Warlocks

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So maybe something more like;


I like your spec, and I'll think about moving more talent points into the Affliction tree.  I'm not sure about the tanking usefulness of VW at higher levels, but it would be good to hear from others how they feel about various pets at different levels.
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Whew, after writing all this I hope you dont get too bored reding it. hope this advice helps. :P


I have an affliction specced warlock, currently level 47. I must say when I solo I have almost no downtime and I usually use succubus. She matches my playstyle, I find VW just doesnt tank good enough for my damage output.
Of course this depends on which level the mobs are. each 10 levels a new rank of torment is available, at 10,20,...,60 respectively. When fighting mobs whose level is just a beyond the next torment rank, the VW doesnt seem to hold aggro good enough. after getting the next rank, he will be a good tank for a few levels. Aggro management is needed to let him tank effectively, but I have noticed when soloing slighty lower level mobs, that I do better with succubus. The damage output of the succubus is great and she can tank the mob for the initial moments of the battle. With that much damage being dealt, the mobs will fall fast, thus taking less damage.

Looking at pets, when fighting mobs around my level, I must say every pet has its uses and I find myself switcdhing pets to match the situation. I can not say much about the felhound as I have not used it much. When soloing I prefer the succubus, some battles profit of the VW, when taking a lot of mobs at once (3 or more). With sacrifice you can usually buy enough time to summon a new VW if the first one doesnt last. In instances the Voidwalker seems to be the most used by me until now. It depends if the party has an extra tank or even a main tank. That being the case a succubus or imp may be the better choice (for added damage, seduce, or buffs).

There are some Talents I disagree with usefulness. I dont see myself using drain mana much, most spellcasters die quickly, so it may be better to just deal damage to them. With bosses there is the problem of them having a huge mana pool, so drain mana will not even dent. The damage added by the improved drain mana is just not worht it IMHO. Its better to drain life the mob, doing more damage, and then lifetapping to get that drained life into mana.
Same goes with improved drain soul. Warlocks really dont need that much mana regeneration. In battle you are better servedwith drain life + life tap. This talent also seems a bit bugged, so testing it has been a problem in much cases.
I would recommend relocating 2 of those 4 points into grim reach. More range is great. If you want to get shadow mastery then you may invest the other 2 points in curse of Exhaustion (even if 85% running speed isnt that much and only if you PvP some) or even suppresion seems a better choice.
I would recommend leaving shadow mastery and investing the 4 points left in demonic embrace. As Zippyy said, its a good investment. More stamina means more ife and so more mana.

Another advice I can give you is, use life tap. I have seen some warlocks not using it and it is a big mistake. Better to use it early in the battle, usually after the first two spells. and keep using it during the battle, when things get tight and you are out of mana, the second you need to life tap is a second you may need for doing another spell. As I generally use siphon life and drain life during battles, I keep lifetapping now and then. Dont be afraid, your life is your second mana pool. It not rare that I use life tap even under 20% health. In tight battles you need the mana and there is always your healthstone and / or healing pots to replenish your life.

Being affliction based I can not comment about much destruction talents, but I must say my dark pact helps me a lot to reduce downtime and I'm happy with it. :)