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WoW Forever Warlock Leveling Guide (1-60)

Level a Warlock in WoW Forever as Affliction. Your DoTs and pet do the work while Life Tap and Drain Life keep you going. Key steps: Imp at 1, Bane of Agony (Forever's Curse of Agony) at 8, Voidwalker quest at 10, Succubus or Incubus at 20, Felhunter and Siphon Life at 30, Wrack at 40.

Recommended spec
Affliction
Updated
Game version
1.60.1

In short

  • Affliction from 10 to 60, no respec needed.
  • Curse of Agony is now Bane of Agony. Same spell, new name.
  • Pet abilities come from Grimoires sold by demon trainers, not from your class trainer.
  • Voidwalker at 10 needs a class quest; a 6 Nov hotfix gave it about 40 more health.
  • Incinerate is Destruction only since 9 Nov. As Affliction, leave it out of your build.
  • Take Wrack at 40: in our simulation it does about half of Affliction's damage at 60.

Level 1 to 60 at a glance

  1. 1Summon ImpShadow BoltImmolate
  2. 4Corruption
  3. 6Life Tap
  4. 8Bane of AgonyFear
  5. 10Summon VoidwalkerCreate HealthstoneDrain Soul
  6. 14Drain Life
  7. 20Summon SuccubusSummon Incubus
  8. 28Banish
  9. 30Summon FelhunterSiphon Life
  10. 40Wrack
  11. 60Bane of Doom

Why this spec

Affliction levels with very little downtime. Bane of Agony and Corruption tick while the pet holds the mob, Drain Life pulls health back, and Life Tap turns that health into mana. Improved Corruption makes Corruption instant at 5/5, which lets you DoT a second mob on the move. The build stays Affliction to 60 and adds Unholy Power for pet damage in the 50s. All three trees can level. Destruction burns mana fast, and its capstone Incinerate (Destruction only since the 9 Nov hotfix) waits until 40. At 60 our simulation keeps Affliction on top when mana is tight, which is how most solo fights look.

Level by level

1-10Imp, DoTs and a wand

You start with Shadow Bolt, Immolate, Demon Skin and Summon Imp. Keep the Imp out the whole time. Corruption and Curse of Weakness come at 4, Life Tap at 6, Bane of Agony and Fear at 8. The pull is simple: send the Imp, Bane of Agony, Corruption, then wand or Shadow Bolt to finish. Use Fear on a second mob that runs in. A wand saves mana and rest time. Respawns are fastest in starting zones, so you rarely wait for mobs.

  • Summon Imp
  • Shadow Bolt
  • Immolate
  • Corruption
  • Life Tap
  • Bane of Agony
  • Fear

10-20Voidwalker, first talents, shards

Talents open at 10, one point per level. Start with Improved Corruption 5/5, then Suppression. By 12 you have Create Healthstone and a few Soul Shards in the bag. The Voidwalker needs a class quest: Gan'rul's Summons for Orc and Troll, Halgar's Summons for Undead. Health Funnel comes at 12, Drain Life at 14. Ragefire Chasm and Ruins of Lordaeron (15-20) are good quest-filled runs for Horde.

  • Summon Voidwalker
  • Create Healthstone
  • Drain Soul
  • Improved Corruption
  • Suppression
  • Health Funnel
  • Drain Life

20-30Succubus or Incubus, Amplify Curse, Malevolence

At 20 the Succubus and Incubus quests open, along with Demon Armor, Rain of Fire and Curse of the Elements. Your 11th Affliction point at 20 buys Amplify Curse; then take Improved Drains, one rank of Improved Life Tap and, from 25, Malevolence 5/5. After the 6 Nov health buff the Voidwalker is still a safe tank; the Succubus trades that safety for damage, so switch whenever you like between 20 and 30. Banish arrives at 28 for demons and elementals. Excavation Site: Wetlands (24-29) and City of Dalaran (28-33, attunement) are new dungeons.

  • Summon Succubus
  • Summon Incubus
  • Amplify Curse
  • Improved Drains
  • Malevolence
  • Banish

30-40Felhunter, Siphon Life, Pandemic

The Felhunter quest opens at 30, and your 21st Affliction point buys Siphon Life. From 31 to 39 take Improved Bane of Agony, the second rank of Improved Life Tap, Pandemic and Soul Siphon. Since a 6 Nov hotfix, Soul Siphon no longer boosts Wrack's own damage. Hellfire comes at 30, Spell Lock at 36. Zones: Stranglethorn Vale, Desolace, Arathi Highlands, then Dustwallow Marsh and the new Riverglades from about 35. The Drowned City (35-40) is new.

  • Summon Felhunter
  • Siphon Life
  • Improved Bane of Agony
  • Pandemic
  • Soul Siphon
  • Hellfire

40-50Wrack, Felsteed, dual spec

At 40 your 31st Affliction point buys Wrack, the Affliction capstone. In our simulation it carries Affliction damage at 60. At 40 you also get Howl of Terror, the Felsteed quest, dual spec and riding; a 9 Nov hotfix made Summon Felsteed grant the riding skill. Death Coil comes at 42. Shadow Mastery, Nightfall and Fel Concentration are the next talents. Krol'dok Stronghold (40-45) and Alcaz Island Prison (48-53) are new dungeons.

  • Wrack
  • Howl of Terror
  • Death Coil
  • Shadow Mastery
  • Nightfall

50-60Pet damage, Bane of Doom, level 60

The last ten points go into Unholy Power 5/5 for pet damage and Improved Shadow Bolt 5/5. Nightfall, taken in the 40s, gives Shadow Trance, an instant Shadow Bolt proc. Soul Fire comes at 48 and Bane of Doom at 60. Zones: Burning Steppes, the Plaguelands, Winterspring, Silithus. Blackmaw Hold (55-60) and Shaper's Terrace (58-60) are new, and Mount Hyjal opens at 60. Our simulation's best level-60 Warlock build is Affliction 35/11/5 with Wrack and Bane of Doom.

  • Unholy Power
  • Improved Shadow Bolt
  • Soul Fire
  • Bane of Doom

Class quests

Quest, NPC and place names are kept in English, as in the game. Which quest you get depends on your faction and race.

Horde

  1. 10
    Gan'rul's SummonsUnlocks VoidwalkerOrc, TrollStarts at Razor Hill, Durotar
  2. 10
    Halgar's SummonsUnlocks VoidwalkerUndeadStarts at Brill, Tirisfal Glades

Alliance

  1. 10
    Gakin's SummonsUnlocks VoidwalkerHumanStarts at Goldshire, Elwynn Forest
  2. 10
    The Slaughtered LambUnlocks VoidwalkerGnomeStarts at Ironforge

Both factions

  1. 20
    Devourer of SoulsUnlocks Succubus
  2. 20
    What Is Love? / Love Hurts / Hearts of the LoversUnlocks Incubus
  3. 20
    Orb of Soran'rukUnlocks Caster weaponStarts at The Barrens, Doan Karhan
  4. 30
    Seeking StrahadUnlocks Felhunter

Talent plan

Affliction41
  1. 2Improved Life Tap
  2. 5Suppression
  3. 5Improved Corruption
  4. 2Grim Reach
  5. 2Soul Harvest
  6. 3Improved Drains
  7. 2Improved Bane of Agony
  8. 3Fel Concentration
  9. 1Amplify Curse
  10. 3Pandemic
  11. 5Malevolence
  12. 2Nightfall
  13. 1Curse of Exhaustion
  14. 1Siphon Life
  15. 3Soul Siphon
  16. 5Shadow Mastery
  17. 1Wrack
Demonology5
  1. 2Improved Health Funnel
  2. 3Improved Imp
  3. 5Demonic Embrace
  4. 5Unholy Power
  5. 2Demonic Aegis
  6. 3Improved Voidwalker
  7. 3Fel Vitality
  8. 2Demonic Energies
  9. 3Improved Sayaad
  10. 1Demonic Sacrifice
  11. 2Master Summoner
  12. 2Decimation
  13. 1Fel Domination
  14. 3Demonic Brand
  15. 3Improved Felhunter
  16. 1Soul Link
  17. 3Demonic Knowledge
  18. 5Master Demonologist
  19. 1Demonic Pact
Destruction5
  1. 2Destructive Reach
  2. 5Improved Shadow Bolt
  3. 5Bane
  4. 5Molten Skin
  5. 3Cataclysm
  6. 5Aftermath
  7. 5Ruin
  8. 1Shadowburn
  9. 3Intensity
  10. 3Agonizing Flames
  11. 1Conflagrate
  12. 2Pyroclasm
  13. 1Bane of Havoc
  14. 3Fire and Brimstone
  15. 5Shadow and Flame
  16. 1Incinerate
LevelsTalents
10–19
  • Improved Corruption5/5
  • Suppression5/5
20–24
  • Amplify Curse1/1
  • Improved Drains3/3
  • Improved Life Tap1/2
25–29
  • Malevolence5/5
30–30
  • Siphon Life1/1
31–39
  • Improved Bane of Agony2/2
  • Improved Life Tap2/2
  • Pandemic3/3
  • Soul Siphon3/3
40–40
  • Wrack1/1
41–50
  • Shadow Mastery5/5
  • Nightfall2/2
  • Fel Concentration3/3
51–60
  • Unholy Power5/5
  • Improved Shadow Bolt5/5

How to fight

Single target

  1. Send the pet first.
  2. Bane of Agony, then Corruption, then Immolate.
  3. Finish with your wand until about 30, then with Drain Life.
  4. Shadow Bolt only when Shadow Trance procs, once you have Nightfall.

Two or more mobs

  1. DoT both, with an instant Corruption once Improved Corruption is 5/5.
  2. Fear the second humanoid or beast; Banish (28) a demon or elemental.
  3. Drain Soul the one that dies last to refill shards.
  4. Healthstone or Death Coil (42) if your health drops fast.

Mana and health

  1. Life Tap when health is well above mana.
  2. Drain Life when mana is well above health.
  3. Health Funnel the pet only if it is worth saving; a fresh summon can be cheaper.

Stats · Gear

Stats

  1. Spell power first, then Intellect, then Spirit.
  2. Spirit makes Life Tap stronger, so it matters more for Warlocks than it looks.
  3. Your pet scales from your stats, so your upgrades help the pet too.
  4. Hit and crit are single stats in Forever; DoTs can crit.

Gear

  • Cinder Wand from the Silverpine quest Arugal's Folly, around 15.
  • Leftover Abomination Skin, a chest from The Baron in Ruins of Lordaeron, is one of the best pieces for Horde Warlocks 15-25.
  • Tabitha's Cuffs from A Frightened Request, a Ruins of Lordaeron quest.
  • Older Classic lists name items like Staff of Jordan; gear up from Forever quests and dungeon drops instead.

Tips

  • Buy your pet's abilities as Grimoires from a demon trainer; your class trainer does not teach them.
  • Do the Voidwalker quest as soon as you hit 10. Orc and Troll get Gan'rul's Summons in Razor Hill; Undead get Halgar's Summons in Brill.
  • Keep 2-3 Soul Shards spare for summons and Healthstones.
  • Sit at a campfire before logging out for rested XP; crafted food can add a small XP bonus.
  • Legacy points are shared across your characters, and the Talented perk unlocks talents up to 5 levels early.
  • Class training 1-60 costs about 206-207 gold.
  • Dungeon mob XP went up 50% on 9 Nov. Take every quest before you enter.
  • New spells are not placed on your bars. Drag them in by hand after each training visit.

Common mistakes

  • Following guides that still say Curse of Agony; in Forever the spell is Bane of Agony.
  • Hard-casting Shadow Bolt as a filler early and running out of mana.
  • Skipping the Voidwalker quest and leveling 10-20 with only the Imp.
  • Planning an Affliction build around Incinerate; it is Destruction only since 9 Nov.
  • Life Tapping at low health in the middle of a pull.

Questions

What is the best Warlock spec for leveling in WoW Forever?

Affliction. DoTs and the pet do the damage, Drain Life and Life Tap cut your downtime, and the build needs no respec all the way to 60. All three trees can level, but Affliction rests the least.

Where is Curse of Agony in WoW Forever?

It was renamed Bane of Agony. You learn it at level 8 from the class trainer, and the Affliction talent that improves it is Improved Bane of Agony. Bane of Doom is the level 60 version. If an older guide says Curse of Agony, it means the same spell.

How do Warlocks learn pet abilities in WoW Forever?

From Grimoires sold by demon trainers. They stand in starting zones, Razor Hill, Brill, Goldshire, Kharanos and the capitals, though some only sell Imp and Voidwalker books. Visit one whenever you get a new pet.

When does a Warlock get the Voidwalker?

At level 10, through a class quest. Orc and Troll get Gan'rul's Summons, Undead get Halgar's Summons in Brill, the easier of the two. The Voidwalker got about 40 more health in a 6 Nov hotfix.

Is Incinerate good for leveling Affliction?

No. Since the 9 Nov hotfix Incinerate is restricted to Destruction, and it is a level 40 capstone in that tree anyway. As Affliction, your filler is your wand early, then Drain Life, and later Wrack. If you want to try Incinerate, put Destruction on your second spec at 40.

Class and talent data (CC BY 4.0): talentsforever.com