WoW Insiderhttp://wow.joystiq.comWoW Insiderhttp://wow.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gifWoW Insiderhttp://wow.joystiq.comen-usCopyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only.Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/WoW Insider ShowEvery week, the WoW Insider Show brings you news and views from the World of Warcraft and the site that covers it all, WoW Insider. We introduce a panel of rotating guests, including bloggers from WoW Insider and other WoW blogs, and many popular personalities from around the WoW community. From the live listener chat and polls during the show, to the emails direct from listeners (reach us at theshow@wow.com), right on to the "meat" of the show -- in-depth discussion of the most popular news and posts on WoW Insider -- the WoW Insider Show is a terrific source of news and entertainment about what's going on with Blizzard and their World of Warcraft. Listen live every Saturday at 3:30 pm Eastern on our Ustream page (http://www.ustream.tv/channel/wow-insider-show) or subscribe to the feed and let us know what you think by reviewing the show right here in iTunes.Blood Pact: When beta taps the life out of afflictionhttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/14/blood-pact-when-beta-taps-the-life-out-of-affliction/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/14/blood-pact-when-beta-taps-the-life-out-of-affliction/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/14/blood-pact-when-beta-taps-the-life-out-of-affliction/#commentsFiled under: ,

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Every week, WoW Insider brings you Blood Pact for affliction, demonology, and destruction warlocks. This week, Megan O'Neill continues to pinch herself, hoping to wake up from the nightmare of dying to a training dummy in Stormwind.

I admit, destruction in Mists of Pandaria looks very cool. I've been leveling with it, and although a handful of buttons can get boring, I like the back-and-forth rhythm of Incinerates and Conflagrates. To top it off, Chaos Bolt looks totally badass, even if it still casts like slow fire.

But as I hit the level cap once more, I decided it was time to return to my roots: affliction. I've always loved the flow of affliction -- health is mana is health is mana is health.

To scare an affliction warlock, a master of fears, you can do something sneaky like spell reflect or spell stealing. Or you can just drain me of all my self-healing and expect me to continue tapping as normal -- that horrifies me just the same. I find myself fervently hoping that dried-up self-healing streams as affliction are just bugged.

Continue reading Blood Pact: When beta taps the life out of affliction

WoW InsiderBlood Pact: When beta taps the life out of affliction originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 14 May 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>drain lifeDrainLifefeaturedguide-to-locksguide-to-warlockshauntlife tapLifeTaplock-guidelock-infolock-talentsmana feedmana regenmana regenerationManaFeedManaRegenManaRegenerationnot-diablosiphon lifeSiphonLifewarlock-guidewarlock-infowarlock-talentswow-lockwow-lock-infowow-lockswow-warlockwow-warlock-infowow-warlocksMegan O'NeillMon, 14 May 2012 09:00:00 ESTBlood Pact: Those who are not afraid to wield powerhttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/07/blood-pact-those-who-are-not-afraid-to-wield-power/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/07/blood-pact-those-who-are-not-afraid-to-wield-power/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/07/blood-pact-those-who-are-not-afraid-to-wield-power/#commentsFiled under: ,

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Every week, WoW Insider brings you Blood Pact for affliction, demonology, and destruction warlocks. This week, Megan O'Neill wants you to take a look (it's in a book!) at what warlocks are all about.

We've snuffed out Old Gods. We've unseated the unruly undead. We've eradicated old empires. We've banished demonic eredar lords. We've slaughtered powerful dragons from Ultraxion to Onyxia, including the former Aspect of Magic himself. We've drowned lieutenants, purged second-in-commands, and dissolved elemental councils.

We've braved the deepest lairs, delved into the elemental planes, and pried the latest corruption off Azeroth limb by limb.

What should mortals do now?

Who cares about what we should be doing? You heard the Lifebinder -- the Age of Mortals is dawning! Power is for the taking!

Continue reading Blood Pact: Those who are not afraid to wield power

WoW InsiderBlood Pact: Those who are not afraid to wield power originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 07 May 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>council of six daggerscouncil of the black harvestCouncilOfSixDaggersCouncilOfTheBlackHarvestfeaturedguide-to-locksguide-to-warlockslegacy of the mastersLegacyOfTheMasterslock-guidelock-infolock-talentsmists-of-pandariamists-of-pandaria-betawarlock-guidewarlock-infowarlock-talentswow-lockwow-lock-infowow-lockswow-warlockwow-warlock-infowow-warlocksMegan O'NeillMon, 07 May 2012 09:00:00 ESTDemonic Gateway teleports party members without a Dial-Home Devicehttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/02/demonic-gateway-teleports-party-members-without-a-dial-home-devi/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/02/demonic-gateway-teleports-party-members-without-a-dial-home-devi/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/02/demonic-gateway-teleports-party-members-without-a-dial-home-devi/#commentsFiled under: ,

Demonic Gateway is one of the many new abilities for warlocks in Mists of Pandaria. With the beta level cap rising to level 88, making Demonic Gateway learnable, we can now see how fantastic the portals are.

This pair of fel stargates works with party members. The first portal (purple) sits where you are standing, and the other end (green) is directed to anywhere with a small target circle. Demonic Gateway has both a minimum range of 20 yards and a maximum range of 70 yards.

Once you've selected a spot to spawn the portal, the finishing cast animation looks like Glyph of Shadow Bolt plus Glyph of Verdant Spheres. Around each portal in its respective green or purple color will be up to five fiery orbs. These represent the number of charges the Gateway currently has, and it recharges one every 15 seconds that it's not being used, starting at zero charges on the summon.

To travel, simply walk through the opening and fly to the other side in a fel green or purple ball.
It's open warfare between Alliance and Horde in Mists of Pandaria, World of Warcraft's next expansion. Jump into five new levels with new talents and class mechanics, try the new monk class, and create a pandaren character to ally with either Horde or Alliance. Look for expansion basics in our Mists FAQ, or dig into our spring press event coverage for more details!

WoW InsiderDemonic Gateway teleports party members without a Dial-Home Device originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 02 May 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>demonic gatewaydemonic-gatewayDemonicGatewaymists of pandariamists of pandaria betaMistsOfPandariaMistsOfPandariaBetaskill masterySkillMasterywarlockwarlock portalwarlock teleportWarlockPortalwarlocksWarlockTeleportMegan O'NeillWed, 02 May 2012 17:00:00 ESTWarlock green fire spells spotted in MoP beta fileshttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/01/warlock-green-fire-spells-spotted-in-mop-beta-files/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/01/warlock-green-fire-spells-spotted-in-mop-beta-files/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/01/warlock-green-fire-spells-spotted-in-mop-beta-files/#commentsFiled under: ,

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Green fire is coming, again! Maybe. Side effects of speculation may vary.

Not only has the Codex shown up in recent datamining, but curiously also warlock spells with green fire as icons. Conflagrate, Fel Hellfire, Rain of Chaos, and Fel Immolate all have minimal descriptions and could very well be just creature or boss spells. But Fel Incinerate gives me hope, for it has not only the range and cast time, but the base mana that the real warlock Incinerate does. What boss would need to know the base mana cost, hmm?

After the original flurry of excitement, Wryxian noted in the subsequent denial of green fire implementation that the devs wanted green fire "to be an epic accomplishment" for players. With the beta appearance of The Legacy of the Masters (Part 1), players are speculating among other things about a Quel'Delar-like quest line again.

In the end, nothing might happen and green fire will stay unfulfilled on our warlock wish lists. But I for one haven't been so excited since I got my Dreadsteed the old way.
It's open warfare between Alliance and Horde in Mists of Pandaria, World of Warcraft's next expansion. Jump into five new levels with new talents and class mechanics, try the new monk class, and create a pandaren character to ally with either Horde or Alliance. Look for expansion basics in our Mists FAQ, or dig into our spring press event coverage for more details!

WoW InsiderWarlock green fire spells spotted in MoP beta files originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 01 May 2012 20:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>fel fireFelFiregreen fireGreenFirelocklocksmistsmists of pandariamists of pandaria betaMistsOfPandariaMistsOfPandariaBetaspellspellswarlockwarlocksMegan O'NeillTue, 01 May 2012 20:45:00 ESTMists of Pandaria: Learn new lore from in-game book Legacy of the Mastershttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/01/mists-of-pandaria-learn-new-lore-from-in-game-book-legacy-of-th/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/01/mists-of-pandaria-learn-new-lore-from-in-game-book-legacy-of-th/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/05/01/mists-of-pandaria-learn-new-lore-from-in-game-book-legacy-of-th/#commentsFiled under: , ,

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If you're on the Mists of Pandaria beta, you might have heard about one of the cooler new bits of lore, the in-game text Legacy of the Masters. This book contains lore about new warlock abilities, where they came from, and who developed them and how they did it.

There are all sorts of neat implications in the text. For one thing, the mortal races of Azeroth seem to be meddling with great powers more than ever before after the fall of Deathwing, and the warlocks of Azeroth are afraid of being eclipsed by other rivals (like, say, mages and their weird time magics). In addition to the mention of figures like Ritssyn, it creates the idea of a secret warlock super-cabal that dispenses fel magics to other groups of warlocks and ties in events from the death of Illidan to the recent destruction of Deathwing as teachable moments that gave various warlocks eureka moments. "So that's how you turn into a demon! I get it!"

It's definitely worth a read, so go check it out.
It's open warfare between Alliance and Horde in Mists of Pandaria, World of Warcraft's next expansion. Jump into five new levels with new talents and class mechanics, try the new monk class, and create a pandaren character to ally with either Horde or Alliance. Look for expansion basics in our Mists FAQ, or dig into our spring press event coverage for more details!

WoW InsiderMists of Pandaria: Learn new lore from in-game book Legacy of the Masters originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 01 May 2012 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>Council-of-Six-DaggersLoreMistsmists-of-pandariamists-of-pandaria-betaWarlockWarlock-LoreMatthew RossiTue, 01 May 2012 19:00:00 ESTBlood Pact: Affliction struggles to burn soulfully on betahttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/30/blood-pact-affliction-struggles-to-burn-soulfully-on-beta/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/30/blood-pact-affliction-struggles-to-burn-soulfully-on-beta/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/30/blood-pact-affliction-struggles-to-burn-soulfully-on-beta/#commentsFiled under: ,

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Every week, WoW Insider brings you Blood Pact for affliction, demonology, and destruction warlocks. This week, Megan O'Neill finds DoTs no longer crash her client, so she sets about corrupting every soul she can find. Unfortunately, she finds her Abyssal Bag empty, and with frustration wishes that shards could be as plentiful as before.

The Soulburn system of Cataclysm was a big bust for affliction, offering plenty of utility but lacking in role-buffing damage abilities. The biggest issue was that Soulburn didn't feel like a real resource. Soulburn largely felt like a complicated set of "oh, crap!" buttons.

In Mists of Pandaria, demonology and destruction are each departing from soul shards to gain new secondary resources. Soul shards will be affliction-only, so it's finally time to tailor shards to affliction purposes. Unfortunately, beta is where many things are broken or unfinished, including soul shards.

Continue reading Blood Pact: Affliction struggles to burn soulfully on beta

WoW InsiderBlood Pact: Affliction struggles to burn soulfully on beta originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 30 Apr 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>default ui problemsDefaultUiProblemsdrain soulDrainSoulfeaturedguide-to-locksguide-to-warlockshauntlock-guidelock-infolock-talentsmalefic graspMaleficGraspmists of pandariamists of pandaria betaMistsOfPandariaMistsOfPandariaBetanightfallsoul shardssoulburnSoulShardswarlock-guidewarlock-infowarlock-talentswow-lockwow-lock-infowow-lockswow-warlockwow-warlock-infowow-warlocksMegan O'NeillMon, 30 Apr 2012 14:00:00 ESTGuildOx player analysis highlights the warlock declinehttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/27/guildox-player-analysis-highlights-the-warlock-decline/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/27/guildox-player-analysis-highlights-the-warlock-decline/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/27/guildox-player-analysis-highlights-the-warlock-decline/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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The folks at GuildOx have gone through their database and done some simple filtering that reveals some fascinating things about who is raiding heroic Dragon Soul. GuildOx started with level 85 characters, filtered for characters with ilevel 400 gear, and then filtered out anyone with PvP gear. What you see in the chart above is the result of that work -- a representative sample of who out of the over 13 million level 85 characters in the GuildOx database is raiding heroic Dragon Soul.

If you remember the post about the complexity of systems and player retention that I made a couple of weeks back, you'll remember that I mentioned Cynwise's excellent posts about the warlock decline. Well, here it is again reflected in GuildOx's data. Warlocks are the least played class in heroic raiding.

Warriors aren't doing much better, really. Most other classes seem fairly healthy, with classes that have healing specs doing fairly well and rogues absolutely ruling heroic raiding despite being one of the least-played classes in the game overall. It gets even more interesting once we get to look at the GuildOx spec-by-spec breakdown.

Continue reading GuildOx player analysis highlights the warlock decline

WoW InsiderGuildOx player analysis highlights the warlock decline originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 27 Apr 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>ClassClass-RepresentationClassesDeath-KnightDragon-SoulDruidGuildoxHeroic-Dragon-SoulHunterMagePaladinPriestRaidingRogueShamanWarlockWarriorMatthew RossiFri, 27 Apr 2012 12:00:00 ESTBlood Pact: 4 thoughts on destruction in Mists of Pandariahttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/23/blood-pact-4-thoughts-on-destruction-in-mists-of-pandaria/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/23/blood-pact-4-thoughts-on-destruction-in-mists-of-pandaria/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/23/blood-pact-4-thoughts-on-destruction-in-mists-of-pandaria/#commentsFiled under: ,

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Every week, WoW Insider brings you Blood Pact for affliction, demonology, and destruction warlocks. This week, Megan O'Neill finally dives into beta and found that she was having more fun flinging fire than draining souls.

I got into the beta a week ago (and with the last Annual Pass wave, a lot of the rest of you should be, too). So I went marching around Jade Forest and found myself continuously crashing to affliction spells triggering a fun little error. I'd heard things about moonkin and fire mages also having troubles, primarily when DoTs or debuffs were being cast. But errors are odd things, and I found I could cast Immolate all day long on my destruction spec.

So I did destro for a day of questing and flinging fire at the training dummy. Here are a few of the first thoughts I had.

Continue reading Blood Pact: 4 thoughts on destruction in Mists of Pandaria

WoW InsiderBlood Pact: 4 thoughts on destruction in Mists of Pandaria originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 23 Apr 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>autobetaburning embersBurningEmberscauterize masterCauterizeMasterdestructiondestructive influenceDestructiveInfluenceember tapEmberTapfeaturedfel flamefel impFelFlameFelImpguide-to-locksguide-to-warlockslock-guidelock-infolock-talentsmists of pandaria betamists-of-pandariaMistsOfPandariaBetasoul fireSoulFirewarlock-guidewarlock-infowarlock-talentswow-lockwow-lock-infowow-lockswow-warlockwow-warlock-infowow-warlocksMegan O'NeillMon, 23 Apr 2012 09:00:00 ESTBlood Pact: Newbie tips for demonologistshttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/16/blood-pact-newbie-tips-for-demonologists/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/16/blood-pact-newbie-tips-for-demonologists/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/16/blood-pact-newbie-tips-for-demonologists/#commentsFiled under: ,

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Every week, WoW Insider brings you Blood Pact for affliction, demonology, and destruction warlocks. Today, Megan O'Neill visits the last warlock spec for Cataclysm newbies and rerollers, before diving back into Mists of Pandaria speculation.

One torment ended as I finally received my beta invite. Then another started as I began to get error #132 over and over again. Whether it's my old toaster of a laptop's problem or maybe beta is just really unstable right now ... you and I are still stuck with old Cataclysm warlockery. So let's finish out the newbie tips for those who are reacquainting themselves with demonology before Mists of Pandaria.

As a class with all three specs dedicated to DPS, warlocks always have one spec that serves up first in simulations. In the standard Patchwerk-style, no-holds-barred contest, who's king of the lab? It's a question I've been asked recently by some dissatisfied moonkin in my guild who are considering turning to the dark side. (After all, everyone knows we have cookies!)

Continue reading Blood Pact: Newbie tips for demonologists

WoW InsiderBlood Pact: Newbie tips for demonologists originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 16 Apr 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>demon souldemonologyDemonSoulfeaturedfelguardfelhunterguide-to-locksguide-to-warlocksimmolation auraImmolationAuralock-guidelock-infolock-talentsmetamorphosiswarlock-guidewarlock-infowarlock-talentswow-lockwow-lock-infowow-lockswow-warlockwow-warlock-infowow-warlocksMegan O'NeillMon, 16 Apr 2012 13:00:00 ESTComplexity of systems and player retentionhttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/14/complexity-of-systems-and-player-retention/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/14/complexity-of-systems-and-player-retention/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/14/complexity-of-systems-and-player-retention/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

If you don't read Cynwise's Warcraft Journal, you probably should. Cyn's been doing an excellent series of posts about warlocks in Cataclysm that are interesting and thought-provoking -- even if, like me, you're not a warlock and don't really know much about the class. For me, one of the most striking tidbits was that rogues are the second-to-least-played class overall, but the second-most-played class in high-end PvP, implying that people only play rogues to PvP. There's a lot of interesting data in there about class representation, role representation, and who is playing what and at what levels.

The post that really grabbed my attention was this one about warlock complexity in Cataclysm because it highlights an extreme form of something we've talked about before, the design philosophy that argues for increased complexity in a character's suite of abilities. In its simplest form, it can be summed up as the hitting buttons is fun argument, although at the extreme Cyn describes for warlocks, it becomes a game of if X, then Y that resembles programming your first computer in Basic. If you remember making a chain of dirty words scroll on a loop up the screen, congratulations on being old with me.

Cyn's comparison of the destruction rotation in Wrath and Cataclysm shows a rotation with seven elements mushroom out to one with 14 elements to remember and consider. That if X, then Y flowchart just got as complex as a subway map. In my experience, all DPS rotations in general have a little bit of this kind of gameplay nowadays. The difficulty is in hitting the sweet spot where the rotation is designed so that random elements or procs serve to liven up an otherwise predictable set of abilities (providing the fun in the hitting buttons scenario) without making a rotation so complex you need six to seven addons to help you plot it out.

Continue reading Complexity of systems and player retention

WoW InsiderComplexity of systems and player retention originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sat, 14 Apr 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>ComplexityCynwiseCynwises-Warcraft-JournalHitting-buttons-is-funPaladinPaladinsRotationRotation-ComplexityWarlockWarlocksWarriorWarriorsMatthew RossiSat, 14 Apr 2012 18:00:00 ESTGhostcrawler talks demonology warlocks in Mists of Pandariahttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/13/ghostcrawler-talks-demonology-warlocks-in-mop/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/13/ghostcrawler-talks-demonology-warlocks-in-mop/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/13/ghostcrawler-talks-demonology-warlocks-in-mop/#commentsFiled under: , ,

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Warlocks are the most changed class in Mists of Pandaria, and demonology is getting some serious attention from Ghostcrawler as its new playstyle is flushed out. Notable in Ghostcrawler's discussion is that the days of using both fire and shadow spells with a lot of demon damage are being looked upon as something that weren't super compelling. Importantly, Ghostcrawler also says that demonology warlocks aren't intended to be melee casters anymore.

As a raiding demonology warlock, I find that Ghostcrawler's design intentions really make me pleased. Right now, if you want to do good DPS as a demo 'lock, you're going to be in the melee group as much as possible to get the most benefits from Metamorphosis and Immolation Aura, while at the same time staying stationary to turret out your DPS. In Ghostcrawler's plan for Mists, the necessity of melee-range spells is going to be situational. No longer am I going to be pestering my raid leader to put me in the melee group for Zon'ozz, and I should be able to stay at range and enjoy such benefits there as much as I can (which, at least in my perfect world, would include less movement).

It'll be interesting to see how this kit plays out in the end. It always seems to be one of those specs that gets changed around a fair amount in one way or another, and Ghostcrawler does say that Blizzard is looking to make a home for demonology.

So have faith, fellow 'locks! Things are looking evil.

Ghostcrawler's full statements, after the break.

Continue reading Ghostcrawler talks demonology warlocks in Mists of Pandaria

WoW InsiderGhostcrawler talks demonology warlocks in Mists of Pandaria originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 13 Apr 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>breakingfeaturedghostcrawlerguide-to-locksguide-to-warlockslock-guidelock-infolock-talentswarlock-guidewarlock-infowarlock-talentswow-lockwow-lock-infowow-lockswow-warlockwow-warlock-infowow-warlocksAdam HoliskyFri, 13 Apr 2012 16:00:00 ESTBlood Pact: Newbie tips for destruction warlockshttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/09/blood-pact-newbie-tips-for-destruction-warlocks/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/09/blood-pact-newbie-tips-for-destruction-warlocks/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/09/blood-pact-newbie-tips-for-destruction-warlocks/#commentsFiled under: ,

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Every week, WoW Insider brings you Blood Pact for affliction, demonology, and destruction warlocks. Today, Megan O'Neill is still breaking for beta, and in the meantime, brush-fires up on her flame-flinging techniques.

Destruction has evolved a lot since the one-button Shadow Bolt days of The Burning Crusade. Now in Cataclysm, destro has a convoluted cast rotation, still retains shadow DoTs despite being the master of fire, and has a clunky buff mechanic to boot. While skilled warlocks can pull off amazing numbers with their fantastical weaving of spells, the clunkiness of the spec is still present for beginners.

Continue reading Blood Pact: Newbie tips for destruction warlocks

WoW InsiderBlood Pact: Newbie tips for destruction warlocks originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 09 Apr 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>conflagratefeaturedguide-to-locksguide-to-warlocksimmolateimproved soul fireImprovedSoulFireincineratelock-guidelock-infolock-talentsrain of fireRainOfFiresoul fireSoulFirewarlock-guidewarlock-infowarlock-talentswow-lockwow-lock-infowow-lockswow-warlockwow-warlock-infowow-warlocksMegan O'NeillMon, 09 Apr 2012 13:00:00 ESTBlood Pact: Some advice for newbie affliction warlockshttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/02/blood-pact-some-advice-for-newbie-affliction-warlocks/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/02/blood-pact-some-advice-for-newbie-affliction-warlocks/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/04/02/blood-pact-some-advice-for-newbie-affliction-warlocks/#commentsFiled under: ,

Every week, WoW Insider brings you Blood Pact for affliction, demonology, and destruction warlocks. Today, Megan O'Neill is taking a break from beta, instead offering some Pointilism 102 advice.

My friends, Blizzard is trying to torture me. The large number of drastic changes to the warlock class makes for cool columns. I have no beta access yet (c'mon, late Burning Crusade wave!). The greater likelihood of people playing through beta on weekends rather than on weekdays means those with beta access update information threads on the weekends. I write most of my columns before the weekends. The timing of new information contrary to my writings has had me wanting to drain my own soul out for a couple of weeks here.

... OK, you got me. The real reason I don't want to talk about Mists this week is because Wryxian broke my heart with the no green fire trickery. Don't worry, though! I got my evil groove back by proving my preparedness and fast reactions to my guild. I gloriously dropped a QQ train during a heroic Ultraxion attempt when my raid leader jokingly called for it.

Sadly, the next night, many guildmates brought train-wreckers to raid. What are you saying? A Heroism filled with choo-choo yells and fist pumps isn't the best DPS buff ever? Blasphemy!

Continue reading Blood Pact: Some advice for newbie affliction warlocks

WoW InsiderBlood Pact: Some advice for newbie affliction warlocks originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 02 Apr 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>afflictionbane of agonybane of doomBaneOfAgonyBaneOfDoomdoomguardfeaturedguide-to-locksguide-to-warlockslock-guidelock-infolock-talentsseed of corruptionSeedOfCorruptionshadow embraceShadowEmbracewarlock-guidewarlock-infowarlock-talentswow-lockwow-lock-infowow-lockswow-warlockwow-warlock-infowow-warlocksMegan O'NeillMon, 02 Apr 2012 09:00:00 ESTWarlock's green fire is not coming at release in MoP, no timetablehttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/27/warlocks-green-fire-is-not-coming-at-release-in-mop-no-timetab/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/27/warlocks-green-fire-is-not-coming-at-release-in-mop-no-timetab/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/27/warlocks-green-fire-is-not-coming-at-release-in-mop-no-timetab/#commentsFiled under: ,

While green fire is something that Blizzard wants to do for warlocks in Mists of Pandaria, it's been clarified that it won't be coming with Mists release after all. More so, there is no timetable for the release of green fire, meaning it's best to just keep it in the back of your head as something cool but not expected.

This is no doubt a disappointment for many, especially for warlocks when combined with the news from last night that a demonology tanking spec isn't in the cards. It is, however, important to keep in mind that Blizzard still has done a lot with the warlock class, and all is not lost. There's a ton of changes to the way each spec will be played, and the talent revamp only has a few holdovers from current-day methodology.

The full blue post clarifying this situation after the break.

Continue reading Warlock's green fire is not coming at release in MoP, no timetable

WoW InsiderWarlock's green fire is not coming at release in MoP, no timetable originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 27 Mar 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>green-firegreen-fire-mists-of-pandariamists-of-pandariawarlock-green-firewarlock-mists-of-pandariaAdam HoliskyTue, 27 Mar 2012 10:00:00 ESTBlood Pact: Don't sell your soul for a warlock tanking spec quite yethttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/26/blood-pact-dont-sell-your-soul-for-a-warlock-tanking-spec-quit/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/26/blood-pact-dont-sell-your-soul-for-a-warlock-tanking-spec-quit/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/26/blood-pact-dont-sell-your-soul-for-a-warlock-tanking-spec-quit/#commentsFiled under: ,

Every week, WoW Insider brings you Blood Pact for affliction, demonology, and destruction warlocks. Today, Megan O'Neill is your host, and she wants to remind Matticus that warlock fire cannot be rainbow-colored in Mists of Pandaria, else we'd kill all our wild imps that we summon.

Everyone's excited about the warlock tanking glyph for demonology. I'm cautiously excited. It's one of those things we warlocks always put on our wish lists, alongside green fire and warlock flying mounts.

While we still wait on the flying mount, EU CM Wryxian noted that green fire might be in the works! As soon as I saw the glyphs that change cosmetic things like the felguard's weapon or the color of a bear's fur, I went hunting in the datamines for green fire. I didn't see one, but Wryxian says there's "hope" that we'll get a quest for green fire. I do hope it involves Gorzeeki Wildeyes or Mor'zul Bloodbringer as a throwback to the old Dreadsteed epic mount quest chain.

I'm also aware that this is beta, and betas are for testing things, not for setting things in stone. Like Wryxian's statement about fel fire coloring, things can and will change. I want to be realistic about demo tanking. I don't want the hype surrounding warlock-style tanking to lead to disappointment. Looking at some of warlock and tanking mechanical history, I have some major caveats that Blizzard would need to address if warlocks are to become tanks.

Continue reading Blood Pact: Don't sell your soul for a warlock tanking spec quite yet

WoW InsiderBlood Pact: Don't sell your soul for a warlock tanking spec quite yet originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 26 Mar 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>featuredfel fireFelFireglyph of demon huntingGlyphOfDemonHuntinggreen fireGreenFireguide-to-locksguide-to-warlockslock-guidelock-infolock-talentsmetamorphosismists of pandariaMistsOfPandariatankingwarlock tankwarlock-guidewarlock-infowarlock-talentsWarlockTankwow-lockwow-lock-infowow-lockswow-warlockwow-warlock-infowow-warlocksMegan O'NeillMon, 26 Mar 2012 18:00:00 ESTWarlocks may cast green fire spells in MoPhttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/25/warlocks-may-cast-green-fire-spells-in-mop/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/25/warlocks-may-cast-green-fire-spells-in-mop/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/25/warlocks-may-cast-green-fire-spells-in-mop/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Warlock firing a Chaos Bolt at a ghost
Warlocks, think of the one thing you most want in the World of Warcraft. If you answered "the total destruction and removal of the mage class, and green fire," you're in luck -- there's a good chance that half of that statement will come true in Mists of Pandaria! Luckily for Christian Belt, it's the latter.

According to EU CM Wryxian, Blizzard developers are looking into hopefully adding a quest line that will allow warlocks to use green fire in Mists of Pandaria.

Wryxian
Green "fel" fire for warlocks, like they've been asking for since... forever?

It is our hope to introduce a quest which will allow warlocks to unlock the use of green fire. :)


Remember that the key word here is "hope." Even the slightest possibility of green fire in MoP should have most warlocks salivating. This is especially true since Chaos Bolt, which is one of only two green fire spells currently in the game, has been removed from MoP talent calculators. Given that green fire has been one of the most requested features of the class for years and that MoP is an expansion bringing to us loads of vanity choices in glyphs and challenge mode sets, this seems an obvious way to go.

WoW InsiderWarlocks may cast green fire spells in MoP originally appeared on WoW Insider on Sun, 25 Mar 2012 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>breakingfel-firegreen-firemists-of-pandariamopmop-green-firewarlockwarlock-newswarlockswarlocks-in-mopwryxianJosh MyersSun, 25 Mar 2012 10:30:00 ESTMists of Pandaria Beta: New warlock petshttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/23/mists-of-pandaria-beta-new-warlock-pets/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/23/mists-of-pandaria-beta-new-warlock-pets/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/23/mists-of-pandaria-beta-new-warlock-pets/#commentsFiled under: ,

One of the nice new warlock features coming about in Mists of Pandaria is new pets, thanks to the level 75 talent Grimoire of Supremacy. These pets are active on the beta, and we have some pictures to share.

It should be noted that the sizes might be off; it's not an uncommon beta bug to have pet sizes be strange at first. No idea if this is intentional, though, so take the size with a grain of salt.

The new warlock pets are:
  • Fel Imp (replaces the Imp when talented)
  • Wrathguard (replaces the Felguard when talented)
  • Voidlord (replaces the Void Walker when talented)
  • Shivarra(replaces the Succubus when talented)
  • Observer (replaces the Felhound when talented)
  • Abyssal (replaces the Infernal when talented)
  • Terrorguard (replaces the Doomguard when talented)
You can also check out the gallery below, but be sure to view it in high resolution to get the best images.

Gallery: Mists of Pandaria: New warlock pets

Fel ImpVoidlordObserverShivarraWrathguard

It's open warfare between Alliance and Horde in Mists of Pandaria, World of Warcraft's next expansion. Jump into five new levels with new talents and class mechanics, try the new monk class, and create a pandaren character to ally with either Horde or Alliance. Look for expansion basics in our Mists FAQ, or dig into our spring press event coverage for more details!

WoW InsiderMists of Pandaria Beta: New warlock pets originally appeared on WoW Insider on Fri, 23 Mar 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>breakingmists-of-pandariamop-warlock-petsnew-warlock-petswarlock-new-petswow-warlock-petsAdam HoliskyFri, 23 Mar 2012 09:00:00 ESTWarlocks getting a ranged taunt through glyphhttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/21/warlocks-getting-a-ranged-taunt-through-glyph/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/21/warlocks-getting-a-ranged-taunt-through-glyph/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/21/warlocks-getting-a-ranged-taunt-through-glyph/#commentsFiled under: ,

One of the more interesting things in the beta datamining is the Glyph of Demon Hunting for warlocks. It appears it'll lead to situational taunting and/or ranged tanking for the 'lock. When combined with Metamorphosis, which increases armor and damage done while reducing crit hit and normal hit chances, it should allow the 'lock some good utility in certain instances.

Of course, this is far from turning warlocks into ranged tanks, but it's certainly an interesting step in that direction. I'd look at it more as a hunter taunt, however.

And as with all things in the beta, there's no saying whether this will be around next week. But for now, raise the eyebrow at the possibilities!

Glyph of Demon Hunting
Demonic Fury now reduces damage taken instead of increasing damage dealt.
In addition, while using Metamorphosis, Soulshatter taunts your target, Twilight Ward will absorb all schools of damage and Demonic Slash is shorter range and generates fury.


It's open warfare between Alliance and Horde in Mists of Pandaria, World of Warcraft's next expansion. Jump into five new levels with new talents and class mechanics, try the new monk class, and create a pandaren character to ally with either Horde or Alliance. Look for expansion basics in our Mists FAQ, or dig into our spring press event coverage for more details!

WoW InsiderWarlocks getting a ranged taunt through glyph originally appeared on WoW Insider on Wed, 21 Mar 2012 23:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>breakingglyph-of-demon-huntingmists-warlockwalrockwarlock-ranged-tankingAdam HoliskyWed, 21 Mar 2012 23:40:00 ESTBlood Pact: A tale full of cheering and demonic furyhttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/20/blood-pact-a-tale-full-of-cheering-and-demonic-fury/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/20/blood-pact-a-tale-full-of-cheering-and-demonic-fury/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/20/blood-pact-a-tale-full-of-cheering-and-demonic-fury/#commentsFiled under: ,

Every week, WoW Insider brings you Blood Pact for affliction, demonology, and destruction warlocks. Today, Megan O'Neill is your host, and she's hopefully not an idiot, though as this post goes live with the Mists of Pandaria press release news, this could very well signify nothing.

You could argue that an affliction warlock is like a shadow priest with a demon. Or that a destruction 'lock is like a fire mage with a demon. But it's hard to argue demonology as anything but warlock, especially when a demo 'lock is often a demon with a demon.

And yet for a long time, demonology had been the lesser of the three specs. In Wrath, it was popular opinion that demo 'locks were only there for the raid buff, despite the fact that well-played demo could be competitive and even beat the then-reigning affliction spec. The other popular use of demo was to farm either old dungeon fun or honorable kills as the nigh-unkillable, hybrid affliction, SL/SL-specced drain tank.

In Cataclysm, demo took a change for the better in its DPS output. It rose every tier and finally overtook affliction and destruction in Dragon Soul. But its ascent wasn't -- and still isn't -- without problems.

Continue reading Blood Pact: A tale full of cheering and demonic fury

WoW InsiderBlood Pact: A tale full of cheering and demonic fury originally appeared on WoW Insider on Tue, 20 Mar 2012 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>demonic furyDemonicFurydemonologydemonology-warlockdoomguardfeaturedguide-to-locksguide-to-warlockslock-guidelock-infolock-talentsmetamorphosismists-of-pandariamists-of-pandaria-speculationnether platingNetherPlatingwarlock-guidewarlock-infowarlock-talentswow-lockwow-lock-infowow-lockswow-warlockwow-warlock-infowow-warlocksMegan O'NeillTue, 20 Mar 2012 19:00:00 ESTMists of Pandaria: Cool class stuff we foundhttp://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/19/mists-of-pandaria-cool-class-stuff-we-found/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/19/mists-of-pandaria-cool-class-stuff-we-found/http://wow.joystiq.com/2012/03/19/mists-of-pandaria-cool-class-stuff-we-found/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

We've been watching the systems team design the new talent system for a few months now, with intermittent updates to the talent calculator and ability distribution. BlizzCon 2011 showed us what was in store for certain classes, like the new resource systems for warlocks, no melee weapons for hunters, poison changes for rogues, and more.

At the press event last week, I got to play around with a few classes during my time on the demo computer -- not all of them, certainly, but enough that I have a few fun or interesting things to report that wouldn't really fit elsewhere. Let's take a look!

Continue reading Mists of Pandaria: Cool class stuff we found

WoW InsiderMists of Pandaria: Cool class stuff we found originally appeared on WoW Insider on Mon, 19 Mar 2012 03:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]>Michael SaccoMon, 19 Mar 2012 03:02:00 EST