Warlock Instance Guide

The Warlock in Instances

Damage over Time vs. Nukes

* Avoid "I'm an Evil Mage!" syndrome. Warlocks are not mages. This tactic consists of placing DOTs on MA target, pummelling target with Shadow Bolt, and finally running out of mana. Yes, you can refill your mana bar from the priests, but he probably has better things to do with it. This only time this is viable strategy is when, you either lack proper DPS classes or are mainly defensive in party make-up (ie, warrior, paladin, druid, priest). A second healer adds viability to this, but Life Tap is just as handy when playing more efficiently. Also note that the target the MA is on should be dying MUCH too quickly to get the most out of your DOTs. Notable exception: this tactic has its merits when you end up being the primary damage dealer, mainly because you are higher level than your DPS compatriots and your targets. Using bandages will also keep a nuking warlock going longer, which is especially important for Destruction warlocks, given their chosen tree's emphasis on nuking spells.

* If a mob is going to go down very quickly, DoTs like Curse of Agony just aren't going to cut it. Use DD Spells like Immolate and Shadowbolt on mobs that are going to be downed quickly. Searing Pain also comes into play here, since there's is not harm in taking aggro from a mob which will be down a few seconds later.

Pets

* Make sure your minion is on defensive or passive. Passive is preferable, just in case you break a sheep, or shackle etc.

* Unless your party needs a secondary tank, don't use your Voidwalker. Use a damage dealing minion such as the Imp, Succubus, or Felguard. Imp is often preferred because although the Succubus does more DPS, the Imp isn't far behind, and also provides your party members with an important buff - Blood Pact. Succubus may be requested by your party leader in instances with large numbers of Humanoids, due to its Seduce ability. The Felhunter is more specific, and might be useful in a variety of situations, such as crippling casters (Devour Magic and Spell Lock), detecting stealthed mobs (Paranoia) or mitigating melee damage (Tainted Blood.)

Note -- Due to Master Demonologist, Demonology specced warlocks have additional considerations when selecting pets.

* In a skilled group, the above comment about the Voidwalker is generally true, with one notable exception. The buff gained from using Sacrifice, combined with Power Word: Shield, means you can sustain Rain of Fire or Hellfire for a LOT longer. Most useful against non-elite mobs, and when combined with a mage's AoE.

* In less skilled groups, the Voidwalker can still be very effective as an off-tank. An important thing to realize is that the more off-tanks in the group, the more targets can be hit with with the Warlock's supremely efficient DOTs. This not only leaves you with more mana to play with (compared with "I'm an Evil Mage!", above), but also the additional off-tank means the main healer is spending less time healing the MT, leaving him with more mana to heal you if you do need to Life Tap. The Voidwalker's target becomes an ideal "next" target for the MA, since it has had your DOT on him for some time, and thus will die quickly. You can then decide if the Voidwalker has enough health left to pick a new target off the MT without the main healer healing him, or you can keep him in reserve to take aggro off a caster or to Sacrifice to protect yourself. Certain Demonology talents can improve your Voidwalker's ability to off-tank, and whether or not your Talent spec includes them will determine if you should be using this strategy.

Aggro/Threat Management

* Better me than him! If the other party members are busy, you can use Searing Pain to pull aggro from other casters. Even better if this means the mob has to run 2-3 secs across the battle field, quite possibly back toward the MT.
o It's easier for the priest to heal you than himself.
o You probably have higher Stam bonuses on your gear than other casters, because of Life Tap, meaning you can take more punishment without dying.
o If you have your Void out you can Sacrifice, further extending the time before the MT has to come save you, or before you die.
o Any target which is attacking a Mage has normally suffered fairly heinous damage (or else the mage wouldn't have pulled aggro), and pulling the mob off the mage can allow the two of you to finish the job. With stronger elites, the two of you can continuously exchange aggro, and watch it run back and forth, until dead. Combine with Curse of the Elements for extra fun.
o In very high level instances, your chances of gaining aggro before the caster dies are reduced, so you may well find it necessary to use Fear, but given the risks involved (see below), it is probably only worth doing so in order to save a priest.
* AoE belongs at the end of the fight, not at the beginning. Leave some time for DOTs to do their dirty work, and for Tanks to build threat. If you are Destruction specced, and have a Paladin in the party, the combination of Intensity and Concentration Aura can make your AoE options much, much more mana efficient.
* At level 66, warlocks gain the Soulshatter ability which reduces threat to all mobs in a 50 yard radius.

Crowd Control

* The following are a warlock's crowd control abilities: Fear, Enslave Demon, Howl of Terror, Seduce(succubus), Banish. Sometimes Deathcoil is lumped in here as well, especially in PvP. In PvE, the Voidwalker's AoE taunt Suffering can sometimes be used to engage/distract several mobs if you consider off-taking to be crowd control.

* Be extremely careful with fear. If you decide it's absolutely necessary, keep Curse of Recklessness on hand. This will not remove the fear effect, but will cause the mob to act normally. Replacing the Curse of Recklessness with another curse will make them start running again. You can use this to permanently lock down a mob if you have room to work with. Another thing to note is that the suppression and renewal of the fear effect will cause the mob to change the direction they are running.
o Priest is low on health and is getting pounded on. If you tank isn't getting aggro and you can't kill in time go ahead and fear but try and nuke it while its feared so it will come to you and not priest.
o There is no chance to aggro any adds. The more thorough the group is being clearing the instance, the more opportunities you will have to use Fear.
o Its your only chance of surviving. If you are 100% going to die if you don't fear, do it. A small chance is better then none.

* Learn to look for Demons and Elementals to banish. You may be very surprised what sometimes constitutes a demon in WoW. Check out Sunken Temple for example. One tell-tale sign is that they tend to be immune to curses.

* Though not as reliable as the mages' Polymorph, your pet Succubus' ability to seduce can help occupy a humanoid mob.

* Just about all of a warlock's crowd control abilities are shadow based. On mobs and players with high amounts of shadow resist, Curse of Shadow may aid in helping the spell hit and stick for the entire duration of the spell. Curse of Shadow can also help mages' Polymorph stick better on mobs and players resistant to arcane magic.

Stones

* Create a Soulstone for the healer. That way, should she die and be the only one capable of rezzing, you can bring her back. The Warlock should pay close attention to the timer, and ensure a new Soulstone is placed as soon as the previous one runs out. It is better to Soulstone a Paladin then a Priest if you have one in your party as they usually live longer then the priests.

* When you have more than one warlock in the party, it's not advisable to have all Soulstones active at the same time. It's enough to have one Soulstone "in action" (cast on a healer) and all others "in reserve." This way, after a wipe and a rez, someone can immediately cast a new Soulstone.

* Create Healthstones for your party members. In instances it is easy to use Drain Soul fairly often, so it shouldn't be a problem to keep everyone around supplied with healthstones all the time. Don't forget to tell everyone to ask for a new one, if they used theirs.

Curses

* Curse of Recklessness is a useful spell in crowded instances, as it will stop the normal 'run and get help' reflex of enemies when they reach low health, instead forcing them to fight to the death. This can go a long way toward wipe prevention. Also, each rank of this curse is completely useless, all it does is up the bad effect. Use Rank 1 to reduce the +AP boost the mob receives and to save yourself some mana.
* Whenever you have multiple warlocks, mages, or a shadow priest in your party/raid, Curse of Shadows becomes a very useful spell that contributes to damage of every shadow/arcane spellcaster. It is also notable because it does not interfere with crowd control - when cast on frozen or polymorphed target, it does not break freeze/polymorph. If for some reason you find yourself targeting a sheep, consider quickly putting Curse of Shadows on it before you move on, as this saves you the trouble of applying a curse later when you do get round to killing the target, and it reduces the chances that the mob will resist a refreshing of the Polymorph. Curse of Shadows is also appreciated by Shadow-specced Priests (see Priest talents for more information on the Shadow tree).

Summoning

* The meeting stone has largely replaced the need for a warlock to summon party/raid members to the major instances. However, occasionally, summons are used inside instances to bring latecomers to the party. Also handy when a party member falls off a ledge into lava.

Working with a Warlock

* You will often see a Warlock's health rapidly dropping in the middle of combat. Don't be alarmed, this does not necessarily mean that they are being attacked and in immediate need of healing. It is quite common for Warlocks to use Life Tap spell to convert health to mana if they run out of mana. It is usually not necessary to heal a Warlock unless he/she draws aggro or his health falls below 50%. On the other hand, during long encounters ( more than 2 minutes without resting ), actively spellcasting Warlocks may run out of both health and mana and will depend on healing for continued DPS.

* If a Warlock is scouting using the Eye of Kilrogg (a little floating green ball), watch their body--they can't see or hear what is happening to them because they're off elsewhere. Don't forget that they use it to help you too. Nothing worse than scouting for the group to come back to see they've left you behind and now you're being attacked. This spell doesn't stop once under attack, and the Warlock doesn't hear anything. In essence, the Warlock is only there physically, similar to Hunters using Eyes of the Beast.