Class dossier / Mana
Warlock Guide
A Mana caster with damage over time, Fear and a demon. Affliction emphasizes debuffs; Demonology develops pet pressure.
The warlock at a glance
A Mana caster with damage over time, Fear and a demon. Affliction emphasizes debuffs; Demonology develops pet pressure.
Gul’dan represents the warlock in Arena of Champions. The class uses mana and offers Affliction and Demonology specializations.
Prepare your first games
Begin with a practice match and identify three buttons: your main pressure or healing spell, a way to stop an opponent, and a defensive you can use when targeted. Put these on comfortable keybinds before adding more complicated sequences.
Arena of Champions has its own rules and numbers. Familiar Warcraft names are useful orientation, but do not assume a retail WoW build, diminishing-return category or damage rotation works identically here. Read the current talent text and test interactions in practice.
Position where you can contribute pressure without giving opponents a free route to interrupt every cast. Coordinate control so a partner knows when to attack and when to hold.
Use practice to identify whether the lineup needs control recovery, resource recovery or another utility function.
Damage-over-time, pet and fear interactions are version-sensitive and are not assumed from WoW.
- Establish a useful casting position near cover.
- Check which effects can be dispelled in the current data.
- Plan a defensive response before opponents commit their burst.
For a first utility loadout, consider Gladiator's Medallion and a recovery option. A crowd-control break only helps if you use it with a plan: avoid breaking the first harmless control while an opponent still has a more dangerous follow-up. Adapt the second slot to the problems you observe in your own matches.
In team brackets, agree on a target, an interrupt order and a retreat signal before the gates open. Keep healing line of sight in mind as you chase. Pressure that forces your own healer into the open can cost more than it gains, particularly around pillars and elevation changes.
Use the next match to answer one specific question: did you lose access to your target, run out of your resource, miss an important interrupt, or overlap defensives with a teammate? Change one habit or one talent row at a time so that the result is easier to interpret.
Class spells
Explicit values from v0.21; “Not extracted” does not mean zero or instant.
| Spell | Availability | Cooldown | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unstable Affliction Apply Unstable Affliction (16 sec). | affliction specialization | Not extracted | 30 units |
| Curse of Agony Apply Curse of Agony (24 sec). | affliction specialization | Not extracted | 30 units |
| Drain Mana Drain Mana. | affliction specialization | Not extracted | 30 units |
| Haunt 450 direct damage; Apply Haunt (12 sec). | affliction talent | 8 s | 30 units |
| Curse of Tongues Apply Curse of Tongues (30 sec). | affliction talent | Not extracted | 30 units |
| Siphon Life Apply Siphon Life (30 sec). | affliction talent | Not extracted | 30 units |
| Hand of Gul'dan 365 direct damage; 190 direct damage; Apply Hand of Gul'dan (6 sec). | demonology specialization | Not extracted | 30 units |
| Call Dreadstalkers Summon; Summon. | demonology specialization | 20 s | 30 units |
| Demonic Empowerment Apply Demonic Empowerment (12 sec). | demonology specialization | 60 s | Not extracted |
| Intercept Close the distance to the target; Apply Intercept (3 sec). | demonology specialization | 30 s | 30 units |
| Spell Lock Interrupt spellcasting. | demonology talent | 24 s | 32 units |
| Seduction Apply Seduction (6 sec). | demonology talent | 30 s | 30 units |
| Summon Infernal Summon; 300 direct damage; 300 direct damage; Apply Infernal Awakening (2 sec); Apply Infernal Awakening (2 sec). | demonology talent | 180 s | 30 units |
| Summon Doomguard Summon; Apply Cripple (8 sec). | demonology talent | 120 s | 30 units |
| Dark Pact Pay Health; Apply Dark Pact (8 sec). | demonology talent | 60 s | Not extracted |
| Shadow Bolt 520 direct damage. | Shared baseline | Not extracted | 30 units |
| Immolate 250 direct damage; Apply Immolate (15 sec). | Shared baseline | Not extracted | 30 units |
| Corruption Apply Corruption (18 sec). | Shared baseline | Not extracted | 30 units |
| Drain Life 80 direct damage; 80 healing. | Shared baseline | Not extracted | 30 units |
| Fear Apply Fear (8 sec). | Shared baseline | Not extracted | 25 units |
| Howl of Terror Apply Howl of Terror (6 sec). | Shared baseline | 40 s | Not extracted |
| Death Coil 250 direct damage; Apply Death Coil (3 sec); 250 healing. | Shared baseline | 45 s | 30 units |
| Healthstone Heal Share. | Shared baseline | 120 s | Not extracted |
| Shadowflame 200 direct damage; Apply Shadowflame (8 sec); Apply Shadowflame (4 sec). | Shared baseline | 15 s | Not extracted |
| Life Tap Pay Health; Gain Resource. | Shared baseline | Not extracted | Not extracted |
Recent changes
0.19Tools of the Trade
Players choose two utilities per specialization from five options. The second utility defaults to G. Hunter and Warlock pet damage decreases by approximately 5%.
Fine Tuning
Dispels remove buff stacks individually. Searing Totem becomes selectable with Tab. Hunter, Paladin, Shaman and Warlock receive balance adjustments.
Closer Quarters
Reduces long spell ranges and revises healer distribution. More buffs can be purged. Divine Shield is usable under control, casters can use melee attacks, and spectating shows the followed player’s bar.