Destruction Warlock DPS Guide (Legion 7.3.5)

Table of Contents

• ×Introduction
  • 1. Class Overview
  • 2. Patch 7.3 Changes for Destruction Warlock
  • 3. Patch 7.2.5 Changes for Destruction Warlock
  • 4. Patch 7.2 Changes for Destruction Warlock
  • 5. Destruction Warlock Strengths
  • 6. Destruction Warlock Weaknesses
  • 7. Destruction Warlock Viability in the Current Patch
  • 8. Contents
  • 9. ChangeLog
• +Easy Mode
  • 1. The Basics for Destruction Warlock
  • 2. Talent Choice for Destruction Warlock
  • 3. Stat Priority for Destruction Warlock
  • 4. Basic Rotation for Destruction Warlock
  • 5. ChangeLog
• +Spell Summary
  • 1. Destruction Warlock Spell Summary
  • 2. Main Resources for Destruction Warlock
  • 3. Basic Abilities for Destruction Warlock
    • 3.1. Demonic Summons
  • 4. ChangeLog
• +Builds and Talents
  • 1. Talent Choices
  • 2. Talent Cheat Sheets for Destruction Warlock
    • 2.1. Raid Encounters
      • 2.1.1. Single Target
      • 2.1.2. 2-3 Targets
      • 2.1.3. Heavy Cleave/AOE
    • 2.2. For General Use
  • 3. Tier 1 (Level 15) Talents for Destruction Warlock
  • 4. Tier 2 (Level 30) Talents for Destruction Warlock
  • 5. Tier 3 (Level 45) Talents for Destruction Warlock
  • 6. Tier 4 (Level 60) Talents for Destruction Warlock
  • 7. Tier 5 (Level 75) Talents for Destruction Warlock
  • 8. Tier 6 (Level 90) Talents for Destruction Warlock
  • 9. Tier 7 (Level 100) Talents for Destruction Warlock
  • 10. ChangeLog
• +Artifact Traits and Relics
  • 1. Artifact Progression for Destruction Warlock — 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 for Destruction Warlock
  • 3. Relic Priority for Destruction Warlock
  • 4. ChangeLog
• +Netherlight Crucible Relic Paths
  • 1. General Optimization Advice for Destruction Warlock
  • 2. Tier 2 Upgrade Priority for Destruction Warlock
  • 3. Tier 3 Upgrade Priority for Destruction Warlock
  • 4. ChangeLog
• +Rotation, Cooldowns, and Abilities
  • 1. Ability Priority List for Destruction Warlock
  • 2. Important Notes for Destruction Warlock
    • 2.1. Roaring Blaze
    • 2.2. Chaos Bolt
    • 2.3. Dimensional Rift
    • 2.4. Soul Shard Generation and Consumption
    • 2.5. Wreak Havoc!
    • 2.6. Doomguard and Infernal
    • 2.7. Unending Resolve
    • 2.8. Pet Choice
    • 2.9. Cataclysm
  • 3. Core Concepts for Destruction Warlock
    • 3.1. Soul Shard Management
    • 3.2. Havoc Usage
    • 3.3. Movement Management
      • 3.3.1. Quiet Movement
  • 4. Opening Sequences for Destruction Warlock
    • 4.1. With Roaring Blaze
  • 5. ChangeLog
• +Boss by Boss Strategies
  • 1. Destruction Warlock Boss Advice: The Nighthold
    • 1.1. Skorpyron
      • 1.1.1. Talents, Trinkets, and Legendaries
    • 1.2. Chronomatic Anomaly
      • 1.2.1. Talents, Trinkets, and Legendaries
    • 1.3. Trilliax
      • 1.3.1. Talents, Trinkets, and Legendaries
    • 1.4. Spellblade Aluriel
      • 1.4.1. Talents, Trinkets, and Legendaries
    • 1.5. Tichondrius
      • 1.5.1. Talents, Trinkets, and Legendaries
    • 1.6. Star Augur Etraeus
      • 1.6.1. Talents, Trinkets, and Legendaries
    • 1.7. Krosus
      • 1.7.1. Talents, Trinkets, and Legendaries
    • 1.8. High Botanist Tel'arn
      • 1.8.1. Talents, Trinkets, and Legendaries
    • 1.9. Grand Magistrix Elisande
      • 1.9.1. Talents, Trinkets, and Legendaries
    • 1.10. Gul'dan
      • 1.10.1. Talents, Trinkets, and Legendaries
  • 2. ChangeLog
• +Stat Priority
  • 1. Stat Priority for Destruction Warlock
    • 1.1. Without Tier 20 4-piece bonus
    • 1.2. With Tier 20 4-piece bonus
  • 2. Statistics Explanations for Destruction Warlock
  • 3. ChangeLog
• +Gems, Enchants, and Consumables
  • 1. Gems for Destruction Warlock
  • 2. Enchants for Destruction Warlock
  • 3. Consumables for Destruction Warlock
  • 4. ChangeLog
• +Macros and Addons
  • 1. Addons for Destruction Warlock
    • 1.1. ElvUI
    • 1.2. Weak Auras
    • 1.3. Boss Mods
      • 1.3.1. BigWigs Bossmods
      • 1.3.2. Deadly Boss Mods
    • 1.4. Name Plates
      • 1.4.1. KUI Nameplates
      • 1.4.2. TidyPlates
    • 1.5. Damage Meters
      • 1.5.1. Skada
      • 1.5.2. Details
    • 1.6. Extra AddOns
      • 1.6.1. Mik's Scrolling Battle Text
      • 1.6.2. DeathNote
      • 1.6.3. Doom CooldownPulse
      • 1.6.4. Angry Assignments
  • 2. Macros for Destruction Warlock
    • 2.1. Havoc
    • 2.2. Cursor Rain of Fire
    • 2.3. Pet Macros
      • 2.3.1. Soulstone Mouseover
      • 2.3.2. Demonic Circle
  • 3. ChangeLog
• +Gear, Legendaries, and Best in Slot
  • 1. Tier 21 Set Bonuses for Destruction Warlock
  • 2. Tier 20 Set Bonuses for Destruction Warlock
  • 3. Best in Slot List for Destruction Warlock
  • 4. Trinket Priority for Destruction Warlock
  • 5. Evaluating Upgrades Using Stat Weights
  • 6. Legendary Items for Destruction Warlock
    • 6.1. Single Target
    • 6.2. Two Targets
    • 6.3. Three Targets
    • 6.4. Descriptions
  • 7. Loot Competition
  • 8. ChangeLog
• +Battle for Azeroth
  • 1. Foreword
  • 2. Baseline Abilities & Changes for Destruction Warlock in BfA
  • 3. Destruction Warlock Talents in BfA
    • 3.1. Level 15
    • 3.2. Level 30
    • 3.3. Level 45
    • 3.4. Level 60
    • 3.5. Level 75
    • 3.6. Level 90
    • 3.7. Level 100
  • 4. Azerite Traits for Destruction Warlock
  • 5. Destruction Warlock Rotational Priorities in BfA
  • 6. ChangeLog

General Information

Welcome to our Destruction Warlock DPS guide for World of Warcraft Legion 7.3.5. Here, you will learn everything you need to know about playing a Destruction Warlock in a raid environment and in Mythic+ dungeons.

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 Deepshades, a top raider who plays in Method; you can watch his stream on Twitch and follow him on Twitter.

1. Class Overview

Destruction Warlock is the most flexible of the Warlock specializations, able to bring to bear a wide variety of damage archetypes to fit the situation. This specialization provides exceptionally strong and efficient 2 target cleave and is not particularly gear reliant to pump out meaningful numbers. Like all Warlock specializations, Destruction brings Demonic Gateway, a powerful raid cooldown that can transport your entire group 40 yards instantly.Destruction is typically the ideal progression candidate due to its flexibility and its ability to quickly burn down high priority targets with ease, though it can be outshone by Demonology on farm content, or encounters where mortality and mobility are not meaningful concerns.

2. Patch 7.3 Changes for Destruction Warlock

• Healthstones now heal for 25% of the user's health at all levels.

3. Patch 7.2.5 Changes for Destruction Warlock

• All damage done increased by 10%.
• New legendary items added.
• Soul Shards have been reworked for Destruction: each Soul Shard is now also comprised of 10 Soul Shard fragments (5 Soul Shards/50 Soul Shard Fragments maximum).
  • Fire and Brimstone generates 1 Soul Shard Fragment per target hit.
  • Conflagrate generates 6 Soul Shard Fragments and generates double resources when hitting a Havoc target.
  • Incinerate's Mana cost has been reduced by 16%, and now generates 1 Soul Shard Fragments on hit and 2 Fragments on criticals.
  • Immolate has a 50% chance to generate 1 Soul Shard Fragment and criticals have a 100% chance to generate 1 Fragment.
  • Dimensional Rift generates 3 Soul Shard Fragments per cast.
  • Shadowburn generates 6 Soul Shard Fragments and an additional 6 Fragments if the target dies within 5 seconds.
• Soul Conduit now has a 12% chance to refund a Soul Shard with each Soul Shard consumed (down from 20%).
• Soulsnatcher now has a 3% chance per rank for Chaos Bolt to return a Soul Shard, down from 5%.
• Chaos Bolt from Dimensional Rift now deals 60% increased damage.
• Chaos Bolt damage increased by 40% and projectile speed increased by 25%.
• Rain of Fire damage increased by 25%.
• Reverse Entropy slightly redesigned; Chaos Bolt and Rain of Fire now restore 35% of maximum Mana and deal 5% increased damage.
• Havoc duration increased to 10 seconds (up from 8) and cooldown increased to 45 seconds (up from 20 seconds).
• Wreak Havoc no longer increases the duration of Havoc.
• Channel Demonfire damage increased by 56%, and cooldown increased to 25 seconds (up from 15 seconds).
• Cataclysm cooldown reduced to 30 seconds (down from 45 seconds), cast time reduced to 2.5 seconds baseline (down from 3.0 seconds), and damage reduced by 25%.
• Soul Harvest duration is now 12 seconds + 4 seconds per target afflicted by Immolate, with a maximum of 36 seconds (changed from 15 seconds + 2 seconds per target, maximum 35 seconds).

4. Patch 7.2 Changes for Destruction Warlock

• New Artifact traits added.

5. Destruction Warlock Strengths

• Strong damage in any situation
• Exceptional ability to quickly switch targets and apply instant pressure
• Exceptional damage to targets with a short lifespan ("fingertip" burst - essentially good burst in a short time window, e.g. 2 Chaos Bolt casts back to back)
• Able to adapt and compete on a variety of encounter types

6. Destruction Warlock Weaknesses

• Average single target burst (e.g. weak DPS cooldowns compared with other classes)
• Immobile

7. Destruction Warlock Viability in the Current Patch

Destruction is a very strong and competitive specialization in Patch 7.2.5. Offering extreme flexibility and potency to match a host of situations, Destruction is a fantastic choice for any level of raider.

8. Contents

To make it easy to navigate the guide, we have split it into 12 pages:

• Easy Mode: TL;DR to own without reading much;
• Spell Summary: see a summary of all your useful spells;
• Builds and Talents: learn how to choose your talents;
• Artifact Traits and Relics: discover how to level up your Artifact;
• Netherlight Crucible Relic Paths: choose the right paths on your Netherlight Crucible;
• Rotation, Cooldowns, and Abilities: master your rotation and your cooldowns;
• Boss by Boss Strategies: find out how to defeat current content bosses;
• Stat Priority: read up on the respective values of your statistics;
• Gems, Enchants, and Consumables: choose the best gems, enchantments, etc.;
• Macros and Addons: step up your game with useful macros and addons;
• Gear, Legendaries, and Best in Slot: find the best gear you can wear;
• Battle for Azeroth: learn how to play your class in Battle for Azeroth.

9. ChangeLog

• 21 Jun. 2018 (Battle for Azeroth page): Removed mention of Life Tap due to recent pruning.
• 11 Jun. 2018 (Battle for Azeroth page): Page added.
• 11 Jun. 2018 (Battle for Azeroth page): Added talents image.
• 21 Feb. 2018 (gear page): Updated best single target legendary setup.
• 12 Feb. 2018 (enchants page): Removed Saber's Eye.
• 28 Nov. 2017 (gear page): Updated best in slot and added Tier 21 best in slot section.
• 13 Oct. 2017 (Netherlight Crucible page): Added a note about Dark Sorrows on multiple targets.
• 23 Sep. 2017 (Netherlight Crucible page): Added Flames of Sargeras to the relic priority.
• 13 Sep. 2017 (Netherlight Crucible page): Old priority rendered erroneous by recent balancing; updated Tier 2 priority based on SimCraft results.
• 11 Sep. 2017 (Netherlight Crucible page): Added Netherlight Crucible page for Destruction Warlock.
• 29 Aug. 2017 (stats page): Adjusted T20 4P stat priority for Patch 7.3.
• 29 Aug. 2017 (enchants page): Revised gem recommendations, cleaned up "Consumables" section, removed mention of Deadly Grace, and added note about Healthstones in Patch 7.3.
• 28 Aug. 2017 (this page): Added Patch 7.3 changes.
• 28 Aug. 2017 (easy mode page): Updated talents and rotation sections for Patch 7.3.
• 28 Aug. 2017 (talents page): Updated talent discussions.
• 28 Aug. 2017 (enchants page): Added Lightforged Augment Rune and new 7.3 epic gems.
• 28 Aug. 2017 (rotation page): No changes needed for Patch 7.3.
• 28 Aug. 2017 (gear page): Fixed a typo in the Trinket Discussion section, updated trinket list.
• 28 Jun. 2017 (rotation page): Updated openers.
• 15 Jun. 2017 (gear page): Added Tier 20 set section, Tomb of Sargeras BiS list, and trinket discussion.
• 15 Jun. 2017 (gear page): Fully updated Legendary section and updated Trinket list.
• 15 Jun. 2017 (stats page): Added stat priority for Tier 20 bonuses.
• 15 Jun. 2017 (talents page): Added a few extra notes to some talents detailing synergies. Split cheat sheet into several sections for additional clarity.
• 12 Jun. 2017 (talents page): Updated for Patch 7.2.5; Shard values and tooltips changed along with talent descriptions in several tiers.
• 12 Jun. 2017 (stats page): Page reviewed and deemed updated for 7.2.5.
• 12 Jun. 2017 (rotation page): Updated Soul Shard costs and generation, updated opener, updated several sections specifically pertaining to Shard usage.
• 12 Jun. 2017 (this page): Added Patch 7.2.5 changes, updated strengths/weaknesses and viability.
• 12 Jun. 2017 (easy mode page): Page reviewed and deemed updated for 7.2.5.
• 12 Jun. 2017 (artifact page): Page reviewed and deemed updated for 7.2.5.
• 12 Jun. 2017 (enchants page): Page reviewed and deemed updated for 7.2.5.
• 12 Jun. 2017 (gear page): Added Soul of the Netherlord and The Master Harvester to the Legendary items section.
• 12 Jun. 2017 (spells page): Updated for Patch 7.2.5.
• 17 May 2017 (rotation page): Fixed a mention of Shadowburn consuming a Soul Shard.
• 05 Apr. 2017 (gear page): Corrected typo listing Sindorei Spite higher than it should be.
• 29 Mar. 2017 (enchants page): Added Lavish Suramar Feast.
• 27 Mar. 2017 (gear page): No changes needed for Patch 7.2.
• 27 Mar. 2017 (artifact page): Added path for Patch 7.2 traits.
• 27 Mar. 2017 (stats page): No changes needed for Patch 7.2.
• 27 Mar. 2017 (this page): Added a summary of Patch 7.2 changes.
• 27 Mar. 2017 (rotation page): No changes needed for Patch 7.2.
• 27 Mar. 2017 (talents page): No changes needed for Patch 7.2.
• 13 Feb. 2017 (rotation page): Updated Roaring Blaze opener.
• 13 Feb. 2017 (gear page): Swapped Gul'dan boots for Trilliax boots in Raid BiS.
• 13 Feb. 2017 (talents page): Updated talent viability in accordance with Bangerz suggestions.
• 13 Feb. 2017 (bosses page): Removed Emerald Nightmare bosses; added Nighthold advice and suggested legendary/trinket/talent combinations.
• 30 Jan. 2017 (rotation page): Removed leftover mention of Soul Conduit as the go-to talent in section 3.1.
• 17 Jan. 2017 (gear page): Updated legendaries, added new legendaries, added Nighthold BiS list.
• 14 Jan. 2017 (talents page): Updated final talents based off of empirical testing.
• 12 Jan. 2017 (addons page): Added Rain of Fire macro.
• 12 Jan. 2017 (artifact page): Quick update to Relic priority (Immo>CB>Incin>SS refund)
• 12 Jan. 2017 (gear page): Updated Legendaries (still need to add new Legendaries).
• 12 Jan. 2017 (bosses page): Updated Emerald Nightmare talent advice.
• 11 Jan. 2017 (talents page): Fixed the talents graphic bar.
• 09 Jan. 2017 (enchants page): Updated potion section to be more concise.
• 09 Jan. 2017 (rotation page): Updated APL, opener, and various sections for Patch 7.1.5.
• 09 Jan. 2017 (artifact page): Checked and confirmed for Patch 7.1.5.
• 09 Jan. 2017 (talents page): Updated for Patch 7.1.5.
• 09 Jan. 2017 (easy mode page): Updated the easy mode talent build for Patch 7.1.5.
• 09 Jan. 2017 (this page): Added a Patch 7.1.5 changes section, and updated strengths/weaknesses and viability sections.
• 09 Jan. 2017 (stats page): Stat priority remains the same but we removed the stat weights for now. We will re-add them once things stabilise.
• 11 Dec. 2016 (gear page): Added trinket list, Mythic+ BiS list, and updated Raid BiS list.
• 11 Dec. 2016 (easy mode page): Added easy mode for Destruction Warlocks.
• 10 Dec. 2016 (bosses page): Updated talent choices for some bosses.
• 10 Dec. 2016 (talents page): Updated talent builds (T1/T4/T7)
• 10 Dec. 2016 (rotation page): Updated Dimensional Rift section.
• 10 Dec. 2016 (artifact page): Swapped Fire From the Sky and Master of Disaster.
• 31 Oct. 2016 (rotation page): Fixed some typos.
• 30 Oct. 2016 (enchants page): Added a "Potion Choice" section to illuminate the pros and cons of pots, following the addition of Potion of Prolonged Power.
• 25 Oct. 2016 (talents page): Updated talents following the swap of Demon Skin and Demonic Circle in Patch 7.1.
• 17 Oct. 2016 (talents page): Updated talents a bit.
• 14 Oct. 2016 (gear page): Added trinket from Withered J'im.
• 14 Oct. 2016 (rotation page): Minor update to opener to optimize potion uptime.
• 10 Oct. 2016 (bosses page): Added boss by boss guide for Destruction Warlocks.
• 14 Sep. 2016 (gear page): Legendary updates.
• 14 Sep. 2016 (this page): Added some additional viability details & clarifications.
• 14 Sep. 2016 (stats page): Updated stat weights.
• 14 Sep. 2016 (talents page): Minor updates for clarification. Added some hard numbers to some descriptions.
• 14 Sep. 2016 (rotation page): Updated for clarity and parity with suggested talents.
• 14 Sep. 2016 (enchants page): Replaced Mark of the Claw with Mark of the Hidden Satyr for the Neck enchant.
• 04 Sep. 2016 (enchants page): Changed the gem recommendations to Quick Dawnlight in every socket.
• 29 Aug. 2016 (artifact page): Added.
• 29 Aug. 2016 (stats page): Updated for Legion's launch.
• 29 Aug. 2016 (talents page): Updated for Legion's launch.
• 29 Aug. 2016 (enchants page): Updated for Legion's launch.
• 29 Aug. 2016 (spells page): Updated for Legion's launch.
• 29 Aug. 2016 (gear page): Updated for Legion's launch.
• 29 Aug. 2016 (this page): Updated for Legion's launch.
• 29 Aug. 2016 (rotation page): Updated for Legion's launch.
• 20 Jul. 2016 (gear page): Removed trinket sims and added proper recommendations.
• 18 Jul. 2016 (stats page): Updated for the Legion pre-patch.
• 18 Jul. 2016 (this page): Updated for the Legion pre-patch.
• 18 Jul. 2016 (rotation page): Updated for the Legion pre-patch.
• 18 Jul. 2016 (gear page): Updated for the Legion pre-patch.
• 18 Jul. 2016 (talents page): Updated for the Legion pre-patch.
• 18 Jul. 2016 (spells page): Updated for the Legion pre-patch.
• 18 Jul. 2016 (addons page): Updated for the Legion pre-patch.
• 18 Jul. 2016 (enchants page): Updated for the Legion pre-patch.

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