Demonology Warlock DPS Gear, Legendaries, and Best in Slot (Legion 7.2.5)

Table of Contents

• +Introduction
  • 1. Class Overview
  • 2. Patch 7.2.5 Changes
  • 3. Patch 7.2 Changes
  • 4. Strengths
  • 5. Weaknesses
  • 6. Viability in the Current Patch
  • 7. Contents
  • 8. ChangeLog
• +Easy Mode
  • 1. The Basics
  • 2. Talent Choice
  • 3. Stat Choice
  • 4. Basic Rotation
  • 5. ChangeLog
• +Spell Summary
  • 1. Spell Summary
  • 2. Main Resources
  • 3. Basic Abilities
    • 3.1. Spell Casts
    • 3.2. Your Personal Demon Horde
  • 4. ChangeLog
• +Builds and Talents
  • 1. Talent Choices
  • 2. Talent Cheat Sheets
    • 2.1. Raid Encounters
      • 2.1.1. Heavy Cleave/AoE
    • 2.2. For General Use
  • 3. Tier 1 (Level 15) Talents
  • 4. Tier 2 (Level 30) Talents
  • 5. Tier 3 (Level 45) Talents
  • 6. Tier 4 (Level 60) Talents
  • 7. Tier 5 (Level 75) Talents
  • 8. Tier 6 (Level 90) Talents
  • 9. Tier 7 (Level 100) Talents
  • 10. ChangeLog
• +Artifact Traits and Relics
  • 1. Artifact Progression — First 35 Points
    • 1.1. Early Point Investment
    • 1.2. Second Golden Trait
    • 1.3. Final Point Investment
  • 2. Patch 7.2: 35+ Trait Path
  • 3. Relic Choice
  • 4. ChangeLog
• +Rotation, Cooldowns, and Abilities
  • 1. Ability Priority List
  • 2. Important Notes
    • 2.1. The Importance of AddOns
    • 2.2. Soul Shards
    • 2.3. Demonic Empowerment
      • 2.3.1. Empowerment Overlap
    • 2.4. An In-Depth Look at AoE
    • 2.5. Demon Choice
    • 2.6. Darkglare and Hand of Doom
    • 2.7. Tier 1 Talents
      • 2.7.1. Shadowflame Usage
    • 2.8. Tier 2 Talents
    • 2.9. Implosion Usage
    • 2.10. Defensive Utility
    • 2.11. Doomguard and Infernal
  • 3. Core Concepts
    • 3.1. Cooldown Management
    • 3.2. Spooky Skull: Thal'kiel's Consumption
    • 3.3. Movement Management
      • 3.3.1. Quiet Movement
  • 4. Opening Sequence
  • 5. ChangeLog
• +Stat Priority
  • 1. Basics
  • 2. Stat Weights
  • 3. Statistics Explanations
  • 4. ChangeLog
• +Gems, Enchants, and Consumables
  • 1. Gems
  • 2. Enchants
  • 3. Consumables
    • 3.1. Potion Choice
  • 4. ChangeLog
• +Macros and Addons
  • 1. Addons
    • 1.1. Generic Addons for Warlocks
    • 1.2. ElvUI
    • 1.3. Weak Auras
    • 1.4. Boss Mods
      • 1.4.1. BigWigs Bossmods
      • 1.4.2. Deadly Boss Mods
    • 1.5. Name Plates
      • 1.5.1. KUI Nameplates
      • 1.5.2. TidyPlates
    • 1.6. Damage Meters
      • 1.6.1. Skada
      • 1.6.2. Details
    • 1.7. Extra AddOns
      • 1.7.1. AffDots
      • 1.7.2. Mik's Scrolling Battle Text
      • 1.7.3. DeathNote
      • 1.7.4. Doom CooldownPulse
      • 1.7.5. Angry Assignments
  • 2. Macros
    • 2.1. Warlock Macros
      • 2.1.1. Pet Macros
      • 2.1.2. Soulstone Mouseover
      • 2.1.3. Demonic Circle
  • 3. ChangeLog
• ×Gear, Legendaries, and Best in Slot
  • 1. Tier 20 Set Bonuses
  • 2. Best in Slot List
  • 3. Evaluating Upgrades Using Stat Weights
  • 4. Legendaries
    • 4.1. Descriptions
  • 5. Loot Competition
  • 6. ChangeLog

General Information

This page is a gear reference for Demonology Warlocks. It lists your best items and Legendaries, gives you gearing advice, and shows you how you will be competing for loot with other classes.

The other pages of our Demonology Warlock guide can be accessed from the table of contents on the right.

About Our Author and Reviewer

This guide has been written by Furty, who has an illustrious history in the World of Warcraft raiding scene and race for World First. He has been a member of guilds such as Serenity, Midwinter, and many more, and is currently raiding in Future. He plays most classes at the highest level. You can follow him on Twitter and watch him play on Twitch.

This guide has been reviewed and approved by Not, one of the best Demonology Warlocks and a respected theorycrafter. He raids in Strawberry Puppy Kisses. You can watch him on Twitch or YouTube and you can follow him on Twitter. He is also the owner and editor of Lock One Stop Shop, a website dedicated to Warlocks.

1. Tier 20 Set Bonuses

The Tier 20 set bonuses focus on augmenting your Call Dreadstalkers, potentially resetting their cooldown and granting you some helpful passive Haste.

• 2-piece bonus: Shadow Bolt and Demonwrath have a 20% chance to reset the cooldown of Call Dreadstalkers.
• 4-piece bonus: When you Call Dreadstalkers, you gain 10% for 5 seconds.

The 2-piece bonus is somewhat interesting, as it can be very valuable in certain situations. The ideal situation to utilize this bonus is on fights that have short duration AoE, as we can channel Demonwrath for short periods while still working in Call Dreadstalkers. On sustained AoE the 2-piece does not have much value as we will no longer be working Call Dreadstalkers into the rotation, instead opting for as many Hand of Gul'dan casts as possible. By itself, the value is not extraordinary for single-target, however, it does have inherent synergy with the 4-piece bonus once it is obtained.

The 4-piece bonus is quite valuable, granting 3750 Haste for 5 seconds with every Call Dreadstalkers cast. Together with the 2-piece resets it can provide reasonable uptime on the free stats, resulting in a nice DPS increase for us.

It is generally worth investing for the set bonus over higher item level off pieces, though not to an extreme extent.

2. Best in Slot List

With the existence of Titanforged and Mythic+ dungeons, there is no such thing as a hard Best in Slot anymore. This is more of a guideline for the best pieces to keep an eye out for in your raid or dungeon (if applicable). Be smart, and if you find higher item level pieces with valuable stat combinations do not hesitate to upgrade to them.

Slot	Item	Source
Helm	Diabolic Helm	Demonic Inquisition
Neck	String of Extracted Incisors	Demonic Inquisition
Shoulders	Diabolic Mantle	Fallen Avatar
Chest	Diabolic Robe	Maiden of Vigilance
Cloak	Cloak of Stifling Brimstone	Goroth
Wrists	Ravenous Devotee's Bracelets	Harjatan
Gloves	Diabolic Gloves	Harjatan
Belt	Strife-Riddled Cinch	Maiden of Vigilance
Legs	Legwraps of Fused Loathing	Goroth
Boots	Slippers of Enduring Vigilance	Sisters of the Moon
Ring #1	Seal of the Second Duumvirate	Kil'jaeden
Ring #2	Scaled Band of Servitude	Harjatan
Trinket #1	Charm of the Rising Tide	Harjatan
Trinket #2	Whispers in the Dark	Gul'dan

3. Evaluating Upgrades Using Stat Weights

You can evaluate upgrades side by side using a simple napkin math formula:

For example, using the stat weights from our Stats page, a pair of boots with 380 Mastery, 1150 Haste, and 976 Intellect, we can calculate a DPS value of:

This does not give an exact DPS value, but can be used to calculate the relative value versus another piece. For example, if we have a second pair of boots with 450 Haste, 970 Versatility, and 976 Intellect, we can compute the DPS value for that second item using the same formula, before comparing the results:

We can clearly see that 2740.0 > 2378.6, and therefore, the first pair of boots are the stronger upgrade. This is the quickest, best, and most reliable way of determining whether or not you should use one upgrade or another, despite the fact that stats weights are very approximate and change with respect to fight type, fight length, and the values of your other stats (synergetic scaling).

4. Legendaries

The legendary items for Demonology Warlocks are all quite close in value relative to the other specializations. Most provide stable and consistent single-target increases, though some also offer great cleave benefit and quality of life. We have included a list below to help you evaluate the value of the available legendary items on a single-target. Bear in mind, however, that these lists are approximate and the value of legendary items often shifts based on context. This list also values the hard damage value returned by sims, but certain defensive passives may bump up their real world value (e.g. Prydaz, Xavaric's Magnum Opus). Finally, lower tier legendaries (e.g. Pillars of the Dark Portal) that occupy a tier slot are bumped down a bit in real world scenarios as they are more difficult to gear around.

1. Wilfred's Sigil of Superior Summoning
2. Recurrent Ritual
4. Wakener's Loyalty
5. The Master Harvester
6. Kazzak's Final Curse
7. Sin'dorei Spite
8. Prydaz, Xavaric's Magnum Opus
9. Sephuz's Secret
10. Kil'jaeden's Burning Wish
11. Soul of the Netherlord
12. Norgannon's Foresight
13. Pillars of the Dark Portal
14. Celumbra, the Night's Dichotomy
15. Feretory of Souls

4.1. Descriptions

Wakener's Loyalty empowers your next Thal'kiel's Consumption by 3% for each Soul Shard you spend. This is currently one of the strongest available legendaries, particularly on single-target. Unfortunately you have to sacrifice a tier slot, although this is not a particularly sore point this tier as the Diabolic Helm does not possess immaculate stat itemization.

Recurrent Ritual causes Call Dreadstalkers to refund 1 Soul Shard. It occupies a tier slot which bumps it down in value somewhat, as the Diabolic Mantle is perfectly itemized and weighted for our spec.

Wilfred's Sigil of Superior Summoning reduces the cooldown of Summon Doomguard by 2.0 seconds for every Dreadstalker or Imp you summon. Realistically the second best legendary for single-target damage, as it occupies a low value gear slot and is very well itemized.

The Master Harvester is a chest piece that has a 3% chance per Soul Shard spent to grant you Soul Harvest for 8 seconds. Quite strong in all situations and number of targets, though you will have to drop the Diabolic Robe which is very well itemized.

Kazzak's Final Curse increases Doom damage by 5% for every demon you have active. Especially strong in situations where you can apply Hand of Doom in sustained AoE and get tons of Dooms rolling at once. Combine with Impending Doom for best results. While it only has middling value for single-target, it is the strongest option for sustained cleave and AoE. To add to that it occupies a very priority gear slot, further increasing its value.

Sin'dorei Spite increases damage by 15% for 25 seconds after summoning Doomguard or Infernal. Average legendary for sustained damage, however, it can be invaluable for pushing damage checks or short kills. Can result in some very large Thal'kiel's Consumption values, particularly if combined with Soul Harvest.

Prydaz, Xavaric's Magnum Opus causes you to gain an absorb shield for 25% of your maximum health every 30 seconds, lasting 30 seconds. To some players' surprise, an above average legendary in all situations due to the sheer amount of stats it provides. The defensive passive is also very helpful for Mythic progression raiders.

Sephuz's Secret grants 10% movement speed and 2% Haste. Additionally, successfully applying a loss of control effect, dispelling an enemy, or interrupting a target grants 25% Haste and 70% movement speed for 12 seconds (30 second internal cooldown). Can be good for Mythic+ where you can easily and consistently proc the passive, although it is still an average legendary at best.

Kil'jaeden's Burning Wish takes up a valuable trinket slot but sports a high amount of passive stats and a useful on use burst effect. Can be a good option if your trinkets are lacklustre.

Soul of the Netherlord grants the Grimoire of Synergy talent when you are in the Demonology specialization. Average legendary for any situation, and occupies a low value slot.

Celumbra, the Night's Dichotomy reduces damage taken by 5% while within 12 yards of enemies. If no enemies are within 12 yards, you instead regenerate 1% of your maximum health every second. Not especially useful and only provides 2 secondary stats, though the 3 gem sockets almost make up for it. Good pickup for fresh characters as it is Bind-on-Equip, but otherwise worthless.

Norgannon's Foresight allows you full movement casting for 4 seconds after you stand still for 6 seconds. Underwhelming, though the passive can be helpful for finishing casts that would otherwise be interrupted by mechanics. The passive stats are nice, however, and it occupies no tier slot which bumps it up a little.

Pillars of the Dark Portal allows Demonic Gateway to be cast instantly, and you can use the portal twice before incurring the cooldown debuff. A weak legendary, but not the very worst as it does provide a large amount of passive stats. Unfortunately it occupies a tier slot.

Feretory of Souls gives Fire spells a 10% chance to generate a Soul Shard. For Demonology, this can only proc off of Demonbolt and Implosion. Should not be used if it can be avoided.

5. Loot Competition

Regarding the loot you will get from raid or dungeon bosses, you will compete with other classes in the following cases:

Item Type	Competing Classes
Tier Tokens	Demon Hunters, Paladins, Priests, and Affliction/Destruction Warlocks
Cloth Armor	Mages, Priests, and Affliction/Destruction Warlocks
Amulets Cloaks Rings	Everyone
Trinkets	Balance Druids, Mages, Shadow Priests, Elemental Shamans, and Affliction/Destruction Warlocks

6. ChangeLog

+ show all entries - show only 10 entries

• 17 Jun. 2017: Added legendary tier list, Tier 20 set bonus explanation, Tomb of Sargeras best in slot, and updated stat weight calculations.
• 12 Jun. 2017: Added Soul of the Netherlord and the Master Harvester to the Legendary items section. More changes to follow later this week.
• 27 Mar. 2017: Updated legendaries; priority re-ordered, added Feretory.
• 18 Jan. 2017: Added new legendary items and updated BiS list for Nighthold.
• 02 Nov. 2016: Updated trinkets because Wriggling Sinew was still there for some reason.
• 14 Sep. 2016: Updated Legendary balance.
• 29 Aug. 2016: Updated for Legion's launch.
• 20 Jul. 2016: Removed trinket sims and added proper recommendations.
• 18 Jul. 2016: Updated for the Legion pre-patch.