Demonology Warlock guide

Ranged DPSWarlock · WoW Forever

Beta guide, level 30. The WoW Forever beta stops at level 30, so this guide and its build cover levels 1 to 30. We update it for level 60 after launch on November 4.

Demonology lets your demon do most of the work. Forever gives it real tools: Demonic Brand (your Searing Pain brands the target and your pet's next attacks deal extra damage), Demonic Knowledge (spell damage for you and your demon while it's out), Demonic Energies to heal your pet, and Demonic Pact at the bottom of the tree. Soul Link moves 30% of your damage taken onto your demon. Forever changes: Banes (like Bane of Agony) are now separate from Curses, so you can run one of each; damage over time can crit; Life Tap scales with Spirit; and Ritual of Summoning is the only way to summon players now.

Strengths

Your demon tanks and deals most of the damage
Very safe with Soul Link
Demons scale with your gear in Forever

Weaknesses

If your demon dies you lose your tank and most of your damage
Searing Pain is a hard cast you keep repeating
No area damage from your pet

Talent build (level 30) 0/21/0

Demonology 21 points

Demonic Embrace4/5
Unholy Power5/5
Demonic Aegis2/2
Fel Vitality3/3
Demonic Energies2/2
Demonic Sacrifice1/1
Demonic Brand3/3
Soul Link1/1

21 points in Demonology: Unholy Power for pet damage, Demonic Embrace and Fel Vitality for health, Demonic Energies and Demonic Aegis, Demonic Brand, and Soul Link at 30 (Demonic Sacrifice is only the point you need to reach it: don't use it). Demonic Knowledge, Master Demonologist and Demonic Pact come after launch.

Open this build in the talent calculator

Key talents

Demonic Brand: New in Forever: Searing Pain brands the target, and your pet's next 6 attacks on it deal extra damage.
Soul Link: 30% of the damage you take goes to your demon instead.
Unholy Power: +10% damage for your demons.
Demonic Energies: New in Forever: you heal your pet with your spell damage, and Life Tap gives it mana too.
Fel Vitality: +15% health and mana for your demon, and +15% mana for you.

New in Forever: Demonology talents

Demonic AegisIncreases the effectiveness of your Demon Skin and Demon Armor spells by 30%.
Demonic EnergiesYou heal your pet for 15% of all spell damage you deal. When you gain Mana from Life Tap, your summoned demon gains 100% of the Mana you gain.
DecimationReduces the cooldown of your Soul Fire spell by 90%. When you cast Shadow Bolt or Searing Pain on an enemy below 35% health, they deal 6% increased damage, and for the next 10 sec your Soul Fire spell has its cast time reduced by 40% and costs no Soul Shards.
Demonic BrandYour Searing Pain generates 50% less threat and brands the target for 10 sec. Your pet's next 6 attacks against the target deal 65 to 68 Fire or Shadow damage based on the pet. If Shadow damage is dealt, it has high threat.
Improved FelhunterIncreases the Attack Power reduction of your Felhunter's Tainted Blood, the healing of its Devour Magic, and the detection level of its Paranoia by 30%, and reduces the cooldown of its Spell Lock by 6 sec.
Demonic KnowledgeIncreases your spell damage and your Demon pet's spell damage by up to 100% of your level while you have a summoned Demon pet active.
Demonic PactYour Demonic Sacrifice effect is no longer cancelled by summoning a different Demon pet. Resummoning the sacrificed pet will still cancel the effect.

Rotation

Send your demon in first.
Searing Pain to apply Demonic Brand (only after your demon has threat).
Bane of Agony, Immolate and Corruption.
Searing Pain to keep the brand up and as your filler.
Life Tap with spare health, Drain Life when you're low.

Several enemies

Two enemies: DoT one and Fear it, kill the other with your demon and Searing Pain.
Your demon can't hit packs: DoT the extra enemies instead.

Cooldowns

Fel Domination (after launch): Fast, cheap resummon when your demon dies.
Soul Link: Keep it on all the time.
Healthstone: Emergency heal.

Stats

Spell power first (fire damage for Searing Pain, shadow for your DoTs), then Stamina and Spirit, then Intellect.

Best races

Alliance

Human: The Human Spirit (+10% Spirit, and Life Tap scales with Spirit now) and Ruthless (+1% crit).
Gnome: Expansive Mind (+5% mana) and Eureka! for cheaper, stronger direct spells like Shadow Bolt. It does nothing for damage over time, so it suits Destruction more than Affliction.

Horde

Undead: Touch of the Grave drains health on 30% of your spells, Cannibalize restores mana, Will of the Forsaken breaks fear.
Orc: Blood Fury: +10% Spell Power for 15 sec, and Command: +5% demon damage.
Troll: Berserking for faster casts and Rapid Regeneration to recover.

Professions

Tailoring for cloth with shadow and fire damage (new in Forever), with Enchanting. First Aid matters more now: it also makes cures for poisons, diseases and bleeds.

Leveling

Very safe at 30: your Succubus tanks with Demonic Brand and Soul Link soaks damage for you. Keep a Voidwalker for elites.