Warcraft 3.1.1a - Pyrox's Warlock Guide

A lot of people ask me, "What do you do that puts you up there on DPS meters?"

First of all, my gear is mediocre compared to what it should be. I'm not always that high on DPS, but when I am it's because a series of things play in my favor. First off -- I know my play style very well. I do a lot of research to that end. I cannot split my attention very well, that means I suck at Affliction because to get high DPS as Affliction you must be able to split your attention very well. I can't do it. My dot uptime is bad, while my shadowbolt spam makes up for it a bit.

I really enjoy old school destro, so I have made adjustments to spec and gear for that type of playstyle -- I faceroll.

When I am pugging raids with world class players, I am usually not the top DPS, my DPS is typically in the top five on most pulls. I could still do better with my gear.

I only roll on items that upgrade and match PREDETERMINED slot types. I have mapped out which slots should have hit, based on the best end-game available combination of gear. These lists are linked in this post... keep reading!

When something drops with hit rating on it, I will check to make sure the slots match. If they don't I pass to another player.

Warlocks need Hit Rating as their top priority until they are over 300. Hit really isn't as important as it used to be, just like any other stat -- the importance will not be felt in Ulduar as much as it was in Black Temple or Sunwell when we were all 70.

• After hit comes: Core stats: spell power, haste, crit.
• Then: Base stats: Int, Stam, Spirit.

For cloth casters, Blizzard has developed gear with or without hit that comes in a few flavors: stacked (modifies 3 core stats), and non-stacked (modifies 2 stats, typically haste and spell power or crit and spellpower).

As a Warlock, you want gear with Spirit. Gear without it is less favorable. Spirit is the hidden secret to Warlocks now that we have the changes to fel armor that factor it as: 33% of the spirit becomes spellpower.

Here look at my character sheet (Pyrox of Cho'gall).

I currently have 667 Spirit. That converts with Fel Armor into:

• 667 * 0.3 = 200.1 additional spellpower from fel armor.

So Spirit plays as much of a role as if you had the Illustration of the Dragonsoul at maximum, or at least in my case this is a fucking fact.

Therefore after going over the numbers, and believe me these will probably change in the near future, but this is my current push for gear upgrades.

I have decided to raid with the following slots for hit:

• Back
• Feet
• Hands
• Legs
• Waist
• Wrist

Without hit slots are going to be:

• Chest
• Finger
• Head
• Main
• Neck
• Off-hand
• Ranged
• Shoulder

Therefore if a shoulder piece drops with hit on it, do I roll on it? Fuck no. It's not in my list.

Based on Simulation Craft's numbers, which are sketchy but whatever they are all close enough anyway, I have derrived the following tables when I look at what I want.

• Hit Gear Tables for Warlocks

• Non-hit Gear Tables for Warlocks

My primary Spec now for 3.1 is a combination of Decimation and Immolate/Conflag. Most of my DPS is going to happen when the boss is under 35%. But I will still top the meters in the first part of the fight.

Warlocks are strongest for long fights, and fire is OP now if you don't need to move around. My main spec is hybrid fire.

Rotation: Mob over 35% health

Immolate + Conflag, Corruption + CoA, Incinerate spam (refresh dots, conflag as soon as it's off CD.)

Rotation: Mob under 35% health

When the mob gets your Decimation debuff, the rotation changes:

• Incinerate, (dots till Decimation), Soul Fire. (REPEAT)
  

Occationally Immolate + Conflag as Conflag is off your timer, and keep dots up for Molten Core.


A few other key things for my raiding experience to be super good.

• Flask of the Frost Wyrm
• Flame Cap
• Potion of Wild Magic
• Firecracker Salmon or Fish Feast