WotLK Classic Affliction Warlock Spec, Builds, Talents, and Glyphs

Affliction Warlocks do not have too much wiggle room in terms of talents as you need all but two of the points in order to get full value out of your spec. However, you do have a flex point that you can place wherever you choose. I personally choose Intensity. Some people choose to put it in Grim Reach or Intensity.

In this section we will go over some of the key talents you will use when you are playing a Affliction Warlock to better help you understand your most important talents, as they are vital to play the build to its fullest strength.

• Improved Shadow Bolt, Bane, and Ruin

All three of these talents are mandatory in the Affliction tree. These talents will make your Shadow Bolts do much more damage, cast faster, and crit for much harder.

• Improved Corruption

Corruption is an instant cast damage-over-time spell that does very high damage and should be up on the target 100% of the time. This spell is the focal point of the spec with many talents revolving around it. Corruption has the ability to snapshot your current crit percentage and any damage buffs like Earth and Moon, Ebon Plaguebringer, and Curse of the Elements; so long as you naturally let Corruption refresh via Everlasting Affliction, those buffs will remain on the Corruption.

• Everlasting Affliction

This spell causes your Corruption and Unstable Affliction to do more damage. But most importantly allows your Drain Life, Drain Soul, Shadow Bolt, and Haunt to refresh your Corruption. T/p>

• Fel Concentration

This is a very important talent that reduces the pushback suffering from incoming damage while casting Drain Life, Drain Mana, Unstable Affliction, Haunt, and most importantly Drain Soul. This is important because you miss out on a lot of damage from your Drain Soul if you get pushback.

• Suppression

One of the most important talents for all Warlock specs. This gives us Hit, allowing us to not have to use Hit gems or sacrifice better gear for Hit.

• Siphon Life

This is a passive that allows you to heal for 40% of all damage that your Corruption does. This also buffs the damage of your main abilities.

• Contagion

This increases the damage of your main abilities.

• Eradication

This gives you a 6% chance upon every Corruption tick to increase your casting speed by 20% for 10 seconds. This is an amazing buff that procs a ton.

• Death's Embrace

This spell increases the amount drained by Drain Life, but more importantly increases all of your damage done by your Shadow spells by 12% when your target is at or below 35%. This is the only time in the fight aside from the opener where you have to manually apply another Corruption.

• Malediction

This increases your spell damage by 3% and increases the crit chance of your Corruption and Unstable Affliction by 9%.

• Unstable Affliction

This is one of your main DoTs and to be on the boss 100% of the time.

• Pandemic

This allows your Corruption and Unstable Affliction to crit. It is a very important and part of the reason why Affliction does so much damage.

• Haunt

This sends a soul into the target, dealing slight damage and healing you for that same amount. Most importantly, this talent buffs all of your DoTs by 20%. This is to be up on the target 100% of the time.

Glyphs are a new consumable of sorts introduced in Wrath of the Lich King. Glyphs greatly improve certain spells when you learn them, supporting and even enabling some builds. Glyphs are not permanently learned, so you will want to carry multiple glyphs on you so you can change them quickly depending on the raid or boss encounter you are in. Affliction has some really powerful Glyphs that make the gameplay a little more fun.

1. Glyph of Life Tap — Whenever you Life Tap, you gain 20% of your Spirit as Spell Power for 40 seconds. This is very important and you must keep this buff on you at all times.
2. Glyph of Haunt — This adds an additional 3% damage to Haunt
3. Glyph of Quick Decay — This allows your Corruption to be affected by Haste. Corruption itself is not huge damage, but it does give you faster Corruption ticks, which results in more Molten Core procs.

1. Glyph of Drain Soul — This gives you a chance at an additional Soul Shard when you Drain Soul.
2. Glyph of Unending Breath — This gives everyone with your Unending Breath 20% swim speed.
3. Glyph of Souls — This reduces the Mana cost of your Ritual of Souls