 Jan. 2024: Reviewed for Patch 10.2.5.
- 06 Nov. 2023: Updated talents for Patch 10.2.
- 04 Sep. 2023: Reviewed for Patch 10.1.7
- 10 Jul. 2023: Updated talents for Patch 10.1.5.
- 01 May 2023: Reviewed for patch 10.1.
- 20 Mar. 2023: Updated talents for Patch 10.0.7.
- 24 Jan. 2023: Updated talent selection 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.
More Warlock Guides
Guides from Other Classes
This guide has been written by Motoko, Warlock main since The Burning Crusade, co-admin in the Warlock Discord, and theorycrafter and contributor for LockOneStopShop.
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