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Warlock in PVP v1.31 (3)
3. Items
I bet that there are just as many opinions about
what kind of items to use as there are players, but
here's my opinion.
If you are Affliction
Go for Stats ( Stamina -> Intelligence -> Spirit ),
as your way to play is most likely drain tanking
the opponent.
If you are Destruction
Go for the kill. Just try to get as much + (shadow)
damage as possible. And for stats, take balanced
amount of intelligence and stamina, as you are going
to run out of mana if the situation lasts longer
than it should. You are just way more fragile than
affliction ones and that kind of build require
more skill to survive in a field. Some people are
swearing in the name of;+ to critical chance
with
spells; but I'm not too comfort about it. I
want to see some crushed numbers before I believe
that
critical chance really helps more than damage boost
for your EVERY spell. After all, in the late
game that added 5% will eat room from +70
damage/spell you cast.
However, if you are going for the
"Fire-Destruction", "+crit chance with spells" is
better than the
+fire damage because of the dimishing returns on the
listed +damage while casting spells with
casting speed less than 3s. Read Mosh's FAQ for more
detailed explanation.
For Demonology based builds
At least according my current tests, demonology is
not as ;shadow based;, as regular
;SM-Ruin;
build, so I recommended person to take
;+magical damage; over the
;+shadow damage;, as you
are going to use more variety of spells than just
the standard shadowbolt nuking. As a demonology
player, I;ll say ;screw the
intelligence; give me damage and Stamina as much as
possible;. Having
lots of +Stamina-items are getting nice boost from
your ;Demonic Embrace;-talent. And
while you
(most likely) are not going for the RUIN-talent, you
need additional damage to nail your targets as
soon as possible.
4. Talents
Which Talents are the best for PVP?
I don't believe that any of the trees is totally
worthless, but I think that the best to get all the
instant
damaging spells, which are available. So this
technically forces player to get at least 11 points
from
the Destruction (to get Shadowburn). Instants are
the key for the successful pvp.
Talents just tell you how to do your things.
4.1 Affliction
Generally Afflition Builds should be using more DOTs
than the Destruction Builds, because they
most likely want to Drain Tank the opponent, while
the Destruction-builds want to stay away from
the heat. These builds are trusting for the
triggering ;Nightfall;, which triggers
whenever the
corrupt or the Drain Life deals damage (so
that;s not only ;on the cast;,
but whenever it deals the
damage).
Key Talents for PVP: Nightfall, Grim Reach, Shadow
Mastery, Siphon Soul, Curse of Exhaustion.
4.1.1 Affliction wants to ;Drain
Tank;, what does that mean?
It means, that the Affliction player uses all the
possible DOTs to it's prey (excluding the curse,
I'll
tell you later why), and then just tries to keep
alive, by Draining Life from the opponent, and uses
the Shadowbolt from the Nightfall instantly when it
triggers. Just remember to use Fear and Curse
of Exhaustion when they are approaching, and you'll
be fine.
4.2 Destruction
Destruction build should
have;Ruin;-talent. Without it, there
is no idea to pick Destruction for
PVP. In addition Destruction should not let the
target close. Ever. Because Destrulocks are
FRAGILE if compared to Affliction or Demonology
ones. Especially if Destrulock is using
Shadow damage-items, instead of +stamina items.
Destruction wants to kill the prey as fast as
possible, by using the Shadowbolt. Note for the
Destruction players: DO NOT put any DOTs on
your targets, as you don't want them to break your
fear/seduction. Just immolate and Confi the
target, when you are sure that you can nail it for
sure.
Key Talents for PVP : Shadowburn, Ruin, Destructive
Reach (Conflagrate when patch 1.7 comes
in)
4.3 Demonology
Most Demonology players are trusting for the 0.5 sec
pet so they usually go with the Voidwalker,
sac it, and summon the proper pet for the situation
(Felhunter against casters, Succubus against the
melee, or sometimes even Imp if it seems to fit the
situation). Patch 1.6 gave the Demonology
players awesome talent which buffs both, the warlock
and the demon by certain bonuses, which are
demon specified. For PVP, the Felhunter;s +1
to all resistances / character level, and
Succubus; +10
for ALL the damage are probably the best ones.
Soul Link gives the awesome boost for the
survivability against the every class (excluding the
priest
and the Shaman, as they can dispel the link). And
while soul link lasts, half of the damage taken has
been dealt for your demon.. It IS good, as most
likely your dots are ticking on the background all
the
time.
Key Talents for PVP: Master Summoning, Soul Link,
Master Demonologist
4.5Most Common talent builds
People have asked those most common builds over and
over again, so I thought I can list those here
as well. Note that every player got their own
variations for ;That build;, so the
ones I;m listing here
are not the only right ones. Infact, I really hope
that players would be more creative and would
create more builds of their own. I;m not
listing what the specific talents are doing, as you
can check
those talent descriptions elsewhere. If you are not
sure, please go into the game and check there.
So even I;m listing these here, I beg you:
Please be creative and create your own builds.
4.4.1;SM/Ruin;
SM/Ruin (Shadow Mastery/Ruin) is probably the most
played build, which got plenty of tricks, such
as HUGE shadowbolts, access to instant shadowbolts,
and slowing curse;
However, this is probably the easiest build to use
as it;s really much trusting to
;Seduction-
Shadowbolt; - combination. Output damage is
incredibly high, but I, personally, found this very
fragile build. (90% time when I got ambushed rogue,
I ended up to the graveyard).
Here is quote which describes this build really well
:
;If you can;t kill with 3 shadowbolts,
you are dead anyway; ; Mosh.
Affliction Talents: 30
5 improved Corruption
2 improved Life Tap
3 either for Suppression (or Improved Drain Life)
5 for Fel Concentration
1 Amplify Curse
2 Nightfall
2 Grim Reach
1 Amplify Curse
1 Siphon Soul
1 Curse of Exhaustion
3 Improved Curse of Exhaustion
5 Shadow Mastery
Demonology talents: 0
Destruction Talents: 21
5 Improved Shadowbolt
5 Bane
1 Shadowburn
5 Devastation
2 Intency
2 Destructive Reach
1 Ruin
4.4.2 MD/Ruin
MD (Master Demonologist/Ruin) is aiming to huge
shadowbolts and other crits as well, but its bit
more flexible once you understand what the great
things are, you could actually do with your
demons. However, losing instant cast DoT (which
actually ;works as intended;) hurts
vs. rogues,
but the loss is easily replaced by instant cast
demon. If you;ve been playing only with your
;SM/Ruin;, I really recommend trying
this one. Output dps is not that high, but the
increased
survivability is worth of small sacrifices.
Affliction Talents: 0
Demonology talents: 30
2 Improved Healthstone
3 Improved Imp
5 Demonic Embrace
3 Improved Succubus
2 Fel Domination
3 Fel Stamina (Or improved Voidwalker)
1 Master Summoner
5 Unholy Power
1 Demonic Sacrifice
5 Master Demonologist
Destruction Talents: 21
5 Improved Shadowbolt
5 Bane
1 Shadowburn
5 Devastation
2 Intency
2 Destructive Reach
1 Ruin
4.4.3 Soul link
My current build, I love this one. Soul link builds
are not capable to do incredibly high amount of
damage, but they can last longer than any other
builds. Soul link build got two variants, this one
and
one which is sported more for Drain Tanking (Its
better for PvE, this is better for PvP).
This got instant DoT, Shadowburn, Master
demonologist, 0.5s summon; So according my
current
tests, this is really good for pvping. But
it;s just my opinion.
Bonus is that this does not need
;Seduction-Shadowbolt; for winning.
Affliction Talents: 7
5 Improved Corruption
2 Improved Life Tap
Demonology talents: 31
2 Improved Healthstone
3 Improved Imp
5 Demonic Embrace
3 Improved Succubus
2 Fel Domination
3 Fel Stamina (Or improved Voidwalker)
1 Master Summoner
5 Unholy Power
1 Demonic Sacrifice
5 Master Demonologist
1 Soul Link
Destruction Talents: 13
5 Improved Shadowbolt
5 Bane
1 Shadowburn
2 Devastation
4.4.4 Firemancer (Aka Drakedog;s build)
This is how one of the world;s best warlock
players had put his talents before he quitted.
Note that this sports more firedamage than the
shadowdamage, so this is not optimal for pvper, who
is going to do Molten Core...
However, patch notes are telling that the
conflagrate is getting buffed up (by making it as
instant)
when patch 1.7 comes in. So after the patch, I think
that I have to try this one. Seems to be quite
promising.
Affliction Talents: 7
5 Improved Corruption
2 Improved Life Tap
Demonology talents: 7
2 Improved Healthstone
5 Demonic Embrace
Destruction Talents: 37
5 Cataclysm
5 Aftermatch
5 Bane
5 Devastation
1 Shadowburn
2 Destructive Reach
2 Imprved Searing Pain
5 Improved Immolate
1 Ruin
5 Inferno
1 Conflagrate
5. Spells
5.1 Curses
In PVP you want to use:
Curse of Elements ( If your pet is IMP, or you love
to use your fire spells such as Soulfire)
Curse of Shadow (if you are Destruction build, or
just want see HUGE shadowdamage scores with
your shadowbolt)
Curse of Exhaustion (apply this after fearing the
target, or for successful kiting)
Curse of Weakness (if you need extra protection
while Drain Tanking)
Curse of Agony (another, more suitable option for
Drain Tanking, usually put to the target when the
warlock is ready to nail the target)
Curse of Tongues (Against every caster, simple as
that)
5.2 DOTs
Note about the DOTs.
If you apply DOTs in PVP, it will ruin your
defensive plans, as DOTs are breaking the Seduction
and the Fear. ( See section 5.4 ;Fear;
)
So think carefully when you apply the DOTs on your
target. I, personally, rarely use these as they
make me powerless to fix the situation if something
goes wild. DOTs are fine to apply when your
opponent has about a quarter left on it's life bar,
and you lay your fear on it... Or if you are
;Drain
Tanking.;
Corrupt
Any warlock player should take improved Currupt,
because we really need every instant cast we
can get. Note that Corrupt is triggering the
Nightfall;s Shadow trance, which is one of
the best
talents warlocks got.
Curse of Agony
Another DOT, just not as good other curses. Believe
me. CoA has potential to be really good, but
it;s not as its bugged. (Bug is in the way
how it;s coded, it ;self casts;
itself to get more damage /
tick later on, until the time has expired and it
wore off. Too bad that Rogues which are using
;vanish; ability are consider as
;illegal targets; and it stops working
when rogue is in the
stealhed. I;m not sure does this same apply
for the ;invisible targets; as well.)
So; Do NOT waste points for improved Curse of
Agony.
Immolate
Impact damage is the main thing to use this,
DOT-effect is nice bonus. Immolate is required for
great Confi-damage.
Siphon Soul
As a instant cast, this is great in PVP, and life
regeneration is great bonus for everyone.
Damage is not too impressive though, but you
can;t get everything.
5.3 Instants
*sob sob * Only so few spells here. But the few we
got are pure gold.
You should be using ALL the instant Direct Damage at
the very end of the fight when the target has
about 20% (or less) of it's life left. You don't
want to give time for 'em to drink or heal. Usually
players are drinking / healing as late as possible
and that's the part where you want to hit! Just
before they'll do it.
Death Coil
Awesome spell, definitely the best instant we got,
as it works as a Healing Spell as well. Note that
the bolt in this spell is relatively slow to reach
its target, so don't except that your target loses
the
life and you'll get the life when you press the
button. There is ~1 sec delay, unless the target is
standing right next to you. 10 minutes cooldown is
really neat though. Hopefully they;ll reduce
the
cooldown on the upcoming patches.
Shadowburn
Ah.. I love this spell. Even it uses only one shard
at the time, it will eat all of your precious
soulsshards, because you;ll find yourself
using this beauty really much. It has quite high
instant
damage, with only 15 sec cooldown is awesome. So if
you want to do PVP, get this!
Hellfire & Rain of Fire
Hellfire costs really much mana, damages to
yourself, 1st tick does not deal damage, but... It's
an
instant! Do I need to say more? I guess not. This is
very situanary spell, but when used correctly
this is awesome. Definetly worth of using in pvp.
Rain of fire is slower, channeled spell but it's
also
instant to cast... Not as good as Hellfire.
Corrupt, Siphon Soul and Curses have already been
discussed above.
5.4 FEAR
This is the part where I need to ask you just ignore
the fact that I'm Horde;s warlock, as it has
nothing to do with this..
I've encountered plenty of warlocks on the field,
and most of 'em are doing it all wrong!
They start with the fear and continue with the DOTs.
First of all, DOTs are breaking the fear (ANY damage
taken will break the fear with the ~10%
chance), therefore negating the effect in it. Most
of the time, I just don't bother to use WotF or
trinket or anything else which removes the Fear,
because they had already blown their chances.
And when you realize this you can play around WotF.
Warlock-player shouldn't trust too much to
his/her fear-spell. Don't get me wrong, it IS
game-breaker when used properly, but it's not good
plan
to build your pvp-success around it. For that,
it;s not too reliable.
There are only few occasions when you want to use
fear:
1st when you need room for healing with a bandage.
2nd When you want to prevent them from healing with
potion/spell. Ideally when they got less than
35% life left.
3rd You want to save your pet.
4th You need to some why;kite; your
opponent. (Fearing it, and then putting CoEx on it,
and
therefore buying TIME for winning)
When used like that, the Fear IS game breaker, and
winner spell but just using fear over and over
again, until it has lost it's power is just plain
stupid.
And again, please never, ever use DOTs and Fear /
Seduce simultaneously, as it just won;t work.
I;m not sure about the exact %, but I'm
pretty sure that any damage dealt to target triggers
about
10% chance to break the fear. So if you apply all of
your DOTs, you are damaging the target every
second, and therefore breaking your own fear faster.
That's why I suggest that the warlock player
would use only the highest hitting spells when the
target is feared. The suggested spells are:
Soulfire, Shadowbolt or Searing Pain.
Please, dear readers believe me on this, and your
chances to win are going to skyrocket.
5.5 Basic Damaging Spells
Shadowbolt
This is the basic damage dealing spell for
Destruction based warlocks, should be used all the
time.
When this spell is being used, Curse of Shadows is
the proper pick. I;ve seen screens when
players
have hit bit over 4k with SB.
Drainlife
Drain Tankers basic spell. Concept of Drain Tanking
has been explained above.
Searing Pain
In rare occasions a Warlock wants to deal ANY damage
as fast as possible. Searing Pain is the pick
then as it got shorter casting time than the
Shadowbolt, it gets through way more often than the
Shadowbolt, which is superior to Searing Pain
othervise (Please read Mosh's calculations
considering Shadowbolt vs Searing Pain) ..
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