ClassicWoW.gg Guides, BIS, & News
Forever
Menu

Demo Warlock Overview & Changes - WoW Forever Guide

Demonology Warlock can keep a sacrifice bonus and a different active demon through Demonic Pact. Pick the sacrifice for your damage school or recovery needs, then choose the living pet for damage, control or defense. Keep that demon alive and supplied with mana; losing it also removes your pet-dependent bonuses.

Updated
Play video

Demo Warlock overview

A Shadow-focused Demo can sacrifice an Imp and keep a Sayaad; a Fire-focused Demo can sacrifice a Sayaad and keep an Imp. Those school pairings are a useful starting point, not a reason to give up a Felhunter or Voidwalker you need. Soul Link, Demonic Knowledge and Master Demonologist give an active demon several jobs, so losing it can cost much more than its own attacks.

On this page

The biggest changes from Classic

Choose two different demons

Demonic Sacrifice chooses your personal bonus. Demonic Pact lets a different summoned demon coexist with it. Summoning the demon you sacrificed still cancels the effect.

Watch both health and mana bars

Demonic Energies links your spell damage to pet healing and Life Tap to pet mana. Soul Link also sends damage taken to the demon, so a healthy Warlock can still have a pet in trouble.

Build around the spells you cast

School bonuses, pet talents and Decimation support different parts of the fight. Pick the talents that solve the damage, utility or survival problem you actually have instead of treating every Demo talent as mandatory.

Demonology Warlock

Ranged DPS / Pet Utility

Demo splits the sacrifice you want from the demon you want beside you. A deep build with Demonic Pact gets both; a build without Pact has to choose between keeping the sacrifice and summoning a pet. Decide that before planning your damage casts and defensive tools.

Build your talents

Sacrifice bonuses and the Classic reversal

Demonic Sacrifice grants an effect lasting two hours. Sacrificing an Imp increases your Shadow damage by 15%. Sacrificing a Succubus or Incubus increases your Fire damage by 15%. A Voidwalker restores 2% of your total mana every four seconds, while a Felhunter restores 3% of your total health every four seconds.

These assignments reverse the familiar Classic choices. Original Classic gave Fire damage from the Imp, Shadow damage from the Succubus, health from the Voidwalker and mana from the Felhunter, with a 30-minute duration. Do not carry a Classic sacrifice macro or habit into Forever without checking which buff it produces.

Without Demonic Pact, summoning any demon cancels the sacrifice effect. With Pact, summon a different demon to retain it. The order is summon the sacrifice demon, use Demonic Sacrifice, then summon your intended active demon. Check the resulting buff and pet before the pull rather than discovering the wrong pairing after combat starts.

Shadow, Fire and recovery pairings

For Shadow-heavy casting, sacrifice an Imp. With Demonic Pact, summon a Succubus or Incubus if you want to pair that bonus with Master Demonologist's Shadow benefit. Its rank 1 grants 2% Shadow damage to you and the active demon. This fits a build around Shadow Bolt or Shadow DoTs, provided the pet stays active.

For Fire-heavy casting, sacrifice a Succubus or Incubus, then use an Imp with Pact. Master Demonologist rank 1 grants 2% Fire damage while the Imp is active, and Improved Imp supports its Firebolt damage. The Fire sacrifice improves your Fire spells; it does not turn Shadow Bolt into a Fire spell.

A Voidwalker sacrifice trades the school bonus for recurring mana. Consider it when running dry forces repeated recovery breaks, but remember that Pact then requires a different active demon. A Felhunter sacrifice gives recurring health instead. That can help between damage events and taps, but a four-second tick is not an emergency heal. If you need the Felhunter's utility on the next pull, sacrifice something else.

Each recovery choice gives up an offensive sacrifice. Compare whether it keeps useful casts flowing through the fight, not just whether your bars look fuller afterward.

When utility beats a matching school bonus

Choose the active demon's job before committing to its talent support. A Felhunter is useful when Spell Lock matters more than another school bonus. Improved Felhunter rank 1 reduces Spell Lock's cooldown by two seconds and improves the listed Tainted Blood, Devour Magic healing and Paranoia effects. If you also take Master Demonologist, an active Felhunter reduces magic damage taken rather than increasing your Fire or Shadow damage.

A Voidwalker gives you a pet to hold a solo enemy, with Improved Voidwalker strengthening its listed threat and defensive tools. Master Demonologist pairs it with reduced Physical damage taken. That can be worth more than a school bonus when you need time to cast or recover. In a dungeon, do not let that pet compete with the tank for the assigned kill target.

Improved Sayaad strengthens Lash of Pain and Soothing Kiss and extends Seduction and Lesser Invisibility. If your Sayaad is assigned to control an enemy, keep that enemy free of your DoTs and pet attacks. A control assignment can be worth the lost pet damage. See the Warlock group-play advice for shared curse and crowd-control decisions.

Pet position, target changes and movement

Keep pet attack and recall commands easy to reach. Send a melee demon to the intended kill target, not automatically to whichever enemy you briefly target for a curse. On a target swap, check that the demon actually reaches the new enemy; your own casts can look fine while the pet spends the window running.

Recall or reposition the demon before a dangerous ground effect or a pull across awkward terrain. Position a ranged Imp where it can attack without being left in the previous pack's danger area. Do not rely on Demonic Energies to heal through lethal damage, especially while you are moving or the enemy is immune and your spell damage has stopped.

Spend forced movement on useful preparation: reposition the demon, check its health and mana, and Life Tap if your health and incoming damage allow it. Avoid opening a new DoT cycle on an add that will die before the effect pays off. Existing DoTs can keep working while you move; a fresh cast is only useful if its target survives long enough.

Life Tap, Demonic Energies and Health Funnel

At rank 1, Demonic Energies heals your pet for 8% of the spell damage you deal. When Life Tap gives you mana, the summoned demon gains mana equal to 50% of that gain. That makes safe tapping useful to both mana bars, but a tap is not a pet heal: your spell damage does that part.

Check which resource is actually low. A pet short on mana needs a different response from a pet about to die. Tap before a safe casting window rather than waiting until you and the demon both run dry, and avoid spending your own health just before unavoidable damage. Improved Life Tap is an alternative use of points when your casting plan needs more mana from each tap.

Use Health Funnel when deliberate pet healing is needed instead of assuming damage-based healing will catch up. Improved Health Funnel rank 1 increases health transferred by 20%, reduces its health cost by 15% and reduces the threat it generates by 50%. It also allows Funnel regardless of the demon's health. You still spend your own health and time to support the pet: move it out of danger first, then heal it from a safe position.

Fel Vitality gives the listed pets more maximum health and mana and increases your own maximum mana. That extra room helps absorb damage and resource use; it is not a replacement for checking the bars during a long fight.

Soul Link and recovering a dead demon

When active, Soul Link transfers 30% of damage taken by you to the demon and increases both your damage and its damage by 3%. The effect lasts while the demon is active. A pet can take environmental damage on top of the share it takes through the link, so watching only your own health misses part of the danger.

After pet death, get somewhere safe enough to summon. If you have Fel Domination, it reduces the next listed summon's cast time by 5.5 seconds and mana cost by 50%, on a five-minute cooldown. Master Summoner separately reduces summon cast time and cost. Save that recovery tool for a lost pet or a deliberate urgent swap rather than spending it without a reason between safe pulls.

Choose the recovery summon carefully. With Demonic Pact, a demon different from the one sacrificed preserves the sacrifice effect; summoning the sacrificed demon cancels it. After the summon, check the sacrifice buff, activate Soul Link if selected, restore the pet's assignment and check its position. A living pet brings back access to pet-dependent benefits such as Demonic Knowledge and your selected Master Demonologist effect.

If you deliberately change your sacrifice, rebuild the pairing before the next pull. Replacing a damage bonus with recovery is a change to your damage plan, not just a cosmetic pet swap.

Warlock talent trees

Hover, focus or tap a talent to read its effects. Each badge shows the talent's maximum rank; this is the full tree, not a suggested build.

Affliction

 17 talents
2 5 5 5 2 3 2 3 1 3 5 2 1 1 3 5 1

Demonology

 19 talents
2 3 5 5 2 3 3 2 3 1 2 2 1 3 3 1 3 5 1

Destruction

 16 talents
2 5 5 5 3 5 5 1 3 3 1 2 1 3 5 1

Spend your 51 points, try different paths and share your build in the talent calculator.

Build your talents
Read all talent descriptions

Affliction

Improved Life Tap Maximum rank 2

Rank 1
Increases the amount of Mana awarded by your Life Tap spell by 10%.

Rank 2
Increases the amount of Mana awarded by your Life Tap spell by 20%.

Passive

Suppression Maximum rank 5

Rank 1
Improves your chance to hit by 1% and reduces all threat you generate by 4%.

Rank 2
Improves your chance to hit by 2% and reduces all threat you generate by 8%.

Rank 3
Improves your chance to hit by 3% and reduces all threat you generate by 12%.

Rank 4
Improves your chance to hit by 4% and reduces all threat you generate by 16%.

Rank 5
Improves your chance to hit by 5% and reduces all threat you generate by 20%.

Passive

Improved Corruption Maximum rank 5

Rank 1
Reduces the casting time of your Corruption spell by 0.4 sec and increases the damage it deals by 2%.

Rank 2
Reduces the casting time of your Corruption spell by 0.8 sec and increases the damage it deals by 4%.

Rank 3
Reduces the casting time of your Corruption spell by 1.2 sec and increases the damage it deals by 6%.

Rank 4
Reduces the casting time of your Corruption spell by 1.6 sec and increases the damage it deals by 8%.

Rank 5
Reduces the casting time of your Corruption spell by 2 sec and increases the damage it deals by 10%.

Passive

Malediction Maximum rank 5

Rank 1
Increases all periodic damage done by your Warlock spells by 1%.

Rank 2
Increases all periodic damage done by your Warlock spells by 2%.

Rank 3
Increases all periodic damage done by your Warlock spells by 3%.

Rank 4
Increases all periodic damage done by your Warlock spells by 4%.

Rank 5
Increases all periodic damage done by your Warlock spells by 5%.

Passive

Soul Harvesting Maximum rank 2

Rank 1
You gain Soul Harvest for 10 sec if a victim is killed while afflicted with your Drain Soul. Soul Harvest allows your Mana to regenerate at 50% of normal speed while you are casting spells, and grants a 50% increase to your Mana regeneration.

Rank 2
You gain Soul Harvest for 10 sec if a victim is killed while afflicted with your Drain Soul. Soul Harvest allows your Mana to regenerate at 100% of normal speed while you are casting spells, and grants a 100% increase to your Mana regeneration.

Passive

Improved Drains Maximum rank 3

Rank 1
Increases health drained or damage done by your Drain Life, Drain Soul, and Wrack spells by 7%.

Rank 2
Increases health drained or damage done by your Drain Life, Drain Soul, and Wrack spells by 13%.

Rank 3
Increases health drained or damage done by your Drain Life, Drain Soul, and Wrack spells by 20%.

Passive

Improved Bane of Agony Maximum rank 2

Rank 1
Increases the damage done by your Bane of Agony by 5%.

Rank 2
Increases the damage done by your Bane of Agony by 10%.

Passive

Fel Concentration Maximum rank 3

Rank 1
Gives you a 23% chance to avoid interruption caused by damage while channeling or casting your Drain Life, Drain Mana, Drain Soul, or Wrack spells.

Rank 2
Gives you a 47% chance to avoid interruption caused by damage while channeling or casting your Drain Life, Drain Mana, Drain Soul, or Wrack spells.

Rank 3
Gives you a 70% chance to avoid interruption caused by damage while channeling or casting your Drain Life, Drain Mana, Drain Soul, or Wrack spells.

Passive

Amplify Curse Maximum rank 1

Rank 1
Increases the effect of your next Curse of Weakness or Bane of Agony by 50%, or your next Curse of Exhaustion by 20%. Lasts 30 sec.

Instant | 3 min cooldown

Pandemic Maximum rank 3

Rank 1
Increases the critical strike damage bonus of your Corruption, Bane of Agony, Bane of Doom, Drain Soul, Drain Life, Siphon Life, and Wrack spells by 33%.

Rank 2
Increases the critical strike damage bonus of your Corruption, Bane of Agony, Bane of Doom, Drain Soul, Drain Life, Siphon Life, and Wrack spells by 67%.

Rank 3
Increases the critical strike damage bonus of your Corruption, Bane of Agony, Bane of Doom, Drain Soul, Drain Life, Siphon Life, and Wrack spells by 100%.

Passive

Malevolence Maximum rank 5

Rank 1
Increases the critical effect chance of your Shadow spells by 1%.

Rank 2
Increases the critical effect chance of your Shadow spells by 2%.

Rank 3
Increases the critical effect chance of your Shadow spells by 3%.

Rank 4
Increases the critical effect chance of your Shadow spells by 4%.

Rank 5
Increases the critical effect chance of your Shadow spells by 5%.

Passive

Nightfall Maximum rank 2

Rank 1
Gives your Corruption, Drain Soul, Drain Life, and Wrack spells a 2% chance to cause you to enter a Shadow Trance after damaging the opponent. The Shadow Trance reduces the casting time of your next Shadow Bolt spell by 100%.

Rank 2
Gives your Corruption, Drain Soul, Drain Life, and Wrack spells a 4% chance to cause you to enter a Shadow Trance after damaging the opponent. The Shadow Trance reduces the casting time of your next Shadow Bolt spell by 100%.

Passive

Curse of Exhaustion Maximum rank 1

Rank 1
Reduces the target's movement speed by 30% for 12 sec. Only one Curse per Warlock can be active on any one target.

8% of base mana | 30 yd range | Instant

Siphon Life Maximum rank 1

Rank 1
Transfers 11 health from the target to the caster every 3 sec. Lasts 30 sec.

150 Mana | 30 yd range | Instant

Soul Siphon Maximum rank 3

Rank 1
Increases the damage done or health drained by your Drain Life, Drain Soul, and Wrack spells by 4% per each of your other Affliction effects active on the target, up to a maximum increase of 12%.

Rank 2
Increases the damage done or health drained by your Drain Life, Drain Soul, and Wrack spells by 8% per each of your other Affliction effects active on the target, up to a maximum increase of 24%.

Rank 3
Increases the damage done or health drained by your Drain Life, Drain Soul, and Wrack spells by 12% per each of your other Affliction effects active on the target, up to a maximum increase of 36%.

Passive

Shadow Mastery Maximum rank 5

Rank 1
Increases the damage dealt or life drained by your Shadow spells by 1%.

Rank 2
Increases the damage dealt or life drained by your Shadow spells by 2%.

Rank 3
Increases the damage dealt or life drained by your Shadow spells by 3%.

Rank 4
Increases the damage dealt or life drained by your Shadow spells by 4%.

Rank 5
Increases the damage dealt or life drained by your Shadow spells by 5%.

Passive

Wrack Maximum rank 1

Rank 1
Tears the target apart from within, dealing 36 Shadow damage every 1 sec and increasing the damage they take from your other Shadow damage over time effects by 10%. Lasts 6 sec.

200 Mana | 30 yd range | Channeled

Demonology

Improved Health Funnel Maximum rank 2

Rank 1
Increases the amount of health transferred by your Health Funnel spell by 20%, reduces its health cost by 15%, and reduces all threat your Health Funnel generates by 50%. Allows Health Funnel to be used regardless of your demon's health.

Rank 2
Increases the amount of health transferred by your Health Funnel spell by 40%, reduces its health cost by 30%, and reduces all threat your Health Funnel generates by 100%. Allows Health Funnel to be used regardless of your demon's health.

Passive

Improved Imp Maximum rank 3

Rank 1
Increases the damage of your Imp's Firebolt spell by 10% and the effect of its Fire Shield spell by 10%.

Rank 2
Increases the damage of your Imp's Firebolt spell by 20% and the effect of its Fire Shield spell by 20%.

Rank 3
Increases the damage of your Imp's Firebolt spell by 30% and the effect of its Fire Shield spell by 30%.

Passive

Demonic Embrace Maximum rank 5

Rank 1
Increases your total Stamina by 3%.

Rank 2
Increases your total Stamina by 6%.

Rank 3
Increases your total Stamina by 9%.

Rank 4
Increases your total Stamina by 12%.

Rank 5
Increases your total Stamina by 15%.

Passive

Unholy Power Maximum rank 5

Rank 1
Increases all damage done by your Imp, Voidwalker, Succubus, Incubus, and Felhunter pets by 2%.

Rank 2
Increases all damage done by your Imp, Voidwalker, Succubus, Incubus, and Felhunter pets by 4%.

Rank 3
Increases all damage done by your Imp, Voidwalker, Succubus, Incubus, and Felhunter pets by 6%.

Rank 4
Increases all damage done by your Imp, Voidwalker, Succubus, Incubus, and Felhunter pets by 8%.

Rank 5
Increases all damage done by your Imp, Voidwalker, Succubus, Incubus, and Felhunter pets by 10%.

Passive

Demonic Aegis Maximum rank 2

Rank 1
Increases the effectiveness of your Demon Skin and Demon Armor spells by 15%.

Rank 2
Increases the effectiveness of your Demon Skin and Demon Armor spells by 30%.

Passive

Improved Voidwalker Maximum rank 3

Rank 1
Increases the effectiveness of your Voidwalker's Torment, Consume Shadows, Sacrifice, and Suffering spells by 10%.

Rank 2
Increases the effectiveness of your Voidwalker's Torment, Consume Shadows, Sacrifice, and Suffering spells by 20%.

Rank 3
Increases the effectiveness of your Voidwalker's Torment, Consume Shadows, Sacrifice, and Suffering spells by 30%.

Passive

Fel Vitality Maximum rank 3

Rank 1
Increases the maximum health and Mana of your Imp, Voidwalker, Succubus, Incubus, and Felhunter by 5%, and increases your maximum Mana by 5%.

Rank 2
Increases the maximum health and Mana of your Imp, Voidwalker, Succubus, Incubus, and Felhunter by 10%, and increases your maximum Mana by 10%.

Rank 3
Increases the maximum health and Mana of your Imp, Voidwalker, Succubus, Incubus, and Felhunter by 15%, and increases your maximum Mana by 15%.

Passive

Demonic Energies Maximum rank 2

Rank 1
You heal your pet for 8% of all spell damage you deal. When you gain Mana from Life Tap, your summoned demon gains 50% of the Mana you gain.

Rank 2
You heal your pet for 15% of all spell damage you deal. When you gain Mana from Life Tap, your summoned demon gains 100% of the Mana you gain.

Passive

Improved Sayaad Maximum rank 3

Rank 1
Increases the effect of your Succubus' and Incubus' Lash of Pain and Soothing Kiss spells by 10%, and increases the duration of your Succubus' and Incubus' Seduction and Lesser Invisibility spells by 10%.

Rank 2
Increases the effect of your Succubus' and Incubus' Lash of Pain and Soothing Kiss spells by 20%, and increases the duration of your Succubus' and Incubus' Seduction and Lesser Invisibility spells by 20%.

Rank 3
Increases the effect of your Succubus' and Incubus' Lash of Pain and Soothing Kiss spells by 30%, and increases the duration of your Succubus' and Incubus' Seduction and Lesser Invisibility spells by 30%.

Passive

Demonic Sacrifice Maximum rank 1

Rank 1
When activated, sacrifices your summoned Demon to enhance the opposing aspect of your power, granting you an effect that lasts 2 hrs. The effect is canceled if any Demon is summoned. Imp: Increases your Shadow damage by 15%. Voidwalker: Restores 2% of your total Mana every 4 sec. Succubus/Incubus: Increases your Fire damage by 15%. Felhunter: Restores 3% of your total Health every 4 sec.

100 yd range | Instant

Master Summoner Maximum rank 2

Rank 1
Reduces the casting time of your Imp, Voidwalker, Succubus, Incubus, and Felhunter Summoning spells by 2 sec and the Mana cost by 20%.

Rank 2
Reduces the casting time of your Imp, Voidwalker, Succubus, Incubus, and Felhunter Summoning spells by 4 sec and the Mana cost by 40%.

Passive

Decimation Maximum rank 2

Rank 1
Reduces the cooldown of your Soul Fire spell by 45%. When you cast Shadow Bolt or Searing Pain on an enemy below 35% health, they deal 3% increased damage, and for the next 10 sec your Soul Fire spell has its cast time reduced by 20% and costs no Soul Shards.

Rank 2
Reduces the cooldown of your Soul Fire spell by 90%. When you cast Shadow Bolt or Searing Pain on an enemy below 35% health, they deal 6% increased damage, and for the next 10 sec your Soul Fire spell has its cast time reduced by 40% and costs no Soul Shards.

Passive

Fel Domination Maximum rank 1

Rank 1
Your next Imp, Voidwalker, Succubus, Incubus, or Felhunter Summon spell has its casting time reduced by 5.5 sec and its Mana cost reduced by 50%.

Instant | 5 min cooldown

Demonic Brand Maximum rank 3

Rank 1
Your Searing Pain generates 17% less threat and brands the target for 10 sec. Your pet's next 2 attacks against the target generate high threat and deal 65 to 68 Fire or Shadow damage based on the pet.

Rank 2
Your Searing Pain generates 33% less threat and brands the target for 10 sec. Your pet's next 4 attacks against the target generate high threat and deal 65 to 68 Fire or Shadow damage based on the pet.

Rank 3
Your Searing Pain generates 50% less threat and brands the target for 10 sec. Your pet's next 6 attacks against the target generate high threat and deal 65 to 68 Fire or Shadow damage based on the pet.

Passive

Improved Felhunter Maximum rank 3

Rank 1
Increases the Attack Power reduction of your Felhunter's Tainted Blood, the healing of its Devour Magic, and the detection level of its Paranoia by 10%, and reduces the cooldown of its Spell Lock by 2 sec.

Rank 2
Increases the Attack Power reduction of your Felhunter's Tainted Blood, the healing of its Devour Magic, and the detection level of its Paranoia by 20%, and reduces the cooldown of its Spell Lock by 4 sec.

Rank 3
Increases the Attack Power reduction of your Felhunter's Tainted Blood, the healing of its Devour Magic, and the detection level of its Paranoia by 30%, and reduces the cooldown of its Spell Lock by 6 sec.

Passive

Soul Link Maximum rank 1

Rank 1
When active, 30% of all damage taken by the caster is taken by your Imp, Voidwalker, Succubus, Incubus, or Felhunter Demon instead. In addition, both the Demon and the master will inflict 3% more damage. Lasts as long as the Demon is active.

20% of base mana | 100 yd range | Instant

Demonic Knowledge Maximum rank 3

Rank 1
Increases your spell damage and your Demon pet's spell damage by up to 33% of your level while you have a summoned Demon pet active.

Rank 2
Increases your spell damage and your Demon pet's spell damage by up to 67% of your level while you have a summoned Demon pet active.

Rank 3
Increases your spell damage and your Demon pet's spell damage by up to 100% of your level while you have a summoned Demon pet active.

Passive

Master Demonologist Maximum rank 5

Rank 1
Grants both the Warlock and the summoned demon an effect as long as that demon is active. Imp - Increases Fire damage done by 2%. Voidwalker - Reduces Physical damage taken by 2%. Succubus/Incubus - Increases Shadow damage done by 2%. Felhunter - Reduces Magic damage taken by 2%.

Rank 2
Grants both the Warlock and the summoned demon an effect as long as that demon is active. Imp - Increases Fire damage done by 4%. Voidwalker - Reduces Physical damage taken by 4%. Succubus/Incubus - Increases Shadow damage done by 4%. Felhunter - Reduces Magic damage taken by 4%.

Rank 3
Grants both the Warlock and the summoned demon an effect as long as that demon is active. Imp - Increases Fire damage done by 6%. Voidwalker - Reduces Physical damage taken by 6%. Succubus/Incubus - Increases Shadow damage done by 6%. Felhunter - Reduces Magic damage taken by 6%.

Rank 4
Grants both the Warlock and the summoned demon an effect as long as that demon is active. Imp - Increases Fire damage done by 8%. Voidwalker - Reduces Physical damage taken by 8%. Succubus/Incubus - Increases Shadow damage done by 8%. Felhunter - Reduces Magic damage taken by 8%.

Rank 5
Grants both the Warlock and the summoned demon an effect as long as that demon is active. Imp - Increases Fire damage done by 10%. Voidwalker - Reduces Physical damage taken by 10%. Succubus/Incubus - Increases Shadow damage done by 10%. Felhunter - Reduces Magic damage taken by 10%.

Passive

Demonic Pact Maximum rank 1

Rank 1
Your Demonic Sacrifice effect is no longer cancelled by summoning a different Demon pet. Resummoning the sacrificed pet will still cancel the effect.

Passive

Destruction

Destructive Reach Maximum rank 2

Rank 1
Increases the range of your damaging spells by 10%.

Rank 2
Increases the range of your damaging spells by 20%.

Passive

Improved Shadow Bolt Maximum rank 5

Rank 1
Your Shadow Bolt critical strikes increase Shadow damage taken by the target from your attacks by 4% for 12 sec.

Rank 2
Your Shadow Bolt critical strikes increase Shadow damage taken by the target from your attacks by 8% for 12 sec.

Rank 3
Your Shadow Bolt critical strikes increase Shadow damage taken by the target from your attacks by 12% for 12 sec.

Rank 4
Your Shadow Bolt critical strikes increase Shadow damage taken by the target from your attacks by 16% for 12 sec.

Rank 5
Your Shadow Bolt critical strikes increase Shadow damage taken by the target from your attacks by 20% for 12 sec.

Passive

Bane Maximum rank 5

Rank 1
Reduces the casting time of your Shadow Bolt, Immolate, and Incinerate spells by 0.1 sec and your Soul Fire spell by 0.4 sec.

Rank 2
Reduces the casting time of your Shadow Bolt, Immolate, and Incinerate spells by 0.2 sec and your Soul Fire spell by 0.8 sec.

Rank 3
Reduces the casting time of your Shadow Bolt, Immolate, and Incinerate spells by 0.3 sec and your Soul Fire spell by 1.2 sec.

Rank 4
Reduces the casting time of your Shadow Bolt, Immolate, and Incinerate spells by 0.4 sec and your Soul Fire spell by 1.6 sec.

Rank 5
Reduces the casting time of your Shadow Bolt, Immolate, and Incinerate spells by 0.5 sec and your Soul Fire spell by 2 sec.

Passive

Molten Skin Maximum rank 5

Rank 1
Reduces all damage taken by 2%.

Rank 2
Reduces all damage taken by 4%.

Rank 3
Reduces all damage taken by 6%.

Rank 4
Reduces all damage taken by 8%.

Rank 5
Reduces all damage taken by 10%.

Passive

Cataclysm Maximum rank 3

Rank 1
Reduces the Mana cost of your Destruction spells by 3%.

Rank 2
Reduces the Mana cost of your Destruction spells by 6%.

Rank 3
Reduces the Mana cost of your Destruction spells by 10%.

Passive

Aftermath Maximum rank 5

Rank 1
Increases the initial damage of your Immolate spell by 10% and your Conflagrate spell has a 20% chance to Daze the target, reducing the target's movement speed by 50% for 5 sec.

Rank 2
Increases the initial damage of your Immolate spell by 20% and your Conflagrate spell has a 40% chance to Daze the target, reducing the target's movement speed by 50% for 5 sec.

Rank 3
Increases the initial damage of your Immolate spell by 30% and your Conflagrate spell has a 60% chance to Daze the target, reducing the target's movement speed by 50% for 5 sec.

Rank 4
Increases the initial damage of your Immolate spell by 40% and your Conflagrate spell has a 80% chance to Daze the target, reducing the target's movement speed by 50% for 5 sec.

Rank 5
Increases the initial damage of your Immolate spell by 50% and your Conflagrate spell has a 100% chance to Daze the target, reducing the target's movement speed by 50% for 5 sec.

Passive

Ruin Maximum rank 5

Rank 1
Increases the critical strike damage bonus of your Destruction spells by 20%.

Rank 2
Increases the critical strike damage bonus of your Destruction spells by 40%.

Rank 3
Increases the critical strike damage bonus of your Destruction spells by 60%.

Rank 4
Increases the critical strike damage bonus of your Destruction spells by 80%.

Rank 5
Increases the critical strike damage bonus of your Destruction spells by 100%.

Passive

Shadowburn Maximum rank 1

Rank 1
Instantly blasts the target for 65 to 73 Shadow damage. If a non-trivial target dies within 8 sec of being hit with Shadowburn, the caster gains a Soul Shard.

105 Mana | 30 yd range | Instant | 15 sec cooldown | Reagents: Soul Shard

Intensity Maximum rank 3

Rank 1
Gives you a 23% chance to resist interruption caused by damage while casting or channeling any Destruction spell.

Rank 2
Gives you a 47% chance to resist interruption caused by damage while casting or channeling any Destruction spell.

Rank 3
Gives you a 70% chance to resist interruption caused by damage while casting or channeling any Destruction spell.

Passive

Agonizing Flames Maximum rank 3

Rank 1
Increases the critical strike chance of your Searing Pain spell by 3% and the damage done by all your Destruction spells by 3%.

Rank 2
Increases the critical strike chance of your Searing Pain spell by 7% and the damage done by all your Destruction spells by 7%.

Rank 3
Increases the critical strike chance of your Searing Pain spell by 10% and the damage done by all your Destruction spells by 10%.

Passive

Conflagrate Maximum rank 1

Rank 1
Ignites a target that is already afflicted by your Immolate spell, dealing 88 to 110 Fire damage and consuming your Immolate effect.

100 Mana | 30 yd range | Instant | 10 sec cooldown

Pyroclasm Maximum rank 2

Rank 1
Gives your Soul Fire spell a 13% chance to Stun the target for 3 sec, and your Rain of Fire and Hellfire spells a 13% chance over their duration to Stun targets they damage for 3 sec.

Rank 2
Gives your Soul Fire spell a 26% chance to Stun the target for 3 sec, and your Rain of Fire and Hellfire spells a 26% chance over their duration to Stun targets they damage for 3 sec.

Passive

Bane of Havoc Maximum rank 1

Rank 1
Afflicts the target for 5 min, causing 15% of all damage done by the Warlock to other targets to also be dealt to the cursed target. Bane of Havoc is limited to 1 target, and only one Bane per Warlock can be active on any one target.

5% of base mana | 30 yd range | Instant

Fire and Brimstone Maximum rank 3

Rank 1
Increases the critical strike chance of your Conflagrate spell by 8%.

Rank 2
Increases the critical strike chance of your Conflagrate spell by 17%.

Rank 3
Increases the critical strike chance of your Conflagrate spell by 25%.

Passive

Shadow and Flame Maximum rank 5

Rank 1
Hitting an enemy with Conflagrate increases all Shadow damage you deal by 2% for 20 sec, and hitting an enemy with Shadowburn increases all Fire damage you deal by 2% for 20 sec. In addition, Conflagrate has a 20% chance not to consume Immolate, and Shadowburn has a 20% chance to instantly refund a Soul Shard.

Rank 2
Hitting an enemy with Conflagrate increases all Shadow damage you deal by 4% for 20 sec, and hitting an enemy with Shadowburn increases all Fire damage you deal by 4% for 20 sec. In addition, Conflagrate has a 40% chance not to consume Immolate, and Shadowburn has a 40% chance to instantly refund a Soul Shard.

Rank 3
Hitting an enemy with Conflagrate increases all Shadow damage you deal by 6% for 20 sec, and hitting an enemy with Shadowburn increases all Fire damage you deal by 6% for 20 sec. In addition, Conflagrate has a 60% chance not to consume Immolate, and Shadowburn has a 60% chance to instantly refund a Soul Shard.

Rank 4
Hitting an enemy with Conflagrate increases all Shadow damage you deal by 8% for 20 sec, and hitting an enemy with Shadowburn increases all Fire damage you deal by 8% for 20 sec. In addition, Conflagrate has a 80% chance not to consume Immolate, and Shadowburn has a 80% chance to instantly refund a Soul Shard.

Rank 5
Hitting an enemy with Conflagrate increases all Shadow damage you deal by 10% for 20 sec, and hitting an enemy with Shadowburn increases all Fire damage you deal by 10% for 20 sec. In addition, Conflagrate has a 100% chance not to consume Immolate, and Shadowburn has a 100% chance to instantly refund a Soul Shard.

Passive

Incinerate Maximum rank 1

Rank 1
Deals 99 to 113 Fire damage to your target and an additional 25% damage if the target is afflicted by Immolate.

205 Mana | 30 yd range | 2.5 sec cast

Demonic Brand and who should tank

Demonic Brand changes Searing Pain's threat in two directions. At rank 1, Searing Pain generates 17% less threat and brands the enemy for ten seconds. The pet's next two attacks against that enemy generate high threat and deal added Fire or Shadow damage based on the pet. Lower caster threat does not mean lower threat from the whole pair.

When soloing, use the brand on the enemy your demon is meant to hold, and direct the pet there so its attacks can use the effect. Branding an enemy while your pet attacks another target does not help the intended threat handoff. In group content, decide whether the pet should hold an add or leave everything on the tank. Do not use a pet-threat tool automatically on a newly pulled boss.

If you choose Suppression, it increases your hit chance with all spells and attacks and reduces all threat you generate. Its text covers your threat, not the demon's. Let the tank establish control, watch your own threat, and treat the pet's target and threat tools as separate decisions.

Decimation and the execute window

If you take Decimation, rank 1 reduces Soul Fire's cooldown by 45%. Casting Shadow Bolt or Searing Pain on an enemy below 35% health makes those spells deal 3% more damage and grants a ten-second window in which Soul Fire has 20% less cast time and costs no Soul Shards. The trigger spells are named: reaching the health threshold by itself does not start that window.

Use the trigger that fits your school bonuses and threat situation. Shadow Bolt fits a Shadow-focused plan. Searing Pain can suit a Fire-focused plan, but check Demonic Brand and whether the pet should gain threat on that enemy. Then judge whether Soul Fire can finish before the target dies or a mechanic forces you to move. The bonus shortens a cast; it does not make Soul Fire instant.

Below 35%, stop treating every expiring DoT as an automatic refresh. On a boss with substantial time remaining, sustained effects can still matter. On an enemy near death, spending the remaining window on damage that lands in time is more useful. Keep enough mana and a safe position to use the execute opportunity instead of entering it with a required tap or emergency pet rescue.

Talent choices for pets, recovery and damage

Start by deciding whether you want Demonic Pact. It requires Soul Link, which requires Demonic Sacrifice, and it is the one that lets you keep a sacrifice and a pet at the same time. Without Pact, an active-pet build and a sacrificed-pet build have different needs: pet healing and active-demon bonuses do nothing for you while fighting without a pet.

For a living demon, weigh Unholy Power and the appropriate demon-specific talent against the support that keeps it useful. Demonic Energies helps during your normal damage and tapping; Improved Health Funnel improves deliberate healing; Master Summoner and Fel Domination help recover or replace a pet. A fight where the demon keeps dying calls for different points than a safe fight where it never runs out of resources.

Decimation is an execute choice, not a requirement for every Demo setup. Demonic Brand is attractive when you want pet threat, but its job is different from a straight damage or survival talent. Points spent on these tools compete with deeper pet bonuses and supporting talents in other trees.

Use the full tree below to check tiers and prerequisites before committing points. For more on Shadow DoTs and drains, read the Affliction guide; for Fire casting and Immolate decisions, read the Destruction guide. Their deep-tree tools are alternatives to weigh, not a list of abilities every Demo build gets.

Spell damage, hit, crit and health

Gear for the spells you use as well as the pet you summon. Weigh general SP against school-specific damage for your normal casts and your execute casts. A Shadow sacrifice does not make Fire damage irrelevant if you take Decimation and use Soul Fire, but it also does not make Fire gear improve your Shadow casts.

Forever combines spell, melee and ranged hit on items, and does the same for crit. Count your selected Suppression rank when evaluating hit. Crit can contribute to periodic damage as well as direct spells, so its value depends on your damage mix and selected talents. Neither shared item stats nor a sacrifice bonus establishes a universal stat weight.

Demonic Knowledge grants spell damage to you and your demon pet based on your player level while a summoned demon is active; rank 1 gives up to 33% of your level. It does not scale from pet Stamina or Intellect. Do not choose a pet-health talent expecting that talent to turn the extra health into SP.

Stamina gives you more room for incoming damage, Life Tap and Health Funnel. Balance it against useful damage stats rather than tapping down to an unsafe health level to justify a fragile set. Intellect and your mana pool matter when casts, summons and recovery compete for resources. For race choices and their resource tools, use the Warlock racial overview.

Common Demonology mistakes

  • Sacrificing a Succubus out of Classic habit for Shadow damage. Forever's Shadow sacrifice is the Imp.
  • Summoning the sacrificed demon and removing the bonus you intended to keep with Demonic Pact.
  • Treating Life Tap as pet healing. Demonic Energies sends it mana; your spell damage supplies the healing.
  • Watching your health while a demon takes both environmental damage and Soul Link damage.
  • Using Demonic Brand without checking who should hold the enemy or where the pet is attacking.
  • Forcing a Soul Fire cast into a movement mechanic or a target that will die before it lands.
  • Valuing pet Stamina as a hidden SP stat through Demonic Knowledge. Its scaling comes from your level.

Demo Warlock questions

Does Demonic Pact give the raid spell power in Forever?

No. Demonic Pact lets you retain Demonic Sacrifice when summoning a different demon. It is a pet-and-sacrifice talent, not a raid-wide SP proc.

Which demon should a Demonology Warlock sacrifice?

Use an Imp for 15% Shadow damage or a Succubus or Incubus for 15% Fire damage. A Voidwalker instead gives 2% total mana every four seconds, and a Felhunter gives 3% total health every four seconds. With Demonic Pact, choose a different active demon according to the utility and school bonuses you need.

Can I keep an Imp while using the Shadow sacrifice?

No. The Shadow bonus comes from sacrificing the Imp, and resummoning that demon cancels the effect even with Demonic Pact. Use a different active demon, or choose another sacrifice if the Imp is the pet you want to keep.

Should I Life Tap when only the pet needs mana?

With Demonic Energies, mana you gain from Life Tap also gives mana to the summoned demon. Check your health, incoming damage and whether you can actually gain mana before tapping for the pet. Do it in a safe gap rather than paying health immediately before a dangerous hit.

Does Soul Link make pet positioning less important?

It makes the pet's survival more important. Soul Link sends 30% of damage taken by you to the demon while active. Keep the pet clear of avoidable damage so it can continue absorbing its share rather than dying and taking that protection with it.

Does Decimation make Soul Fire free?

Its triggered window removes Soul Fire's Soul Shard cost and reduces its cast time. It does not state that the mana cost is removed. Plan your mana before the execute window and remember that Soul Fire still takes time to cast.