WoW Insider http://wow.joystiq.com WoW Insider http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/wow.joystiq.com/media/feedlogobig.gif WoW Insider http://wow.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2015 AOL, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. View our terms of service here: http://legal.aol.com/terms-of-service/full-terms/ Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/ <![CDATA[Blood Pact: Tip-top trinkets]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/05/31/blood-pact-tip-top-trinkets/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/05/31/blood-pact-tip-top-trinkets/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/05/31/blood-pact-tip-top-trinkets/#comments Blood Pact is your weekly warlock digest, brought to you by Dominic Hobbs. "Shinies for the Great Rain Stone! Good! Good! We offer these right away. Lafoo thought of this, yes? He a very smart Rainspeaker." -- High-Oracle Soo-say

Unlike your normal gear items, trinkets offer a little more interaction. Whether they are proc-based and trigger themselves in response to things you do, or on-use and need to be activated, or even just charge themselves up to give a steady buff they normally need some degree of user attention. This makes them something of a personal choice item. There are certainly those that are bad, better or brilliant but choice and playstyle often impacts trinket selection.

Below I've listed out fifteen trinkets that can take a warlock from freshly dinging 80 to the best the game has to offer. They are in a rough DPS benefit order, though that will depend on your other gear, spec and preference to some degree. So lets see what shinies await us.

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Blood Pact: Tip-top trinkets originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 31 May 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> abyssal-runeaffliction-warlock-blood-pactcharred-twilight-scaleclass-helpdemonology-warlock-blood-pactdestruction-warlock-blood-pactdislodged-foreign-objecteye-of-the-broodmotherfeaturedguideguide-to-locksguide-to-warlocksillustration-of-the-dragon-soullock-guidelock-infolock-talentsmaghias-misguided-quillmuradins-spyglassphylactery-of-the-nameless-lichreign-of-the-deadreign-of-the-unlivingsundial-of-the-exiledtalenttalentstrinketstrinkets-for-warlockswarlock-affliction-blood-pactwarlock-demonology-blood-pactwarlock-destruction-blood-pactwarlock-guidewarlock-infowarlock-talentsworld-of-warcraft-class-guideworld-of-warcraft-guidewow-class-guidewow-class-helpwow-guidewow-lockwow-lock-infowow-lockswow-talent-guidewow-warlockwow-warlock-infowow-warlocks (Dominic Hobbs) Mon, 31 May 2010 19:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Blood Pact: Shattering souls]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/05/24/blood-pact-shattering-souls/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/05/24/blood-pact-shattering-souls/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/05/24/blood-pact-shattering-souls/#comments Blood Pact is your weekly warlock digest, brought to you by Dominic Hobbs. "I sense that you have the potential to become one of the most powerful warlocks of this era." -- Strahad Farsan

Before Wrath of the Lich King, one of the biggest DPS-boosting buffs around was Blessing of Salvation. This buff made you less interesting to mobs and essentially allowed you to do up to 30 percent more damage. It didn't help you do the damage, but it stopped you being so limited by the threat generated by the tank. Warlocks who didn't have a paladin to grant this buff were wise to be very cautious with their Shadow Bolts of massive critability.

These days, the tanks innately generate more threat. As such, the fear of having your damage capped by their threat generation abilities is much reduced. However, it is still possible to be threat-capped and if this happens, then anything that reduces your threat is suddenly your best ally. At level 66, you can learn Soulshatter, an unassuming little ability that sits quietly in your spell book until you really need it.

Continue reading Blood Pact: Shattering souls

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Blood Pact: Shattering souls originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 24 May 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> affliction-warlock-blood-pactaggroclass-helpdemonology-warlock-blood-pactdestruction-warlock-blood-pactfeaturedguideguide-to-locksguide-to-warlockslock-guidelock-infolock-talentsomenomen-threat-meterskadasoulshattertalenttalentsthreatwarlock-affliction-blood-pactwarlock-demonology-blood-pactwarlock-destruction-blood-pactwarlock-guidewarlock-infowarlock-talentsworld-of-warcraft-class-guideworld-of-warcraft-guidewow-class-guidewow-class-helpwow-guidewow-lockwow-lock-infowow-lockswow-talent-guidewow-warlockwow-warlock-infowow-warlocks (Dominic Hobbs) Mon, 24 May 2010 15:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Ready Check: Zen and the art of precognition]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/05/21/ready-check-zen-and-the-art-of-precognition/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/05/21/ready-check-zen-and-the-art-of-precognition/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/05/21/ready-check-zen-and-the-art-of-precognition/#comments Ready Check focuses on successful raiding for the serious raider. Hardcore or casual, Icecrown Citadel or Ulduar, everyone can get in on the action and down some bosses.

Your regular host, Mr. Michael Gray, is still trying to fight his way out of Tyler's fever dreams, so Ready Check this week has fallen to me. I had to check in the blackened heart and the mage-hate on the way in, so if you want that stuff, you'll have to read Blood Pact.

I toyed with the idea of doing some hardcore theorycrafting post or the like, but instead I want to talk about one of the raiding "soft skills." Hamlet said, "What a piece of work is a man! How noble in reason! how infinite in faculty! in form, in moving, how express and admirable! in action how like an angel! in apprehension how like a god!" Today, we look at angelic actions through godlike apprehension.

Continue reading Ready Check: Zen and the art of precognition

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Ready Check: Zen and the art of precognition originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 21 May 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> calmdeadly-boss-modsfeaturedguideguide-to-raid-leadingleadershippreparationraid-guideraid-leaderraid-leader-guideraiding-guideraidswow-guidewow-guide-to-raid-leadingwow-raid-leaderwow-raidingwow-raidszen (Dominic Hobbs) Fri, 21 May 2010 20:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Blood Pact: Warlock professions]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/05/17/blood-pact-warlock-professions/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/05/17/blood-pact-warlock-professions/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/05/17/blood-pact-warlock-professions/#comments Blood Pact is your weekly warlock digest, brought to you by Dominic Hobbs. "The slightest loss of concentration is all it takes." -- Medivh.

Selecting professions for your characters often comes down to a choice of utility; if you have several toons, you may want to make some gather and others be the crafters. If you only have the one character at 80, there is a greater desire to be self-sufficient. Professions are also one of those things that many people feel are a part of their character and help define them almost as much as their class.

If you're uncertain which professions your warlock should take up then this is the place for you, as Blood Pact takes a look at all 14 and considers which are of the most use to the 'lock on the go.

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Blood Pact: Warlock professions originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 17 May 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> affliction-warlock-blood-pactalchemyblacksmithingclass-helpdemonology-wardestruction-warlock-blood-pactenchantingengineeringfeaturedguideguide-to-locksguide-to-warlocksherbalisminscriptionjewelcraftingleatherworkinglock-guidelock-infolock-talentsminingprofessionsskinningtailoringtalenttalentswarlock-affliction-blood-pactwarlock-demonology-blood-pactwarlock-destruction-blood-pactwarlock-guidewarlock-infowarlock-talentsworld-of-warcraft-class-guideworld-of-warcraft-guidewow-class-guidewow-class-helpwow-guidewow-lockwow-lock-infowow-lockswow-talent-guidewow-warlockwow-warlock-infowow-warlocks (Dominic Hobbs) Mon, 17 May 2010 16:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Blood Pact: Emblem upgrades]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/05/10/blood-pact-emblem-upgrades/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/05/10/blood-pact-emblem-upgrades/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/05/10/blood-pact-emblem-upgrades/#comments
Blood Pact is your weekly warlock digest, brought to you by Dominic Hobbs. "We will never be without power! I have secured our future! Bask in my glory!" -- Gul'dan

I recently turned my attention back to one of my 'locks that I had pretty much stopped playing after Trial of the (Grand) Crusader. This means that his gear isn't bad by any means but that there are quite a few upgrades I can get for him without even having to get him raiding again. Pretty much all of these items come from spending Emblems of Frost.

Emblems of Frost can be collected a number of ways, the easiest being the random heroic. Completing a random Lich King heroic dungeon (using the dungeon finder tool -- /LFD) for the first time each day will earn you two Emblems of Frost, so that's 14 each week. Do note that the random element of this tool is the dungeon; feel free to form your own party before using it. You can also do the weekly raid quest for another 5 emblems. Toravon the Ice Watcher is holding a couple more for you, so if you can kill him on 10- and 25-man modes, then you can bag another four from him. To collect any more in a week you need to raid Icecrown Citadel, where if you clear it and do the ICC quest, you can get up to 60 more. After the break, we'll see what we can spend them on.

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Blood Pact: Emblem upgrades originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 10 May 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> affliction-warlock-blood-pactclass-helpdark-covendemonology-warlock-blood-pactdestruction-warlock-blood-pactemblem-of-frostemblem-of-frost-gearfeaturedguideguide-to-locksguide-to-warlocksicecrown-citadellock-guidelock-infolock-talentstalenttalentstier-10warlock-affliction-blood-pactwarlock-demonology-blood-pactwarlock-destruction-blood-pactwarlock-guidewarlock-infowarlock-talentsworld-of-warcraft-class-guideworld-of-warcraft-guidewow-class-guidewow-class-helpwow-guidewow-lockwow-lock-infowow-lockswow-talent-guidewow-warlockwow-warlock-infowow-warlocks (Dominic Hobbs) Mon, 10 May 2010 17:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Blood Pact: Stones, armor and artistry]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/05/03/blood-pact-stones-armor-and-artistry/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/05/03/blood-pact-stones-armor-and-artistry/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/05/03/blood-pact-stones-armor-and-artistry/#comments
Blood Pact is your weekly warlock digest, brought to you by Dominic Hobbs. "You have come a long way to speak with me. But fear not, I know why Gakin has sent you, and he was wise to, for I can help you in your search." -- Takar the Seer

Each week, the voidwalker hauls in the Blood Pact fan mail and dumps it at my desk. Those that don't end up lining the felhound's cage typically get used to fuel the furnaces in the succubus' torture den. Every so often, the imp picks one out and dances round the room reading it aloud, while dodging any spells and other projectiles I hurl in his direction. This week, he snatched up this one from Vincent Quillen.
Hi Mr. Hobbs,
I'm playing my first warlock currently, and it's my first character to make it past lvl 20 after trying six other classes. I'm currently at lvl 65, demonology. I've read all of your articles and they played a big part in feeding my love of the mighty lock.
The reason I write is with an idea for an article. After unlocking fel armor, i began to wonder about the various uses of the two armors and if there were any finer points that I'm missing. Also, the spellstone and firestone. As a demo lock, I expect the 1% perk to be indifferent, and my pet feeds on both stats. Is one beter hands down or are there different times for each?
Also, I've been scouring the internet for how to tell when it's a good time to pop Meta in a raid, but all i can find is people saying that it's "an artform."
Thank you for taking the time to read this, and thank you in advance if you decide to write about these questions.
Fan and loyal reader, Vincent Quillen
After suitably punishing the little snot-ball (he's currently cleaning out Matt Rossi's jock-strap drawer), I decided to indulge the little guy for once. Hell, it saved me coming up with anything else to talk about.

Continue reading Blood Pact: Stones, armor and artistry

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Blood Pact: Stones, armor and artistry originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 03 May 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> affliction-warlock-blood-pactclass-helpdemon-armordemonology-warlock-blood-pactdestruction-warlock-blood-pactfeaturedfel-armorfirestoneguideguide-to-locksguide-to-warlockslock-guidelock-infolock-talentsmetamorphosisspellstonetalenttalentswarlock-affliction-blood-pactwarlock-demonology-blood-pactwarlock-destruction-blood-pactwarlock-guidewarlock-infowarlock-talentsworld-of-warcraft-class-guideworld-of-warcraft-guidewow-class-guidewow-class-helpwow-guidewow-lockwow-lock-infowow-lockswow-talent-guidewow-warlockwow-warlock-infowow-warlocks (Dominic Hobbs) Mon, 03 May 2010 11:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Blood Pact: Running circles around the Lich King]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/04/26/blood-pact-running-circles-around-the-lich-king/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/04/26/blood-pact-running-circles-around-the-lich-king/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/04/26/blood-pact-running-circles-around-the-lich-king/#comments
Blood Pact is your weekly warlock digest, brought to you by Dominic Hobbs. "The breaking of this one has been taxing. The atrocities that I have committed upon his soul. He has resisted for so long, but he will bow down before his king soon." -- The Lich King

It's been a while since Blood Pact had a foray into Icecrown Citadel, but we can't leave without a look at the king. With the increasing faction buff, more and more people are starting to encounter the final fight of the instance, either for the first time or as a hard mode. I'm not about to try and explain the whole fight; your best bet is to watch our strategy video for that. What I aim to do here is to once again look at the encounter through the filter of our spell book, to see how we can get that little bit more from the fight.

Continue reading Blood Pact: Running circles around the Lich King

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Blood Pact: Running circles around the Lich King originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 26 Apr 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> affliction-warlock-blood-pactclass-helpdemonic-circledemonology-warlock-blood-pactdestruction-warlock-blood-pactfeaturedguideguide-to-locksguide-to-warlocksicecrown-citadellich-kinglock-guidelock-infolock-talentsshadow-wardtalenttalentsvalkyrwarlock-affliction-blood-pactwarlock-demonology-blood-pactwarlock-destruction-blood-pactwarlock-guidewarlock-infowarlock-talentsworld-of-warcraft-class-guideworld-of-warcraft-guidewow-class-guidewow-class-helpwow-guidewow-lockwow-lock-infowow-lockswow-talent-guidewow-warlockwow-warlock-infowow-warlocks (Dominic Hobbs) Mon, 26 Apr 2010 11:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Blood Pact: Truth, science and flying monsters]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/04/19/blood-pact-truth-science-and-flying-monsters/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/04/19/blood-pact-truth-science-and-flying-monsters/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/04/19/blood-pact-truth-science-and-flying-monsters/#comments
Blood Pact is your weekly warlock digest, brought to you by Dominic Hobbs. "We do what we must because we can. For the good of all of us, except the ones who are dead." -- GLaDOS

Last week saw things in the world of WoW.com turn on their heads somewhat, with the Archmage Pants and myself trading columns for a week. A little back story might be in order. I was flicking through the forum for the Cataclysm mage changes ("Know your enemy" -- Sun Tzu) and found a lot of crying about spells being removed. For those who didn't read it, the feeling was that spells like Dampen Magic had "no clear role" in the game. Over 1,000 posts later, Ghostcrawler himself felt it necessary to step in and make a semi-retraction of the phrase to stem the flow of tears.

This experience played right into a hypothesis I have that mages are credulous crybabies. I stress here that this is a hypothesis, a tentative explanation for an observation, little better than a guess. However, these things beg to be tested and elevated to the status of theory. And so a test was performed to study both the credulity and propensity for lacrimation of mages. I put forward that this test was entirely successful in validating the hypothesis and that further such studies should be performed to corroborate -- maybe I should ask someone for a research grant. Either way, I feel that we are well on the way to scientifically proving that mages are indeed credulous crybabies.

This, my fellow warlocks, is how you come about facts. It has nothing to do with simply trusting the assertions of someone claiming a list of "facts" with no proper basis in reality. Especially when that someone is a mage.

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Blood Pact: Truth, science and flying monsters originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 19 Apr 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> affliction-warlock-blood-pactclass-helpdemonology-warlock-blood-pactdestruction-warlock-blood-pactfeaturedflight-formflying-demonsflying-mountsguideguide-to-locksguide-to-warlockslock-guidelock-infolock-talentstalenttalentswarlock-affliction-blood-pactwarlock-demonology-blood-pactwarlock-destruction-blood-pactwarlock-guidewarlock-infowarlock-mountswarlock-talentsworld-of-warcraft-class-guideworld-of-warcraft-guidewow-class-guidewow-class-helpwow-guidewow-lockwow-lock-infowow-lockswow-talent-guidewow-warlockwow-warlock-infowow-warlocks (Dominic Hobbs) Mon, 19 Apr 2010 14:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Arcane Brilliance: The end of an era]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/04/11/arcane-brilliance-the-end-of-an-era/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/04/11/arcane-brilliance-the-end-of-an-era/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/04/11/arcane-brilliance-the-end-of-an-era/#comments Arcane Brilliance brought to you today by Dominic Hobbs; soon to be your one-stop source of caster goodies at WoW.com

Welcome, mages, to this most unusual and unexpected issue of Arcane Brilliance. I'm sure many of you have noticed that your beloved Mr. Pants is not here today, and you're wondering what "that warlock guy" is doing writing AB. Well, it seems that Blizz has decided to put an end to the rivalry between mages and warlocks with an audacious change to the make-up of casters within WoW.

No doubt some have already read the blue posts that have made it into the recent Cataclysm class change threads so this post will come as no shock to you -- but for those that have not, my aim today is to not only repeat their words but also try to analyse their impact, as we see it here at WoW.com. So take the jump after the break and we'll learn more about the merging of the mage and warlock classes.

Continue reading Arcane Brilliance: The end of an era

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Arcane Brilliance: The end of an era originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sun, 11 Apr 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> cataclysm-gamecataclysm-guidecataclysm-newsclass-helpexpansionexpansion-threefeaturedguideguide-to-magesmage-guidemage-infomage-talentsnext-xpactalenttalentsthird-expansionworld-of-warcraft-cataclysmworld-of-warcraft-class-guideworld-of-warcraft-guidewow-4.0wow-4.0.2wow-cataclysmwow-class-guidewow-class-helpwow-expansionwow-guidewow-magewow-mage-infowow-mageswow-talent-guidewow-third-expansion (Dominic Hobbs) Sun, 11 Apr 2010 15:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Cataclysm Class Changes: Warlock analysis]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/04/08/cataclysm-class-changes-warlock-analysis/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/04/08/cataclysm-class-changes-warlock-analysis/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/04/08/cataclysm-class-changes-warlock-analysis/#comments Well, the warlock change teaser post has landed, and we start to move more from pure speculation into analysis of what will be. Sure, everything is still subject to change -- but we're really starting to get details, some meat on the bones. Let's break down the post and see what we've got.

Zarhym - Cataclysm Class Preview - Warlock
New Warlock Spells

Fel Flame (level 81): Quick-hitting spell dealing Shadowfire damage. This is similar to the mage ability Frostfire Bolt, in that the lower of the two resistances (in this case shadow and fire) on your target will be used for calculating its damage. Additionally, Fel Flame refreshes the duration of Immolate and Unstable Affliction. Our goal for Fel Flame is to provide a spell that's good for mobility and for use by Destruction and Demonology specs. Also, did we mention it uses green fire? Yep. Instant cast.

Dark Intent (level 83): Increases the target's chance for a critical effect with periodic damage or healing spells by 3%. When the target lands a crit, you get a buff to your damage for 10 seconds. This effect stacks up to three times.

Demon Soul (level 85): Fuses the warlock's soul with his or her demon. This provides warlocks with a self-burst cooldown to use. The specific effects granted by Demon Soul depend on the demon chosen. Demon Soul lasts for a certain number of charges or until it expires (around 20 seconds), depending on the demon used. 2-minute cooldown.


Well, I must say that my first thoughts were of the reader poll from this magazine cover; I was wondering if I would be seeing Demonic Strudel further down the post. I then got somewhat distracted by the mention of green fire before I settled down to the actual details of what was said.

Continue reading Cataclysm Class Changes: Warlock analysis

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Cataclysm Class Changes: Warlock analysis originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 08 Apr 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> cataclysm-gamecataclysm-guidecataclysm-newsclass-helpexpansionexpansion-threeguideguide-to-locksguide-to-warlockslock-guidelock-infolock-talentsnext-xpactalenttalentsthird-expansionwarlock-guidewarlock-infowarlock-talentsworld-of-warcraft-cataclysmworld-of-warcraft-class-guideworld-of-warcraft-guidewow-4.0wow-4.0.2wow-cataclysmwow-class-guidewow-class-helpwow-expansionwow-guidewow-lockwow-lock-infowow-lockswow-talent-guidewow-third-expansionwow-warlockwow-warlock-infowow-warlocks (Dominic Hobbs) Thu, 08 Apr 2010 14:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Blood Pact: Leveling up through the Dungeon Finder tool]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/04/05/blood-pact-leveling-up-through-the-dungeon-finder-tool/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/04/05/blood-pact-leveling-up-through-the-dungeon-finder-tool/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/04/05/blood-pact-leveling-up-through-the-dungeon-finder-tool/#comments Blood Pact is your weekly warlock digest brought to you by Dominic Hobbs. "You want him? ... Oh, go ahead. I was gonna kill him anyway." -- Grand Warlock Nethekurse

Over the months, we have looked at the leveling process from a warlock's point of view. Mostly we looked at new talents and abilities, with a few glimpses at key quests. Today, Blood Pact has a look at one of the ways of getting your hands on the XP: the Dungeon Finder.

A lot of attention gets paid to using the Dungeon Finder (DF) at 80 to collect and farm emblems. For sure, this is a great way to get your fresh level 80 character some gear that will enable you to raid. But you can use DF right from level 15 (by which time you should have learned how to curse properly and figured out which end of a Shadow Bolt does the damage). It's a powerful tool for covering the rest of the distance to 80. You can even use it to get into RFC and Stocks, which previously tended to be out of bounds for one faction or the other.

Continue reading Blood Pact: Leveling up through the Dungeon Finder tool

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Blood Pact: Leveling up through the Dungeon Finder tool originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 05 Apr 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> affliction-warlock-blood-pactclass-helpdemonology-warlock-blood-pactdestruction-warlock-blood-pactdungeon-finderdungeon-finder-systemfeaturedguideguide-to-locksguide-to-warlockslock-guidelock-infolock-talentsluck-of-the-drawsatchel-of-helpful-goodstalenttalentswarlock-affliction-blood-pactwarlock-demonology-blood-pactwarlock-destruction-blood-pactwarlock-guidewarlock-infowarlock-levelingwarlock-talentsworld-of-warcraft-class-guideworld-of-warcraft-guidewow-class-guidewow-class-helpwow-guidewow-lockwow-lock-infowow-lockswow-talent-guidewow-warlockwow-warlock-infowow-warlocks (Dominic Hobbs) Mon, 05 Apr 2010 19:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Breakfast Topic: Romantic entanglements have a Mass Effect]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/04/01/breakfast-topic-romantic-entanglements/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/04/01/breakfast-topic-romantic-entanglements/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/04/01/breakfast-topic-romantic-entanglements/#comments Note from Editor: Due to recent restructuring at Aol, the focus of WoW.com has been deemed not niche enough. Thus, as of today, we shall now and forever more been known as Mass Effect Insider! Get your latest Shepard fix with our guides, analysis and breaking news from Bioware's best-selling game!

When Commander Shepard isn't stripping planets of all their resources or being a general galactic bad-ass, how better to whittle away the hours than getting to know the crew. Sure, most of them are only there because you pushed them into it, and they're not going to be happy about things until they sort out that "unfinished business" -- but hell, they can't all love you, right?

Well that may be true but you can certainly find yourself loving one of them. The romantic involvements available to Shepard provides some of the most hotly debated flavor choices in the game. So who's your fave squeeze? Who would you pursue if your choice weren't limited? Why do they make your heart pound?

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Breakfast Topic: Romantic entanglements have a Mass Effect originally appeared on WoW Insider on Thu, 01 Apr 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> april-fools-2010 (Dominic Hobbs) Thu, 01 Apr 2010 08:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Blood Pact: Destruction 101]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/03/29/blood-pact-destruction-101/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/03/29/blood-pact-destruction-101/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/03/29/blood-pact-destruction-101/#comments Blood Pact is your weekly warlock digest brought to you by Dominic Hobbs. "I love the smell of napalm in the morning... The smell, you know that gasoline smell, the whole hill. Smelled like... victory" ~ Lieutenant Colonel Bill Kilgore

Destruction is often considered to be the 'mage-like' warlock spec; this is based on its more dwarven style of play (fight, drink, fight, drink...). It is true that destruction relies more on direct damage than DoTs or the damage done by minions, but don't be fooled, destro locks are not just emo-mages.

Where the other lock specs focus on shadow magic, destruction primarily makes use of fire spells. Incinerate takes the place of Shadow Bolt as a filler, and Conflagrate and Chaos Bolt are added to the spell book making a dazzling array of... well, destruction.

Destruction benefits

Destruction locks have the greatest 'burst' potential. This means that they can deliver a high level of DPS very quickly. This makes them ideal for short fights and swapping between multiple targets.

Destro locks are also very mana efficient -- not because they don't get through their mana (they certainly do!) but because they have so much mana restored through Improved Soul Leech.

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Blood Pact: Destruction 101 originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 29 Mar 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> 101101-guideclass-helpdestruction-101destruction-rotationdestruction-talentsdestruction-warlock-blood-pactfeaturedguideguide-to-locksguide-to-warlockslock-guidelock-infolock-talentstalenttalentswarlock-101warlock-destruction-blood-pactwarlock-guidewarlock-infowarlock-talentsworld-of-warcraft-class-guideworld-of-warcraft-guidewow-class-guidewow-class-helpwow-guidewow-lockwow-lock-infowow-lockswow-talent-guidewow-warlockwow-warlock-infowow-warlocks (Dominic Hobbs) Mon, 29 Mar 2010 09:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Blood Pact: Destruction 101, page 2]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/03/29/blood-pact-destruction-101-page-2/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/03/29/blood-pact-destruction-101-page-2/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/03/29/blood-pact-destruction-101-page-2/#comments Continue reading Blood Pact: Destruction 101, page 2

Blood Pact: Destruction 101, page 2 originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 29 Mar 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> (Dominic Hobbs) Mon, 29 Mar 2010 09:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Blood Pact: Leveling a warlock, 60 to 80]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/03/22/blood-pact-leveling-a-warlock-60-to-80/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/03/22/blood-pact-leveling-a-warlock-60-to-80/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/03/22/blood-pact-leveling-a-warlock-60-to-80/#comments Blood Pact is your weekly warlock digest brought to you by Dominic Hobbs. "Did you think we had forgotten? Did you think we had forgiven? Behold, now, the terrible vengeance of the Forsaken! Death to the Scourge! And death to the living!" ~ Grand Apothecary Putress

Whether you're racing towards the endgame or pootling along enjoying the ride, everyone likes to make that leveling experience a little smoother. Blood Pact caps off this series of guides with a look at the final (for now) twenty levels. We'll look at the talents you can play with, the spells you can learn and some of the quests you don't want to miss. We'll be covering the Outland and Northrend experience from the warlock's point of view.

Maybe you have been leveling for a while and are looking for some insight into this final push or have had a lock 'parked' at 60 or 70 for some time; hopefully this guide will help you push that demon-loving toon to the final malefic leveling milestone.

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Blood Pact: Leveling a warlock, 60 to 80 originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 22 Mar 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> affliction-warlock-blood-pactchaos-boltclass-helpdemonology-warlock-blood-pactdestruction-warlock-blood-pactfeaturedguideguide-to-locksguide-to-warlockshauntlock-guidelock-infolock-talentsmetamorphosistalenttalentswarlock-affliction-blood-pactwarlock-demonology-blood-pactwarlock-destruction-blood-pactwarlock-guidewarlock-infowarlock-levelingwarlock-questswarlock-talentsworld-of-warcraft-class-guideworld-of-warcraft-guidewow-class-guidewow-class-helpwow-guidewow-lockwow-lock-infowow-lockswow-talent-guidewow-warlockwow-warlock-infowow-warlocks (Dominic Hobbs) Mon, 22 Mar 2010 17:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Blood Pact: Demonology 101, Part 2]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/03/15/blood-pact-demonology-101-part-2/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/03/15/blood-pact-demonology-101-part-2/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/03/15/blood-pact-demonology-101-part-2/#comments Continue reading Blood Pact: Demonology 101, Part 2

Blood Pact: Demonology 101, Part 2 originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 15 Mar 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> (Dominic Hobbs) Mon, 15 Mar 2010 19:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Blood Pact: Demonology 101]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/03/15/blood-pact-demonology-101/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/03/15/blood-pact-demonology-101/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/03/15/blood-pact-demonology-101/#comments Blood Pact is your weekly warlock digest brought to you by Dominic Hobbs. "The time has come! Gul'dan, order your Warlocks to double their efforts! Moments from now, the gateway will open and your Horde will be unleashed on this ripe, unsuspecting world." ~ Medivh

You might think that you could always tell a demonology warlock on sight, its minions being bigger and more powerful, to reflect his greater dominion of demons. This isn't really the case though, every warlock's minions look the same irrespective of build. If they are over level 50 then they become easier to spot as you'll find that they'll have a felguard following them about. To be fair, he is bigger and more powerful than all the other minions.

If you're drawn to demonology so that you can summon a greater variety of demons, or maybe more exotic ones like those beastmastery hunters, then you're going to be somewhat disappointed. You'll have and use the same demons until you learn to summon the felguard then you'll have him. That said, the demonologist has an array of talents that really amplify your minion's power and also boosts your own by drawing on the power of your demon. If it is synergy with an embodiment of evil ripped from the nether that you are looking for, then this is the place for you.

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Blood Pact: Demonology 101 originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 15 Mar 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> 101class-101class-helpdemonologyDemonology-101demonology-spell-rotationdemonology-talentsdemonology-warlock-blood-pactfeaturedguideguide-to-locksguide-to-warlockslock-guidelock-infolock-talentstalenttalentswarlock-demonology-blood-pactwarlock-guidewarlock-infowarlock-talentsworld-of-warcraft-class-guideworld-of-warcraft-guidewow-class-guidewow-class-helpwow-guidewow-lockwow-lock-infowow-lockswow-talent-guidewow-warlockwow-warlock-infowow-warlocks (Dominic Hobbs) Mon, 15 Mar 2010 19:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Blood Pact: Be a raider not a robot]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/03/08/blood-pact-be-a-raider-not-a-robot-monday/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/03/08/blood-pact-be-a-raider-not-a-robot-monday/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/03/08/blood-pact-be-a-raider-not-a-robot-monday/#comments Each week Dominic Hobbs brings you Blood Pact. "Alert! You are marked for extermination! Calculating force parameters... Alternative measure commencing..." ~ Void Reaver

Having been a raid leader for a long time now, I'm very keen for everyone in my raids to be aware of the strategy we plan to execute. I get pretty frustrated when people deviate from it. I'm also interested in the theory and maths involved in maximizing gear choices and spell selections. When changes to warlock spell mechanics come along I always try and calculate the impact this would have on my gameplay -- and then do some research to find out what I missed or miscalculated. I believe that entering a boss fight with these things prepared is the foundation of good raiding.

You can't live on foundations though, you need a house. Being able to execute a perfect, DPS-maximizing spell rotation on a target dummy doesn't fully prepare you for dealing with a more chaotic situation. Knowing the strategy for a fight can still leave you floundering when something forces a change to your expectations. Today I want to have a look at how to prepare for the unscripted, how to be a raider and not just a robot.

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Blood Pact: Be a raider not a robot originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 08 Mar 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> affliction-warlock-blood-pactclass-helpcurse-of-elementsdemonology-warlock-blood-pactdestruction-warlock-blood-pactfeaturedguideguide-to-locksguide-to-warlocksjaraxxuslegion-flamelock-guidelock-infolock-talentsswarming-shadowstalenttalentstheorycraftingwarlock-affliction-blood-pactwarlock-demonology-blood-pactwarlock-destruction-blood-pactwarlock-guidewarlock-infowarlock-talentsworld-of-warcraft-class-guideworld-of-warcraft-guidewow-class-guidewow-class-helpwow-guidewow-lockwow-lock-infowow-lockswow-talent-guidewow-warlockwow-warlock-infowow-warlocks (Dominic Hobbs) Mon, 08 Mar 2010 16:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Cataclysm: Stat and system changes for warlocks]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/03/02/cataclysm-stat-and-system-changes-for-warlocks/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/03/02/cataclysm-stat-and-system-changes-for-warlocks/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/03/02/cataclysm-stat-and-system-changes-for-warlocks/#comments No doubt you've seen various articles about the changes to stats in Cataclysm. I'm sure everyone has been wondering what this will mean for warlocks. It doesn't matter whether you play a warlock right now or not, you know full well that you're going to level a worgen warlock sooner or later.

With that in mind you will want to know what gear to aim for, what stats give the best for each talent build and who else is going to try to deny you the items you know to rightfully be yours -- "The name is in purple - everybody knows that means the warlock gets first choice!". Well, I'm certainly not about to tell you, I have no idea. Frankly Cataclysm is still too far off to know. That said, we are starting to get some real good clues, so we'd better start investigating.

Continue reading Cataclysm: Stat and system changes for warlocks

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Cataclysm: Stat and system changes for warlocks originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 02 Mar 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> cataclysm-gamecataclysm-guidecataclysm-newsclass-helpexpanionexpansion-threelock-infolock-talentsnext-xpacstat-and-system-change-analysisthird-expansionwarlock-guidewarlock-infowarlock-talentsworld-of-warcraft-cataclysmwow-4.0wow-4.0.2wow-cataclysmwow-class-guidewow-expansionwow-guidewow-lockwow-lock-infowow-lockswow-third-expansionwow-warlockwow-warlock-infowow-warlocks (Dominic Hobbs) Tue, 02 Mar 2010 11:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Blood Pact: Meet the minions, Part 6 - the felguard]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/03/01/blood-pact-meet-the-minions-part-6-the-felguard/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/03/01/blood-pact-meet-the-minions-part-6-the-felguard/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/03/01/blood-pact-meet-the-minions-part-6-the-felguard/#comments Each week Dominic Hobbs brings you Blood Pact. "You gotta be a moron... you gotta be a moron to wanna be a fighter. " ~ Rocky Balboa

Over the last few months Blood Pact has had a mini-series running to introduce the various demonic accessories. "Meet the Minions" has covered imps, voidwalkers, succubus and felhounds as well as infernals and doomguards. Along the way we have also covered such game-play lessons as pet-use, threat, crowd-control and mage-hate. So that only leaves the one minion to cover, the mighty felguard.

Unlike almost all the other minions there is no quest to gain the ability to summon the felguard -- you simply pop a point into the talent and this demonic knowledge is dropped into your brain. The talent is currently on the ninth tier of the demonology tree, so you will need to be level 50 before you can learn it. Even at level 80 you will need to invest almost 60% of your talent points into demonology just to reach it, leaving little room for anything in the other trees. Because of this the felguard is pretty much only seen with demonology-build warlocks. Hybrid builds were popular at the start of Wrath, but changes to spell mechanics have meant that they are rarely used these days.

Continue reading Blood Pact: Meet the minions, Part 6 - the felguard

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Blood Pact: Meet the minions, Part 6 - the felguard originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 01 Mar 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> avoidanceclass-helpcleavedemonic-frenzydemonic-pactdemonology-warlock-blood-pactfeaturedfelguardguideguide-to-locksguide-to-warlocksinterceptlock-guidelock-infolock-talentssartharion-3dtalenttalentsvoidwalker-tankwarlock-demonology-blood-pactwarlock-guidewarlock-infowarlock-talentsworld-of-warcraft-class-guideworld-of-warcraft-guidewow-class-guidewow-class-helpwow-guidewow-lockwow-lock-infowow-lockswow-talent-guidewow-warlockwow-warlock-infowow-warlocks (Dominic Hobbs) Mon, 01 Mar 2010 15:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Blood Pact: Patch 3.3.3 raid build roundup]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/02/22/blood-pact-patch-3-3-3-raid-build-roundup/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/02/22/blood-pact-patch-3-3-3-raid-build-roundup/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/02/22/blood-pact-patch-3-3-3-raid-build-roundup/#comments Each week Dominic Hobbs brings you Blood Pact. "Ah, a most excellent recovery. The blood will suppress the Doomguard's magical defenses" ~ Daio the Decrepit

It's been a few months since we did a roundup of the raiding builds and how the current game mechanics impact their relative DPS. With the patch 3.3.3 changes becoming public there are a couple of interesting warlock changes that are worth having a closer look at. Back in November with the coming of patch 3.3 we saw destruction lose its crown as "the best by far." Before then it was simply hard to justify any other spec unless you were giving the Demonic Pact buff to the raid, and doing so came at a personal DPS cost, so wasn't very popular.

While we've been raiding Icecrown Citadel affliction and destruction have been pretty even in their competitiveness, with demonology still trailing along behind like a wheezy fat-kid -- you still want him with you cos he has all the sweeties, but he's not one of the cool-gang. Well, times are a-changin', that kid is growing up into a real power-house.

Continue reading Blood Pact: Patch 3.3.3 raid build roundup

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Blood Pact: Patch 3.3.3 raid build roundup originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 22 Feb 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> afflictionaffliction-warlock-blood-pactclass-helpconflagratedemonic-pactdemonologydemonology-warlock-blood-pactdestructiondestruction-warlock-blood-pactempowered-impfeaturedguideguide-to-locksguide-to-warlocksimmolateImproved-Shadow-Boltlock-guidelock-infolock-talentspatch-3.3.3patch-notesShadow-Embracesimulationcrafttalenttalentswarlock-affliction-blood-pactwarlock-demonology-blood-pactwarlock-destruction-blood-pactwarlock-guidewarlock-infowarlock-talentsworld-of-warcraft-class-guideworld-of-warcraft-guidewow-class-guidewow-class-helpwow-guidewow-lockwow-lock-infowow-lockswow-talent-guidewow-warlockwow-warlock-infowow-warlocks (Dominic Hobbs) Mon, 22 Feb 2010 16:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Blood Pact: Tanking the Blood Prince Council]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/02/15/blood-pact-tanking-the-blood-prince-council/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/02/15/blood-pact-tanking-the-blood-prince-council/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/02/15/blood-pact-tanking-the-blood-prince-council/#comments Blood Pact is your weekly warlock digest brought to you by Dominic Hobbs. "Did they look like psychos? Is that what they looked like? They were vampires. Psychos do not explode when sunlight hits them, I don't give a damn how crazy they are!" ~ Seth Gecko

So there you are, raiding your way through Icecrown Citadel, merrily destroying everything in your path with shadow and flame, when all of a sudden your raid leader tells you that you're tanking the next boss. "That can't be right - surely" you think to yourself, "I'm still wearing this dress, I don't have a sword or shield, I don't feel any more stupid than before - why would I suddenly want to tank anything?". Well, Blood Prince Council is one of those special fights where a clothie can do the job of a meat-shield. When this is called for, there's simply no better clothie than a warlock to get the job done. So, step up and lets look at how to do it.

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Blood Pact: Tanking the Blood Prince Council originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 15 Feb 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> blood-prince-councilclass-helpdark-nucleusdemonology-warlock-blood-pactfeaturedfelguardguideguide-to-locksguide-to-warlockskelesethlock-guidelock-infolock-talentsMaster-Demonologistsoul-linktalenttalentswarlock-demonology-blood-pactwarlock-guidewarlock-infowarlock-talentswarlock-tankingworld-of-warcraft-class-guideworld-of-warcraft-guidewow-class-guidewow-class-helpwow-guidewow-lockwow-lock-infowow-lockswow-talent-guidewow-warlockwow-warlock-infowow-warlocks (Dominic Hobbs) Mon, 15 Feb 2010 16:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Blood Pact: Affliction 101]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/02/08/blood-pact-affliction-101/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/02/08/blood-pact-affliction-101/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/02/08/blood-pact-affliction-101/#comments Blood Pact is your weekly warlock digest brought to you by Dominic Hobbs. "I suppose you may stay as my guest for the time being. But you must be on some pressing business--perhaps you're here seeking lost power? Maybe I'm mistaken. Maybe corruption isn't too far away from you after all." ~ Tabetha

You may have noticed a certain theme of class articles cropping up on WoW.com recently -- various pieces giving a brief introduction to one spec or the other. While they are fairly basic guides, don't be mislead by the titles, they are not "lol" articles, they're one-on-one (except maybe the mage one). This week on Blood Pact I felt it was time to take a look at affliction. We've spoken about it many times and with great fondness but never really focused on it. As with the other lol articles this is not intended to be an in-depth guide but a taster or intro to the build. A "starting point" if you like. So, open your notebooks and turn to page 101, let's get started.

Continue reading Blood Pact: Affliction 101

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Blood Pact: Affliction 101 originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> affliction-rotationaffliction-talentsaffliction-warlock-blood-pactclass-helpfeaturedguideguide-to-locksguide-to-warlockslock-guidelock-infolock-talentstalenttalentswarlock-affliction-blood-pactwarlock-enchantswarlock-gemswarlock-glyphswarlock-guidewarlock-infowarlock-talentsworld-of-warcraft-class-guideworld-of-warcraft-guidewow-class-guidewow-class-helpwow-guidewow-lockwow-lock-infowow-lockswow-talent-guidewow-warlockwow-warlock-infowow-warlocks (Dominic Hobbs) Mon, 08 Feb 2010 15:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Blood Pact: Affliction 101, Page 2]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/02/08/blood-pact-affliction-101-page-2/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/02/08/blood-pact-affliction-101-page-2/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/02/08/blood-pact-affliction-101-page-2/#comments Continue reading Blood Pact: Affliction 101, Page 2

Blood Pact: Affliction 101, Page 2 originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> (Dominic Hobbs) Mon, 08 Feb 2010 15:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Blood Pact: Using SimulationCraft for gear selection]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/02/01/blood-pact-using-simulationcraft-for-gear-selection/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/02/01/blood-pact-using-simulationcraft-for-gear-selection/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/02/01/blood-pact-using-simulationcraft-for-gear-selection/#comments Blood Pact is your weekly warlock digest brought to you by Dominic Hobbs. "He who loves practice without theory is like the sailor who boards ship without a rudder and compass and never knows where he may cast." ~ Leonardo da Vinci

As warlocks, we're used to delving into the mysterious depths of the occult to seek the knowledge that brings us power. This week I'm going to attempt to lift the veil of mystery that covers what is possibly the most powerful theorycrafting tool at our disposal. SimulationCraft is a tool that anyone who has frequented the Elitist Jerks forums will no doubt have run into at least once. In my experience many people take one look and run screaming from all the "maths" that starts to intrude on their game.

With this article I would like to reduce the "fear factor" of SimulationCraft and show one way in which it can be very useful. Many of us put together lists of upgrades that we would like to get our hands on and we all do that by comparing the stats on each item. We may also use lists produced by others or even give different values or weights to an item's stats by using scores we find -- these tend to be based on theoretical 'model' warlock's gear set. What I want to show you is how you can generate these lists and scores for yourself based on your own gear.

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Blood Pact: Using SimulationCraft for gear selection originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 01 Feb 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> affliction-warlock-blood-pactclass-helpdamage-chartdemonology-warlock-blood-pactdestruction-warlock-blood-pactDPS-plotfeaturedgear-selectionguideguide-to-locksguide-to-warlockslock-guidelock-infolock-talentslootrankraid-buffsraid-debuffsscale-factorssimulationcraftspreadsheetstat-weightingstalenttalentstheorycrafttheorycraftingwarlock-affliction-blood-pactwarlock-demonology-blood-pactwarlock-destruction-blood-pactwarlock-guidewarlock-infowarlock-talentsworld-of-warcraft-class-guideworld-of-warcraft-guidewow-class-guidewow-class-helpwow-guidewow-lockwow-lock-infowow-lockswow-talent-guidewow-warlockwow-warlock-infowow-warlockswowhead (Dominic Hobbs) Mon, 01 Feb 2010 11:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Blood Pact: Using SimulationCraft for gear selection, page 2]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/02/01/blood-pact-using-simulationcraft-for-gear-selection-page-2/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/02/01/blood-pact-using-simulationcraft-for-gear-selection-page-2/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/02/01/blood-pact-using-simulationcraft-for-gear-selection-page-2/#comments Continue reading Blood Pact: Using SimulationCraft for gear selection, page 2

Blood Pact: Using SimulationCraft for gear selection, page 2 originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 01 Feb 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> (Dominic Hobbs) Mon, 01 Feb 2010 11:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Blood Pact: Mistakes other people make]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/01/25/blood-pact-mistakes-other-people-make/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/01/25/blood-pact-mistakes-other-people-make/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/01/25/blood-pact-mistakes-other-people-make/#comments Blood Pact is your weekly warlock digest brought to you by Dominic Hobbs. "So this is hell. I'd never have believed it. You remember all we were told about the torture-chambers, the fire and brimstone, the "burning marl." Old wives' tales! There's no need for red-hot pokers. Hell is--other people" ~ Jean-Paul Sartre

While I try not to read Arcane Brilliance if I can help it, I did notice that the one on January 16th had a lot of comments and an intriguing title. While I didn't expect Mr. Pants to actually start flaming mages I did hold out some hope for all those comments. Anyway, the piece inspired me to write a similar article. Not so much because there are a lot of warlocks that need improvement but rather they need a place to point others, so they may learn how to play with a lock.

So here's a short list of things I see in groups and raids that could be improved and make the whole experience a lot smoother.

Continue reading Blood Pact: Mistakes other people make

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Blood Pact: Mistakes other people make originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 25 Jan 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> affliction-warlock-blood-pactclass-helpdemonic-knowledgedemonology-warlock-blood-pactdestruction-warlock-blood-pactfeaturedguideguide-to-locksguide-to-warlockshealinglife-taplock-guidelock-infolock-talentsminionspetspitbullresource-managementtalenttalentstarget-selectionthreatwarlock-affliction-blood-pactwarlock-demonology-blood-pactwarlock-destruction-blood-pactwarlock-guidewarlock-infowarlock-talentsworld-of-warcraft-class-guideworld-of-warcraft-guidewow-class-guidewow-class-helpwow-guidewow-lockwow-lock-infowow-lockswow-talent-guidewow-warlockwow-warlock-infowow-warlocks (Dominic Hobbs) Mon, 25 Jan 2010 16:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Blood Pact: Warlock tips for the Plagueworks]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/01/18/blood-pact-warlock-tips-for-the-plagueworks/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/01/18/blood-pact-warlock-tips-for-the-plagueworks/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/01/18/blood-pact-warlock-tips-for-the-plagueworks/#comments Blood Pact is your weekly warlock digest brought to you by Dominic Hobbs. "Oh, Festergut. You were always my favorite. Next to Rotface. The good news is you left behind so much gas, I can practically taste it!" ~ Professor Putricide

As with many of these raid/boss guides there's only so much that is specific to any class. The Plagueworks doesn't include any bosses that get us locks doing anything fancy or new. That said though they are great fights and interesting in their own right. This guide is aimed at warlocks but probably of use to all casters. No doubt the comments will be full of neat little tricks that I have missed but as I breached 2000 words I had better stop where I am and not start explaining how to one-shot things with Eye of Kilrogg and Dark Pact.

Festergut

Festergut is the simplest of the Plagueworks bosses but that doesn't make him easy. He's essentially a gear-check, though obviously you need to know how to apply that gear as well. The tanks get checked to see how hard they can be battered for thirty seconds at a time, the healers checked on how well they can swap from healing everyone a bit to healing one person a huge amount. Then there's the DPS, we may not be the drums of the raid group but you never tanked or healed a boss to death, we need to end the fight before those support roles fail.

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Blood Pact: Warlock tips for the Plagueworks originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 18 Jan 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> class-helpfeaturedfestergutguideguide-to-locksguide-to-warlockslock-guidelock-infolock-talentsoozeprofessor-putricideputriciderotfaceslimesporestalenttalentswarlock-guidewarlock-infowarlock-talentsworld-of-warcraft-class-guideworld-of-warcraft-guidewow-class-guidewow-class-helpwow-guidewow-lockwow-lock-infowow-lockswow-talent-guidewow-warlockwow-warlock-infowow-warlocks (Dominic Hobbs) Mon, 18 Jan 2010 16:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Blood Pact: Warlock tips for the Plagueworks, Page 2]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/01/18/blood-pact-warlock-tips-for-the-plagueworks-page-2/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/01/18/blood-pact-warlock-tips-for-the-plagueworks-page-2/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/01/18/blood-pact-warlock-tips-for-the-plagueworks-page-2/#comments Continue reading Blood Pact: Warlock tips for the Plagueworks, Page 2

Blood Pact: Warlock tips for the Plagueworks, Page 2 originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 18 Jan 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> (Dominic Hobbs) Mon, 18 Jan 2010 16:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Blood Pact: Leveling a warlock, 40 to 60]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/01/11/blood-pact-leveling-a-warlock-40-to-60/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/01/11/blood-pact-leveling-a-warlock-40-to-60/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/01/11/blood-pact-leveling-a-warlock-40-to-60/#comments Blood Pact is your weekly warlock digest brought to you by Dominic Hobbs. "Closer! Come closer... and burn!" ~ Keli'dan the Breaker

Once again Blood Pact turns its gaze towards those up-and-coming warlocks; those who are learning the craft, battling foes to hone their skills and sharpen their minds. I've said before that leveling a warlock is great fun and part of this is due to the diverse ways in which you can go about it. By the time you start getting a decent pile of talent points to spend you can shape your lock in many and varied forms. There's the unstoppable train of death that is the affliction lock, cursing and corrupting all around it as it passes smoothly through the world. The demonologist, pouring their power into their minion and pushing them into the fore while sitting back and calmly picking off their foes. And of course, the destruction warlock, blazing a trail of raw power in an explosive display of mental prowess over physical frailty.

Let's see how these locks in training are getting on.

Continue reading Blood Pact: Leveling a warlock, 40 to 60

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Blood Pact: Leveling a warlock, 40 to 60 originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 11 Jan 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> afflictionclass-helpCurse-of-Doomdeath-coildemonologydestructionfeaturedfelguardguideguide-to-locksguide-to-warlocksinfernolock-guidelock-infolock-talentsRitual-of-DoomShadowfurysoul-firetalenttalentsunstable-afflictionwarlock-guidewarlock-infowarlock-instanceswarlock-levelingwarlock-talentsworld-of-warcraft-class-guideworld-of-warcraft-guidewow-class-guidewow-class-helpwow-guidewow-lockwow-lock-infowow-lockswow-talent-guidewow-warlockwow-warlock-infowow-warlocks (Dominic Hobbs) Mon, 11 Jan 2010 15:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Blood Pact: Meet the minions part 5, the infernal and doomguard]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/01/04/blood-pact-meet-the-minions-part-5-the-infernal-and-doomguard/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/01/04/blood-pact-meet-the-minions-part-5-the-infernal-and-doomguard/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/01/04/blood-pact-meet-the-minions-part-5-the-infernal-and-doomguard/#comments
Blood Pact is your weekly warlock digest brought to you by Dominic Hobbs. "Don't tell anyone this but Niby is daft." ~ Impsy <Niby's Minion>

This week, Blood Pact looks at the bad-boys of our demon companions. When you think through the various warlock minions it's common to consider their usefulness. This is especially true of non-warlocks and raid leaders. Everyone knows that imp for his ranged DPS, health bonus and constant grumbling, the felhunter for annoying casters, voidwalker for tanking, felguard for pure DPS and the succubus for, well, dying a lot in Black Temple. This week though we look at two minions that are best known for killing people and causing trouble in towns and villages: the infernal and the doomguard.

Anyone who has been playing the game for some time probably remembers at least one occasion where a bored warlock has decided that they have nothing better to do than annoy low-level members of their own faction by setting one of these guys loose. If not then you've almost certainly heard stories. It's these stories that, even though this chaos is no longer possible, make others look at locks with much suspicion and locks sigh for the old days.

Continue reading Blood Pact: Meet the minions part 5, the infernal and doomguard

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Blood Pact: Meet the minions part 5, the infernal and doomguard originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 04 Jan 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> class-helpcrippledoomguardfeaturedguideguide-to-locksguide-to-warlocksImmolation-Aurainfernalinfernolock-guidelock-infolock-talentsrain-of-fireritual of doomRitual-of-Doomtalenttalentswar-stompwarlock-guidewarlock-infowarlock-talentsworld-of-warcraft-class-guideworld-of-warcraft-guidewow-class-guidewow-class-helpwow-guidewow-lockwow-lock-infowow-lockswow-talent-guidewow-warlockwow-warlock-infowow-warlocks (Dominic Hobbs) Mon, 04 Jan 2010 18:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Blood Pact: 2009 through the Eye of Kilrogg]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2009/12/28/blood-pact-2009-through-the-eye-of-kilrogg/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2009/12/28/blood-pact-2009-through-the-eye-of-kilrogg/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2009/12/28/blood-pact-2009-through-the-eye-of-kilrogg/#comments Blood Pact is your weekly warlock digest brought to you by Dominic Hobbs. "The avarice never ends! 'I want golf clubs. I want diamonds. I want a pony so I can ride it twice, get bored and sell it to make glue.' Look, I don't wanna make waves, but this whole Christmas season is stupid, stupid, stupid!" ~ The Grinch

Hmmm... a look back at changes for warlocks in 2009. Well there was... no, wait, that was 2008. Well what about... nah, that's planned for Cataclysm. Wow, this is harder than I thought. Nothing particularly outstanding has happened in the warlock area this year; but so much has happened and, well things have changed. It's like waking up each morning and something is subtly different. Your blue toothbrush is now red... The sofa is now against this wall, not that one... each change is pretty unremarkable in it's own right but by the end of the year you are a stuntman living in LA married to a small, blond Portuguese skier who when she's not training does abstract painting, practices yoga and brews her own beer.

As we surfaced, bleary-eyed into January our memories of sacrificing succubus and SL/SL were fading faster than those of December 31st. Those heady days of power that also led to FotM wannabes flooding our ranks. Skill and complexity had been leaking out of the class for a while and Naxx wasn't really providing any of us with much of a worthwhile proving ground. Affliction spell rotations were causing carpal-tunnel injuries on those who were determined to take the cold-turkey approach to dropping their addiction to Shadow Bolt spam. Fans of demonology were taking felguards like some sort of methadone for simplistic raiding, meanwhile retaining the use of their fingers.

Continue reading Blood Pact: 2009 through the Eye of Kilrogg

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Blood Pact: 2009 through the Eye of Kilrogg originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 28 Dec 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> 2009-roundupafflictionbanishcataclysmclass-helpdemonologydestructionDrain-SoulfeaturedfelhunterGhostcrawlergreen-fireguideguide-to-locksguide-to-warlockslock-guidelock-infolock-talentsSoul-Shardtalenttalentstraining-dummywarlock-guidewarlock-infowarlock-summoningwarlock-talentsworld-of-warcraft-class-guideworld-of-warcraft-guidewow-class-guidewow-class-helpwow-guidewow-lockwow-lock-infowow-lockswow-talent-guidewow-warlockwow-warlock-infowow-warlocks (Dominic Hobbs) Mon, 28 Dec 2009 09:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Blood Pact: Warlock tips for Icecrown Citadel, part 1]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2009/12/21/blood-pact-warlock-tips-for-icecrown-citadel-part-1/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2009/12/21/blood-pact-warlock-tips-for-icecrown-citadel-part-1/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2009/12/21/blood-pact-warlock-tips-for-icecrown-citadel-part-1/#comments Blood Pact is your weekly warlock digest brought to you by Dominic Hobbs. "You have found your way here, because you are among the few gifted with true vision in a world cursed with blindness! You can see through the fog that hangs over this world like a shroud and grasp where true power lies!" ~ Lady Deathwhisper

This week we delve into Icecrown Citadel and see what these new bosses are all about. We face a bag of bones that won't sit still, a somewhat effeminate version of Kel'Thuzad, a lift boss that is actually supposed to kill you and an orc-gone-bad. All in a day's work for your warlock on the go.

Lord Marrowgar

Time to dance with the bone lord. There are a couple things to avoid here. First is the boss himself when he spins around and drunkenly staggers all round the room. He moves pretty quickly so there's actually little chance of avoiding him completely but it's not a bad idea to try and minimize the damage you take from him. This ability is called Bone Storm and is well announced, spreading out from others will reduce the chances of you getting hit while he molests someone else. The second thing to get out the way of is Coldflame. He'll be sending out four lines of blue fire frequently throughout the fight, radiating away from him. This happens even when he's spinning about the place. Simple and fundamental rule of raiding -- don't stand in the stuff on the floor.

Continue reading Blood Pact: Warlock tips for Icecrown Citadel, part 1

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Blood Pact: Warlock tips for Icecrown Citadel, part 1 originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 21 Dec 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> class-helpfeaturedguideguide-to-locksguide-to-warlockslock-guidelock-infolock-talentstalenttalentswarlock-deathwhisperwarlock-guidewarlock-gunship-battlewarlock-icecrown-citadelwarlock-infowarlock-macroswarlock-marrowgarwarlock-saurfangwarlock-talentsworld-of-warcraft-class-guideworld-of-warcraft-guidewow-class-guidewow-class-helpwow-guidewow-lockwow-lock-infowow-lockswow-talent-guidewow-warlockwow-warlock-infowow-warlocks (Dominic Hobbs) Mon, 21 Dec 2009 15:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Blood Pact: Meet the minions, part 4 - the felhunter and mage-hate]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2009/12/14/blood-pact-meet-the-minions-part-4-the-felhunter-and-mage-ha/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2009/12/14/blood-pact-meet-the-minions-part-4-the-felhunter-and-mage-ha/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2009/12/14/blood-pact-meet-the-minions-part-4-the-felhunter-and-mage-ha/#comments
Blood Pact is your weekly warlock digest brought to you by Dominic Hobbs. "Ah, of course. Our latest prodigy. The real thing can't live up to the legend, I'm afraid. No matter, you've come here to learn, not to hear me make jokes to myself. ~ Strahad Farsan

When Wrath first came along I wrote a piece about how warlock utility in 25 man raids had all but disappeared. I had many dissenters to that statement, using examples such as Soul Stones and the like. One that came up a few times was the Felhound and how useful he is. I have to agree, he's a regular bag of tricks, but when it comes to 25 man raiding he's been (rightly) left in the kennel for quite some time. This is about to change.

"But Dominic, you seething pot of demonic mage-hating bile..." I hear you cry "...where is all the mage-hate?" Well, yes, I can imagine the title did lead you to expect an article so vitriolic and anti-arcane as to leave nothing more in its wake than quivering lumps of nerdy arcanists, armpit-deep in tears; and maybe a lost looking sheep. I'm not sure I can do that though, as I don't really hate mages -- that point is really going to need clarifying.

Continue reading Blood Pact: Meet the minions, part 4 - the felhunter and mage-hate

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Blood Pact: Meet the minions, part 4 - the felhunter and mage-hate originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 14 Dec 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> affliction-talentsarchmage-pantsclass-helpdevour-magicfeaturedFel-Intelligencefelhunter-abilitiesfelhunter-questguideguide-to-locksguide-to-warlockshunting-warlockslock-guidelock-infolock-talentsmage-hateshadow-bitespell-locktalenttalentswarlock-guidewarlock-infowarlock-talentsworld-of-warcraft-class-guideworld-of-warcraft-guidewow-class-guidewow-class-helpwow-guidewow-lockwow-lock-infowow-lockswow-talent-guidewow-warlockwow-warlock-infowow-warlocks (Dominic Hobbs) Mon, 14 Dec 2009 18:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Blood Pact: leveling a warlock, 10 to 40]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2009/11/30/blood-pact-leveling-a-warlock-10-to-40/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2009/11/30/blood-pact-leveling-a-warlock-10-to-40/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2009/11/30/blood-pact-leveling-a-warlock-10-to-40/#comments Blood Pact is your weekly warlock digest brought to you by Dominic Hobbs. "Haha! You're doing very well for yourself, young warlock. Given time, infernals and dreadlords will bow before you! But until that time comes, you must still rely on weapons forged by the hands of the mortal races." ~ Kaal Soulreaper

So, you want to level a warlock, huh? Well, I'm not going to tell you how to do it. No sir! If you've come here thinking that Blood Pact is going to give you a step-by-step plan of what you should do to get your warlock from level 10 to 40 -- some kind of list of quests, zones, instances and mobs -- then you're deluded mister; we don't do that here. What you need is a generic leveling guide of the sort you can find all over the internet. Seriously, don't pay for one though; you can get plenty of decent guides for free. Personally I use Tour Guide and Carbonite. They work really well together and make the whole process much faster. There are other tools, but I know these are good.

What Blood Pact is going to do is talk about what warlocks going through these levels are all about. It's not going to be hugely detailed at any one level because, frankly, you won't be at any level for long. We'll look at the new spells you will gain and how you can apply them, we'll have a gander at these talent things you can now play with, and we'll talk about the gear you will be wearing and wielding on the way. So send the imp off to make a fresh brew and settle in for some lock leveling.

Continue reading Blood Pact: leveling a warlock, 10 to 40

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Blood Pact: leveling a warlock, 10 to 40 originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 30 Nov 2009 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> class-helpfeaturedguideguide-to-locksguide-to-warlocksleveling-addonslock-guidelock-infolock-talentstalenttalentswarlock-glyphswarlock-guidewarlock-heirloom-itemswarlock-infowarlock-levelingwarlock-spellswarlock-talentsworld-of-warcraft-class-guideworld-of-warcraft-guidewow-class-guidewow-class-helpwow-guidewow-lockwow-lock-infowow-lockswow-talent-guidewow-warlockwow-warlock-infowow-warlocks (Dominic Hobbs) Mon, 30 Nov 2009 22:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Blood Pact: Meet the minions, part 3 - the succubus and crowd control, page 2]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2009/11/23/blood-pact-meet-the-minions-part-3-the-succubus-and-crowd-p2/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2009/11/23/blood-pact-meet-the-minions-part-3-the-succubus-and-crowd-p2/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2009/11/23/blood-pact-meet-the-minions-part-3-the-succubus-and-crowd-p2/#comments Continue reading Blood Pact: Meet the minions, part 3 - the succubus and crowd control, page 2

Blood Pact: Meet the minions, part 3 - the succubus and crowd control, page 2 originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 23 Nov 2009 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> (Dominic Hobbs) Mon, 23 Nov 2009 21:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Blood Pact: Meet the minions, part 3 - the succubus and crowd control, page 1]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2009/11/23/blood-pact-meet-the-minions-part-3-the-succubus-and-crowd-co/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2009/11/23/blood-pact-meet-the-minions-part-3-the-succubus-and-crowd-co/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2009/11/23/blood-pact-meet-the-minions-part-3-the-succubus-and-crowd-co/#comments Blood Pact is your weekly warlock digest brought to you by Dominic Hobbs. "A succubus is a devourer of souls, destroyer of hearts, tempter of men. A creature of profound evil and of singular mind. It cannot be brought into our world without a stimulus." ~ Gan'rul Bloodeye

Previously in 'Meet the minions' we have looked at the imp and the voidwalker as well as how to manage your minions and your threat. In this installment our demon of choice is the succubus and the game mechanic is crowd control; fear, seduce, howl, banish and a svelte demon with wings. But before I delve in I need to clarify something to Blood Pact readers.

For a while now I've had a demon trying to whisper words of doubt into my ear. He's been telling me that Blood Pact readers want PvP info in the column, that they cry out for it, they yearn for it, they need it; and that I can't deliver any. It's true that my knowledge and experience of PvP pretty much extends as far as being able to smell it early enough to avoid it. Don't get me wrong, I love researching for Blood Pact but in this case I'm not going to try, and for two reasons. First, nobody who cares about warlock PvP wants to have me school them on it, and second we have some first rate PvP experts at WoW.com who can do it better.

So I've sent the demon packing (literally; don't be surprised if you find more than the normal number of broken biscuits in future packets) and have started a campaign to convince our arena and battleground columnists to get with some lock love. So enough with the preamble, lets get on with the show.

Continue reading Blood Pact: Meet the minions, part 3 - the succubus and crowd control, page 1

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Blood Pact: Meet the minions, part 3 - the succubus and crowd control, page 1 originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 23 Nov 2009 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> banishbanish raidingclass-helpcrowd-controlcrowd-control-macrodeath-coilfearfeaturedguideguide-to-locksguide-to-warlockshowl-of-terrorinterceptintercept-stunlock-guidelock-infolock-talentsmacro-focusrecklessnessseductionsuccubussuccubus-abilitiessuccubus-guidesuccubus-questsuccubus-seductiontalenttalentswarlock crowd controlwarlock-guidewarlock-infowarlock-macrowarlock-macro-guidewarlock-talentsworld-of-warcraft-class-guideworld-of-warcraft-guidewow-class-guidewow-class-helpwow-guidewow-lockwow-lock-infowow-lockswow-talent-guidewow-warlockwow-warlock-infowow-warlocks (Dominic Hobbs) Mon, 23 Nov 2009 21:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Blood Pact: Patch 3.3 raid build roundup]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2009/11/16/blood-pact-patch-3-3-raid-build-roundup/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2009/11/16/blood-pact-patch-3-3-raid-build-roundup/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2009/11/16/blood-pact-patch-3-3-raid-build-roundup/#comments
Each week Dominic Hobbs brings you Blood Pact. "Oh how I love the feel of it, the way it burns your skin and weaves evil thoughts through the mind..." ~ Impsy

With patch 3.3 looking evermore imminent and the changes to warlock talents and spells seeming to have settled down, it's a good time to take a look at what we can expect from the next expansion. This isn't going to be a review of the fights and encounters in Icecrown -- though I'm sure we'll get to that at some point -- this is a look at how our various raiding builds have changed.

I've already reported on most of them as they hit the PTR in previous articles, so I'm not going to dwell on the changes themselves. You can read up on this detail here, here, here and here. I wouldn't say that lock talents are broken at the moment but it certainly seems as if we're left little option when it comes to raiding. You have destruction for damage and a demonology bi... err... buff spec. The overriding impression I have looking at the patch 3.3 changes is that there will be more choice to play the spec you like. Something we've not had for a very long time.

After the break I'll list the changes from the patch notes for reference and then we'll get down to how that shakes out.

Continue reading Blood Pact: Patch 3.3 raid build roundup

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Blood Pact: Patch 3.3 raid build roundup originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> class-helpfeaturedguideguide-to-locksguide-to-warlockslock-guidelock-infolock-talentspatch-3.3patch-3.3-changespatch-3.3-wowtalenttalentswarlock-guidewarlock-infowarlock-talentsworld-of-warcraft-class-guideworld-of-warcraft-guideworld-of-warcraft-patch-3.3wow-3.3-changeswow-class-guidewow-class-helpwow-guidewow-lockwow-lock-infowow-lockswow-new-patchwow-patchwow-patch-3.3wow-patch-newswow-talent-guidewow-warlockwow-warlock-infowow-warlocks (Dominic Hobbs) Mon, 16 Nov 2009 19:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Blood Pact: Meet the minions, part 2 - of voidwalkers and threat]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2009/11/09/blood-pact-meet-the-minions-part-2-of-voidwalkers-and-threat/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2009/11/09/blood-pact-meet-the-minions-part-2-of-voidwalkers-and-threat/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2009/11/09/blood-pact-meet-the-minions-part-2-of-voidwalkers-and-threat/#comments
Each week Dominic Hobbs brings you Blood Pact. A journey into the shadowed side of your magical being, taking in all the sights from the dark heart to the withered soul. Where we learn the true price of power.

In the last 'Meet the minions' we looked at how to control your summoned demon and had a good look at the imp. This time we are showcasing the voidwalker and learning what threat is all about. Knowing how to make sure the enemy leaves you alone and hits someone (or something) else is a key ability in the game and the voidwalker is the ideal tool for learning it.

Your voidwalker is a tank. You usher him to the fore and while he keeps your target busy, you destroy them with shadow and flame. I tend to think that the image of a voidwalker is pretty bland, the other demons are much more evocative. Despite this the voidwalker is probably the most evil of minions to use on your enemies. It will reach into their minds and cause such anguish that they will desperately try to beat away this monster. This affords the warlock all the time he needs to safely curse and corrupt their bodies with exquisite slowness and care.

Continue reading Blood Pact: Meet the minions, part 2 - of voidwalkers and threat

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Blood Pact: Meet the minions, part 2 - of voidwalkers and threat originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 09 Nov 2009 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> aggro-every-bearsclass-helpfeaturedguideguide-to-locksguide-to-warlockslock-guidelock-infolock-talentsOmenomen-threat-metertalenttalentsthreatthreat-metervoidwalkervoidwalker-tankwarlock-guidewarlock-infowarlock-talentsworld-of-warcraft-class-guideworld-of-warcraft-guidewow-class-guidewow-class-helpwow-guidewow-lockwow-lock-infowow-lockswow-talent-guidewow-warlockwow-warlock-infowow-warlocks (Dominic Hobbs) Mon, 09 Nov 2009 21:00:00 EST WoW Insider <![CDATA[Blood Pact: Meet the minions, part 1]]> http://wow.joystiq.com/2009/11/02/blood-pact-meet-the-minions-part-1/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2009/11/02/blood-pact-meet-the-minions-part-1/ http://wow.joystiq.com/2009/11/02/blood-pact-meet-the-minions-part-1/#comments
Each week Dominic Hobbs brings you Blood Pact. "Much like your life as a warlock, it is important to learn from what we find in the world... before twisting it to our will." ~ Summoner Teli'Larien
We're not hunters. We don't wander about shopping for a pet that catches our eye, like some fashion accessory. We reach through into the nether and wrest demons into this world, binding them to our will. We maintain our bond to this demonic denizen of the shadow, summoning them to our side at need. They are not pets, some companion for the terminally lonely and friendless, they are minions. They are our servants and slaves, powerful beings controlled through dominion, not feeble minded animals cooing for snacks.

This week I will start a review of our minions -- what they can do for us and how best we can use them. My aim is for this to be of use to anyone new to the class and these minions as well as more experienced players looking for tips and tricks. After the break we start right off with our pocket-mage.

Continue reading Blood Pact: Meet the minions, part 1

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Blood Pact: Meet the minions, part 1 originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 02 Nov 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> class-helpfeaturedguideguide-to-locksguide-to-warlocksimplock-guidelock-infolock-talentstalenttalentswarlock-guidewarlock-infowarlock-talentsworld-of-warcraft-class-guideworld-of-warcraft-guidewow-class-guidewow-class-helpwow-guidewow-lockwow-lock-infowow-lockswow-talent-guidewow-warlockwow-warlock-infowow-warlocks (Dominic Hobbs) Mon, 02 Nov 2009 20:00:00 EST WoW Insider