WoW: Endgame spec

Lancer · Post by **Lancer** » 2007-07-09 07:31pm

Well, I hit 70 on my warlock a while back, and while I still have yet to fully upgrade my gear from "trash I used to lvl" to Epics, I'm already trying to pick out and endgame spec. It'll be used primarily for raiding (which will probably happen either when Hellfire Peninsula freezes over, or I switch to a larger guild), though I'd like to be able to also run the occasional PVP Battleground

char sheet
prospective talent build

Got any suggestions on the talent build?

I'm already working on getting the full frozen shadoweave set (as well as the patterns for the battlecast set) to get me ready for raids.

edit: link for "prospective talent build" actually sent you to my current talent build. That has been fixed.

White Haven · Post by **White Haven** » 2007-07-09 07:43pm

Well, Warlocks have a lot of good paths open to them. I was always a huge fan of Destruction, especially now with Incinerate in the game. If you go 0/21/40, you can get +25% fire damage and +8% crit rate from talents alone, plus Shadowburn and Conflagrate and all sorts of other niftyness. You miss out on Shadowfury, but that's more of a nice bonus than a core spell for a raiding spec. That spec would be an absolute deathtrap, but for the new Soulshatter spell...that'll be your lifeline with the huge bursts of asswhoop you'll be pumping out...and Warlock T4 is really destruction-biased with the whole shadow/flame damage procs on the set bonus. I'm less well-versed in Affliction, but I can bug a friend of mine who's approximately God in affliction lock form for his spec, if you want.

As for gear, step one is to finish your Frozen Shadoweave. If you can find someone to make you the Battlecaster set, that's good too, although T4 is also out there and relatively easy to get compared to later raid sets. As for other DPS caster gear...not sure, I was a priest before I retired, raid healer, so while I know Warlock specs well from my alt, my 'lock didn't quite get to 70.

Lancer · Post by **Lancer** » 2007-07-09 07:50pm

As you can see, I already have the ability to make & use the frozen shadoweave set. The only issue I face with that is the obscene cooldown on making shadowcloth, which prevents me from accumulating enough in a meaningful timeframe either through trading cooldowns with other end-spec tailors who still have yet to complete their set, or outright buying enough shadowcloth from those who can make it but no longer need it (at least, without getting massively ripped off).

White Haven · Post by **White Haven** » 2007-07-09 08:15pm

Sadly, your investment in Frozen Shadoweave makes going for a serious destruction spec harder, as it's stupidly-specced to dick over fire-users.

Post by **Ghost Rider** » 2007-07-09 10:45pm

Depends on what guilds want.

White haven's build that he showed is very good, but very mana ineffiecent and lacks a few perks that warlocks love. Primarily no improved Corruption and Life Tap.

Another heavy damage that relies on +shadow is 48/0/18. It is in many way a bit better since you have more mana regeneration and that you aren't as reliant on a healer in the middle of raiding for a mana push, due to life tap. Just don't rely on +crit since you won't crit with DoTs.

The spec he swears by for the 48/0/18

Demo specs aren't bad, but require heavier gear then either of the above to compensate for just less damage.

So ask guilds what they prefer and then go from there if they are recruiting. These two builds have variations depending on Imp duty, Curse duty, and such not.

As for occasional PvP, Arenas rely more on the warrior(MS/Fury)/Shaman(five man)/Paladin combo more then having a warlock. If PvP battlegrounds, you're golden since you have fear and people are dumb.

White Haven · Post by **White Haven** » 2007-07-09 11:34pm

Affliction is much safer, in general, and more efficient. Destruction is for your 'I'm on the leader' raw death and devastation, especially in the department of burst damage. Now, the fire- destro spec somewhat goes out the airlock if you have a Shadow-specced priest you'll be raiding with consistently. Because the synergy between a shadow priest and a warlock with Improved Shadowbolt is possibly the most revolting thing in history, both for damage and for 'AAAHAHAHA, MY MANA NEVER ENDS!'

Post by **Ghost Rider** » 2007-07-09 11:45pm

White Haven wrote:Affliction is much safer, in general, and more efficient. Destruction is for your 'I'm on the leader' raw death and devastation, especially in the department of burst damage. Now, the fire- destro spec somewhat goes out the airlock if you have a Shadow-specced priest you'll be raiding with consistently. Because the synergy between a shadow priest and a warlock with Improved Shadowbolt is possibly the most revolting thing in history, both for damage and for 'AAAHAHAHA, MY MANA NEVER ENDS!'

Yeah, it's funny how obscenely awesome a fucking Shadow Priest has become, especially with the synergy with a Warlock spamming Shadow anything.

My guild literally uses Pallies and Shammys as healers(with one Enhancement...sometimes, the melee just likes Windfury), Druids in Feral mode, and Priests are 90% shadow. Only thing that hasn't changed is the reason I left raiding.

Warriors go Protect and tank. Which is boring as fuck.

But the raid scene changed and it's damn funny....nice to see though.

White Haven · Post by **White Haven** » 2007-07-10 12:21am

Priests still make mean bastards of healers, even if we had totally buggered useless talents and a L70 spell that's worse than useless. As for warriors...tell that to one particular DPS warrior who just rapes things and sometimes ends up offtanking by accident if he's not careful. Brae does tremendous amounts of damage.

And, speaking from my time as Shadow, Spriests have horrid mana endurance, although Shadowfiend helps with that. Still, burning at max, it vanishes, and they have huge aggro problems. They're potent, but they pay for it.

Post by **Ghost Rider** » 2007-07-10 12:49am

White Haven wrote:Priests still make mean bastards of healers, even if we had totally buggered useless talents and a L70 spell that's worse than useless. As for warriors...tell that to one particular DPS warrior who just rapes things and sometimes ends up offtanking by accident if he's not careful. Brae does tremendous amounts of damage.

Don't get me wrong, Fury is nice...but half the times, it's supplanted for sometimes the dumbest reasons. Though a pure melee team can rip charts apart with the synergy of Rogues, a Fury warrior, Shammy...gods the sheer death. It's utter hell on the tank at times.

Priests are good healers, but I've seen the weirdness of scaling does at times bite them in the ass, and like you said...a level 70 spell that is just worthless.

And, speaking from my time as Shadow, Spriests have horrid mana endurance, although Shadowfiend helps with that. Still, burning at max, it vanishes, and they have huge aggro problems. They're potent, but they pay for it.

Yeah they pay for it, in many ways, but their potency made for raiders to use them versus the old days of "Well, he/she is geared out the wazoo...sure, can't hurt.".

That particular I was happy to see changed. Warriors can get shafted, but I was happy to see other classes at least get a change. Warriors just need to get gear, then they can bitch the GL down to go "But the DPS I put out is rogue leve, fucker!".

Lord Revan · Post by **Lord Revan** » 2007-07-10 09:17am

My warlock is Demo/destruction but he's also only lvl 62

this guy
I consider this an ok Outland build, but probably not a very good End game build

Though my Paladin is closer to what I consider a true end game build (I've played with her in Kara and heroics)

White Haven · Post by **White Haven** » 2007-07-10 10:56am

He is Warlock, hear him roar. I think the fact that he's ranked Duellist sorta sums up the spec's PvP effectiveness.

White Haven · Post by **White Haven** » 2007-07-10 11:01am

Sadly, Armory doesn't display +elemental damage, so his gear is lowballed in the summary.

Crown · Post by **Crown** » 2007-07-10 11:51am

Unstable Affliction is king in raids, especially in boss fights (you'll suck on trash) and especially in movement intensive or multy DPS boss encounters.

I've tried them all, but UA is the way to go until you get your crit rating up to about 30% for Ruin to over take it (some throw numbers around up to 40%, but I don't buy that).

If you go the Destructo path, go 0/21/40 and despite what everyone says you will be a shadow lock and not a fire one if you want to really DPS. Shadowbolt simply put; scales better than Incinerate even when Imolate is up. Now this chages if you get your Fire Damage above 1k (or about 1.2K IIRC), but until you do you'll be saccing your Succubus during the trash, and saccing your Felpuppy for the bosses.

Fully raid buffed he'll give you about 3k to 4k mana per minute, this is a passive ability that you won't need to waste the global cooldown on Dark Pact (like an Affliction lock) to get back, but on really long fights you will need to start Life Tapping at some point, but since your 21 in Demonology you should what the 3/3 in Improved Demonic Aegis, so a Priest's renew will keep you topped up. Add to that Soul Leech giving you a 1k passive heal too? Not bad.

But all that depends on good gear. For okay gear, go UA, stack + Spell Damage and Stam (to for Life Tap buffer) and you can affectively PvP with it too (World, BG and Arena). The 0/21/40 spec is strictly PvE.

I've raided as SM/Ruin (pre and post 2.0) UA/x/x and my current 0/13/48. I have full Frozenshadoweave set and a few other epics, the rest are blues.

Unfortunately I stopped raiding just short of clearing Kara, and haven't had an opportunity to raid since.

/sad

White Haven · Post by **White Haven** » 2007-07-10 12:14pm

The one thing Incinerate does that Shadowbolt can't hold a candle to is give Destruction decent mana efficiency, which shouldn't be neglected given the lack of Improved Life Tap in that spec.

Dark Hellion · Post by **Dark Hellion** » 2007-07-10 12:35pm

Pretty much do what people are saying here. Before I quit my 65 lock was looking to go a similar direction to what they are talking about, and when I used to math my specs out I came up with similar results. Been a while so I don't know all the changes made, but from what I remember the advice so far is spot on.

Lancer · Post by **Lancer** » 2007-07-10 03:48pm

White Haven wrote:He is Warlock, hear him roar. I think the fact that he's ranked Duellist sorta sums up the spec's PvP effectiveness.

Wow...that's like the spec I have right now, only instead of maxing out suppression, he's got enough +spell hit to dump three points in malediction instead.

White Haven · Post by **White Haven** » 2007-07-10 04:35pm

Nec's an absolutely revolting creature...although in his pace I'd do my damndest to kick 5 points free for Improved Shadowbolt. That debuff is just...insane.