Best Warlock Build in Azeroth Survivors

How it plays

Warlock clear comes from staying inside the pack, not from the hardest single hit. Hellfire is an aura with radius 7 that hits for 6 on a 1 second cooldown, and the packed-crowd model counts 8 targets, which is a clear score of 50.4. Rain of Fire uses that same radius 7 and the same 8 targets. It is a ground spell, so the 8 damage is one tick, repeated across a 6 second duration, on a 9 second cooldown. Those ticks are the whole 44.8 clear score. You plant both and let them work while you stand there.

The lead skill is not a bolt. Curse of Agony has 0 direct damage and 3.5 damage over time, four applications across 12 seconds, range 20, cooldown 2.5 seconds. That damage over time is worth 67.2, more than Hellfire. Corruption is the quieter version of the same idea, 4 damage over time for 10 seconds at range 20, clear score 40.0. Immolate mixes a 12 damage hit with 4 damage over time and scores 40.5. Split that score and the direct portion is 10.5 while the damage over time portion is 30.0.

Shadowburn looks like the finisher because the hit is 46 damage, yet the clear score is 9.7. One target, a 5 second cooldown, and no radius cannot catch a curse that ticks on several bodies. Death Coil hits for 26 and drains half of that hit, range 22, cooldown 5 seconds, clear score 5.5. The drain keeps you alive. It does not earn a place in the six.

Early and late

Shadow Bolt is the starting skill. 15 damage, range 24, cooldown 1.4 seconds, clear score 11.3. It remains in the six, in last place. The skill list does not record an unlock level for Curse of Agony, Corruption, Immolate, Hellfire, or Rain of Fire. What the scores do show is that Curse of Agony, Corruption, and Immolate already add to 147.7, and the full six reaches 254.2.

Howl of Terror is the one Warlock button with a level on it. At level 5 Howl of Terror scatters enemies 12 yards for 4 seconds, and the cooldown is 20 seconds, longer than every other F skill. Walk speed stays 7.5. Health stays 120. The scatter does not multiply speed, and it is not one of the six damaging skills.

Hellfire comes back every 1 second inside radius 7. Rain of Fire comes back every 9 seconds and then ticks for 6 seconds. Curse of Agony comes back every 2.5 seconds and keeps ticking for 12. That is the rhythm the cooldowns and durations support. Standing in the aura is a health question, and the health number is 120, the same body Priest and Mage have.

Tradeoffs

Warrior also sits in S, with 160 health and a clear score of 213.2 against Warlock 254.2. Warrior damage is melee, range 5.5 on Cleave, and Charge crosses 25 yards. Warlock damage starts at range 20 and assumes you remain in the circle. If the pack is on top of you, Warlock scores more. If you are still running in, Warrior has already swung.

Priest shares the 120 health and the 7.5 speed, and Priest damage over time is real, but the Priest six sums to 99.9. Mage matches the body and the speed and then leaves with Blink on a 10 second cooldown. Warlock has no blink. The scatter is a 20 second button. You win the long stand. You lose the reposition.

Recommended Warlock build

The six is Curse of Agony, Hellfire, Rain of Fire, Immolate, Corruption, and Shadow Bolt. Added as clear scores they make 254.2. Tier power is 261.1. The difference is the F skill. The six has no slow, stun, root, or fear, so its control term is 0. Shadowburn, Searing Pain, and Death Coil stay out. Their hits are larger than Shadow Bolt on paper and smaller once target count is included.

1. 1
   Curse of Agony

   • Dot
   • 2.5s cooldown
   • clear score 67.2
2. 2
   Hellfire

   • Aura
   • 1s cooldown
   • clear score 50.4
3. 3
   Rain of Fire

   • Ground
   • 9s cooldown
   • clear score 44.8
4. 4
   Immolate

   • Strike
   • 2.4s cooldown
   • clear score 40.5
5. 5
   Corruption

   • Dot
   • 3s cooldown
   • clear score 40.0
6. 6
   Shadow Bolt

   • Bolt
   • 1.4s cooldown
   • clear score 11.3

Passives

On this six, Arcane Intellect at passive level 5 changes the score by +169.4. Blessing of Might is the next real bump at +127.1, and Blessing of Kings adds +27.8. Haste is the loud stat because so much of the score is cooldown, not a single fat hit.

Mistakes

Chasing Shadowburn because 46 damage is the biggest number on the character. It scores 9.7, which sits under the Shadow Bolt you already start with.

Holding the starter and never replacing the rotation around it. Shadow Bolt stays in the six, but it is 11.3 next to Curse of Agony at 67.2. The bolt is the filler, not the plan.

Howl of Terror

Howl of Terror scatters 12 yards and lasts 4 seconds. The cooldown is 20 seconds and it is learned at level 5. It does not add walking speed. Press it when you need the pack out of your face for one Hellfire cycle, then go back to standing in radius 7.

Skill numbers

Other classes

• S Warrior
• A Mage
• A Druid
• A Hunter
• B Paladin
• B Shaman
• C Priest
• C Rogue

Same tier

• Warrior

FAQ