Introduction to the Affliction Warlock
Affliction Warlocks excel at sustaining high single-target and multiple-target damage. Most of your damage comes from the application of harmful damage over time effects. This allows them to effectively cleave on targets that are spread around an area, something many specialisations struggle with or are flat out unable to do.
Affliction is a well rounded specialisation, with more upsides than downsides. It offers good single target damage, extremely strong burst, unrivalled multi-target distant cleave, with a mobility matched only by Beast Mastery Hunters. The only downside Affliction suffers from in this expansion comes from its lack of burst AoE. While its sustained AoE can be actually strong, it requires specific talent choices at the cost of single-target performance.
Below you will find a beginners guide to the Affliction Warlock, you can click on highlighted abilities, for a more in depth description of them.
Strengths and Weaknesses of the Affliction Warlock
Strengths
- High single target damage
- Very strong burst during damage cooldowns
- High cleave damage
Weaknesses
- Ramp up time for some of its damage
- Burst damage requires a setup period, where you can be punished by movement
Talents
Rotation of the Affliction Warlock
The basic rotation of the Affliction Warlock is as follows:
- Maintain your
Agony and
Corruption effects at all times
- Maintain your
Siphon Life effect at all times
- Activate
Dark Soul: Misery while dumping
Unstable Afflictions when preparing for
Summon Darkglare
- Apply
Unstable Affliction if you are at maximum Soul Shards
- Use
Haunt whenever available
- Cast
Phantom Singularity whenever available
- Cast
Deathbolt whenever available
- Maintain 1
Unstable Affliction as often as possible for the damage increase
- Cast
Shadow Bolt
Cooldowns
Summon Darkglare is our main damage cooldown. When summoned, it extends the duration of our DoT effects on all targets by 8.0 seconds. The Darkglare itself lasts 20 seconds and attacks your main target, and deals 10% increased damage per DoT effect active on the target. Darkglare has a 3 minute cooldown
Demonic Gateway creates two points which players can travel between by interacting with. Players may only use the gateway once every 90 seconds
Unending Resolve reduces damage taken by 40% for 8 seconds. Additionally, you are also immune to interrupt and silence effects for the duration. Unending Resolve has a baseline cooldown of 3 minutes
Stat Priority
The stat priority for the Affliction Warlock is:
- Haste = Mastery
- Critical Strike
- Versatility
- Intellect

Pro Healer (If I’m tabbed in), otherwise a total Moob