TBC Classic Destruction Warlock Guide

On a single-target fight, Destruction pulls ahead of Affliction, but it can fall behind under the right circumstances, most notably when the Destruction Warlock is not in the "Warlock group" in the raid.

If you would like to see where Destruction Warlocks fall in the overall rankings among DPS specs for both PvE and PvP in TBC Classic, we have created pages dedicated to explaining what classes and specializations are the best of the best through multiple factors. However, ultimately, you should not let these lists dissuade you from playing what you enjoy.

Strengths

• Never runs out of Mana due to Life Tap.
• Limited in competition of gear due to craftable gear during Tier 4 and Tier 5.
• Good self-sustain via Drain Life and Siphon Life.
• Tankier than the other ranged DPS.
• Brings utility with Curses, Healthstones, and Soulstones.
• Strong CC when using Fear and Banish.

Weaknesses

• Severe threat issues.
• No movement speed increases to help with moving around.
• Expensive to start gearing due to the high number of craftable pieces required.
• Soul Shards need to be farmed.
• Shadow Destruction needs at least 3 Warlocks to maximize DPS.
• Fire Destruction requires a Fire Mage to maximize DPS.
• Has to hard cast as much as possible.
• Gameplay can be boring due to low-button rotation.

Warlocks can play a handful of different Races, each with their own special Racial abilities that can give you an edge in the PvE scene. Which one you choose is solely up to how much you want to maximize your performance or what you prefer aesthetically.

As Alliance, unfortunately, you will not be able to be the new and mighty Draenei but instead you have two choices to choose from: Human and Gnome. Out of these two choices, Gnome offers not only the better offensive racial ability with Expansive Mind which increases your Intellect by 5%, but also Escape Artist which allows you to escape any immobilization or movement speed reduction effects. Both can be useful while leveling. The Intellect return might not be much at this gear level, but it is better than nothing, along with being able to get out of some cheeky mechanics with Escape Artist.

As Horde, you have three races to choose from: Undead, Orc, or the new Horde race, The Blood Elf. Out of these three options, Orc is the strongest race. Command Buffs your demons' damage by 5%, making your new demon Summon Felguard 5% stronger. Orcs also have Blood Fury, which was reworked in TBC so it now increases your Spell Power(SP) by 143 for 15 seconds on a 2-minute cooldown. It also reduces healing effects on you by 50%. This is very strong and is the reason Orcs are the best pick for PvE. 143 Spell Power is actually a ton of Spell Power to have for free. To put it in perspective, some on-use trinkets at Level 70 give you 150 SP. A flask gives you 80 SP. Be careful with the 50% reduction to oncoming healing, however. Lastly, Orcs have Hardiness, giving them an additional 15% chance to resist stun effects.

Professions are massive for Warlocks, more so than any other class. Tailoring and Enchanting are the two professions that you should be as a Warlock looking to maximize your damage. With the recent changes to Jewelcrafting requiring you to be Jewelcrafting to equip the Jewelcrafting Gems, thus making you no longer able to stockpile the special Jewelcrafting-only Gems, you may wish to opt for it instead. With the continued change to Leatherworking, it will no longer be required by everyone in the Raid and one less thing you need to worry about.

If you would like to learn more about how your profession of choice can be used to supplement your goldmaking, along with a variety of other means to bolster your income, see our full goldmaking guide linked below: