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WoW Warlock Guide – The Might of Shadow and Fire

Guest Bloggers, Role Playing Games August 18th, 2011

Elegantly sinister, wielding the powerful magic of shadow and hellfire, and summoning a range of perilous, demonic demons to obey their bidding, warlocks are a very distinctive class of the World of Warcraft game, centered on dealing damage. Warlocks are fairly vulnerable thanks to their cloth armor, but can improve their survivability by using fear spells to send their enemies running in a panic while damage over time (DoT) spells gnaw away their health. The WoW warlock guide you are reading gives some hints on how to use these dangerous spellcasters to best advantage.

Anyone who has played this class or read a WoW warlock guide will know that neither tanking nor healing are the forte of the warlock. They are a damage per second class, though some talent specializations are quite adept at self-healing. Warlocks are also able to convert health to mana, a completely unique ability in World of Warcraft.

Consulting a WoW warlock guide will tell you that the main utility warlocks provide to their group or team outside combat consists of making healthstones and soulstones. Healthstones are conjured, consumable items which heal a specific amount of damage instantly when they are used, and can be handed out to everyone in your character’s group. Soulstones allow a character to active them and self-resurrect after they are killed. These can only be given to one group member at a time. It is usually the healer who is “soulstoned” during an instance, dungeon, or endgame raid.

Demonology is the first talent spec mentioned in this WoW warlock guide because it is the standard leveling spec for the class. The Felguard, a demon summoned using the spec’s signature move, is a powerful melee combatant with tanking abilities as well, much like a Beast Mastery hunter’s pet. Sending this demonic “pinhead” into combat will speed the leveling process both by killing mobs faster while questing, and by keeping the warlock from generating threat which their poor armor and low health make them ill suited to surviving.

Metamorphosis, the 31-point talent of demonology, turns the warlock into a large, purple, winged demon with a charge attack, a cleave-like attack, and tremendously boosted toughness for 30 seconds. This skill is good in PvP, but needs to be used carefully in PvE dungeons to avoid boss effects.

If you prefer hurling spells to standing back and letting your demon do most of the work, Destruction is probably the warlock spec for you. Described accurately in most WoW warlock guides as the highest damage spec for endgame raids due to direct damage potential, these warlocks can also hold their own in leveling but are somewhat weaker in PvP. Soul Fire, Conflagrate, and the like form the core of their spell priority. Imps are the preferred pets for instances for extra damage.

Affliction warlocks, on the other hand, are centered on damage over time (DoT) spells. This makes them weak in dungeons, since they cannot deal enough damage to make a significant difference before most mobs perish under the swords and spells of their companions.

Although they can be used in dungeons, the damage potential of affliction warlocks is fairly flaccid in that situation. Trash mobs are slain prior to the DoTs having any real effect, and only bosses are damaged fully by the impact of affliction DoT spells.

The best way to level a Lock in WoW is by using top Quest Helper programs for power leveling like those found at http://www.QuestHelperTips.com