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Beta, level cap 30 · data read 13 Oct

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Destruction Warlock guide

Ranged DPS · our guide of 13 Oct 2026 Recommendation

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

In short

  • A ranged caster who burns targets with Immolate and Shadow Bolt, and the easiest Warlock spec to level.
  • Number 13 of 20 damage specs in our newest sim run, at 690 DPS. Sourced: Sim · 11 Oct run
  • Big crits: at 5 of 5, Ruin makes the crit damage bonus of your Destruction spells 100% higher. Sourced: Talent database
  • Weak spot while leveling: Incinerate sits at the bottom of the tree, behind Bane of Havoc, out of reach until well past level 30. Sourced: Talent database Source pending

How it plays

Up to level 30. At 20: the Succubus out, Bane of Agony, Corruption and Immolate, then your wand rather than Shadow Bolt, for damage without mana. Improved Shadow Bolt and Bane come first: at 5 of 5, a Shadow Bolt crit makes the target take 20% more Shadow damage from your attacks for 12 sec, and Shadow Bolt, Immolate and Incinerate get a 0.5 sec shorter cast time. At 30 the build adds Cataclysm, Ruin, Shadowburn, Conflagrate and one point of Agonizing Flames. Use Conflagrate on a target with your Immolate: it deals Fire damage and uses up the Immolate.

Sourced: Guide · 2 Oct, Talent database Source pending

At level 60. Theory Bane of Havoc on a second target: it also takes 15% of the damage you deal to other targets. Then Immolate, Conflagrate, and Incinerate as the filler, which deals 25% more to a target with your Immolate; Shadowburn or Soul Fire to finish, and Life Tap for mana. Fire and Brimstone adds 25% to Conflagrate's crit chance at 3 of 3. Rain of Fire on packs.

Sourced: Talent database Source pending

Talents at a glance

  • Level 20: Improved Shadow Bolt 5, Bane 5, Cataclysm 1

    Improved Shadow Bolt + Bane: the classic Shadow Bolt leveling core; one point of Cataclysm.

    Recommendation · See the trees · Open in the calculator

  • Level 30: Improved Shadow Bolt 5, Bane 5, Cataclysm 3, Ruin 5, Shadowburn 1, Conflagrate 1, Agonizing Flames 1

    Cataclysm 3/3 for mana, Ruin 5/5 (row 3 at 10), Shadowburn, Conflagrate (row 4 at 15), one Agonizing Flames.

    Recommendation · See the trees · Open in the calculator

  • Level 60: Improved Shadow Bolt 5, Bane 5, Cataclysm 3, Ruin 5, Shadowburn 1, Conflagrate 1, Intensity 2, Agonizing Flames 3, Bane of Havoc 1, Fire and Brimstone 3, Shadow and Flame 5, Incinerate 1, Improved Corruption 5, Suppression 3, Malediction 5, Amplify Curse 1, Pandemic 2

    Fire and Brimstone requires Conflagrate; Incinerate requires Bane of Havoc; Shadow and Flame 5/5. Affliction: Improved Corruption, Suppression (hit), Malediction, Amplify Curse, Pandemic 2 (DoT crit).

    Theory · See the trees · Open in the calculator

Rotation at level 30

Recommendation

Single target

Open with Immolate, Conflagrate.

  1. Immolate
  2. Conflagrate (talent) on Immolate
  3. Shadow Bolt filler (Improved Shadow Bolt + Ruin)
  4. Shadowburn in execute
  5. Corruption

Groups

  • Rain of Fire
  • Hellfire

Tip

Bane spreads damage at row 1 already.

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 · 2 Oct PvE, level 30 · read 12 OctSpell power › Hit › Haste › Crit › Spirit › Intellect › 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 5.31 tied with Spell hit 5.02 › Spell casting speed 2.73

Per point: Spell damage 0.508 › Shadow spell damage 0.397 › Intellect 0.255 › Mana every 5 sec 0.171 › Fire spell damage 0.111

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".

Our order matches the sim's lists for the stats both name.

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

Our order matches the guides' wherever they all agree.

Race

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

Alliance

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

Horde

Guides differTroll and Orc on 2 guides, Undead and Orc on 1.

Professions

Guides agreeThe same professions on 3 guides.

  • Guide · 2 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 Destruction

  • 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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