PvE Demonology Warlock Guide

Demonology Warlock DPS

Stat Priority

Talents & Builds

Pre-Raid & Best In Slot

Gems, Enchants, & Consumables

Rotation, Cooldowns, & Abilities

Welcome to Warcraft Tavern’s guide on how to play a Demonology Warlock in World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade Classic. Throughout your read, you will learn what gems, enchants, and consumables to use, what gear you should be aiming for in each phase, what your ideal rotation will be to maximize your DPS potential, and more. Without further ado, let’s jump into it!

Best Race

Alliance

Human: In terms of PvE content, Human Warlocks would really only benefit from The Human Spirit. However, Diplomacy would make certain reputation grinds go a little bit faster and with Perception, you can potentially see stealthed mobs slightly sooner than they will see you.

Gnome: Gnome Warlocks benefit from Expansive Mind, increasing their intellect by 5%. They also benefit from Escape Artist, which can be helpful in any situation involving movement-impairing effects.

What is the best race on the Alliance for Demonology Warlocks?

The difference between Humans and Gnomes using our Pre-Raid gearset (Click Here):

Spirit: Humans have an extra 14 Spirit

Intellect: Gnomes have an extra 20 Intellect for a total of 309 mana

Because Warlocks have Life Tap, the mana regeneration gained from the extra 14 spirit wouldn’t be a large enough benefit to choose Humans and thus, Gnomes are the best race on the Alliance for Demonology Warlocks.

Horde

Undead: Players that choose to play an Undead Warlock will see benefit from Will of the Forsaken. Traditionally deemed a PvP racial, Will of the Forsaken can be used in situations where the Warlock is feared, charmed or put to sleep, which covers a lot of possible debuffs that may cause our DPS to decrease.

Orc: Players that choose to play an Orc Warlock benefit from two racials: Command and Blood Fury. Command increases our pet’s damage by a small amount and Blood Fury increases our spell damage by approximately 143 at level 70, while reducing healing done to them by 50%. That may seem like a lot of healing, but if your tank is able to maintain aggro, the only healing you should need is as a result of using Life Tap.

Blood Elf: One of the two newest playable races to become available in the Burning Crusade Classic, Blood Elves receive Mana Tap, which reduces their target’s mana by 120 at level 70, and Arcane Torrent, which silences all nearby enemies, and restores 161 mana for every Mana Tap charge you currently have active, up to a maximum of three. So, potentially, every two minutes, you could be getting 483 mana back.

What is the best race on the Horde for Demonology Warlocks?

While Mana Tap and Arcane Torrent may seem like a great combination, the reality is that Warlocks can already regain their mana through Life Tap. Will of the Forsaken is highly situational – on some fights, you will use this ability and on others, you won’t. Command is great for the length of time your pet is summoned and Blood Fury is not situational and will always be beneficial in every encounter you face and thus, Orc is the best race on the Horde for Demonology Warlocks.

For more information on each race, feel free to visit our Race Overview page!

Best Professions

Different from 2007 when the game was new to us, players today understand the advantages that choosing the most optimal professions for their character can bring them. Below you will find a list of every profession and information on if and how it benefits the Demonology Warlock in case you have a specific profession in mind, and finally, you will find the two professions recommended to optimize your character. If you are interested in pursuing any of the professions listed, feel free to click the link (the name of each profession) to be taken to guides on how to level the profession in the most efficient manner.

Alchemy: By choosing Alchemy, players can craft their own consumables which will likely be in demand, depending on your gameplay style and guild’s expectations, which can save you varying amounts of gold per week. The other main benefit of choosing Alchemy is the ability to craft Sorcerer’s Alchemist Stone, beginning in Phase 5, which is deemed one of the better trinkets in the game.

Blacksmithing: By choosing Blacksmithing, players can craft items such as Eternium Runed Blade, which is an incredibly powerful dagger that is high on our gearing list. While it will likely be fairly expensive to purchase from the Auction House, it should be noted that this particular item is Bind-on-Equip (BoE) and can be purchased from the Auction House or other players, rather than needing Blacksmithing to craft and equip it. The other benefit to choosing Blacksmithing is the ability to craft various types of keys, allowing for the player to unlock various chests around the world and inside dungeons without having a Rogue present.

Enchanting: By choosing Enchanting, players can disenchant unneeded items and either sell the materials on the Auction House for some extra gold, or they can stockpile the materials for when their guild needs some enchants done. However, the biggest benefit to choosing Enchanting would be the ability for players to enchant their rings with Enchanter-specific enchants such as Enchant Ring – Spellpower.

Engineering: Deemed more a PvP profession in Classic WoW, Engineering has been updated to include various crafting recipes that will help players throughout each phase beginning with the ability to craft Destruction Holo-Gogs in Phase 2. The important note regarding these goggles is that you can upgrade them to Annihilator Holo-Gogs beginning in Phase 5. Engineering has also updated various items from Classic WoW that still remain helpful to date. One example would be Field Repair Bot 110G.

Jewelcrafting: By choosing Jewelcrafting, players have the opportunity to create various gems such as Don Julio’s Heart that only they can equip on their equipment. These gems are unique and you can only have one of each equipped at a time. During Phase 1, Jewelcrafters can craft trinkets such as Figurine – Living Ruby Serpent, which would later likely be replaced by Figurine – Crimson Serpent in Phase 5.

Leatherworking: By choosing Leatherworking, players have the opportunity to craft items such as Drums of Battle. This particular item used to be almost a requirement for endgame raiding back in 2007 since Blizzard hadn’t put in a fix that would eliminate the chance of players constantly using it and never actually having the buff expire. Today, that’s different since there is now a two-minute debuff that is applied to each character that benefited from it.

Tailoring: By choosing Tailoring, players have the opportunity to craft various pieces of high-end equipment such as the Spellstrike Infusion set, the Shadow’s Embrace set and a variety of enchantments for their pants such as Runic Spellthread or Mystic Spellthread. Tailors can also craft various types of bags – be it for Herbalism, Warlocks’ Soul Shards, etc.

Gathering Professions: Mining is a great profession for players interested in pursuing Blacksmithing or Engineering, since you’ll be able to save on some of the materials required for various recipes. Skinning is a great option for players pursuing Leatherworking for the same reason. Herbalism is a great option for players pursuing Alchemy, again, for the same reason. All three of these professions allow for players to make gold – the actual amounts will vary from server to server.

What are the two best professions for a Demonology Warlock?

The first profession that would be best for Demonology Warlocks to choose would be Tailoring. The ability to craft high-end pieces of equipment is a major advantage. Tailoring also provides the player with no need to pick a gathering profession in order to maintain it.

The second profession that would be best for Demonology Warlocks to choose would be Enchanting. The ability to increase our spell damage through Enchant Ring – Spellpower is phenomenal. Enchanting also allows us to earn some gold on the side by either enchanting people’s gear and receiving tips, or simply by disenchanting items and selling the materials on the Auction House.

Why isn’t Alchemy recommended?

Alchemy isn’t recommended because the biggest benefit that Alchemy has to offer comes in Phase 5, rather than Phase 1. Also, the ability to craft your own consumables may not be a big enough advantage on its own, again, depending on your own playstyle and your guild’s expectations in terms of raid preparedness.

Why isn’t Engineering recommended?

Engineering isn’t in the top-two recommendations because the main benefit comes from being able to craft Destruction Holo-Gogs in Phase 2 and Cowl of the Grand Engineer, which drops in The Eye, could be classified as being superior.

Why isn’t Jewelcrafting recommended?

Jewelcrafting isn’t one of the recommended professions because the unique gems that Jewelcrafters are able to craft don’t see that much more benefit than the gems available to all players, regardless of profession. For example, Don Julio’s Heart provides +14 Spell Damage and can only be equipped once, while Runed Living Ruby provides +9 Spell Damage and is only limited by the number of gem sockets you have in your gear.