WoW Forever Warlock buffs and nerfs
Every change Blizzard made to the Warlock's abilities and talents in each WoW Forever beta build, read from the game client. 1 buff, 1 nerf and 12 other changes since 2 October 2026.
How buffs and nerfs are worked out
From the numbers, never from the words. A change is a buff when every number that moved moved your way: more damage, healing or effect, a lower cost, cooldown or cast time, a longer duration or range, a higher spell power coefficient, or learned at a lower level or with fewer points in other talents. It is a nerf when every number moved the other way. Anything else is listed as changed: a mix (cheaper but weaker), a tooltip whose words changed, or numbers in other units, such as a cost of 125 Mana that became 8% of base Mana. Read the before and after to judge those. Not listed: Season of Discovery spells left in the client that nobody can learn in Forever, and tooltips whose numbers only grew because the beta's level cap went from 20 to 30 on 2 October.
24 October 2026: beta build 1.60.1.70532
- Changed: Amplify Curse. Tooltip: “Increases the effect of your next Curse of Weakness or Bane of Agony by 50%, or your next Curse of Exhaustion by ?%. Lasts 30 sec.” → “Increases the effect of your next Curse of Weakness or Bane of Agony by 50%, or your next Curse of Exhaustion by 20%. Lasts 30 sec.”
- Changed: Fel Concentration. Rank 1 tooltip: “Gives you a 23% chance to avoid interruption caused by damage while channeling or casting your Drain Life, Drain Mana, Drain Soul, or Wrack spells.” → “Gives your Drain Life, Drain Mana, Drain Soul, and Wrack spells a 23% chance to not lose casting time when you take damage.”
- Changed: Intensity. Rank 1 tooltip: “Gives you a 23% chance to resist interruption caused by damage while casting or channeling any Destruction spell.” → “Gives your Destruction spells a 23% chance to not lose casting time when you take damage.”
16 October 2026: beta build 1.60.1.70425
- Buff: Shadow Mastery. Rank 1 tooltip: “Increases the damage dealt or life drained by your Shadow spells by 1%.” → “Increases the damage dealt or life drained by your Shadow spells by 2%.”
- Nerf: Portal of Summoning. Cooldown: 2 min → 1 hr; Cost: 12% of base Mana → 100% of base Mana
- Changed: Amplify Curse. Tooltip: “Increases the effect of your next Curse of Weakness or Bane of Agony by 50%, or your next Curse of Exhaustion by 20%. Lasts 30 sec.” → “Increases the effect of your next Curse of Weakness or Bane of Agony by 50%, or your next Curse of Exhaustion by ?%. Lasts 30 sec.”
- Changed: Destructive Reach. Rank 1 tooltip: “Increases the range of your damaging spells by 10%.” → “Increases the range of your Destruction spells by 10%.”
- Changed: Grim Reach. Rank 1 tooltip: “Increases all periodic damage done by your Warlock spells by 1%.” → “Increases the range of your Affliction spells by 10%.”; Name: Malediction → Grim Reach; Ranks: 5 → 2; Icon: new icon
- Changed: Soul Link. Required level: level 40 → level 1
8 October 2026: beta build 1.60.1.70291
- Changed: Demonic Brand. Rank 1 tooltip: “Your Searing Pain generates 17% less threat and brands the target for 10 sec. Your pet's next 2 attacks against the target generate high threat and deal 20 to 23 (scales with Fire spell power and Shadow spell power) Fire or Shadow damage based on the pet. (Numbers at level 30; they grow with your level.)” → “Your Searing Pain generates 17% less threat and brands the target for 10 sec. Your pet's next 2 attacks against the target deal 20 to 23 (scales with Fire spell power and Shadow spell power) Fire or Shadow damage based on the pet. If Shadow damage is dealt, it has high threat. (Numbers at level 30; they grow with your level.)”
- Changed: Shadow Bolt. Rank 2 tooltip: “Sends a shadowy bolt at the enemy, causing 22 to 28 Shadow damage.” → “Sends a shadowy bolt at the enemy, causing 20 to 26 Shadow damage.”
2 October 2026: beta build 1.60.1.70170
- Changed: Curse of the Elements. Rank 2 tooltip: “Curses the target for 5 min, reducing Magic resistances by 45 and increases Magic damage taken by 6%. Only one Curse per Warlock can be active on any one target.” → “Curses the target for 5 min, reducing Magic resistances by 45 and increasing Magic damage taken by 6%. Only one Curse per Warlock can be active on any one target.”
- Changed: Soul Harvest. Rank 1 tooltip: “You gain Soul Harvest for 10 sec if a victim is killed while afflicted with your Drain Soul. Soul Harvest allows your Mana to regenerate at 50% of normal speed while you are casting spells, and grants a 50% increase to your Mana regeneration.” → “Killing a non-trivial target afflicted by your Drain Soul increases your Mana regeneration by 50% for 10 sec and allows 50% of normal Mana regeneration to continue while casting.”; Name: Soul Harvesting → Soul Harvest
- Changed: Wrack. Tooltip: “Tears the target apart from within, dealing 36 Shadow damage every 1 sec and increasing the damage they take from your other Shadow damage over time effects by 10%. Lasts 6 sec.” → “Tears the target apart from within, inflicting 36 Shadow damage every 1 sec and increasing the damage they take from your other Shadow damage over time effects by 10% for 6 sec.”
Buffs and nerfs for every class
- Warrior buffs and nerfs
- Paladin buffs and nerfs
- Hunter buffs and nerfs
- Rogue buffs and nerfs
- Priest buffs and nerfs
- Shaman buffs and nerfs
- Mage buffs and nerfs
- Druid buffs and nerfs
Every change is also in the build changelog, with the old and new tooltip text.