Soul Link - Ease My Confusion

[Omniclenser]

So I'm a relatively new warlock to start.

I've been alternating in between sacrificial pact and dark bargain for awhile now never really taking much of a look at soul link until just recently. From everything I've been reading, it's much better than Pact and Bargain if the flow of damage you're taking is steady versus something that can be timed (Dire Call Horridon).

What I don't understand is what the heck does it do? Activating the ability I effectively have about 690k hp versus 820k hp from pact. Besides the CD difference, I still like pact a lot. Also, I've read that soul link is almost required for heroic animus? What's with that?

Someone please explain to me why this ability is so good! (?)

Thanks

[topapagaramonde]

In a nutshell, it makes you share your HP with your pet (damage and healing wise). It works well as long as the only damage your pet is taking is AoE (since he takes very little of that thx to their passive), it is better than sac pact in most cases since there is no CD and it is always active. It also double dips with soul leech this way since you and your pet will have their own shields for the divided damage to eat through.

That being said, there is a downside to this spell, if your pet takes single target damage, you are taking 50% of that. I died mysteriously to Megaera fight a few times before I realized that after rampage, if the tanks took even a second longer to reach the boss, he would turn around and start hitting my pet. Sac pact worked out very well on Megaera anyways since I could pop it during every rampage.

Hope this helped.

[Hexotic]

To add to that, you can look at it as extending your hp by that of your demon. So when you take a 100k hit, you take about 70 k damage and your pet takes about 30k. This is an amazing talent for soloing rares and killing stuff in the world, but in a raid its a double edged sword as mentioned above, however, still very effective.

[Werst]

So I'm a relatively new warlock to start.

I've been alternating in between sacrificial pact and dark bargain for awhile now never really taking much of a look at soul link until just recently. From everything I've been reading, it's much better than Pact and Bargain if the flow of damage you're taking is steady versus something that can be timed (Dire Call Horridon).

What I don't understand is what the heck does it do? Activating the ability I effectively have about 690k hp versus 820k hp from pact. Besides the CD difference, I still like pact a lot. Also, I've read that soul link is almost required for heroic animus? What's with that?

Someone please explain to me why this ability is so good! (?)

Thanks

On animus, at least heroic, soul link makes taking matter swaps far safer than any other class. It also helps you tank one add while your pet (typically a voidlord w' glyph) tanks another small add. If you have 2+ locks doing most of the matter swaps it makes healers lives easier and dispels on matter swap alot more idiot proof. That is due to swap looking at your HP on your toon not the buffer including your demon.

As long as the fight mechanic ignores pets (which most do), soul link is pretty safe, just be careful out of raids/pvp/anywhere your pet takes direct damage as you will too. If you are good about using your sac pact or DB at the right moment they are stronger but if you tend to die with 3x healthstone charges and an unused defensive soul link may be a better option. There are a couple places you can't use it. Say...heroic Lei Shen for example. You need DB and stacking UR right at the end if you are going to survive a static shock solo. Most of it is just picking what serves you best. Not uncommon at all to swap a couple times over the course of a full clear.

[Omniclenser]

One thing that puzzles me is the healing aspect. Am I still receiving full heals or are they split like damage is? I think I'm starting to understand I just don't know why I'm so hung up on the healing aspect of it.

[Hexotic]

healing is the same as damage. If someone heals you for 100k, and you and your demon are both missing health, you will split the heal.

Think of your hp as a combined pool of 100%. if you and your demon put together have 500k hp, and you get healed for 100k, the overall 500k hp will get the 100k heal, however you will see it as you getting healed for like 70k, and your demon for the other 30k. Basically consider the demon an extension of your soul (thus the name soul link)

[Twilight Cultist]

healing is the same as damage. If someone heals you for 100k, and you and your demon are both missing health, you will split the heal.

Think of your hp as a combined pool of 100%. if you and your demon put together have 500k hp, and you get healed for 100k, the overall 500k hp will get the 100k heal, however you will see it as you getting healed for like 70k, and your demon for the other 30k. Basically consider the demon an extension of your soul (thus the name soul link)

That pretty much sums it up. Perfect explanation.

[Hexotic]

To add to that, sac soul link provides much more room for the soul leech shield.

[Omniclenser]

That actually makes a lot of sense, thinking about it in an 'overall' sense. Sounds like soul link would be worth while on heroic durumu as well.

I appreciate the help.

[Chrispotter]

Throne of thunder heroic:
boss 1- I take Sac pact to use during storm incase i derp and get hit by lightning
boss 2- Sac Pact to use during last phase
Boss 3- Sac Pact/Dark Bargain to use if you get the frost king debuff and you are not splitting damage with others.
Boss 4 - Soul Link (Great even if you are not using a pet, infact, probably even better!)
Boss 5 - Sac Pact - use if you are in a sticky situation
boss 6 - Sac Pact
Boss 7 - sac pact
Boss 8 - Sac pact
boss 9 - Soul Link (Matter Swaps, voidlord tanking adds)
Boss 10 - Sac Pact in last phase/during wind
Boss 11 - Sac Pact during meteor/whenever is needed
Boss 12 - Dark Bargain (Solo Soaking Static Shocks, surviving Whips in p3)
Boss 13 - Dark Bargain (Solo soaking the adds in p2)

by default I go Sacrificial pact, then i see if there is any benefit to taking soul link or to taking dark bargain. Its a fairly even spread.