I don’t play my warlock as much as my priest. But, my warlock was actually my main for a short time during Burning Crusade, and I even raided Karazhan on him. Today, I’ll be giving my own perspective and opinions on the Mists of Pandaria talent tree for Warlocks.
This is a purely destruction warlock perspective. I have never played, and will never play any other specialization for locks.
Level 15:
Dark Regeneration: Restores 50% of your maximum health over 25 seconds. (Instant, 3 minute CD)
Right off the bat, this is a talent that provides me with a utility that will benefit me in any spec, in both PvP and PvE. Every 3 minutes, I can gain 50% of my maximum health back after lifetapping. I’m in. It’s an extra button, but one I could never refuse to hit. While I am in a situation on my lock that is exactly like the one I’m in on my shaman with action bars, I’d make room for this.
Soul Leech: Your Shadowbolt, Incinerate, and Malefic Grasp heal you for 25% of the damage dealt.
And now, the choice is hard. With Dark Regen, it’s an extra button I’d have to push to regen my health. With this, it’s passive and is done upon damage dealt. The problem here is that both Incinerate and Shadowbolt have cast times, warlocks who stand in one place and cast a lot……die. In PvP, which is where my focus is. I spent a lot of my time dotting and watching timers, like my shadow priest. I don’t know what Malefic Grasp is, I have a feeling that I’m looking at a spell we’ll see in Mists.
Harvest Life: Drains the life from the target and all targets within 20 yards, causing 94 Shadow damage and restoring 2% of the caster’s total health per target every 1 second. Lasts 3 seconds.
Empowered Channel: Recasting this spell before it finishes boosts the duration by 3 seconds. Stacks 5 times. (640 Mana, Channeled)
This is an indication that we’ll be losing the current Drain Life spell that we have, and that this is the alternative. I won’t cry about losing Drain Life because I don’t use it enough to matter and it’s one less button. However, I would probably never use this. It’s channeled and would require me to stand in one spot to use it.
Dark Regeneration wins out, this round. This might change when I see how the spells, cast times and things change.
Level 30:
Howl of Terror: Howl, causing 5 enemies within 10 yards to flee in terror for 8 seconds.
Damage caused may interrupt the effect. (1280 Mana, Instant, 40 sec. CD)
Basically, the same Howl of Terror we have now, except this one lacks the 1.5 sec. cast time and will obviously be a talented option. This has zero PvE capabilities because, like with priests, causing mobs to shatter and flee, picks up more mobs and possibly bosses to come and rip your face off.
I don’t cast this in PvP unless I’ve got a spare minute where I have little chance to be caught by rogues. Warlocks who stand and cast spells with cast times……die.
Mortal Coil: Causes the enemy target to run in horror for 3 seconds. The caster restores 25% of their maximum health. (1920 Mana, Instant, 45 Second CD)
This is obviously our current Death Coil, renamed and given a 25% of max. health value, instead of the 300% of damage dealt return. This also has 45 seconds CD as opposed to the 1 minute of Death Coil.
Not useful for PvE because again…..mobs running willy nilly is bad, and it’s only 3 seconds. In PvP, this is instant, and useful. I’m leaning toward the Howl of Terror, though, because it’s far better at 8 seconds, than 3 seconds.
Shadowfury: Shadowfury is unleashed, stunning all enemies within 8 yards for 3 seconds. (1600 Mana, Instant, 20 second CD)
This one has me kind of upset. This is a modified version of the Shadowfury I already have through the Destruction tree. They’ve removed the damage component of this spell, which concerns me greatly. Now, it’s just a stun, and not a very good one at that. The reason we use this in PvP is to cause a moderate amount of damage with the “unleashing” of Shadowfury, while stunning for a short time. This new one is pretty useless to me in most ways.
I’ll vote for Howl of Terror, for now.
Level 45:
Hour of Twilight: When a damaging attack brings you below 20% of your maximum health, all damage taken is reduced by 50% for 10 seconds.
This effect cannot occur more than once every 90 seconds.
The “oh shit” button, except automatic and every minute and a half. Useful all the way around. PvEers will probably like this slightly more than PvPers.
Soul Link: When active, all damage and healing the Warlock takes is shared with her active demon. That damage cannot be prevented.
Lasts as long as the demon is active and controlled. (1600 Mana, Instant)
I have this now. It used to be talented, only, then wasn’t, and now will be again. I like this talent.
Sacrificial Pact: Your demon sacrifices itself to prevent all damage you would take for 10 seconds. (Instant, 5 Minute CD)
This indicates we will lose our Sacrifice Pet feature, in exchange for this talented one. Meh. It’s useful, but then you have to recast your pet, if you’re not Demonology, that could be really difficult under pressure in PvP. I see this as pretty useful for PvE, though.
I’m going to have to go with Hour of Twilight so that I can slim down my spell icon numbers.
Level 60:
Bloodstone: Instantly restores 44% of the Warlock’s base eahlth and increases healing received by 50% for 10 seconds. (Instant, 2 min CD)
Coupled with Dark Regeneration, this is very good for PvE raiding! I would think, anyway. Also good for warlock arena teams where focused healing happens. Sort of meh for the larger BGs, in my opinion but a return on my health is always desired!
Spell Drain: The next single target spell focused at your heals you for half the damage it would have dealt.
Lasts 4 seconds. (640 Mana, Instant, 20 sec CD)
Purely PvP, here. I don’t really see how this talent would be effective in PvE because focused spells on warlocks are too difficult to determine. At least from how I see it. Nice talent, but I could only see this working in arenas, where focused fire is a lot more predictable.
Nether Ward: Transforms your Twilight Ward into Nether Ward.
Nether Ward absorbs 3141 damage. Lasts 30 seconds, 30 second cooldown.
When you absorb damage, you gain Nether Protection, reducing all damage by that spell school by 15% for 12 seconds.
I’m not too “wowed” by this one. I think it’s because I can’t see the lvl 85 version of the talent. What it would look like at 85, how it would scale. 3141 isn’t that much when you think about the health pools of warlocks. We stack stamina like IHOP stacks pancakes.
Until I see more about the expansion and classes, Bloodstone wins. Moar buttons.
Damn, now I want some pancakes.
Level 75:
Grimoire of Supermacy: You command stromer demons, replacing your normal minions. these demons deal 10% additional damage and have more powerful abilites. (Instant)
Spells Learned:
Summon Fel Imp
Summon Voidlord
Summon Shivan
Summon Beholder
Summon Abyssal
Summon Terrorguard
Color me jaded, but I see this one going the way of the vaporware. I do not see this making live servers. If it does, every damned warlock and his succubus will have it. The other two talents are “meh” compared to this.
Grimoire of Service: Instantly summon a second demon, who fights for 30 seconds. (Instant, 2 min CD)
Sometimes it would be nice to have not only my Fel Puppy, but either my Succy or Imp out at the same time. But, the instances that a 30 second Succy every 2 minutes would be useful as opposed to more powerful demons all around? Marginal.
Grimoire of Sacrifice: You sacrifice your pet to fain increased damage and health. Lasts for 3 minutes. Summoning another pet cancels the effect. (Instant, 2 minute CD)
Good for PvE, in my opinion. Raiders…..here’s your increased damage and health for boss fights. PvP…..I can’t see it, but maybe in Arenas?
I’ll be taking Supermacy, for sure!
Level 90:
Archimonde’s Vengeance: Curse an enemy, inflicting 25% of all damage you take to also harm them. Lasts 15 seconds. (Instant, 1 minute CD)
I think this one has implications for both PvE and PvP. I don’t think taking this would be bad for either one. It’s an extra button on an already bursting action bar for a warlock though. I wish Blizzard would get away from adding more buttons.
Kil’Jaeden’s Cunning: You can cast and channel while moving, but doing so doubles the cast time or period of the spell.
I am intrigued by the fact that this appears to be a passive ability. It that’s true, it has major implications for both PvE and PvP, again. And, I see a lot of warlocks speccing this, especially me.
The key to PvP is to be on the move constantly. I mentioned earlier that standing in one spot means death for casters because we get caught by rogues. We still have a chance to be caught by them even when moving, but at least it’s less than standing there with our thumbs up our butts casting spells for a week and half. This right here would make Soul Leech up there a lot more attractive.
Illidan’s Guile: Shadowbolt, Incinerate and Malefic Grasp deal splash damage to enemies within 10 yards of their target. Lasts 30 seconds. (Instant, 2 Minute CD)
Sadly, unless you have a spare minute to stand with your thumb up your butt casting spells with cast times and not worry about rogues, this has less use for PvP than for PvE. Good AoE for packs for PvE though.
Gonna have to go with Kil’jaeden’s Cunning, here. Perhaps that will change my choice for level 15, but will definitely need to be tested.
Shockanlawl 