Warlock • Affliction • PVE
Affliction Warlock (PVE)
A damage-over-time focused spec that excels at sustained pressure, utility, and PvP control.
Talents
Affliction has a real place in TBC thanks to the debuff cap increase and powerful new talents like Empowered Corruption, Contagion, and Unstable Affliction. It’s also a strong early Level 70 choice because Suppression helps cover your initial lack of spell hit. In raids, Affliction is commonly brought as a utility spec to provide Malediction, Shadow Embrace, and Blood Pact while still dealing respectable damage.
Why Affliction in TBC
DoT Damage Got Real Upgrades
TBC adds major Affliction power through talents like Empowered Corruption and Contagion, plus the new signature DoT Unstable Affliction, allowing Affliction to contribute meaningful damage while keeping its utility identity.
Strong Early Level 70 Spec
Suppression helps compensate for the lack of spell hit on early gear, making Affliction a common and effective spec right after hitting 70 before your itemization catches up.
Raid Slot Value: Utility First
Most raids bring at least one Affliction Warlock primarily for Malediction and Shadow Embrace, plus Blood Pact from the Imp. Your job is to maintain the correct curse (usually Curse of the Elements) and keep key debuffs applied.
Build Variants & Flex Options
Ruin Variant Before Pre-Raid BiS
Before you have strong gear, you can run a Ruin-focused variant instead of Unstable Affliction. This shifts power into Shadow Bolt crit damage for a noticeable boost while still preserving key raid utility talents like Malediction and Shadow Embrace.
Hit Scaling: Move Points Out of Suppression
As your hit rating improves, you can reduce or remove points in Suppression and reallocate them into other Affliction talents. A common rule of thumb is that 12.62 hit rating equals 1% hit, so you can swap talent hit for gear hit over time.
Dark Pact Is Optional
Dark Pact is not mandatory. If you prefer a simpler mana plan or your group supports you well, you can use those points elsewhere while maintaining the core utility package.
Imp Damage Options (Optional)
Imp Utility vs Personal Damage
Affliction commonly uses the Imp for Blood Pact, but the Imp provides less passive damage than other setups and can require attention to keep alive. This makes it a utility-forward choice rather than a pure DPS pet plan.
Talent Swaps for More Imp DPS
If you want to maximize Imp damage, you can move points from Intensity, Destructive Reach, or Shadowburn into Improved Imp and Improved Firebolt. This is a preference-based tradeoff between personal casting comfort and pet damage.
Consider Grim Reach
Grim Reach is a worthwhile consideration depending on your encounter needs and comfort. If you value extra range/quality-of-life, it can be a strong pick without changing the core role of the build.