What Forever Changes for Warlocks
- Curse of Agony and Curse of Doom are now Bane of Agony, at level 8, and Bane of Doom, at level 60. Banes sit in their own slot beside Curses, one Bane per Warlock on a target, so a damage Bane and a utility Curse can share an enemy.
- Curse of the Elements now covers all magic damage, and Curse of Shadow is removed.
- Firestone and Spellstone are weapon imbues that stack with Wizard Oil. Firestone adds Fire damage and critical strike chance; Spellstone adds Shadow damage and spell haste.
- Demons scale with your own stats, Life Tap scales with Spirit, and Drain Soul’s chance to grant a Soul Shard climbs with every tick until it is guaranteed.
- Portal of Summoning, at level 60, opens a portal that two party or raid members use to summon another member.
- Each tree gains a new 31-point talent: Wrack, Demonic Pact, and Incinerate.
- Trolls can play Warlock.
New and Reworked Warlock Abilities
These are the spells the Forever client adds, opens to every race, or hands you without a talent, in the order you learn them. Spells marked with a race are that race’s own.
| Level | Ability | Status | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Life Tap | Reworked in Forever | Converts (424 + 100% of your Spirit) Health into (424 + 100% of your Spirit) Mana for you. Spirit increases the amount converted. |
| 8 | Bane of Agony | New in Forever | Afflicts the target with agony, causing 552 Shadow damage over 24 sec. This damage is dealt slowly at first, and builds up as the Bane reaches its full duration. Only one Bane per Warlock can be active on any one target. |
| 10 | Drain Soul | Reworked in Forever | Drains the soul of the target, causing 420 Shadow damage over 15 sec. Non-trivial targets damaged by Drain Soul have a chance to grant you a Soul Shard. Non-trivial targets killed by Drain Soul will always grant you a Soul shard. Soul Shards are required for other spells. |
| 20 | Curse of the Elements | Reworked in Forever | Curses the target for 5 min, reducing Magic resistances by 75 and increasing Magic damage taken by 10%. Only one Curse per Warlock can be active on any one target. |
| 28 | Create Firestone | Reworked in Forever | Creates a Major Firestone which can be used to enchant your weapon with Fire, increasing your spell critical strike chance by 2% and the damage done by your Fire spells by up to 21. Conjured items disappear if logged out for more than 15 minutes. |
| 36 | Create Spellstone | Reworked in Forever | Creates a Major Spellstone which can be used to enchant your weapon with Shadow, increasing your spell haste by 2% and the damage done by your Shadow spells by up to 21. Conjured items disappear if logged out for more than 15 minutes. |
| 60 | Bane of Doom | New in Forever | Afflicts the target with impending doom, causing 1742 Shadow damage after 1 min. If the target dies from this damage, there is a chance that a Doomguard will be summoned. Cannot be cast on players. Only one Bane per Warlock can be active on any one target. |
| 60 | Portal of Summoning | New in Forever | Begins a ritual that creates a summoning portal. The summoning portal can be used by 2 party or raid members to summon a targeted party or raid member. The ritual portal requires the caster and 2 additional party or raid members to complete. In order to participate, all players must be out of combat and right-click the portal and not move until the ritual is complete. |
Recommended Builds
Each build lists the order to spend every point from level 10, so you can follow it while you level. Open any step in the talent calculator to see the build at that level.
Affliction Beta Start
Levels 10–20, questing with Corruption and Life Tap
11 Affliction0 Demonology0 Destruction
Instant Corruption at five points, then hit and Mana sustain so you can chain pulls without drinking.
Why these talents
- Improved Corruption removes the full 2-second cast and adds 10% damage, so Corruption goes up while you move between targets.
- Improved Life Tap turns 20% more health into Mana, which is how a Warlock skips drink breaks entirely.
- Suppression adds 3% hit and cuts 12% of the threat you generate.
- One point of Soul Harvest raises Mana regeneration by 50% for 10 seconds, and keeps half of it while casting, when something dies with Drain Soul on it.
Swaps to consider
- The source guide's text and its own tree disagree on the third Suppression point; we follow the text, which spends all eleven. Skip it and the point is free for Improved Drains.
Demonology Beta Start
Levels 10–20, levelling behind a Voidwalker or Imp
0 Affliction11 Demonology0 Destruction
Every point goes into the demon: 10% more pet damage, 15% more pet health and Mana, and your spell damage healing it.
Why these talents
- Unholy Power adds 10% damage to your Imp, Voidwalker, Succubus and Felhunter alike, so the points stay useful as you change demons.
- Fel Vitality adds 15% to your pet's maximum health and Mana and raises your own maximum Mana.
- Demonic Energies heals your pet for 15% of all the spell damage you deal and shares your Life Tap Mana with it, which is what keeps a Voidwalker tanking indefinitely.
Swaps to consider
- Master Summoner holds the flexible point; a second point there takes more time and Mana off every summon.
Destruction Beta Start
Levels 10–20, Shadow Bolt and Immolate from maximum range
0 Affliction0 Demonology11 Destruction
Half a second off Shadow Bolt and Immolate, 20% more range, 10% cheaper spells, and Shadowburn at 20.
Why these talents
- Bane cuts 0.5 seconds from Shadow Bolt and Immolate and 2 seconds from Soul Fire.
- Destructive Reach adds 20% range to your damaging spells, which is usually one extra Shadow Bolt before anything reaches you.
- Cataclysm reduces the Mana cost of your Destruction spells by 10%.
- Shadowburn is an instant finisher that returns a Soul Shard when the target dies within 8 seconds of being hit.
Swaps to consider
- Improved Shadow Bolt is the usual swap for Destructive Reach in groups, where the extra range matters less.
Talent Tree Changes from Classic
New talents, talents moved in from another tree, and the Classic talents each tree no longer has. Compare them in the talent calculator →
Affliction
7 new · 3 moved in · 7 removed
Wrack at 31 points ticks every second and makes the target take 10% more from your other Shadow damage over time; channel it between refreshing your effects and firing Nightfall’s instant Shadow Bolts. Pandemic doubles the critical strike bonus of your damage over time and drains, and Curse of Exhaustion is the 16-point milestone with a 30% slow. Dark Pact and Grim Reach are removed.
New
Soul Harvest
Improved Drains
Improved Bane of Agony
Pandemic
Malevolence
Soul Siphon
Wrack
Moved in
Improved Life Tap
Grim Reach
Shadow Mastery
No longer in this tree
Dark Pact, Improved Curse of Agony, Improved Curse of Exhaustion, Improved Curse of Weakness, Improved Drain Life, Improved Drain Mana, Improved Drain Soul
Demonology
8 new · 2 moved in · 6 removed
Demonic Sacrifice moves up to 11 points and lasts 2 hours, Soul Link sits at 21, and Demonic Pact at 31 points keeps the Sacrifice bonus when you summon a different demon, so it stacks with Master Demonologist. Decimation makes Soul Fire a free, faster finisher below 35% health, and Demonic Brand helps a Voidwalker hold threat on your Searing Pain target.
New
Demonic Aegis
Fel Vitality
Demonic Energies
Decimation
Demonic Brand
Improved Felhunter
Demonic Knowledge
Demonic Pact
Moved in
Master Summoner
Fel Domination
No longer in this tree
Fel Intellect, Fel Stamina, Improved Firestone, Improved Healthstone, Improved Spellstone, Improved Subjugate Demon
Destruction
6 new · 1 moved in · 6 removed
Conflagrate is the 16-point milestone, and Bane of Havoc at 21 points copies 15% of the damage you deal to other targets onto the marked one. Agonizing Flames adds 10% damage to all Destruction spells, and Incinerate at 31 points hits 25% harder on targets with your Immolate. Destructive Reach sits in row 1 and extends every damaging spell, whichever tree you play.
New
Molten Skin
Agonizing Flames
Bane of Havoc
Fire and Brimstone
Shadow and Flame
Incinerate
Moved in
Destructive Reach
No longer in this tree
Devastation, Emberstorm, Improved Firebolt, Improved Immolate, Improved Lash of Pain, Improved Searing Pain
Leveling a Warlock
Every class follows the same zones and dungeons; your faction decides the route. Start in your race's zone, follow your faction's route, and spend your talents with the Affliction Beta Start build above.
- HumanAlliance · Elwynn Forest
- GnomeAlliance · Dun Morogh
- OrcHorde · Durotar
- UndeadHorde · Tirisfal Glades
- TrollHorde · Durotar
Playable Race Options
Every race that can play a Warlock in WoW Forever. Racials are balanced around offensive consistency, so choose the aesthetics, utility, and movement tools that fit your playstyle.