Warlock Leveling Guide

[gherkin]

Watch the timer and your HP.

If you are barely keeping up with the amount of damage coming in, do not use nightfall. If you are slowly gaining HP, use it.

[rfarris]

Thank you. The reason I was confused was because our standing orders, below level 30, don't include Shadow Bolt. But I keep getting notification of Nightfall.

On another front, I've run SFK 5 times this week, hoping to get http://www.wowhead.com/?item=6324 Robes of Arugal (SP +12!). Instead I've gotten his belt 4 times. Maybe next time.

[gherkin]

http://www.wowhead.com/?item=2234
11 sp, BOE green that you can farm yourself.

Or if you're horde:
http://www.wowhead.com/?item=2231
19 spell power, quest reward from Tarren Mill.

[rfarris]

Or if you're horde:
http://www.wowhead.com/?item=2231
19 spell power, quest reward from Tarren Mill.

Awesome. Yes, I'm horde -- Farloc@Echo Isles -- it would be tough to do by myself at lvl 25, but I have friends. lol

Next question. The last 5 (before lvl 30) talent points all go into Bane. But we don't use Shadow Bolt. What's the point? No better place to put the points before the big re-spec at 30?

You're the man, Salty Gherkin.

[gherkin]

Basically, yeah. You could argue that a 5% boost to Corruption would be suitable, but I would say that .5s off Immolate is better. Less stopping to cast it. And since this guide is suited more towards rerolls and people without heirloom gear, they won't have the spell power to justify not using Immolate.

[MestHoop]

I actually went the first 2 points in fel synergy, and then in bane right away.
Might sound weird but at first your heirloom's spellpower gain isn't that high, so untalented VW does fine.
For me my void JUST was able to get stuff off me with 1 torment (VW micro keeping almost all mobs on him while he's moving ) so for me it sped up the damaging process

[rfarris]

Or if you're horde:
http://www.wowhead.com/?item=2231
19 spell power, quest reward from Tarren Mill.

Ok, I picked up the Infernal Robe and put the +6 stats to chest on it. That makes it considerably better than the Nightwalker Armor or the Robes of Arugal for a lvl 2x toon. And it's very sylish. lol

Now my spell power is +70 at lvl 27 with no BoAs. Lemme see, another 30 SP in the next 5 levels...

[Xenophane]

My first post here, been reading these forums for ages now, but I'm the silent type.

I must say this is a great guide and suggest that anyone with some game experience that is leveling an alt uses it. I have played warlock for more than 2 years, and during the time read many posts and other information regarding the class. All you need to know about leveling a lock is right there.

Well, another good post by gherkin.

[Ralts]

I went for a slightly different route myself and TBH I prefer affliction all the way.

My warlock started as a kind of hobby, like "I need a scribe and I don't feel like going heroics". I got the full set of heirlooms enchanted as I leveled a resto druid and spriest with them before I started lock. They give you a freedom to do anything in the beginning, because a staff with 30 extra SP is just that powerful.

My leveling spans through a longer period of time when Fel Synergy did not yet exist. I got a free talent reset somewhere like lvl 23 and got it 2/2. Then straight to affliction and when I got Haunt, back to demonology for Soul link (and maybe improved armors). This is where I am now, at lvl 71. I used glyph of corruption for a while in the lower levels, so no Nightfall talent then and now my dots are more than enough and better let them tick all the way. Improved Life Tap was never needed, two trinkets give me 4% of my mana and drain soul 15%, which was more mana than I needed to cast CoA, Corruption and DS.

I run with VW. Usually it tries to tank one dotted target while I tank another. I've soloed pretty much everything except for few group quests when my friend was bored and came to help me out. 2/3 Nagrand mastery quests fairly easily soloed, the bird had the flock of aggressive birds around it so I didn't bother to try and with the elekk I again had a bored friend with me. They can be soloed even as elemental shaman without shield like I did on mine who soloed all four.

Besides, I don't find elite quests that good a reason to spec into some given spec. My 6th char in Outland (7th if you count a DK) and I only quested through HFP, Zangarmarsh and half of Nagrand. Basically you can just skip group quests as there are many, many other quests to complete or you can just keep them in your QL waiting for somebody to ask in /1 if there's anybody else doing them.

For the shopping lists my 2 cents would be: "don't". Basically, if you're leveling an alt, go use your emblems for shoulders (or/and chest for that matter) and staff. If you run many heroics, also get the trinkets, they are amazing. Only enchant the staff if you can get it for free (I farmed mats myself and had a friend with the recipe). And if warlock is your first char, it's only more reasons not to spend silly amounts of gold on easily replaceable gear. Get instead the 32-slot Soul bag which can sometimes be found amazingly cheap in the AH (it's one of the cheapest (lol) ways to level tailoring in one point and only has limited demand, thus price sinks). Dot dot DS AFK and you won't even need a wand and with Improved DS, also full mana. Off to next mob!

[rfarris]

Ok, I made it. Gherkin said make 100 +SP by level 32 and I'm at 107 at lvl 31. I did invest in the BoA shoulders, although they really aren't key. At level 31 they only provide 9 SP. The two key items were Inferno Robes (+18) a quest reward that were hard to complete at lvl 27 and Holy Shroud (+18) that I found in the AH.

Even before the Holy Shroud, after converting to Aff at 30 I was very strong. Because I'm leveling by doing quests I don't often get to fight lots of mobs at once, but in 1000 Needles I was mowing down the Centaurs, and once I got to the quest where you gather some Hippogryph eggs and then do an escort quest, I felt invulnerable.

The staff would be nice... lol

[jijo233]

Thanks for the guide dude. BUT. I got a problem. I've bougth as much spellpower gear ( on AH) as possible for my level 30 lock and this os what i got. 18 spell power and 42 shadow spell power... How can you get so much like you say you can ???.. please help me

[jijo233]

[quote=rfarris ]
Ok, I made it. Gherkin said make 100 +SP by level 32 and I'm at 107 at lvl 31. I did invest in the BoA shoulders, although they really aren't key. At level 31 they only provide 9 SP. The two key items were Inferno Robes (+18) a quest reward that were hard to complete at lvl 27 and Holy Shroud (+18) that I found in the AH.

how the hell do you get so much spellpower ???

[rfarris]

[quote=jijo233 ]

Ok, I made it. Gherkin said make 100 +SP by level 32 and I'm at 107 at lvl 31. I did invest in the BoA shoulders, although they really aren't key. At level 31 they only provide 9 SP. The two key items were Inferno Robes (+18) a quest reward that were hard to complete at lvl 27 and Holy Shroud (+18) that I found in the AH.

how the hell do you get so much spellpower ???

You can have a look here:
http://www.wowarmory.com/character-s...Isles&n=Farloc

I'm lvl 41 now and closer to +200SP, but the Armory hasn't updated me yet, so sneak a peek.

Here's my question for Gherkin: I got my lvl 40 Demons Deck staff. I put +54 Shadow Damage enchant on it. (My main is an enchanter.) Would I be better off with +40 Spell Damage?

[gherkin]

Thanks for the guide dude. BUT. I got a problem. I've bougth as much spellpower gear ( on AH) as possible for my level 30 lock and this os what i got. 18 spell power and 42 shadow spell power... How can you get so much like you say you can ???.. please help me

Here's a link to wowhead.com that lists all the gear you can get with spell power on it from lvl 1-32ish. You simply have to do the right quests to pull it off, and its not that hard. If you wish to modify this link to search for higher level gear, change LEVEL (Blank) to (40) to LEVEL (40) to (70), for example. You do not use "Required Level" when searching for gear because some quest gear was created without a level restriction, because the quest itself has a level restriction. The LEVEL refers to the item level, and thus its relative power.

http://www.wowhead.com/?items&filter...s=1;crv=0;gb=1

Keep in mind that 100 is the "good zone" but you can do just as well with 75. I will update the main post with a suggested gear set for both alliance and horde warlocks, and a level at which this gear set is attainable.

@rfarris - 54 shadow damage > 40 spell damage. If you ever cast immolate, its to help kill something a bit quicker, not work it in as a regular rotation. Your main damage sources will be shadow.

[rfarris]

@rfarris - 54 shadow damage > 40 spell damage. If you ever cast immolate, its to help kill something a bit quicker, not work it in as a regular rotation. Your main damage sources will be shadow.

That's what I thought. Thank you. That +54 Shadow Damage enchant is pricey, but I had the mats in the bank.

[Deleted]

Thank you very much for the soul shard Macro. It's very handy indeed. Didn't know how I could've played without it before. ;D

addon

[rfarris]

Gherkin,

I'm (Farloc@Echo Isles) using your suggested 32 - 54 build. I'm going to hit 54 in about a week and plan to shift over to your 55 - 70 build, but I think that instead of respec'ing I will dual-spec and set my new spec to the 32 - 54 spec, leaving the current 32 - 54 build as my "off-spec." (Just so I can practice Aff while leveling when it's not important. I intend to go Aff at 80 for raiding.)

What would be the progression on my off-spec aff build as I level?

Thank you.

[gherkin]

At 54:
http://www.wowhead.com/?talent#IfxrbhMhoqAohk

Ending at lvl 70:
http://www.wowhead.com/?talent#IfxrbuMNoqAohktZx

Reasoning:
Haunt asap - you use this to replace immolate and guarantee that target dies.
ISB - This means that Nightfall procs give you 5% crit on the target. Useful on elites, great in combination with Pandemic.
2/5 Shadow Embrace - In conjunction with Nightfall, the target will die.

So now you have 2 instant dots that should "almost" kill the target, and you can put:
Pet on one
UA on another
Haunt on a third (less draining!)
Lifetap
Oh hey, nightfall a fourth (it will die)
UA another
Pet's target is dead, put him on a 6th
Haunt's up. Recast
Lifetap
Nightfall LOL!

Lifetap after you cast haunt, every single time. Macro it if you have to. Haunt, Lifetap, boom haunt heals your lifetap loss.

Don't forget to swap specs back and forth when you train, otherwise you miss ranks of Haunt/UA

[rfarris]

Ending at lvl 70:
http://www.wowhead.com/?talent#IfxrbuMNoqAohktZx

Reasoning:
...
2/5 Shadow Embrace - In conjunction with Nightfall, the target will die.

Thank you.

I presume that "2/5 Shadow Embrace" is a typo. The linked build shows 4/5 Shadow Embrace. OTOH if the build is wrong, where should those other two points go?

[gherkin]

I played around with the build quite a bit, and ended on 4/5. You might want to put 2/5 here and 2/2 Fel Embrace to keep your pet topped up if he takes damage from cleaves or stray aoe.

Really, your choice at that point. I avoid Howl of Terror because it's so random and really there aren't a lot of other places to put talents that serve an immediate gain.