Cataclysm Classic Affliction Warlock Spell Summary

Affliction Warlock has a plethora of spells available to them and more than most other classes. Knowing your important spells and when to use them is a crucial part of playing a Warlock. The sections below aim to show you your most important spells by each category and give you a brief example of what each spell does.

As an Affliction Warlock, you will be mainly dealing damage. These are all of your main damaging spells that you will want to focus on using. If you don't see a spell listed, then you will never use it.

• Haunt — This is one of your main spells that you get from the last point in the Affliction talent tree and is vital to playing Affliction. This does slight damage and heals you for that damage done, but most importantly, this spell will buff all your shadow DoT's by 20%(23% if when using Glyph of Haunt
• Bane of Doom — This is one of the two Banes that you will be using and the main one. This lasts 60 seconds and deals damage every 15 seconds and also has a 20% chance to summon an Ebon Imp to fight by your side. You will use this Bane at all times, so long as you can get atleast two ticks of it(30 seconds.)
• Bane of Agony — This is the second of the two Banes that you will be using. This is to be used if the target will not last for more than 30 seconds from your Bane of Doom.
• Corruption — This is your main DoT and to be kept on the boss at all times.
• Unstable Affliction — This is your other main DoT that should be kept up on the boss at all times.
• Drain Soul — This is a channeled spell that does slight damage, but does double the damage if the target is at or below 25%. This becomes your main filler spell once the target is at that threshold.
• Soul Swap — This spell is a talent in the Affliction tree that allows you to transfer all of your DoT's from one target to another. If glyphed with Glyph of Soul Swap then the DoTs will also remain on the previous target.
• Shadow Bolt — This is your main filler spell and to be casted whenever all ofy our DoTs are on the target.
• Incinerate — This is another filler spell that will rarely be used, but should be used if you ever cannot cast Shadow spells.
• Fel Flame — A new ability introduced in Cataclysm. This is an instant cast spell that increases the duration of your Immolate and Unstable Affliction by 6 seconds. This is to be used only when you are forced to move while in combat and you don't need to Life Tap.
• Shadowflame — This ability was significantly buffed in Cataclysm and is now very strong and to be used on cooldown in melee range if at all possible.
• Soul Fire — This is a hard hitting spell can be used to be an instant cast by using Soulburn with it. This is great to use for some extra damage if you know the fight will be short enough that you won't have to Pet Twist.
• Drain Life — This is a channeled spell that does some damage and heals you for the damage done. Great to use when you need some health and the healers are busy or dead.
• Seed of Corruption — This is your main AoE spell and will be used quite frequently. This blows up after a short time, or with damage and once blows up, it does significant amounts of AoE damage. If paired with Soulburn: Seed of Corruption, once it detonates, it applies Corruption to all mobs hit.

Affliction Warlock doesn't have too many personal cooldowns, but the ones you have are some of the biggest cooldowns in the game.

• Demon Soul — A major cooldown that drastically buffs you with a different powerful buff depending on which demon you have out. The only one that matters for you is the Felhunter and whenever you Demon Soul with the Felhunter, you gain 20% increased damage to your shadow DoTs/
• Summon Doomguard — This is a powerful cooldown that summons a massive Doomguard to fight for you for 45 seconds. This does extraordinarily high single-target damage and snapshots all the spell power you have when you summon it and will keep it for the entire duration. This will always attack the target that has Bane of Agony or Bane of Doom on it.
• Summon Infernal — This is a powerful cooldown that summons a massive Infernal to fight for you for 45 seconds. This does extraordinarily high AoE damage and snapshots all the spell power you have when you summon it and will keep it for the entire duration. This will always attack the target that has Bane of Agony or Bane of Doom on it.

In addition to your main spells and cooldowns, you also have many utility spells that can be game changing when used in the proper scenario. Make sure you understand each of the spells listed below to fully take advantage of your entire spellbook.

• Death Coil — This is an instant cast ability that not does damage and heals you for the damage done, but also forces it's target to run around in horror for 3 seconds. This is used frequently on the move simply to help give you some health back.
• Fear — This spell strikes Fear into the enemy, forcing it to run around in fear for 20 seconds. Any damage has a chance to break the fear and you can only have one target feared at a time.
• Howl of Terror — This is an AoE fear, much like Fear, but an AoE version.
• Curse of the Elements — This curses the target for 5 minutes, reducing all magic damage resistances by 184, but most importantly increases the magical damage it takes by 8%. You will always want this debuff up on the boss. luckily other classes share this same debuff and it's rarely a thing you'll have to put up.
• Curse of Weakness — This curses the target, rducing the physical damage it deals by 10%. This is also shared with other classes, so you won't have to use this much.
• Curse of Tongues — This curses the target and forces it to speak Demonic, reducing it's casting time by 30%. Very helpful on some bosses and trash mobs
• Soul Harvest — This is a channeled spell that heals you for 45% of your health and restores all three of your Soul Shards. This will be used frequently as your main way to restore your Soul Shards.
• Life Tap — This spell sacrifices some of your health and turns it into mana.
• Health Funnel — This spell transfers some of your health and gives it to your demon.
• Ritual of Souls — This will put down a soulwell that anyone in your party or raid can click to get a Healthstone. You must have two other people to click the Soulwell to summon it.
• Ritual of Summoning — This will put down a summoning closet that your party or raid can click to summon another party or raid member to you. You must have two other people to click the Summoning Portal to put down the closet.
• Create Soulstone — This creates a Soulstone that you can either put on a party or raid member and when they die, they'll be able to resurrect. Or you can use this item on a dead member and it will battleres them.
• Banish — This spell is a crowd control used to banish the enemy, making it not be able to do anything, including take damage, for 30 seconds. Can only be used on Demons and Elementals.
• Demonic Circle — This spell allows you to put a Demonic Circle on the ground for 8 minutes and you can use Demonic Circle: Teleport to teleport to that spot. This has a 40 yard range and you get a 50% movement speed buff for 8 seconds after if you use Soulburn with it.
• Soulshatter — A spell that reduces your threat by 90% for all enemies within 50 yards. Use this when you're about to pull threat.

There is not many buffs that Warlocks get in Cataclysm, but the ones you do have are pretty important.

• Dark Intent — A major buff added in Cataclysm that you put on another party or raid member. This gives you both 3% Haste. While you or your target are linked, whoever gets a Critical strike on their Damage of Time or Healing over Time ability, the other gains increasedd damage and healing for 7 seconds. You gain 3%, while the target gains 1%, stacking up to three times. This is typically put on a Shadow Priest, Balance Druid, Resto Druid or Survival Hunter to obtain the highest uptime. Other classes like Fire Mage, Elemental Shaman and anyone else with a majority of DoTs and HoTs are great candidates.
• Fel Armor — This spell is a buff you use on yourself that wraps you up in Fel energy and significantly increases your spell power by 638. You will also be healed for 6% of any single target damage you deal.
• Soul Link — This is a personal buff that transfers 25% of the damage you take, and transfers that damage to your Demon. This is buffed by an additional 5% if you're using Glyph of Soul Link
• Unending Breath — This is a buff that you can apply to anyone that grants you 20% increased Swim speed. The target also gains swim speed if using Glyph of Unending Breath.