Waiting for WoD Warlock Style - Beta Week 1

[Zagam 1,982]

Each week of the Beta, I'm going to do something fun for us Warlocks to enjoy in anticipation of Warlords of Draenor.  There will be 20 competitions assuming Beta lasts at least 20 weeks.  The winner with the most points will receive a 3 month WoW gametime card from yours truly, me. 

 

1st place - 3 points

2nd place - 2 points

3rd place - 1 point

 

First week - Talent Tree Competition. 

 

What you'll do is create a talent tree using the Wrath of the Lich King talent trees with CURRENT spell models in mind.  Your job is to create the most overpowered spec with all current models in mind. 

 

Link: http://wotlk.openwow.com/talent#I

 

There is no requirement, but a Destruction based talent tree without Chaos Bolt won't win any competitions. 

 

Link your talent tree with pros and cons of each.  On Thursday, I'll create a poll with the top 5 picked by me. 

 

Good luck!

[Zagam 1,982]

Example entry

 

http://wotlk.openwow.com/talent#IcZcG0houZEb0qMcuVsVbct

 

3/16/52 Destruction Warlock

 

Pros

1. 3% increased hit chance from Affliction tree = 1020 free rating points to put into Mastery, Haste or Crit

2. Demonic Embrace (10% Stam), Fel Synergy, Soul Link, Demonic Aegis, and Fel Vitality from Demo tree make you almost immortal

3. 1/5 Unholy Power and 3/3 Improved Imp from Demo tree make your Imp 34% stronger

4. Improved Shadow Bolt + Bane make Shadow Bolt filler (or assume it affects Incinerate) removing need for Haste allowing more Crit and Mastery.

5. 5/5 Ruin buffs Chaos Bolt 100% as well as crit damage bonus of Imp.

6. Devastation buffs crit of everything by 5% which means Chaos Bolt is buffed another 5%.

7. 5/5 Emberstorm = 15% flat damage bonus.

8. 3/3 Soul Leech + 2/2 Improved Soul Leech = unreal HP regeneration as well as Replenishment.

9. 3/3 Empowered Imp = 30% more Imp damage as well as crits generating 100% crit rate for you for 8 seconds (aka, 100% more buffed Chaos Bolt).

10. Fire and Brimstone buffs Incinerate and Chaos Bolt another 10%.

 

Cons

Nothing lives long enough for you to work out a rotation.

[Twinkielock 15]

http://wotlk.openwow.com/talent#IcZ0G0hZEf0qMcuAsAcot

 

Improved Shadowbolt Since Shadowbolt is not in this tree, honestly picked it as a placeholder.   Though if it was in the game, the increased crit chance would be really nice.

 

Bane - .5 seconds less on Chaos Bolt?  Yes please.

 

Aftermath - More powerful dots, and a stun?  Sign me up!

 

Molten Skin - Reduce all damage by 6%.  I love passive defensive skills.  Healers will like me.  

 

Shadowburn - I'll use it in execute range, or when I'm on the move.

 

Ruin - Double my Chaosbolts?   Can you say 8 MILLION club?  

 

Destructive Reach - I'll let the lesser casters (mages) stand close to the boss

 

Backlash - Another passive.  More crit please!

 

Improved Immolate - MORE DOTS!

 

Devastation 5% more crit damage?   Did I say 8M club?

 

Nether Protection - more passive defense?   Did I say healers will like me?  I meant love me.  

 

Emberstorm - More fire damage?  Too bad Chaosbolt is shadow.  Still very nice. 

 

Conflagrate - meh.  Nothing better to spend points on.  Good instant

 

Soul leach - Passive healing?  Did I say healers will love me?  I meant they will sleep with me!

 

Pyroclasm - Maybe I can hit the 9M club?

 

Shadow and Flame - All the +% damage is making my head explode.   10M maybe?

 

Backdraft - Even faster chaos bolts?  Sign me up!

 

Shadowfury For when the mages and hunters fail to CC something.  

 

Fire and Brimestone - Keep Immolate up, just might hit 10M Chaos bolts.   Screw you stat squish!

 

Chaosbolt - When you absolutely, positively want to see 10M on your screen?  Accept no substitutes.

 

Affliction tree

 

Suppression - 3% less hit?  More room for Mastery!  Sign me up!

 

Demon tree

 

Demonic Embrace - 10% more HP.  I really don't like hitting active defensive spells more HP = i live longer

 

Improved healthstone - a bigger heal?  sure

 

Fel Vitality 3% more max health?  Yeah I'll be approaching the tanks in HP. 

[Liquidsteel 279]

http://wotlk.openwow.com/talent#IcZcGchoA0ihsguAoE00o

 

I went for something different and built a Demonology spec. I don't think it's as powerful as current Destro would be with wrath talents, but alas I'll list some reasoning behind choices.

 

Single target wise, I think it would wreck Destruction. Current Demonology is a powerhouse on single target, most people just haven't seen it in action.

 

1) 3 points in suppression for the free hit rating. No brainer.

 

2) 5 in imp. shadowbolt as filler, but Demo uses shadowbolt so it is useful.

 

3) 5 in imp bane means soul fire (under molten core) becomes instant cast!!!

 

4) Lower tier of Demo tree is just general buffing of you and your Demon so no real explanation needed.

 

5) Molten Core gets interesting. Now also has a 12% chance to proc from Corruption. Swimming in instant soul fires at the moment. Also increases damage of Soul Fire by 18%, plus crit chance by 15%. I guess that crit chance just translates to even more damage. Soul Fire now hits like a truck, is instant, and we'll have a near endless supply of them.

 

Most of the Demonology tree is passive buffs, but if you read through the old tooltips, there's a pretty decent amount of them.

 

In this build, our Soul Fire will be an absolute beast, and we'll have MC procs galore. It will also be instant.

 

I did toy with placing my last point into Shadowburn for fun, but assumed you'd discard this as it isn't an actual spell in current Demo's spell book. Still, can you imagine Meta Shadowburn crits? Yum.

 

Edit: Should add, with current tier sets we'd likely see an insanely high uptime on the 2pc due to constant barrage of soul fire's we'll be throwing out.

Edited June 30, 2014 by Liquidsteel

[Zagam 1,982]

I actually would allow Shadowburn in your Demo build.  The idea is to take current spells and class design and ENHANCE with old talents.  Everything talent wise would be considered a buff you don't have currently. 

[Liquidsteel 279]

Then it shall be included!

[Zagam 1,982]

Only one more day to sumbit your builds!  Will make poll tomorrow and votes over the weekend.  Winners and Week 2 contest announced on Monday.

[Orthios 271]

Well, haven't seen an affliction build yet, and with kill times only getting shorter, empowered dots get even better.

 

Build http://wotlk.openwow.com/talent#Ifxrb0rAoiAoIktfh0ho

 

Pros:

1. 3% hit -> 1020 mastery or haste, and 9% less mana cost (less need to life tap = greater survivablilty)

2. Improved Corruption / (Curse of) Agony - 10% more damage for each

3. Drain soul gives 15% mana if your target dies while channeling, plus is 18% more effective

4. Life Tap gives 20% more mana, less life taps = more survivability

5. Grim reach for a bit more range

6. Empowered Corruption - Increases corruptions damage by 36% of your SP

7. Haunt causes your dots to deal 5% per stack of Shadow Embrace MORE damage

8. Siphon life increases UA, corruption, and seed of corruption damage by 5%

9. Eradication - 6% chance of corruption ticks to gain 20% haste

10. Contagion - Another 5% damage buff to corruption, Agony, and seed of corruption

11. Malediction - 3% damage boost and 9% crit boost to corruption and UA

12. Pandemic - Haunt now crits for 300% damage

13. Deaths Embrace - anything with less than 35% health takes 12% more shadow damage

14. Corruption and UA gain another 5% damage boost and corruption is reset by drain soul, drain life and haunt

15. Dark pact in case you need another source of mana

16. From demo tree: Soul link (20% of damage goes to pet), 10% more stamina, 20% better healthstones, and a more effective imp.  

 

Cons:

Mostly the same cons as what plague affliction now, bad snapshotting is bad and long kill times make your empowered dots less effective.  

Edited July 4, 2014 by Orthios

[Twinkielock 15]

Slow day at work.   Where is part 2?   :)

[Zagam 1,982]

Lots of personal things going on in life.  Future mother-in-law having some health problems and the 4th of July put me behind.  I'll get us caught up quickly.

[Zagam 1,982]

Awarding Twinkie, Liquid, and Orthos 3 points each as you all tied for 1st.  Sorry for delay in all of this crap - lots of stuff going on. 

 

Winners Week 1

1st - Twinkie, Liquid, Orthos