Ok guys I need some destro help.

[Master Guns]

Let me preface this by saying that A: My Warlock is my 5th 90, therefore my 4th alt, and B: I have read *every* stick and every thread on Destro. I have read this forums sticky, I have read Icy Veins sticky, as well as the thread, I have read up on noxxic, everything. And they all have conflicting information.

Okay, so my question is as follows: Chaos Bolt is an extremely confusing spell and I don't know when to use it. Some sites say use it with Backdraft. Some say to use at 3 Embers no matter what. WUT R U DOING CHAOS BOLT. STAHP.

*sigh* Ok. So, lets talk about an opener. Some sites provide an opener based on specific trinkets. This helps no one but high end raiders. Aka not me. So what is a good opener?

Now, Conflag. Do I conflag on CD? Do I conflag with 2 stacks? Do I conflag twice in a row or just once if I have 3 embers and do 2 back to back Chaos Bolts? Again, this spec is..absurd..

Also, does anyone have any strings for Backdraft stacks and Reign of Fire duration for WA?

[Didrah]

575 lock here. (sig not updated :P)

My opener goes like this: Dark soul + incinerate pre pull > Immolate > 2x Conflag > 4x Incinerate > 2/3x Chaos bolts > refresh Immolate > chaos bolt whenever I can (with trinkets up)

When to chaos bolt? It depends. I usually do it when i have good procs. I only use embers for chaos bolting when a proc is about to expire or if there's adds that need to be bursted really quickly.

Conflag on cd? On single target yes. If there is aoe incoming then save it as it regenerates a lot of embers.

[Master Guns]

Your opener didn't include any conflags; do you not conflag on opening?

[Pinkee]

Personally, I start with CoE, Immolate then Conflag x2 then spam Incinerate until I need to refresh Immolate or Conflag comes off CD. As, for Chaos Bolt, I always use it, no matter what, if I have more than 3 Embers, simply because if I get to 4 then I am not earning embers any more, basically wasted ember building time. I always use my Chaos Bolts in conjunction with Dark Soul. I can usually fit in 3 Chaos Bolts and 2 Incinerates during that buff time.
My lock (ilvl 556) has always been my main and I have been playing since the end of BC. So, I am comfortable with my play-style. I cannot always pay attention to Stacks of Backdraft since I am a Raid Leader and can't always watch that like a Hawk. But I do try to use it when I have no stacks of Backdraft, as I feel that it is more useful when used with Incinerate (again building embers instead of wasting a shorter cast time on clearing an ember, not to mention that the reduced mana cost doesn't affect Chaos Bolt as it doesn't cost mana to cast). Hope this helps.

[Didrah]

Your opener didn't include any conflags; do you not conflag on opening?

Sorry forgot xD.. edited

[Deleted]

precast Incinerate > Immolate > Confla > Incinerate > summon doomguard > Incinerate > Incinerate > Confla. Dark soul depends on your trinket proc, encounter longetivity

[the avatar]

14/14 H warlock here.

You should conflag on cooldown but keep in mind the following: if you have 4+ stacks of backdraft, cast Incin until you have 3 and then CF.

Cast Chaos Bolts with trinket procs as they happen or you have 3.5 Embers. The reasoning is you want to dump an ember before you cap from ember income.

Monitor your Dark Soul cooldown and or any other relevant trinkets/procs/encounter damage increases and plan to have embers for those periods. This comes with practice and familiarity with the fight. Throwing yourself at heroics week after week builds this, don't expect perfect results on the first time.

The opener I do:

prepot
immo
conflag
conflag
incin x4
chaos bolt x 2 - you can have sucky rng and not have enough embers for this to happen. you can sometimes see it coming and choose to incinerate a fifth time and chaos bolt at the high end of a stacking trinket proc for example.
you may be able to sneak in an immolate here on the very last second of all procs.

[Locksrus]

Just regarding Dark soul, and other big CD's & Procs. Its a good idea to cast Immolate, even though it will clip the current immolate, on procs and CD's, to get the full benifit from immolate. Also, cast immolate prior to the end of the proc or CD to get the full benifit off the increased stat/s for the rest of the immolate

My rotation is similar to most, pre pot, (if raiding high end, other wise dont bother) immolate, conflagrate X2 6 incinerates, conflag (this depends on your haste. I dont have more haste than I need so I dont run out of mana. If you have a lot more haste than me, conflag wont be back up yet), immolate, 3 incinerates, Dark Soul & Beserk (As an Orc) and empty my embers with Chaos Bolt, immolate, conflag, 3 embers, etc, etc, using chaos bolts at around 3.5 embers, capping to 4 when you have a big proc/cd back up, 4 X Chaos bolts, rinse repeat
Feel free to CoE if you have no one else in your grp that can apply the debuff, and doomguard....well, up to you, but i prefer under bloodlust/heroism

re: my haste, i dont run out of mana unless i use RoF too much, and I prefer the crit than the extra haste

PS: I am 564 ilvl

[Zerach8]

What people said b4 me id just like to add, that that "filler" CB u cast at 3.5embers should be casted as soon as u reach 3 embers if u get 4set proc up (its a flat 15% dmg increase on CB)

[Master Guns]

So Chaos bolt is only casted at 3 and a half embers, and preferably with 3 stacks of backdraft?

[Kalshen]

You want to cast chaos bolts if u have >3 embers or if you have large int procs and/or DS up. I only use backdraft charges if it means i will not be able to finish the cast of chaos bolt while my large int proc is up. Large int procs are like trinkets, I dont bother with using CB during little procs such as swordguard embroidery

[theburned]

Let me preface this by saying that A: My Warlock is my 5th 90, therefore my 4th alt, and B: I have read *every* stick and every thread on Destro. I have read this forums sticky, I have read Icy Veins sticky, as well as the thread, I have read up on noxxic, everything. And they all have conflicting information.

Okay, so my question is as follows: Chaos Bolt is an extremely confusing spell and I don't know when to use it. Some sites say use it with Backdraft. Some say to use at 3 Embers no matter what. WUT R U DOING CHAOS BOLT. STAHP.

*sigh* Ok. So, lets talk about an opener. Some sites provide an opener based on specific trinkets. This helps no one but high end raiders. Aka not me. So what is a good opener?

Now, Conflag. Do I conflag on CD? Do I conflag with 2 stacks? Do I conflag twice in a row or just once if I have 3 embers and do 2 back to back Chaos Bolts? Again, this spec is..absurd..

Also, does anyone have any strings for Backdraft stacks and Reign of Fire duration for WA?

The chaos bolt is very simple in theory, if you got good trinket proccs, and cd's like dark soul, pot, skull banner and BL. If you are past 2.5 embers casting it with enchant proccs, only one and if you soon got trinket off cd or dark soul. If you have no proccs use one at 3.5 embers and hover around 2-3.5 embers until proccs.

Never use backdraft proccs on chaos bolts, it will make you oom which is a dps loss. If you can't get rid off your embers during proccs, it's better to waste backdrafts than trinkets. But try your best to always use them on incinerates.

For conflagrates, never cap on them, that is more waste of backdraft proccs.

For the opener
3 prepot + precast incinerate
1.x dark soul + precast immolate
Curse of elements + Conflagrate
Terrorguard
Conflagrate
4x incinerates (up to 6 if you need to fish for trinket proccs, you can go even further just be sure you can get off at least 2 chaos bolts during dark soul..)
2x chaos bolts
immolate
After this just follow rotation and try to fit as many chaos bolts you can during BL and trinket proccs

For multi dot fights try to fit in a haoc before the 2nd conflagrate, for ember generation.

Have either tellmewhen or weakauras2 for tracking trinket proccs.

[barial]

Track trinket procs, save up 2-3 embers for when said trinkets proc/darksoul is ready, use chaos bolt as many times as you can in opener.

Destro is the retard spec of the world so it's really hard to mess up.

[Kamswow]

3 stacks of backdraft only adds some haste to chaos bolt but takes haste away from incinerate. You technically don't want to chaos bolt with 3 stacks of backdraft but don't over think it. Try and have a way to track intellect and crit procs or CDs and use your chaos bolts during those buffs. Once you get used to tracking procs the rest is easy.
People have provided the rotation above, just keep immolate up, use conflags on CD and spam incinerate until you either
1. get close to capping embers
2. get int/crit procs or
3. darksoul.
If those happen the use your embers on chaos bolt or shadowburn. Take it a step at time and it won't seem so complicated when you get used to it. Once you get that stuff down you can learn good ways to use Havoc (25 sec CD that copies 3 spells or 1 chaos bolt on to the target that you applied havoc to off of another target)

[Deleted]

So Chaos bolt is only casted at 3 and a half embers, and preferably with 3 stacks of backdraft?

You should at all times try to avoid using Chaos Bolt with backdraft.

The reason is simple: backdraft lowers the manacost and casttime of incinerate. (Or CB for that matter.)
One of the points of casting a CB in the first place is to regen some mana. Since it has a long casttime and low manacost.

If you use CB with Backdraft stacks you neglect a big upside to the CB.

But, this is not something you should follow to the end of the world. If you are capping on embers, big procs are falling off, phasechange comming up etc, you should cast a CB even if you have 3 stacks.

To sum it up: backdraft preserves mana. Try to avoid using it with CB.

[Deleted]

Lets ignore trinkets overall ( you said yourself youre not high-end raider)
1.Use CB if you caped embers, otherwise its dps loss, no matter the procs
2.Use CB when Dark Soul is up, thats the only thing you should have on a tracker if you cant bother with other stuff...
Boss below 20%, use Shadowburn, but try to manage it, dont spam all 4 if you're caped, use it wisely so you have mana for other spells

backdraft you say? Use that with incin, but if a mage is beating you on a dps and its a heavy movement fight, feel free to use CBs with backdraft...trust me

with that, you re good to go

[Deleted]

I dont understand these people saving their dark soul until the end of their opener. I always pop mine on the pull (prepot, pre cast incinerate, dark soul, immolate, conflagrate x2, chaos bolt x 2). It stands to reason that 2 or 3 chaos bolts with dark soul and ALL procs, pots, crit banner is beneficial over four chaos bolts with only half of those procs. Of course sometimes you don't get the procs you need on the pull but RNG is RNG is RNG

[Cuurseonyou]

why would u waste 2 extra incenerate casts instead of 1 or 2 chaos bolts.. which in 90% situations have procs by the moment.. so casting 6 incenerates in the start is just a huge dps loss + no burst

- - - Updated - - -

basicly my opener is : Precast Incenerate - CoE - Dark Soul+DoomGuard - Immolate - Conflag x2 - Incenerate x4 - Chaosbolts x2 = 700-800k burst since trinkets mostly proc every time at beginning .. :-) and thats by single target and im only at 564 ilvl

[Deleted]

It looks like almost everyone has the same opener with minor variations. I myself, only having 546 ilvl at the moment, do: pre-pot -> pre-cast incinerate -> dark soul -> doomguard -> immolate -> 2x conflag -> 4-5 (depends on the ember generation, might need the last one for the next step) -> 2x chaos bolt. Even with my gear, with a bit of luck I'll put out 2x CB doing atleast 2 million damage.

Try to not use backdraft with CB. Whenever I hit the four ember cap I'll throw off one CB to allow for regeneration of embers again and letting the 4pc set bonus proc again, with a bit of luck it'll be timed so that trinkets/meta gem/jade spirit procs also.

Always try to conflag on cooldown. By the way take a look at the Warlock Weak Auras-thread. There's WA strings for pretty much anything you'll need.

[Deleted]

...Some sites say use it with Backdraft...

WHAT....THE....

I´m wondering which sites you´re looking at. Using Chaosbolt with Backdraft is one of the two big mistakes you can do playing destro (the second one is casting an unbuffed chaosbolt when you´re not about to cap embers).
The only time you´ll gonna use backdraft stacks for chaosbolt is when your proccs are about to fall off and you can´t get beyond 3 stacks + finish a chaosbolt before they´re gone.

I´d suggest to take a look at THIS GUIDE and delete all links to those other "guides" you were looking at