WotLK Classic Affliction Warlock Gear and Best in Slot

The items in the list below are considered to be best in slot for Affliction Warlocks in Phase 4 & 5 / Tier 10. Many of the items in this list will drop from Hardmodes in Icecrown Citadel 25-man, some from Trial of the Crusader 10/25-man Hardmodes (HM) and two items from Ruby Sanctum.

Most, if not all, of this gear will be highly contested by other casters in your raid. This goes especially for the Heroic version (item level 277) of the Tier 10 set, which we share with Paladins and Priests. Expect the first 4 set to go to Paladin tanks before Affliction.

As for the Tier 10 set bonuses. The 2 set increases the damage of your Corruption and Shadow Bolt by 10%. This is very good and you should be trying to get this as soon as possible. The 4 set is amazing. Each time your Unstable Affliction deals DoT damage, you have a 15% chance to gain 10% damage done by you and your pet by 10 seconds. This proc is called Devious Minds and also can be used to snapshot into your Corruption. You will be wanting to get your 4 set as fast as you can. The best options for your four pieces of Tier 9 are the Hood, Shoulderpads, Gloves and Chest.

The Tier 10 set has a 251, a 264 and a 277 item level version. Due to the strength of the 4 set, it is highly recommended to just use the any item level version of it until you get the tokens for 277 item level.

Both Alliance and Horde have the same Best in Slot set besides Horde uses the bracers The Lady's Brittle Bracers, while Alliance uses Ether-Soaked Bracers.

The items in the list below are considered to be best in slot for Affliction Warlocks in Phase 3 / Tier 9. Many of the items in this list will drop from Hardmodes in Trial of the Crusader 25-man, some from Ulduar 10/25-man Hardmodes (HM) and the Wand that previously dropped from Freya in Ulduar 10 can now be bought from the new currency Sidereal Essence from Titan Rune Hardmode Dungeons.

Most, if not all, of this gear will be highly contested by other casters in your raid. This goes especially for the Heroic version (item level 258) of the Tier 9 set, which we share with Paladins and Priests. Expect the first 4 set to go to Paladin tanks before Affliction. Not only that, but only 4 hardmode tier tokens drop PER RAID LOCKOUT, and they will be rolled at random between every class.

As for the Tier 9 set bonuses. The 2 set increases your pets Critical Strike chance with all it’s attacks by 10%, which is nothing too crazy. The 4 set however increases the damage done by your Corruption and Unstable Affliction by 10%. This is a solid boost of damage to your main two damage over time abilities, plus there are a bunch of much needed stats on each of the four pieces of Tier 9, meaning you’ll be wanting to get your 4 set as fast as you can. The best options for your four pieces of Tier 9 are the Hood, Shoulderpads, Gloves and Leggings.

The Tier 9 set has a 232, a 245 and a 258 item level version. Due to the strength of the 4 set, it is highly recommended to just use the 245 item level version of it until you get the tokens for 258 item level.

There is a few pieces of BiS gear from Phase 2 that remain BiS in Phase 3 and can be obtained in Ulduar. While there might be newer drops in Trial of the Crusader, they do not surpass the stats, damage and sims from the previous pieces.

The items in the list below are considered to be best in slot for Affliction Warlocks in Phase 2 / Tier 8. This is just to catch anyone up who might be starting out late or just recently started an alt and trying to get your Warlock caught up on gear. This is a good midway point and if you can obtain some of this, then you should have no problem doing some very good in damage in phase 3 while waiting to obtain your phase 3 best in slot.

The items on the following list for Tier 8 come from WotLK Ulduar. The Tier 8 armor is sold by Paldesse in Dalaran for tokens from Ulduar. The abbreviation HM refers to the Hardmode of an encounter. Make sure to use two Purified Twilight Opals in a Blue Socket or a Red Socket in order to activate your Chaotic Skyflare Diamond Meta Gem. How to get the Runed Stormjewel is explained in more detail in the Gems section of the Affliction Warlock PvE Enchants page. Please note that the value of Runed Scarlet Ruby and Reckless Monarch Topaz can be very close.

The items on the following list for Tier 7 come from WotLK Raids and Emblem of Valor-Vendors Harold Winston, Arcanist Adurin (Alliance), and Magister Brasael (Horde) in Dalaran. Make sure to use two Purified Twilight Opals in a Blue Socket or a Red Socket in order to activate your Chaotic Skyflare Diamond Meta Gem.