C.C. King

So, you rolled a warlock and leveled it to 85 and you still don't make the same dps as a mage with the same gear. You can't tank or heal. Whatever do you do in dungeons anyway?

First of all, this is not a post about how much better warlocks are compared to other dps classes. We are not better or worse, just different.

Warlocks might not be known for the best dps around but when it comes to cc (Crowd Control) we are very good. And, yes, I know other classses can freeze, trap and polymorph too but no other class has the same range of cc that a warlocks has. Depending on the setup of the mobs (some luck and a huge amount of skill) we can keep up to 4 mobs busy at the same time. :)

To be able to take down a group of mobs you need to split them up, otherwise the tank will take more damage than any healer would be able to heal. (And, no, the solution is not to exchange one dps for a second healer since then you'd have too little damage to get the mobs down at all.) And here are some tips for all you warlocks out there. :)

The most important thing is to mark your targets. Everyone in the group need to know what targets that are cc'ed. Most cc breaks if the target takes damage so everyone NEED to stay away from those mobs.

But since pets are retards, aoe damage might be hard to get to just the targets you wanted or you happen to tab one time too many and fire at the wrong target. This is where warlocks comes and saves the day. :)

If the target is an Elemental or a Demon you can cast Banish on them. This will phase out the mob and make invulnerable but also completely harmless. And, again, mark your cc'ed targets. You don't want the tank and the other dps'es to waste energy on trying to beat up mobs that don't take any damage.

Another good way to keep a Demon in to use Enslave Demon on it. This is a bit of a gamble since you will turn that Demon into your minion (removing any minion you might have had) and when the spell breaks it will come running for you. The Demon that gest enslaved will get its casting speed slowed by 30% and time between attacks increased by 40%. This is not a bad thing if you use it right, send it to fight another demon of equal strenght and it will die and you don't have to worry about getting an angry demon back. And in the process you keep two mobs busy while you kill the others.

Two mobs punching eachother.

And last but not least, Fear. I have two wishes for 2011: 1) That all warlocks get Glyph of Fear. Infact the three most important things you need to know about Fear is: Get the glyph, get the glyph and get the frickin glyph. 2) And that players who play other classes will get Feared alot in bg's so that they'll learn that Fear no longer means that you run around aimlessly and that there is no risk that you pull other mobs with it.

The best thing about Fear is that the target is able to take a small amount of damage without breaking the cc. I sometimes even cast it on one of the mobs being tanked just to keep the total dps on the tank down a little even if it is just for a second. But the best way to use it is still to pick a mob to keep in Fear until you got the others down. You need to remember to refresh the Fear often. I usually cast a new Fear every 5-15 seconds even though it should last much longer just to be on the safe side.

Ok, so now we have one mob Banished, two mobs fighting somewhere and one standing still shivering in Fear. Taking down the last mob(s) will be a breeze. :)

You can also use cc while questing. My favourite rotation when questing and I'm targeting a single target is to start with a Soul Fire before the mobs is agroed followed by a Fear. With a little luck the Fear will cast just fractions of a second after the Soul Fire hits making the target stand still and not attack. Then an Immolate, Chaos Bolt and Conflagrate. The Fear should hold for the Immolate and any Fire Bolt the Imp has cast but will break when Chaos Bolt and Conflagrate hits. The nice things about Conflagrate, except the huge amount of damage is that the target will get slowed by it. And if you continue with Incinerate and maybe a Shadowfury you should be able to get most mobs down before they even have the chance to reach you. :)

Battle grounds is a fun place to use cc. :) Use Banish to get rid of other players minions. And don't under estimate the joy you get from a Shadowfury + Fear to halt a flag-carrier and watch him get beaten up. Or simply a Fear to stop a healer for a couple of seconds.