Affliction Warlock Guide for The War Within Patch 11.2.5 Season 3 - Best Builds, Rotations, and Tips

Affliction Warlock guide - updated for The War Within Patch 11.2.5 Season 3. This guide follows the reference structure and focuses on current PvE setups for raids, mythic plus, and delves, plus PvP strategies for solo shuffle, 2v2, 3v3, and RBG. It covers talents, rotation priorities, stat priority, gear approach, and practical tips to maximize Affliction performance.

PvE Guide for Affliction Warlock in Patch 11.2.5 Season 3

Affliction is a DoT spec that ramps by maintaining Agony, Unstable Affliction, and Corruption/Wither, then spending Soul Shards on Malefic Rapture. Cleave comes from multi-DoT and Vile Taint setup; AoE adds Seed of Corruption. Use Hellcaller by default; swap to Soul Harvester when priority funnel and direct burst windows are required. Strengths: sustained spread pressure and safe ranged cleave. Weaknesses: ramp sensitivity and heavy movement tax during burst.

Affliction Warlock Raid Guide in Season 3

Plan 1-minute burst cycles around trinkets and Malevolence (Hellcaller) or Soul Rot (Soul Harvester). Pre-plan add waves to pre-DoT and pool shards. Minimize movement during Soul Rot + Rapture dumps; use Demonic Gateway and Circle to hold ground. Strengths: excellent multi-target upkeep and priority funnel. Weaknesses: downtime punishes Wither/Nightfall value and delays Rapture windows.

Best Talents for Affliction Warlock Raids

Provide a single-target centric build with hero talent. Keep utility picks flexible.

Best Stats for Affliction Warlock Raids

1. Mastery
2. Critical Strike
3. Haste
4. Versatility

Intellect is the primary stat. Exact values shift with gear and hero talents; simulate your character to confirm.

Best Consumables, Enchants, and Gems for Affliction Warlock Raids

• Potion: Tempered Potion for primary stat. Keep Invigorating Healing Potion for emergencies.
• Food: Feast of the Divine Day or Midnight feasts when available; otherwise single-serve food that boosts your top secondary.
• Flask: Flask of Alchemical Chaos at all times.
• Weapon oil: Algari Mana Oil.

Enchants

• Weapon: Use a secondary-stat weapon enchant that matches your best secondary; sim to confirm over Authority of Radiant Power.
• Rings: Radiant enchant for your top secondary.
• Cloak, Bracers, Boots, Chest, Legs: Cloak - Chant of Winged Grace or Chant of Leeching Fangs; Bracers - Chant of Armored Leech or Armored Avoidance/Speed; Boots - Scout's March or Defender's March; Chest - Crystalline Radiance or Council's Intellect; Legs - Daybreak or Sunset Spellthread.

Gems

• Unique epic: Algari Diamond (one per character).
• Other sockets: Epic or rare gems favoring Mastery and Critical Strike, then Haste.

Best Gear for Affliction Warlock Raids

Prioritize highest item level main hand/off-hand and secure the Season 3 tier set 4-piece. Top trinkets include Araz's Ritual Forge plus a strong passive such as Astral Antenna; Azhiccaran Parapodia and Diamantine Voidcore are viable alternatives. Do not drop major item level for minor secondary stat gains.

Rotation and Ability Priority for Affliction Warlock Raids

Pool 4+ shards before major windows. Maintain Agony on all targets, Unstable Affliction on priority, and Corruption/Wither uptime. Align Soul Rot, trinkets, and Malevolence (Hellcaller) for Rapture dumps. Spend shards on Malefic Rapture when multiple DoTs are active; avoid capping shards.

Single Target

• Maintain Agony, Unstable Affliction, and Corruption/Wither with pandemic refreshes.
• Use Haunt and Phantom Singularity if talented on cooldown without clipping windows.
• Vile Taint for DoT setup and shard gen when it will tick fully.
• Soul Rot + on-use trinket + Malevolence (Hellcaller) then Malefic Rapture dump.
• Filler: Shadow Bolt; use Drain Soul if talented, especially in execute.
• Nightfall: consume instant Shadow Bolt procs promptly without delaying cooldowns.

AoE Rotation

• Pre-Vile Taint, multi-DoT Agony, then Seed of Corruption to spread and set Rapture.
• Soul Rot into Rapture dump; keep Agony rolling on as many targets as practical.

Opener

• Pre-pull: Gateway/Circle, Tempered Potion, pre-cast Haunt if talented.
• Pull: Agony -> UA -> Corruption/Wither -> Vile Taint -> Soul Rot + trinket -> Malevolence (Hellcaller) -> Malefic Rapture dump -> resume fillers and upkeep.
• Survival/utility: Healthstone early, Unending Resolve for scripted spikes; use Gateway for forced movements during burst.

Affliction Warlock Mythic Plus Guide in Season 3

Plan around 1-minute cycles, chaining Soul Rot and on-use trinkets across back-to-back pulls. Identify dangerous packs for defensive trades and stops. Strengths: wide AoE pressure from multi-DoT and Seed setups. Weaknesses: short-lived packs can end before full ramp.

Best Talents for Affliction Warlock Mythic Plus

Provide an AoE centric build with hero talent. Mention flex nodes for interrupts/stops.

Best Stats for Affliction Warlock Mythic Plus

1. Mastery
2. Critical Strike
3. Haste
4. Versatility

Haste tilt can help multi-target flow and shard income on fast pulls; adjust with sims.

Best Consumables, Enchants, and Gems for Affliction Warlock Mythic Plus

1. Tempered Potion on large pulls or boss windows; keep Invigorating Healing Potion ready.
2. Feasts when available; otherwise single-serve food for your top secondary.
3. Flask of Alchemical Chaos.
4. Algari Mana Oil.
5. Enchants and gems mirror raid; minor shift toward Haste if packs die fast.

Rotation and Ability Priority for Affliction Warlock Mythic Plus

On packs, pre-DoT key targets, Vile Taint early, then Seed to spread and Rapture. Keep a defensive cadence for tank busters and overlaps. Coordinate Mortal Coil, Shadowfury, and Fear as stops.

Single Target

• Save trinket + Soul Rot for boss or dangerous elites; maintain full DoTs.
• Rapture on windows; weave Haunt/Phantom Singularity if taken.

AoE Rotation

• Vile Taint setup -> Agony spreads -> Seed detonation -> Soul Rot + Rapture.
• Use Shadowfury and Coil to stabilize big pulls; Curse of Exhaustion for kiting.

Opener

• Pre-pot if allowed, precast Haunt, then Vile Taint -> Soul Rot + trinket -> Rapture dump.

Affix notes: On Tyrannical, favor boss-window planning and shard pooling. On Fortified, lean into earlier Vile Taint + Seed to avoid overcapping.

Affliction Warlock Delves Guide in Season 3

Play control-first. Kite with Curse of Exhaustion, Coil, and Gateway. Default hero: Hellcaller for frequent, simple bursts. Alternative: Soul Harvester if you need sharper single-target nukes on elites.

Best Talents for Affliction Warlock Delves

List survivability and utility nodes with chosen hero talent.

Best Stats for Affliction Warlock Delves

1. Mastery
2. Critical Strike
3. Haste
4. Versatility

If survival is an issue, add a small Versatility tilt.

Best Consumables, Enchants, and Gems for Affliction Warlock Delves

• Potion: Tempered Potion for elite or boss bursts; keep Invigorating Healing Potion.
• Food/flask: single-stat food for top secondary; Flask of Alchemical Chaos. Use augment rune when available.
• Weapon oil, enchants, gems: same as raid unless testing shows otherwise.

Rotation and Ability Priority for Affliction Warlock Delves

Open with control, then ramp DoTs and burst during safe windows. Save defensives for elite casts and chain kites with slows and fears.

Single Target

• Maintain DoTs, use Soul Rot + trinket for elite burn; prioritize Drain Soul executes if talented.
• Consume Nightfall procs; do not overcap shards.

AoE Rotation

• Vile Taint setup, Seed to spread, then Rapture; fight in open space for kiting.

Opener

• Control the room first, then Vile Taint -> Soul Rot + on-use -> Rapture.

Best PvP Guide for Affliction Warlock in Patch 11.2.5 Season 3

Gameplan: establish DoTs, set up CC chains, and win with coordinated Soul Rot + Malefic Rapture bursts while surviving swaps with ports and walls. PvP stat priority:

Affliction Warlock Solo Shuffle Guide

Gameplan: rotate Fear chains with Cross CC, burst with Soul Rot + Rapture under DoT coverage, and trade Unending Resolve vs stun setups. Kite with Gateway/Circle and Exhaustion.

Best Talents for Affliction Warlock Solo Shuffle

Best Stats for Affliction Warlock Solo Shuffle

1. Versatility
2. Haste
3. Mastery
4. Critical Strike

Rotation and Kill Setup

Setup: Fear healer or Cross CC -> Soul Rot + on-use -> Malefic Rapture chain under UA stacks. Micro-position behind pillars between goes. Use Coil to deny pushes; Shadowfury for clumps.

Macros and Addons

• Focus Fear, focus Spell Lock, arena1/2/3 Fear, mouseover Banish/Fear, stopcasting for clutch CC.
• Use standard PvP trackers for enemy cooldowns, DRs, and interrupts.

Affliction Warlock 2v2 Guide

Pair with healers or peel-heavy DPS. Trade defensives early vs melee cleaves. Win by repeated CC into Soul Rot goes.

Best Talents for Affliction Warlock 2v2

Best Stats for Affliction Warlock 2v2

1. Versatility
2. Haste
3. Mastery
4. Critical Strike

Rotation and Win Conditions

First go forces trinket; second go secures kills with Coil into Fear or Shadowfury. Save wall for enemy burst; port preemptively.

Macros and Addons

• Focus CC chains, arena1/2/3 CC, cancelaura for defensive resets, mouseover anti-stealth tools.
• Standard arena frames, DR, and cooldown trackers.

Affliction Warlock 3v3 Guide

Play for trap-like CC chains: Fear healer into cross control, then Soul Rot + Rapture. Position to avoid swaps and keep ports safe.

Best Talents for Affliction Warlock 3v3

Best Stats for Affliction Warlock 3v3

1. Versatility
2. Haste
3. Mastery
4. Critical Strike

Rotation and Win Conditions

CC chain into Soul Rot window. Trade Resolve or Pact into stuns; rotate Gateway with team mobility.

Macros and Addons

• Focus CC, arena1/2/3 CC, stopcasting for CC, mouseover anti-stealth.
• Standard 3v3 UI packages for cooldowns and DRs.

Affliction Warlock RBG Guide

Hold clumps with spread pressure, secure kills during coordinated bursts, and control chokes with Shadowfury and fears.

Best Talents for Affliction Warlock RBG

Best Stats for Affliction Warlock RBG

1. Versatility
2. Haste
3. Mastery
4. Critical Strike

Rotation and Ability Priority for RBG

AoE pressure via multi-DoT into Soul Rot swings. Sync team offensives and peel with Coil, Shadowfury, and fears. Keep ports pre-placed on nodes.

Opener

On nodes, set port/gate, pre-DoT, then Soul Rot on clumps. On flag maps, save burst for team pushes.

Macros and Addons

• Focus CC, mouseover control, cancelaura for defensive swaps, target-nearest for pick pressure.
• Use standard RBG UI for target calling and cooldown tracking.

Conclusion

Run Hellcaller by default for frequent burst and broad AoE; swap to Soul Harvester for priority funnel and sharper Soul Rot windows. Keep DoTs rolling, pool shards before windows, and align Soul Rot, hero button, and trinkets for Rapture dumps. Follow stat priority without numbers and adjust with sims as your gear changes.