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Beta, level cap 30 · data read 13 Oct

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Affliction Warlock guide

Ranged DPS · our guide of 13 Oct 2026 Recommendation

Talent trees, every tier list's rating and the sim: the Affliction tab.

In short

  • A ranged caster who wins with damage over time, drains and Fear.
  • Number 7 of 20 damage specs in our newest sim run, at 717 DPS. Sourced: Sim · 11 Oct run
  • Your damage over time crits harder: Pandemic makes the crit damage bonus of Corruption, Bane of Agony, Bane of Doom, Drain Soul, Drain Life, Siphon Life and Wrack 100% higher at 3 of 3. Sourced: Talent database
  • Weak spot: at 60 the 51 points don't reach both Wrack and Soul Link, so you pick one.

How it plays

Up to level 30. Bane of Agony first, then Corruption and Immolate, with your wand as the filler instead of Shadow Bolt. Finish with Drain Soul: when the target dies with it on, Soul Harvest raises your mana regeneration 100% for 10 sec at 2 of 2. Improved Corruption makes Corruption's cast time 2 sec shorter at 5 of 5; Improved Drains and Soul Harvest come next, and Amplify Curse makes your next Bane of Agony 50% stronger. At 30 the build adds Fel Concentration (a 70% chance that damage doesn't interrupt your drains), Pandemic and Nightfall, whose Shadow Trance makes your next Shadow Bolt instant. Your 21st point buys Siphon Life. Hellfire can crit since 1 Oct.

Sourced: Guide · 2 Oct, Talent database, Dev notes · 1 Oct

At level 60. Theory Corruption, Bane of Agony or Bane of Doom, Siphon Life and Immolate on the target, an instant Shadow Bolt whenever Shadow Trance comes up, Drain Soul when the target is low, and Life Tap for mana. In PvP: Curse of Exhaustion on a runner (30% slower for 12 sec), Fear, then damage over time and drains. The 21 Demonology points buy Demonic Sacrifice and Soul Link: while your demon is out, it takes 30% of the damage aimed at you, and you both deal 3% more damage. Fel Domination makes your next summon take 5.5 sec less and cost 50% less mana.

Sourced: Talent database

Talents at a glance

  • Level 20: Improved Corruption 5, Improved Drains 3, Soul Harvest 2, Amplify Curse 1

    Improved Corruption 5/5, Improved Drains, Soul Harvest (now +100% mana regen); Amplify Curse (row 3 at 10) for the instant Curse of Agony / Exhaustion later.

    Recommendation · See the trees · Open in the calculator

  • Level 30: Improved Corruption 5, Improved Life Tap 2, Improved Drains 3, Soul Harvest 2, Malediction 1, Amplify Curse 1, Fel Concentration 3, Pandemic 1, Nightfall 2, Siphon Life 1

    Fel Concentration (drain-tank pushback resistance), Pandemic, Nightfall (row 4 at 15), Siphon Life with the 21st point (row 5 at 20).

    Recommendation · See the trees · Open in the calculator

  • Level 60: Improved Corruption 5, Improved Life Tap 2, Improved Drains 3, Soul Harvest 2, Amplify Curse 1, Fel Concentration 3, Pandemic 3, Nightfall 2, Curse of Exhaustion 1, Siphon Life 1, Soul Siphon 2, Shadow Mastery 5, Demonic Embrace 5, Unholy Power 4, Improved Health Funnel 1, Improved Voidwalker 3, Fel Vitality 3, Demonic Sacrifice 1, Master Summoner 2, Fel Domination 1, Soul Link 1

    30/21/0: Shadow Mastery 5/5 but no Wrack (its row needs 30 beneath it and Soul Link needs 21 Demonology points — you cannot have both). Demonology: Demonic Embrace, Unholy Power 4, Improved Voidwalker, Fel Vitality, Demonic Sacrifice, Soul Link (requires it), Master Summoner 2, then Fel Domination (requires it).

    Theory · See the trees · Open in the calculator

Rotation at level 30

Recommendation

Single target

Open with Pet in, Bane of Agony, Corruption, Siphon Life.

  1. Corruption (instant, Improved Corruption)
  2. Bane of Agony
  3. Siphon Life (talent, row 5)
  4. Shadow Trance (Nightfall), then instant Shadow Bolt
  5. Drain Life / Drain Soul as filler (Fel Concentration stops pushback)

Groups

  • Hellfire (can crit since 1 Oct) — careful

Tip

Soul Harvest is +100% mana regen since 1 Oct.

Stats

Each guide's stat order as it gives it, the sim's stat weights, then ours. Guides dated before the last big tuning are shown but not counted.

Guides differSpell power first on every guide; the order after it differs.

WhereStat order
Guide · 10 Oct PvE, level 30 · read 12 OctSpell power › Hit › Crit › Intellect › Spirit › Haste › Stamina
Guide · 1 Oct PvE, level 20 · read 12 OctSpell power › Hit › Intellect › Spirit › Crit › Stamina › Haste
Guide · 10 Oct PvE, level 30 · read 12 OctSpell power › Hit › Intellect › Crit › Spirit › Stamina › Haste
Sim · stat weights level 60 · run 12 Oct, 5,000 iterations

Per 1%: Spell crit 6.48 › Spell hit 5.54 › Spell casting speed 4.19

Per point: Spell damage 0.497 › Shadow spell damage 0.417 › Intellect 0.245 › Mana every 5 sec 0.151 › Fire spell damage 0.0667

No DPS change in this run: Stamina, Spell penetration.

The DPS each stat adds, for a level-60 character on the engine's preset gear in a 2-minute fight on a beta engine: a direction, not a verdict. = marks a tie: stats within each other's margin. Not counted toward "Guides agree".

Where they differ: ours puts Hit before Spell crit, which the sim weighs higher per 1%; the sim measured no DPS change from Stamina or Spirit.

Ours RecommendationShadow spell power › Hit › Spell crit › Intellect › Stamina or Spirit

Our order matches the guides' wherever they all agree.

Race

Each guide's race picks for Affliction, then our pick for the Warlock.

Alliance

Guides agreeGnome and Human on 3 guides; Gnome first where a guide ranks them.

Horde

Guides agreeUndead and Orc on 3 guides; Undead first where a guide ranks them.

Professions

Guides agreeThe same professions on 3 guides.

  • Guide · 10 Oct PvE, level 30 · read 12 OctTailoring, Enchanting
  • Guide · 1 Oct PvE, level 20 · read 12 OctTailoring, Enchanting
  • Guide · 10 Oct PvE, level 30 · read 12 OctTailoring, Enchanting
  • Ours, for the Warlock RecommendationTailoring + Enchanting; or Herbalism + Alchemy

What changed for Affliction

  • 8 Oct: Shadow Bolt ranks 1–4 retuned so each new rank is an upgrade; your current pet is stunned while you summon another; Demonology's Demonic Brand pet damage causes high threat only when it is Shadow damage.

    Sourced: Dev notes · 8 Oct

  • 1 Oct: Soul Harvesting renamed Soul Harvest — now +50/100% mana regeneration; Hellfire can crit; Drain Soul interrupts properly when you cast something else; pet Aggressive mode restored.

    Sourced: Dev notes · 1 Oct

  • Life Tap tooltip corrected (scales with Spirit); Voidwalker Sacrifice correctly scales with 10% of spell healing.

    Sourced: Dev notes · 24 Sep

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