WoW Forever Destruction Warlock — Guide (Beta Test)
viewsAbout the Class
This guide is based on the World of Warcraft: Forever beta and covers gameplay up to level 20. The talents and combat tips are starting recommendations built on the spells and talents available in the beta. They will be refined as testing continues.
Destruction Warlock is for players who prefer hitting with powerful direct spells over waiting for several damage over time effects to finish the target off. Demons, curses, drains, and damage over time are all still here, but the main focus is on casting 
Shadow Bolt and 
Immolate, then finishing with a powerful 
Shadowburn.
In Forever, Destruction eventually blends Fire and Shadow through talents like Conflagrate, Incinerate, and Shadow and Flame. Most of these interactions lie beyond level 20, so at the start of the beta the specialization is simpler: fast casts, mana efficiency, extended range, and Shadowburn.
Strengths
- High direct damage: many enemies never make it to you.
- Shadowburn finishes the target off and refunds a Soul Shard.
- Extended spell range through talents.
- Your demon tanks the enemy while you apply your effects.
Weaknesses
Searing Pain generates a lot of threat in dungeons.- Soul Shards have to be farmed with
Drain Soul. - Lots of buffs, demons, and effects to keep track of.
- The key Fire and Shadow interactions unlock after level 20.
Stat Priority
- 1Spell Power
- 2Hit
- 3Intellect
- 4Spirit
- 5Critical Strike
- 6Stamina
- 7Haste
Talents
Talent Notes
Destructive Reach 2/2 — 10% more range on your offensive spells.
Bane 5/5 — reduces the cast time of Shadow Bolt and Immolate.
Cataclysm 3/5 — reduces the cost of your Destruction spells.- Shadowburn 1/1 — an instant blast of Shadow damage. If the target dies within 8 seconds, you gain a Soul Shard.
Ability Priority
At level 20, Destruction's damage comes from direct spells, your demon, and the wand. Send your demon at the target, then start casting Immolate and Shadow Bolt from range. Thanks to the fast casts from Bane, many quest enemies never make it to you.
- Send your demon at the target
- Curse: on bosses and elite enemies in dungeons, use
Curse of Recklessness or 
Curse of the Elements depending on your group - Immolate
Corruption if the enemy will live long enough. It has a cast time in this build
Bane of Agony on tough enemies that will live to see the strong final ticks- Shadow Bolt — your main filler
- Searing Pain when you need a faster cast. Watch your threat in dungeons
Drain Life when you need Health- Wand if the target is almost dead and there is no point spending mana on a spell
- Shadowburn when the enemy is almost dead, to finish it off and get the Soul Shard back
- Drain Soul when you need to farm more Soul Shards
Important Abilities
Best in Slot (BiS)
A first list of level 20 items has already been put together for the beta. Almost all of the Warlock's best set currently comes from Tailoring, plus staves from the class quest and from dungeons. The list will be updated as the test goes on.
Enchants, Gems, Consumables
ConsumablesCampfire Bonuses
Campfires are worth visiting while leveling too. A basic campfire from Cooking holds three profession items, and each player adds one. Sit or craft nearby for a minute to get the bonuses. Similar campfire and class buffs do not stack, so check what you already have.
Best Race
Cannibalize lets you eat a nearby Humanoid or Undead corpse to restore Health and mana — one more way to recover quickly between fights. Will of the Forsaken removes charm, fear, and sleep effects on a short cooldown. Touch of the Grave has a 10% chance to drain Health from the target when you cast spells.
Blood Fury grants 10% Spell Power once every 2 minutes. Early on you have little Spell Power, so the bonus is modest, but by endgame Orc will most likely be the best choice. Shatter Curse removes curses and Banes, grants immunity to them, and reduces magic damage taken by 15% for 8 seconds.
Expansive Mind increases your maximum mana, Escape Artist removes slows, and Eureka!, used on cooldown, reduces the cost of your next three offensive spells by 50% and increases their damage by 10%.
The Human Spirit increases Spirit by 5%, and 
Life Tap now scales with Spirit. Sword Specialization grants 2% Critical Strike chance with a sword, so you can give up a little Spell Power for a sword. Will to Survive removes stuns once every 2 minutes.
Best Professions
A popular starting pair. Tailoring puts all the cloth you pick up while leveling to use and provides very useful armor and bags: almost all of the Warlock's best set currently comes from here. Enchanting turns unwanted gear into enchanting materials and lets you craft the Lesser and Greater Magic Wands.
Before you sink a lot of gold into a specific recipe, check exactly what the trainers offer in the beta.
Author
Fouren
Fouren has been playing World of Warcraft for over 15 years. He is an active player with 12 Cutting Edge achievements under his belt, and has reached the top 1% and 0.1% multiple times on various classes. His main classes are healers, particularly Holy Paladin.
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