Small guide for demonology warlocks (updated for 3.3.3)

Small guide for demonology warlocks (updated for 3.3.3)

Post 08 Feb 2010 18:40

Avatar Diivil
 
Posts: 201
Update for 3.3.3:

No big changes other than demonic pact duration and it's new CD. I wouldn't drop points from improved demonic tactics though. While it's no longer needed for DP uptime, it's still quite good DPS talent (80-100 DPS / 1 talent point).

Also every time you use something that increases your SP (blood fury, wild magic potion, whatever trinket you might have), make sure the effect lasts until next application of demonic pact.

I have setup my needtoknow to show internal CD of demonic pact like this:

Image

Choose buff/debuff to time: demonic pact
Bar type: internal cooldown
Internal cooldown settings: cooldown duration 20



Most of this stuff is pretty basic but I get asked some of these things 2-5 times a day in IRC and ingame so here you are.

My spec and glyphs are probably the most optimal choices

Spell priority:
Immolate and corruption on target all the time
CoD if the fight is going to last over a minute
Soul fire if decimation is up
Incinerate if molten core is up
Shadowbolt


I don't use CoA and according to simulationcraft with my gear it's a DPS loss during the last 35% anyway. Put it up if you need to move though.


Optimal playing during the execute phase

This is where you can make the most difference. Demo warlocks spend the first 65% of the fight doing bad dps and the last 35% trying to catch up.

Obviously always save your last demon form for the execute phase.
Try to activate your demon form while you have molten core and 4t10 set bonus on.
Activate immolation with 4t10 set bonus on.
Avoid life tapping during 4t10 bonus thoughout the fight (but keep the glyph up).
Don't spend useless globals on demon charge if you don't have to, make your way to melee range without wasting any cast time during life tap/dot globals.
Remember to keep immolate and corruption up. Immolate does more damage per execute time than soul fire (without molten core) and procs 4t10. Corruption buffs your soul fire making it a DPS gain eventhough the damage itself isn't that great.
Remember to keep imp. shadowbolt debuff on target if you are the only one providing it.


Other small things
Macro demonic empowerment to your other spells so you use it on every cooldown.
Try to make sure your life tap glyph buff and mana last the whole duration of demon form.
Use seed of corruption instead of rain of fire.



Gearing

Get to hit cap, 14% with misery / imp faerie fire (that you should have) and without a draenei in your group.
Any item without hit should contain spirit (except tier pieces and boots. ToC25hc spirit boots are quite good, probably only lose to ICC25hc boots). This is simply because you are there to buff the raid, even if you are going to have to pick up items that are not the best for your personal DPS, they still buff the raid enough through demonic pact to be really good.
Spell damage and spirit are the most important stats bacause of demonic pact. Haste is clearly better than crit if you play with a decent latency.
Best in slot item list can be found at EJ.


Addons I use:
Dotimer for dots
Need to know for buff tracking (life tap, molten core, decimation, 4t10)

Bartender, Grid, Mik's scrolling battletext, Shadowed Unitframes, Omnicc, Omen, Quartz, Ora2, Rangedisplay, Tidyplates + Tidyplates: cleanplates



Best resource for you is http://elitistjerks.com/f80/ , if you want to do good DPS, go to that site and read.
Last edited by Diivil on 28 Mar 2010 12:58, edited 4 times in total.

Re: Small guide for demonology warlocks (for 3.3.2)

Post 12 Feb 2010 23:10

Avatar Sendøh
 
Posts: 1
Hello thank you so much for this guide .
But what stone you use on demonology ?

( sorry i don't speak very well english) :)

Gratz for Putricid 25 Hm and Good luck for Lichking.

Re: Small guide for demonology warlocks (for 3.3.2)

Post 13 Feb 2010 01:09

Avatar Diivil
 
Posts: 201
Sendøh wrote:But what stone you use on demonology ?


Spellstone.

Re: Small guide for demonology warlocks (for 3.3.2)

Post 13 Feb 2010 02:06

Avatar bobbybanan
 
Posts: 2
Could you by any chance upload your UI or a screenshot of your UI? Would be greatly appreciated.

Re: Small guide for demonology warlocks (for 3.3.2)

Post 13 Feb 2010 22:22

Avatar Diivil
 
Posts: 201
bobbybanan wrote:Could you by any chance upload your UI or a screenshot of your UI? Would be greatly appreciated.


I have made some changes to my UI and haven't taken a proper screenshot yet from a raid situtation. I'll try to get one later from our 10 mans or something.

But a good UI is:
-As non-obstructive as possible so you can see what's happening.
-Provides all information you are going to need and where you can see it easily from.
-Doesn't provide any useless information that might hinder your gameplay (lose your focus on the important stuff, even if for half a second).
-As light as possible if you are not running a high end computer. I did small tweaks to my 3d card configs + addons and my FPS in raids went from 10-14 to 30-35.


Biggest offenders to the above points usually are:
-Having your scrolling combat text report every minor thing in the middle of your screen. You don't need to know how much mana spring gives your mana or how much that vampiric embrace heals you. Absolutely useless, set health gained and lost threasholds to couple of thousand the very least.
-Heavy and badly configured addons. Pitbull3 seems to be horrible, use AGUF or shadowed unitframes instead. By default Aloft will store information about EVERY player you see, see data collection and prune that database (set collecttion to off too).
-LUA errors are your worst enemy. Make sure you never have multiple of them firing because they will simply destroy your FPS.

Re: Small guide for demonology warlocks (for 3.3.2)

Post 14 Feb 2010 12:42

Avatar bobbybanan
 
Posts: 2
As light as possible if you are not running a high end computer. I did small tweaks to my 3d card configs + addons and my FPS in raids went from 10-14 to 30-35.


What kind of tweaks? my fps is kinda low aswell, atleast on bosses where it's happening alot like festergut and blood princes.

Any fps increase tips would be lovely.

Re: Small guide for demonology warlocks (for 3.3.2)

Post 14 Feb 2010 15:49

Avatar lotian
 
Posts: 2
Hello, thank you for your guide.
But i have a question for you, in this time what is the better speciality for dps in raid ? Warlock demonology or affliction ?
And what trinket are the most good for this ?
A trinket with speel power ? or hâte with a proc ?
Sorry but i am french so i am not sure that my english level is good ...
Thanks

Re: Small guide for demonology warlocks (for 3.3.2)

Post 14 Feb 2010 20:15

Avatar Diivil
 
Posts: 201
bobbybanan wrote:What kind of tweaks? my fps is kinda low aswell, atleast on bosses where it's happening alot like festergut and blood princes.

Any fps increase tips would be lovely.


Run the game in fullscreen.
If you have 2 monitors hooked up, disable the other one while you raid.
Put all settings to performance from your video card driver configs.
Put all effects to low from WoW's video options (leave projected textures on, that's very important in raids).
UNcheck reduce input lag (this is a big one).
Reboot before raid.


lotian wrote:Hello, thank you for your guide.
But i have a question for you, in this time what is the better speciality for dps in raid ? Warlock demonology or affliction ?
And what trinket are the most good for this ?
A trinket with speel power ? or hâte with a proc ?
Sorry but i am french so i am not sure that my english level is good ...
Thanks


Affliction should theorically be better DPS but it's also harder to play well.
Dislodged foreign object ( http://www.wowhead.com/?item=50348 ) is the best trinket for any spec.

Muradin's spyglass ( http://www.wowhead.com/?item=50345 ) is very good second trinket for demo and easier to get than any 25 man trinket so go with that.

Re: Small guide for demonology warlocks (for 3.3.2)

Post 14 Feb 2010 21:36

Avatar lotian
 
Posts: 2
okay thanks you for these informations but i have a last questions.
I have 1k127 hâte unbuff and i want know if i have too many or not ?
Because you are on 720.

Re: Small guide for demonology warlocks (for 3.3.2)

Post 14 Feb 2010 21:49

Avatar Lucena
 
Posts: 1
thank for the guide and good luck for arthas ;)