Your help needed: Imp Profile Page

[Akasha]

I'm calling out to all Imp experts, I need your help! One of the things on my to-do list is to overhaul and update the Imp Profile Page, but since it's such a loooong list, I thought I might put it out there for anyone who wants to help out.

Basically what I am after is information!! I am more than happy to put it all together, but it's the gathering and researching that takes the longest time. So if you have some spare time while on a flight path, waiting for a group or *cough* at work and want to help out, here is what I am after!

Stats at level 70 (Unmodified)
First, a question. You can see on the current (out of date) page that I had listed all the unbuffed stats. Are those worth including? Does that information actually serve any purpose?

Imp Info:
I'm looking for a general 'about the imp' section. Who is the Imp? Where does he come from? What is his general role?

Tips & Tricks:
I'm wanting to list any neat little tricks you can do with the Imp... are there any?

The Instance Imp:
Information about the Imp's role in instances.

The PvP Imp:
Informationa bout the Imp's role in PvP. Both Battlegrounds and Arenas

Talents that will affect / improve the Imp:
A list of all the talents that affect/improve the Imp

Anything else that you think should be included, please let me know.

The idea behind the profile pages is to help Warlocks learn more about their pets, and to learn how best to use their pets. Sorry, minions. So for example, I'm not after "Don't use the Imp in PvP, it sucks". I'm after why you wouldn't use it in PvP, what are the disadvantages etc. Could there be any situations it might come in handy.

I want it so that someone who is looking for the information, can walk away going "oooh, I get it now, I understand why ... "

[Debuff]

Wow I feel kind of guilty but I think it's the first time that I've ever looked at that page. The only real trick that I can think about using the imp for is very situational. If you want to pull a mob thats at the end of a hallway, for example, but not fight the mobs on the way you can send you imp all the way to the end to attack it. Assuming your imp is phase-shifted on the way over he won't aggro the mobs on the way there. He will shoot the mob you are wanting, the mob will one-shot him, and then head for you. Now here's the situational part, assuming the mob that you are shooting is of a different faction than the mobs on the way up to it (for example: elemental/beast or humanoid/elemental) then you won't get the "social aggro" that is generated when one mob calls for the help of another mob.

*** Information added 5 Minutes and 13 Seconds later... ***

Oh and is it just me or is it not possible to do hard returns while in advanced edit mode?
:/

Edit2: I'm an idiot. NoScript was blocking the javascript that made that work. oops!

[Carlinda]

This is not exactly comprehensive, but it's what I could come up with while waiting for lunch and at least a good place to start. I'll add more as I think about it.

Imp Info: The imp is the very first pet you acquire as a warlock. His initial function (until you get the void walker) is to help pull mobs and burn them down. At lower levels of play he can actually take hits and do decent damage. He's also extremely whiny and constantly tries to break up with you, but don't worry! He'll always come back when summoned.

Tips and Tricks: The ultimate tip when using your imp in party/raid situation is to make sure to always click off his phase shift so he can recieve party buffs. Important buffs for him include anything that improves mana and spirit. Sporeling snacks are also a nice little pet buff food that will increase spirit. (Sorry, I can't think of any tricks at the moment!)

Instance Imp: The primary use of the imp is as a mana battery for affliction warlocks. He has very good spirit for mana regeneration so the combined use of dark pact and lifetap will keep a good affliction lock full of mana. It is also wonderful that he has phase shift so he will not accidentally pull aggro. His party buff, blood pact, is also very helpful for tanks especially, giving a stamina buff to all party members.

Talents that Improve the Imp: For the maximum affect for blood pact, there is a talent called Improved Imp in the demonology tree that can be picked up.
Dark pact must be picked up in the affliction tree to utilized the mana battery effect of the imp.

[Absalom]

Since im at work *cough* I won't be able to be as in depth as I'd like to be.. but a trick that comes to mind is manually putting his fire shield on people in your party. It's a nice little extra fire resist for everyone else if nothing else.

[Anij]

After level 10 your use of the imp is very situational. The imp is mostly the prefered pet for affliction locks past level 40 because of Dark Pact, which allows you to tap your pet for mana. The imp has the best mana regen of any pet and his phase shift means your never going to worry about him pulling unwanted aggro or getting hit with aoe and dieing. His hp buff is also a major boost for affliction locks.

Out side of affliction the imp has very little value. Other specs typically go for other pets for pvp/pve. Demo typcially uses the fel guard for grinding and destro isn't typically used for grinding at all, though the succy will probably be better used for her seduce. For instances the succy is almost always prefered over any other pet for her seduce ability. If CC isn't neccessary then the imp might make an apperance from a destro lock and more likely from an afflcition lock for his stam buff. Demo will more likely fall back to the succy or fel guard for dps.

For pvp the imp is almost never used. The fel pup for affliction and destro is the pet of choice, though once again some prefer the succubus since these pets are much more utilitarian and provide better survivability to the warlock than the imp does. They also tend to be much tougher, since anyone that sees your imp launching fireballs is going to one shot it. Demo tends to use the succubus or fel pup till the fel guard is acquired.

For raiding, again the only time your likely to see an imp is with an affliction lock, in fact its their prefered pet of choice. Demo isn't used much for 25 mans but if it is the fel guard again is the pet of choice. The destro raid spec calls for demo sac and the succubus is the preferred pet for sacrificing.

Overall the value of your imp is largely dependant on your spec, with affliction being the main spec that gets the most use out of him with dark pact, and he's valid for just about anything, raiding, grinding, instances and even pvp depending on the tastes of the warlock, for that spec. The other specs typically go for another pet in almost all cases, though you will find the odd warlock that uses him. His dps output is limited, not just in the fact that his fireballs are low, but he runs out of mana fast. His utility abilities are fire sheild and his stamina buff, which is realy the main reason he's used for anything outside of affliction.

A good trick to do with the imp when grouping with him is to put his fire sheild on anything that might be tanking. This includes the main tank, but also any off tanks, including hunter pets. The extra damage also makes for a nice little aggro generation for them. DON"T put it on any class that trys to avoid dps, including melee or ranged dps and especially healers. That includes yourself.

[Devicus]

Originally Posted by Carlinda

This is not exactly comprehensive, but it's what I could come up with while waiting for lunch and at least a good place to start. I'll add more as I think about it.

Imp Info: The imp is the very first pet you acquire as a warlock. His initial function (until you get the void walker) is to help pull mobs and burn them down. At lower levels of play he can actually take hits and do decent damage. He's also extremely whiny and constantly tries to break up with you, but don't worry! He'll always come back when summoned.

Tips and Tricks: The ultimate tip when using your imp in party/raid situation is to make sure to always click off his phase shift so he can recieve party buffs. Important buffs for him include anything that improves mana and spirit. Sporeling snacks are also a nice little pet buff food that will increase spirit. (Sorry, I can't think of any tricks at the moment!)

Instance Imp: The primary use of the imp is as a mana battery for affliction warlocks. He has very good spirit for mana regeneration so the combined use of dark pact and lifetap will keep a good affliction lock full of mana. It is also wonderful that he has phase shift so he will not accidentally pull aggro. His party buff, blood pact, is also very helpful for tanks especially, giving a stamina buff to all party members.

Talents that Improve the Imp: For the maximum affect for blood pact, there is a talent called Improved Imp in the demonology tree that can be picked up.
Dark pact must be picked up in the affliction tree to utilized the mana battery effect of the imp.

Raidwise: I agree on this, though I'd remind people to ensure he's phased once the battle starts.

As a malediction lock, you'll probably be in the tank group, so I'd say to leave him about 15 yards or so from the tank, so you can be at max range and get his buff, and steal his mana, while the tank gets blood pact. Placing him in the right position is a challenging but useful trick.

As an affliction lock, you should grab dark pact and so he is the best. Improved imp is nice, but improved firebolt (and when Wrath of the Lich King rolls the consolidated talent) is useless, you don't attack with him. He's on passive and either on follow or left somewhere smart.

Other tip, the imp is useful when your shards run out, he's pretty weak for shard farming but better than nothing.

[Zaculea]

The only thing that I would consider a "trick" is parking him phase shifted and aggressive near a flag in AB so he can pick off a rogue or druid who is trying ninja cap a node that he thinks no one is defending. If you are PvP spec you can have a new pet up in no time and still be at range to avoid getting back door'd. Nice thing about demons is using them as centuries since you can duck and cover at a large distance.

[Akasha]

Something I should note on there - If the Imp isn't attacking, he could be out of mana or you are trying to attack a fire immune mob. I've seen that question come up a bit.

Anyone got an off the top of their head mob (or list of mobs) that are immune to fire and the Imp won't attack?

[i_am_hyleon35]

*deep breath*

Imp Info:
The imp is the first pet you acquire. It is a small, gremlin type creature. But just because it is small doesn't make it non-useful. [But it does make it fragile ;P]

Tips & Tricks:
Tips - as said above, make sure your imp is there for the initial buff-up, especially intellect/spirit buffs.
Trick - In a group, make sure to turn Fire Shield off of passive use, only have it on the tank, it will increase his aggro, and if someone else is hit, its easy to get the mob off them. Every little bit helps.

The PvE Imp:
When you first obtain the imp, it is basically a small mage. It can even take a few hits for you if needed. As you progress through levels, its usefulness as a tank decreases. It can still be used to attack, but be careful not to let it aggro, lest ye spend 10 seconds bringing him back. Affliction warlocks most utilize the imp as a mana battery. With Phase Shift on, the imp will be untouched and constantly regenerating mana for you to use. Be sure in an (raid) instance to place your imp so that it will keep its buff on the tank, who its buff will benefit the most.


The PvP Imp:
I am not attracted to WoW's PvP, especially since the S4 release but I will give my two cents. The imp can be useful if utilized correctly. Since in PvP you are not likely to survive very long, it is not recommended to use the imp as a mana battery. You want to use your, and your imp's mana as quickly as possible. Hiding your imp in a bush or other hidden spot and keeping it aggressive in choke points is a good way to get some damage done, or piss off an unlucky mage. [Ex: One of the bushes behind the stumps in WSG, or the bridge/gate to the Alliance/Horde bases in AV respectively.]

Talents that will affect / improve the Imp:
Improved Imp (Demonology) will increase the effects of your imp's Firebolt, Fire Shield, and Blood Pact by 10/20/30%.
Dark Pact (Affliction) can be used to draw 305 mana from the imp. [Trained - 440/545/700]
Fel Intellect/Stamina (Demonology) increases its maximum mana/health respectively by 5/10/15%.
Fel Domination combined with Master Summoner (Demonology) can reduce summoning time to 2/4seconds and 20/40% reduced mana; another 5.5 seconds and 50% reduced mana when Fel Domination is active (0.5 second cast).
Unholy Power (Demonology) increases damage done by your imp's Firebolt by 4/8/12/16/20%.
Demonic Sacrifice (Demonology) will sacrifice your imp to give you an increase in Fire damage by 15% for 30min.
Mana Feed (Demonology) allows your pet to regenerate 33/66/100% of the mana you gain from Drain Mana or Life Tap.
Demonic Resilience (Demonology) reduces the damage your summoned demon takes by 5/10/15%.
Soul Link (Demonology) your summoned demon absorbs 20% of the damage the caster takes and increases the damage done by both by 5%.
Demonic Tactics (Demonology) increases spell critical strike chance for your imp by 1/2/3/4/5%.
Improved Firebolt (Destruction) reduces the casting time of your imp's Firebolt by 0.25/0.50 seconds.

Note: The talent descriptions I give here are mostly the parts that apply to the Imp, please see a talent calculator or the talents in-game for the full description.

There you are, took longer than expected, but glad I could help

[Coud]

Originally Posted by Akasha

Something I should note on there - If the Imp isn't attacking, he could be out of mana or you are trying to attack a fire immune mob. I've seen that question come up a bit.

Anyone got an off the top of their head mob (or list of mobs) that are immune to fire and the Imp won't attack?

• A'lar - ( raid boss ) Tempest Keep, The Eye
• Every fire elemental in WoW

the other reason why the imp can't attack sometime is because of line of sight...