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December 30, 2008, 06:20 PM
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#1 (permalink) |
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Character Info
Debuff 80 Orc Warlock Sargeras US PvP Guild: Fenrir Profile: Blizzard Armory Talent Spec: 0/13/58 |
Outline of current most popular raid specs
Affliction: 56/0/15 Haunt with no hit talents Includes: - 2/3 eradication - 3/3 fel concentration - 2/2 grim reach Does not include: - Molten core - imp. felhunter - dark pact - any hit talents Notes: This is obviously isn't going to be optimal until you can get to 14% +hit from gear (and another 3% from a raid debuffs) since it has no hit talents. It skips the felhunter talent since using an imp is a more viable option right now. Glyph Choice: SiLi/Immolate/Corruption 53/0/18 Haunt with hit talents Includes: - Both hit talents - 1/3 eradication Does not include: - fel concentration - grim reach - as many points in eradication - molten core Notes: This is a very similar build to the one above but makes some sacrifices to pick up the hit talents. Grim reach is an easy one to dump since you would have to stand close for your nukes anyways. Dropping a point in eradication is a minimal loss since its internal cooldown gives the first point of it much more worth than the 2 subsequent points. This build also does not have fel concentration since it is not really a dps talent. Glyph Choice: SiLi/Immolate/Corruption Demonology: I have seen some examples of a metamorphosis/ruin build that would offer the raid a better spellpower buff than totem of wrath but I have recently read something that suggested that fel armor's additional spellpower is not included in the Demonic Pact's spell power buff which would push the gear level at which a Demonic Pact spec would be viable until pretty far down the road. I'll update this when I get more information. Destruction: 2/8/57 Chaos Bolt/Backdraft Includes: - 3/3 backdraft - 3/3 imp. soul leech - chaos bolt - empowered imp Does not include: - shadowfury - nether protection - soul link - demonic aegis - shadowburn Notes: This is your stand and nuker spec. Your casts will be using Curse of Agony > Immo > Chaos Bolt > Incinerate (repeat as many as your haste will allow) > Conflagrate. What you do with your 3 backdraft charges depends on your raid makeup. If you have another lock in the group AND they have immolate up then you should use all 3 charges on incinerate, otherwise you would reapply immolate then use the last 2 on incinerate. You should be using Chaos Bolt pretty much every time it comes off cooldown. Also, its not necessary to use corr with this spec (even if you think you are smart and it will result in more molten core uptime). Since Curse of Agony ticks ever 2 seconds it does a fine job of keeping molten core up a lot (roughly 80% of the fight) and adding corruption has very marginal benefits in uptime (only about 8% uptime increase) while costing you a GCD that would be much better used nuking. Glyph Choice: Imp/Immo/Corruption Hybrids: 0/40/31 Demonic Tactics with Imp Includes: - All the imp buffs - Demonic Knowledge - Demonic Tactics - Emberstorm - Destruction hit talent Does not include: - Felguard Notes: A great starter spec. It is very easy to play (keep up Curse of Agony then its the ole' immo > incinerate *x) which gives ample time to watch around you for important fight mechanics. It also has lots of static buffs like massive spellpower from demonic tactics, master demonologist, demonic tactics, and devastation. Starting in mid tier 7.5 gear this will beging to get out-scaled by 0/30/41, affliction, and deep destro. This spec uses an imp and is VERY reliant on having that imp alive the whole fight. Also make sure you spam Demonic Empowerment everytime it comes off of it's very short 1 minute cooldown. As a bonus this spec also does incredible aoe damage with RoF due to all the fire and crit buffing talents. Glyph Choice: Imp/Immo/Corruption 0/31/40 Shadow and Flame with Imp Includes: - 1/2 master summoner - Master Demonologist - 1/3 Demonic Knowledge - 5/5 Shadow and Flame Does not include: - Conflagrate - Demonic Empowerment - All 3 points in DK - Imp Soul Leech - Empowered Imp Notes: Pretty similar to the hybrid spec above with the exception of going for Shadow and Flame instead of Demonic Tactics since it will scale with gear. The playstyle will be nearly identical to the other hybrid spec except that there is no Demonic Empowerment to press. This is the current spec of many of the locks in Ensidia but the theorycrafters on elitistjerks.com say that chaos bolt/backdraft will likely be a better spec once the next patch comes out and addresses the GCD issue on backdraft. Glyph Choice: Imp/Immo/Corruption 0/41/30 Demonic Tactics with Felguard Includes: - Nearly Same thing as 0/40/31 - Felguard Does not include: - Any imp-buffing talents - Any of the deep demo pet-scaling talents Notes: This is a spec that EJ is saying might be better than 0/40/31 as a starter spec once the new felguard glyph comes out with the next patch (buffs the current felguard glyph from +10% AP to +20%). Playstyle will be nearly the same to the other hybrid specs. This spec will require more careful pet management as the felguard is vulnerable to melee range AOE that the imp is not. I might try this spec out next patch since we have good melee synergy. Glyph Choice: Felguard/Immo/Corruption Final Thoughts: Shadow Embrace: currently bugged such that if their are multiple affliction locks only one of them will get its bonus. This is fixed in the patch that is at the PTR. Felhunter as a pet: There is a bug right now that causes the felhunter to attack much less than he should be during a fight. This is causing his damage to be much less than it should be and thus affliction locks are better off using an imp. The imp: Un-phase shift him. Seriously. Take it off of auto-cast as those days are over. If you ever need him phase-shifted then set it to auto-cast for that fight only. It is a huge deal for your imp to not giet raid buffs because he is phase-shifted while everyone is buffing. This applied doubly to anyone who has a spec with demonic knowledge or without points in mana feed (yep, that means pretty much everyone). Pets in general: unless you are affliction, its a pretty damn big deal for you to keep your pet up. We went nearly all of BC just saccing our pet and never having to worry about it but we seriously need to learn instincts for pet management in the harder pet fights (like sartherion and thaddius). That being said, understand that in some fights you just can't keep it alive so you are better off just using a phase-shifted imp. Immolate as affliction: Use it until the mob is in drain soul execute range then ignore it. Backdraft: In the upcoming patch (currently on the ptr) this is getting buffed to reduce the GCD by up to .5 seconds which means that if you conflagrate followed by an immolate then the immolate is no longer essentially wasting a charge. Yay. It's for this reason that backdraft/Chaos Bolt specs will be getting popular again, rather and dumping points into demonology. Drain soul execute: Pretty much only used by affliction locks as best as I can tell. That being said, affliction locks should definitely be using it as it is a pretty substantial damage boost. Infernals/Doomguards: On dps race fights you should spawn one with roughly 1 minute left in the fight. No matter what spec you have, they will do more dps in that one minute than your other pet would do. *** Information added 3 Minutes and 14 Seconds later... *** Notes on the guide: When I started writing this up for my guild I had no intentions of making it into a guide but after adding and adding to it I realized it might be useful for other locks. If the moderators feel like this isn't the right place for this then by all means move it. Also, please comment/critique this as I'm not very good at making these types of things easy to read and understand. If you feel like I misrepresented information then please cite where and correct it in as clear a way as possible (giving factual backup when applicable). This is sort of meant to be a snapshot of the warlock community's consensus on raid specs at this point in time. I will try my best to keep it updated but can sometimes lack motivation :/ Last edited by Debuff; December 30, 2008 at 07:09 PM.. |
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December 30, 2008, 07:25 PM
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#2 (permalink) |
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Re: Outline of current most popular raid specs
Thankyou Debuff
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December 30, 2008, 09:12 PM
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#3 (permalink) |
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Re: Outline of current most popular raid specs
A few things to change: Glyph of Imp should be used over Corruption for your affliction builds. It's almost twice the dps increase. For the 56/0/15 build. Take 1 point out of eradication and 2 out of grim reach and put them in 3/3 improved imp in the demo tree. Grim reach is useless since you don't have destructive reach. The popular deep destro build is 2/13/56. Only 8 in demo doesn't make much sense. Fel vitality is an extremely weak talent for the imp. I'll have more later after raid. :p |
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January 01, 2009, 07:55 PM
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#4 (permalink) |
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Character Info
doomonyou 80 Undead Warlock nordrassil US PvE Guild: nullref Profile: Blizzard Armory Talent Spec: 0/41/30 |
Re: Outline of current most popular raid specs
Do others pull out infernals in dps races during raids? Curious if this is common as I've never really done it.... |
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January 01, 2009, 10:50 PM
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#5 (permalink) |
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Character Info
Debuff 80 Orc Warlock Sargeras US PvP Guild: Fenrir Profile: Blizzard Armory Talent Spec: 0/13/58 |
Re: Outline of current most popular raid specs
Yep, either those or a doomguard. |
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January 01, 2009, 11:38 PM
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#6 (permalink) |
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Character Info
Luxury 80 Blood Elf Warlock Deathwing US PvP Guild: Addiction Profile: Blizzard Armory Talent Spec: 54/0/17 |
Re: Outline of current most popular raid specs
The Doomguard is pointless to pull out, the Infernal is not. I disagree with Fallenman on the Imp glyph as it is very situational, lowering its average dps contribution to below that of Corruption (but of course, this can be filed under a difference in opinion.) Affliction locks should never spec into Cataclysm. Nor should they spec into Grim Reach since their filler spell is in the Destruction tree. MC is a much better choice and should be included in both versions of the trees. Last edited by Rutiene; January 01, 2009 at 11:46 PM.. |
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January 02, 2009, 12:50 AM
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#7 (permalink) |
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Re: Outline of current most popular raid specs
Hi Really useful guide for a noob like me. Not sure if this is best place to ask - I want to move out of affliction as I am having problems managing my dots and am keen to try the 'starter' 40/31 build. My issue is I have been stacking spellpower (and hit for my boss set) and my crit is very low - 8%. Will that preclude me getting any kind of good DPS with this build? If it matters - I'm currently running heroics, looking to gear/spec to do starter raids. Thanks |
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January 02, 2009, 09:46 AM
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#8 (permalink) | ||
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Character Info
Debuff 80 Orc Warlock Sargeras US PvP Guild: Fenrir Profile: Blizzard Armory Talent Spec: 0/13/58 |
Re: Outline of current most popular raid specs
Quote:
*** Information added 4 Minutes and 32 Seconds later... *** Quote:
By the way, I will be making some fixing and updating this as soon as I get edit permissions to it again 
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January 02, 2009, 10:04 AM
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#9 (permalink) | |
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Character Info
Luxury 80 Blood Elf Warlock Deathwing US PvP Guild: Addiction Profile: Blizzard Armory Talent Spec: 54/0/17 |
Re: Outline of current most popular raid specs
I did the math on EJ here: Dots and you: The Affliction Warlock Thread - Page 8 - Elitist Jerks Showing that point by point, MC is better than Cataclysm. Someone else had also done the math on EJ that Eradication's 2nd point is better than MC's 3rd point. (If you want to think about it more simplistically, essentially, its because you're not SB'ing as much as you think. The reason Suppression is worth it is because you're constantly casting Affliction Spells. But a 3% miss rate on SB will mean 1 miss per fight on average. Which actually does not come out to mean much. Additionally, the chance that you will actually miss any SB's over a fight lowers with the amount of movement as SB is the last thing you should be casting while stationary and not at all while moving.) About the Imp vs Corruption glyph: Quote:
Last edited by Rutiene; January 02, 2009 at 10:12 AM.. |
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January 02, 2009, 10:31 AM
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#10 (permalink) | |||
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Re: Outline of current most popular raid specs
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