Warlock

Rotations & Guide · PvE guide · PvP guide · Talent builds · Abilities · Talent Calculator · Macros · Changes vs Classic

Other classes: Warrior, Paladin, Hunter, Rogue, Priest, Shaman, Mage, Druid

Warlocks are DoT and shadow casters with demon pets and strong self-sustain via Life Tap. Forever splits Curses and Banes (Bane of Agony and Bane of Doom can stack with a Curse like Curse of the Elements), adds Wrack as the channelled Affliction capstone, and gives Destruction the Conflagrate, Bane of Havoc and Incinerate talents.

Affliction (Caster DPS)

Affliction stacks Corruption, Bane of Agony, Siphon Life and a Curse, then channels Forever's Wrack, which deals shadow damage and makes your other shadow DoTs 10% stronger. Soul Siphon boosts Wrack and drains per active Affliction effect, and Nightfall procs instant Shadow Bolts.

Demonology (Caster DPS)

Demonology is a durable pet spec that either keeps a demon out with Soul Link, Demonic Knowledge and Master Demonologist, or sacrifices it with Demonic Sacrifice for a large personal damage buff. Demonic Pact, the tier 7 talent, lets the sacrifice buff survive summoning a different demon, so the endgame build can sacrifice the Imp for Shadow damage and still fight beside the Succubus or Incubus, spamming Shadow Bolt. Very strong for solo play thanks to Soul Link, which opens at 30.

Destruction (Caster DPS)

Destruction in Forever is a fire spec: Immolate, then Conflagrate (tier 4, from level 25) to consume Immolate for burst before re-applying it, and from level 40 Incinerate, the tier 7 talent, which deals 25% more to Immolated targets. Agonizing Flames adds up to 10% damage to all Destruction spells, Ruin doubles the crit bonus at 5/5, Fire and Brimstone raises Conflagrate's crit chance, and Bane of Havoc copies 15% of your damage onto a second target.

Tips & tricks: what ForeverDB learned

Affliction

Updated 8 November 2026 for build 1.60.1.70862 · From the DPS simulator, the game client

Learning from players: DPS. Collecting comparable fights before publishing observed cast patterns.

Observed cast patterns, not a proven optimal rotation. Gear, buffs, healing assignments and incoming damage can explain performance differences. HPS is effective healing; overhealing does not increase it. HPS counts effective healing, APS counts recorded shield absorption, and EHPS is their combined rate. Shield application sizes and overhealing do not increase EHPS. Healing assignments and incoming damage still limit healer comparisons. Build groups use the version reported by the log; some logs omit the hotfix build number.

Simulator: At level 60, the simulator uses Life Tap when your mana drops under 35%. (level 60)
Simulator: At level 60, the simulator uses Amplify Curse (3 min cooldown) right before Bane of Agony. (level 60)
Simulator: Shadow Trance (from Nightfall) makes your next Shadow Bolt an instant cast. Cast Shadow Bolt within 10 sec before it fades. It comes up 1.3 times in a 60 s fight in the simulator. (level 60)
Simulator: At level 60, Greater Arcane Elixir is your best consumable at +3.9% DPS in the simulator. Baked Salmon comes second at +3.1%. (level 60)
Simulator: At level 60, Blessing of Wisdom from a Paladin is the party buff that helps you most, adding +1% DPS in the simulator. (level 60)
Simulator: At level 60, the simulator's fight does 6.3% less damage without your Imp. (level 60)
Simulator: At level 60, your damage breaks down as: Shadow Bolt 43%, Bane of Agony 17%, Corruption 17% (simulator, recommended build, best gear for the level, 60 s single-target fight). (level 60)
Simulator: Bane of Agony is worth 10.3% of your DPS at level 60: the simulator's fight without it did that much less damage. It kept it on the target 88% of the time. (level 60)
Simulator: Corruption is worth 8.1% of your DPS at level 60: the simulator's fight without it did that much less damage. It kept it on the target 85% of the time. (level 60)
Simulator: At level 60, the simulator values crit rating at 0.25 (1 spell power = 1). (level 60)
Simulator: At levels 20-29, the simulator uses Life Tap when your mana drops under 35%. (levels 20–29)
Simulator: At levels 20-29, the simulator uses Amplify Curse (3 min cooldown) right before Bane of Agony. (levels 20–29)
Simulator: At levels 20-29, Greater Arcane Elixir is your best consumable at +2.5% DPS in the simulator. Baked Salmon comes second at +2%. (levels 20–29)
Simulator: At levels 20-29, Blessing of Wisdom from a Paladin is the party buff that helps you most, adding +3.6% DPS in the simulator. (levels 20–29)
Simulator: At levels 20-29, the simulator's fight does 10.5% less damage without your Imp. (levels 20–29)
Simulator: At levels 20-29, your damage breaks down as: Shadow Bolt 41%, Bane of Agony 19%, Corruption 18% (simulator, recommended build, best gear for the level, 60 s single-target fight). (levels 20–29)
Simulator: Bane of Agony is worth 12.9% of your DPS at levels 20-29: the simulator's fight without it did that much less damage. It kept it on the target 87% of the time. (levels 20–29)
Simulator: Corruption is worth 9.7% of your DPS at levels 20-29: the simulator's fight without it did that much less damage. It kept it on the target 78% of the time. (levels 20–29)
Simulator: At levels 30-39, the simulator uses Life Tap when your mana drops under 35%. (levels 30–39)
Simulator: At levels 30-39, the simulator uses Amplify Curse (3 min cooldown) right before Bane of Agony. (levels 30–39)
Simulator: Shadow Trance (from Nightfall) makes your next Shadow Bolt an instant cast. Cast Shadow Bolt within 10 sec before it fades. It comes up 1.353 times in a 60 s fight in the simulator. (levels 30–39)
Simulator: At levels 30-39, Greater Arcane Elixir is your best consumable at +5.2% DPS in the simulator. Baked Salmon comes second at +4.9%. (levels 30–39)
Simulator: At levels 30-39, Blessing of Wisdom from a Paladin is the party buff that helps you most, adding +2.9% DPS in the simulator. (levels 30–39)
Simulator: At levels 30-39, the simulator's fight does 9.5% less damage without your Imp. (levels 30–39)
Simulator: At levels 30-39, your damage breaks down as: Shadow Bolt 37%, Bane of Agony 19%, Corruption 18% (simulator, recommended build, best gear for the level, 60 s single-target fight). (levels 30–39)
Simulator: Bane of Agony is worth 12.2% of your DPS at levels 30-39: the simulator's fight without it did that much less damage. It kept it on the target 85% of the time. (levels 30–39)
Simulator: Corruption is worth 11.8% of your DPS at levels 30-39: the simulator's fight without it did that much less damage. It kept it on the target 84% of the time. (levels 30–39)
Simulator: At levels 40-49, the simulator uses Life Tap when your mana drops under 35%. (levels 40–49)
Simulator: At levels 40-49, the simulator uses Amplify Curse (3 min cooldown) right before Bane of Agony. (levels 40–49)
Simulator: Shadow Trance (from Nightfall) makes your next Shadow Bolt an instant cast. Cast Shadow Bolt within 10 sec before it fades. It comes up 1.447 times in a 60 s fight in the simulator. (levels 40–49)
Simulator: At levels 40-49, Baked Salmon is your best consumable at +5.5% DPS in the simulator. Greater Arcane Elixir comes second at +5%. (levels 40–49)
Simulator: At levels 40-49, Blessing of Wisdom from a Paladin is the party buff that helps you most, adding +1.3% DPS in the simulator. (levels 40–49)
Simulator: At levels 40-49, the simulator's fight does 9.1% less damage without your Imp. (levels 40–49)
Simulator: At levels 40-49, your damage breaks down as: Shadow Bolt 36%, Bane of Agony 19%, Corruption 18% (simulator, recommended build, best gear for the level, 60 s single-target fight). (levels 40–49)
Simulator: Bane of Agony is worth 13.2% of your DPS at levels 40-49: the simulator's fight without it did that much less damage. It kept it on the target 88% of the time. (levels 40–49)
Simulator: Corruption is worth 11% of your DPS at levels 40-49: the simulator's fight without it did that much less damage. It kept it on the target 86% of the time. (levels 40–49)
Simulator: At levels 50-59, the simulator uses Life Tap when your mana drops under 35%. (levels 50–59)
Simulator: At levels 50-59, the simulator uses Amplify Curse (3 min cooldown) right before Bane of Agony. (levels 50–59)
Simulator: Shadow Trance (from Nightfall) makes your next Shadow Bolt an instant cast. Cast Shadow Bolt within 10 sec before it fades. It comes up 1.327 times in a 60 s fight in the simulator. (levels 50–59)
Simulator: At levels 50-59, Greater Arcane Elixir is your best consumable at +6.9% DPS in the simulator. Baked Salmon comes second at +5.5%. (levels 50–59)
Simulator: At levels 50-59, Blessing of Wisdom from a Paladin is the party buff that helps you most, adding +1.9% DPS in the simulator. (levels 50–59)
Simulator: At levels 50-59, the simulator's fight does 8.9% less damage without your Imp. (levels 50–59)
Simulator: At levels 50-59, your damage breaks down as: Shadow Bolt 40%, Bane of Agony 19%, Corruption 17% (simulator, recommended build, best gear for the level, 60 s single-target fight). (levels 50–59)
Simulator: Bane of Agony is worth 12.7% of your DPS at levels 50-59: the simulator's fight without it did that much less damage. It kept it on the target 88% of the time. (levels 50–59)
Simulator: Corruption is worth 9.2% of your DPS at levels 50-59: the simulator's fight without it did that much less damage. It kept it on the target 86% of the time. (levels 50–59)

How to play it at level 60: priority, procs and cooldowns

What to press, in order. Cast the first one that is ready and whose condition holds.

Curse of the Elements: When it's missing from the target: Keep it on the target: up 100% of the sim's fight; worth 6.6% of your DPS (Simulator, Forever client, ForeverDB guide)
Bane of Agony: When it's missing from the target: Keep it on the target: up 88% of the sim's fight; worth 10.3% of your DPS (Simulator, Forever client, ForeverDB guide)
Corruption: When it's missing from the target: Keep it on the target: up 85% of the sim's fight; worth 8.1% of your DPS (Simulator, Forever client, ForeverDB guide)
Siphon Life: When it's missing from the target: Keep it on the target: up 90% of the sim's fight; the sim gains little from it (Simulator, Forever client, ForeverDB guide)
Immolate: When it's missing from the target: Keep it on the target: up 69% of the sim's fight; worth 1.4% of your DPS (Simulator, Forever client)
Shadow Bolt: Fill the gaps with it: Your filler: cast it when nothing above is ready; worth 31.1% of your DPS (Simulator, Forever client, ForeverDB guide)

React to:

Under 35% mana: Life Tap: The sim uses Life Tap when your mana is under 35% (Simulator, Forever client, ForeverDB guide)
When Shadow Trance procs: Shadow Bolt within 10 sec: Your next Shadow Bolt becomes an instant cast spell. (Simulator, Forever client)

Keep up:

Curse of the Elements on the target, at least 95% of the time (Simulator, Forever client)
Bane of Agony on the target, at least 85% of the time (Simulator, Forever client)
Corruption on the target, at least 85% of the time (Simulator, Forever client)
Siphon Life on the target, at least 90% of the time (Simulator, Forever client)
Immolate on the target, at least 65% of the time (Simulator, Forever client)

Cooldowns:

Amplify Curse: with:Bane of Agony (Simulator, Forever client, ForeverDB guide)

Before the pull:

Imp (Simulator)
Greater Arcane Elixir (Simulator, Forever client)
Baked Salmon (Simulator, Forever client)
Blessing of Wisdom (Simulator, Forever client)

Latest changes:

8 November 2026: tip wording or values (client build or hotfix rebuild)
7 November 2026: 40-49: added Immolate; 1 tip(s) dropped (client build or hotfix rebuild)
7 November 2026: client build 1.60.1.70790 -> 1.60.1.70862; new Blizzard post (new client build 1.60.1.70862)

Demonology

Updated 8 November 2026 for build 1.60.1.70862 · From the DPS simulator, the game client

Learning from players: DPS. Collecting comparable fights before publishing observed cast patterns.

Simulator: At level 60, the simulator uses Life Tap when your mana drops under 35%. (level 60)
Simulator: At level 60, Greater Arcane Elixir is your best consumable at +3.6% DPS in the simulator. Elixir of Greater Intellect comes second at +3%. (level 60)
Simulator: At level 60, Blessing of Wisdom from a Paladin is the party buff that helps you most, adding +3.3% DPS in the simulator. (level 60)
Simulator: At level 60, the simulator's fight does 12% less damage without your Imp. (level 60)
Simulator: At level 60, your damage breaks down as: Shadow Bolt 48%, Bane of Agony 14%, Immolate 14% (simulator, recommended build, best gear for the level, 60 s single-target fight). (level 60)
Simulator: Bane of Agony is worth 7.2% of your DPS at level 60: the simulator's fight without it did that much less damage. It kept it on the target 83% of the time. (level 60)
Simulator: Curse of the Elements is worth 5.2% of your DPS at level 60: the simulator's fight without it did that much less damage. It kept it on the target 100% of the time. (level 60)
Simulator: At level 60, the simulator values your stats like this (1 spell power = 1): Intellect 0.78, crit rating 0.46, haste rating 0.39. (level 60)
Simulator: At levels 20-29, the simulator uses Life Tap when your mana drops under 35%. (levels 20–29)
Simulator: At levels 20-29, Greater Arcane Elixir is your best consumable at +2.3% DPS in the simulator. Baked Salmon comes second at +1.9%. (levels 20–29)
Simulator: At levels 20-29, Blessing of Wisdom from a Paladin is the party buff that helps you most, adding +2.5% DPS in the simulator. (levels 20–29)
Simulator: At levels 20-29, the simulator's fight does 15.5% less damage without your Imp. (levels 20–29)
Simulator: At levels 20-29, your damage breaks down as: Shadow Bolt 38%, Bane of Agony 20%, Imp: Firebolt 15% (simulator, recommended build, best gear for the level, 60 s single-target fight). (levels 20–29)
Simulator: Bane of Agony is worth 13.6% of your DPS at levels 20-29: the simulator's fight without it did that much less damage. It kept it on the target 92% of the time. (levels 20–29)
Simulator: Corruption is worth 6.5% of your DPS at levels 20-29: the simulator's fight without it did that much less damage. It kept it on the target 71% of the time. (levels 20–29)
Simulator: At levels 30-39, the simulator uses Life Tap when your mana drops under 35%. (levels 30–39)
Simulator: At levels 30-39, Greater Arcane Elixir is your best consumable at +4.7% DPS in the simulator. Baked Salmon comes second at +4.4%. (levels 30–39)
Simulator: At levels 30-39, Blessing of Wisdom from a Paladin is the party buff that helps you most, adding +2.2% DPS in the simulator. (levels 30–39)
Simulator: At levels 30-39, the simulator's fight does 17.4% less damage without your Imp. (levels 30–39)
Simulator: At levels 30-39, your damage breaks down as: Shadow Bolt 39%, Imp: Firebolt 17%, Bane of Agony 17% (simulator, recommended build, best gear for the level, 60 s single-target fight). (levels 30–39)
Simulator: Bane of Agony is worth 10.5% of your DPS at levels 30-39: the simulator's fight without it did that much less damage. It kept it on the target 87% of the time. (levels 30–39)
Simulator: Corruption is worth 6.1% of your DPS at levels 30-39: the simulator's fight without it did that much less damage. It kept it on the target 71% of the time. (levels 30–39)
Simulator: At levels 40-49, the simulator uses Life Tap when your mana drops under 35%. (levels 40–49)
Simulator: At levels 40-49, Baked Salmon is your best consumable at +4.7% DPS in the simulator. Greater Arcane Elixir comes second at +4.2%. (levels 40–49)
Simulator: At levels 40-49, Blessing of Wisdom from a Paladin is the party buff that helps you most, adding +1.5% DPS in the simulator. (levels 40–49)
Simulator: At levels 40-49, the simulator's fight does 18.8% less damage without your Imp. (levels 40–49)
Simulator: At levels 40-49, your damage breaks down as: Shadow Bolt 39%, Imp: Firebolt 18%, Bane of Agony 18% (simulator, recommended build, best gear for the level, 60 s single-target fight). (levels 40–49)
Simulator: Bane of Agony is worth 11.7% of your DPS at levels 40-49: the simulator's fight without it did that much less damage. It kept it on the target 90% of the time. (levels 40–49)
Simulator: Curse of the Elements is worth 5.2% of your DPS at levels 40-49: the simulator's fight without it did that much less damage. It kept it on the target 100% of the time. (levels 40–49)
Simulator: At levels 50-59, the simulator uses Life Tap when your mana drops under 35%. (levels 50–59)
Simulator: At levels 50-59, Greater Arcane Elixir is your best consumable at +5.8% DPS in the simulator. Baked Salmon comes second at +4.7%. (levels 50–59)
Simulator: At levels 50-59, Blessing of Wisdom from a Paladin is the party buff that helps you most, adding +1.5% DPS in the simulator. (levels 50–59)
Simulator: At levels 50-59, the simulator's fight does 17.2% less damage without your Imp. (levels 50–59)
Simulator: At levels 50-59, your damage breaks down as: Shadow Bolt 42%, Imp: Firebolt 17%, Bane of Agony 16% (simulator, recommended build, best gear for the level, 60 s single-target fight). (levels 50–59)
Simulator: Bane of Agony is worth 10.7% of your DPS at levels 50-59: the simulator's fight without it did that much less damage. It kept it on the target 88% of the time. (levels 50–59)
Simulator: Curse of the Elements is worth 6.4% of your DPS at levels 50-59: the simulator's fight without it did that much less damage. It kept it on the target 100% of the time. (levels 50–59)

How to play it at level 60: priority, procs and cooldowns

What to press, in order. Cast the first one that is ready and whose condition holds.

Curse of the Elements: When it's missing from the target: Keep it on the target: up 100% of the sim's fight; worth 5.2% of your DPS (Simulator, Forever client, ForeverDB guide)
Bane of Agony: When it's missing from the target: Keep it on the target: up 83% of the sim's fight; worth 7.2% of your DPS (Simulator, Forever client, ForeverDB guide)
Corruption: When it's missing from the target: Keep it on the target: up 76% of the sim's fight; worth 2.4% of your DPS (Simulator, Forever client, ForeverDB guide)
Immolate: When it's missing from the target: Keep it on the target: up 78% of the sim's fight; worth 2.5% of your DPS (Simulator, Forever client)
Shadow Bolt: Fill the gaps with it: Your filler: cast it when nothing above is ready; worth 33.2% of your DPS (Simulator, Forever client, ForeverDB guide)

React to:

Under 35% mana: Life Tap: The sim uses Life Tap when your mana is under 35% (Simulator, Forever client, ForeverDB guide)

Keep up:

Curse of the Elements on the target, at least 95% of the time (Simulator, Forever client)
Bane of Agony on the target, at least 80% of the time (Simulator, Forever client)
Corruption on the target, at least 75% of the time (Simulator, Forever client)
Immolate on the target, at least 75% of the time (Simulator, Forever client)

Before the pull:

Imp (Simulator)
Greater Arcane Elixir (Simulator, Forever client)
Blessing of Wisdom (Simulator, Forever client)
Arcane Intellect (Simulator, Forever client)
Blessing of Kings (Simulator, Forever client)
Elixir of Greater Intellect (Simulator, Forever client)
Baked Salmon (Simulator, Forever client)
Scroll of Intellect IV (Simulator, Forever client)
Mark of the Wild (Simulator, Forever client)

Latest changes:

8 November 2026: tip wording or values (client build or hotfix rebuild)
7 November 2026: 1 new tip(s); 1 tip(s) dropped (client build or hotfix rebuild)
7 November 2026: client build 1.60.1.70790 -> 1.60.1.70862; new Blizzard post (new client build 1.60.1.70862)

Destruction

Updated 8 November 2026 for build 1.60.1.70862 · From the DPS simulator, the game client

Learning from players: DPS. Collecting comparable fights before publishing observed cast patterns.

Simulator: Use Life Tap when your mana drops below 35%. The simulator uses it at that point at level 60. (level 60)
Speculation: The class guide's rotation card uses Conflagrate here and the simulator disagrees: check it in game before trusting either: At level 60, the simulator's 60 s fight did 1% more damage without Conflagrate. The class guide disagrees, so treat it as a lead to test. (level 60)
Simulator: Your best consumable at level 60 is Greater Arcane Elixir (+3.7% DPS in the simulator), followed by Baked Salmon (+2.9%). (level 60)
Simulator: The best party buff for you at level 60 is Mark of the Wild from a Druid, worth +2.1% DPS in the simulator. (level 60)
Simulator: Keep your Imp summoned. The simulator's fight deals 6.7% less damage without it at level 60. (level 60)
Simulator: At level 60 your damage splits roughly like this: Shadow Bolt 23%, Immolate 18%, Conflagrate 16% (simulator, best gear, 60 s single-target fight). (level 60)
Simulator: Bane of Agony is worth 6.7% of your DPS at level 60: the simulator's fight without it did that much less damage. It kept it on the target 89% of the time. (level 60)
Simulator: Curse of the Elements is worth 6.5% of your DPS at level 60: the simulator's fight without it did that much less damage. It kept it on the target 100% of the time. (level 60)
Simulator: Stat weights at level 60 (simulator, 1 spell power = 1): Intellect 1.43, crit rating 0.42. (level 60)
Simulator: Use Life Tap when your mana drops below 35%. The simulator uses it at that point for levels 20-29. (levels 20–29)
Simulator: Your best consumable at levels 20-29 is Greater Arcane Elixir (+2.8% DPS in the simulator), followed by Baked Salmon (+2.2%). (levels 20–29)
Simulator: The best party buff for you at levels 20-29 is Blessing of Wisdom from a Paladin, worth +2.8% DPS in the simulator. (levels 20–29)
Simulator: Keep your Imp summoned. The simulator's fight deals 11.8% less damage without it at levels 20-29. (levels 20–29)
Simulator: At levels 20-29 your damage splits roughly like this: Shadow Bolt 32%, Immolate 17%, Bane of Agony 17% (simulator, best gear, 60 s single-target fight). (levels 20–29)
Simulator: Bane of Agony is worth 10.2% of your DPS at levels 20-29: the simulator's fight without it did that much less damage. It kept it on the target 90% of the time. (levels 20–29)
Simulator: Immolate is worth 8.8% of your DPS at levels 20-29: the simulator's fight without it did that much less damage. It kept it on the target 69% of the time. (levels 20–29)
Simulator: Use Life Tap when your mana drops below 35%. The simulator uses it at that point for levels 30-39. (levels 30–39)
Simulator: Your best consumable at levels 30-39 is Greater Arcane Elixir (+5.2% DPS in the simulator), followed by Baked Salmon (+4.9%). (levels 30–39)
Simulator: The best party buff for you at levels 30-39 is Blessing of Wisdom from a Paladin, worth +2.5% DPS in the simulator. (levels 30–39)
Simulator: Keep your Imp summoned. The simulator's fight deals 9.9% less damage without it at levels 30-39. (levels 30–39)
Simulator: At levels 30-39 your damage splits roughly like this: Shadow Bolt 20%, Immolate 18%, Conflagrate 17% (simulator, best gear, 60 s single-target fight). (levels 30–39)
Simulator: Bane of Agony is worth 8.7% of your DPS at levels 30-39: the simulator's fight without it did that much less damage. It kept it on the target 92% of the time. (levels 30–39)
Simulator: Immolate is worth 6.8% of your DPS at levels 30-39: the simulator's fight without it did that much less damage. It kept it on the target 58% of the time. (levels 30–39)
Simulator: Use Life Tap when your mana drops below 35%. The simulator uses it at that point for levels 40-49. (levels 40–49)
Simulator: Your best consumable at levels 40-49 is Baked Salmon (+5.5% DPS in the simulator), followed by Greater Arcane Elixir (+5%). (levels 40–49)
Simulator: The best party buff for you at levels 40-49 is Blessing of Wisdom from a Paladin, worth +2.3% DPS in the simulator. (levels 40–49)
Simulator: Keep your Imp summoned. The simulator's fight deals 10.7% less damage without it at levels 40-49. (levels 40–49)
Simulator: At levels 40-49 your damage splits roughly like this: Conflagrate 22%, Immolate 17%, Shadow Bolt 15% (simulator, best gear, 60 s single-target fight). (levels 40–49)
Simulator: Immolate is worth 12.8% of your DPS at levels 40-49: the simulator's fight without it did that much less damage. It kept it on the target 50% of the time. (levels 40–49)
Simulator: Bane of Agony is worth 7.1% of your DPS at levels 40-49: the simulator's fight without it did that much less damage. It kept it on the target 85% of the time. (levels 40–49)
Simulator: Use Life Tap when your mana drops below 35%. The simulator uses it at that point for levels 50-59. (levels 50–59)
Simulator: Your best consumable at levels 50-59 is Greater Arcane Elixir (+6.8% DPS in the simulator), followed by Baked Salmon (+5.4%). (levels 50–59)
Simulator: The best party buff for you at levels 50-59 is Blessing of Wisdom from a Paladin, worth +1.7% DPS in the simulator. (levels 50–59)
Simulator: Keep your Imp summoned. The simulator's fight deals 10.7% less damage without it at levels 50-59. (levels 50–59)
Simulator: At levels 50-59 your damage splits roughly like this: Conflagrate 22%, Immolate 21%, Shadow Bolt 14% (simulator, best gear, 60 s single-target fight). (levels 50–59)
Simulator: Immolate is worth 20.4% of your DPS at levels 50-59: the simulator's fight without it did that much less damage. It kept it on the target 57% of the time. (levels 50–59)
Simulator: Conflagrate is worth 8.9% of your DPS at levels 50-59: the simulator's fight without it did that much less damage. (levels 50–59)

How to play it at level 60: priority, procs and cooldowns

What to press, in order. Cast the first one that is ready and whose condition holds.

Curse of the Elements: When it's missing from the target: Keep it on the target: up 100% of the sim's fight; worth 6.5% of your DPS (Simulator, Forever client, ForeverDB guide)
Bane of Agony: When it's missing from the target: Keep it on the target: up 89% of the sim's fight; worth 6.7% of your DPS (Simulator, Forever client)
Corruption: When it's missing from the target: Keep it on the target: up 82% of the sim's fight; worth 2.7% of your DPS (Simulator, Forever client)
Immolate: When it's missing from the target: Keep it on the target: up 61% of the sim's fight; worth 5.6% of your DPS (Simulator, Forever client, ForeverDB guide)
Shadowburn: Whenever it's ready: Cast it when it's ready (15 s cooldown); worth 1.2% of your DPS (Simulator, Forever client, ForeverDB guide)
Shadow Bolt: Fill the gaps with it: Your filler: cast it when nothing above is ready; worth 15.5% of your DPS (Simulator, Forever client, ForeverDB guide)

React to:

Under 35% mana: Life Tap: The sim uses Life Tap when your mana is under 35% (Simulator, Forever client, ForeverDB guide)

Keep up:

Curse of the Elements on the target, at least 95% of the time (Simulator, Forever client)
Bane of Agony on the target, at least 85% of the time (Simulator, Forever client)
Corruption on the target, at least 80% of the time (Simulator, Forever client)
Immolate on the target, at least 60% of the time (Simulator, Forever client)

Before the pull:

Imp (Simulator)
Greater Arcane Elixir (Simulator, Forever client)
Baked Salmon (Simulator, Forever client)
Scroll of Intellect IV (Simulator, Forever client)
Mark of the Wild (Simulator, Forever client)
Arcane Intellect (Simulator, Forever client)
Elixir of Greater Intellect (Simulator, Forever client)
Blessing of Kings (Simulator, Forever client)

Avoid:

Leave Conflagrate out of single-target fights at level 60: the simulator's 60 s fight did 1% more damage without it. (Simulator)

Latest changes:

8 November 2026: 60-60: removed Conflagrate; 60-60: Bane of Agony worth 9.1% -> 6.7%; 1 new tip(s) (client build or hotfix rebuild)
7 November 2026: tip wording or values (client build or hotfix rebuild)
7 November 2026: client build 1.60.1.70790 -> 1.60.1.70862; new Blizzard post (new client build 1.60.1.70862)

Every spec's latest changes. Re-studied every week and after each new game build.

Best in slot gear at any level: Affliction, Demonology, Destruction

Best professions for Warlocks: Tailoring + Enchanting.

Warlock abilities

Demon Skin (level 1)
Immolate (level 1)
Shadow Bolt (level 1)
Summon Imp (level 1, from the Classic class quest Piercing the Veil)
Corruption (level 4)
Curse of Weakness (level 4)
Life Tap (level 6)
Bane of Agony (level 8)
Fear (level 8)
Create Healthstone (level 10)
Drain Soul (level 10)
Summon Voidwalker (level 10, from the Classic class quest The Binding)
Health Funnel (level 12)
Curse of Recklessness (level 14)
Drain Life (level 14)
Unending Breath (level 16)
Create Soulstone (level 18)
Searing Pain (level 18)
Curse of the Elements (level 20)
Demon Armor (level 20)
Rain of Fire (level 20)
Ritual of Summoning (level 20)
Summon Incubus (level 20)
Summon Succubus (level 20, from the Classic class quest The Binding)
Eye of Kilrogg (level 22)
Drain Mana (level 24)
Sense Demons (level 24)
Curse of Tongues (level 26)
Detect Invisibility (level 26)
Banish (level 28)
Create Firestone (level 28)
Hellfire (level 30)
Hellfire Effect (level 30)
Subjugate Demon (level 30)
Summon Felhunter (level 30, from the Classic class quest The Binding)
Shadow Ward (level 32)
Create Spellstone (level 36)
Curse of Idiocy (level 38)
Howl of Terror (level 40)
Death Coil (level 42)
Soul Fire (level 48)
Inferno (level 50, from the Classic class quest Kroshius' Infernal Core)
Bane of Doom (level 60)
Portal of Summoning (level 60)
Ritual of Doom (level 60, from the Classic class quest Suppression)
Ritual of Doom Effect (level 60)

Data from the WoW Forever client, build 1.60.1.70862, extracted 2026-11-09.