Destruction Warlock DPS Gear and Best in Slot in Battle for Azeroth (BfA) 8.0.1

Table of Contents

• +Introduction
  • 1. Class Overview
  • 2. Patch 8.0.1 Changes for Destruction Warlock
  • 3. Destruction Warlock Strengths
  • 4. Destruction Warlock Weaknesses
  • 5. Destruction Warlock's Viability in the Current Patch
  • 6. Contents
  • 7. Changelog
• +Easy Mode
  • 1. Foreword
  • 2. The Basics of a Destruction Warlock
  • 3. Talent Choice for Destruction Warlock
  • 4. Stat Priority for Destruction Warlock
  • 5. Azerite Quick Reference for Destruction Warlock
    • 5.1. Single Target
    • 5.2. Cleave
  • 6. Single Target Rotation for Destruction Warlock
  • 7. Multiple Target Rotation for Destruction Warlock
  • 8. Changelog
• +Spell Summary
  • 1. Destruction Warlock Spell Summary
  • 2. Main Resources for Destruction Warlock
  • 3. Basic Abilities for Destruction Warlock
    • 3.1. Soul Shard Generating Abilities
    • 3.2. Soul Shard Consuming Abilities
  • 4. Cooldowns for Destruction Warlock
    • 4.1. Damage Cooldowns for Destruction Warlock
    • 4.2. Defensive Cooldowns and Tools for Destruction Warlock
• +Builds and Talents
  • 1. Talent Choices for Destruction Warlock
  • 2. Talent Cheat Sheets
    • 2.1. Single Target
    • 2.2. Two Targets
    • 2.3. Four Targets (Mythic+)
  • 3. Tier 1 (Level 15) Talents for Destruction Warlock
  • 4. Tier 2 (Level 30) Talents for Destruction Warlock
  • 5. Tier 3 (Level 45) Talents for Destruction Warlock
  • 6. Tier 4 (Level 60) Talents for Destruction Warlock
  • 7. Tier 5 (Level 75) Talents for Destruction Warlock
  • 8. Tier 6 (Level 90) Talents for Destruction Warlock
  • 9. Tier 7 (Level 100) Talents for Destruction Warlock
  • 10. PvP Talents (War Mode)
    • 10.1. Destruction Warlock War Mode Talents
      • 10.1.1. General PvP Talents
      • 10.1.2. Destruction Warlock PvP Talents
  • 11. Changelog
• +Azerite Traits and Armor
  • 1. General Azerite Gear Recommendation
  • 2. Choosing Azerite Gear as an Destruction Warlock
  • 3. Choosing Azerite Traits as an Destruction Warlock
    • 3.1. Outer Ring
    • 3.2. Middle Ring
    • 3.3. Inner Ring
  • 4. Azerite Simulation Rankings for Destruction 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 Destruction Warlock
  • 6. Azerite Traits
    • 6.1. Generic Outer Ring Traits
    • 6.2. Destruction Warlock Specific Outer Ring Traits
  • 7. Find Azerite Armor By Trait/Power
  • 8. Changelog
• +Rotation, Cooldowns, and Abilities
  • 1. Ability Priority List for Destruction Warlock
    • 1.1. Single Target Priority for Destruction Warlock
    • 1.2. Cooldown Usage for Destruction Warlock
    • 1.3. Opening Sequence for Destruction Warlock
    • 1.4. Multiple Target Priority for Destruction Warlock
  • 2. Important Notes for Destruction Warlock
    • 2.1. Soul Shard Generation and Consumption
    • 2.2. Chaos Bolt
    • 2.3. Havoc Usage
    • 2.4. Movement Management
      • 2.4.1. Quiet Movement
  • 3. Changelog
• +Mythic+ Tips
  • 1. Mythic+ Introduction for Destruction 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 Destruction 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 Destruction Warlock
  • 5. Pet Choice for Destruction Warlock
  • 6. Changelog
• +Common and Worst Mistakes
  • 1. Not Utilizing Grimoire of Supremacy
  • 2. Using Rain of Fire Too Liberally
  • 3. Dark Soul Usage
  • 4. Refreshing Immolate for Internal Combustion
  • 5. Havoc Preparation
  • 6. Cataclysm Usage
  • 7. Changelog
• +Frequently Asked Questions
  • 1. Frequently Asked Questions for Destruction Warlock
    • 1.1. Should I Aim for 100% Eradication Uptime?
    • 1.2. What Pets/Demons Should I Use?
    • 1.3. How Does Havoc Work?
    • 1.4. When Should I Use Dark Soul?
    • 1.5. How Does Channel Demonfire Work?
    • 1.6. What Piece is Better, X or Y?
    • 1.7. How Much of X Stat Should I Have?
  • 2. Changelog
• +Boss by Boss Strategies
  • 1. Introduction for Destruction Warlock Boss Advice in Uldir
    • 1.1. Talent Cheatsheet for Destruction 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 Destruction Warlock
  • 2. Statistics Explanations for Destruction Warlock
  • 3. Changelog
• +Gems, Enchants, and Consumables
  • 1. Gems for Destruction Warlock
  • 2. Enchants for Destruction Warlock
  • 3. Consumables for Destruction Warlock
  • 4. Changelog
• +Macros and Addons
  • 1. Addons for Destruction Warlock
    • 1.1. ElvUI
    • 1.2. Weak Auras
    • 1.3. Boss Mods
      • 1.3.1. BigWigs Bossmods
      • 1.3.2. Deadly Boss Mods
    • 1.4. Name Plates
      • 1.4.1. KUI Nameplates
      • 1.4.2. TidyPlates
    • 1.5. Damage Meters
      • 1.5.1. Skada
      • 1.5.2. Details
    • 1.6. Extra AddOns
      • 1.6.1. Mik's Scrolling Battle Text
      • 1.6.2. DeathNote
      • 1.6.3. Doom CooldownPulse
      • 1.6.4. Angry Assignments
  • 2. Macros for Destruction Warlock
    • 2.1. Havoc
    • 2.2. Cursor Rain of Fire
    • 2.3. Pet Macros
      • 2.3.1. Soulstone Mouseover
      • 2.3.2. Demonic Circle
  • 3. Changelog
• ×Gear and Best in Slot
  • 1. How To Effectively Compare Upgrades as an Destruction Warlock
  • 2. Best in Slot Items for Destruction Warlock
  • 3. Azerite Gear for Destruction Warlock
  • 4. Trinkets for Destruction Warlock
    • 4.1. Trinket Simulations for Destruction Warlock
      • 4.1.1. Single Target
      • 4.1.2. Cleave
  • 5. Changelog
• +Simulations
  • 1. Disclaimer Page
  • 2. Destruction Warlock Racial Bonus Simulation
  • 3. Changelog

General Information

This page is a gear reference for Destruction Warlocks. It lists your best items, with an emphasis on trinkets, and gives you gearing advice.

The other pages of our Destruction 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. How To Effectively Compare Upgrades as an Destruction Warlock

Due to the simplicity of determining upgrades with a simulation in the current era of the game, we recommend using the popular tool Raidbots to determine which pieces of gear offer the most potential for your character. The main reason why this is a huge advantage is due to the huge number of variables that differ from character to character, such as Azerite Traits, Stat Quotients, and Scale Factors.

The Top Gear function can be especially useful, as it allows you to compare multiple items and item types to find the best combination of upgrades.

Learning to use the tools available will allow you to reach the most accurate conclusions with the least effort. It is highly recommended you avail yourself of these tools, and they will serve you well when evaluating items.

2. Best in Slot Items for Destruction Warlock

This list illustrates some of the best available pre-raid items for the Destruction Warlock specialization. We will update the list to include raid items closer to the release of Uldir.

Bear in mind that this list is a template rather than an end point. We recommend simming using the Top Gear function to find the best setup for your character, which can depend on factors such as Talents, Azerite Traits, and Stat Distribution.

Please refer to the Trinket Simulation section below for details on Trinkets.

Slot	Item	Source
Helm	Grasping Crown of the Deep	Viq'Goth (Siege of Boralus)
Shoulders	Pauldrons of Vile Corruption	Unbound Abomination (The Underrot)
Cloak	Cloak of Questionable Intent	Rixxa Fluxflame (The MOTHERLODE!!)
Chest	Inmate's Straight Robe	Overseer Korgus (Tol Dagor)
Wrists	Wraps of Everliving Fealty	Vol'kaal (Atal'Dazar)
Gloves	Handwraps of Oscillating Polarity	Galvazzt (Temple of Sethraliss)
Belt	Sailcloth Waistband	Captain Jolly (Freehold)
Legs	Rowdy Reveler's Legwraps	Coin-Operated Crowd Pummeler (The MOTHERLODE!!)
Boots	Sandswept Sandals	Adderis and Aspix (Temple of Sethraliss)
Ring #1	Band of the Ancient Dredger	Hadal Darkfathom (Siege of Boralus)
Ring #2	Seal of Questionable Loyalties	Captain Jolly (Freehold)
Weapon	Seabreeze	Galecaller Faye (Shrine of the Storm)

3. Azerite Gear for Destruction Warlock

For information about what Azerite traits to choose and what the best items are, see our Azerite page.

4. Trinkets for Destruction Warlock

Drust-Runed Icicle is far and away our best trinket available, and pulls far ahead of its competitors for both single target and multitarget.

The best trinkets available barring World Boss drops are currently from World Quests and Emissary Rewards. Incessantly Ticking Clock is the best of the bunch, but keep an eye out for Pearl Diver's Compass, Plunderbeard's Flask, First Mate's Spyglass, and Emblem of Zandalar as well.

Dungeon Trinkets are variable in effectiveness right now, and several of them are erroneously ranked in SimCraft. The best option available from dungeons is Ignition Mage's Fuse.

4.1. Trinket Simulations for Destruction Warlock

4.1.1. Single Target

4.1.2. Cleave

5. Changelog

• 26 Aug. 2018: Made small tweaks to the page.
• 13 Aug. 2018: Updated for Battle for Azeroth launch.
• 26 Jul. 2018: Added full legendary tier list.

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