Your favorite warlock spec ever (and why? (optional))

[Beet]

SM/Ruin Baby!!

I have loved Demo since Demon form was introduced. I have hated affliction since Maelific Grasp was introduced.

Demo has the more interesting toolkit (RIP CSwarm) and game play for me. If Demo had Shadowburn and Embertap, I'd probably never change specs!

Oh my.. Yes this. SM/Ruin and Sl/Sl were two of the best times I've ever had with the Warlock class. Oh man good memories.

It's funny, they claim that vanilla, tbc, etc talent trees sucked because there was no choice. Yet I remember many many choices of specs during those years. It led to some very creative things. Even for high end raiding, we could spec what we wanted pretty much. I remember I was playing a Mortal Strike PVP spec Warrior all thru AQ40 for example.

[Deleted]

Destruction back in vanilla was such a fun spec, both for pve, but especially in world pvp and those long AV battles, conflagrate was a beast back then.

[Koloss]

For me

1. WotLK Demo PvE: I felt i'm boostig the raid as i stacked spell power with trinket procs too, which boosted healers and spell damage dealers, also 60k soul fire crits at that time. I liked also the variances, like not talenting Metamorphosis for 5% crit on Dest tree, and the half Demo half Dest talent.
2. MoP Demo PvE/PvP: I really liked the changes and later green fire on demo. MoP pre-nerf Demo PvP: Yeah nerf was needed, but it was so good i felt so powerful, debuffing enemies knocking them back when i want, Chaos Wave burst.
3. Cata Affli PvP: Along another Dotter i really felt building up pressure on the enemy, not just bursting them to hell.
4. Cata Destro PvE: It's rotation was very fast for me after Demoing much, you had to pay attention all the time.
5. Cata Demo PvE: Especially in DS, with Lengendary wep Mastery procing trinkets and Shadow bolt volley via Cunning of the Cruel or what, timing everything well on Spine of Deathwing and such things.

[Deleted]

Loved all 3 cata specs, it's got a bit too dumbed down now :<

[Zinnin]

MoP Demonology
Cata Drain Life Affliction w/ Improved Soul Fire -> Demo once that was nerfed
WotLK Affliction
BC Felguard

.....Looking at this list makes me think I just hate myself :P

[Sylar Hao]

MoP Destro with 5.0 Soul Link. I loved so much that Soul Link version, specially for solo'ing purposes...

I've always been Destro, and I'll admit that cata destro had a complexity that was both attracting and awful at the same time but worked nice. However, MoP Destro is just perfection for me, only thing I miss is a proc or something else to cast, specially at low crit ratings where spamming incinerates can be a bit tedious.

[Underscore]

Affliction in starting WOTLK.

UA
Corruption
Agony
Syphon Life
Immolate
Haunt
Shadow Bolt

Hard to master, epic when well executed!

[Crisius]

Demonology in throne of thunder, by a mile. Insanely high damage output with the right gear, niches for most fights. Really rewarding if you played well, could easily distinguish between seasoned and inexperienced demonology players. I also liked destro in the end of DS.

[bio347]

I maintain an intense fondness for my 7/21/21+2 (that is, DS/Ruin) spec from Classic. Never really was a fan of the more popular SM/Ruin and MD/Ruin specs, myself. Used to solo farm the mana elementals in DM West from the Library to make cash from their drops. Did the doomguard quest solo with it, too. Good times, good times.

WotLK Destruction is probably second in memory, as I was experimenting more and more with alts during the end of BC/early Naxx raiding, and it's what drew me back to the class. Early BC Affliction gets an honourable mention for being entirely playable to good results in Karazhan in the ~800ms lag my university internet induced.

[striderZA]

MoP destruction is really enjoyable.

I also liked Demonology in Cata, although it is much better now.

[Aruhen]

Demonology ever since ICC has been the most fun in my eyes. MoP Destruction is second with MoP Affliction being the most boring.

[Scott2436]

Aff during Cata was really as good as it gets

[Faenskap]

SL/SL in TBC. I loved how mobile and tanky it was in PvP.

Oh god I remember it too, but not fondly

I started playing lock in MoP, I tried to lvl some before that, but it was difficult with their million dots, curses, shadow bolts, ... well, too much things and a pet as well.

And since Ive only played this expansion, my favorites are GoSac Destro which has been the spec I've played the most and Demo. I didnt even play demo in the OP patches, but I still think its so much fun!

Affli is bleeeeeeeeh, completely unappealing.

My reactions to
Affli: :'( :'(
Demo:

I think I was able to finally get myself to play lock when I first had someone inspirational to look up to as well as not needing a pet (I don't play hunter either)

[Sefio]

Destro is way too boring for me, so Demo and Affliction for sure

[jbadam01]

mine is destro and aff, ofc destro cuz more burst, although if aff was viable and could compete with destro would probably play it

[gry]

TBC Destro with Shadowbolts.. I hated it when fire got popular.. More than 2 buttons? Nah nah nah!

[Soulzar]

Oh my.. Yes this. SM/Ruin and Sl/Sl were two of the best times I've ever had with the Warlock class. Oh man good memories.

It's funny, they claim that vanilla, tbc, etc talent trees sucked because there was no choice. Yet I remember many many choices of specs during those years. It led to some very creative things. Even for high end raiding, we could spec what we wanted pretty much. I remember I was playing a Mortal Strike PVP spec Warrior all thru AQ40 for example.

yep, the Hybrid tree specs were some of the most fun. "UA is better than Ruin" ....but RUIN!!!

- - - Updated - - -

I maintain an intense fondness for my 7/21/21+2 (that is, DS/Ruin) spec from Classic. Never really was a fan of the more popular SM/Ruin and MD/Ruin specs, myself. Used to solo farm the mana elementals in DM West from the Library to make cash from their drops. Did the doomguard quest solo with it, too. Good times, good times.

All those Hybrid specs before the Specialization came into play were fun.

[deviantcultist]

My favorite Warlock spec is Shadow(Priest). Pun intended.

[Jaen]

My first warlock was destro since BC, and still is. Any lock I've rolled since kinda winds up as destro. I have a demo offspec but I never use it.

[Stefanus]

Wotlk affli (in the beginning) where you could apply 5 dots at the same time (UA, corruption, curse of agony, immolate and siphon life), 6 if you count haunt in there with drain life as a filler.
Second best will be cata affli as well where you used drain life as a filler (I would really like to see malefic grasp removed just to see drain life being used as a main filler spell again...).
SL/SL was the strongest and easiest spec to play though, but it wasn't as fun as previous two.
And overall warlocks were in the best shape in wotlk with both affli and desto spec viable, competitive and fun to play.