Destruction Warlock Raid Guide
Welcome to the Destruction Warlock Raid guide for the World of Warcraft patch 11.1.5! This guide covers everything you need to know to understand your character! Are you starting out and leveling up from 70? Check out the leveling guide!
Overview
Hero Talents
- Hellcaller and Diabolist perform similary in pure single-target, with Diabolist being slightly ahead. Hellcaller excells in spread out cleave through Wither while Diabolist has a lot of passive AoE due to Diabolic Rituals.
- Spending a Soul Shard starts a cycle of one of 3 different Diabolic Rituals.
- Diabolic Ritual: Overlord
- Diabolic Ritual: Mother of Chaos
- Diabolic Ritual: Pit Lord
- Starts on 1. again.
- The duration of an active Diabolic Ritual is reduced by 1 second per Chaos Bolt, Rain of Fire or Shadowburn cast baseline. Your Diabolic Ritual is reduced by 1 additional second when you cast Chaos Bolt because of Touch of Rancora as well as another second if you're talented into Infernal Machine and your Summon Infernal is active.
- Only 1 Diabolic Ritual can be up at a time and each turns into their respective Demonic Art after it expires which is triggered after you cast your next Chaos Bolt, Rain of Fire or Shadowburn:
- Demonic Art: Overlord
- A Fel Lord jumps at your target and applies Cloven Soul for 15 seconds.
- Demonic Art:Mother of Chaos
- Deals damage to your target and turns your next Incinerate into Infernal Bolt which generates 2 Soul Shards.
- Demonic Art: Pit Lord
- Summons a Pit Lord that attacks your target with Felseeker and turns your next Chaos Bolt into Ruination which deals a large amount of AoE damage.
- Demonic Art: Overlord
- Additionally, whenever a Demonic Art is active, your next Chaos Bolt, Rain of Fire or Shadowburn benefits from Touch of Rancora.
- Your Summon Infernal is further empowered through Abyssal Dominion.
- Your Immolate is turned into Wither.
- Wither has no cast time or FACING requirement.
- You have access to a 1 minute cooldown called Malevolence.
- Wither can stack up and has multiple neat interactions with different talents which can increase its stack count or have other benefits.
- Spending Soul Shards on damaging spells increases the stacks of Wither by 1 and has a chance to gain an additional stack due to Blackened Soul and Bleakheart Tactics.
- Casting Malevolence increases all active Wither stacks by 3 while each Chaos Bolt adds 1 additional stack during its duration.
- Mark of Peroth'arn gives Wither the chance to add a stack whenever it crits.
- Whenever Blackened Soul deals damage you have a chance to gain Flashpoint stacks through Seeds of Their Demise even if you are not currently talented into Flashpoint.
- Wither has a built-in mechanic which consumes its' accumulated stacks one after another for more damage. This mechanic is called Corrupted.
- The Corrupted state of Wither is triggered by the following:
- Chance whenever Wither gains a stack.
- If Wither reaches 8 stacks.
- If the target Wither is on reaches 20% or is below 20% already.
- When Malevolence is up.
- The Corrupted state of Wither is triggered by the following:
Talents
When to use this Spec
Use this spec if you want to do primarily Single-Target damage. You can use the same spec-specific talents with Hellcaller as well apart from Crashing Chaos which you switch to Rain of Chaos instead and Shadowburn instead of Channel Demonfire.
Gameplay Altering Talents
Discover all talents that significantly alter your gameplay within the Spec and Class Talent trees. This section gives a concise overview of these talents and their applications but for a more detailed look check out the Rotation and Deep Dive sections below.
Spec Tree
- Channel Demonfire
- Deals damage to targets afflicted by Immolate
- Further enhanced by Raging Demonfire and Demonfire Mastery.
- Deals damage to targets afflicted by Immolate
- Roaring Blaze
- It is crucial to keep this buff active as much as possible through proper Conflagrate usage.
- Cataclysm
- Another way of dealing upfront damage and refreshing Immolate at the same time.
- Soul Fire
- A hard hitting spell which is amplified by Roaring Blaze, it is also further enhanced by Decimation.
- Ritual of Ruin
- Passively nets you free Chaos Bolt casts and also spawns an Overfiend that generates more Soul Shards.
- Summon Infernal
- Your main cooldown for burst windows, this is enhanced by Rain of Chaos.
Class Tree
- Soulburn
- Enhances multiple utility spells, mainly used together with Demonic Circle: Teleport, Healthstone, Demonic Gateway and Drain Life.
- Sweet Souls
- Only works if other people use the Healthstones that you created.
- Soul Conduit
- Sometimes alters your cast sequence by refunding Soul Shards.
- Pact of Gluttony
- Massive for survivability since it alters your Demonic Healthstone to be useable multiple times per combat.
- Combo this together with Lifeblood for extra leech upon use.
Hero Talents
- Soul-Etched Circles
- Your default pick since you rarely use Howl of Terror.
- Infernal Machine
- Outperforms Cruelty of Kerxan.
- Infernal Vitality
- Decent health recovery during Unending Resolve.
- Good to pair with Dark Accord and Resolute Barrier for more frequent uses.
When to use this Spec
Use this spec in most, if not all, of the fights inside Liberation of Undermine. Learn more in the designated Liberation of Undermine section!
Talent Adjustments
Listing all the changes within the Class and Spec tree compared to the default build.
Spec Tree
- Added
- Shadowburn, Blistering Atrophy and Fiendish Cruelty.
- Very strong 1 Soul Shard cost spender, especially if your target is below 30% health.
- Further enhanced by Blistering Atrophy and Fiendish Cruelty.
- Shadowburn, Blistering Atrophy and Fiendish Cruelty.
- Removed
- Channel Demonfire
- Raging Demonfire
Demonfire Mastery
Hero Talents
Changed Diabolist to Hellcaller for more info visit the Hero Talent section above.
- Curse of the Satyr
- Combines your Curse of Weakness and Curse of Tongues.
- Bleakheart Tactics
- Outperforms Hatefury Rituals.
- Zevrim's Resilience
- Small recovery help while Dark Pact is up.
When to use this Spec
Use this spec if you're fighting 2-3 enemies for an extended period of the fight.
Talent Adjustments
Listing all the changes within the Class and Spec tree compared to the default build.
Spec Tree
- Added
- Havoc
- This serves as one of your strongest tools to damage two targets at once or generate additional Soul Shards in AoE situations.
- Shadowburn, Blistering Atrophy & Fiendish Cruelty
- Havoc
- Removed
- Burn to Ashes
- Channel Demonfire
- Raging Demonfire
- Demonfire Mastery
Hero Talents
Changed Diabolist to Hellcaller for more info visit the Hero Talent section above.
- Curse of the Satyr
- Combines your Curse of Weakness and Curse of Tongues.
- Bleakheart Tactics
- Outperforms Hatefury Rituals.
- Zevrim's Resilience
- Small recovery help while Dark Pact is up.
Rotation
Tier Set
- 2-Set: Your damaging spells have a chance to hit a Jackpot! that fires a flurry of 6 Demonfire bolts at 200% effectiveness. Casting Summon Infernal always hits a Jackpot!.
- 4-Set: Hitting a Jackpot! increases your Mastery by 2% and your spells gain maximum benefit from Mastery: Chaotic Energies for 10 seconds.
Single-Target
Opener
- Your goal is to spend as many Soul Shards as possible without wasting resources while also keeping relevant abilities on cooldown.
- Always cast Immolate unless it was already applied by either Soul Fire or Cataclysm.
- Use your active trinkets, Tempered Potion and racials like Blood Fury or Berserking after using Summon Infernal.
Priority List
This is a general priority you aim to maintain throughout the fight.
- Keep up Immolate on your target.
- Cast Ruination if Ruination is up.
- Cast Chaos Bolt if Demonic Art: Overlord, Demonic Art: Mother of Chaos or Demonic Art: Pit Lord is up.
- Cast Shadowburn if you are capping on Soul Shards or if you have 2 stacks.
- Cast Chaos Bolt if you are capping on Soul Shards.
- Cast Infernal Bolt if you are below 3 Soul Shards and Infernal Bolt is up.
- Cast Conflagrate to keep up Roaring Blaze, or if you have 2 stacks.
- Cast Soul Fire with Decimation up.
- Cast Shadowburn to keep up Eradication.
- Cast Chaos Bolt to keep up Eradication.
- CastSoul Fire if you're not overcapping on Soul Shards and have Backdraft up.
- Cast Conflagrate to generate Soul Shards.
- Cast Incinerate to generate Soul Shards.
Opener
- Your goal is to spend as many Soul Shards as possible without wasting resources while also keeping relevant abilities on cooldown.
- Always cast Wither unless it was already applied by either Soul Fire or Cataclysm.
- Use your active trinkets, Tempered Potion and racials like Blood Fury or Berserking after using Summon Infernal.
Priority List
This is a general priority you aim to maintain throughout the fight.
- Keep up Wither on your target.
- Cast Shadowburn if you are capping on Soul Shards or if you have 2 stacks.
- Cast Chaos Bolt if you are capping on Soul Shards.
- Cast Conflagrate to keep up Roaring Blaze, or if you have 2 stacks.
- Cast Soul Fire with Decimation up.
- Cast Shadowburn to keep up Eradication.
- Cast Chaos Bolt to keep up Eradication.
- CastSoul Fire if you're not overcapping on Soul Shards and have Backdraft up.
- Cast Conflagrate to generate Soul Shards.
- Cast Incinerate to generate Soul Shards
Multi-Target
Opener
- Below, you see an example of how your opener looks like using the recommended Multi-Target talent spec and depending on the number of Soul Conduit procs, among other factors.
- Always cast Immolate, unless it was already applied by Soul Fire or Cataclysm.
- Use your active trinkets, Tempered Potion, and racials like Blood Fury or Berserking after using Summon Infernal.
2+ Target Priority List
- Keep up Immolate on both targets.
- Cast Ruination if Ruination is up.
- Cast Havoc on a secondary target.
- Cast Chaos Bolt if Demonic Art: Overlord, Demonic Art: Mother of Chaos or Demonic Art: Pit Lord is up.
- Cast Shadowburn if you are capping on Soul Shards or if you have 2 stacks.
- Cast Chaos Bolt if you are capping on Soul Shards.
- Cast Infernal Bolt if you are below 3 Soul Shards and Infernal Bolt is up.
- Cast Conflagrate to keep up Roaring Blaze, or if you have 2 stacks.
- Cast Soul Fire with Decimation up.
- Cast Shadowburn to keep up Eradication.
- Cast Chaos Bolt to keep up Eradication.
- CastSoul Fire if you're not overcapping on Soul Shards and have Backdraft up.
- Cast Conflagrate to generate Soul Shards.
- Cast Incinerate to generate Soul Shards.
Opener
- Below, you see an example of how your opener looks like using the recommended Multi-Target talent spec and depending on the number of Soul Conduit procs, among other factors.
- Always cast Wither unless it was already applied by either Soul Fire or Cataclysm.
- Use your active trinkets, Tempered Potion and racials like Blood Fury or Berserking after using Summon Infernal.
2+ Target Priority List
This is a general priority you aim to maintain throughout the fight.
- Keep up Wither on both targets.
- Cast Havoc on a secondary target.
- Cast Shadowburn if you are capping on Soul Shards or if you have 2 stacks.
- Cast Chaos Bolt if you are capping on Soul Shards.
- Cast Conflagrate to keep up Roaring Blaze, or if you have 2 stacks.
- Cast Soul Fire with Decimation up.
- Cast Shadowburn to keep up Eradication.
- Cast Chaos Bolt to keep up Eradication.
- CastSoul Fire if you're not overcapping on Soul Shards and have Backdraft up.
- Cast Conflagrate to generate Soul Shards.
- Cast Incinerate to generate Soul Shards
AoE
Opener
- This opener can vary by a lot depending on your Soul Shards generation. Below you see one variation of an opener on 4 targets.
- Always cast Immolate unless it was already applied by either Soul Fire or Cataclysm.
- Use your active trinkets, Tempered Potion, and racials like Blood Fury or Berserking after using Summon Infernal.
Priority List
- Keep up Immolate on targets that last over 9 seconds.
- Cast Havoc on a secondary target.
- Cast Chaos Bolt or Rain of Fire if you are about to cap on Soul Shards.
- Cast Cataclysm on cooldown if talented.
- Cast Conflagrate to keep up Roaring Blaze or if you have 2 stacks.
- Cast Soul Fire on cooldown especially with a Decimation proc.
- Cast Chaos Bolt to keep up Eradication or Rain of Fire.
- Cast Shadowburn if something is about to die within 5 seconds.
- Cast Conflagrate to generate Soul Shards.
- Cast Incinerate to generate Soul Shards
Opener
- This opener can vary by a lot depending on your Soul Shards generation. Below you see one variation of an opener on 4 targets.
- Always cast Wither unless it was already applied by either Soul Fire or Cataclysm.
- Use your active trinkets, Tempered Potion and racials like Blood Fury or Berserking after using Summon Infernal.
Priority List
- Keep up Wither on targets that last over 9 seconds.
- Cast Havoc on a secondary target.
- Cast Chaos Bolt or Rain of Fire if you are about to cap on Soul Shards.
- Cast Cataclysm on cooldown if talented.
- Cast Conflagrate to keep up Roaring Blaze or if you have 2 stacks.
- Cast Soul Fire on cooldown especially with a Decimation proc.
- Cast Chaos Bolt to keep up Eradication or Rain of Fire.
- Cast Shadowburn if something is about to die within 5 seconds.
- Cast Conflagrate to generate Soul Shards.
- Cast Incinerate to generate Soul Shards
Deep Dive
Conflagrate, Backdraft and Roaring Blaze
- Make sure to space out your Conflagrates to ensure a high uptime on Roaring Blaze.
- Use your Backdraft charges on Soul Fire then Chaos Bolt and otherwise on Incinerate.
- Don't cast Soul Fire or Channel Demonfire without Roaring Blaze present on your target.
Min-maxing Eradication
- Your casted spell still gets the benefit from Eradication if it finishes before the previous Eradication fades from the target.
- You aim to have a consistent uptime of Eradication to maximize your damage output.
Below, you find an example of how to correctly manage the Eradication timing assuming it takes the Chaos Bolt 2 seconds to reach its target.
- Shadowburn also applies Eradication but doesn't have the added benefit of "travel time" since it's an instant cast spell.
Maximizing your Havoc
To maximize your damage while Havoc is active you need to spend as many casts on Chaos Bolt or Rain of Fire as possible. For this to happen you should enter the Havoc window with as many of the following conditions as possible:
- A high amount of Soul Shards or Soul Shard income.
- Conflagrate should be close to 2 stacks.
- Refresh Immolates so they won't drop off during your Havoc window.
- Pre-build Ritual of Ruin stacks.
Below is an example of what happens when you correctly manage your Havoc window.
- This is not a fixed rotation; This is just one example of how to play during your Havoc window. Soul Conduit procs, critical hits and Soul Fire resets can increase your Soul Shard generation, allowing you to spend more Soul Shards on Chaos Bolt or Rain of Fire.
Using Rain of Fire vs. Chaos Bolt / Shadowburn
The way you spend Soul Shards varies based on the number of targets you're fighting, whether Havoc is active or not and some additional conditions. The table below should help you reach a decision quickly.
Condition | Is Havoc active? | Which spell do you use? |
---|---|---|
Fighting 1-2 enemies | No | Chaos Bolt / Shadowburn |
Fighting 2-4 enemies | Yes | Chaos Bolt / Shadowburn |
Fighting >=3 enemies | No | Rain of Fire |
Fighting >=5 enemies | Irrelevant | Rain of Fire |
Targets are moving | Irrelevant | Chaos Bolt / Shadowburn |
Deal priority damage? | Irrelevant | Chaos Bolt / Shadowburn |
While moving/disrupted and/or you are about to overcap on Soul Shards. | Irrelevant | Shadowburn / Rain of Fire |
Targets are dying? | Irrelevant | Shadowburn |
Condition | Is Havoc active? | Which spell do you use? |
---|---|---|
Fighting 1-2 enemies | No | Chaos Bolt / Shadowburn |
Fighting 2-3 enemies | Yes | Chaos Bolt / Shadowburn |
Fighting >2 enemies | No | Rain of Fire |
Fighting >3 enemies | Irrelevant | Rain of Fire |
Targets are moving | Irrelevant | Chaos Bolt / Shadowburn |
Deal priority damage? | Irrelevant | Chaos Bolt / Shadowburn |
While moving/disrupted and/or you are about to overcap on Soul Shards. | Irrelevant | Shadowburn / Rain of Fire |
Targets are dying? | Irrelevant | Shadowburn |
Understanding Mechanics
Rotational min-maxing is just one aspect of mastering a specialization, but there are numerous other key mechanics that influence your performance. Use the following guides to improve them.