Demonology 101: the Voidwalker
by Zach Yonzon 
Sep 14th 2008 at 10:00PM
The big blueberry, a Warlock's most lovable pet. Obtained at Level 10, the big blue is usually a Warlock's favored solo leveling companion because it can tank, having a hefty amount of health and the taunting abilities Torment and Suffering. Out of combat, it can regenerate lost health quickly with Consume Shadows, and in a pinch can be Sacrificed to grant a Warlock's version of Power Word: Shield. It isn't specialized for any tree, although a Demonologist will get the most bang for the blueberry buck.The reliable Voidwalker won't be changing much in Wrath of the Lich King, but will be getting a few improvements with some talents from the Demonology tree such as the consolidated Fel Intellect and Fel Stamina, now called Fel Vitality, which rightfully increases Stamina as well as Intellect. Along with all demons, it also gains Avoidance, a baseline ability that helps it mitigate AoE damage by a massive 80%. Improved Voidwalker has not been changed, but a key talent that used to be perfect with the big blueberry -- Soul Link -- was reduced to a 15% damage absorption and no damage bonuses. The good news, however, is that Soul Link is now a Tier 3 talent, allowing almost any Warlock to pick it up for more survivability.
And the Voidwalker is all about survivability. With the exception of Unholy Power, all the talents in the Demonology tree that affect or require the Voidwalker are geared towards lasting longer. Demonic Sacrifice -- which will not work with Sacrifice, by the way -- restores 2% of total health every 4 seconds for 30 minutes. It's a silly talent, really, but fortunately it won't be a pre-requisite for anything in Wrath. Master Demonologist is unchanged, granting 10% damage mitigation for both the Warlock and the big blue.
The new Demonic Empowerment makes the Voidwalker a better tank and is an excellent spell for soloing content. It's even great for situations where the demon needs to off-tank something in an instance. And then there's Demonic Resilience, formerly a partner for Soul Link, which reduces damage taken by the pet by 15%. Taken together, this makes for one extremely hardy pet in the Demonology tree. Fel Synergy works even better as damage the Warlock deals heals the pet, in addition to giving it more armor, mana, and health.
While there are a few talents that increase the Voidwalker's offensive capabilities, make no mistake about its purpose... it's there to keep you alive. Even in PvP. Blue is the best demon to have against melee classes because of it's high mitigation if you have Soul Link. Make sure to key bind Sacrifice, which is the last great service a dying Voidwalker can give you... before you uninterruptably summon him again.
[EDIT: Consume Shadows confers increased stealth detection! Missed this because I hardly use blue in Beta. This means that it makes more sense now. You want a Voidwalker out against a Rogue! -- thanks Rickzor!]
Filed under: Warlock, Analysis / Opinion, Wrath of the Lich King
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Acceptable Risk Sep 14th 2008 10:22PM
I like the Voidwalker a lot. Sure, big blue doesn't have quite as much personality as other demons, but I used pretty much no other demon between levels 10 and 60.
Personally, I even like the Voidwalker better than the Succubus for PvE crowd control. At least in pre-cap instances mobs can be easily offtanked for significant lengths of time and there's no worrying about reapplying a Seduce or creature type restrictions.
Tumnus Sep 14th 2008 10:38PM
Since when do voidwalkers have horns?
Rickzor Sep 14th 2008 11:20PM
Don't forget the reworking of Consume Shadows to also greatly increase Stealth Detection for the duration of the channel.
Hoggersbud Sep 14th 2008 11:15PM
I don't like this place.
K Whitt Sep 14th 2008 11:52PM
I... am Void.....
...where prohibited.
Phil Sep 15th 2008 8:30AM
Send me back!
modulok Sep 15th 2008 1:45AM
Sacrificing the VW a silly talent?! Perhaps you have never seen an affliction warlock grind endlessly with this ability. My warlock heals for something like 300 health per tick. Coupled with lifetap you are good to go for a grind pulling 5-6 mobs at a time until your bags are full with zero downtime.
Zach Sep 15th 2008 1:48AM
It works, sure, but it's still silly. Considering how you're building up your pet with all the talents leading up to it, here's a talent that negates all that. It just doesn't make any sense.
Radiophonic Sep 15th 2008 3:48AM
Meh, I did the same with my Felguard when I was Demon/afflic. Drain soul, get mana, wash rinse repeat. It's a bit more difficult now that I'm destruction but still a good time even on the PTR.
Yeng Sep 15th 2008 11:10AM
As a destro lock I sac my VW all the time when grinding/farming. Not only does it keep you full of health, but it also keeps you full of mana (yay Lifetap). This is because I don't require a tank, when your damage is high enough to kill most non-elite mobs in BC with 2-3 SBs and fear the ones you can't.
bumble Sep 15th 2008 4:22AM
Tried him in the beta for an evening, but really find no use for him. Affliction means you'll play with the hound for more damage and just draintank everything. Demonology has you use the felguard instead. With destruction he won't hold aggro and an imp makes more sense to amplify your damage. Haven't used a voidwalker in a meaningful way as a personal tank since level 50 I guess. Maybe he has some limited use in PvP but so far I find more utility in having the hound out there as well.
Ahoni Sep 15th 2008 9:54AM
Voidwalker = useless
Wait. Revise that. Mostly useless. Just my opinion.
The VW cannot hold agro against any significant damage output. I've tried. I tried Imp VW and the blueberry managed to hold agro for, oh, 5 seconds. Without the Imp VW, I pull agro on my second dot tick.
Affliction locks are better off drain tanking. I went on the PTR and went 51 into Affliction at a 2T5 gear level. I didn't need to drain tank, stuff died before it hit me. UA, Corr, Siphon Life, Haunt and it was dead. We are talking the 70-71 Ogres on the plain above Shatt.
Using the VW to tank means seriously holding back on your DPS. No thanks, too many other ways to excel as a warlock to intentionally gimp yourself that way.