Warlock Arena Talent Specs

Unlike most classes that are locked into a very small number of possible specs to be competitive in arena, warlocks have a wide variety of potential talent distributions. The choice you make will be dependant on your gear, play style, and team matrix.

6/44/11 Demonology / Felguard
The full demonology spec differs from many other warlock specs as it relies heavily on the pet for both survivability and damage output. Obviously the biggest bonus for specing so deep into demonology is going to be the felguard. So learning how to have constant control and management over your pet is going to be of utmost importance. If you aren’t comfortable in micro managing your pet in this manner I’d highly advise against the demonology felguard spec.

Most warlocks and high level arena players consider 6/44/11 to be one of the most linear and unviable arena specs available for warlock. Which is true to a degree, though it really depends on the player behind the warlock that will determine if it will truly be viable for your team. 6/44/11 in the right hands can be just as effective as more traditional specs, whether or not it’s right for you will come down to personal preference in your reliance on your pet.

43/7/11 Affliction / UA
Affliction is currently going to be one of the “squishiest” warlock specs for PvP. Without a traditional soul link build you will lose some of your survivability. However, by trading in soul link you receive unstable affliction and great DPS. The affliction spec can work in a wide variety of team combinations, though I feel it really shines in 5v5 when combined with a shadow priest.

Many 4 DPS teams now run double affliction lock, shadow priest, and two others, allowing them to take full advantage of the unstoppable power of DoTs and chain fears. As I mentioned above, the major downside to the spec is the lack of soul link. As with any talent tree the 41-point talent is going to be the biggest factor in choosing the spec over another. Beyond the fact that unstable affliction grants the warlocks DoTs, fears, and other debuffs a greater chance of not being dispelled due to the huge penalty that dispelling of UA causes, it also is infinitely easier to maintain damage on a target while crowd controlling / cursing multiple other targets. The affliction warlock is able to maintain control and also provide constant high damage, it’s easy to see why UA has become such a popular and dominant spec for arena and I can’t see it being nerfed any time soon.

24/37/0 Soul Link / Drain
Perhaps the most popular spec (and in my opinion imbalanced) among high rated arena warlocks, the SL / drain spec became a staple for many 2v2 and 3v3 warlocks in season one. At one point variations of the 24/37/0 made up 100% of the top ranked 2v2 warlock’s specs in the World, oddly enough 14 out of the top 20 2v2 teams at that time were warlocks.

When this spec was first becoming popular many warlocks viewed it as being weak, giving up too much DPS and utility for the ability to simply drain the entire game. However, all the critics were proved wrong, as the spec snowballed into one of the biggest “warlocks are overpowered” moments in World of Warcraft history.

Beyond all that, the spec is simply great. You’ve got three dots, soul link, the ability to drain, on top of all the regular crowd control and utility. This spec really shines in 2v2 with a druid or paladin healer, though it can work equally well in the right 3v3 settings as well. It typically relies on simply stacking your DoTs, aiding in crowd control and aiding your teammates by slowly life / mana draining the opposing team. The constant DoT / life drains allow you the ability to continually DPS for the entire duration of the battle. Unlike the full demo build, this hybrid utilizes the fel hunter, whose resists and utility are at least equal, if not greater than the uses of the fel guard. With practice and a quick hand, the fel hunters continually buff eating and counter spell will enable to you to effectively lock a healer out for long durations of time.
The specs I have listed above are what I consider to be the top three arena specs for warlock currently. Each will be unique in utility, play style, and effective uses depending on what bracket(s) of arena you play in. However, with practice, dedication, and the correct team matrix each has been shown to be incredibly effective for PvP.

On a side note, there may always be some slight variations in point distribution, my specs are simply guidelines and you may find you use a particular ability or skill more than another than I’ve chosen, so spec into that instead. I didn’t list the full destruction build simply because I don’t consider it to be viable for high level arena player, nor did I list any other strange specs like soul link / destruction. Could they work to an extent? Sure, however, the specs I’ve listed are the tried and true concoctions of the World’s greatest World of Warcraft players, and as they have served them so they will serve you as well.

Related posts:

1. Shaman Arena Talent Specs
2. Warrior Arena Talent Specs
3. Druid Arena Talent Specs
4. Rogue Arena Talent Specs
5. Rogue / Prest 2v2 Arena Strategy