Why is the warlock a fun class to raid with?

[ddk]

I'm trying to decide between committing to my mage or my warlock. Both are only thirteenth level and I can't decide which one I want to spend painful amounts of agonising time and resources away from my main in order to level through the debilitatingly boring 60-80 stage. Whichever one it ends up being, it has to be fun to raid with and provide me with a vastly different experience than does a rogue.

I find the rogue (mutilate) the most fun class to play because I feel it's at a level of challenge that suits me. I don't think it's as hard as an arms warrior (due to threat management and more complex priorities) but I also feel it's harder than my shadow priest (mind flay spam *snore*), which currently bores me senseless. Therefore any suggestions or opinions about warlocks and warlock specs would be appreciated.

[Agallochh]

Warlocks have a ton of spells in their arsenal. I also believe some specs to be harder than others. Affliction being the hardest to.... master, I suppose. Followed closely by Demo, it can be frustrating but then again I haven't put much time into learning it. Destro on the other hand has a pretty low skill curve, meaning it's pretty simple to play. Overall I think my warlock is one of the most complex classes to play WELL.

[latzko]

Good aoe/single target dps. Takes skill to master each spec... High survivability, and warlocks are pretty rare.

@Agallochh
I think destro takes more skill to play then affli. Even after they removed CD on ISF...

[Sorx]

I agree, I find destro to be much harder than demo and have a higher skill curve. However, id say in pulling "absolute" maximum dps with multiple mobs as Aff is harder than destro. Might even say its a bit unrealistic.

But in general, current destro is definitely one of the harder specs i've played and would put it above Aff. I dont want to say hardest spec i've played, i probably just need some time to grasp the spec.

But back on topic. What draws me to my lock as opposed to other classes is for one, having unlimited resources. I'm one who likes to dps and pull my maximum without feeling as if i have to hold back due to mana etc. Also you have a good aggro dump.

[Iamthewolf]

Demo is hard to master because it is like a cat druid where it is more of a priority system then a proper rotation. At least affliction and destro have an actual rotation to them.

[Klokie]

locks dont have ant rotation anymore. now its all about priority, aka cooldowns and dots

[Deleted]

Destro is much much more harder than affli. Atleast in single target or even whit 2 targets like Valiona and Theralion or Ony/nefa.
And i love playing affli. I would do more dps as destro, but still.

[Meejum]

All three specs have awesome standard CCs, an interesting 2-person buff, Demon Soul, to deal with, and the ability to summon an Infernal or Doomguard (outside of arenas) in addition to the normal pets we roll with.

Affliction: Not hard to play once you get the hang of it, but the least forgiving of the specs. If the haunt debuff falls off because of movement, tunnel vision or whatever, it will hurt your output significantly. Decent AoE, when talented, and very easy to quest with. Most same level mobs can be taken in groups of 3-4 easily by dotting them up and using drain life to tank them. Does not have a lot of burst, so many early dungeons may make you wonder about your damage. Affliction works better the longer the fight, so quick fights it wont shine. Currently regarded as the strongest pvp spec.

Demo: Not hard to play at 85 at all unless you dont like managing cooldowns or reacting to procs. Meta form is truly god-mode and if you can use that along with a few other CDs well, you'll do fine, though there is some RNG that can be either fantastic or just annoying. Fairly forgiving if you make a mistake, unless you happen to completely forget where your meta keybind is. The top AoE spec, overall, of the three. Some people find the spec fun because it incorporates both fire and shadow schools, and because you get to use the pet unique to the class, the Felguard. At 85, your pet choice will vary by boss fight, which is both liked and disliked by the community. Leveling, you have a personal tank in the Felguard, and your damage in early dungeons should be sufficient. Can do well pvp-wise, and can do very well against those melees that like to get up in your face, but suffers from long cast times and a reliance on being in meta form and having your pet do a significant portion of your total damage.

Destro: The most complex to truly master, but at the basic level, fairly face roll. Cast your nukes when they come off cooldown, referesh dots, and refresh one debuff every 15seconds. If you screw up your priorities and cast one nuke before the one you were supposed to, you probably wont notice the difference than if you did it perfectly. The 31 point talent, Chaos Bolt, is only a minor increase over a your main nuke incinerate, anyways. The thing that makes destro complex is utilizing Bane of Havoc to make the most out the encounter. Smartly used, it can turn mediocre AoE or odd boss mechanincs into top of the charts stuff. Leveling, you will kill things so fast you will barely have to worry about taking damage. Not many things around your level will survive an Immolate, Conflagrate, Incinerate, Shadowburn salvo. Likewise in dungeons, you will kill things quickly. Hampered in PvP due to the reliance of immolate needing to be on the target for full damage, because it will get dispelled, constantly, but can do pretty good pew-pew in the absence of a healer with a brain.

[-Zait-]

Bc were fun ppl!! :d

[Isolatedx]

I think a lock is going to be fun to raid with. More so than a rogue. Higher rate of sustainable dps.