Introduction to the Affliction Warlock
Affliction Warlocks are the dot specialists of TBC Classic. You'll focus on rotting enemies from the inside out through powerful curses and shadow magic that drains life from targets over time. While you won't top damage meters like Destruction or Demonology Warlocks, you bring raid utility that makes you a must-have in any serious composition.
This spec shines when fighting multiple targets since your DoTs can tick away on several enemies at once. You can also "preload" your damage by applying DoTs before movement phases, meaning your DPS keeps flowing even when you're repositioning for mechanics.
Most raids bring exactly one Affliction Warlock because of the unique buffs and debuffs you provide. This isn't a one-button spec where you sit back while your demon does the work. You'll constantly juggle DoT timers while keeping your fragile Imp alive.
Why Play Affliction Warlock?
- You Never Run Out of Mana - Life Tap converts health into mana, giving you effectively infinite resources as long as healers can keep you topped off. On long boss fights, this sustain becomes a real advantage.
- Built-in Survivability - Drain Life and Siphon Life give you consistent self-healing, making you tougher than other ranged DPS. You have more room for mistakes and put less strain on your healers.
- Raid Utility Nobody Else Brings - Your curses boost raid-wide damage, Healthstones provide emergency healing for everyone, Soulstones prevent full wipes, and Fear plus Banish handle crowd control. Ritual of Summoning saves enormous amounts of time getting people to the raid. Malediction and Shadow Embrace provide damage amplification and tank survivability that no other spec offers.
- Less Fighting Over Gear - Most of your early BiS comes from Tailoring crafts, so you won't be rolling against half the raid for drops. The Frozen Shadoweave set and Spellstrike pieces stay relevant well into later tiers.
- Performs Well With Less Gear - Compared to other Warlock specs, Affliction doesn't need perfect gear or every buff to perform adequately. The spec is more forgiving while you're still gearing up.
- Threat Is a Constant Problem - Warlocks have struggled with aggro since Classic, and TBC doesn't fix this. Destructive Reach gives some threat reduction, but you'll still need to watch your damage output carefully, especially at pull.
- Zero Mobility - You have no movement speed abilities, and most spells require standing still. When boss mechanics force you to move, your DPS drops harder than classes with instant casts. Use Life Tap during movement to minimize the loss.
- Expensive to Get Started - Tailoring gear costs serious gold. Nearly every caster wants Spellstrike pieces, and you need Frozen Shadoweave on top of that. Expect high prices and limited supply for materials.
- Soul Shard Farming - You have to farm Soul Shards by using Drain Soul on dying enemies. These eat bag space and you need them for tons of spells, adding tedious prep time before every raid.
- Slow Damage Ramp-Up - Your damage doesn't reach full potential until all your DoTs are ticking. On short fights or when targets die quickly, you lose value compared to burst specs.
- Lower Personal Damage - You'll deal less damage than Destruction or Demonology in most situations. Your value comes from raid utility, not topping meters.
- Limited Raid Spots - Since raids only need one Affliction Warlock, competition for that single slot can be fierce. Bringing a second one gives diminishing returns since the utility is already covered.
Core Class Mechanics
These fundamentals apply to all Warlocks, but understanding them is crucial before diving into Affliction specifics.
Life Tap
Life Tap converts your health into mana, giving Warlocks functionally infinite resources. But it requires careful management:
Life Tap triggers the global cooldown, so every tap costs potential damage. Don't tap when you're about to eat a boss mechanic. And don't spam tap to max out your mana bar. Instead, aim to finish fights with nearly empty mana while casting the entire time.
The spell is instant, making it perfect for movement phases when you can't cast anything else. Just coordinate with your healers so they know to expect the health drain.
Soul Shards
When you cast Drain Soul on a target that dies while yielding experience or honor, you capture their soul into a Soul Shard. These reagents power many of your abilities:
Soulshatter (your main threat drop), Ritual of Summoning, Soulstones, Ritual of Souls (Healthstone table), Spellstones, Firestones, most demon summons (except the Imp), and Subjugate Demon all require shards.
Selecting Your Race
Race choice provides small but permanent advantages. If you're min-maxing, certain races pull ahead for Affliction.
Alliance Races
Gnome (Best for PvE)
Gnomes are the clear Alliance pick for raiding. Their racials offer the only meaningful PvE advantage on this faction.
Expansive Mind increases Intellect by 5%, boosting your mana pool and spell crit chance. This is why Gnomes edge out Humans for damage.
Escape Artist breaks roots, snares, and slows on a 2-minute cooldown. Primarily a PvP ability, but occasionally useful in certain encounters.
Engineering Specialization adds 15 skill. This no longer seems to affect summoned guardian levels in TBC, so the practical benefit is minimal.
Arcane Resistance gives 10 resistance passively. Minor survivability against arcane damage.
Human
Humans lack meaningful PvE advantages for Warlocks, though they're perfectly viable if you prefer the look.
Diplomacy boosts reputation gains by 10%, saving time on rep grinds.
Perception increases stealth detection for 20 seconds. Mainly a PvP ability.
The weapon specializations provide Expertise, which does nothing for casters.
The Human Spirit increases Spirit by 10%. While this synergizes with Improved Divine Spirit from Priests, Warlocks have negligible Spirit values, so the spell damage gain is insignificant.
Horde Races
Orc (Best for PvE)
Orcs are the strongest Horde race for Warlock DPS by a clear margin. Blood Fury alone represents roughly a 1% DPS increase over other options.
Blood Fury is a 2-minute cooldown that grants up to 143 spell damage for 15 seconds while reducing healing on you by 50%. You can stack this with other cooldowns and procs for burst windows. Just be aware of the healing penalty during high-damage phases.
Command increases pet damage by 5%. Affliction primarily uses the Imp, so this still adds some value.
Hardiness gives 15% stun resistance (down from 25% in Classic). Solid for PvP and occasionally useful in raids.
Axe Specialization does nothing for casters.
Undead
Undead offers strong PvP advantages but falls behind Orc for raiding. If you only care about PvP, Undead is competitive, though Orc's stun resistance is also valuable against the many stuns you'll face.
Will of the Forsaken breaks and immunizes against Fear, Sleep, and Charm for 5 seconds on a 2-minute cooldown. Great for PvP with niche PvE applications against certain mechanics.
Cannibalize lets you eat Humanoid or Undead corpses to regenerate 35% health over 10 seconds. Useful for reducing downtime while solo.
Shadow Resistance gives 10 resistance passively. Minor benefit when tanking shadow damage.
Underwater Breathing extends breath by 300%. Convenient but mostly redundant since Warlocks learn Unending Breath at level 16.
Blood Elf
Blood Elves offer the weakest racials for Warlock PvE, making them the least optimal Horde choice.
Arcane Affinity adds 10 Enchanting skill. No unique Warlock benefit.
Magic Resistance increases all resistances by 5. Minor passive survivability.
Mana Tap drains 120 mana from the target and stacks charges. Triggers the global cooldown, making it a DPS loss to use during combat.
Arcane Torrent silences enemies in 8 yards and restores mana based on Mana Tap charges. The mana return is negligible at 70, though the silence has PvP uses.
Choosing Your Professions
Your profession choices have a real impact on performance. Tailoring is basically mandatory, with more flexibility on your second slot.
Tailoring (Required)
You need Tailoring. Much of your pre-raid and early raid BiS comes from crafted gear, including the Frozen Shadoweave set that stays strong through multiple tiers.
Key items include the Frozen Shadoweave Set (Shoulders, Robe, Boots) for shadow damage, the Spellstrike Infusion Set (Hood, Pants) that every caster wants, plus standalone pieces like Bracers of Havok and Girdle of Ruination.
Enchanting (Best Second Choice)
Enchanting gives the biggest DPS boost as your second profession. You can apply Enchant Ring - Spellpower to both rings for +24 total Spell Damage. Since Spell Damage is your best stat, this is a meaningful advantage.
Engineering (Alternative)
Engineering brings tons of utility without direct DPS increases:
Field Repair Bot 110G allows repairs anywhere during progression. Goblin Jumper Cables XL gives emergency res capability. Rocket Boots Xtreme Lite helps with your mobility problem. Dimensional Ripper - Area 52 provides convenient teleportation. Zapthrottle Mote Extractor harvests valuable Motes. Destruction Holo-gogs become available in Phase 3.
Engineering pairs naturally with Mining for gathering materials.
Leatherworking (Situational)
If your guild requires Drums of Battle, you'll need Leatherworking. The drums give 80 haste to your party, though the Tinnitus debuff prevents perfect uptime and makes stacking multiple Leatherworkers less valuable than before.
Greater Drums of Battle arrive in Phase 4 with a larger radius.
Jewelcrafting (Alternative)
Jewelcrafting lets you craft epic gems before they're widely available. Don Julio's Heart is the main caster option. These gems are unique-equipped though, so you can only socket one of each, limiting the overall benefit compared to Enchanting.
Talent Build
Standard Affliction Build (40/0/21)
The standard build puts 40 points into Affliction for the key utility talents, with 21 in Destruction for damage.
Key Affliction Talents
Malediction increases the damage bonus of Curse of the Elements, making your curse more valuable to every caster in the raid.
Shadow Embrace applies a debuff reducing physical damage dealt by the target. This gives tanks breathing room to gear more offensively and counts as an additional debuff for Soul Siphon.
Unstable Affliction is a strong DoT that silences enemies for 5 seconds if dispelled. Useful for cleaving groups in PvE and punishing dispels in PvP.
Improved Curse of Agony now scales with spell power in TBC, making it more valuable than in Classic. But Affliction Warlocks typically maintain Curse of the Elements instead because of Malediction.
Destruction Talents (21 points)
Your Destruction investment provides damage boosts to Shadow Bolt and access to threat reduction through Destructive Reach.
Pet Selection
Your Imp is the go-to pet for Affliction raiding.
Unlike Destruction Warlocks who sacrifice their demon through Demonic Sacrifice, you keep your Imp active. It contributes damage through Firebolt casts and provides Blood Pact to your party.
Raids usually place Affliction Warlocks in the tank group specifically for Blood Pact, which increases Stamina for all party members. Your Imp's survival matters for keeping this buff up.
On fights where the Imp can safely cast without dying, you gain extra personal DPS from its damage.
Damage Rotation
Single-Target Priority
Affliction damage follows a priority system built around keeping DoTs active while filling with Shadow Bolt:
- Keep Curse of the Elements up. This is your primary curse that benefits every caster in the raid. Never let it drop.
- Maintain Corruption. Your core shadow DoT should always be ticking.
- Maintain Siphon Life. Adds damage and self-healing. Keep it rolling for both benefits.
- Maintain Immolate. This fire DoT adds to your overall damage profile.
- Spam Shadow Bolt. Cast this between DoT refreshes when everything is active.
The rotation demands constant monitoring. Letting DoTs fall off means significant DPS loss, while clipping them too early wastes global cooldowns. Refresh as close to expiration as possible.
AoE Priority
Against multiple targets:
- Cast Seed of Corruption on every target. This is the strongest AoE spell in TBC. Seed has an exceptionally high AoE cap, can crit (which ignores the cap), has a 15-yard explosion radius, and you can cast it from safe range. With 3-4+ grouped enemies, Seed becomes your best damage option.
- Use Hellfire if safe. When you're in range and healers can sustain through the self-damage, Hellfire adds more AoE. Only use this when you won't be interrupted.
Moving and Downtime
During periods when you can't cast:
Use Life Tap to convert health to mana. Refresh any DoTs about to fall off. Get into position for upcoming mechanics.
Your DoTs keep dealing damage while you move. This is one of Affliction's key advantages over pure turret casters.
Stat Priority
Understanding which stats matter helps you make smart gear choices. Here's the breakdown in order of importance:
Pre-Raid Best in Slot Gear
This list covers the best items to grab before stepping into raids. Many pieces come from Tailoring or dungeon drops.
| Slot | Item |
|---|---|
| Head | Spellstrike Hood |
| Shoulders | Frozen Shadoweave Shoulders |
| Chest | Frozen Shadoweave Robe |
| Wrists | Bracers of Havok |
| Hands | Manaspark Gloves |
| Waist | Girdle of Ruination |
| Legs | Spellstrike Pants |
| Feet | Frozen Shadoweave Boots |
| Neck | Brooch of Heightened Potential |
| Back | Sethekk Oracle Cloak |
| Ring 1 | Ashyen's Gift |
| Ring 2 | Sparking Arcanite Ring |
| Trinket 1 | Icon of the Silver Crescent |
| Trinket 2 | Scryer's Bloodgem |
| Main Hand | Eternium Runed Blade |
| Off Hand | Khadgar's Knapsack |
| Wand | The Black Stalk |
Phase 1 Best in Slot Gear
Once you're raiding Karazhan, Gruul's Lair, and Magtheridon's Lair, these are your targets:
| Slot | Item |
|---|---|
| Head | Voidheart Crown |
| Shoulders | Voidheart Mantle |
| Chest | Voidheart Robe |
| Wrists | Bracers of Havok |
| Hands | Voidheart Gloves |
| Waist | Girdle of Ruination |
| Legs | Leggings of the Seventh Circle |
| Feet | Frozen Shadoweave Boots |
| Neck | Brooch of Unquenchable Fury |
| Back | Ruby Drape of the Mysticant |
| Ring 1 | Band of Crimson Fury |
| Ring 2 | Ashyen's Gift |
| Trinket 1 | Icon of the Silver Crescent |
| Trinket 2 | Quagmirran's Eye |
| Main Hand | Talon of the Tempest |
| Off Hand | Khadgar's Knapsack |
| Wand | Eredar Wand of Obliteration |
Enchantments
These enchants will get the most out of your gear:
| Slot | Enchant |
|---|---|
| Head | Glyph of Power |
| Shoulders | Greater Inscription of Discipline |
| Back | Enchant Cloak - Subtlety |
| Chest | Enchant Chest - Exceptional Stats |
| Wrists | Enchant Bracer - Spellpower |
| Hands | Enchant Gloves - Spell Strike |
| Legs | Runic Spellthread |
| Feet | Enchant Boots - Boar's Speed |
| Rings | Enchant Ring - Spellpower (requires Enchanting) |
| Main Hand | Enchant Weapon - Soulfrost |
Enchant Cloak - Subtlety provides threat reduction, helping with your aggro issues.
Enchant Boots - Boar's Speed gives minor movement speed to partially offset your mobility weakness.
Ring enchants require Enchanting and provide +12 Spell Damage each.
Gem Selection
Socket your gear with these gems:
| Socket Color | Gem |
|---|---|
| Meta | Chaotic Skyfire Diamond |
| Red | Runed Living Ruby |
| Yellow | Veiled Noble Topaz |
| Blue | Glowing Nightseye |
The Chaotic Skyfire Diamond needs at least 2 Blue gems to activate. Plan your sockets to meet this requirement while maximizing Spell Damage.
Only match socket colors if the bonus is valuable (typically +Spell Damage or +Spell Hit). If the bonus isn't worth it, just socket Runed Living Rubies everywhere.
Consumables
Proper consumables make a noticeable difference. Bring these to every raid:
Flask/Elixirs
Flask of Pure Death gives substantial shadow and fire damage
Food
Blackened Basilisk, Crunchy Serpent, or Poached Bluefish all provide Spell Damage and Spirit. Pick whichever is cheapest or most available.
Potions
Destruction Potion for burn phases or when stacking cooldowns
Weapon Enhancement
Brilliant Wizard Oil for extra Spell Damage and Crit
Reagents
Soul Shards (always carry plenty for Soulshatter, Healthstones, and other abilities)
Additional Consumables
Dark Rune or Demonic Rune for emergency mana at the cost of health
Flame Cap provides a fire damage increase for certain situations
Pet Consumables
Kibler's Bits or Sporeling Snack increase pet damage. Keep your Imp fed to maximize its contribution.
Your Role in Raids
Curse Responsibility
Because of Malediction, you'll typically maintain Curse of the Elements on bosses. This curse benefits every caster in the raid, making it more valuable than personal DPS gains from Curse of Agony. Keeping this up is your top priority.
Party Placement
You'll usually sit in the tank group to provide Blood Pact, boosting tank Stamina and survivability. Shadow Embrace also directly benefits tanks in your group.
Utility Duties
As the raid's Affliction Warlock, you may handle:
Ritual of Summoning to bring late or returning players. Creating Healthstones through Ritual of Souls. Applying Soulstones to key players for wipe recovery. Using Fear or Banish for crowd control when needed.
Managing Threat
You still need to watch your aggro despite providing utility:
Soulshatter cuts your threat by 50% on a 5-minute cooldown. Don't blow it early when threat is low. Save it for when you're approaching the tank's level, ideally around mid-fight.
Enchant Cloak - Subtlety gives passive threat reduction.
Destructive Reach provides up to 10% threat reduction through talents.
Affliction Warlock Viability
On pure single-target fights, Affliction falls behind Destruction in personal damage. You can pull ahead under specific circumstances though, particularly when compared to Warlocks who aren't benefiting from another Warlock's party buffs.
Your primary value lies in improved curses through Malediction and the debilitating effects of Shadow Embrace. Unless a raid is stacked with physical DPS, one Affliction Warlock is standard for most compositions.
Most guilds bring at most one Affliction Warlock because:
- Your multiple DoTs consume debuff slots.
- A single Warlock covers all the utility.
- Your personal damage is lower than other specs.
If your raid already has an Affliction Warlock, consider whether Destruction or Demonology would serve the group better.
Difficulty Assessment
Affliction sits in the middle difficulty-wise among Warlock specs.
- Unlimited mana through Life Tap
- Self-healing gives a survivability cushion
- No pet sacrifice to manage
- DoT tracking requires constant attention
- Threat management demands awareness
- Your Imp is fragile and needs protection
- Planning damage around movement takes practice
Single-target rotation on stationary fights is straightforward. Things get trickier on multi-target encounters where you're tracking DoTs across several enemies while managing threat and keeping your Imp alive.
Summary
Affliction Warlock fills a unique raid role built around utility and consistent damage over raw burst. You bring irreplaceable buffs through Malediction and Shadow Embrace while maintaining solid personal DPS through DoT management.
- Tailoring is mandatory. Pair it with Enchanting for the best stats.
- Orc (Horde) or Gnome (Alliance) give the strongest racial advantages.
- Hit 16% Spell Hit before stacking Spell Damage.
- Maintaining Curse of the Elements is your primary job.
- Use your Imp for Blood Pact and extra damage.
- Watch threat proactively with Soulshatter and damage throttling.
- Come prepared with consumables and Soul Shards.
Get these fundamentals down and you'll become invaluable to any raid team looking for the utility and consistency that only an Affliction Warlock can provide.