WoW 10.0 Demonology Warlock Guide
Last modified 15 days ago
Tier Sets
2-Piece: Felstorm & Demonbolt Increase
(2) Set Bonus: Demon Bolt and Felstorm damage increased by 20%.
Raiding: A
Mythic +: A
4-Piece: Hand of Gul'dan Increase
(4) Set Bonus: Demon Bolt has a chance to make your next Hand of Gul’dan instant and deal 150% increased damage.
Raiding: C+
Mythic +: B
Talent Builds
Trinkets
Demonology typically prefers one equip based trinket and one on use trinket when playing Nether Portal. Your best combinations will typically be either Furious Ragefeather/Whispering Incarnate Icon (equip) and Irideus Fragment/Time-Breaking Talon (on use).
Horn of Valor
Eye of Skovald
Equip based trinket with baseline Critical Strike and a strong damage effect in both Single Target and AOE.
Infernal Writ
Equip based trinket that brings baseline Intellect and a stacking Critical Strike buff.
Irideus Fragment
On Use based trinket with a 3 minute cooldown that brings a large amount if Intellect which diminishes after every cast. When paired with Nether Portal, this trinket offers a tremendous amount of value, even at 372 item level.
Whispering Incarnate Icon
A "very rare" equip based trinket that bring Intellect and Critical Strike. Gains additional value when paired with allies wearing the same trinket.
Furious Ragefeather
Equip based trinket that brings baseline Intellect and a strong damage based effect. Your best equip based option outside of Mythic Incarnate Icon.
Time-Breaching Talon
On use trinket that grant a large amount if Intellect every 2.5 minutes. When paired with Nether Portal, this trinket offers a tremendous amount of value, even at 372 item level.
Stat Weights
Intellect>Haste>Mastery>Critical Strike=Versatility
It is VERY important to note that this is a rough outline of desired secondary stats. Stat weights will vary from player to player due to varying gear sets and other external factors. The best way to tell what your own stat weights are is a raidbots.com Top Gear sim with Gems and Enchants taken into account. If you don't want to do that then you can just follow this.
Gear, Consumables and Enchants
Consumables
Personal - Timely Demise
Raid - Grand Banquet of the Kalu'ak
While Feasts are better in every sense they are also very expensive to craft and typically not used outside of raiding.
Potion - Elemental Potion of Ultimate Power
This is your best option however each potion costs 1 Primal Chaos.
Weapon - Howling Rune
Howling Runes grant you Haste when consumed, similar to Weapons Oils from Shadowlands.
Enchants and Gems
Weapon - Sophic Devotion
Cloak - Homebound Speed
Chest - Waking Stats
Bracers - Devotion of Speed
Legs - Frozen Spellthread
Boots - Plainsrunner's Breeze
Rings - Devotion of Haste
Quick Ysemerald - Pure Haste
Keen Ysemerald - Major Haste/Minor Mastery
Rotation
The openers and rotations listed below are what you want to follow in a normal opener and setting. At times these may change due to fight mechanics or needing to hold CDs.
Single Target
1. Precast Power Siphon (if playing Inner Demons)
2. Shadowbolt x2
3. Nether Portal
4. Soulburn
5. Grimoire:Felguard
6. Summon Vilefiend
7. Demonbolt (Demonic Core)
8. Call Dreadstalkers
9. Hand of Guldan
10. Demonbolt
11. Hand of Guldan (Trinkets, Potions and Racials)
12. Summon Demonic Tyrant
13. Hand of Guldan
14. Hand of Guldan
15. Demonic Strength
16. Shadowbolt x2
17. Power Siphon when off CD
18. Build to 5 shards via Shadowbolt
19. Hand of Guldan
20. Call Dreadstalkers
21. Demonbolt x2
AOE/Mythic +
1. Build to 5 shards
2. Grimoire: Felguard
3. Shadowbolt/Soul Strike
4. Call Dreadstalkers
5. Build to 5 shards
6. Hand of Guldan
7. Shadowbolt
8. Hand of Guldan
9. Hand of Guldan (if shards remaining)
10. Summon Demonic Tyrant
11. Demonic Strength
*Number of Imps will vary based off Demonic Core and Calling procs. For a more detailed breakdown see below. A video guide is also provided.
This build offers stronger, more consistent AOE and one large Implosion at the end of Tyrant due to pet extensions. It is also important to react to Demonic Calling or Demonic Core procs in your setup properly (in place of 2x Shadow Bolts for example) which net you more imps. Depending on Haste levels and procs you are often able to squeeze in more than 6 imps in your Tyrant setup. You mid-combat Tyrants will also have more than 6 imps due to banking Demonic Core procs and at times Demonic Calling. For an even more in-depth mid combat Tyrant rotation, check the video guide below. Time stamps are provided.
Filler Rotation
Outside of your Nether Portal/Tyrant setup, Demonology's rotation is very simple. You want to cast Call Dreadstalkers on cooldown 3 shard Hand of Gul'dan's. You will never hard cast Demonbolt outside of your opener. All other Demonbolt casts will be through Demonic Core procs.
1. While playing grand Warlocks Design, you will hold every Vilefiend for every Tyrant cast.
2. Every other Tyrant cast will also have Grimoire: Felguard accompanying your Vilefiend.
Implosion Rotation
Implosion is a DPS gain at two or more stacked targets. The ability itself has gone through a handful of changes but it currently not target capped. It will deal damage based off the remaining energy your imps have on your main target, but full damage to every surrounding mob when cast, making Demonology exceptionally strong at stacked/sustained AOE. There are two different ways to approach an Implosion cycle which are based off current resources.
If you have 0 Demonic Core procs - 6 Imps
1. Build to 5 Soul Shards
2. Hand of Gul'dan
3. Shadow Bolt
4. Hand of Gul'dan
5. Filler spell (For Imps to Spawn)
6. Implosion
If you have 2+ stacks of Demonic Core - 9 Imps
1. Build to 5 Soul Shards
2. Hand of Gul'dan
3. Demonbolt
4. Hand of Gul'dan
5. Demonbolt
6. Hand of Gul'dan
7. Filler spell (For Imps to Spawn)
7. Implosion
Due to the introduction of Imp-Gang Boss (talent) you will want to make sure that you're Imploding before your imps expire, or Imp-Gang Bosses will not spawn a replacement imp.