Demonology Warlock

Talents by level

The Icy Veins order comes from its levelling calculator and ends at 31 Demonology and 20 Affliction. Once you have Demonic Pact, it sacrifices a Felhunter for healing while questing, or the Imp for 15% Shadow damage in dungeons, and keeps a Succubus or Voidwalker out. ForeverDB's build is a Voidwalker build published before 16 October; ForeverDB also lists an Imp build for groups. Wowhead's levelling guide puts every early point into the demon, takes Demonic Brand at 25–27 in one go and spends the last 20 points in Affliction. If you want instant Corruption early, it suggests taking it at 10–14 and respeccing at 25.

Icy Veins' dungeon build at 30 takes Unholy Power 5, Fel Vitality 3, Demonic Energies 2, Improved Sayaad 3, Demonic Sacrifice, Master Summoner 2, Fel Domination, Demonic Brand 3 and Soul Link, then Demonic Knowledge with Legacy bonus points.

Level 60 builds (projections)

Wowhead's talent builds page uses a 2/31/18 split with Demonic Pact and Ruin in two forms:

• Fire: keep the Imp out and sacrifice the Sayaad (Succubus or Incubus). Searing Pain is the filler, a Major Firestone the weapon stone, and Soul Fire fills the execute phase through Decimation.
• Shadow: keep the Sayaad out and sacrifice the Imp, with Shadow Bolt as the filler. Wowhead works out the bonus at about 30% more Shadow damage from Demonic Sacrifice, Soul Link and Master Demonologist together.

The two are close on one target. Wowhead puts Shadow ahead on fights of a minute or less and Fire slightly ahead on long fights and with adds, because Rain of Fire and Hellfire are Fire spells. Fire is its dungeon choice. WoWSims carries the same pair, "Demo (Fire Brand)" and "Demo (Shadow Brand)", both 2/31/18 (builds).

Rotation

Levelling and dungeons at 30 (Icy Veins):

1. Have your demon out and Soul Link active.
2. Send the demon in, then Curse the target.
3. Pre-cast Immolate if you can.
4. Bane of Agony on mobs that will live, then Corruption even without the instant-cast talent.
5. Drain Life or a Healthstone for health; wand low mobs; Drain Soul when you need shards.
6. Life Tap when safe. With Demonic Energies it refills your demon's mana too.

Icy Veins' levelling page adds the Demonic Brand loop from 25: Searing Pain on your demon's target so its next six attacks hit harder, refreshed when those attacks are used or the brand runs out. Use Health Funnel when Demonic Energies can't keep your demon healthy.

Simulators: ForeverDB's own simulator at 30 keeps the Imp out (17.5% less damage without it), maintains Curse of the Elements, Bane of Agony, Corruption and Immolate, and fills with Shadow Bolt (ForeverDB PvE). WoWSims at 60, Fire Brand:

1. Pre-cast Soul Fire and Immolate, and send the pet in.
2. Keep your Curse up; Bane of Doom on fights longer than a minute.
3. Searing Pain whenever Demonic Brand is missing or under 2.5 seconds.
4. Immolate, Bane of Agony and Corruption when each is worth more than a filler cast.
5. Soul Fire while Decimation is active; Death Coil in the last 5 seconds.
6. Life Tap under 30% mana; Searing Pain filler.

The Shadow Brand list is the same with Shadow Bolt as pre-cast and filler, plus Shadow Bolt to keep Improved Shadow Bolt's debuff up. Both match the guides' brand-and-DoT loop, with Bane of Doom and Soul Fire added above level 30.

Gear and consumables

• Key items at 30 (Icy Veins): the same list as Affliction, including Shadow Circlet (Tailoring), Belt of Arugal, Gaze Dreamer Pants, Dark Horde Band and Staff of Soran'ruk, which tops ForeverDB's Demonology list at 30.
• Stats: Icy Veins notes that spell damage also heals your demon through Demonic Energies, and that its build has no hit from Suppression.
• Consumables: Lesser Arcane Elixir, Elixir of Lesser Spirit, Lesser Mageblood Elixir and Lesser Spellblasting Potion (Icy Veins). ForeverDB's simulator rates Lesser Arcane Elixir best at 30 (+4.6%). Firestone from 28 adds spell crit.

Where the guides disagree or aren't sure

• Which demon: Icy Veins uses the Succubus at 30, ForeverDB's levelling build the Voidwalker and its group build the Imp.
• Improved Sayaad: Icy Veins calls it optional because most Succubus damage comes from auto attacks; Wowhead notes it only boosts Lash of Pain.
• Demonic Brand rank 3: Wowhead says it adds little, because spamming Searing Pain keeps the brand up anyway.
• Pet scaling: ForeverDB says the client doesn't show how much of your gear carries over to the demon.