Basic Warlock Raiding Strategies

For those of you who just can't get enough of raiding and live for your "lock", Cataclysm has made a few changes to the way your character is played.  The biggest change and on that is definitely going to affect your Warlock raiding strategies is there is no longer a need for you to spend time farming for Soul Shards before you head out for a long night of raiding. Soul Shards are now a resource in much the same way as your health and mana; in fact you can see the resource bar in the same area on your screen.

Like any toon, the most important part of Warlock raiding strategies is choosing the right talent tree. With dual spec you can switch between your two favorites on the fly, which makes it much easier to set yourself up as Affliction for raiding. Even with the changes that have been made your best bet is still to run Affliction for raids due to the intense levels of Damage over Time that you can do. Since you really do not have anything in your arsenal for burst damage, why would you as your main role is ranged DPS, you need to set your spell rotation up very carefully.

The first spell in your rotation should always be Haunt as soon as it is off cooldown, as it increases the amount of damage done by every DoT you cast by 20%. It will also proc Shadow Embrace occasionally which increases your Shadow DoT by another 5% and stacks 3 times. Next on your rotation needs to be Corruption, as this is your most damaging spell and it regenerates health. Going down the line, Unstable Affliction is the next highest damaging spell. Finally throw in Curse of Agony, although it does the least amount of damage, it all adds up and when you fire off Shadow Bolts every chance you get your target won't stand a chance.

While the order of spells is only a small part of the Warlock raiding strategies, it is probably the most important part and one that you need to spend a little time practicing. You can use the target dummies in the major cities to get your timing down so that all of the spells stay up until your victim hits the ground. Gear up and get your spell rotation down to a split second science and you will become a very successful Affliction Warlock.

Get the most out of your Warlock, whether you’re a PvP fiend or a hardcore Affliction Raider. Visit www.WarcraftPros.com more for in-depth class tips and strategies

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