Destruction Warlock DPS Spec, Builds, and Talents — Midnight Pre-Patch (12.0)

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

Available at level 71 Hero talents are mutually exclusive trees you can choose to slightly alter gameplay and visuals. Destruction Warlocks can choose between Diabolist and Hellcaller.

Diabolist is themed around Demons and the cycle of Overlord, Mother of Chaos and Pit Lord summoned with Diabolic Ritual. The gameplay as a result is of predictable cadence with a higher degree of burst potential, tied with the Hero Tree summons and spell empowerments.

In terms of utility Soul-Etched Circles gives snare and root immunity on Demonic Circle: Teleport on top of 50% movement speed but on the other hand Annihilan's Bellow coupled with Oppressive Darkness enables 25s cooldown Howl of Terror that can affect up to 10 targets.

Hellcaller is themed around Shadowflame damage and harder hitting DoTs. Wither replaces Immolate and can generate a second Shadowflame DoT effect in Blackened Soul. The Hero tree offers a more methodical approach to shard expenditure with Malevolence bolstering burst windows every minute.

In terms of utility Curse of the Satyr offers a debuff that is relevant on both melee and caster enemies without the need to choose and is especially relevant with Foul Mouth being added in patch 12.0.

For specific Mythic+ advice, which typically involves having a setup 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 Mythic+ page below.

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.

Other than a handful of DPS increase nodes, the path progression is generally flexible and allows one 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:

One of the highlights of the new expansion is the Hero Talent Tree system, which further enhances specialization with a unique twist both in visual and, to a lesser degree, in playstyle.

Destruction Warlock gets to choose between Diabolist and Hellcaller.

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.

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 Destruction Warlock-specific PvE talents.

1. Bonds of Fel allows to burst targets by dragging them away from the marked location.
2. 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.
3. Nether Ward summons a shield lasting 3 seconds and reflecting back all harmful spells targeted at you.
4. Call Observer is only relevant when dealing with a lot of casting mobs.

1. Fel Fissure causes Chaos Bolt to create a 5 yard Felfire pool under the target, reducing movement speed by 50% and reducing healing received on all enemies by 25%. This talent seems great in all situations, but particularly when you are dealing with multiple enemies at once.
2. Bane of Havoc causes Havoc to become a ground-targeted spell. Everything inside will be treated as it was debuffed by Havoc.